Roots & Riddles

In this delightfully chaotic tale from 1878, Preston erupts into full crisis mode when a young boy wanders off and doesn’t return by nightfall. The church bell tolls, neighbors grab lanterns, and before long, half of Fillmore County is convinced the child has been kidnapped by a passing emigrant wagon. In true frontier fashion, a heavily armed posse charges off to “save the day”—only to discover t...

In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , Preston and Lenora revisit a startling chapter in Fillmore County’s past: the earthquake of 1877. Though Minnesota is far from the seismic hotspots of the nation, residents of Fillmore County felt the ground shift beneath them in a rare and unsettling event. Drawing from historical accounts, they explore how the tremor rippled through southeastern Minnesot...

In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , Preston and Lenora trace the surprising local ties of Richard Sears — the man whose mail-order empire reshaped how Americans shopped. Long before catalogs and department stores, Sears was a boy in Fillmore County, surrounded by the rhythms of rural Minnesota life. This episode blends local history with national legacy, showing how Fillmore County’s landsca...

In this special Thanksgiving episode of  Roots & Riddles , Preston and Lenora set aside the mysteries and dive into something just as meaningful: gratitude for the place they call home. Fillmore County isn’t just a backdrop for their stories — it’s a living archive of resilience, creativity, and community spirit. Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or are just discovering its stories, th...

In the spring of 1915, Preston was shaken by a near-tragedy that unfolded behind closed doors—and made its way into the pages of the  Preston Times . This episode of  Roots & Riddles  unpacks the haunting story of Dr. Harrington, a respected dentist and entrepreneur whose return from illness took a dark and unexpected turn. Was this a case of post-illness delirium, untreated trauma, or somethi...

In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , we uncover the story of Fillmore County’s sons who marched off to war as part of the 2nd Minnesota Infantry, led by Colonel J.W. Bishop. From the rolling hills of Bluff Country to the battlefields of the South, these men carried the hopes of their community into one of America’s darkest chapters. We explore how Fillmore County rallied behind the Union caus...

In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , we journey to Spring Valley. Twice, in 1928 and again in 1933, the First National Bank was robbed in bold, daylight heists that left the community stunned and the authorities scrambling. Who were the culprits behind these daring crimes? Were the robberies connected, or was Spring Valley simply unlucky? We dig into dusty archives, trace the getaway routes,...

This Halloween,  Roots & Riddles  takes a spectral stroll through the shadows of Fillmore County’s forgotten towns. Elliota, Waukopee, Belleville, Clear Grit, and Beldena—once bustling with blacksmiths, millers, and hopeful settlers—now linger only in maps, memories, and moss-covered cemeteries. In this chilling episode, Lenora and Preston unearth the rise and fall of these vanished communitie...

When the 18th Amendment outlawed alcohol in 1920, Fillmore County didn’t just dry up—it got inventive. In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , Lenora and Preston uncork the hidden history of Prohibition in southeastern Minnesota, where moonshine flowed through barn basements, backroads became smuggling routes, and small-town saloons went underground. But here’s the twist: Did Al Capone, the infa...

Long before tailgates and turf fields, the Minnesota Vikings traded helmets for softball gloves—and headed to Ostrander, Minnesota. From 1970 to 1973, the Vikings made an annual summer pilgrimage to this small Fillmore County town, playing charity softball games to raise funds for the Ostrander Park. In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , Lenora and Preston step onto the diamond of memory, revi...

In the quiet town of Fountain, Minnesota, the clink of glasses and hum of conversation were shattered one night by a bold and unexpected crime. A local saloon—once a hub of frontier camaraderie—became the scene of a robbery that left residents stunned and rumors swirling. In this episode of  Roots & Riddles , Lenora and Preston dig into the dusty newspaper archives to reconstruct the events of...

On Mother’s Day in 1953, the skies over Fillmore County darkened—and by 5:45 p.m., an F4 tornado with winds up to 260 mph tore through the countryside near Wykoff, Minnesota. It was one of five violent twisters that struck the region that day, but for the some Wykoff locals It became a moment frozen in time. In this episode, Lenora and Preston revisit the harrowing events that resulted from this m...

