Homer Quintin Melgard

From Warren, Plains of Plenty..My Recol lections - by H . Q. M e l g a rd My recollections of the early days of the Snake River farm in the fall of 1 909, my dad purchased the Snake River farm or the present Melgard farm, taking over the operation in 1 9 1 0 . I remember the first trip to the farm, when we were to see it the early spring of 1 9 1 0. The snow was still on the ground and a man with a team and sleigh took us out the 4 Vz miles to the farm. I was really surprised at all the buildings. The big house, the many barns and machine sheds, plus buildings housing graineries and buggy sheds, chicken house for 1 5 0 hens and a few roosters. When dad bought the farm, he purchased only 3 ,500 acres, sections 2 1 , 27, 29, 1 6 half sections on 15 and 9 and a quarter section on 28 and 30 and 80 acres in a wood lot on lower Snake River north of Alvarado, Mn. The first year the land was seeded but due to not receiving any rain until September, it took only 3 days to thresh the grain. Dad was lucky in that when he took over the farm, all the graineries and the 50,000 bushel elevator plus the town elevator were full of different grains. for the crop year of 1 9 1 1 , we had a bumper crop which more than compensated for the loss in 1 9 1 0 . Things I remember about the farm, was the amount of machinery involved. As I recollect there were 8 drills, 8 drags, 30 wagon gears, with 1 3 of these being grain tanks the rest hay wagons and manure wagons, 23 - three horse binders, 2 threshing machines plus steam engines, straw stackers, 13 gang plows, 8 hay mowers and rakes plus 1 2 5 head o f horses and mules, plus a stallion and a j ack. The farm also operated the elevating grader to build the roads 1 5 1 for the township, which required 2 0 head o f horses or mules plus 3 drivers and 2 other men to operate it; what fun it was to be allowed to come along and watch them operate it. In regard to the buildings that made up the farm there were 3 barns for the horses, mules, cattle and one for the hogs. Of the barns, one was for the foal mares, one for the cattle which numbered 1 20 head or more and hog barn for 200 hogs and the horse barn for 1 25 head, two elevators, one 50,000 bushel capacity on the farm and one in Warren, with 26,000 bushel capacity, 2 big machine sheds, one for the 23 binders and 13 gang plows the other for two steam engines plus separators plus 􀋠3 grain tanks plus a lean shed that housed the spare parts for all the machines. One building for the feeding of the crew including, sleeping quarters for the cook and waitresses, dining area, plus kitchen, plus store room for supplies. The big house where the folks lived during the times that they were there. The cottage that Mr. Woodward, the former owner lived in while here from Wisconsin to oversee the farming operations. The regular crew of men lived in the upper part of the big house and part lived up above the store building across the road from the big house. The store handled all the needs for the men, including clothes, shoes, sox and tobacco and snuff thus saving the men from going to town to get things. This also kept them from drinking and getting in trouble. There was a ice house that held 40 tons of ice to keep the 8xlO ft. walk-in ice box cool to keep the meats and milk that were needed. There also two root cellars, where the produce of the garden was kept. We also had a green house where a man who was the gardener started the plants early. The gardener also was the canvass maker when the binders were out cutting the crop and also the harness repair man during the winter when all the harnesses were taken apart, washed, fixed and oiled in Neats Foot harness oil. During the Spring, Summer and Fall when the full crew were used we usually had 50 to 60 men. These men were usually quartered in different areas; the Finlanders in one place, the French in another, the Scandinavians in another as you couldn 't put them altogether as fights would occur. We alos had a blacksmith shop, where we had a Russian-born smith. He repaired machinery, built wagon wheels and set iron tires on the wheels, sharpened plow shares and shod the horses and mules that traveled the roads. I remember we also had a machine that was used to make rope from twine. I remember that the farm was very self-sufficient making everything that was needed. Our buggy shop had five buggies, two rubber tired, which we still have and three regular buggies, one used by the field boss or foreman and a double buggy used to drive to town for things that were needed. We also kept five driving horses that were used to move the buggies. We also had a nice body of water, caused by damming the coulee with a wooden spill way on the dam, where my brother Arthur and I used to sit and try to catch fish using string, a bent pin for a hook and a tree branch for a pole. No luck. The men also used the body of water for swimming after a days work and on weekends. I also remember that they had a lot of fun. We also had a boat and boat shed that we enj oyed. Getting back to the crew of men and the feeding of them. This required butchering a hog every week and a beef every two weeks. We had a regular butchering shop set up. A scalding tank for the hogs and a place to hang up the beefs during the butchering. The meat was cut up and placed in 30 gallon j ars in a brine solution in the walk-in ice box. We also had a smoke house where cured the hams and bacon that was used. In the early days at the farm when the farming was done with horse and mule power, the day started at 4:30 a.m. when the bell rang and the crew went to the barns, curried their animals and harnessed them. At 5:30 a.m. breakfast was served and at 6 o'clock a.m. the men went to work. The big bell that rang then is still at the farm in the same mount. How things have changed to the present day. Another duty that occurred in the early days was the way mother made all the soap using a big 50 gallon cast iron kettle, lye and lard that had accumlated. Building a big fire under the kettle and cooking the lard and lye and water mix. Mother made many batches which were put in . forms to cool and harden and then cut up in bars. Mothers soap would really clean dirt out of things and was strong enough, I believe, to take off your skin. In care of the livestock, I remember that for the mare barn Otto Forslund, uncle to my wife, was barn boss. For the horse barn we had a man caring for and cleaning the barn, cattle barn and hog barn. Had two men for their care and one man to keep the barn full of hay and straw and feed. The barn bosses had their sleeping rooms in the