The Towns of Ghosts

 

The Great Depression left lots of empty shells on the prairie.  Towns boomed around the westward migration and the immigration wave of the late 1800’s into the 1920’s.  During the Roaring 20’s people were living high and fast.  It was prohibition and speakeasies, the flapper girls and gangsters.  Money was plentiful and easy to come by.  Self indulgence was the mantra of the day. 

Then came the crash of 1929, life was to change like no one could of froe seen.  People were going hungry, no jobs.  Dreams that had been built were being shuttered and left, abandoned.  Some small communities disappeared and are but a reminder on old time maps.  A few hung in through the 30’s only to decline with the coming modern age of the automobile.

Along some highways are reminders of these past days.  Small communities hang on but the shells of other days sit empty.  No longer is main street a bustling burg.  People seldom stroll down the sidewalks to go shopping.  Here one can walk the median stipe of main and not meet a car.

With time permitting, I like to drive off the beaten path and drive the streets of these little towns.  It offers a glimpse back into the past that has been glossed over by many or ignored.

This neat old building had been a grocery store at one time.  There were not supermarkets back then.  From the side one can see the living quarters on the second floor where the store owner lived.  Wasn’t much long distance commuting back then.  With the two brick chimneys, it indicates that there was stove of some type, wood or coal probably.  The building was probably built around 1900’s.  There was no electricity back then or natural gas on the prairie.

On the sides can be seen the additions as the shop was expanded.  Maybe another business was opened next door.  It is fascinating to speculate on what when on in this little town 100 years ago.

On the roof one can see the modern conveniences added over time,  The utility lines for electricity, a television antenna and maybe central heating.

Today it sits vacant, falling to the ravishes of time.  With the curtain and shades on the window it appears someone may of bought it and used it for a residence.  I have seen some people move out from the big city and buy places like this dirt cheap and fix them up.  It would make a nice large spacious home, great studio.  Not much racket and noise in these small towns. 

In silence the grand store sits awaiting its fate.

Rodeo Time

 

The Ranch Rodeo and Bronc Riding was this past weekend.  Got out there for a part of it.

First round was in the evening, second day was afternoon….. Temps went over the century mark…… lots of drinking….. well ya….. water and…. hehe.

 

Not all the riders had a good grip.

Hope you had a good weekend and  may the Lord bless your week.

Old Threshers Day…… finit

 

Threshing day, this is the day the farmer worked for.  Here he would see the fruits of his labor.  The grain was his pay for the years work of plowing, tilling and planting.  I was an area celebration.  Neighbors would gather and help each other with the threshing.  Hay ricks would be towed in, followed by grain wagons.  The wives would show up with lemonade and food, there would be visiting and catching up on the gossip.

Usually one farmer would have a threshing machine and another would supply the tractor and together the neighbors would work from sun up till it set.

Hay ricks would empty and be re loaded with the straw for the hay stack.  Grain wagons would be hauled back to the granary to be unloaded.  It was a frenzy of activity.

The tractor would be hooked up and work begins.  Wheat bundles tossed to the threshers belt and separated out grain rolls out of the chute while straw piles up behind the thresher.

For the farmer this was the most critical part of the year.  It made him or broke him.  No longer do the steamers operate the thrashers today.

The government has passed all kinds of regulations and inspections that most people don’t want to spend the money to show them off.  The government has taken a harmless hobby and quashed it because one individual screwed up and blew his tractor up.  The many have to pay for the screw up of one.

For me these celebrations are about the steamers and the roll they played in pioneer life.  Instead an old tractor gets hooked up and sputters along imitating an old steamer.

This is what I learned to drive, it was one year newer.  I didn’t drive a car till I was 16.  It was trucks and tractors out across the fields and down the country roads.

May the dove of happiness be your companion this weekend.

Old Threshers Day…… VI

 

One of the old days is the old time entertainment.  The singing, with maybe an instrument, something small, a fiddle, harmonica or a dulcimer maybe.  Guitars and pianos were just plain ole big to lug over the prairie in a covered wagon, although a few made it.  There was always the washboard and maybe some spoons.  Otherwise music was pretty simple. 

There were some singers that sang during the lunch hour.  Some good picking and twanging to go with the barbecue.  There were a couple of large canopies with picnic tables under them and a PA system was set for the entertainment.   They had their guitars and a good nasal twang, good ole down home singin’.

Later s fiddler showed up and the hoe down was under way.

Collections, never have I seen so many collectible collections.

And there were also quilts.  What is an old time day without a quilt or two.

Jump in the Ox wagon and go for a ride around the grounds.

Threshers Day….. V Draft Horses

 

The monster horse, does not pull the beer wagon, it pulls the plow and other equipment.  Draft horses are monster horses, they will come close to weighing in at a ton, 1500-1900 pounds.  15 hands tall to big ones over 18 hands.  The average horse is 11-12 hands, 1000 to 1100 pounds.  It is amazing to watch these big brutes work.  They are so gentle and easy to be around.

As I watched them work, it was not easy for the horses to plod over the dirt clods.  They would stumble at times but they maintained their balance.  At a nice even pace they walked the field.

 

I finally got this young lady to pose for me.  She is not a small person but she is dwarfed next to the horse.

