Part two They walked from the ridge down through the woods into a valley below. Their intention was sure - while swinging wooden bats, to challenge the yet unseen adversary. It was school year 1949-1950 in Houston County when two country grade school teachers had arranged for their one-room school students to meet for a picnic and softball game. It was a highly unusual and … [Read more...]
Strinmoen repeats as Spring Grove MVP, Griffin as best pitcher
Jaxon Strinmoen repeated to win the Todd Oakes Most Valuable Player honor for Spring Grove baseball in 2023 and also repeated as the Ted Williams Batting Champion. Caleb Griffin was the repeat choice for the Cy Young Best Pitcher Award. And the state coaches named him Academic All-State, one of the state’s highest honors, reflecting achievement on the diamond and in the … [Read more...]
Third-most wins for Spring Grove baseball
The 2023 Spring Grove baseball team enjoyed a fifth straight winning season and second straight third-place finish in the Southeast Conference behind two state-ranked teams. The Lions were able to open the playoffs with a home game for the fifth straight season. Seeded eighth among 14 section teams, The Lions won two and lost two in postseason play to finish at 12-9, the … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Almost impossible to get the girls to play ball
“We boys pretty much ignored the girls, unless they were needed for a ball game,” wrote now octogenarian David Beckman about attending country grade schools in Houston County, Minn., in the 1940s and 1950s. “Even so, I did realize that girls were much more aware of subtle things that were going on around us than we boys ever were. We either didn’t notice or didn’t much … [Read more...]
McHugh, Grinde repeat as Lion Athletes of the Year
Seniors Addyson McHugh and Tysen Grinde were the 2022-23 Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively, as selected by the Spring Grove High School coaches. For the first time in the 49 years since girls athletics began in 1974, both recipients have repeated in the same school year. McHugh is the first girl to merit the acclaim three times. Grinde is the first Lion to … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Piggy banks, hitchhiking, whatever got them to the rink
Part two of a two-part series An 1884 newspaper credited S. D. Torrey of Lansing, Iowa, for introducing the roller-skating rage to Caledonia. “We had the pleasure of witnessing the first experiment of some of our denizens on rollers at the courthouse Monday evening, and we enjoyed it hugely. We did not venture to try on a pair of skates, however, fearing that a certain part of … [Read more...]
Four baseball Lions are All-SEC
For the second straight year, Caleb Griffin, Jaxon Strinmoen and Elijah Solum were named to the All-Southeast Conference Baseball Team and were joined in 2023 by Spring Grove teammate Brandon Jahnke. Also repeating as Honorable Mention was Ezra Griffin. It was the first time that as many as four baseball Lions were named All-SEC. Including third-place Spring Grove (12-9, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Rules of the rink: no profanity, no spitting on the floor
About three decades after settlers of European heritage first made their way west to southeastern Minnesota, townsfolk were able to put wheels on their feet. Evidently, some instruction on proper decorum was called for. “Gentlemen will not, and others must not spit on the floor,” was one published rule by the Rushford Roller Rink in the 1880s. “Skaters are prohibited from … [Read more...]
Olivia Beckman: In, then out, all-out effort, All-State
How much should have been expected? The team had some experience but had experienced little scoreboard success during the previous year’s two-win season. One senior had no recent experience, but had batted over .400 as a sophomore. After 15 losses the previous spring, the recent 2023 Houston softball team achieved 15 wins (15-5), a more-than-impressive turnaround. The senior, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Suspicious antidote was seized, but not wasted
In 1856, during Minnesota’s earliest years of settlement, an enterprising young newlywed moonshiner in the Fillmore County village of Choice found the area so full of rattlesnakes that he schemed to profit without having to encounter any wild creatures. He manufactured and sold what became a well-known antidote to snakebite. As time passed, he began to market medicine to … [Read more...]