CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This year’s edition of Historic Homesteads including Centennial Farms & Ranches of North Dakota is the fifth year for this award-winning publication of The Minot Daily News and The Pierce County Tribune in Rugby. Many farms and ranches in North Dakota have remained in the same families for many years. Others have been purchased by friends or other individuals. All are part of North Dakota’s ever evolving history of agriculture. Many people have contributed to the production of this 2020-2021 edition of the magazine. In particular, we would like to thank the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, State Historical Society of North Dakota and State Archives in the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, Farm Rescue and North Dakota Centennial Farm Program. We would also like to thank those who shared their stories and photos with us. We hope you enjoy this edition of Historic Homesteads: Centennial Farms & Ranches of North Dakota. We look forward to telling more stories of Historic Homesteads in future editions.
– Eloise Ogden
SEND YOUR HISTORICAL FARM OR RANCH STORIES, PHOTOS
Is your farm or ranch in northwest or north central North Dakota 50 years old or more? If so, please send us a story about your farm or ranch along with photos (not less than 200psi resolution). Email is preferred. Please send your information and photos to eogden@minotdailynews.com as soon as possible. Be sure to include your name, city and a daytime phone number. Your farm or ranch may be selected for the next edition of the Historic Homesteads: Centennial Farms & Ranches of North Dakota magazine.
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HOMESTEADS
Hystad Homestead Philip and Delia Baker Paige Sr. and Cora Baker Brooks Ranch Volk Farm Kramer Farmstead
EXTRAS
Farm Rescue ND Cowboy Hall of Fame Rhubarb Mida wheat Time on ‘Big Pasture’ Agriculture Timeline ~COVER PHOTO~
Jens and Lisa Hystad are shown by their homestead home near Velva. The photo was taken in about 1907. Jens, who was born in Norway, came to America in 1896. During a visit to Norway in June 1907, he and Lisa Tvedten were engaged. She arrived here in December 1907 and they were married.
HISTORIC HOMESTEADS: CENTENNIAL FARMS & RANCHES OF NORTH DAKOTA 2020-21
PUBLISHER • BOB PATCHEN
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR • ELOISE OGDEN
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2 • MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads
EOGDEN@MINOTDAILYNEWS.COM
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A PUBLICATION OF THE MINOT DAILY NEWS AND THE PIERCE COUNTY TRIBUNE.
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Jens and Lisa Hystad
By HARRY HYSTAD
Jens Hystad, the youngest of 12 children of Isak Samsonsen Hystad and Marie Larsdatter Berge, was born at Hystad Stord, Norway, on July 6, 1875. He came to America in 1896 where he joined his brother Mons, at Dell Rapids, South Dakota. He spent three years there working for a German farmer and was offered $20 more than his $120 per year salary if he would stay on. 4 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
HYSTAD HOMESTEAD originated with settlers from Norway
Submitted Photo
This is a current aerial view of the Hystad farm. MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads • 5
Wanting land of their own, Jens with brother Mons, wife Gurina, sons Magnus, Fred and Brita Hystad (later Mrs. Jens Watne) left Dell Rapids for Velva, North Dakota, on May 19,1899, where Herman Hage had already settled in the Mouse River valley. Their trip by covered wagon took 23 days and on June 10,1899, they arrived at Velva. The bottom land was already taken but there was plenty of prairie land available. They headed north and after climbing the Gary Hill out of Velva, all they saw was a waving sea of grass. Jens chose the southeast quarter Section 20, Township 154, Range 80. Mons, Brita and Anfin Hage all took the other quarters cornering Jens, and all filed for homesteads in Towner. They broke 5 acres each then started haying. Jens and Anfin went east to Devils Lake on threshing jobs. The first year was remarkably mild with no ice on the Mouse River until January 1900. In the spring they started new breaking but had to quit when it got too dry. They seeded 10 acres of flax the 15th of May, which did not come up until after the Fourth of July. That summer was so dry the Mouse River went dry. In the fall there was a terrible prairie fire from Canada which burned off all the grass except the four quarters where they had plowed a fire guard. The flax was harvested in October in the snow with a 10 bushel yield. Next spring it was sold for seed to new settlers as they arrived. That winter was a tough one with not much hay so they fed potatoes to the livestock to get by. The spring of 1901 was dry but they started to break more land the first part of April and planted wheat and flax out into May. As no rain came they had to quit. Around the middle of June a snowstorm came which lasted two days and they ended up with a good crop that fall. Jens became a United States citizen on Nov. 17, 1902. In fall of 1906 Jens and Anfin left for Norway for a visit. On June 6, 1907, Jens became engaged to Lisa Tvedten and in July he and Anfin left for America with a promise from the girls that they would soon follow. Lisa Tvedten and Barbara Frugard arrived Dec. 21, 1907, and were married in a double ceremony at Mons Hystads. Jens and Lisa lived in a two-room house which he had ready for her. An addition was added to the house in 1912. In 1930 the old kitchen and dining room were taken away and a new part added which included kitchen, dining room, extra bedrooms upstairs, bathroom and basement. Jens and Lisa raised four boys and a girl: Isak, Meier, Lorentz, Elvin and Helen. There were good times and bad, like the loss of two barns in a fire and daughter, Helen, having pneumonia. The story was told that the family was heading home and a winter storm caught them. Jens could not see 6 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
Submitted Photos
TOP: Jens and Lisa Hystad are shown standing by the homestead home that Jens built near Velva in about 1907.
ABOVE: A modern farmhouse stands today on the Hystad homestead near Velva.
anything so he let the horses have the reins and they kept going. After a while they stopped but Jens still could not see anything so he got out of the sleigh and went to the front of the horses to see what was wrong. The horses were standing in front of the barn door. They had brought them home safely. Lorentz started farming after the war and Jens and Lisa moved to Velva. In 1948 he married Edna Gjellstad and made their home on the Hystad homestead. They raised Harry, Anna and Marie. Lorentz and Edna lived there until 1975 when they moved to Velva. Harry married Linda Marshall and made their home on the Hystad homestead.
By ELOISE OGDEN
Farm Rescue helping many generational operations Submitted Photos
MAIN: Farm Rescue has helped many generational operations since the nonprofit organization began. ABOVE: The Newmans – Joel, Karmell and Carter – of Sawyer were the 700th family that Farm Rescue has assisted since the organization began operating in mid-2000.
