The Alfalfa Arch was constructed across Atlantic Avenue in honor of the Corn and Alfalfa Exposition held in Morris on December 10-12, 1913. The Expo was dedicated to the promotion of corn and alfalfa growing as well as the general virtues of diversified farming.
A group of men look on as two men carve an ox carcass on an outdoor table. The men are, left to right: Mr. McGrath, Ed Hall, Homer Wooldridge, John Brooks (in white coat, center), John Towey, Ed Stoyke (in white coat, foreground), Henry Ringey.
The family is taking a break in the field with their dog and puppies, as well as a small wagon and buggy. The woman holding the puppies is "Liisa of Kalajoki." In his "History of the Thomson Farming Area," written in Finnish in 1935, John A. Mattinen wrote that the Fred Johnson farm was also known as Liisa of Kalajoki's farm and that Liisa (who died in 1924) was Fred's mother.
The typical farm had a house, barn, and several other buildings for chickens, hogs and grain storage. Several horses and cows are also seen as well as rows of corn starting to grow in the field.
Five men have been busy loading a straw bundle wagon and are taking a break. The straw bundles will be later threshed in a threshing machine. The men are sitting on and around the large steam engine. One man is sitting on the large wheel used by the belt to power the threshing machine.
A team of three horses is pulling a binder to cut the grain and puts it in individual bundles. A man is riding the open binder The second man is gathering the bundles and placing them in shocks to be later thrashed.
This postcard shows a team of horses hauling loose hay, two men on top pitching the hay, and a woman watching them. The card has written on it in the lower left, "In the Good Old Summer time." The back of the postcard shows that it is number 492 of a series entitled, "Vacation Series Postcards." It was sent to Mrs. A.L. Winterquist from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Outdoor photo of Petter Weldon pausing from plowing wheat field. Wears overalls and work shirt, broad brimmed hat; Stares at the camera with one hand on his hip the other on his plow handle. Plow is a steel of iron beamed mold board plow hitched to two horses facing away from camera. In center foreground is young girl with floppy hat and pony tail with back to the camera.
A tall-tale postcard showing horses pulling wagons loaded with oversized potatoes and corn. A man sits atop the lead wagon and holds the reins. Tall-tale postcards use photographic montage to create images of oversized produce and animals. Fruits, vegetables and fish are the most common subjects.
The John Kangas log house shown here was built by Hanse Annala about 1898. There are a rake and several scythes hanging on the wall, with a washtub used for doing laundry on the far left of the photo. Originally the house had a birch bark roof. It was donated to the Finnish American Memorial Foundation of Esko - now the Esko Historical Society - and land was obtained for its current placement as a building of the museum in 1965. The back of the postcard has handwriting saying, "built by Hansi Annala John Kangas home about 1898 Birch Bark Roof."
A man and kids on the porch of their newly constructed farm house. Piles of wood are in the yard and farm buildings are behind the house as well as a large red barn.
Leonard Biese farm, with shed marked T. T. & H. T. Distud, Breeder of Percheron Horses, with straw-burning steam tractor pulling straw rack, horse cart and three men
This card was made to illustrate the terrible locust invasions of Nicollet and other counties in the 1870s. This card specifically mentions St. Peter and Nicollet County, and is dated June 22, 1877.