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.

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, revisiting the years when NFL legends like Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Fran Tarkenton drew crowds not for touchdowns—but for home runs. Through newspaper clippings, eyewitness accounts, and local lore, they explore how a big-league team helped a small-town dream take root, and why those games still echo in the hearts of those who watched from the bleachers.

Sources📚

The Lime Springs Herald, July 15, 1971

The Lime Springs Herald, July 13, 1972

Event Posters, 1970 & 1973 curtesy of the Hovey family

Interviews with attendees

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 the heist. Who was behind it? What was taken? And why did the story fade from memory? With colorful characters, period details, and a touch of theatrical flair, they explore how one small-town crime reveals the tensions and temptations of life on the edge of the frontier.

Sources

• The History of Fillmore County, 1882.
• Chatfield Democrat, October 19, 1878
• The Winona Daily Republican, October 19, 1878
• St. Charles Union, October 23, 1878.
• Dodge Center Press, October 25, 1878.
• The St. Paul Globe, November 26, 1878.

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 monster storm. The story unfolds through eyewitness accounts, family memories, and historical records. It’s a tale of tragedy, survival, and the power of community in the face of nature’s fury.

Sources Referenced

Fillmore County Journal, May 15, 2023

National Weather Service, Fillmore County, MN

National Weather Service, Tornado Outbreak of May 10, 1953

Rochester Post Bulletin, 5/11/53, 5/12/53, 5/15/53

The Winona Daily News, 5/11/53

The Winona Republican, 5/19/53

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 theatrical life, tracing his journey from the streets of Lanesboro to the stages of the American West. Was he a healer? A performer? A myth in his own time? Through historical records, newspaper clippings, and local lore, they explore how one man blurred the lines between medicine and myth—and why his legacy still echoes in Bluff Country.

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 this episode, Lenora and Preston sift through newspaper clippings, family lore, and long-buried confessions to piece together a case that remains unsolved to this day. From whispers of bootlegging to a man who claimed responsibility before dying in a mysterious fire, the Olson murders are a haunting reminder of how secrets can linger in the soil—and how justice sometimes never arrives.

📚 Sources Referenced

The Winona Republican

Winona Daily News

The Brainard Daily Dispatch 12/9/1936

The Worthington Globe 12/3/1936

Rochester Post Bulletin 12/26/1936, 2/9/1937, 2/11/1937, 2/17/1937, 8/27/1937, 4/25/2015

The Austin Daily Herald 4/24/1937