Florence was founded in 1888 on the northwest quarter of section 20 in Shelburne Township. When the Willmar and Sioux Falls Railroad (branch of the Great Northern) came through the area, it was announced that the station would be named Florence. It was named after the daughter of the founder, ...
None of this would have happened were it not for cable TV. Like many guys, I’m a skilled — one might even say professional — channel surfer. I’m not interested in what’s on so much as what else is on. Some years ago, during one of my surfing sessions, I stumbled across a show called “Forged in Fire.” The show immediately caught my attention, mainly because it involved fire. A quartet of blacksmiths take such things as a pound of steel ball bearings or random car parts and forge them into a type of blade that had been chosen by a trio of judges. I found the process ...
I’ve never been much for travel. Be it for fishing, hunting or family trips, I’m often content being within an hour’s drive of where I live. Sure, there’s new places to visit and new things to see in far flung regions of this country and the world, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve ...
As I write this column, I'm reminded to have patience. Why? Well... Looking out the window, I can see about a block — maybe. Why? Because Old Man Winter sneezed and sent a blizzard to us. The snow is piling up. Visibility is minimal. The temperature is falling. Yes, it's still winter, but … oh, wait a moment! We hardy Northerners know patience is required at this time of the year, right? So, let Old Man Winter sneeze all he wants to. The Sirens of Spring will soon grace us. You know, we all have had to foster that sense of patience over the years. In good times and bad times, the ...
It’s rare when a movie sums up a concept so well that it becomes applied to the lives of almost everyone. One example from almost 20 years ago was The Bucket List, a good story about two old men who want to live out a set of dreams before they kick the bucket. I’d never thought in terms of a bucket list until I saw the movie at Marshall 6. After seeing it I realized that bucket lists really do play a role in how people live. My bucket list has changed over the years. There are three things that I’ve achieved and two that I now realize I’ll never achieve. I’ll never go ...
For this column, I often share social news or the gossip columns from the old newspapers. The social news is always fascinating to read and a lot can be learned of local people and events from the communities in Lyon County. For this article, I’m going to share the classifieds from one of ...
