Hard-working farmers in the late 19th Century (late 1800s) needed no extra exercise, but recreation was good for the mind and spirit as well as the body. Among adult pioneer men, hunting, target shooting and bowling were among popular pursuits. Bowling, in the pioneer era, was an outdoor activity. The alley was shorter than in later indoor facilities. There were nine pins, … [Read more...]

“We never heard of trick or treat,” wrote local historian Ingrid Julsrud (born 1900) about her childhood in Houston, Minn., during the early 1900s. However, on Halloween, she and her childhood friends did dress up “funny” to visit their neighbors to have them guess who they were. She recalled Halloween being not as much for children as for “grownups who played pranks around … [Read more...]

Second of a series One of the first two automobiles in Houston, Minn., was the 1908 International Harvester Auto-Buggy, belonging to Dave Lord. Children were enthralled by that amazing machine, which looked much like a two-seated buggy heretofore pulled by a team of horses. The tires were small and made of hard runner about as big around as a one-inch garden hose. The … [Read more...]

First of a series In the early 1900s, there was a throng of men in front of Dave Schleich’s saloon, promoting a petition be presented to the village council, to prevent automobiles from being driven on the streets of Caledonia. During those horse-and-buggy days, newfangled motorized vehicles scared the horses, which would bolt away, thereby endangering the safety and … [Read more...]

History has surely been written about the resourceful, the successful, the achievers. However, there were those, who also extraordinary, accomplished absolutely nothing of historical significance. But they often, for good or bad, contributed to the everyday experiences of their neighbors. Local Houston, Minn., historian and author Ingrid Julsrud wrote about not only what she … [Read more...]

Second of a series One century ago, those in Wilmington Township, Houston County, Minn., and those in Wilmington, Del., and beyond began sharing a revolutionary daily experience, right in their own homes. What it was, was radio. The first commercial radio station was KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1920. With the introduction of commercially-made receivers, radio broadcasting boomed … [Read more...]

“Played cards, checkers, dominoes in the evening before the radio came around. Then we listened to the radio, “answered Ilyn Ingvalson Musser (born 1910) when asked about recreation during her youth on a Houston County farm southwest of Spring Grove. “When we grew up, we didn’t even have radio to begin with,” said Tinka Rud (born 1915) of Spring Grove. “Of course, then radios … [Read more...]

Third in a series There was not much happening on one lazy summer Sunday afternoon in the 1930s when several (eight or nine) girls went for a walk down the dusty road in Houston County leading out of Sheldon toward Houston. Their usual turn-around point was Hank Johnson’s driveway, one mile out of Sheldon. As they approached that location, the older girls began talking about … [Read more...]

Second of a series Hiram Knox, a great lover of horses, bought several trotters and laid out a race track for training on the east edge of the village of Sheldon. He, assisted by his three sons, won many races at the Houston County Fair as well as other venues in the area, including Iowa. Trotters are horses used in harness racing in which the horses race at a specific gait, … [Read more...]

First of a series An abundance of wood and water, especially water power, brought about the birth of many commun-ities, such as Sheldon in Houston County, Minnesota. The village was named for Julius Sheldon who came from Suffield, Conn., and impressed with the excellent water power, purchased land. In 1853, John Brown a native of Scotland built the first dwelling and took … [Read more...]