Mr. and Mrs. Otto Leonhardt
Interviewed by Ressie Watts - Kelliher Independent Newspaper 1962
North Beltrami Heritage Center newsletter Nov. 2006
Back of a little well kept white house, north and a little east of Waskish, spreads about 400 acres of cleared land which Mr. and Mrs. Otto Leonhardt are more or less responsible for. To the side of their home is the home of their son, Hilmer, who has continued with their project.
Otto and Anna moved into White Birch township in November 1916 from Minneapolis. They had previously staked a homestead two years before. Just preceding the outbreak of W.W.I they moved with their four children onto the homestead after having sold their nice home in Minneapolis. When they say moved onto the homestead - they meant just that. There were no buildings.
With a team of horses, Mr. Leonhardt cut and hauled logs over five miles of the poorest kind of roads. Thie proved hard on both the men and horses.
Christmas was indeed a time of happiness, a celebration. The family moved into the new building and prepared to make the best of conditions.
Clearing land was started the following spring and imagine the Leonhardts surprise when they found 1 to 2 feet below the surface another complete layer of stumps. The trees were slender tamarack.
As time passed the land became more and more flooded and they were hard put to make a living. The year 1917 their entire income amounted to $84.00. There were six mouths to feed plus a team which had to be fed in order that they might be able to work.
1919 saw the Leonhardts yard a large "built in" swimming pool and the ground gradually became more and more flooded. The animals in the barn stood in water that covered the bags of the cows and they were unable to milk them. Next to the cows were the unhappy horses and as the water rose, the pole floor lifted and separated.
All the homesteaders were faced with the same problem. Finally they were forced to take the barn roofs off and lift the animals onto rafts, thus getting them out on higher ground.
Around the Leonhardts, there was no higher ground and all the soil was peat soil. Living at the cross roads meant two crossed ditches leading all the water directly to the Leonhardt corner.
Luckily their house had been built higher than many and so had only 3 inches of water to wade around in on the first floor. Mrs. Leonhardt says her poor chickens remained on the roost for 3 or 4 days at a time.
On top of the floods came typhoid fever. Three members of the family were able to care for the three who were seriously affected. Luckily they all recovered.
Having lost all the crops, Mr. Leonhardt sold his animals and acquired work in the logging camp while Mrs. Leonhardt stayed with the children.
Mrs. Leonhardt was puzzled at their staying on this place even today. But stay they did until 1926. It was decided then to rent a farm on higher ground which they did in Konig township. That summer the water got up into the building four times.
Eventually a man from St. Paul came up to look the situation over. The State Department refused to dig more ditches unless the people agreed to pay for it. Already their ditch tax was $900.00 and they finally called it quits. Lock, stock and barrel they quit the country, moving to Wabasha county and taking all they could with them. The children by this time had finished the 8th grade.
The battle for survival continued on a farm which had not been worked for four years. Their very first year, besides having a very tough landlord, the hail ruined the crops. They saved enough to feed the animals through the winter and the place provided fuel. Struggling against great odds, three years later they bought the place and started building it up
In 1944, the youngest son took over the place and the family moved back into "mosquito heaven". Despite its drawbacks, the climate up here is good for asthma sufferers and along with many other battles, Mr. Leonhardt has had to fight this disease.
Following their oldest son back, they moved into a small house which was built for them and they retired.
During the time they spent on the homestead, Mrs. Leonhardt recalls it was a two day affair to get there. One time they lost a $175 horse because the road over which they had to travel was on fire and one place the horse went through and burned his belly so badly he died as a result. She says the road burned underneath and smoke came out many places.
Another time she and Hilmer were going through the woods when he found a wire strung along the way and directly across the path. Following it, they found the wire fastened to a tripper of a rifle and had they hit the wire one or the other might have been killed. This was supposed to get a deer.
Mr. Leonhard was born in Germany but has lived in Minnesota since 13 years of age. Mrs. Leonhardt was born in Goodue county and her pet peeve is the fact that beavers were allowed to dam ditches they were taxed for to have dug!
