THE FARM, 1950

Photo 1 -- the Old Dobson Homestead

It's hot and sultry today, though there's no rain in the forecast. The clothes I hung out an hour ago are nearly dry. 

Mike and Bess walked around the neighbor's field this morning -- spring wheat. It looks like a loss to us due to drought conditions. We saw two snakes -- a "water snake" and a rattlesnake. We also saw a flock of about 20 geese and watched seven American coots play on Pete's pond. Bess enjoyed a brief swim there to cool off.

Mike went to town on his XT and came back with milk and a few other groceries to keep our meals interesting. 

Now -- to our old photos:

My uncle, Earle Dobson, took these photos in 1950. Again, the color slides have deteriorated. We worry about what will happen to photographs taken in the digital age, but clearly the slides don't have staying power. 

Photo 2 -- house & grounds in 1950

By 1950, the small family farm was in transition, and ours was no exception. I wonder if Uncle Earle knew that these would be the last pictures of the yard as it had been when it was a working farm. I suspect he did. 

Photo 3 -- old house becomes machine shed

By 1950, all livestock was gone. My dad had a small tractor instead of horses, and the old house was made into a machine shed. 

Photo 4 -- hen house

This badly distorted photo actually made a better black & white. The "hen house" was still there when I was a child. My dad would move the garden around here and there -- never the same place twice -- and I remember picking beans and strawberries in that area. Mike says it's still the most fertile area of the yard, and we can guess why.

Photo 5

This wonderful shot was taken from the south back toward the house and yard. There were more trees in those days.

 

Photo 6

And this photo is of the flat to the north of the house. You can see that something is going on in the field. KW

ADDITION INFO / QUESTIONS

Photo 1 -- Is the clump of trees on the left side of this picture the same as Photos 3 & 5 in yesterday's post? The "lane" moving south beyond the present pond is no longer there as a pronounced trail. Also, note the east/west line of trees near the house but outside the yard. Are those fruit trees left over from the old orchard?

Photo 2 -- I wish I could see the yard more clearly.

Photo 3 -- My dad tied a rope swing for me in the pine tree just beyond the house. 

Photo 4 -- Is that a telephone pole? And note that a building is just visible to the right of the hen house. What was it? See the boards sticking up -- bottom left. I think that was the compost area.

Photo 5 -- 

Photo 6 --