At night in bed, asthma sufferer Henry Christian Bunge, Sr. sought relief from severe coughing by taking hold of a rope that he had attached to an overhead beam and lifted himself into a sitting position. Life as a southeast Minnesota pioneer during the last half of the 1800s called for as much ingenuity as possible. Success depended on self-sufficiency. Doctors were scarce, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Stinky fish, chicken livers and nightcrawlers
Part two of a series About 1950, some Rushford students received permission to be a couple of hours late to school, so at the break of dawn, mostly men and boys could be at nearby streams, hoping to catch the first trout of the season. It was the fishing opener, the opening day of trout season. The Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener has been a time-honored tradition in … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Catching Fish with Your Feet
Part one of a series Maybe on the bank of a river, smaller stream or a slough (rhyming with flew), there was the thrill of the pursuit and the later savoring of the flavor. It could involve a family, a couple of buddies or just one person. When growing up on a farm in the 1940s and 1950s, fishing was one of the few enjoyable activities for which there was time and also … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Bayonet threat: “Say you’re a Yankee!”
Horses needed rest after about 10 miles of pulling a stagecoach. In Houston County, the Lorette House was either the first or the last stop for a stream of stagecoaches traveling between La Crosse and St. Paul, following what later became County Highway 25. When white settlers arrived in the mid-1900s, a stagecoach was the only public transportation and safer than traveling … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Putting more water into an already full cup
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...]