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...]

Moist air was good for wool is what wool buyer John Redding told teenager Cliff Orr, who had asked why there were so many pails of water in the shed near the railroad stockyards. It was May or June, about 1909, and “market day” in Houston, Minn. About 15 years old, Cliff had the job of driving the “two-seater” horse-drawn buggy that transported five women, including his sister, … [Read more...]

Delivering milk all over Spring Grove before school was his first job, earning $2 a week. In 1930, that had the purchasing power that $38 has in 2024. During the Great Depression, many jobs were lost. Any job was better than no job, especially for a schoolboy like Mervin Dvergsten. Although on stage in all the high school plays and musicals, Dvergsten worked many jobs during … [Read more...]

Blackcap sauce over cooked rice was an original family recipe and “comfort food” on a Houston County farm on South Ridge in the 1940s. Most food, including berries, came from the family garden, but blackcaps (small black raspberries resembling caps) were a rare wild treat.  Annually, around the Fourth of July, the Beckman family would unpack long-sleeved shirts, because … [Read more...]

By Lee Epps Third in a series It was at first a disappointment as well as an inconceivable surprise. Later, it provided welcome albeit unexplained enjoyment – cool relief during summer heat for area visitors and annual snowball fights during Fourth of July celebrations. It was a longtime source of amazement when it was “cool” to be in Brownsville, Minn. It took about 120 … [Read more...]