What if Fillmore County once echoed with the footsteps of a saber-toothed tiger?

In this episode of Roots & Riddles, we journey back to the Ice Age to explore evidence of ancient predators that once roamed Fillmore County, Minnesota. From caves and fossils to climate shifts and extinction, we uncover how these animals lived—and what traces they left behind.

This is Minnesota history, long before history was written.

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 the emigrants have thirteen children of their own and absolutely zero interest in adding another.

This episode celebrates the humorous side of small-town history—a reminder that even dramatic prairie legends sometimes end with a giggle instead of a gasp.

And a quick note: this is our final episode of 2025! Roots & Riddles will take a short holiday break and return with all-new stories in January.

Sources

The Preston Republican — Published April 25, 1878

Chatfield Democrat — Published May 4, 1878

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 Minnesota, leaving communities both shaken and fascinated. What did people believe was happening at the time? How did newspapers and local storytellers capture the moment? And what does this unusual quake reveal about the hidden geology beneath the Midwest?

Sources

History of Fillmore County, 1912

Fillmore County Journal, September 1, 2025

College of Sciences and English

Database.earth

The Great Ceneral US Shakeout

Chatfield Democrat, December 8, 1877

Preston Republican, November 22, 1877