Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
In the early days of Eddy County, large scale wheat production relied on horse-powered threshing operations. Photo taken at the Horton Starke Farm, 1887-1908.
This photo (taken on Nov. 7, 1906 by E.W.B Photography) documents "60,000 bushels of wheat in the open at New Rockford, N. Dak." The accompanying information touted "New Rockford will ship more grain this year than any primary shipping point in the world!"
The steam-powered threshing machine used belts connected to a traction engine. Often both engine and thresher belonged to a contractor who would hire a team and tour the farms of a district.
A century ago, agriculture was a whole different business. Sure farmers had to contend with soil conditions and weather patterns, but the process of getting grain from field to market was markedly different. Wheat was the preferred crop and threshing was the required technology.
The homesteaders of the region were lucky to have access to threshing technology. At that time, most threshing was done with a horse-powered belt system and was quite labor intensive. In the photo above, several members of the Starke family were involved in the threshing, chaffing and cleaning in preparation for the public grain market.
In time, steam-powered engines and tractors proved to be a far more effective way to harvest these crops. The technology brought together neighbors, who shared equipment and labor. Today, technology has changed, but the power of the steamer can still be heard during the harvest season.
