One family owning a farm for a century is quite a feat
Helen Norris of Sumner County Farm Bureau.
by Amber Schmitz, Sumner Newscow — Being named a Century Farm is quite an honor. Keeping the same farm in the family for at least 100 years can be a struggle, especially during tough times, like The Great Depression.
Helen Norris of Wellington presented a program about Century Farms, named through the Kansas Farm Bureau, Monday night during the Sumner County Historical Society meeting at the Good Taste Chinese Restaurant.
Norris and her husband, Tom, have traveled to other countries as missionaries, and have even used the Bible to teach English. She has been involved with the Kansas Farm Bureau for several years, even serving on the board.
“I want to try and help people understand farms,” Norris said. “Many think that all farms are corporate, but they are not. Many have been in the same family for generations.”
The Century Farm program began in 1976, during the Bicentennial, when the Farm Bureau board decided that it was important to recognize farms that had been in the same family for 100 years. Since that time, over 2,500 Kansas families have qualified.
To be eligible for the program, the current land owner must be a Farm Bureau member, must own at least 80 acres of the original farm land, and must be related to the original owner of the farm.
Norris said that families include some very interesting stories when submitting their applications for the program.
“Nearly all pioneers who came to Kansas came on steamers up the Missouri River,” Norris said. “At one time, there were upwards of 60 steam boats on the river.”
In 1819, the first steam boat went across a river in Kansas. When the railroads came in, however, they claimed the river was too narrow for steam boats, thus putting an end to that.
There were 150 miles of the Pony Express that went through Kansas, until the railroads and telegraph took its place.
In 1871, Norris said, the Santa Fe Railroad extended from Newton to Abilene, and soon after to Wichita, during the cattle boom. The next year, the railroad extended to the Colorado border.
William Blaufus and Sophia Schneider were married May 30, 1880, and spent their honeymoon on a ship to America. When they arrived in America, they were told their wedding gifts were either lost or stolen. They purchased 80 acres of land from the railroad at $3 per acre. They had eight children.
Henry Bauer purchased 160 acres in Dickinson County in 1881. Albert Roles was the youngest of 14Â children, and was only 9 when Henry died, and was the only child to complete high school. Since Henry only spoke German, Albert lacked conversation with him. They lived in a four room house. Albert lived through the Depression, and the Dust Bowl of the late 1930s, of which his daughter, Marilyn, remembers, Norris said.
Another story that Norris received was from the John Koch family. He was the first white man to permanently settle in the St. Benedictine area, now known as Atchison, in 1857. Their village was about 1/4 mile from the church, and Indians often came around on their hunting trips. Wagon trains, often 26 wagons long, faced many hardships and challenges, such as sickness and Indians, and carried merchants through the area. A source of income for the settlers was the heavy traffic on the trails, until the railroads came through, then the villages died. Norris said that many Germans settled in this area, and although homesick, overcame hardships, and faced the challenges of a tough environment, including making a living and snakes.
Guards were on watch at all times in wagon trains, who had to be mainly concerned about food and water for the people as well as the animals, and everyone’s safety. It wasn’t rare for Indians to attack wagon trains, and if the Indians won the fight, they murdered everyone and stole their food and goods. Wagon trains often headed west to take goods to Colorado, and when they didn’t arrive, prices on food and supplies skyrocketed.
“The Indians made the trails very unsafe,” Norris said.
Eventually, the Indians permitted others to use their trails in peace.
William Schul’s family shared a story about him homesteading in Clark County in 1885. William and his brother Fred built sod homes on their adjoining 160 acres of land. They dug wells lined with wood and drew water with buckets. Norris said that while William gathered buffalo chips for fuel, Fred did the cooking. William received the title to his land in 1886, then sent to West Virginia to marry his sweetheart, and took a steamboat, train and stage coach to their hometown. They installed a windmill and water pumps, and had six children.
The Sandahl family in McPherson County shared a story about their ancestor, Anton, when they submitted their application to the Kansas Farm Bureau. He immigrated to the United States in 1880, worked several jobs and saved $1,500. In 1891, he purchased 160 of land from a homesteader for $16 an acre. In 1918, he replaced the old sod house, covered with a wood frame, with a spacious new house, which is now living quarters for Anton Sandahl’s grandchildren. Norris said the Sandahl family has farmed the same land for 110 years, and there has never been one night that some family member was not at the farmstead.
Norris said that in 1879, Anna Fieler came to America at age 5 with her family from Germany. They were very poor and settled in Quinter in Gove County. They began their stay in a dugout, as many settlers did. At the age of 14, she took a nearby homestead. In order to hold the claim, she had to stay at least one night per year on the land. Anna married Robert Coburn while working in Salina, and in 1899, they moved by horse and wagon to Anna’s homestead north of Quinter.
The Rural Electric Administration (REA) was established in 1935 to offer electricity to rural residents. In 1869, Henry Christian Ploeyer decided to get away from Germany and come to America. He settled in White Cloud in Doniphan County in 1881. Norris said the original home is still standing with several additions added over the years. Henry’s grandson, Edward Hageman, raised cattle, hogs, wheat, corn and hay. He bought the first tractor in the neighborhood, and his family enjoyed electricity from REA in 1947.
Harvey Dague had a tree claim in Scott County in 1901. On a tree claim, the owner had to plant ten acres of trees and keep them alive for eight years.
There are many Century Farms across the state of Kansas, with 23 being in Sumner County. When a family is chosen to receive the Century Farm honor, they are recognized at the annual meeting, and they receive a Century Farm sign and certificate. Membership to the Farm Bureau costs $50 a year, which offers many benefits.
