In this episode of Roots & Riddles, Preston and Lenora revisit a startling chapter in Fillmore County’s past: the earthquake of 1877. Though Minnesota is far from the seismic hotspots of the nation, residents of Fillmore County felt the ground shift beneath them in a rare and unsettling event.

Drawing from historical accounts, they explore how the tremor rippled through southeastern Minnesota, leaving communities both shaken and fascinated. What did people believe was happening at the time? How did newspapers and local storytellers capture the moment? And what does this unusual quake reveal about the hidden geology beneath the Midwest?

Sources

History of Fillmore County, 1912

Fillmore County Journal, September 1, 2025

College of Sciences and English

Database.earth

The Great Ceneral US Shakeout

Chatfield Democrat, December 8, 1877

Preston Republican, November 22, 1877