Roots & Riddles

Before modern hospitals and paved roads reached southeastern Minnesota, frontier communities depended on figures like Dr. Luke Miller.

Physician, lawyer, politician, and early Fillmore County leader, Luke Miller played a major role in shaping the region during Minnesota’s pioneer era. From practicing medicine on the frontier to serving in the Minnesota legislature and advocating for railroad expansion, his life intersected with many...

What if a murderer could simply… disappear?

In 1874, Patrick Noonan killed a man in Fountain, Minnesota—in front of witnesses—and fled. For nearly 30 years, he lived freely under a new life, hundreds of miles away.

But the past has a way of catching up.

This episode uncovers the brutal killing of John McDonald, the decades-long manhunt, and the moment justice finally closed in.

Sources: History of Fillmore County, Minnesota (1882); Cha...

Once a thriving community in southeastern Minnesota, Carimona is now little more than a name on old maps and in forgotten newspaper columns.

In this episode of Roots & Riddles, we explore the rise and quiet disappearance of Carimona—a town shaped by geography, railroads, and the ambitions of its residents. We trace where its name came from, who lived and worked there, and why Carimona faded while neighboring towns endured.

Using ...

In 1856, as Fillmore County was just beginning to take shape, the promise of opportunity came with something darker.

Land claims weren’t just lines on a map—they were worth fighting for. And in at least two cases, they turned deadly.

In this episode, we explore a violent chapter of early Fillmore County history: the murder of an Irish settler in Bloomfield Township, and a separate killing in Fillmore Township where a Polish man named...

What would you do if you were searching for a lost calf… and instead stumbled into a hidden world 375 million years in the making?

In this episode of Roots & Riddles, Preston and Lenora take you just north of Spring Valley, where farmer John Latcham made an unexpected discovery on his own land—a sinkhole that led to one of southeastern Minnesota’s most fascinating underground wonders.

From the first cautious steps into the darkne...

For generations, people living along the Root River have whispered about something moving beneath its quiet waters.

Early settlers described a long, dark shape slipping silently below the surface. Fishermen claimed their boats were struck from beneath. Teenagers standing on bridges reported strange shadows gliding upstream at dusk.

Could Fillmore County have its own river monster?

In this episode of Roots & Piddles, Preston and Le...

On a fall evening in 1961, Fillmore County Deputy Sheriff Walter Kruegel set out to do something routine — transport a man under arrest back to Preston. But what should have been a simple drive to the county jail would become one of the most shocking tragedies in local history.

Just outside the city limits of Preston, gunshots rang out from inside the deputy’s car. Kruegel, a well-known and respected law officer, had been shot by th...

In June of 1874, a strange box was discovered in a quiet stream in Sumner Township, Fillmore County. Heavy. Waterlogged. Bored through with auger holes.

Inside were human bones.

Word spread quickly. Was it murder? A hidden crime? A body concealed in plain sight? Neighbors were horrified to learn the creek water had been used for cooking and household purposes for weeks.

An inquest was called. Newspapers fueled the speculation. Accusat...

In the winter of 1854, the settlers of a small frontier community gathered for a Christmas supper at the home of E.K. Dyer. The food was hearty. The mood was festive. And before the night was over… they would choose the name of their town.

Pomfret was suggested — but deemed too “Vermontish.”
Rushville was proposed — then amended.
A vote was called.

And according to an 1882 county history, “the elective franchise [was] freely ac...

Before there were towns. Before there were roads. Before Fillmore County even had a name — there was a military expedition moving through this rugged southeastern Minnesota landscape.

For Fillmore County’s 173rd birthday, we’re traveling back to the earliest documented exploration of this region. Who were the men sent to survey the land? Why were they here? And what did they encounter as they passed through the valleys, rivers, and ...

In the early days of aviation, long before flight kits and factory-built planes, one man in rural southeastern Minnesota believed that flying should be simple, affordable, and accessible to anyone willing to try.

Bernard Pietenpol, a mechanic and inventor from Cherry Grove, built his own airplanes using everyday materials and automobile engines—often testing them from open fields and country roads. What began as backyard experimenta...

In the summer of 1912, teenager Victor Patterson disappeared after a night out with friends. Days later, his body was discovered in a pasture near Canton, Minnesota, dead from a gunshot wound. A revolver lay nearby, and the initial conclusion leaned toward suicide—but the details left many uneasy.

Newspaper accounts from the time reveal conflicting interpretations: questions about the weapon, the timeline, and the language used by i...

In the mid-1900s, Preston, Minnesota became the focus of statewide scrutiny when officials and newspapers accused the town of operating a so-called “marriage mill.” Couples—many from Iowa—crossed the border for quick weddings, raising questions about waived waiting periods, fees, and legal oversight.

This episode traces the investigation that followed: court hearings, grand jury proceedings, and the local officials pulled into the c...

In September 1881, a quiet walk home along a rural road near Rushford, Minnesota, ended in tragedy. Nineteen-year-old Anna Martin was shot and killed under circumstances that immediately shocked her family, neighbors, and the wider community.

Newspapers across southeastern Minnesota quickly filled with conflicting accounts—was it a terrible accident, a reckless act meant to frighten, or something more deliberate? As the case moved t...

From the rolling hills of Spring Valley, Minnesota, to the halls of political power, Thomas Frankson built a life as bold as the era he lived in. Known as both a statesman and private zoo keeper, Frankson carved out a reputation that blended frontier enterprise, public leadership, and spectacle.

In this episode, we trace Frankson’s journey from rural roots and agricultural ambition to his rise in Minnesota politics — where newspaper...

From Lanesboro to Washington, D.C., one woman helped shape the future of rural education in America.

In this episode of Roots & Riddles, we trace the remarkable life of Katherine Cook, born in Lanesboro, Minnesota, who rose to become Chief of the Division of Rural Education for the U.S. Bureau of Education. At a time when rural schools were often overlooked, Katherine traveled the country—sometimes by small plane—studying school...

Why did one stretch of woods gain such a dark reputation?

In this episode of Roots & Riddles, we explore the infamous Jordan Woods—a place repeatedly named in historic newspaper crime reports across Fillmore County. Using original sources, we uncover what really happened, what may have been exaggerated, and how reputation alone can shape local history.

A story of headlines, human behavior, and a place that became larger than life...

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...