Curling the Night Away

It was a Monday night in January, and I was heading to Bemidji City Park to check out broomball at the outdoor rink. I had not entirely convinced myself that this is how I wanted to spend my time, because: a) it’s freaking cold outside (around 10°F); and b) I have a cold. But, I haven’t played broomball since high school and feel like I need a broomball refresher course, so I can include it in a piece I want to write about the joy that is winter in northern Minnesota. When I noticed that the curling arena next to the rink was busy, however, I was handed the excuse I needed to change my plans and went inside to investigate.

By |2018-12-10T17:46:08-05:00April 25th, 2011|Travel articles|Comments Off on Curling the Night Away
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Nelson Dewey: A Riches to Riches to Rags Story

Camping at Nelson Dewey State Park I’ve had two chances to camp this summer at Nelson Dewey State Park near Cassville, Wisconsin, the park that is named for Wisconsin’s first governor. Dewey was a remarkable man. He gave up a cushy gig in the family lawyering business to go west, became rich through

By |2016-10-21T15:29:28-05:00September 8th, 2009|Characters|1 Comment
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Dubuque’s Treasured Churches

Dubuque’s capitalists struck it rich and poured money into extravagant buildings to prove their worth. Fortunately for us, many of those buildings are still around, including four churches that would be treasures in a city much larger than modest Dubuque.

By |2018-09-13T14:48:49-05:00May 6th, 2009|Travel articles|Comments Off on Dubuque’s Treasured Churches
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Carved in Stone

Cyrus Hill; Revolutionary War veteran I have an unnatural interest in graveyards, I suppose. When I was a more active genealogist a few years ago, trips to cemeteries were just part of the routine. While I always hoped that the next cemetery would be the one with critical clues to open up a new generation

By |2016-10-21T15:29:33-05:00November 13th, 2008|Historical shorts|Comments Off on Carved in Stone
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Election Day Special

In honor of Election Day, I offer three short stories of nineteenth century political games in Mississippi River towns. As new areas were settled, communities fought contentious political battles over the location of the county seat, like these places did. Enjoy! Rock Island County (Illinois) In 1833, Hampton and rival Farnhamsburg (now Rock Island) competed

By |2016-10-21T15:29:33-05:00November 4th, 2008|Historical shorts|2 Comments
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