Month: April 2023

Our devices sometimes make real conversation difficult and may leave us isolated. Real conversation requires face to face interaction. (Photo by Rene Bergrstrom)

Essay | Hungry for Conversation

Julie Little thinks we need to learn to talk to each other again.

Traffic on the Truang Tien Bridge over the Perfume River in Hue, Vietnam. (Photo by Bonnie Gibson)

Poetry | Winding Paths

Poet Bonnie Gibson shares two poems that take the reader into other cultures.

The Fillmore County Historical Society in Fountain has a vast collection of historical data. Former Executive Director Sara Sturgis is pictured here researching information for a society project. (Submitted photo)

Essay | Going Down the Research Rabbit Hole

Sara Sturgis explores the challenges researchers face documenting the past.

Walker’s route through Fillmore County took him from Pleasant Grove in Olmsted County to Jordan, Fillmore Village, Carimona, Waukokee, Big Springs, Greenfield, and Eliotta, before crossing into Iowa at Burr Oak. Waukokee was a swing station and post office south of Preston and Eliotta was located on the Minnesota – Iowa border in present-day Canton Township. (Map courtesy of Fillmore County Historical Society)

Dubuque-St. Paul Territorial Road Opened Up Area to White Settlement

The Dubuque – St. Paul trail opened up the Minnesota Territory to white settlement. John Torgrimson writes about the role the stagecoach played in that development.

Three horses running in the snow surprised me. They looked like a scene in a Chinese painting. (Photo by John Weiss)

In Search of Golden Eagles

Nature writer John Weiss travels to Houston County in search of Golden Eagles.

Jack and Nancy Bratrud at their home in Preston. They are shown with their scrapbook documenting the media attention Mrs.B’s generated, which helped put Bluff Country on the map as a tourist destination. (Photo by John Torgrimson)

It All Started with Mrs. B’s

Loni Kemp interviews the founders of Mrs. B’s in Lanesboro, which kicked off tourism development in Bluff Country.

Karla Bloem, Executive Director of the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota, with Uhu the Eurasian Eagle Owl. (Photo by Alan Stankevitz)

Owl Center Puts Houston on the Map

Steve Harris takes us inside the amazing International Owl Center in Houston

Mornings at the confluence of the Root River, Main Stem, and its South Branch are often mystical. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Seasonal Photo

A spring photo from Renee Bergstrom

The Fillmore County Board recently expanded the animal unit cap for livestock from 2,000 to 4,000, sparking debate over the balance between farming and the environment. (Submitted photo)

What Happens When Feedlots Get Bigger in Karst Country?

Fillmore County changed its Feedlot Ordinance in 2023 to allow for up to 4,000 animal units despite concerns about sinkholes, porous bedrock, and water quality. John Torgrimson follows the story.