Korean War Mortar Found Near Nimrod, Then Taken to the Local Bar
The Wadena County Sheriff's Office issued a press release on May 17th detailing a call about a mortar that was found and transported to the Nimrod Bar the afternoon of Sunday, May 16th:
Law enforcement arrived on scene to find some individuals had been at the Shell City Bridge with a metal detector and located the mortar. They placed it in their vehicle and brought it to the Nimrod Bar to show others. Contact was made with the Crow Wing Bomb Squad. They responded to the scene and took possession of the mortar.
At the time of the bomb squad taking possession of the device it was unknown whether it was still alive or not. Officials estimated it to be from the Korean War era, making the mortar about 70 years old. Once in the Crow Wing Bomb Squads possession, the Wadena Co. Sheriff ensured it will be disposed of safely.
Just for future reference, if you find a mortar in an odd location, don't pick it up and bring it to the local bar. What should a person do if they come across an old and potentially dangerous explosive device in a strange place? The best thing you can do is report it to law enforcement, and the local bomb squad using a non-emergency line (unless it is an emergency). A big thing is to not touch it. Even though some of these things are really old, they can still contain explosives and that makes it potentially dangerous.
What a find by these people in Nimrod, they might have the best fishing story of opening weekend. I'm just glad everyone stayed safe.