A large majority of farm and ranch families that Farm Rescue has helped since the nonprofit organization was founded are generational operations, said Dan Erdmann, program manager for Farm Rescue. “That’s largely due to the fact that our ultimate goal is to help farms and ranches maintain viable operations for future generations,” Erdmann said. Farm Rescue helps farmers and ranchers who have experienced a major illness, injury or natural disaster by providing the necessary equipment and manpower to plant, hay or harvest their crop. Livestock feeding assistance is also available to ranchers. The organization helps farm and ranch families in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. In August 2020, Farm Rescue marked its 700th assisted family – Joel and Karmell Newman from Sawyer, Erdmann said. Joel Newman was recovering from surgery and Farm Rescue provided equipment and volunteers to assist with the family’s harvest. Erdmann said Joel and his brother, Jay, are the fourth generation to work their family’s land and Joel’s and Jay’s sons plan to be the fifth generation.
“The altruistic mission of Farm Rescue continues to have a positive impact throughout our farming and ranching communities,” said Bill Gross, Farm Rescue founder and president, when the organization marked helping 700 families. “There is no better reward in life than to help those who have experienced unexpected crisis. It has indeed been an honor to provide Rescue Blessings to 700 families. As of Oct. 7, 2020, Erdmann said Farm Rescue has assisted 710 farm and ranch families since operations first began in 2006. “We have a half dozen more cases approved and scheduled for fall harvest assistance,” he said. He figured a few more applications would be arriving in the next few weeks.” Currently, the organization is raising funds to assist in purchasing a John Deere combine to support the organization’s harvest assistance efforts in 2022 and beyond. The additional combine will allow more farm families to receive harvest assistance throughout Farm Rescue’s seven-state service area, according to Farm Rescue organization. Applications for assistance can be obtained at 701-252-2017 or www.farmrescue.org.
MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads • 7
Phillip and Delia Baker family ranched east of Mandaree Phillip Baker was born on Sept. 30, 1909, near Independence, North Dakota. He was a member of the Knife clan, being born to Mandan-Hidatsa parents. He spoke three languages fluently and was passable in a fourth – Mandan, Hidatsa, English and Lakota. He was a proud but fiercely independent member of his tribe, never asking for help from his tribe or anyone else. His Hidatsa name was “ltaaci lt-diaac,” or big-pants, given to him based on something he did, not his physique. He completed an eighth grade education by attending a number of schools; one of them was in Chemawa, Oregon. When he completed school, he rode home on the train by standing between the boxcars from Oregon to Bismarck, North Dakota. Phillip was a good judge of horseflesh, and an excellent judge of cattle. He performed all the work needed for his horses and cattle, including farrier work and equine gelding techniques. He became skilled enough at the latter that people brought their horses to him for this, and he did it free of
charge. His thoughts were, “If a fella’s gonna help you, he ought to keep his mouth shut and just do it.” In the mid-1930s, he rode a famous saddle bronc named “Gravedigger.” At the time, this horse had never been ridden, and Phillip was the first. The Van Hook Rodeo was one of the largest in the area at the time, so they always had the best rodeo stock. While good at rodeos and an accomplished grass dancer, his first love was always ranching. During the 1930s and 1940s, Phillip ranched with his father, James Baker, and they maintained the homestead in the Mandaree area. They kept a small herd until the 1940s when the government instituted a cattle re-lending program. Phillip was very successful in this program. Phillip and his wife, Delia, made their home in the Independence community until they were forced off their land in 1949 due to the Garrison Dam. Independence is covered by Lake Sakakawea. See PHILLIP — Page 9
Submitted Photo
While good at rodeos and an accomplished grass dancer, Phillip Baker’s first love was always ranching.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Brothers Phillip Baker and Paige Baker Sr. were inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in the Modern-Era Ranching category.
Paige Sr. and Cora Baker family ranched northwest of Mandaree
Submitted Photo
Paige Baker Sr. loved a good horse and always had one he could trust to use for roping.
8 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
Paige James Baker Sr., also known by his Hidatsa name as Sacred Horse, was born in Independence, North Dakota, on Jan. 1, 1913. Born to James and Ethel (Tail) Baker, he attended school in his hometown, the Santee Indian School in Nebraska and the Chemawa Indian School in Oregon. Paige came back to North Dakota during the Depression and got jobs with different ranches and rode saddle broncs in rodeos. On Feb. 11, 1938, he married Cora Young Bird at Manning. They had five children – Fred, Paige Jr., Mary and Gerard. The eldest is deceased. Eventually, they began to raise their own livestock. In 1945, with the help of relatives, they chopped logs and put up a log house in the Heart Butte area, east of Mandaree. They ranched there for five years, while Cora and Fred spent the winters in Independence so Fred could attend school. In 1952, the family moved to McKenzie County on the western edge of the Fort Berthold Reservation. They built a fourroom log house and a barn there. In addi-
tion to operating his ranch, Paige worked for a number of the larger ranchers who had cattle both off and on the reservation. He was on the last big cattle drive to the Dunn Center train depot. He loved a good horse and always had one he could trust to rope from. He enjoyed rodeos and roping and was a wellknown rodeo announcer on the reservation. Paige spent many hours riding, moving cattle and preparing hay for winter feed, and he cut hay with a team of horses even in his later years. Paige was a great believer in modern education and, along with his wife, saw to it that all of their children went on to college and earned degrees. He was active in many organizations, including a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Mandaree; on the Board of Trustees of St. Anthony’s Catholic Mission, Mandaree; the North Dakota Social Service Board; the North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation Board, North Dakota Vocational Educational Board; the Mountain Plains See PAGE — Page 9
Phillip
Paige
Continued from Page 8
Continued from Page 8
They relocated to the present Baker Ranch, east of Mandaree, where they raised their children, cattle and worked the land. Their five children are Milton, Helen, Ethel, Lyle and Linda. Phillip proved to be a savvy businessman as well. Under the general allotment act, he was granted 320 acres of reservation land. He leased an additional 320 acres for his ranch, and purchased 320 more acres from his sister. Over the years, he acquired several other small tracts of land. He grew his herd of 10 cattle into a herd of 300. At a time when other Indian operators were going under, Phillip was able to pay off money owed to the FHA. From 1980 until
his death, he was debt-free. Phillip served as brand inspector for the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association for nine years; and on the Dunn County Welfare Board for eight years. He was a member of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association for more than 40 years. He was included in the publication “Fifty Years in the Saddle.” He died in 1994. Delia died in 2002. Phillip was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in the Modern-era Ranching category in 2020. Family members reside on the ranch in the Mandaree area. – Information from North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame
