It had vanished without a trace when my grand parents left their home for an apartment of elder living. We thought we had quizzed everybody that might have a clue of their “whereabouts”. Over a half century had past and all of the grand children thought they were lost to antiquity. Recently while celebrating my …
THE STRONGEST BUILT BRICK OUTHOUSE IN ALL OF THE NATION ! Found at Blue Mounds State Park in the Deep South West of Minnesota lies a structure that is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Alas, it is made of stone not brick. The stone is called Sioux Quartzite or Morton Gneiss and measures …
It was a dirty, dusty and dangerous journey for this Guatemalan to end up across the street from where I live.He fled his home country and arrived in South Western Minnesota. He left a country that he loved, it was a country of his birth, a country that had become intolerable. At nineteen years of …
HUNTERS, GATHERERS, CONSUMERS IN THE HOLOCENEI like shopping at fancy grocery stores when I get the chance.It is fun to have a bountiful selection and be able to splurge on occasion on items we feel are a luxury.I justify this by not doing it on a weekly basis but perhaps once every few months when …
They came from Guatemala six years ago and have quietly filled the neighborhoods of this small town. They sought out this community because of a need for manual labor in the meat processing markets of the midwest. Worthington is a town that has numerous small starter homes because it has always been a town of …
Luverne, Minnesota is the best kept secret in the midwest. With the tri-state band festival, Blue Mounds State Park, and more this is a great place to visit.
SIMPLE AS A SIDEWALK The first two courses of cut stone appear to come from stone quarries near Cold Springs, MN. The stone matches the grave markers that can be found in cemeteries in Maui. The trade name is Black Diamond Granite. Sailing ships from New England needed ballast to hold their vessels upright as …
We intentionally miss New Orleans, we swing off the heavily beaten path and head to bayou country. Little did we know we were headed to where alligator shows are filmed and have become the rage. A simple stop at a grocery store and a man named Charlie compliments us on our Sprinter Van Conversion RV …
As a carefree youth my early Junior High School experience came crashing down.I had received a failing grade in Spanish.It meant little or nothing to me.I had never met anyone that spoke this language called “Spanish”.At that young age I was convinced that my teacher was trying to teach me a language that was from …
Fredrick Manfred-Siouxland-My Friend He was a man that loomed large on the landscape. I was nearly a remedial reader when I first got to know him, he meant a great deal to myself and my family. Early recollections was my Uncle Mike (an archeologist/American Resources Group) and Fred Manfred would meet at Eagle Rock and …