Hobbies. I’ve never really had much time for them through the course of my life and I’m honestly not sure why as I sit here and write. Too busy trying to make ends meet? Too lazy? The truth, as it is with most everything in life, is probably somewhere in the middle.
Probably shouldn’t be surprised that this was one of the first things I found while walking through the shelter-belt, reliving some old memories. (photo by Chad Smith)
I’ve never really been the adventurous type. Always seemed to want to play it safe and never do anything other people might find unexpected. Then, I moved to the Twin Cities and discovered urban exploring. It’s been a rather eye-opening experience since adding it to my still-growing list of hobbies.
I saw people going to places very few others went to. That spoke to me and I honestly wasn’t sure why at first. Then, as I got a little further into the hobby, it started to dawn on me through the feedback I got mostly through Facebook. “I really enjoy following your explorations,” is something I heard on a regular basis.
This old girl was far and away my favorite old vehicle that I discovered during a Saturday afternoon exploration. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Plus, I got feedback from people I didn’t expect. The City Administrator at Rushford, Minnesota, Tony Chladek, is a busy fella (and does a great job) but he mentioned during a phone call how much he enjoys my urban exploring photography. He said the same thing I get in a lot of feedback; “I really enjoy following you into places not a lot of people go.”
Just how strange IS my brain? The first thing I thought of was a conversation I had about a place we used to like to eat in Watertown, South Dakota. “What was the name of that place that had the old Wagon Wheel out front,” I had asked. “The Wagon Wheel,” came the answer. (Photo by Chad Smith)
The current Secretary of Agriculture in Minnesota, Thom Peterson, is a long-time Facebook friend who also mentioned he likes following my explorations. It was funny how he mentioned it after we’d finished an interview for a newspaper article I was writing.
While going through abandoned places, I find it a lot of fun to try and picture what life must have been like back in the day, all those years ago. How different things must have been three decades ago? And, how similar some things might have been as well.
That’s what hooked me into it. Going places that other people don’t typically get to go. But it’s even more than that. It’s the history behind some of these places that also fascinates me too. Spent an afternoon a while back exploring the Pokegama Sanatorium near Pine City, Minnesota. One of the most interesting things I found there was documentation and medical papers that went back as far as 30 years.
Got a tip from a Facebook friend and fellow urbex (slang for urban exploring) enthusiast about a bunch of abandoned vehicles tucked away in a shelter-belt near the Mazomani Trail that I had recent explored. I sure found a number of vehicles that had been stashed away a long time ago.
Far and away the BIGGEST piece of machinery I found abandoned in the tree line. Thought for a crazy moment I’d found the remains of Optimus Prime. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Man, did walking through a shelter-belt bring back memories of life on the Gerhold Farm. My brother, Travis, and I spent all kinds of time exploring the tree lines around the entire farm. If I remember right, Grandpa John had his own vehicles stashed away among the trees as well.
Talk about some serious nostalgia that made this soon-to-be 50-year-old smile like he was all of fourteen again. Of course, my wife will occasionally say that me and my grown sons can collectively be 14 years old as well. Not sure that’s a compliment?
Hobbies. We all need one or two. If you don’t have one, get one, okay? Hobbies make life more interesting.
Didn’t everyone’s grandparents drive one of these at one point? (Photo by Chad Smith)
Nature always wins in the end, doesn’t she? (Photo by Chad Smith)
What must life have been like when someone was actually sitting behind the wheel? (Photo by Chad Smith)
Coronavirus outbreak. Two words that have dominated our lives. It’s hit home in my house, and I bet we aren’t the only ones. Isn’t it funny how the lives of 7.53 billion people (not all in my house) can be so radically affected by something we can’t even see? Yet the coronavirus outbreak has cost many of us work, time with friends, and most importantly, our health in many cases. How many cases there are is up for some debate, depending on which of the 24-hour “news” stations you get your information from.
I’ll stick with local news if I have to turn something on to find out what’s going on. My buddy Brian Winnekins of WRDN radio in Durand, Wisconsin, says it best; “These stations aren’t reporting the news. It’s more about entertainment and ratings than factual reporting of the news.” He’s not wrong at all.
But enough about that. I’ve lost paying work because of the coronavirus outbreak. Imagine this; going into the heart of the coronavirus pandemic here in the U.S. and Minnesota, and I get this text message from my boss, Scott Bestul, (who used to be the) editor of the Rushford newspaper: “We’re done.” Gifted wordsmith that I am, I replied, “What?” Our group of a half-dozen newspapers had been sold. To the competition, no less, only adding salt to a gaping wound! Have you ever accidentally gotten salt into an open cut? There’s a reason it’s probably a widely used method of torture. It freaking hurts.
