In 1853 at age 21, when he first arrived in what became Houston County, Minnesota, there were only two dwellings within seven miles, and they were small 12 by 16 feet shanties, barely meeting the needs of their residents. Therefore, newcomers had to do whatever they could. There was a just-arrived family from Wisconsin living in their wagon. Massachusetts-born Eugene Marshall … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Dreams of Democracy Fulfilled in Houston County, America
Part two of a two-part series They wanted to relocate their family in the United States, but maybe only the three children of Stephen and Katherine Masenko might be able to make it. Fearing Stephen might not pass the necessary physical examination, they intended to send their children to America alone if that was the only way to get them there. The couple so hated and feared … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton Team, Spring Grove Individuals Enjoy Success at National Trap
The Mabel-Canton trap team finished among the top third of the field at the 2026 USA Clay Target League National Championship on July 8-12 at Mason, Michigan. Christian Bjerke of Spring Grove was highest-finishing individual among Journal-area shooters and one of only 23 senior marksmen nationwide to qualify for the national tournament for six consecutive seasons. Kingsland … [Read more...]
His Path to the Final Four Began in Houston
He is arguably the most celebrated college athlete from Houston County, an All-American who helped lay the groundwork for what became the most successful Division I college basketball program in the nation. John Green began his basketball career at Houston, Minnesota, long before being pictured on the cover of Sports illustrated on the way to March Madness, playing a leadership … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past From the Russian Revolution to Houston County
It was a dinner conversation that the members of both families would never forget. Neither family had met the other before, but prayers had been answered for both as they sat down together. The Hartman family prepared the meal, which however, took place in the Masenko home, however, a house the Masenko family was seeing for the first time. The Carl and Hazel Schild … [Read more...]
Ronnenberg, Volkart and Spring Grove Team Excel at State Trap Finale
Rushford-Peterson marksman Colton Ronnenberg, LeRoy-Ostrander super shooter Kimberley Volkart and the Spring Grove trap team all earned exceptionally high honors while competing versus the very best in Minnesota’s grand clay target finale on June 26. After tiebreakers, Spring Grove finished fourth among more than 400 teams, and Ronnenberg was state runner-up among more than … [Read more...]
Cougars, Trojans, Cardinals Capture State Clay Target Titles
Mabel-Canton in Class 4A, Rushford-Peterson in Class 3A and LeRoy-Ostrander in Class 2A, each won a state team championship at the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League’s annual state trap extravaganza at Alexandria. They were the first state clay target titles for a Journal-area team since Spring Grove captured three straight in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Going forward, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – ‘Olde’ Barn Has Hosted Horses and Hoofers for 46 Summers
Revised from his first two columns in 2020 “Ye Olde Gray Barn” is not gray, but black. However, it is the “Gray barn” because the functional facility for draft horses was loaned by Dr. Jim and Karen Gray to an ambitious group of citizens, who in 1979 staged “Annie Get Your Gun,” the first of the often-acclaimed 46 summer musicals in Spring Grove - believed to be the … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Five Snafus on the Fourth of July, 1887
The morning train brought Judge Wells and the cornet band from Preston along with other citizens from that and nearby towns. The occasion was a Fourth of July celebration at Caledonia in 1887, the nation’s 111th birthday. A lot had been planned, but something unplanned would save the day. Mother Nature furnished the first of five snafus or mishaps. According to the Caledonia … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Birds and Bees and Animals Planting Walnut Trees
Ada Sheldon, on a Mound Prairie farm in Houston County, kept a large garden and raised chickens, geese, ducks and canaries as well as children, one of whom was son Sumner (born 1910), who would become a prominent area historian and columnist. “To be sure that she had enough to do, Mama kept about sixty swarms of bees,” quipped Sumner. His mother, while an accomplished … [Read more...]