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! The overturned sod in the forefront, the solid strength of the oxen, and the ambition of the homesteader as he turned over the sod...

Our daughter Jana found this Indian tool on my Mom's farm in northwestern North Dakota. It is 7 1/2 inches long and weighs almost 3 1/2 pounds.  I've called it a hammer rock, but technically I think it's a battle hammer. It was designed to be used as a weapon or a too...

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 as kids. My brothers hunted and trapped in these coulees a lot, and my brother Carl said he's only seen beaver dams in the last few...

Lignite coal made homesteading possible in frigid winter weather in western North Dakota. The region had little timber to heat with, and in the early 1900s, lignite was the main fuel. This coal, considered low-grade, less efficient than the medium-grade bituminous coal...

My Grandpa LaBrant bought a used piano-organ in 1943. My Mom, Dorothy Kannianen, found an entry in Grandpa's record books that said he bought it from a Mrs. Chas. Landaker for $20.00.

I loved to play it, and did quite often. Grandma liked to sing and had a nice voice....

I was blessed growing up about a mile away from my grandparents' farm. The old house looks sad and decrepit now, but I have wonderful memories of a house full of love. My siblings and I learned that Grandma served ice cream or some goodies at exactly four o'clock in t...

One of my favorite landmarks on our North Dakota farm is "Big Rock." You may have guessed that I didn't lead a very complicated or exotic life, with this as a highlight of my youth. But ask my kids and hubby, I still love rocks!

Big Rock is straight west of my Mom...

The farm I grew up on had teepee rings in the pasture. We had no idea how old they were, or which native tribes had made them. I've read the Three Affiliated Tribes from the area (the combined tribes of the Hidatsa, the Mandan, and the Arikara) have said the rings were...

I love the sloughs in northwestern North Dakota. A slough--pronounced 'slew'--is a pond at low elevations. They are a mecca for ducks, geese, and other water birds. And since I love ducks (especially mallards), I gravitate toward the sloughs with a camera when I travel...

Early homesteaders used a "binder" to cut down the ripened grain before harvesting. This machine was a huge improvement over doing things by hand. A reel with boards rotated forward, pulling the grain toward the mower blades on the header. The machine wrapped a bundle...