“Sold!” The auctioneer’s voice boomed. Land that had been in my family for 70 years changed hands last week, from three generations of Johnsons to the new owner, a Peterson who grew up down the road.
My ancestors were homesteaders, taking up the government’s offer of free land in the late 1800s in exchange for someone willing to settle it. They built a ranch in northwestern South Dakota but were driven east by drought and the Great Depression in the 1930s. In 1942, my grandparents, George and Judith Johnson, bought the farm where I grew up near Revillo, S.D., for just under $5,000.
The decision to sell the land wasn’t easy. After my father died in 2004, we set up an LLC and rented the land with every intention of passing it on to another generation. But as time passed, it became apparent that it would be a burden on the 14 kids who were dispersed literally around the globe. We decided late last fall to sell…then hesitated for a few months…and then finally went ahead last Friday.
A farm auction is a social event, and the streets of the small town were lined with pickup trucks as neighbors and potential buyers drove in from miles around for the sale. My brothers Bill and James were there, along with cousins representing almost every branch of the family. A Meyers was bidding. A Magedanz. Both neighbors. Second cousins were seen punching a calculator.
In another era, the bidders would have all been local. The global economy brought bids from Chicago and Arizona, via telephone. In the end, I’m glad the land went to a neighbor, whose grandparents used to swim and water-ski with my parents at Lake Alice.
We siblings deemed the sale a success. But I can’t help but be a little melancholy with thoughts of my dad and mom, who built a house and raised a family on this little patch of God’s earth. They grew wheat and corn, raised cattle and hogs, planted hundreds of trees and tended a vegetable garden as big as a city block.
I can still picture my father standing on the road to the pasture, scanning the western horizon for rain.
Oh my I understand your decision, my sisters and I are currently sharing 640 acres in eastern South Dakota near the border close to Eureka. It is hard to deal with all the decisions and legal issues. I can’t imagine your courage to let go. I loved your post.
Bittersweet, like so much of life. Thanks for the post.
Your post reminds me of similar situations involving family members and property in West Central Texas, Some of the changes have been hard to accept.
The world has changed so dramatically over the past 40=plus years since I graduated from college and the pace of change has increased so that it is hard to imagine what it will be like just a decade from now.
Thanks for your post, Sandy. It reminded me, also, of the closeness of family and friends during my short time there 30 years ago.
Kent
I understand the melancholy. When my dad retired and closed “Povich’s Men’s Shop,” which was started by my grandfather in 1916, I had a pang that led me to say to him, “Maybe I should just scrap this journalism career and come home and run the store.”
His reply? “I worked 42 years in this store so you wouldn’t have to.”
Oh, okay.
Thanks for the wonderful writeup and for arranging for your sisters and me to “attend” the sale by phoned e-mails as it happened!
Hi Sara! I am visiting Mom’s (Sharon) and she told me about the auction… what a great story about our family! I have so many fond memories of your farm and all the times we visited. I’ll never forget the Christmas exchanges your dad and I had each year with that little tugboat bath toy. Your story brings a warm feeling to all the people who love your family. Thank you, April (Johnson) Meyerink.
that’s so sweet, thank you for sharing.
This is a wonderfully told story, and a happy enough ending. Familiar to hear that the Johnson kids, like so many families, are scattered to the four winds. Newsworthy that land in SD now attracts interest from all over. Reassuring to hear the land stays in neighbors’ hands. Thanks for this!
I enjoyed your descriptive writing of the land auction and background information. I was a teacher in the Grant-Deuel district for 26 years so I know many of the names you have mentioned. I taught Bill’s kids and may have been the new owner’s teacher. I’m sure the final bid tugged at the heart strings a little…
I am a friend of Sara Macgregor, a daughter of Mr and Mrs Johnson. While it is sad in a sense to see such a valuable part of a legacy end it is understandable…still the true beauty lies in the reality of the 14 children and their families who continue living, loving and growing today and in the future. A real tribute to the heart and soul of the Johnson heritage.
Sandy ,
Heard the news of the sale from my sister. It is such a difficult decision for a family. Sure have lots of great memories of your family and the farm. All the Best
Doug Mulder