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Education and Economic Development Program; and the Mandaree School Board for 12 years, on which he served as president. He was also involved on the tribal council, as a tribal judge for eight years and as a court magistrate for the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Paige died of cancer on Jan. 8, 1982, at the age of 69. Cora died Nov. 22, 2005. Paige was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in the Modern-era Ranching category in 1999. Paige (Ph.D) and Joan Baker reside on the family ranch northwest of Mandaree. – Information from North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame
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BROOKS RANCH developed from early 1900 homestead
10 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
Corey and Goldie Brooks, with their son, James, and daughter, Madge, loaded two horses, three cows, 50 chickens and some farm equipment on an emigrant car at Ruggles Siding, Pennsylvania, to come to free land north of Minot in 1902. They homesteaded at Lansford in 1904. The family had learned of free land available to homesteaders who would live on and develop land in the West. Goldie Mae Tittle was born in North Dakota in 1903. Her parents, Samuel and Neicy Tittle, moved to North Dakota from Kansas in 1903, also for that homestead land. They lived in a sod house until other housing was built. James E. Brooks and Goldie Mae Tittle were married in 1924. They farmed and raised cattle on part of what became Brooks Ranch. When their sons, Loren and Bob were 18 and 16, respectively, Loren purchased a registered Hereford heifer from Sunshine Ranch at Jamestown, and Bob purchased a Shorthorn heifer. (He later switched his interests from Shorthorn to Hereford cattle.) That was the beginning of Brooks Ranch at Lansford in 1943. In later years it would expand to Burlington and even later to Hardin, Mont. The money to purchase those first heifers came from a small seed planted a few years earlier. Loren and Bob’s dad was called out one night by a neighbor to help with a difficult calving problem. He would accept no remuneration for the deed so the neighbor insisted that he accept and give to his two boys a bum lamb. The lamb grew and was kept around. The wool was clipped and sold and the money saved. When the lamb was sold, that money along with the wool money, was enough to purchase a sow that produced a litter of pigs and started a small hog operation for the boys that returned the dollars needed to purchase those first registered heifers. An interesting note is that the neighbor was William Phillips, the father of Janet Phillips who some years later married Loren. In those early years of Brooks Ranch, additional registered Hereford heifers were purchased at various North Dakota consignment sales and from breeders in Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. In 1950 the Brooks’ purchased the ranch near Burlington. With this addition, the acreage the ranch operated on increased to 12,000. Submitted Photos
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Loren Brooks and his first bull. OPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM LEFT: This photo was taken at the Brooks Ranch in 1953. OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM RIGHT: From left to right, Robert Schnell, auctioneer, Loren Brooks, Roger Stuber, Hereford breeder, and Bob Brooks are shown on sale day. TOP: James Brooks and his sons, Loren and Bob Brooks, are shown in this photo. MIDDLE: Buyers are shown on sale day at the Brooks Ranch in 1953.
MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads • 11
By the time the Brooks’ purchased the Burlington ranch they had either bred or acquired 250 Hereford cows of the most popular bloodlines. Then the dwarf gene raised its ugly head, adversely affecting much of the Hereford breed for a time and it became apparent in 1954 that the Brooks Ranch herd would not be an exception. With perseverance and determination to maintain the integrity and quality of their herd, the Brooks brothers worked through this large setback, meeting the challenge to build a new herd of high-quality, 100 percent clean-pedigreed Herefords. In the following years, Brooks Ranch’s registered and commercial Hereford herds grew in numbers and sales of Brooks seed stock increased. The registered bulls were marketed private treaty and in North Dakota Hereford Association sales in places like Valley City, Dickinson, Bismarck and Minot. In one of the Minot consignment sales of over 100 bulls, Brooks Ranch consigned and sold eight bulls – the top seven sellers were Brooks bulls. In 1958, Brooks Ranch designed and implemented a performance test program for the herd and later joined the N.D. Beef Cattle Improvement program and the American Hereford Association’s Total Performance Records program. That same year it held the first of 55 production sales. The first Brooks Ranch Hereford production sale was held on April 1 at Harrington Livestock Auction Center in Minot. Annual sales continued in Minot until 1968 when the ranch held its first sale in a new sale barn on the Burlington ranch. In the ‘70s for three years running, Brooks Ranch sales were among AHA’s Top-Ten sales of the year. In 1972 Brooks Ranch was ninth in the nation for new registrations (705) and in 1977 was third with 850 new registrations, per AHA. In 2004, Brooks Ranch was recognized by the AHA as a 50-Year-Plus Breeder. Top herd sires were purchased throughout the decades; among them the grandsire of a future Denver champion, top bulls from Midland Test in Montana, a Calgary Bull Sale champion and a Kansas City Royal champion. This herd of good foundation cattle brought in buyers from Canada to Texas and in later years many bulls were sold into Florida and Mexico as well. The ranch owners, Bob and Loren, were very active in livestock industry organizations, each serving as president of the state Hereford Association and as show judges at state association shows. Loren also judged cattle shows in Canada and several states, including the Houston Stock Show. Bob was a trustee in the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Brooks Ranch was a horseback, “get the job done right” outfit through and through. Never was a 4-wheeler used because good cowboys on quality quarter horses were the trusted work agents. From successfully rescuing every cow that broke through an icy reservoir to dragging calves to the 3W branding iron, good ranch horses were a valued asset on this ranch. In 1975, Brooks’ sold the ranch near Burlington where Bob, his wife Alexzine and daughters Lisa, Candy and Becky lived. At the same time they purchased a ranch near Hardin, Mont. Bob and family moved to Minot and operated the Lansford ranch. Loren, his wife, Janet, and daughter Vickie moved to the ranch in Montana. Part of their North Dakota registered Hereford herd stayed in North Dakota and the other part of the herd was moved to Montana. The Brooks Ranch spirit and contributions to the cattle industry live on to this day as the great-great-grandchildren of the North Dakota homesteading Brooks family continue their contributions to the cattle industry and industry leadership in North Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Indiana. Candy Brooks operates the original home place at Lansford. Brooks Ranch was inducted in the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in the Ranch category in 2014. – Information from North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, Candy Brooks and Vickie Kern.
12 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
Submitted Photos
ABOVE: Bob and Loren Brooks at the Fort Worth Stock Show. BELOW: Cattle are being trailed out to summer pasture in this photo of the Brooks Ranch at Burlington.
Volk Farm
keeps family traditions alive By SUE SITTER
Submitted photo
TOP: The Volk family poses near the entrance to their farm. From left are Devin, Lisa, Abagail, Philip, Titus, Thatcher and Isaac. Sue Sitter/PCT
MIDDLE: Titus Volk (top) smiles from atop a piece of farm equipment as his mother, Lisa, father, Philip and brother, Thatcher, pose for a photo. Sue Sitter/PCT
BOTTOM: Lisa Volk explains a map on a computer screen in the cab of the family combine.
