Lee Epps

Bourbon Red turkeys – a hen on the top, a tom on the bottom. Photos from Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds by Carol Ekarius, 2007

According to fifth-century Irish folklore, women were allowed to propose marriage to men every four years on Leap Day (February 29). Some 14 centuries later, leap year frivolity, socializing and romantic role reversal was alive in the United States, including Houston County, Minnesota. The leap year of 1888 was only days away when the last

Both Mabel-Canton and Houston claimed conference championships during the 2026 spring high school trap season. Rushford-Peterson, Kingsland and LeRoy-Ostrander were runners-up in their respective clay target conferences while Spring Grove had a third-place campaign. It was a third straight league title for Hurricanes. The Cougars have won two straight and four of their last five

Part two of a two-part series Popular Caledonia tonsorial artist (barber) James Hall was arrested for bigamy by a detective from La Crosse. The November 28, 1888 Caledonia Journal headline read, “TOO MUCHLY MARRIED.” On June 29, somewhere near La Crosse, Hall had married Sarah Carrigan from the town of Winnebago, Houston County. The newspaper

The Spring Grove clay target contingent at the 2026 MSHSL State Trap Championships were, above in back from left, Roland Bjerke, Izaak Morken, Logan Hammel, Tyler Turner and Karson Betcher. Below in front are head coach Christopher Bjerke, Christian Bjerke, Carter Van Minsel and Coach Nathan Morken. Photo submitted

Revised from his first two columns in 2020 “Ye Olde Gray Barn” is not gray, but black. However, it is the “Gray barn” because the functional facility for draft horses was loaned by Dr. Jim and Karen Gray to an ambitious group of citizens, who in 1979 staged “Annie Get Your Gun,” the first of

Mabel-Canton in Class 4A, Rushford-Peterson in Class 3A and LeRoy-Ostrander in Class 2A, each won a state team championship at the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League’s annual state trap extravaganza at Alexandria. They were the first state clay target titles for a Journal-area team since Spring Grove captured three straight in 2017, 2018

He is arguably the most celebrated college athlete from Houston County, an All-American who helped lay the groundwork for what became the most successful Division I college basketball program in the nation. John Green began his basketball career at Houston, Minnesota, long before being pictured on the cover of Sports illustrated on the way to

The Mabel-Canton trap team finished among the top third of the field at the 2026 USA Clay Target League National Championship on July 8-12 at Mason, Michigan. Christian Bjerke of Spring Grove was highest-finishing individual among Journal-area shooters and one of only 23 senior marksmen nationwide to qualify for the national tournament for six consecutive

Part two of a two-part series They wanted to relocate their family in the United States, but maybe only the three children of Stephen and Katherine Masenko might be able to make it. Fearing Stephen might not pass the necessary physical examination, they intended to send their children to America alone if that was the