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...]

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...]