That was my most regular paycheck. By the way, if I didn’t mention it, I’ve been a full-time freelance writer for about four years. Not getting rich but learning to enjoy it. So, the newspaper group is done. Then, I get a message from a second job, the one that pays the most per story, saying “we’re cutting way back because times are tough.” And to be fair, they aren’t just cutting back on freelancers. The editors found out they’re required to take a two week (UNPAID) break anytime between now and June. Just to save a few bucks.
It’s things like this that cause a middle-aged man to question his career choice, you know what I mean? So here I am. I do still have gainful employment with the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (thank the Lord!). However, I’m stuck for regular work to do Monday through Friday.
“So that’s what the top of my desk looks like?” That was my first reaction to seeing my cleaned up desk. I’ve (unfortunately) got a little more time for chores like that these days. (Photo by Chad Smith)
So, to fill the time while I wait for the stay at home thing to end (which it will at some point), I find myself making some choices I didn’t expect to have to make. I’ve gotten more yard work done here in the early days of April than I got through a rain-plagued May last year. I’m getting some housework done. Cleaned up the office; had no idea what a pigpen it had turned into. It’s immaculate now if I dare say so myself. I get the sense that I’m trying to adjust to a new (temporary) normal. Bet I’m not the only one.
I’ve signed up to take some Bible Classes through the Christian Leadership Institute. Not considering any type of career change at this point. Just trying to draw closer to God during a challenging time in our family (and country, and world) history.
This might be an unpopular question among the more liberal parts of America, or even in the healthcare community; as the coronavirus outbreak winds down, can we please start putting people back to work? We’ve got bills to pay and filing for unemployment doesn’t help cover the bills.
If we feel the need to try and continue the stay at home “orders,” could we just include the most vulnerable parts of our population. All I’m saying is there has to be a fine line, right?
Anyway, good luck to you and your family amid the coronavirus outbreak. Stay healthy. Stay at home. We’re gonna get through this.
The 2019 World Horseshoe Tournament took place in Wichita
Falls, Texas, on July 22-August 3. The National Horseshoe Pitching Association
sponsors the tournament once a year in different locations around the country.
Once again, this year’s tournament included a contingent of “pitchers” from the
Rushford-Peterson area, who all competed well down in Texas.
Darren Chambers of Rushford usually takes a delegation of area residents to the World Horseshoe tournament once a year, with this year being no exception. “This year, we had a few more people going along than in 2018,” he said. “I took three new players this year. A total of five went from the Rushford area and I took my two grandsons from West Salem too.
Submitted photo Front row (L-R): Mason Chambers, Brielle Schneider, Lianah Williams, Noah Chambers, Isaac Rasmussen. Back: Daren Chambers
“My new players this year included my niece, Donata
Kitchens,” he said, “along with my granddaughter, Brielle Schneider, as well as
Lucas Rasmussen. They all took part in their first world tournament. The three
that I took to last year’s tournament, Isaac Rasmussen, Mason Chambers, and Noah Chambers, all went again
this year too.”
Brielle Schneider, who Chambers says has “only been pitching
for about five months,” won the Class C Division at the tournament. “She won the
round-robin tournament with a perfect 9-0 record,” Chambers said. “Brielle actually
had to beat Isaac Rasmussen at one point (18-17) to win the championship. Isaac
wound up in second place with an 8-1 record.
“A total of four kids were in Class C, including Brielle, Isaac, Lucas, and Noah,” he said. “Noah took sixth place in Class C and Lucas Rasmussen finished in seventh. Mason won his class last year and took fourth in this year’s World Horseshoe Tournament. He started slowly but finished the tournament on fire, throwing 15 ringers in one game (40 total throws, 37%).”
Chambers said he takes the kids to different tournaments in
Iowa throughout the winter (indoors). It’s not hard to get them ready for the
world tournament because “they just love the road trips” and they “love playing
the game.”
Lucas Rasmussen had the distinction of being the youngest player at the World Horseshoe Tournament in Texas. He played quite a match with Brielle Rasmussen in Class C competition. “Lucas lost to Brielle in the last game of the tournament,” Chambers recalled. “He trailed 11-9 and just needed a ringer to win the game. Lucas threw a ringer that would have won him the game. However, she had a shoe that was literally standing up on the side of the pole and it flipped her shoe right on there. That canceled out his ringer and he lost 11-9.
“This old guy (Darren) finished up 9-6 at the tournament
this year,” he said with a laugh. “I wound up in sixth place, which got me into
a little money. They pay out through sixth place.”
Chambers said Donata Kitchens wasn’t initially going to play
in the tournament. At first, Chambers said she came along to “help out with the
kids.” Chambers admitted he knew they would need an extra pair of hands on the
trip, especially with the extra kids going along to Texas. “Well, we decided
since she’s going along, Donata might as well play,” he said. “You have to play
in four tournaments to qualify for the world tournament and we just barely got
her qualified. It was worth it as she took third place in the women’s Class K
Division.”