Before the Wild West was mythologized in dime novels and traveling shows, one man lived it—and practiced medicine in the heart of Fillmore County. Dr. Frank Powell, known to audiences and admirers as “White Beaver,” was no ordinary country doctor. He was a frontier scout, a showman, and a trusted friend of Buffalo Bill Cody. In this episode, Lenora and Preston peel back the layers of Powell’s thea...

In the winter of 1936, the quiet farmland near Harmony, Minnesota became the scene of a brutal double murder. Knute and Sever Olson—two bachelor brothers known for their frugality and rumored stash of hidden cash—were found dead on their isolated farmstead in Bristol Township. The crime shocked Fillmore County and sparked a flurry of speculation: Was it robbery? Revenge? Or something darker? In th...

Before the fame of  Little House , before Walnut Grove became a household name, Laura Ingalls Wilder lived through one of the most difficult—and least documented—chapters of her life in Spring Valley, Minnesota. In 1890, following illness, financial ruin, and the death of their infant son, Laura, Almanzo, and young Rose moved in with Almanzo’s family in Spring Valley. For nearly 18 months, they fo...

In an era when women were rarely seen in medical roles, Isabel Minerva Albro carved out a quiet legacy in southeastern Minnesota. Born in 1814 in New York and later settling in Fillmore County, Isabel defied expectations by practicing medicine at a time when few women were formally trained—and even fewer were recognized. In this episode, Lenora and Preston explore the life and legacy of Dr. Albro,...

In the quiet farmland of Amherst Township, a shocking act shattered a family and sent ripples through Fillmore County history. Peter Erickson was killed in his own home—struck repeatedly with an axe by his wife, Inga. Behind the headlines was a deeper story of isolation, untreated illness, and a family tragedy that still lingers. In this episode, Lenora and Preston revisit the story through period...

On March 30, 1953, the quiet town of Spring Valley, Minnesota became the final stop in a deadly cross-country rampage. Two women—Harriet Horsman, a waitress, and Agnes Beaston, the café owner’s wife—were murdered during a holdup at the Four Winds Café. The killer? An 18-year-old Marine named Fred McManus, traveling with his 16-year-old girlfriend, Diane Weggland. In this episode, Lenora and Presto...

When the first settlers arrived in Rushford, Minnesota, they found more than untamed land—they found a grave. Near the future site of the Catholic church stood a simple wooden headboard, weathered and nameless. Its presence suggested a burial made with care, yet no one knew who lay beneath the sod or how they had come to rest there. In this episode, Lenora and Preston explore the mystery of Rushfo...

Long before the Mayo Clinic became a global medical powerhouse, its future was quietly taking shape in the tiny village of Hamilton, Minnesota. In this episode, Lenora and Preston trace the remarkable journey of Dr. Henry S. Plummer—from his childhood in Fillmore County to his groundbreaking work in Rochester. Born to Dr. Albert Plummer, a Civil War veteran and early settler of Sumner Township, He...

In the dead of night, a small-town bank explodes—literally. The culprits vanish with a modest sum, but the mystery they left behind still echoes through Wykoff’s history. Lenora and Preston revisit the crime and the clues that kept the legend alive. 📰 Sources: Fillmore County Historical Society  — Richard J. Bottorff article, January 4, 2021 Rochester Daily Post and Record , Monday, October 27, 1...

In November 1974, 69-year-old Mabel Torgerud was found murdered in her quiet farmhouse near Peterson, Minnesota. Her home had been ransacked. She’d been shot four times. And nearly fifty years later, no one has been held accountable. In this episode, Lenora and Preston retrace the final days of Mabel’s life, explore the crime scene details, and examine the limitations of rural law enforcement in t...

In the summer of 1892, the village of Canton, Minnesota became a place of pilgrimage and mystery. It began with a young girl who claimed to see the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus in the steeple window of the Church of the Assumption. Soon, hundreds of visitors—some traveling over 400 miles by wagon or horseback—flocked to Canton, seeking divine encounters and healing. Reported cures followed...

In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Fillmore County became the unexpected center of a flurry of archaeological discoveries—giant skeletons, copper tools, ancient mounds, and a mysterious clay image that left even university scientists stunned. Local newspapers buzzed with theories, from lost civilizations to tribal wars buried in legend. But after 1880, the stories faded from public memory. In this...