Mild fall weather has given North Dakota farmers perfect conditions for harvesting in 2020, so the Ed Volk family and their neighbors east of Rugby spend their days in their fields, taking full advantage. Enthusiasm for farm life is easy to see in Volk’s son, Philip, and his wife, Lisa. Both talk eagerly about the dry beans, corn and wheat they grow – especially the wheat. Philip Volk serves on the North Dakota Wheat Commission. Not only does he share his wealth of knowledge about spring wheat with visitors to his farm, he travels overseas with the commission to observe and share knowledge about the many uses for North Dakota wheat. The family farm’s story appeared in a series of videos produced by the U.S. Wheat Associates last summer. The Volk farm video, titled “Living with Purpose in North Dakota,” is available on the U.S. Wheat Associates webpage on a clickable map featuring stories from wheat farms across the country. Like many North Dakota farm families, the Volk family traces their roots to homesteaders who arrived on the prairie in the late 1800s. The Volk family had immigrated to the United States and were descended from German settlers on the steppes of Russia and Ukraine. “Grandpa Joseph came and homesteaded south of Rugby in about 1896,” Philip Volk said. “He had a family and one of his sons was Philip. That was my grandpa, which I’m the namesake. He was from the Rugby area and my grandma, Magdalene, was from the Karlsruhe area.” Philip Volk’s grandfather moved northeast, establishing a farm just outside of Pierce County near Knox in 1942. He married Magdalene Leier of southern McHenry County. “Magdalene and Philip had Ed, Victor and Barbara. Ed is my dad and he started farming in 1970 after being an engineer for Sundstrand Corporation,” Philip said. “That’s where he met my mother, Harriet, when he was working in Huntsville, Alabama,” Philip added. “My mom was from Alabama. He studied engineering at MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads • 13
NDSU and went out west and down south, that’s where he met Mom. It’s kind of like Lisa had to come from Boston to North Dakota for me to meet her,” Philip said, smiling at his wife, Lisa. “I grew up on this farm,” Philip added. “I went to high school at Rugby High. There were six children. I’m the eldest. My brother farms by Silva, my sister Katie farms by Scranton, North Dakota, I have a sister in Colorado that’s a teacher and a sister in Idaho that’s a pharmacist and a brother in Wisconsin that’s an engineer.” Philip, who also studied engineering, said he was glad to keep his roots on the family farm in North Dakota. “I like four seasons and we sure get that in North Dakota, faster than we want sometimes,” he said. “Overnight!” Lisa said with a laugh. Philip said his grandparents began growing wheat on their piece of land, harvesting and threshing using horses. “They had the bundles they brought to the threshing machine. Grandpa had a crew and grandma had a cook car, just like you see at the museum,” he said. Ed updated his practices and equipment as farming technology changed, using tractors and grain trucks with deep beds to collect the harvest.
“I grew up on this farm. I went to high school at Rugby High. There were six children. I’m the eldest. My brother farms by Silva, my sister Katie farms by Scranton, North Dakota, I have a sister in Colorado that’s a teacher and a sister in Idaho that’s a pharmacist and a brother in Wisconsin that’s an engineer.” —Philip Volk “Ed is retired and Philip and I are farming now,” Lisa Volk said. “Philip’s been farming his entire life,” Lisa added. “He went away to college and came back. I moved here in 1994. Philip and I befriended each other through mutual friends. I’m a city girl. I’m from a suburb of Boston – Brockton, Massachusetts. My dad was a mechanical engineer and I don’t know if it came from there, but I was combining before we were even married,” she added with a smile. “I guess if I wanted to see Philip, I’d have to go out in the field, then they put me in the combine,” Lisa explained. Did combining come naturally to Lisa? “No,” she answered with a laugh. “I dug the header into the ground a few times.” “Philip and I have been farming together since we got married,” Lisa said. “We have five children. Our oldest is Devin. He’s actually working at a farm right now. He went to NDSU to get his degree in ag systems management and two minors, animal science and ag business,” Lisa added. The Volks’ second oldest, daughter Abagail, was in her final year of studies at NDSU. “She’s going to get a degree in biotechnology,” Lisa said. “She would like to turn that into something with ag as well. Pretty much all our children are interested in ag.” Then, there’s Isaac, he’s 18. Thatcher, he’s 16, then there’s Titus,” Lisa added. “Titus is seven. He goes to Little Flower Catholic School (in Rugby).” The Volks’ children are adding their own influences to the family farm. A metal sign made by Isaac Volk in his Rugby High ag class stands at the entrance to the home place near Ed’s house. The family uses modern techniques to add value to their crops and take care of their land. “We’re a no-till farm,” Lisa explained as she took a short tour of the fields in the family’s combine. “We plant with an air seeder.” “There’s a monitor, so it will bring up the field on here through GPS,” she explained, pointing to a computer screen in the cab. “If you have auto steer, which this one does, you just click this little button here to show the tracks where you’ve combined or
14 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
seeded or anything to that application. If you have a hole or rock or something like that, you can tap a little flag on the screen and go back (to that location) and figure out where that was and what you need to do.” “That green box is our grain cart right there,” Lisa said, pointing near one of the barns on the property. “You put an adapter on it and just drive alongside. You put the spout out. The grain cart loads the semi and the semi comes here. This button right here is the outtake auger, so that goes out.” Lisa said the farm uses cover crops to preserve soil quality, provide feed and even supply the family with salad items. “We put it in the air seeder. There’s radishes and turnips,” she said. “You can get all different varieties in it. There might be sunflowers here. There are rutabagas. The cows just love those.” Other crops like oats and peas also serve several purposes. “We put in oats and peas this year,” Lisa noted, “so we have better quality feed for our cows because we do not do silage. We baled our oats and peas.” As the Volks’ soybeans and corn dried for harvest, Philip and son, Thatcher, took out their air seeder to plant more crops. “Rye will get sown now,” Philip explained. “It’ll grow and it’ll die, and it’ll start growing again in the spring. Winter wheat will do the same thing.” Philip said farms in Nebraska and Plains states farther south prefer winter wheat, while farms in North Dakota tend to grow spring wheat more. “Spring wheat is your healthy, pure, natural ingredient to make bread. Most all formulas of crackers need a certain amount of protein and gluten to make good quality breads or pastas. Normally, the durum wheat class is for pasta products only, but they have been able in other countries to substitute spring wheat to make pasta. They make pasta out of peas and everything now. So, pasta is just a way of presenting and consuming the product,” Philip noted. Philip said he planned to plant triticale, an ancient grain, however, “Ancient grains, rye, triticale, spelts, some of those, we don’t grow for major commodities because they’re niche markets, and demand is small.” “Philip went over to the Philippines with the North Dakota Wheat Commission,” Lisa said. “It was a baker’s tour.” “We basically got to see where our grain goes,” Philip explained. “Fifty percent of the spring wheat produced in North Dakota goes overseas – the Philippines, Korea, Japan, China – they’re buyers of spring wheat, because they want quality to make their breads to add to lower-class wheats. Some of the places are automated as much as America. Other places, they’re making bread in a garage with an old cement mixer. It’s an eight-cent loaf of bread, and there are people who can’t afford it. There are varying degrees of social classes,” he added. “They can’t raise wheat in the tropics like we can in America,” Philip noted. That’s why they have a demand for wheat. And they basically have a value-added thing, where they take bananas and add it to wheat for bread. They also use palm oil and sugar cane and things, and it makes those products more valuable, because they found a product they can mix it with to make another product. We work together with them. U.S. Wheat will send cereal scientists to help them cook and bake and make sure it works for them like they want it to with mixing time or additives or things like that, so they can feel good that they’ve got a product they can use and it’s going to work for them.” The Volks drove down a gravel road along their property line to check on their son, Thatcher, who manned the air seeder in a field near ponds where ducks swam. Thatcher told his dad the machine needed a small repair. “That’s part of farm life,” Lisa said. Philip examined parts of the seeder, explaining how it worked. “This disc makes a little line, and the seed comes through here and goes in that little trench, and this wheel packs it and this little wheel closes it and keeps it so it doesn’t go too deep,” he said. “This is a big improvement from the plow, packer and pony drill that generations before us farmed with when they broke the sod,” he added.
