
How The Bakken Museum Keeps Pace with Earl - Presenter: Ethan Huelskamp
Tue, Apr 28
|Mindekirken
Earl Bakken built his legacy on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. The innovative nature of Earl led him to invent the first battery-powered, wearable pacemaker, establish a collection of early electrical therapeutic devices, co-found Medtronic, and found The Bakken Museum.


Time & Location
Apr 28, 2026, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Mindekirken, 924 E 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA
About the event
Earl Bakken built his legacy on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. The innovative nature of Earl led him to invent the first battery-powered, wearable pacemaker, establish a collection of early electrical therapeutic devices, co-found Medtronic, and found The Bakken Museum. Housed in the historic West Winds mansion overlooking Bde Maka Ska, The Bakken recently celebrated its 50th birthday and throughout that time, the museum has continually honored Earl’s Promethean spirit through expansions of the facilities, exhibits, and programs. Being a small institution allows us to nimbly adapt to the rapidly changing needs of communities while staying true to our mission of inspiring a passion for innovation to transform curiosity into possibility. We will share a Bakken family heirloom which they transported via boat when emigrating from Norway several generations ago.
Presented by Tuesday Open House
10:30 a.m. Doors open
11-11:30 a.m. Lunch is available
11:45 a.m. Welcome and Announcements
12-1:00 p.m. Program presentation
$15 donation per person upon entry includes lunch and program