Winter has always presented its particular challenges in southeast Minnesota. The earliest white pioneers, who came from states farther east or who immigrated from northern Europe, could even shelter first beneath their wagons during warmer weather. But as winter approached, indoor shelter was a necessity. If there was not enough time to construct a log dwelling, recent … [Read more...]

Dairying would eventually bolster the economy in Houston County as would growing corn, but neither was the area’s first cash-producing agricultural enterprise. That was wheat. In the 1800s, farming was a matter of trial, error and adjustment, especially in unfamiliar territory as the nation expanded west with many farmers immigrating from Europe. But agriculture would become … [Read more...]

They could weigh up to 1,600  pounds, but quality millstones were so valuable that some 19th century immigrants lugged them along when they departed Europe. The expertise of millers was equally critical. Until mills were established, the earliest settlers in Minnesota of European heritage had to grind their wheat by hand. Some, like native Americans, pounded grain in a mortar. … [Read more...]

Some families have had long-standing church and political affiliations, and local historian David Beckman realized it was so for his father’s family in Mound Prairie Township of Houston County in the 1950s. While the Bible Belt across the South was staunchly religious and Democrat, the members of the Evangelical Church on South Ridge in Houston County associated being a good … [Read more...]