It takes many hours of practice to be successful at the
world tournament. Chambers likes the fact that people in each division are
competing against other players with similar skill levels, thanks to the way
the national association organizes the tournament.
“This tournament really has a class for everybody,” he said. “Participants are put into their class based on their ringer percentage. The more ringers you make, the higher class of competition you’re in. For example, I’m in the second-to-lowest class at the tournament because my ringer percentage is between 10-12 percent., while the number-one-ranked guy in the world will pitch somewhere between 85-90 percent.
“That’s a big difference and why they class it up the way
they do,” Chambers added. “When you play someone in your class, you’ll have a
good chance to win. It makes the tournament a lot more fun for everybody.”
Chambers started attending world tournaments every year since 2003 and typically went by himself, however the group traveling to next year’s world championship tournament in Monroe, Louisiana, will likely include at least 13 people from Minnesota. He said there’s always room for more people who want to play.
“Anyone interested in pitching horseshoes can give me a call if they want to get involved,” Chambers added. “I’m happy to teach them different ways to throw and would be happy to help anyone interested.”
I included a video recap of some of the action at this year’s tournament:
Wild parsnip is back in southeast Minnesota and that’s not a good thing for man nor beast. According to the website www.invasivespecies.com, wild parsnip is also known as poisonous parsnip. When the sap from wild parsnip comes in contact with human skin that’s exposed to direct sunlight, the chemicals cause intense burns, rashes, or blisters. Take it from someone who knows.
This is what wild parsnip looks like. Keep your kids and animals away from it as the sap can be poisonous to human and animal skin. (Photo from minnesotawildflowers.info)
James Colbenson, who once lived in the Chisholm Valley area
between Rushford and Houston, had a run-in with wild parsnip back in his
mid-teens. “I was looking to make money back then and the neighbors hired me to
whack some of their weeds,” the now-34-year-old recalled. “I was wearing a
cutoff shirt while I was working that day, so I got some of the sap on my arms,
which were then sunburned too.
“I first remember it starting to sting,” he recalled. “When
I got done working, I remember jumping in the pool and it burned everywhere. I
had one small blister the next day, but over the next two days, my arms and my
neck were just covered with inch-high blisters.”
Houston and Fillmore County Extension Agent Michael Cruse
says the chemicals in the plants are in the seeds and especially in the stem.
Once the chemicals get on to human skin and that person gets out into the
sunlight, that’s when things begin to deteriorate.
“That’s when you start to see those blisters and burns,” Cruse said. “You really want to be vigilant and keep kids away from this stuff. If you are going out to clear this stuff off your property by hand, make sure you wear gloves, long sleeves, hats, and pants. Make sure you take care of those clothes because they’re going to have the chemical all over them.”
Wild parsnip burns look like this. Yes, they are as painful as they look. Keep away from wild parsnip as the sap can burn the skin of animals and humans when that sap comes in contact with sunlight. (photo from nyis.info)
Southeast Minnesota sees the largest amount of wild parsnip
in the state; however, the noxious weed is found in every county in Minnesota. Cruse
says wild parsnip was a big topic of conversation a couple of years ago, and
it’s a conversation-starter in county-level extension offices again. “Probably
two years ago, we had the big flush of wild parsnip that led to a bunch of
conversations at the county level,” he recalled.
“Last year, the populations seemed to drop off a bit,” Cruse
said, “and I think a lot of that had to do with some aggressive spraying in the
fall. The state roads saw a lot of mowing too. This is a good bounce-back year for
the biennial weed because of the recent run of hot weather.”
Colbenson said it took a while before his family figured out
that it was wild parsnip that caused the blisters on his arm and neck. “I felt
a stinging/burning sensation when the sunburn really started to kick in,” he
recalled. “The stinging and burning lessened as more and more blisters showed
up. The blisters didn’t hurt as much but they were big and puffy.
“We tried a bunch of different ointments and anti-itch
creams,” he said. “I know we also put a lot of Neosporin on them. I remember
the blisters lasting about a week-and-a-half. They slowly went away after that,
but they did leave some small scars on my arms.”
Colbenson lives in Rochester these days and travels back
home to the Rushford area periodically. He says the weed has “taken over
everywhere.” Colbenson says you can see the weed’s explosive growth in
virtually every ditch near the road, as well as near rivers and streams.
It’s not just humans that need to worry about wild parsnip.
Cruse says it’s important for livestock farmers to make sure their animals
don’t ingest it either.
“If animals ingest the plant, the material will enter their
bloodstream,” he said. “When it gets into the capillaries that run along the
outer edge of the skin, the chemicals can react to the sunlight and cause some
injuries there as well.”
Cruse said the burn can be extremely severe for both humans
and livestock, depending on the level of contact with the skin and sunlight
interaction. If it gets bad enough, this will be a “go to the doctor” type of
event. What does wild parsnip look like?
