Fillmore County Journal

"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"

Peering at the Past: Congress Held Her Responsible in Houston County – Part two of a series

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Part two of a series It was September 1932 when Mathilda (Mrs. Knute) Lee of Spring Grove traveled by bus to Rochester to meet with Minnesota congressman Paul Quale from Benson, the top regional official of the Red Cross, C. M. Roland, that organization’s Assistant National Director of Disaster Relief, Henry Baker, and other volunteers from other Minnesota counties. Her paid … [Read more...]

Holiness is Everywhere

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By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches This past summer I traveled to the Holy Land and got to see the holy sites of Israel and Palestine. It was a trip of a lifetime, especially as a pastor. I got to see in person many of the holy places where Jesus walked! I remembered my baptism in the Jordan River. I rode in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. I … [Read more...]

Never Chase an Allis-Chalmers on an Empty Stomach

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My father was outstanding in his field. As a farmer, he spent a lot of time in the dairy barn, but it seemed like he was always in the field. He dedicated a significant part of his life to riding our collection of farm tractors – Allis-Chalmers (orange), Farmall (red) and Oliver (green). Sometimes he’d get so busy in the field that he’d forget about eating. This didn’t go … [Read more...]

Peering at the Past: Gardening – Detested by a Few, Provided for All

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Consuming homegrown food was certain for farm families. It was not as common an occurrence for families living in town – until it was, until it had to be. “I hated it,” wrote Robert E. A. Lee about his boyhood agricultural chores in Spring Grove. “I still remember cutting potatoes and dropping them as seeds into the holes my brother had fashioned with his spade. And there … [Read more...]

How Do You Look When You Die?

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How Do You Look When You Die? “Turn on the dancing music!” yelled my 4-year-old son. We had decided it would be fun to learn a dance move called “the running man,” which is essentially a series of marching and sliding backwards in such a way where it looks like you’re walking but you’re staying in the same place. It hurts your brain at first because your legs are moving back … [Read more...]

Who Was the First Person to Smile in a Photo?

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The day had a lot of moving parts and one too many unmoving parts. Someone, who happened to be me, stubbed his toe. If I’d meant to have done that, I’d have gotten an A+ on the assignment. I was up early to avoid sloth when the leg of the bed initiated an attack and forced me to defend myself. I hadn’t put hammer to stone and created a masterpiece the day before, but I’d … [Read more...]

Nostalgia Lies and the Good Old Days

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The cool air of autumn carries so many memories and feelings as it swirls through the leaves. There’s not much that can give feelings of nostalgia quite like a perfect fall day. Memories of playing in leaves, fires with marshmallows, harvest parties, wagon loads of corn, and as much apple crisp with ice cream as we can eat. But do feelings of nostalgia tell the whole … [Read more...]

Pastor Devotion – Dry Bones

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By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches We had dry bones, didn’t we?  For weeks on end, we saw no rain, felt no moisture, dragged about in the heat.  Hope fizzled for a good crop.  Our very bones were dried up and lifeless.  God knows what this lack of hope does to us.  God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel to give many messages to the … [Read more...]

Peering at the Past: Money Creek Bricks, Caledonia Chicks, Hokah Hogs and a Green Silk Veil

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Part three of a series In preparation for Houston County’s diamond anniversary (75 years) homecoming celebration in 1929, one committee produced a 48-page history pamphlet that included the information recounted here, surely drawing from extensive county histories published in 1882 and 1919. One section was devoted to the early settlement of several townships and villages. … [Read more...]