“We didn’t have air-conditioning, electric fans or even ice cubes to cool a glass of water, but we survived,” wrote Houston town history writer, Ingrid Julsrud, about growing up in the early 1900s. An evening dip or swim in a river was one relief for those living close enough to a waterway. Sitting on a porch might provide more moving air than was possible inside the house. … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past The Lady on the Hill still receives visitors
Part three of a three-part series “The Stone Lady” or the “Lady on the Hill,” a unique hand-stacked landmark on a hill in Black Hammer Township has surveyed the landscape ever since the late 1860s or 1870s. Black Hammer Hill was the most pronounced feature of the topography, overlooking to the east where the Winona-Fort Atkinson Indian Trail crossed an older trail between the … [Read more...]
Two relays, Stendel win track and field events for Caledonia/Spring Grove
Caledonia/Spring Grove won two of the three boys relays, won the high jump and collected six of the top nine long jumps at the Cotter Invitational in Winona on May 19. There were six teams competing, but no team scores were computed. Winning the high jump is nothing new, but it was not the usual winner. Conference champion Chris Pieper did not enter, but Warrior freshman Ethan … [Read more...]
Spring Grove wins pair, drops two to close regular season
For the Spring Grove boys, the final week of the regular season began as expected with a comfortable May 17 double-header sweep of winless Schaeffer Academy with almost identical scores of 13-3 and 13-2. However, the 11-10 home upset setback to Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons was not expected after the Lions had won convincingly, 21-10, earlier in the season at Glenville. The May … [Read more...]
Pieper repeats as TRC high jump champion
Chris Pieper repeated as the conference high jump champion, clearing a personal-record 6-feet, 5-inches for Caledonia/Spring Grove at the May 14 Three Rivers Conference Track & Field Meet at Dover-Eyota. His previous best effort was the 6-feet, 4-inches while winning the TRC title last year. Pieper has won the high jump at all six meets he has entered in 2022. The versatile … [Read more...]
Spring Grove drops SEC showdown, splits at R-P tourney
Spring Grove dropped out of a first-place tie with a 4-2 loss to visiting Southland on May 13, one day before splitting a pair of games at the 2022 Rushford-Peterson Classic. All four tournament games were run-rule blowouts, including a Spring Grove split. The Lions fell to R-P, 13-3, before taking the third-place game against Goodhue, 15-4. That was the boys’ sixth game in six … [Read more...]
Spring Grove tied at the top with two SEC wins
Spring Grove remained atop the four-team logjam in the Southeast Conference baseball race with a pair of critical SEC wins – one by a comfortable margin and the other a nailbiter. With make-up games packing the schedule, there were three games in three days, first the lone loss in a closely-contested, non-conference May 9 clash versus Martin County West at a neutral site in … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past How old is Black Hammer’s landmark lady?
Part two of a three-part series A local newspaper stated, “V. Valtinson returned to his home at Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Monday after a five weeks visit here with relatives and friends. Mr. Valtinson is one of the real pioneers of Black Hammer Township and can tell thrilling stories of the early days with the Indians. While here, Mr. Valtinson added a few stones to the stone … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past The Stone Lady of Black Hammer – Who? Why? How many?
Part one of a two-part series It has long been a double distinction – the name and the landmark – for the Houston County hamlet of Black Hammer. That early landmark, ”The Stone Lady,” still looks down from a hill named Black Hammer, 1.3 miles south of the village with the same name. Early 1850s settler Knud Olson Bergo lived near a bluff in Minnesota that reminded him of a … [Read more...]
Warrior girls, boys sweep 4x200M relays at quadrangular
Both the Caledonia/Spring Grove 4x200-meter relay teams (girls and boys) were victorious at a quadrangular track and field meet hosted on May 6 by La Crescent-Hokah with the Warriors also competing against Cotter and La Crosse Logan. There were additional first-place honors for Garrett Ness in shot put and Chris Pieper extending his high jump winning streak. There were no team … [Read more...]