“The first thing people will notice while they’re out
driving is the yellow flower,” Cruse said. “But remember, not every yellow
flower will be wild parsnip, either. The yellow flower on wild parsnip actually
expands out and has a shape like an umbrella. The plant itself is typically
four-to-five feet tall.
“It’s a biennial plant,” he added, “so it has a rosette. If
you were to walk one of our local ditches in the fall, you’ll notice that
virtually everything will be dead. However, there will be some green rosettes
in the ditch too. There’s a better than decent chance at least some of that is
going to be wild parsnip. It stays green later in the year, which is why that’s
a good time to target it with some
spraying.”
Most people have been behind the wheel of their car when the cell phone rings or they hear the text message beep. We’re so ingrained to answer the phone or check the text message that we may not realize just how dangerous it would be to do those things while driving. Because of the dangers posed by distracted driving, Minnesota joined 17 other states, plus Washington D.C., in passing a hands-free law that goes into effect August 1. But what exactly can, and can’t drivers do?
What Can I do?
“To break it down in the simplest terms, you cannot have a phone in your hand at all while driving,” says Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge. “As of August 1, you can’t even have a cell phone in your hand and hold it up to your ear to make a phone call. Of course, text messages aren’t going to be legal as well.”
It won’t be legal to pull out the cell phone even if drivers are stopped at a stop light or stop sign. “Technically, you’re still driving,” DeGeorge said. “As of August 1, if you’re going to make a phone call in the car, drivers will need some sort of built-in device that will help you make that call hands-free. For example, a Bluetooth-enabled audio system would be legal. Most newer cars these days have something like that built in”
What about GPS?
The next logical question is what about the GPS systems that most drivers can’t live without in an unfamiliar part of the state? DeGeorge says you can still use your GPS system to get where you’re going, as long as it’s hands-free.
“If you’re going to a place like Target Field but haven’t
been there before,” DeGeorge said, “it’s okay to punch in the directions before
you put the vehicle in motion. You can listen to the turn-by-turn directions
while you’re driving, as long as you aren’t using it in any way with your hands
while you’re driving.”
Rushford Police Officer Kaylee Inglett said the key to being legal is not having it in your hand for any reason while you’re driving. “We can definitely see other drivers who have their phones in hand and up to their ears just driving down the road,” she said. “it’s not too hard to spot someone talking on their phone while driving. Sometimes we see distracted driving just by how their moving down the road, too. It’s a lot of the same signs as impaired driving.”
Distracted Driving Dangers
DeGeorge said the average citizen may not realize it, but
their car can instantly become a several-thousand-pound missile moving down the
road at a high rate of speed when the driver isn’t focused on the road. Impaired
driving affects judgement and slows a driver’s reaction time. Distracted
driving does some of the same things.
“It takes your attention away from the road and the other
vehicles,” DeGeorge said. “It slows your reaction time. How much ground can
someone cover while they’re typing out a text message behind the wheel and
going 55-60 miles per hour. You aren’t going to stop on a dime. If you look up
and find yourself weaving out of your line and another car is coming at you, it
might be the same thing as pointing a weapon at them. That’s basically what’s
happening in that situation.”
Distracted driving is a problem in southeast Minnesota, and it has cost lives. DeGeorge says he has seen a fatal accident firsthand and it’s something you don’t forget, both as a law enforcement officer and a human being. “For me, it was an instant feeling of regret for what happened,” he recalled upon seeing the aftereffects of a fatality.
Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge says Minnesota’s “Hands-Free” Law starts on August 1. (Photo from Facebook.com)
“When you think that just minutes earlier, this person was
safely driving down the road and a split-second decision to do something like
read or send a text message resulted in someone innocent being killed,” he
added. “It wasn’t something like a crime of passion. Someone didn’t spend all
day drinking at a bar and get behind the wheel. It was someone that could have
been on their way home, to church, or to a kid’s school event. It didn’t have
to happen.”
He added, “It’s not a malicious act. It’s someone doing something as simple as not paying attention and wound up having the most tragic results possible.
Here’s a great report from WKBT TV in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with comments from the La Crescent Police Chief Doug Stavenau
Penalties
Inglett says there will be an escalating series of fines starting on August 1. “The first ticket is $50 dollars, which will include going to court, which will include court fees,” she said. “The next ticket will jump to $275, as are any subsequent tickets. Remember, there are also court fees with each ticket.
“It was so important to law enforcement officers around the
state to get this law passed,” she said. “We see so many distracted drivers
every day. The numbers are there when we talk about distracted driving. Not
looking at the road and not paying attention to your surroundings when you’re
driving a huge metal object can be just as detrimental and deadly as impaired
driving.”
Inglett says she’s a young police officer who hasn’t had to
respond to a tragic accident from distracted driving yet. That doesn’t mean she
hasn’t seen and spoken to people who’ve been involved in that type of accident.
