Gilbert Nelson left Norway in 1864 and settled in Ettrick, Wisconsin. He then joined the Wisconsin Regulars and served in the Civil War. By 1881, Gilbert and his wife, Anna, had five sons and a daughter. Hoping to carve out a new life in Dakota Territory, the Nelsons loaded everything they ...
My name is Daniel Lins, and I’m excited to join the Marshall Independent as its newest sports editor. A 2024 graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I’ve known for years that sports journalism was the career I wanted to pursue. Sports have always been a major part of my life, and I’m fortunate to have turned that passion into a profession. Since graduating, I’ve covered local sports in both La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Winsted, Minnesota, focusing on the athletes, coaches and communities that make high school sports ...
These days it seems that the nationwide controversy over immigration will never end, that it will continue at least until President Trump leaves office. I’m surprised that in 2026 we have national leaders (Trump, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, and others) who make negative comments about ...
Summer in southwest Minnesota has a different meaning for everyone, but most people this summer will consume ice cream, which is especially tasty on hot summer days. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice ...
We have been learning about Karen (Drury) Rafson, who was born to Bertha (Weidauer) and Edwin A. Drury as the youngest of five children. Karen’s early childhood was on a rented farm, the Herring place, in Stanley Township, east of Marshall. Her family later moved to a farm in nearby Clifton ...
Ah, those good old days! Weren't they so much fun? Filled with laughter and festivities? All was wonderful back then, right? Well maybe I better lay off from consuming so much coffee for awhile when I note how those good old days were nothing but good. Allow me to remove some of the sugar coating from those good old days and introduce some reality to the subject. I like to think of those good old days as a rose bush —beautiful flowers but with prickly stems. First of all, what are we referencing when we talk about those good old days? Naturally, it all depends on our personal ...
