Grandpa's Old Farm Place Nearly Gone

LIKE THE PICS. WHEN MY WIFE & I WERE ON VACATION THIS FALL , I STOPPED AND SHOWED HER WHERE MY GRANGPARENTS LIVED. I HADN'T BEEN THERE SINCE I WAS A KID. EVEN THE ROADS HAD CHANGED. WE FOUND IT BUT ALL THE BUILDINGS WERE GONE EXCEPT FOR THE GARAGE. & A MACHINE SHED HAD BEEN BUILT THERE SINCE THEN. THE BIG FENCED YARD FULL OF FLOWERS WAS GONE, THE BIG GROVE OF TREES MY GRAND PARENTS HAD MOVED FROM NORTHERN MN. WERE GONE. THE LARGE GARDEN & CURRENT, RASBERRY & GOOSEBERRY PATCH WAS GONE. NO MORE CATTLE BARN, CHICKEN COOPS, BROODER HOUSES, CORN CRIBS, OR HOG HOUSES. WOW WHATS ANOTHER 50 YEARS GOING TO DO?

It is certainly sad to see the clearing of farmsteads.  There are 3 places, within a mile of where I grew up, where the buildings and trees are gone-------no sign of a place where families once lived.

I am fortunate that the place I grew up on (that my great grandfather planted the trees and built the buildings on is still there.  I expect it will be there for at least a couple more generations as my dad built a new home there in the '60's, and the long time renter wants to buy the buildings.  The barn, built in 1893, is not long for this world anymore, however.

The new barn that my grandpa was so proud of sits empty but folks remodeled the cleaner shed into an apartment?

Those are some really great pictures you have there, and you must have so, so many memories there, those are good times in our lives that we had and thank God some of us got to have those times on a farm,at the time I don't think we realized how great they are. i grew up on  a farm that my great grand parents bought in 1887, my grandpa,my dad and my brother and sister and myself were all born in the house I live in now and I to have so many memories of this farm and living here all of the buildings are still here yet. Dad and Mom had cows, pigs, chickens,ducks and I had sheep and some bantie roosters running around crowing,,,at the time I didn't think so much of it but now I feel it was a real good place to grow up and I'm sure you do to,,I raised my 4 childern here on this farm also and was glad I had the farm to do that,,,,,Thank you for shareing your pictures with all of us....Wayne.

Such a great place. We have "hot shot" farmers arround here that have to doze everything in sight here aswell.... Your grandpa and my dad had the excact same pickup truck (the oarngeish and white one, dad picked the same color sceme as your grandpas because it was the closest thing that matched Allis Chalmers tractors!

Boy Alberta Phil, the stories that old elevator could tell! I would bet it was operated by steam in the early years. I remember my uncle taking me into the steam engine room at the old elevator when I was a kid, and being impressed by how warm it was in the chilly weather. Little did I remember him telling me about how my grandfather ran the engines. Sometime ago I was reading a book, The Catechism of Steam, and got to a place in the middle of the book where a greasy thumb left it's print. I put my thumb on it and it fit,perfectly! That is all I have today of my grandfather and the book IS NOT FOR SALE!!!!! Now that the buildings have been torn down and all of the family have passed away, I have so many questions unanswered! To soon old,undt to late schmart!

The elevator was built in 1925 and was in service until about 25 years ago. It was powered by a single cylinder 15 HP Fairbanks Morse engine, parts of which are still around. It has been re-powered by a Farmall F4 power unit which is still fully functional as is most of the elevator.

The first paragraph of my earlier post was copied from KD's earlier post.  When I pasted it, it appeared to be highlighted, but now it looks just the same as the rest of my text.  Anyway - I gotta give credit where its due.  I meant no harm.... 

Reminds me allot of my Grandpa's farm up by Spencer Iowa. The Farm was auctioned in 92 and all thats left now is the machine shed and the pump house. It was an orange power farm. 7030, 190XT, D17 Series IV, WD45, Gleaner E. The remains of my great grandfathers farm which is about a mile down the road is a Chicken coupe in the middle of a corn field.  All that keeps them alive is the stories my dad tells about them. May the family stories keep the past alive forever!!!!