“During my training at the police academy, we heard a talk
from someone that had killed another driver while they were distracted,” she
recalled. “The lasting impact those words had on our class was incredible. We
were able to see crime scene photos from the case, so even though we weren’t
there firsthand, we saw what the worst results could look like.
“The pictures of the victim and the vehicles were
heartbreaking,” she added. “A simple decision like picking up someone’s phone
took somebody else’s life.”
Jack and Jim O’Donnell of Rushford, Minnesota, were both selected as ‘Everyday Hero’ award winners. The award usually goes to one Lion from each district, but both brothers were equally deserving so the Lions made an exception. (Photo from bluffcountrynews.com)
Everyday Heroes times two. The Rushford Lions Club had two of their members honored with the Everyday Heroes Award. It’s a prestigious honor usually given to just one member of a local Lions Club. In this case, the Rushford Lions had two members that both deserved the award. They just happen to be brothers.
“Jack and Jim O’Donnell are the Everyday Heroes for the
Rushford Lions Club,” said club member Larry Bartleson. “There are more than 50
Lions Clubs in our district and the awards committee typically will only accept
one nominee from each club. However, I asked for a received an exemption to
nominate both of them. I told the committee I couldn’t nominate one without the
other.”
Both the O’Donnells had no idea the award was coming. They
both joined the Rushford Lions back in the 1990s and enjoy doing things to
serve the community.
“I had totally didn’t expect it,” said Jack O’Donnell. “I
had no idea it was coming and was completely surprised. I hadn’t actually
planned on going to the meeting, so they had to sort of trick me to get me
there.
“I’ve been a Lions member since 1994,” Jack added. “Up to
that point, I’d been involved in several organizations while doing volunteer
work and helping with projects around town. I was invited by Maury Anderson to
join back in 1994. The kids were getting older and leaving the nest, so I had
more free time than I had before.
Jim O’Donnell said he was equally surprised by the award. “They
had to trick us into going up for the awards presentation. They got Jack and I
both up there on the pretext of going out to eat. Instead, we found ourselves
at the Lions Convention, where we first found out about it.
“I first got involved in the
Lions Club in the late 1990s,” Jim recalled. “I like serving the community. I
really enjoy the projects we do, especially when we build something for the
community. It’s a tangible thing that will last for a while and that’s really
satisfying.”
The list of things the O’Donnell brothers have done, both
inside and outside the Lions Club, is quite long.
They’re both members of the Rushford Lions board of
directors – Jack is the First Vice President and Jim is a Director.
Culpepper & Merriweather Circus – They help raise funds
for the event, a big job all by itself. They also help coordinate the event,
along with Jennifer Hengel (also a Lion and Executive Coordinator of the
Rushford-Peterson Valley Chamber.)
Hanging Flower Baskets – They help water baskets every week,
a big job by itself.
Calendar Sales – They help raise money for local needs.
Rushford Days Pork Chop Dinner – Always a popular event in
the community, they helped raise money for local needs.
R-P Crossing Guards – They volunteered as safety patrol at
the new school.
Taste of the Trail event – They’ve provided popcorn snacks.
Downtown Music Festival – Another place they brothers have provided
popcorn snacks.
KidsSight Eye Screening – They volunteered back in November
2018 at the R-P school with initial eyesight screenings.
Magelssen Bluff Park entrance sign – The O’Donnell’s designed,
built and helped to install a new sign.
Crossing Guards – They volunteer for the downtown Halloween
trick-or-treating.
Christmas Salvation Army fundraiser – They raise funds at
the holiday season for the Salvation Army.
Christmas Parade of Lights – They always help get the float
ready.
As if that list isn’t extensive enough, the O’Donnells are
planning a project to retrofit picnic tables at Creekside Park to be ADA
accessible.
Grace Place Chili & Soup fundraiser – They co-chairs for
the project, along with Lion Jim Hoiness to help raise money.
Jack is also a Historical Society member, as well as the Good
Shepherd Foundation Chairman.
Jim is also a City of Rushford council member.
“The best part of being in the Lions is the different
projects we do,” said Jack. “We don’t just help around town, either. The Lions
gives a lot of money to a lot of different causes. We always have something
going on.”
When Jack O’Donnell found out that Larry Bartleson nominated
both he and Jim, what was his first reaction? “I told him I was going to get
even with him,” he said with a laugh.
Jim O’Donnell said he appreciates the honor, but he isn’t
involved with the Lions Club for the accolades. “I just like to serve,” he
said.
A funny thing happened to Dawson Dahl of Rushford during a family trip to the beach. It was a typical summer day and the family decided to go swimming. While walking through the sand, Dahl accidentally stubbed his toe. That painful moment led to a very interesting discovery for him and the rest of the family.
