old farmsteads

The Wringer Washing Machine

I admit I miss washing clothes with a wringer washer. Growing up on a North Dakota farm with four hard-working men, plus three of us...

The McCormick-Deering Dump Rake

One of my best summer memories was riding on the dump rake! I don't remember driving the tractor for it. I think one of my brothers...

The Save All Coffee Can

My Mom gave me an old coffee can that I treasure. It's called the Save All Coffee can. I don't know the years they were made, but it's...

Sod Busting

This photograph belonged to my grandfather Arthur LaBrant, who was a homesteader, but I'm not sure who it is. I love this picture though!...

Beaver Dams and Damage

Although I've never seen a beaver on Mom's farm, I'm fascinated with them. The damage we saw in recent years was something we never saw...

Lignite coal in North Dakota

Lignite coal made homesteading possible in frigid winter weather in western North Dakota. The region had little timber to heat with, and...

The Hartstrom House

Growing up, the farm next to ours--the only one in view from my family's home--was the Hartstrom farm. To me, the house had a grandness...

KRISTIE