Skip to content
site logo
  • DONATE
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Topics
    • Culture & Community
    • Land & Water​
    • Business & Work
    • Policy & Government
    • Health
    • Education
    • Regional Arts
  • Community Voices
    • Essays
    • Poetry
    • Photo Gallery
    • Multimedia Stories
    • Share a Story
  • Local Events Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Search

Building Community Through Storytelling

  • Home
  • Topics
    • Culture & Community
    • Land & Water​
    • Business & Work
    • Policy & Government
    • Health
    • Education
    • Regional Arts
  • Community Voices
    • Essays
    • Poetry
    • Photo Gallery
    • Multimedia Stories
    • Share a Story
  • Local Events Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • Search
Recent Posts >
Citizen Scientist MJ Hatfield Fights Insect Decline
Essay | Handmade Crafts Shape Artists and Build Community
Essay | How Craft Builds Connections from the Past Into the Future

Austin Minnesota local history

A sepia-toned historical photograph shows six adult men posed in front of a stone building with large rectangular blocks and two windows. Four men stand in the back row while two sit in wooden chairs in the foreground. The men wear late 19th-century clothing, including dark suits, vests, long coats, and wide-brimmed hats. One seated man on the left has a long, full beard reaching down to his chest, while another man in the center has a thick mustache and a dark overcoat, standing with one hand slightly raised. The group faces the camera with serious expressions, typical of formal portraits from that era. The setting suggests a courthouse or civic building.

Mower County Pioneer Judge Sanford Washburn Finally Laid to Rest

After 87 years in storage, the cremains of Mower County pioneer and probate judge Sanford Washburn were finally returned to Minnesota. A remarkable story of family, history and homecoming.

Follow us

MN Local News Giving Day 2026 graphic
Events promo 4.26.2026
School &local govt links

Supported by...

Screenshot
Paddle On sponsor _website promo.2.23.26
Root River Current logo in white

Root River Current is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital magazine serving the greater Root River Valley in Southeast Minnesota.

Info@RootRiverCurrent.org

  • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter
  • Support Root River Current’s Nonprofit Journalism
  • Pitch a Story | Contributor Guidelines
  • About Us
  • Leadership
  • Meet Our Content Contributors
  • Funding Root River Current
  • Inside Root River Current
  • Contact Us

Copyright Root River Current 2026.