KRAMER
FARMSTEAD
By CIARA PARIZEK A lot of families in North Dakota own farmland and when the parents are ready to retire, the next generation takes over. Fred Kramer bought the farmstead in 1935, and when he retired, his son David Kramer took it over in 1966. Back in 2007, David sold the operation to his son Ron Kramer, who now runs it with his wife and kids, occasionally receiving help from his father. Fred Kramer was originally from Iowa. He was drafted into World War I, and upon his discharge, he made a few trips to North Dakota to find better land after he lost his barn. He had
H is t o r i c i n e quipmen t a nd m ethods
looked at a few properties near Garrison, but the farmstead near Douglas was the best one he found. After his future home was secured, he went back to Iowa, married his wife, Cecilia, and moved her up here with him. Before purchasing the land, Fred Kramer rented it for about five years. David Kramer was born and raised on the farm, helping out when he was old enough to milk the cows and pick rocks from the fields. Ron Kramer did some digging into the history of his home and he found that the very first owner bought 160 acres for $200 in 1907. Submitted Photos
MAIN: A more recent aerial photo was taken in 2014, showing the development of the farmstead over the course of 57 years. BOTTOM LEFT: An aerial photo was taken by the Kramer family in 1957. Fred and David Kramer were both pilots, building the light colored plane hangar to store their personal plane. BOTTOM RIGHT: The original farmstead is shown in the 1930s. The photo shows the only two buildings that were there when Fred and Cecilia moved in.
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Ron Kramer, back left, and his wife Vanessa, front middle, currently live on the farmstead with their children Casey, back right, Megan, front left, and Jacob, front right. The first few owners had taken loans out on the land through their banks, when there were still banks in Douglas a few miles away. Unable to make the payments, the farmstead was foreclosed on. The house and barn were already built by the previous owners. Fred Kramer and his family built another barn, a Quonset, a hog shed and a plane hangar. When David took charge of the operation, he built grain storage bins. During the 1930s, the stock market crashed and the economy along with it. A severe lack of rain caused dry conditions across the Midwest. Federal land acts were put into effect after the Civil War and gave immigrants an incentive to move west. Between the Homestead Act of 1862, Kinkaid Act of 1904, and the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909, a lot of inexperienced farmers moved west. The number of crops dropped and the high winds caused erosion, giving dust and other debris the ability to be blown freely, taking tumbleweeds with them. “I still remember when I was a little boy, standing at the window and seeing tumbleweeds rolling across the prairie,” said David Kramer. When the Dust Bowl blew over and conditions improved, Fred Kramer started growing oats and wheat. It’s also believed that he planted some barley. David and his father purchased feeder cattle in the fall and sold the cows a year later at feedlot sales.
Submitted Photo
Fred Kramer and his newly wedded wife stand for a wedding picture in 1932 before they both moved to the farmstead in Douglas.
For a while, the Kramers tried feeding them out, but “that didn’t work very well,” so they returned to backgrounding their cattle. In order to feed the cattle, they added corn to their fields for silage. However, it was very labor intensive so they stopped.
Submitted Photos
ABOVE: Fred Kramer is plowing his fields with a tractor that was built before rubber tires were made standard. RIGHT: David and Carol Kramer sit together on a 706 International tractor. The photo was taken between 1965 and 1975. BOTTTOM: One of Ron Kramer’s friends ran one of his tractors in a hay field in July 2019. Before modern technology, the grain and corn had to be shoveled into the back of trucks or trailers, taken to railcars for transport and loaded into the railcars by hand. They had chickens, turkeys and pigs for a period of time, as well. David’s wife, Carol Kramer, remembered the turkey farm they had during the 1930s, which helped with their food supply. “I was glad to get rid of the pigs,” David stated. “There’s no money in it. One thing I didn’t like about pigs: when you had pigs, you had flies. It’s horrible around in the summer.” As the years went by, technology advanced. The eldest Kramer purchased an M International tractor in 1939. Ron Kramer said that his family was the first to have a tractor with rubber tires in their area. A fun fact that Ron shared was the neighbors at that time would go to the Kramer farm and ask to do some of Fred’s work for him to use the tractor with rubber tires. They wanted to try them out and see how they worked compared to the steel wheels they all had. In 1952, Fred and David Kramer bought a diesel tractor. They used it until 1965, when they bought a 706 International. Another upgrade to a 1066 International was made 10 years later. The final tractor they purchased was a 1586 International, being able to work the land with 180 horsepower. Now that technology has made several more improvements, Ron Kramer has a Caterpillar tractor, having 105 more horsepower than the 1586. On top of having farming equipment around, both Fred and David Kramer flew planes, allowing them to get aerial photos of their land. The hangar was eventually taken down. Ron Kramer grew up on the farmstead, too, helping his parents and grandparents from a young age. Until his junior year of high school, he was undecided about whether or not he wanted to be the next to tend the land and care for the livestock. His older brother was considering the role, but decided to pursue another path in life. Ron Kramer was the youngest boy, and because none of his older siblings wanted to take over, he decided to do it. Before running the operation by himself, he went to the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton for three years. The first two earned him an associate degree in farm business management and agriculture mechanics. For the last year, he took classes on diesel mechanics so he could repair his own equipment. With the technology in his machinery, his wife, Vanessa, is his “IT person,” fixing computer-related issues when they arise. In addition to growing crops, Ron Kramer picked up raising Angus cattle again. He also has chickens, but he keeps those around for his family.
