Minnesota Prairie Roots

Just a few miles south of Belview, a John Deere tractor travels along a county road.

SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. It is the place of my roots. The fields. The small towns. The people. The land. The sky. Even the wind.

A real estate and farm loan office in downtown Belview.

When I return here, I return with a sense of nostalgia. With memories. With a fondness for all this wide and spacious place represents to me. Yes, I admit to looking through a rose-colored lens, too often forgetting the challenges of living in rural Minnesota.

I love the colorful art on this antique shop in Belview, Minnesota.

But I prefer to focus on the comfort that going back home brings to me. A sense of calm. A sense of peace. A sense of quiet in a sometimes too chaotic life.

The local gas station/convenience store in Belview, next to the grain elevator. An important place since there’s no grocery store in town.

Small towns have their issues. Just like anywhere. But they also have the positives of a strong sense of community, of loyalty, of grit and determination. Agriculture weaves into every aspect of these small towns. Like Belview, rooted in agriculture. You see that influence in the businesses along Main Street.

Another Belview business.

There is comfort in seeing that, despite e-commerce and regional shopping centers, rural communities manage to hold onto local businesses. I often wonder how long. And that is a question only those who live in these communities can answer.

Working the land between Belview and Delhi.

THOUGHTS?

© Copyright 2019 Audrey Kletscher Helbling