Dawson Dahl of Rushford, pictured here with the complete Bison skull he literally stubbed his toe on one day. The skull is estimated to be well over 100 years old. (Photo from the Tri-County Record/Scott Bestul)
“It was a hot day and we went down to the Point, which is what we call the spot where the crick and the River meet,” he recalled. “We were swimming while my mom sat on the bank and read a book. After getting out of the water, I stubbed my toe on something. I wanted to rip it out of there so no one else would get hurt. I didn’t know it at the time, but I stubbed my toe on the horn of a big Bison skull.”
Dahl grew more interested as he kept digging and saw that his find was something large. As he worked it out of the ground, his mom noticed all the digging and wanted to know what it was too. After finally working it free, Dahl said his mom wasn’t too thrilled by what he’d found.
“She kept saying ‘throw it away’ but I wasn’t going to,” he recalled. “I said ‘I’m keeping this thing.’ It was heavy. After we cleaned the sand out, I’m sure it was lighter. We took it home and hosed it off. We didn’t polish it or anything like that, but we sure did clean a lot of sand out of it.”
As some folks might imagine, he said it was obviously quite a shock to pull a full-sized, complete Bison skull out of the ground. Dahl dug to the point that he could yank the horn with both hands and finally pulled it up out of its resting place. His first reaction?
“Wow, what is this,” he said. “I literally sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out what it was that I had just pulled out of the creek.
“We live pretty close to the creek, so I just carried it home, and then we got it hosed off and cleaned up,” he recalled. “After that, we stuck it in a wheelbarrow and I guess it sat there for six months. Then, we got the idea to bring it to the family White Elephant gift exchange at Christmas.”
Dahl said he actually wanted to hang the skull on the wall, but his mom wasn’t really high on the idea. So, when Christmas rolled around, the Dahls wrapped it up in a box and decided to give it as a surprise gift to a family member. So, which extended family member got the ‘gift?’
“Of all people, my grandmother picked it out,” he said with a smile that was almost visible during a phone conversation. “She’s really not into that type of thing. She unwrapped the big box and opened the lid, jumped back in her chair and yelled. Everyone wanted to know what it was. She started laughing and said she wasn’t going to touch it.
“My great-uncle Larry walked in, saw what it was, and grabbed it by both horns to pull it up out of the box,” he added. “The whole room just exploded in surprise. He’s into that kind of thing and took it home from the family get-together. I’m pretty sure he actually had someone look at it and tell him the skull was actually from the 1800s.”
The skull actually has a hole in it near the brain and figured that’s where hunters shot and killed the bison. The people who dated the skull figured that the Point is where the skull had been buried before eventually working its way back to the surface, where Dahl literally bumped into it.
A Rushford veteran who was among the first sailors killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, is finally returning home for burial. Thanks to advances in DNA testing and a two-year-old government agency, the remains of Joe Johnson of Rushford are finally heading back to Minnesota. Dennis Rislove, a Rushford native who lives in Minneapolis, said he never got to know his uncle Joe personally but is glad he’s finally returning home once and for all.
Here’s a high school graduation picture of Rushford, Minnesota native Joe Johnson, who was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains were recently identified and are finally coming home to Rushford in 2018. (Photo by Chad Smith)
“I’m absolutely amazed at the science that allowed this to happen,” Rislove said. “It’s almost unbelievable that they’re able to do something like this.
“The fact is, I’m 74 years old and he died two-and-a-half years before I was born,” he recalled. “I never had any personal contact and never knew him. It’s kind of a distant relationship but it is still a family member. The government is returning him to me because I’m the oldest living direct relative.”
Rislove, a former Rushford-Peterson school superintendent, first found out about the possible return of Johnson to Rushford two years ago. The government agency, known as the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which reached out to him was just created in 2016. They tracked Rislove down and asked him for a DNA sample, which he submitted at a meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That’s where agency officials gave Rislove a rundown of the project they were undertaking to identify the remains of every veteran killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
“In November of 2017, I got a call from the Navy that said they’d identified him (Johnson) and they’d eventually be returning the remains to me,” he said. “They sent a team from the Navy after that and they gave me a ton of information in a book of about 120 pages, and it’s all about uncle Joe. It included everything statistic from the battle, what happened, where the remains were temporarily buried, and how they were disinterred.”
Here’s a map of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The red arrow is pointing to the position of the U.S.S. Oklahoma, which was the first ship hit by torpedoes, killing Rushford, MN native Joe Johnson, who’s remains have been identified and are returning home this year. (Photo by Chad Smith)
The remains of the Rushford veteran were positively identified at a laboratory in Nebraska and the book walked Rislove through the process. The account in the book detailed the fact that the U.S.S. Oklahoma, which Johnson was serving on, was the first ship hit in the attack. It was hit by a total of six torpedoes, sinking the ship very quickly, which then rolled over and trapped 429 men.