upstairs of their barns. The illumination for the barn was by kerosene lanterns. They used around 30 lanterns in the barns and I remember the j ob of keeping them clean and the wicks trimmed took quite some time. In looking back to the things that most interested me were the times when harvest started and threshing began. The best part of harvest was when all the binders were cutting the grain. To keep them running we had a binder machine man who drove a buggy and carried his tools and followed the reapers, so when a man pulled out of the cutting with trouble, he would be there to fix the machine. We also had a man with team and special wagon, which carried twine, extra canvasses and parts for the binders, also water in kegs for the men who got thristy. This wagon would travel in the opposite direction of the binders and on being needed would drive to the binder that needed repairs. There also was the shocking wagon who hauled the workers out to the field and who also carried water in kegs for the workers. He also kept track of the shockers so they would do a good j ob. The threshing season was very interesting, usually 1 2 bundle teams, with four grain haulers, using four horse teams. Enginer, fireman, water hauler, separator man, two spike pitchers that helped feed the separator. It was interesting to watch and listen to the steam engine. We had Buffalo Pitts Steamer and 40x60 Pitts separator. This separator was equipped with a Maple Bay blower which made a very distinct sound which was pleasant to hear. All of this was of very much interest to me as I was a young boy and very impressed with this operation. Prior to threshing, we would have the engine gone over to get it ready. I remember Joe Thomas coming out and putting new flues in the engine as the water was hard on them, and they would leak. I imagine that operation is a lost art. Prior to using the engine, the state boiler inspector would test the engine and certify that it was O.K. to use. I remember as a boy that the inspector was from Viking and was called Ole. I forget his last name. Of the engineers who ran the engine when I was a young man, 1 5 2 the one I remember best was Thomas O 'Keefe who later was our City Police Chief. The last engineer who operated the steamer until we changed to gasoline power was a man by the name of August Johnson who was also our last blacksmith and who also ran the farm elevator, cleaning seed and grinding feed for all the stock. How times have changed during my time. Our farm has changed from the early days when the land was first opened by 250 oxen who broke the sod with walking plows and who all perished but two during the first winter due to freezing as there were no decent place to keep them. Due to this, Mr. Woodward, who owned this bonanza farm and who also had a lumber mill and large timber holdings in Wisconsin, shipped in lumber from his mills and a crew of carpenters and built barns and needed buildings. To supply power he sent to France for Perchon horses and a stallion, and also bought a large number of mules in Missouri and shipped them up here and th.at was the power that was used until we changed over to tractors. Another good thing about having a large bonanza ranch in the area was it gave a chance for the new settlers in the area to have a place to earn some money and to buy horses and cattle to help them get started on their own homesteads. A large number of the farmer settlers owe their existance and being able to farm was due to the work and money thus earned on the Woodward farm and later on the Melgard farm. The transition from animal power to tractor power began in 1 928 when we purchased 1 - 1 5-30 M. Deering tractors. These replaced many teams during the plowing season and later we bought a W22-36 which pulled four bottoms and really helped during the tillage seasons. In using this tractor power we found that is was far superior to animal power as one man could do more work than several men and do it better. Later on we purchased a 39-57 Minneapolis tractor and 38-64 Minneapolis separator to replace the old steam engine and old Reener separator. This cut the amount of man power over the old way by four men, a lot more efficient and easier for moving and maintenance. In 1 932 we bought a F20 M. Deering tractor on rubber tires and then a Model M. on rubber. During this time we bought our first combine, a Minneapolis-Moline pull-type combine and M. Deering pull-type swather. The next year we bought a John Deer Number 1 7 pull-type combine. In the year of 1 934 we turned in 36 horses and mules and bought two T20 M. Deering crawler tractors, 4-14 front power drill with big hitches so they could pull two drills each. This was the year of our first dust storms and we had a great deal of land to replant. My brother-in-law, Ed Forslund, and I did nearly all the seeding with our outfits. During the coming years we traded in our combines and swathers and bought four John Deere 55 selfpropelled combines and two J.D. self-propelled swathers. After using these combines for several years we traded them in on 3-95 self-propelled John Deeres. In the mean time we purchased two J.D. 720 diesel tractors and W820 J.D. diesel plus 4-40 1 0 J. Deere diesels and a D-6 cat crawler with dozer blade, one Allis Chalmer B tractor and two used Massey Ferguson 50 gas tractors. These we still have and are used for utility work around the yard, one used exclusively with a dirt, mowers and snow bucket. These tractors and machines were used in our farming operations until 1 96 7 when we had an auction sale and sold all the surplus equipment, with the exception of the 2 Massey Ferguson tractors. The land was leased out to several different parties for cash rent, plus some of the buildings and elevators which we also cash rented out. I retired from the farming scene and went on Social Security. The Melgard Corporation owns the 800 acres including section 21 where the farmstead is located and the N.W. quarter section on 28. Section 29 is owned by Lloyd George Melgard, 27 owned by H. Q. Melgard, section 1 6 was owned and lost b y m y nephew, my oldest brothers son, Robert A. Melgard, and the half section of 15 & 9 are owned by my sister-in-law, who is the wife of my dead brother, Arthur. I hope I haven't made too many mistakes in writing the history of the Melgard Farm, the last bonanza farm in this part of the country. We have had this land for the past 70 years and it has been very good to us, but during the past we have had many hard times, but we had the faith and prevailed. To me, land is the only thing of value in these times, as it is tangible.