Year: 2023

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.

Spring Grove

Rural Renewal: Placemaking in Small Towns Through Good Design

Spring Grove receives development support from Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design.

Minnesota law requires that all slow-moving vehicles display a fluorescent orange-red triangular sign. This law was challenged on religious grounds by a group of Amish men in 1988 before the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that the Amish could use white bars on the back of their buggies instead of the “too worldly” triangular sign. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

A Slow Moving Vehicle

Henry Hershberger, a 15-year-old Amish boy, was killed on a summer night in 2021 when his buggy was rear-ended by a pickup truck near Preston. Legal proceedings carried into 2023. This is what happened.

Surrounded by Norway Spruce, the Harvey Benson farm south of Harmony is typical of many farmsteads in southeast Minnesota. The farm has been in the family since the late 1800s. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Passing on the Farm

Julie Little reports on a Harmony landowner who struggled over what to do with his land when he passed on. He found the answer just a few miles away in a couple that shared his values.

Joan Finnegan unloads apples on the loading dock. Five families collected a range of apple varieties, including Cortland, Haralson, and Fireside, making for a complex tasty cider. (Photo by Lori Slindee)

Essay | Cider: An Annual Tradition

A group of friends gather annually to harvest apples and make cider enjoyed throughout the year. This is their story.

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