“Some were killed in the explosions and fires,” he said, “and some of them drowned, of course. At the time, they didn’t have any way of identifying them. They ended up burying the dead in what amounted to mass graves. When the DNA science finally came along, they decided to try and identify and return the remains to each sailors’ family.
“In fact, they opened up the first casket and inside were the remains of 95 individuals,’ he said, “and that shows you the kind of challenge they faced in doing this project. The agency disinterred all the co-mingled caskets and separated the remains, such as the skulls in one place, the femurs in another, and so forth. They cleaned all the bones and began to DNA test every single one of them, with the goal of identifying every veteran possible.”
The agency informed each family’s of every veteran that they would help set up the burials, which would include full military honors. Joe Johnson’s remains will be back in Minnesota on Friday, July 6th, in Minneapolis, where the Navy will host a military ceremony. The remains will then be escorted down to Rushford for a memorial service on Saturday, July 7th, at 1:00 p.m. The remains will be buried in the Rushford Lutheran Cemetery with full military honors, in a plot that’s located next to his mother and father’s graves.
Workers stand on top of the overturned U.S.S. Oklahoma after the attack on Pearl Harbor, looking for dozens of sailors who were trapped underneath and died. (Contributed photo)
“While there’s not a great deal of emotional attachment for me just because I never got to know my uncle Joe,” he said, “it’s emotional because it certainly makes you more appreciate all the Joe’s.”
There is some regret that Joe Johnson had plenty of family members that never had closure after his death because most of those relatives have passed away. Johnson had two younger sisters and a younger brother that are deceased. In fact, there’s just one living family member that new Joe Johnson personally, and his name is Norm Ebner.
“He’s another uncle of mine,” Rislove said. “He actually married one of Joe’s sisters. Norm (Ebner) was in the same class as uncle Joe and they both graduated in 1939. Norm is now 99 years old and in an assisted living home. He’s the only living family member that ever knew Joe.
“His mother and two sisters absolutely adored Joe,” Rislove said, “and they talked about him all the time after his death. They did get notified relatively quickly that he was missing in action. However, it took many months before Joe was finally declared killed in action. His family was told his body was unrecoverable, and that whatever remains they found would be put into mass graves because they simply couldn’t identify each and every veteran.”
One of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s employees is a historian who studied the battle at Pearl Harbor in incredible detail. Rislove said the historian knows exactly where the torpedoes hit the Oklahoma and the exact time that they hit the ship. Because the attack occurred on a Sunday morning, most of the sailors were actually off the ship. Joe Johnson was on duty in the radio room.
“They know exactly where he was when the torpedoes hit,” Rislove said. “The historian told me he’s very confident that, based on where the torpedoes hit, that Joe was killed almost instantly, very early in the battle. I think he was trying to comfort me and help me realize Joe wasn’t one of the sailors trapped underneath when the ship overturned, and those sailors were stuck there for 48 hours before they all died.“
Rislove added, “World War Two was very short for uncle Joe.
“He enlisted in the Navy a year after graduation, in April of 1940,” he recalled. “He did basic training around the Great Lakes Training Station in Illinois. His first assignment with the Navy was on the U.S.S. Oklahoma, in Hawaii. Joe died the following year on December 7th, 1941.”
The DNA science had come so far that they could now identify mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down through the females in every family tree. Because Rislove’s mother was Joe Johnson’s sister, they could take a sample from Dennis and use it to identify his uncle Joe’s remains.
“I have to admit that I was skeptical that this would really happen a couple years ago when I got the call,” Rislove recalled. “But I then read up on some of the things they can do with DNA. I also saw a story about the U.S.S. Oklahoma and how the government had decided to disinter the bodies, so I knew that part of the story. I do wish that his immediate family members could have gotten this kind of closure too.”
Southeast Minnesota is getting clobbered by excess rainfall this weekend. There are multiple reports of water flowing over the road, so please, be careful if you’re heading out and about. An even better idea is to just stay home, especially at night. It’s awful hard to see the water flowing over the road in the dark.
The excess rainfall in southeast Minnesota is making driving dangerous. Don’t try to drive through water flowing over the road. It’s always dangerous. Turn around and don’t drown. It’s cliche, for a good reason. This picture is on County Road 22 between Harmony and the junction of County Roads 15 and 22.(Contributed photo.
Here’s a update from Thomas Kaase, Fillmore County Sheriff, with the most up-to-date information.
As of 8:00 PM this evening, our Emergency Manager Don Kullot has been out and assessing the situation in Fillmore County. We are urging our citizens and people traveling in and through Fillmore County to use extreme caution, especially in low-lying areas that have rivers, creeks, or even just the potential of water flow. The areas that seem most affected are west of Preston, south of the Stewartville-Spring Valley-Wykoff areas, and in the Ostrander area too. We are working to get updates throughout the rest of our county.
