bits by betty
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianDecember 09, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Jan. 1, 1942. “I’m having some of the fun now that I didn’t have time for when I was a youngster,” declares Charley Ehlers, Luverne, who is this week’s Diamond Club Member. Charley, who reached his 75th birthday in November says that the fact that one has passed the three-quarter century mark does not mean that he is getting old unless he…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianDecember 03, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Dec. 18, 1941. The terrorizing crash of a frail sailing craft against an iceberg in the cold North Atlantic, and the sight of a broad, treeless, unsettled prairie from the open end of an overturned wagon box which served as a home are but two of the many memories in the mind of Mrs. Bertha Thompson, 82, Lismore’s oldest living settler. Mrs.…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianNovember 25, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Dec. 11, 1941. A 91-year-old “youngster” who can walk 10 blocks down town and back faster than many people 50 years younger, is this week’s member of the Star’s Diamond Club. He is David Wood McKay, better known as “Dave” among his many acquaintances in Luverne and surrounding community. Born in Scotland on August 15, 1850, and not coming to…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianNovember 19, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Dec. 4, 1941. Despite the fact that they are 82 and 76 years of age, respectively, Mr. and Mrs. Evert Fikse, Steen, this week’s Diamond Club members, are literally as active as youngsters and enjoy themselves just as much. It’s not at all unusual to see just the two of them get into the family car and drive to the river or a nearby lake for a…- By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianNovember 12, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Nov. 27, 1941. “To get the fullest enjoyment provided by the modern conveniences of this day and age, it is necessary that you have experienced life in an earlier era.” This is the contention of Mrs. Marit Sundem, 90, of Hills, this week’s Diamond club member. “What the younger generation takes for granted today—the speedy automobiles, the…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianNovember 05, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Nov. 20, 1941. Fred A. Baker, Magnolia, recalls “roaring west” Days when this part of the country was part of the “roaring west” are vividly recalled by Fred A. Baker, Magnolia pioneer. Mr. Baker came to the middle west from Canton, N.Y., at the age of seven. Living in Illinois two years, the family moved to Sioux City in 1868 in a covered…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 29, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Nov. 13, 1941. Nights when only 20 streetlights penetrated the darkness of Luverne’s streets are well remembered by Frank H. Wiggins, Luverne, this week’s Diamond Club member. Wiggins, a resident of Rock county for 55 years, recalls that the marshall’s job, in addition to preserving peace and order, also called for keeping street lamps…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 22, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Nov. 6, 1941. One of the most familiar sights on the Luverne streets now, and for almost 60 years, is one of Clarence M. LaDue and his horse drawn milk wagon. At the age of 86, he is hale, hearty and agile, and getting down from the seat of the wagon and getting back up on it is no trick at all for him. That he still uses the horse drawn…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 15, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Oct. 30, 1941. “I guess I’ve been what they call ‘Jack of all trades’,” says William Iserman, Luverne, this week’s member of The Star’s Diamond Club. Mr. Iserman, who lives alone in the home he built for himself just back of the Presbyterian parsonage, is healthy and active, and thrives on his own cooking. As a matter of fact, cooking was one…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 08, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Oct. 23, 1941. Enjoying the distinction of being the only living charter members of the Luverne chapter of the Order of Eastern Star are Mr. and Mrs. Mark Swedberg, this week’s Diamond Club members. Active in lodge work, Mr. and Mrs. Swedberg helped organize the Eastern Star and have continued to maintain their memberships until the present…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianOctober 01, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group. Members of this group consist of persons age 75 and older. This article appeared in The Rock County Star on Oct. 16, 1941. An interesting story of how Rock county gained much of its early day Norwegian population is told by Martin O. Wold, Luverne, this week’s Diamond Club member. Mr. Wold knows the story well because he experienced…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianSeptember 24, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group. Members of this group consist of persons age 75 and older. This article appeared in The Rock County Star on Oct. 9, 1941. Did you ever try to herd a bunch of hogs – or even try to chase one into an open door or thru a gate? If so, you have somewhat of an idea how hard Henry J. Lauck, Steen, had to work at the age of eight to get…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianSeptember 17, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group. Members of this group consist of persons age 75 and older. This article appeared in The Rock County Star on Sept. 25, 1941. (Robert Norton continues his story with almost being caught in a blizzard.) The storm was so bad that they could not see the buildings, and although they walked in the general direction of them, missed them…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianSeptember 10, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group. Members of this group consist of persons age 75 and older. This article appeared in The Rock County Star on Sept. 25, 1941. As far as is known, no one in Rock county has lived on the same farm as long as Robert C. Norton who resides a mile east and one and one-half miles north of Luverne. It was 72 years ago that Mr. Norton…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianSeptember 03, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group. Members of this group consist of persons age 75 and older. This article appeared in The Rock County Star on Sept. 18, 1941. Twins, who came to Rock county to break the prairie in 1884, are this week’s Diamond Club members. They are Carl and Julius Wiese, above, the former a resident of Luverne, and the latter of Crookston. Julius,…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianAugust 27, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group. Members of this group consist of persons age 75 and older. This article appeared in The Rock County Star on Sept. 11, 1941. Because there was not enough to do on an eight acre farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for 11 children, James Horne, 79, of Luverne decided the thing for him to do was to find work and support himself. A visit…
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.
