Wyoming Breezes

Art, Annie, Franklin, Ed, Ted, Charlie I don't have a photo of my Dad's complete family: I'm sure his sister Sadie is not in the photo because most likely she was the one who took it. Sadie probably took the photo in t his earlier post , too. Every family seems to have a historian, the family photographer. Because of their role, they are seldom in photos. Who's your family historian/photographer?

Four brothers - Ted, Ed, Art, Charles near Provo, SD  My Dad (second from the right) had three brothers and one sister and grew up on a farm near Provo, South Dakota. The farm/ranch is now being worked by Ed's grandson and is an official Century Farm (managed by one family for at least 100 years) More about the farm's history can be found here . My Dad and his oldest brother Ted moved to central Wyoming in the 1930s. They were eager to farm irrigated land, in the developing Midvale Irrigation District. Ed stayed on the family farm, Charles started a sheep ranch near Provo, and Sadie and her husband operated a ranch south of Provo.

Uncle Jake, Cousin ?, Uncle Otto, Uncle Albert, Dad John (brother) near Edgemont, SD approximately 1938 Several years ago, my mom told me this photo was taken in December 1938 before or after her mother's funeral. My oldest brother John shown in the front would have been about six at the time. The can in the foreground caught my eye, and a quick Google search revealed it is a School Boy peanut butter tin. image found online I wonder how many of these cans were used for lunch pails over the years?

John S. and farm cat South Dakota approximately 1934 This photo makes me wonder what happened next - did my oldest brother pet the cat? Did the cat run away or stand its ground? Were there tears? When I was teaching, I often used photographs as prompts for writing assignments. One observation can ignite a story.

(This week I'm featuring some random close-up photos) architectural detail public school building built in 1893 Hot Springs, SD June 2011 Not only were old buildings constructed to withstand the elements and to endure, but they were also constructed with unique architectural details, details that added character. Will today's buildings endure the elements that nature throws at them? Will today's architecture be pleasing to the eye in 100+ years?

Eberle School near Edgemont, SD mid 1920s My mom (back row far left) and her siblings (Albert - back row far right, Marie - front row center, Oscar - front row far right) and several neighbor children attended the school located on the Eberle ranch. Mom adored their teacher (Katherine Moore) and kept in touch with her for many years. I think Miss Moore may have stayed with the family during the school year. My mother eventually attended high school in Edgemont, SD, but she did not graduate. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it was for teachers to deal with such a variety of ages in one classroom: I'd love to know how they planned and delivered the lessons.

country school students Art S. (center back), Charlie S. (back right) Provo, SD date unknown The small country school at the Prairie Museum in Colby, Kansas sparked my interest in finding and posting the three photos that I have of my dad. I don't have a clue where I got these photos because my family didn't have many photos of my dad's side of the family. These probably are photos of photos that were on display at the last family reunion. Art S. at right holding his school lunch pail. near Provo, SD date unknown Dad and his siblings rode horses to school (probably about 4 miles one way) when the weather was nice and in buggies and wagons when the weather was nasty. Art S. - far right going to school on a winter day date unknown I don't know if my dad graduated, but I would guess he was needed on the farm and did not go past the eighth grade. Brenda and Marilyn Prairie Museum - Colby, Kansas August 2015 The one-room school house at the Prairie M...

Franklin Stearns near Provo, SD approx. 1922 I didn't know my paternal grandfather, as he died many years before I was born. He was born June 4, 1870 in Almond, New York and died September 4, 1927 in South Dakota. The following narrative is from the Edgemont Centennial 1890 - 1990 book that was compiled by the Edgemont Centennial Book Committee - edited by Caroline Curl and printed 1989 by Edgemont Herald Tribune, Edgemont, SD, pages 413 - 415 (I apologize for the choppy sentence structure, but this was copied verbatim from the book. I added the information in the parentheses.) Frank was a farmer, as were his father and grandfather. Land was expensive and the desire for a farm of his own brought him to South Dakota. In May, 1910 he and his brother-in-law Julian came to South Dakota (from Minnesota) by train. They each filed on homesteads east of Provo. Their families came on the train to Provo on November 1, 1910. Frank met his family with a team and wagon. There were no...

Maria, Rosa, Oscar approximately 1919 or 1920 Edgemont, SD I love this image of my mother and her younger brother and sister: it makes me smile because they seem so carefree. I think the rabbits were raised for food as well as to sell.

Frequently, I find some gems in my inbox. Dorothy sent the following last week, and while it was new to me, no doubt, it has been circulating the internet for years. If you've seen it before, my apologies. The essay is not mine, but the photos of abandoned buildings in this post are some I took several years ago. Sadly, many all of these old buildings are no longer standing. Abandoned shed near Provo, SD June 2011 Every time I
 am asked to
 pray, I think of the old 
fellow who
 always prayed, 
'Lord, prop us 
up on our 
leanin' side.'
 

  After hearing
 him pray that 
prayer many
 times, someone 
asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.  Old barn and corrals north of Laramie, WY Spring 1976 He answered, 'Well, it's like this. I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone thru a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standin’.  Ol...

The heat has zapped my energy and left me about as worthless as this old, shed roof at my grandfather's farm. I'm not complaining too much since this is the first warm weather of the summer, and before long, I will be grumbling about the cold. A climate with no extremes might be ideal, but it would also be boring.

Life's struggle on the prairie East of Provo, SD June 2011 I wonder what stories this tree could tell. Was it once a secret meeting place? Did children climb and play on its branches? Did it provide welcome shade to laborers in the surrounding fields? The tenacity of the pioneers who settled on the prairie despite harsh weather and financial hardships is symbolized by the single, living branch on this gnarled tree.  

On June 10, 2011, John and Annie Stearns' grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren gathered on the farm near Provo, SD. The farm/ranch has been owned and operated by family members for 100 years. The land has passed through four generations: John and Annie; their son, Ed; his son, Dewane; his son, Jerry.

My paternal grandfather filed this application in 1910, and one hundred years later, the land is still being farmed by his great grandson. Subsequent deeds confirm it is a Century Farm. John Franklin and Annie Stearns date unknown - possibly taken on their wedding John Franklin Stearns, the patriarch of the South Dakota Stearns legacy, arrived in Provo from Brewster, Minn., in May 1910 with one goal in mind: to stake his claim on federal land and start a homestead. Known by his middle name, Frank was 40 years old. Frank Stearns' wife, Annie, arrived by train seven months later (December 1910) with their five young children: Theodore, 7; Sadie, 6; Edward, 5; Arthur, 3; and Charles, 1. The seven of them squeezed into a 16-by-24-foot, two-room tar-paper shack with no insulation, plumbing or electricity. While the children were still young, Frank contracted typhoid fever, causing him to run deliriously through fields full of cactus in the middle of the night. After finding Fran...

East of Provo, South Dakota June 10, 2011

Near Provo, SD looking north June 10, 2011 The farm my grandfather homesteaded in 1911 has been in the family for 100 years, so family members from multiple states gathered to celebrate and to reconnect. More photos soon.