The flooding situation in southeast Minnesota is making roads treacherous this weekend. Here’s a photo from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Department on County Road 15, south of 120th Street. (Contributed photo)
Since 6:00 this morning, some areas have received up to 6 inches of rain and some were getting blasted from 3:00 PM to 7:00 this evening. Some areas are expected to get an additional 1-2 inches more. At one time earlier this evening, we had a Fillmore County Deputy stranded between CR 30 and Klondike Road, moving to higher ground before finding a way out. It’s easier to see the water over our roadways during the daylight, but with darkness coming upon us, PLEASE USE CAUTION! Remember the saying….TURN AROUND AND DON’T DROWN!
*Update* The eastern side of our county also affected, southeastern area reported to have received up to 5 inches of rain. Hwy 43 north of Mabel is reported to have water over the roadway.
Again, please use caution if you’re driving in our area and don’t take any chances….turn around and don’t drown!
Gary Woxland of Rushford recently went on a journey that very few people will ever have to make. Two years after having a pump put into his heart, which was weakening, he had a heart transplant operation at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. He went into the hospital on April 19, and after more than 12 hours on the operating table, Woxland is feeling good about the results of the procedure. The road to the transplant began just a couple years ago.
Glen Woxland of Rushford, Minnesota, recently underwent a successful heart transplant operation at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison., and says “I’d recommend that hospital to anyone!” (Photo by Kayla Thompson, Bluff Country News Group)
“My heart had gotten too weak,” he recalled, “so I had a heart pump put in to help it out two years ago. That did help, but I then decided it would actually be better for me if I could get a heart transplant. Heart pumps are only good for 15-18 years before they wear out. At that point, I’d be too old to put in a new one.”
He did his original “doctoring” at Mayo Clinic, but Mayo had an age-cutoff of 70 years old, at which they would no longer perform the operation. Woxland was just shy of 69 when he first broached the topic with doctors. He said the doctors in Rochester discouraged him from pursuing the option there but did encourage him to try the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rochester doctors told him there was a bigger donor list in Arizona and he might have quicker results down there.
“We went through the hospital there and they felt the same as the Rochester clinic,” he said. “They said I was getting too old and didn’t want to risk it. Someone told me I should check with the hospital at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. It turned out they were interested and put me through their tests. They had a similar age cutoff to Mayo Clinic, but it was more dependent on the overall health of each candidate.”
Woxland was actually still working up to that point and not “sitting in a chair somewhere every day.” The fact that he could do everything on his own before the surgery really helped out. In spite of that, it still took him a while to get on the transplant list. Four or five months later, he still hadn’t heard from anyone and was about to give up on the idea when the call finally came. Woxland felt it was a dream come true.
“I was down at the shop where I work and talking with my brother,” he recalled, “and I set my cell phone down in the shop and went into another room when they began trying to call me. They called two or three times there and then called my wife, but she didn’t have her cell phone with her. I left work at noon for lunch and when I got home, the phone was ringing. At the same time, they’d called Rushford Police Chief Adam Eide and asked him to come find me as well.”
After getting word that they’d found him a good heart, it was literally a mad dash to get to Madison, Wisconsin, as hospital staff wants the transplant patients there within four hours. Woxland had a smile you could hear in his voice when he said, “we thought we were ready to go, but we weren’t.” It was a bit of a challenging drive to Wisconsin through what was heavy snowfall, at times, but they did make it safely.
“We got there and found out the donor was actually still alive,” Woxland recalled, “and they weren’t going to harvest the heart until the next morning. It was a good opportunity for them to get me prepped. About 12 hours later, I was ready to go. My wife said I was in the operating room for 12 hours. I went in around 8:30 in the morning and got out around 9:00 that night.”
The doctor told the Woxlands that the surgery went great and there were no complications. He did ask who the donor was, and staff couldn’t tell him at that moment. All the doctor could say was the donor was male. There is a form that Woxland can send to the hospital to find out the name of the donor. Hospital staff told the Woxlands that they shouldn’t be in a hurry to find that out as the donor’s family is still grieving the loss.
He still has to go back to the doctor every two weeks for biopsies, but so far, so good. Woxland said the hardest challenge was being laid up on the operating table for 12 hours, and then not being able to get up and move for another three days. He’s lost a little bit of muscle in his legs and feels a little more tired but is otherwise in good shape. Woxland says hospitals perform transplants more often than most people realize.
“When I first was looking at a heart pump or a transplant,” he recalled, “I didn’t honestly think there was any way transplants would be worth it,” he remembered. “Then, I came to find out that hospitals do transplants every day, everywhere. The University of Wisconsin does a lot of transplants, including organs like hearts and lungs. They’ll even do double transplants, such as heart and lungs in one patient.”
His last thought on his amazing journey?
“I would recommend the University of Wisconsin to anyone who asks,” he said.