Cats roam around, too, acting as mousers to keep the rodent population from getting out of control. To keep the cattle herds in order, his red-heeler-Australian shepherd mix dog rounds them up. His border collie-Australian shepherd dog is used to herd the cows, too, but he’s older and has really slowed down. “He’s more of a spoiled pet now than a herding dog,” Kramer said. The heeler mix is still a puppy so there’s plenty of energy to go around. The Kramers’ two boys are in FFA and the oldest was awarded the American FFA Degree, which is the highest degree that can be earned. It shows he is very dedicated to his chapter and the FFA association as a whole. Both sons participate in crop judging and other events. Their daughter, however, is not interested in the trade. She is more into music, singing, playing the saxophone, piano and clarinet. Kramer said she won a state singing contest. Drama is her other interest at school in Max where all three of the children attend. Kramer also gives his children the same choice that his parents gave him. “If they don’t want to work on the farm, they don’t have to. They can pursue their own careers. “You have to love farming,” he stated. “No one else would want to work those hours.” Farming is indeed difficult work, long hours in the fields and many hours in the sun. There are parts of the job that are good and others that aren’t. “As the old adage goes, ‘If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,’” he said. MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads • 17
ND Cowboy Hall of Fame celebrates 25th anniversary By ELOISE OGDEN
Independent and Assisted Living
18 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020, North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame is moving forward to its next 25 and more years. N.D. Cowboy Hall of Fame was incorporated in 1995. After a major fundraising effort, the organization opened its North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame – Center of Western Heritage & Cultures: Native American, Ranching and Rodeo in Medora. Dr. Gerald Stokka of Cooperstown is president of NDCHF’s board of directors. He replaced Jim Chamley, now president emeritus. Other board officers are Fred Sorenson, White Earth, vice president; Connie Sundby, Minot, treasurer; Marv Semrau, Minot, treasurer. Also on the board are Shirley Meyers, Dickinson, Dick Nelson, Valley City, Ross Rolshoven, Grand Forks, Sue Mosser, Medora, Ron Kramer, Leoti, Kan., and Steve Tomac, St. Anthony. Randy Hatzenbuhler, Medora, is Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation representative. Al Bjornson, Mandan, and John Thorson, Arthur, are NDCHF trustees chairs. Rick Thompson is executive director, and Becky Scheef, executive assistant, of NDCHF and Tess Howie, managing editor of The Cowboy Chronicle, the organization’s official publication. Each year the organization accepts nominations in various categories for its Hall of Honorees and inducts those selected as honorees. The organization’s next annual meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12-13, 2021, in Medora. The 2021 induction ceremony is set for June 18-19 in Medora. A number of other signature events are planned during the year. For more about the organization including information on the nomination process for the Hall of Honorees, visit northdakotacowboy.com.
Lone Tree woman patents condiment recipe with rhubarb By ELOISE OGDEN
More than 100 years ago, a woman from Lone Tree in Ward County, applied for a patent to the U.S. Patent Office for her recipe for a condiment using rhubarb stalks as the base ingredient. Marion Mae Osborn submitted her application and it was filed on Aug. 9, 1919. Her patented recipe was approved on Jan. 31, 1922, according to U.S. Patent Office information. In her application Osborn said she had invented “new and useful improvements in condiments” for meats and other food articles with rhubarb for its base. Her condiment is comprised of the following ingredients: Rhubarb stalk (pie plant) cut fine – 4 quarts. Onions (bulb) cut fine – 1 quart. Vinegar – 1 1/2 quarts. Granulated sugar – 1 quart. Cinnamon – 1 teaspoonful.
Submitted Photo
Rhubarb is the base ingredient in a condiment recipe patented by Marion Mae Osborn of Lone Tree. She applied for the patent in 1919 and received the patent in 1922 by the U.S. Patent Office. Nutmeg – 1 teaspoonful. Allspice – 1 teaspoonful. Celery seed – 1/4 teaspoonful She explained in her application: “In preparing the condiment, the rhubarb stalks are cut into
small pieces and the onions are cut in slices ad chopped fine, after which both are put into a kettle with the vinegar and boiled until the mixture is soft. The mixture is then placed in a colander and rubbed through the same, result-
ing in a well blended, smooth mass which is seasoned with the spices and sugar, and then boiled again until it attains the desired thickness. The product is then placed in bottles or other containers, and sealed. Although rhubarb cooks somewhat quicker than onions, it is nevertheless possible to cook both together as stated, owing to the fact that the onions are chopped fine.” Osborn said the product “is wholesome and has a pleasing flavor, and it is used in the same manner as tomato catchup to season or give relish to meats and other articles of food.” She said the onion is used to modify the flavor of the rhubarb sufficiently so the finished product is a condiment rather than a fruit sauce. “If the onions were left out, the product could not be used as a condiment as it would then be more in the nature of a fruit sauce,” she said in the application.
Mida wheat introduced in ND in 1940s By ELOISE OGDEN
Eloise Ogden/MDN
This green canning jar contains Mida wheat grown in 1945 on the Frank Trinka farm in Richland County. The jar is displayed in the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck.
Mida wheat, a strain of wheat resistant to rust and smut, was introduced in 1944 by agronomist Lawrence Root “L.R.” Waldron, the first superintendent of the Dickinson experiment station. Waldron received his bachelor of science degree from North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University) in 1899 and became superintendent of the Dickinson experiment station in 1905. Mark Halvorson, curator of Collections Research at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck, said 800 farms produced 18,000 bushels of this new variety in 1944. He said agriculture colleges in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan all were leading the technology and the search for the next variety of wheat that would be resistant to rust. As it turned out, North Dakota Agricultural College developed Mida wheat. “Mida is resistent to stem and leaf rust and stinking smut,” Halvorson said. The N.D. Heritage Center & State Museum has a canning jar filled three-quarters with Mida wheat on display. The wheat was grown in 1945 on the Frank Trinka farm in rural Lidgerwood in Richland County. A sign at the display states plant diseases such as stem and leaf rust, and stinking smut reduced crop yields. Mida wheat is resistant to rust and smut and is an example of how science is used in agriculture.
