By Cheryl Boyum Eaton 1877 Peterson Museum Board Member Many people are familiar with the talents involving Norwegian descended women, notably the baking of lefse, rosettes and krumkake, and the fine handiwork like tatting, weaving and rosemaling. Fewer are aware of the folk art products made by Norwegian men. These talents have been “passed down” to their … [Read more...]
Minnesota Cover Crop Selector Tool Updated
By Katie Drewitz University of Minnesota Extension PRESTON and CALEDONIA, MN, October 21, 2025 – Earlier this month, significant updates to the Midwest Cover Crops Council’s cover crop selector tool for Minnesota were published. A group of Minnesota researchers, agency staff, seed dealers, and farmers came together with Midwest Cover Crops Council staff to discuss … [Read more...]
Real Bites: Burgers, Fish Frys and Community
Over the years, Rack’s Bar & Grill in Spring Valley, Minn., has become more than an award-winning restaurant. It’s become a place where the community gathers before and after the big game. It’s become a place where people celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and delicious food. It’s a place where tourists see a parking lot full of vehicles, and they say, “This place must … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – God Bless You All This Fall!
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Co-Pastor of Prairieland Parish When life swallows you up with sadness, hurt, frustration or fear. When you begin to be led by the hand to the dark side of life. Where do you go or how do you find your way back to peace? Who do you turn to for help when you can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders any longer? The fall season gifts … [Read more...]
Was It Butterfly Kisses or Was It Butterfly Flossing?
It’s the heated car seat season. That’s another reason there is no need to spend a winter in the south. Unless it’s Algona, Iowa. That’s my idea of the tropics. “How are you doing?” was how I greeted an audience member after I’d given a long-winded talk. I asked that in the hopes of making a connection, but knowing it’s not always the best question because people … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Then and Now, A Huge Sentry Overlooks the Valley Below
In May and June 1854, a caravan of 13, mostly oxen-drawn covered wagons, was heading west from Dodge County, Wis., to settle in the Root River Valley. On June 9, they stopped for a meal near Cushon Peak, a familiar landmark in the valley, two miles west of Houston. While there, some of the party came upon a small, cage-like structure on the side of a bluff, in which sat, in an … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – God’s Ordered Abundance
By Rev. Tim Sandeno St. Johns Lutheran Church and School, Wykoff I have heard many say that autumn is their favorite among the seasons. While maybe not yet peak for our area, the trees are changing and the reds, yellows, and oranges of fall are making their appearance. I pray that God provides abundantly for those who love this season. I have seen during my walks that … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Barefooted Boys Rode Bareback on Portland Prairie
Portland Prairie is a region in southeastern Minnesota in Wilmington Township, Houston County near Eitzen, which was not leveled by glaciers and therefore is somewhat hilly. It attracted farmers because there were few trees to cut down. The area was settled in the early- to mid-1850s by families from New England, most notably Rhode Island. C. L. McNelly, born in 1883, was in … [Read more...]
Never Shake Hands with a Great Horned Owl
We all know things. Some of us suspect more than we know. The latter group consists mainly of brothers-in-law. During my school years – grade school, junior high and high school – I spent a lot of time seated in a school bus. The ride to school took about three minutes. The ride home from school took three hours on a good day. On those trips home, the bus pulled up at the … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – A Family Affair
Family brings us many characteristics, interests and activities as our inheritance. From my side of the family, we gained a longing for the north woods and life at the cabin. I still speak with a Wisconsin accent. My husband’s family has given us the appreciation for county living on the farm with all the work it entails. One activity my husband’s dad enjoyed was the … [Read more...]