When she was nine or 10 years old, her parents thought she was old enough to handle the rifle that she and her siblings would use to scare the blackbirds out of the family cornfields in the Root River valley near Hokah. The late Josephine “Josie” (Lorenz) Gavin reminisced about her childhood in the 1940s. The children took turns with farm chores – one of which in the late … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past There was pride in freezing your clothes
You did not phone a serviceman or purchase a new replacement part “if you had a kid big enough to hold a screwdriver,” - not during the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to Anita Joyce (Hartman) Palmquist. She was a farm kid in Pleasant Valley near Hokah, who unenthusiastically did hold a screwdriver while her father Carl Frederick Hartman turned the crank of a large … [Read more...]
Warrior section upset bid falls short in overtime, 2-1
The Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston soccer boys were within three minutes of a Section 1A Tournament upset when La Crescent-Hokah finally scored to tie the count, 1-1, and usher in a pair of overtime periods. The Lancers would score in the second extra period to claim a 2-1 win. The Warriors had received the No. 6 seed in the 10-team playoff bracket. No. 3 seed La Crescent-Hokah … [Read more...]
Lions sweep Burros, ‘Canes but fall to Cougars in five-set title showdown
It was an eventful week of volleyball for the second-place Spring Grove girls who won the Oct. 11 rematch with third-place Lanesboro, 3-0, which set up the Oct. 14 rematch with division-leading and state-ranked No. 6 Mabel-Canton. In between on Oct. 12, the Lions completed a season sweep of Houston, 3-0. Mabel-Canton came into the SEC East Division showdown having already … [Read more...]
Two late TDs lift Lions past Kingsland, 20-19
It had been a while since his first-minute breakaway gallop and touchdown. But when Spring Grove’s Hunter Holland finally broke free a second time, it was truly a last-minute backbreaker and heartbreaker for the Kingsland bench and fans who had the closest view of his game-stealing sprint down the visitors’ sideline. The 165-pound speedster took a pitchout, cut inside of a … [Read more...]
Soccer girls close with section loss at Dover-Eyota, 5-1
The soccer season ended for the Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston girls, who with the No. 7 seed was eliminated from the Section 1A Tournament at No. 2 seed Dover-Eyota by a score of 5-1. It was a windy Oct. 13 evening for a game played on wet and somewhat slippery grass. The Eagles, who had previously defeated the Warriors during conference action (2-1 and 10-0), took a quick … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Shopping involved horses, eggs and an empty kerosene can
The Jacob Eide family lived above their store/post office, which was burned to the ground when lightning struck during a nighttime thunderstorm. After exiting, the parents took a head count and believed all the children were out of danger. But their count was incorrect; they forgot that a neighbor child had been sleeping over. Mrs. Eide went back inside to salvage a quilt that … [Read more...]
Lions left behind early by LeRoy-Ostrander
The athletic LeRoy-Ostrander defensive line - which averaged 6-foot-4, 218 pounds - exerted its dominance from the outset of a convincing 46-6 victory over visiting Spring Grove on Oct. 8. The senior and junior-laden Cardinals (4-2, 3-2 sub-district) scored with a field goal and a safety along with three passing touchdowns and three rushing scores. The Lions (2-3, 2-3 … [Read more...]
Soccer girls close regular season with a tie, two wins
The Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston soccer girls (4-9-2, 1-8-1 TRC) closed the regular season with a 2-2 overtime conference tie at La Crescent -Hokah on Oct. 5, followed two nights later by a 9-0 non-conference home rout of Triton and then on Saturday, a come-from-behind 5-4 non-conference road victory at Lake City. Ayshia Gay scored six goals in only two appearances while … [Read more...]
Soccer boys fall to Lancers, take No. 6 seed into playoff rematch
The Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston soccer boys closed the regular season with a 3-1 home loss to La Crescent-Hokah on Oct. 5. Austin Meyer scored a second-half goal for the Warriors while goalkeeper August Allen made 10 saves on the other end of the field. The Lancers led 1-0 at halftime and went on to complete a season conference sweep. Joey Schreier supplied a goal and an … [Read more...]