A part of the scenery. Rural Minnesota was something much different eighty years ago. The featured farmstead was one of many. A flourishing community that measured their wealth in their family bonds. Large families. Plenty of hands to ease the burden. There were hogs to slop, cattle to feed, eggs to be gathered from chickens – throw them some grain while your there. I still recall my Grandmother throwing the chickens some oats and then gathering up the eggs in her apron. The dairy cows needed milking, breakfast needed to be made. Chores. Go out before daylight and do the chores. Work ’til after dark to finish the chores. Families gathered together at the table for meals. The meal was always blessed. Stories were told. Events of the day.
The farms may have each been a mile apart but they were close. The distance didn’t separate them for it was the land that brought them together. Planting season and harvest time. Lots of work. Neighbors working together. All combined they got the job done. The crops have been taken off, the fields turned over with the plow. Livestock still needed to be tended but the harvest was in.
Rural Minnesota today
What happened to all the life? The bustle of activity. There is no livestock. Pigeons live in the barn. Raccoons in the shed. There is a very large tree growing up in the tractor tire that once served as a sandbox for the children. One of many, are these abandoned farms.
I drove past the featured photo of one of these abandoned farms and pulled over to the side of the road. There was no traffic. A storm had just blown through and drifts filled the driveway. Nobody would bother to open the drive. The property was vacant but for what Nature had reclaimed.
The sight is a distant memory for me. Joyous times, family reunions at the farm, long walks out in the fields. Great times. It’s a little sad to think only a handful of families can enjoy life on the farm today as compared to an era past. And so different is today. Farms have become automated – and huge. Many acres under the management of one farmer or farm family. Still plenty of hard work. That hasn’t changed.
Go for a drive
Yes, go for a drive out in the country and you will see remnants of this time. Old granaries and silos standing the test of time. Maybe some old farm equipment neatly lined up along a tree line. An old barn, perhaps leaning and sagging – but it still stands! Rural Minnesota from a bygone era. How do we connect with this lost time? Photographs and memories serve as the grout and the brick. But act quickly for those with the memories are also passing in time. The photographs age. The names and dates written on the backs of photos in pencil have faded and are nearly obscure as the moment itself.
Photograph the remnants
This year I intend to get out and photograph the remnants of rural life from my ‘growing up’ years and prior to that. Old country schools, still standing structures. Overgrown tree lines and lilac hedges. And lets not forget the day lilies! Every farmstead had day lilies. It will be a great project. I could start today! Take in the seasons. Discover new breeding grounds for waterfowl along the way. Just as our land is dotted with old farm steads, it is also dotted with hundreds of ponds that will be used for nesting by the northern migrating ducks once winter passes.
Just this morning I had breakfast with a good friend who is all about land reclamation for wildlife. Enriching ‘wasteland’ with tree plantings. White Cedar. Digging out shallow ponds for wood ducks. Preserving the marsh land on his property. It was an exciting conversation PLUS, I was invited to come out and do some waterfowl photography come spring. It will be a grand time.
My love for rural Minnesota
My love for this land runs deep. It is all I know. It is all I care to know. I was once challenged by a good friend. She said I needed to travel as it would develop a greater appreciation for where I grew up. My reply was I could have no greater appreciation for where I grew up. I discover new things every year be it a tiny green snake or coming across our State Flower in a place I had never imagined. I’m an explorer on a mere five acres. Each day is new to me. To step out beyond that is my great unknown. I enter entirely new worlds and have traveled perhaps ten miles. What a wonderful life.
Pacing myself for the long journey. I find so many people today appear to be running a race. Competition. Go, go, go. Fast paced with little patience. To them I say, “Take some time to appreciate the moment, for the moment will soon be gone.” Rural Minnesota. A land where my Father, my Grandfather, and my Great-Grandfather worked the soil. I hope I should never have to leave this place.
Closing
I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Rural Minnesota is a special place. My purpose in creating the RedBarnProject is to share that with you. Find a piece of West Central Minnesota you can relate to. Bring it into your home or office. Let it provide a sense of peace in your busy day. Contact me if you have questions regarding any of the nearly 400 images at my site. I have a story to share for the majority of them. Take a break – if only for a moment, reflect on the images, and breathe. It will do you wonders. Peace.