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Time On ‘Big Pasture’ Riders recall Old West days as $500,000 in beef on hoof gathered for train to market Editor’s Note: The following story was written by Ray Dobson, then business manager of The Minot Daily News, and published in The Minot Daily News on Sept. 23, 1947. The story tells about an annual round-up in the “big pasture” on the Fort Berthold Reservation and the ranchers. The story has been condensed due to length. It’s round-up time in the “big pasture” on the Fort Berthold Reservation – the biggest show of its kind in North Dakota – and close to a half million dollars worth of sleek beef animals will be rolling to market in a few more days. A solid trainload – 50 cars – is what the ranchers are planning to ship, in a year when the grass has never been much better nor the prices so high. Expecting to load about 28 animals to a car, as the ranchers do, it means that approximately 1,400 head, mostly Herefords, will be shipped. Today’s the second day of the round-up, and before daybreak this morning the riders were in their saddles and out in the tremendous pasture which is under lease, rounding up the cows, calves, steers and bulls. The operations today are from the Angus Kennedy camp where the job for that particular area is expected to be finished by tomorrow night.
Scenic back drop for show
The big show got underway Monday with operations out of the Jim McCarten camp, situated on the north shelf of the Little Missouri valley where nature, aided and abetted by the elements, has created castles, pyramids and other earthen formations. Fried liver and bacon were under the belts of the cowboys and ranch owners – 24 in all – when they rode out in the morning, heading north to make the first circle and bring the animals in from the hillsides, draws and grassy bed of Moccasin Creek. And it was 2:30 p.m. before the last of the boys checked in at the chuck “wagon” to clean out the kettles and pans of the grub prepared by the cook, Carl Aaberg, who had rolled out at 4 a.m. to make breakfast. Aaberg keeps track of the long days and short nights with a pocket watch which he says has “74 jewels and holes bored for more.”
Chuck wagon goes modern
The chuck wagon isn’t a chuck wagon anymore – only a part of it is, the big box in which the food, tents, dishes and bedding are carried. The “wagon” is a truck, with dual rear wheels, sporting a lot more horsepower than in the days when four horses hauled the wagon from camp to camp. The box on the truck came off the old wagon. Some idea of the immensity of the round-up job is comprehended when it is pointed out that there are approximately 120,000 acres in the “big pasture,” but not quite that many are under lease. The ranchers believe they have around 4,500 head of cattle in the pasture – they’ll know more definitely when the round-up is finished, but even a fine tooth comb job doesn’t rout out all the animals. 20 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
Submitted Photo
Even though the modern chuck wagon is located in a pickup truck, times have not changed enough to slow down a cowboy’s appetite after riding trail on the herd. This photo is of employees of Angus Kennedy Sr., of Watford City, longtime North Dakota stockman, on a roundup in the Big Pasture and were published in The Minot Daily News in October 1949.
Submitted Photo
A visitor on an October 1949 roundup in the Big Pasture accepts an invitation to “grab a plate and help yourself.” The photo was published in the October 1949 edition of The Minot Daily News.
That many acres mean a lot of riding – and a lot of hard work and even the boys who are in the saddle most of the days of the year don’t sit around after supper very long before hitting for the bedrolls. Horses – some of them not ridden since the spring roundup – are always uppity on the first day, at least, and two riders were pitched Monday almost before they had gotten the sleep out of their eyes. Nearly a dozen men have their names on these lease agreements for pasture on the Indian lands, including W.S. Davidson, Williston banker and rancher, who has the most animals, J.L. Connolly, the second most, Angus Kennedy and his two sons, Angus Jr. and Pete, Vic Christensen, McCarten, Harold Loraas, LeRoy “Bud” Perry and W.B. Croff. Not all the animals are Herefords, but their white faces predominate when the big groups are brot together. Strange looking are the “white face blacks” brot into the world by cross breeding of Hereford cows and Black Angus bulls. A few Shorthorns are seen too. There isn’t any hurrying after the animals are rounded up. Some riders stay on the outside circling the bawling herd while the owners or their representatives ride in among the animals, cutting out the cows with calves at their side, either to be sent out into the pasture again, or the late born calves to be taken into camp for branding. Those missed in the spring also must be dehorned. The “beef” animals – those temporarily chosen for marketing – are headed into the “beef” pasture. And then as the cows and calves to be left in the pasture are released from the circle, they are tallied under the eyes of four riders, with the brands being called to identify the owners, Davidson’s animals also are being “cut out,” because they’ll be wintered near Williston. A week or a few more days hence will come the final lookover in the beef pasture – and then the word will be given and the drive 20 miles or more overland to Dunn Center will begin. It is at Dunn Center the loading will be done and on a hill outside town the cowboys will “cut out” the animals by brands, loading as many carloads as possible “solid” with the same brand. Down near the end of the loading it will be a “jackpot” deal – everything goes. Not all of the credit for the fine condition of the animals is given by the owners to the fact that this was a good grass year – one of several in succession. They think that spraying for flies, as was done this summer, was a great relief for the animals. “I actually believe probably every one of them weighs 50 pounds more because they weren’t pestered by flies” was the comment of one rancher. “Will the market hold?” That’s the question the owners are asking one another. They can tell you stories of taking “lickings” on the market, and of days when they took – and didn’t like it – as little as 5 cents a pound as contrasted with the 30 cents or more they hope to get this year. One owner – wondering whether this wouldn’t be a year to button up – that is, sell all his animals, went to a fellow with a sharp pencil and asked him to help do some figuring. They totaled up to about $90,900 the amount he would get – out of which he would have about $20,000 left after taxes. He’s going to keep on ranching. But he’ll sell enough so the wife can have a new fur coat, and there’ll be some other things bought, too. Yup, they agree, those fellows who soon will be pocketing thousands of dollars, with many more thousands of dollars running around the pasture on the hoof, it’s fun to get a good price for what you’ve got to sell. There aren’t any paved highways running past their ranches and when winter comes, chances are some of them will be sewed in until spring. But it isn’t like the old days – the long winter days. Some of the ranchers now also have homes in Watford City or other towns.