As one hooks up the the buggy another keeps the horses still so they do not walk away from the tongue.  Working behind horses is a tricky business and many do not do.  Yet these handlers worked with ease behind their horses.

There were different horses there and there was a set of mules there.

Surprisingly the mule will out work the big horses.  Their stamina is longer and they don’t need the rest like a horse does.  They also tend to be stronger then a horse.  After the oxen the mule was the next preferred beast of burden for plowing or hauling wagons.  The horse is the glamour animal, the worker is the mule.

What was neat to watch was this little girl.  She appeared to be about 12 years old.  She was guiding these big horses around with ease.  A jiggle of the reins, a clicking of the tongue and the animals moved at her command.  It might of been an older brother and little sister, because he was walking with her and talking to her and the horses.  Around the yard they went.

To look over the backs of these animals, one has to be about 6’6” or get a ladder to stand on.

Have a good week.

Threshers Day … IV … Tractors

 

Get country folks together and the tractor weasels it way in to the conversation.  Old Threshers Day has its share of tractors.  They get shown off in the parade or at the pull.

The Johnny Poppers are probably the most popular and the red McCormick's a second.  There is whole other variety of plowing machines.  The steam tractors were missing because of the regulations the government pushed on to them.  Sometimes I would like to plow the bureaucrats into the ground, they would make such good fertilizer.  They also know how to screw life up, oh well, on to the tractors.

These are some of the more unusual and rare tractors on display.

There is usually a homemade contraption around someplace.

 

Men and their machines.

Old Threshers Day …. III

 

The Old Threshers had their own little plot of land and in one corner they laid out a little town.  One room school houses and other buildings were hauled in from the country.  Each represented a different business that had been found in the town.  Boardwalks lined the buildings and inside were a variety of displays people had donated to and put together.

Each of the buildings had their own caretakers and in between were a few vendors.  It was like walking down main street small town.

The streets had a few trees and it was a pleasant walk.

 

There were also old time accommodations.

 

 

Do some praying before visiting the old time dentist, return home to some home baked goodies.  Notice the butter churn on the counter.

Ever had homemade butter n fresh buttermilk.

It has taken some work and time to build all the different displays and I am thankful for their effort.  Preserving a piece of the past many will forget.

Threshing day…. II

 

The old timers put together quite the display of old machinery that still works.  One of them is a sawmill.  Lumber yards were far and between.  If a person wanted wood, they would go out and cut down the tree and saw by hand the shapes and sizes they wanted.

With the advent of engines no longer did the early settler have to go out and chop his home down.  He could go to a sawmill and order his materials.  Many of the early saw mills were operated by a stationary steam engine.  Then the tractor came along and it was used to run the mill.  Besides plowing, the tractor had other uses.

Here can be seen the long belt that would stretch from the tractor into the shed and run the big blade.

I look at this and marvel at how the early settlers had to work at their land.  They did not have a lots of idle time.  There was always something to do.

Some of the houses and barns that were built with limber from these old sawmills are still standing.  Siding is planked as are roofs.  It is a style of building that is no longer used today.  Some of these people would travel 40, 50, 60 miles to get trees for the sawmill and then haul it back home.  In the early 1900’s that trip was made by horse n wagon, sometimes two and three day trips one way.

It is amazing to watch one of these things work.  The pioneers had to have a variety of skills to build a life out on the prairie.  Not only farm, but also be skilled at mechanics, carpentry and industrial equipment. 

When I have finished for the day a tour of one of these places I appreciate how easy my life is today.  A 12 hour day is considered slavery today, but it was not unusual to put days in that long and longer 100 years ago.

I watch the people that do these shows and see how much fun they have.  It is an annual event and when it is over, they sigh with relief and begin getting ready for the show next year.

Threshing Days

 

Across the country the farming communities celebrate their heritage in various ways.  It may be their crop, strawberry days, potato days or something else.  These celebration days harken back to a time earlier in history.  The old crafts and machinery show up, locals get together to visit, talk about the weather and the days events.  A feast is set out and there is more visiting.

This past week I went to Old Thrashers Day at a neighboring town.  It has been going on for a number of years.  The show was spread out over a few acres with different activities in the locations plus there fairgrounds next door was being used.

There was more then I want to put in one story so I am going to spread it out over a number of stories.  To say the least, I enjoyed my day and next year will plan better for a longer stay.

 

One of most interesting was watching this young lady and her oxen.  They are about 1500 pound animals and with a little flick of her whip the ox responded.  There is no leash or harness, she leads them around with the buggy whip.  It is a flick above them or a gentle tap on their shoulders to get their attention.  Mostly it was a gentle tap and the oxen would respond and move to her commands.

 

She gets them hooked up and they push their buggy back up on the trailer.  They have to push evenly or the buggy goes lopsided on off the trailer.  It was a treat to watch her work with the animals.

She said they are 4 years old so that means they will grow some more.  They will probably grow to over 2000 pounds. 

I talked with her a bit and she said they use them around the farm for various chores, such as hauling water out to pasture.  She also said she has fun with them around the farm.

There were some other woman there dressed like her.  I am guessing they might be a Mennonite type of sect.  Yet to get the animals to work together like that takes time and patience.

 

Fall has arrived…. will be in the 40’s most of the day and it has been raining past 2 days.  No frost on the pumpkin yet though but it will be close.