How do you find a few ducks that weigh a single pound full grown? Well, I didn’t know the answer to that until I asked a friendly neighbor for help. I had been raising poultry for a few years, and I wanted to raise call ducks – a breed of ducks that weighs 16 ounces full-grown. Darrell Ray, our neighbor, gave me the contact information for a man named Chuck Rector, who raised … [Read more...]
The contents had burned but the structure was unharmed
I remember it being the year after all the needles had fallen off the tree three days before Christmas. I was at a family reunion smaller than Rhode Island. They were talking of past glitter and petty schemes. They were my family’s elders. I’d guess their average age had been about 104 years. Judging by their wild and weedy eyebrows, none of them were narcissists. I enjoyed … [Read more...]
Historic memories of Fillmore County A lovely Methodist Church once stood on a hill in Preston, but where?
“Farewell To The Old Church” by Aaron L. Sleyster, 1893 When we think of the church on the corner, With a spire that points to the sky, And a bell that will send forth its music, With peals through the clear Sabbath sky,— Our hearts are rebounding with gladness; And we peer in the future, and see A modern and beautiful structure, That is—or so shortly … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Winnebago removal “the most spectacular sight ever witnessed in this area”
Second of a two-part series For tribal elders, this migration was unpleasant but nothing new. More than a century later, local historian Percival Narveson termed “this uneasy procession” to be “the most colorful and spectacular sight ever witnessed” in what became western Houston County. In the summer of 1848, about 2,500 Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Indians, 90 soldiers, about … [Read more...]
The power of an internship
It’s a common story: schools close down, office employees work from home, and internships are canceled. Last spring, most plans went out the window. As a college student, I was preparing to intern either at an orphanage in Mexico or with a policy group in Washington D.C. The last thing that I expected to spend my summer doing was live in a trailer and work on a potato farm in … [Read more...]
Matt and Brenda Stier: Sharing life — and the gift of music — together
Steve and Eydie. Sonny and Cher. Johnny and June. Let’s add John and Yoko, too. Who are these people and what do they have in common? Depending on your birthday and generation, you recognize them as married couples who became well-known for singing together. If you’re from Spring Valley, Harmony, Lanesboro, Preston, St. Charles, or Chatfield, anywhere in southeast Minnesota, … [Read more...]
Historic memories of Fillmore County A few more pictures from the Drury family photo album
Last week you met six of the eight children born to Joseph H. and Sadie (McNulty) Drury. However, I explained that the old photograph didn’t include three of the children - Pearl, Robert, and Donald. I searched our family photo albums and came up short finding any pictures of the three of them when they were children. But I did find three very nice pictures of them, as … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Many walked from Winona into Iowa through Spring Grove and Houston
First of a two-part series Hundreds of years before paved roadways, there was an extraordinary prehistoric trail near present-day Spring Grove and Houston. Before statehood, Spring Grove Township named one early road Indian Trail Road, which is now part of Houston County Highway 8 where it meets Highway 44. “While most Indian trails were only narrow footpaths through the … [Read more...]
It’s fall when even my feet smell like pumpkin spice
Fall is when we give serious thought to winter. Winter is when we begin looking forward to spring. When does fall begin? Is it the astronomical date of the autumnal equinox on September 22, the meteorological date of September 1 or Labor Day? No matter, it’s when winter looms. Winter is imminent for a long time. Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt wrote this, which is only slightly … [Read more...]
Valerie (Earley) Luhman: Fillmore County roots, agricultural success
National FFA Officer Candidate Deep roots and strong wings: being equipped with these two things can take you anywhere. There’s one Fillmore County native who exemplifies this philosophy. Valerie Luhman (maiden name Earley) has used her roots in Fillmore County to soar to new heights as an agricultural entrepreneur. Valerien Luhman, daughter of James and Rachel Earley, has … [Read more...]