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, and uncover the ripple effects these robberies had on a town that still remembers. This is the story of Spring Valley’s twin crimes — and the riddles they left behind.

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 communities. From fires and floods to railroad bypasses and broken dams, each town met its end in a different way—but all left behind whispers of ambition, resilience, and mystery. What remains when a town disappears? And what stories still echo through the fields where they once stood?

Gather ‘round for tales of pioneer dreams, eerie silences, and the ghostly footprints of Minnesota’s past.

📚 Sources Referenced
Preston Republican, January 27, 1876 — “Around the County” feature on John Kaercher and Clear Grit (multi-column article)

• Chatfield Democrat, January 3, 1874 — Advertisement for Clear Grit Store (John Kaercher)

• The Preston Republican, February 19, 1880 — Notice on Bellville Post Office name change to Mabel

• The Rushford Star, February 19, 1880 — Report on Postmaster General’s standardization of town names

• The Minneapolis Morning Tribune, July 22, 1920 — Letter by Solon J. Buck on Waukopee name origin (“Wakapeya,” meaning “to excel”

  History of Fillmore County, Minnesota (1882) — entries on Beldena, Elliota, Waukokee, Carimona Township, and early settlements

  Fillmore County History Book (circa 1858 edition or earliest printing) — early organizational records and settlement notes

  History of Fillmore County

  (1984 ) — modern community histories and township recollections

  
  

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 infamous Chicago mob boss, ever visit Fillmore County? Rumors say yes. Evidence? That’s what we’re chasing.

Whether it was a jug of homemade wine or a truckload of Canadian whiskey, Fillmore County found ways to keep the spirits alive—and the stories even livelier.

Sources 📚

Rushford Star-Republican, January 8, 1920.

• The Mabel Record, March 19, 1920.

• Rushford Star-Republican, February 24, 1921.

  Levang’s Weekly (Minneapolis), June 9, 1921.

  Preston Times, November 24, 1921.

  Harmony News, January 19, 1922.

• Winona Republican-Herald, January 27, 1933.

• Kirwin, Robert W. “Prohibition Days.” Fillmore County History 1984

• Fillmore County Journal. “Peering at the Past: Moonshiners, Lawmen, and Hide-n-Seek with Illicit Liquor.”

• Rochester Post Bulletin, “The Vault: Southeast Minnesota Was Hotspot for Bootleggers During Prohibition Era,” October 11, 2022.