The Spring Grove basketball boys return five of last year’s 12 letter winners, but the Lions bring back less than half of the scoring and only a fourth of the rebounding. For the second straight season, Caden Grinde is the lone full-time returning starter, who was also the most celebrated as the Spring Grove MVP and two-time all-conference selection. Illness provided … [Read more...]
Lion girls 16 points shy of Superlarks, Trojans
The Spring Grove girls rebounded and defended, but unsteady ball-handling sabotaged their pursuit for points in the first two basketball games of 2021, dropping both by 16-point margins. The Lions (0-2, 0-1 SEC) fell to visiting Grand Meadow, 36-20, on Jan. 15 and then 20 hours later, were outscored at Rushford-Peterson, 44-28. Grand Meadow 36, Spring Grove 20 … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls depend early on defense
“Depending on defense” while developing an “offensive identity” is the early-season task for the youthful Spring Grove basketball girls according to third-year head coach Kody Moore. There is a lot of offensive production to replace with three-fourths of the scoring and nearly two-thirds of both the assists and offensive rebounds no longer available after last year’s 6-21 … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – You could see four churches from there
“You can see four churches from here,” observed Paul Klinski decades ago from his farm in Union Township, Houston County, according to David Klinski, son of Paul and fourth-generation resident of that family farm. Two of the four church buildings still stand on or near Highway 44 north of Caledonia. Pioneer congregations faced considerable challenges: finding a meeting place, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Moonshiners – Moonshiners, lawmen and hide-n-seek with illicit liquor
It can be difficult to enforce a law that a good portion of the populace wishes to violate. So it was when the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited the production, importation, transportation and sale of liquor. Caledonia journalist and commentator Perk Steffen noted that the eastern part of Houston County “did not turn its back upon prohibition… It faced … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: New Year’s Day: “If you had not seen us crash, we may have all died.”
“It was like the Lord told him to do it now – you have an important job to do tomorrow,” wrote Glenn Buxengard, referring to neighbor George Wiemerslage, whose tractor had run out of gas the night before – New Year’s Eve. It was dark and time for chores, so Wiemerslage was going to leave gassing up until tomorrow. But he didn’t wait. So, when Buxengard phoned him the next … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton, LeRoy-Ostrander claim team, individual trap titles
Mabel-Canton and Leroy-Ostrander High School trap teams both bagged conference championships during the pandemic fall season of 2020. Kingsland was conference runner-up while Spring Grove shooters finished fourth in their clay-target league race. The area’s two best individual scoring averages belonged to two Mabel-Canton marksmen, who were both All-State last spring. Senior … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Trains bypass county seats; earn dollar and a half a day working on the railroad
The first railroad in southeast Minnesota went up the Root River Valley, bypassing two county seats – Caledonia and Preston. That omission would soon be solved by entrepreneurs in Caledonia. Railroads began to cross Houston County in the 1860s, shortly after the Civil War. The railroad era in southeast Minnesota lasted more than a century before ending in 1976. In 1880, the … [Read more...]
Cougar cheerleaders again earn recognition, Kleiboer repeats All-American
Three Mabel-Canton cheerleader captains received nominations and tried out for the 2020 All-American Team – seniors Jenny Reenalda and Katelyn Kleiboer along with sophomore Grace Solberg. Kleiboer was nominated for the sixth year and has earned All-American acclaim three times, including 2020. It was the second nomination for both Solberg and Reenalda. Individuals that attend … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – RFD delivers mail, eliminates most Houston County post offices
A new postal rural route out of Spring Grove, to be established in October of 1905, would discontinue the post office in Yucatan, according to the September 8, 1905, edition of the Winona Republican-Herald. An additional route from Rushford would cross the county line and service Money Creek. The post office at Money Creek (established in 1856) was discontinued in August of … [Read more...]