Riders welcome
Quite a show and it doesn’t cost a dime to see it. Fact is, the fellows tell you if you can do a reasonably good job of staying straddle of a tame horse, they’d be glad to have you come along as a rider anytime you want to do so. A second minor requirement is that you not insult the cook. At the noon meal you’ll be expected to stash away some pot roast of beef cut in bit hunks, potatoes steamed with their jackets on, gravy, baked beans with tomatoes and enough pork to cause a shortage in the country, cucumbers, onions, bread, butter, peanut butter, honey, cheese and help yourself, also, to the dessert, a tasty combination with apricots and prunes predominately with a piece of cake on the side. Of course, you really aren’t on the cook’s side until you go around for a second helping. And then help yourself to the raw apples – a man has got to eat on a round-up. MinotDailyNews.com • Historic Homesteads • 21
North Dakota’s first farmers The historical background of agriculture in North Dakota dates back many years to Native peoples who were North Dakota’s first farmers. Homesteading and early ranching are part of the state’s agricultural historical background as it progresses through the years. Since statehood, agriculture has been the largest single component of North Dakota’s economic base, according to NDSU information. Today, agriculture and energy are top industries in North Dakota. The following agriculture timeline contains information from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The timeline accompanies exhibits in the Inspiration Gallery: Yesterday to Today in the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck.
NORTHDAKOTAAGRICULTURETIMELINE
– Eloise Ogden
AD 1200: Native peoples raise corn and other crops, saving the seeds to feed themselves and trade extra crops from others.
1890s: N.D. Agricultural College (NDAC) is established, now N.D. State University, Fargo. N.D. is the first state in the nation to begin passing pure food and drug laws.
1700-1800: European traders visit the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara villages to trade goods for produce, meat and furs.
1914-1918: Thousands of men leave farm jobs to serve in World War I. Women fill the vacant roles. Wheat prices are high and farms become less diversified.
1812: The first non-Native settlement in North Dakota, the Selkirk agricultural colony is established by Canadians near Pembina. Due to poor crops and disputes over the U.S./Canadian border it fails by 1820.
1837: John Deere invents the first successful steel plow.
1850s: Charles Cavalier starts a farming community near Pembina, the first flour mill is built at St. Joseph (Walhalla) by Father George Belcourt and the first post office in Dakota Territory is at Pembina, also the home of the Cavalier family.
1860s: President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act in 1862, opening the territory to settlers by providing 160 acres of free land if they live on it for five years.
Eloise Ogden/MDN
This is the interior of Nancy Hendrickson’s homestead shack in the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck. Born in 1886 in Morton County, Hendrickson homesteaded in that area. She also was a photographer and sold her work under the name P.C. Bill. Her homestead shack also was her darkroom.
1862: The Morrill Act gives each state at 1883: The Marquis de Mores begins cattle least 90,000 acres of land. States can sell the ranching and meat packing in Medora. land to fund colleges of engineering, military Theodore Roosevelt, who later became U.S. science and agriculture. president, establishes two cattle ranches in the area. 1868: Joseph Rolette files the first homestead claim in the northern Red River Valley 1887: The Dawes Act divides Indian reserin northern Dakota Territory. vations across Dakota Territory into private parcels given to individual tribal members to 1874: George Cass and Benjamin Cheney farm with surplus lands sold to non-Indians. establish the first bonanza farm in the Red River Valley. 1889: On Nov. 2, 1889, Dakota Territory is divided into North Dakota and South Dakota 1878: Cattle ranching is introduced in and admitted to the Union as the 39th and western Dakota Territory. 40th states.
1915: The Nonpartisan League (NPL), a political movement advocating for state control of farm-related industries, is organized.
1919: The Bank of N.D. is established in Bismarck.
1922: The State Mill and Elevator begins operation at Grand Forks.
1927: The N.D. Farmers Union is chartered; Farmers Union locals build elevators and organize oil cooperatives.
Circa 1929-1938: The Great Depression. Farm foreclosures are rampant and banks fail across N.D. and the Midwest.
1936: Congress passes the Rural Electrification Act. The federal government makes low-cost loans to farmers who have formed nonprofit cooperatives to bring electricity to rural America. Baker Electric is the first electric cooperative in the state and electrifies the first farm near York in 1937.
1937: The Water Conservation Commission is established and the first Soil Conservation District in North Dakota is organized in Kidder County.
1939-1945: During World War II, farms are paid high prices for crops and cattle to supply 1880s: Settlement booms and thousands 1889: The N.D. Farmers’ Alliance, an early the war effort. of people move to Dakota Territory between political movement unifies farmers against 1870s and 1915. railroad monopolies and out-of-state mills.
22 • Historic Homesteads • MinotDailyNews.com
1943: The N.D. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the state’s anti-corporate farming law. North Dakota adopts the law in 1932 to protect family farms by restricting corporations from owning farms and/or participating in farming activities.
1993: The North American Bison Cooperative, a cooperative of bison ranchers in the U.S. and Canada, is established with headquarters in Fargo and a processing facility in New Rockford.
1950s: Farmers begin using chemical fertilizes to increase their crop yields. The first major shipment of cattle leaves N.D. by truck instead of railroad. The first potato flake plant is established in Grand Forks.
2008: Former N.D. Gov. Ed Schafer is appointed U.S. secretary of agriculture, the first North Dakotan to serve in this position.
Eloise Ogden/MDN 2008: N.D. ranks first in the nation in the 1965: The first sugar beet refinery is esA seed drill places seeds in equally production of several types of certified ortablished near Drayton. spaced rows and depths and covers ganic crops including sunflowers and flax. 1969: The first Steiger four-wheel drive them with soil. This John Deere Pony tractors start rolling off the assembly line in Seed Drill and Packer, circa 1950, is on 2010-Future Fargo. display in the North Dakota Heritage 2010: The first shipment of N.D. cattle is 1972: Prices for wheat nearly double after Center and State Museum in Bismarck. airlifted to Kazakhstan in jumbo jets. Angus and Hereford cattle are imported to Kazahuge grain sales to China and the Soviet khstan to help the country’s cattle industry. Union.
1978: Sunflowers, grown for their oil, become state’s second largest cash crop.
1980s: Farmers begin to plant a greater diversity of crops including peas, lentils, soybeans, corn, canola, safflower and mustard. 1985: North Dakota’s first ethanol plant, processing corn into fuel, is built at Walhalla.
1988: The first major statewide drought since the 1930s is recorded.
2012: The University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, tests the use of unmanned aerial vehicles or “drone” aircraft to take aerial 1990: Congress passes the Organic images of farm fields with the imagery to be Foods Production Act, establishing national used to study the health and condition of standards for organic food production and crops. handling. North Dakota continues to develop cutting1990s: N.D. farmers adopt precision agri- edge agricultural tools, technologies and cultural technology such as yield monitoring products that shape what we eat and how we devices and the Global Positioning system or live. GPS.
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