Otto passed away in 1969 and Anna in 1978.
Interviewed by Ressie Watts - Kelliher Independent Newspaper 1962
North Beltrami Heritage Center newsletter Nov. 2006
Back of a little well kept white house, north and a little east of Waskish, spreads about 400 acres of cleared land which Mr. and Mrs. Otto Leonhardt are more or less responsible for. To the side of their home is the home of their son, Hilmer, who has continued with their project.
Otto and Anna moved into White Birch township in November 1916 from Minneapolis. They had previously staked a homestead two years before. Just preceding the outbreak of W.W.I they moved with their four children onto the homestead after having sold their nice home in Minneapolis. When they say moved onto the homestead - they meant just that. There were no buildings.
With a team of horses, Mr. Leonhardt cut and hauled logs over five miles of the poorest kind of roads. Thie proved hard on both the men and horses.
Christmas was indeed a time of happiness, a celebration. The family moved into the new building and prepared to make the best of conditions.
Clearing land was started the following spring and imagine the Leonhardts surprise when they found 1 to 2 feet below the surface another complete layer of stumps. The trees were slender tamarack.
As time passed the land became more and more flooded and they were hard put to make a living. The year 1917 their entire income amounted to $84.00. There were six mouths to feed plus a team which had to be fed in order that they might be able to work.
1919 saw the Leonhardts yard a large "built in" swimming pool and the ground gradually became more and more flooded. The animals in the barn stood in water that covered the bags of the cows and they were unable to milk them. Next to the cows were the unhappy horses and as the water rose, the pole floor lifted and separated.
All the homesteaders were faced with the same problem. Finally they were forced to take the barn roofs off and lift the animals onto rafts, thus getting them out on higher ground.
Around the Leonhardts, there was no higher ground and all the soil was peat soil. Living at the cross roads meant two crossed ditches leading all the water directly to the Leonhardt corner.
Luckily their house had been built higher than many and so had only 3 inches of water to wade around in on the first floor. Mrs. Leonhardt says her poor chickens remained on the roost for 3 or 4 days at a time.
On top of the floods came typhoid fever. Three members of the family were able to care for the three who were seriously affected. Luckily they all recovered.
Having lost all the crops, Mr. Leonhardt sold his animals and acquired work in the logging camp while Mrs. Leonhardt stayed with the children.
Mrs. Leonhardt was puzzled at their staying on this place even today. But stay they did until 1926. It was decided then to rent a farm on higher ground which they did in Konig township. That summer the water got up into the building four times.
Eventually a man from St. Paul came up to look the situation over. The State Department refused to dig more ditches unless the people agreed to pay for it. Already their ditch tax was $900.00 and they finally called it quits. Lock, stock and barrel they quit the country, moving to Wabasha county and taking all they could with them. The children by this time had finished the 8th grade.
The battle for survival continued on a farm which had not been worked for four years. Their very first year, besides having a very tough landlord, the hail ruined the crops. They saved enough to feed the animals through the winter and the place provided fuel. Struggling against great odds, three years later they bought the place and started building it up
In 1944, the youngest son took over the place and the family moved back into "mosquito heaven". Despite its drawbacks, the climate up here is good for asthma sufferers and along with many other battles, Mr. Leonhardt has had to fight this disease.
Following their oldest son back, they moved into a small house which was built for them and they retired.
During the time they spent on the homestead, Mrs. Leonhardt recalls it was a two day affair to get there. One time they lost a $175 horse because the road over which they had to travel was on fire and one place the horse went through and burned his belly so badly he died as a result. She says the road burned underneath and smoke came out many places.
Another time she and Hilmer were going through the woods when he found a wire strung along the way and directly across the path. Following it, they found the wire fastened to a tripper of a rifle and had they hit the wire one or the other might have been killed. This was supposed to get a deer.
Mr. Leonhard was born in Germany but has lived in Minnesota since 13 years of age. Mrs. Leonhardt was born in Goodue county and her pet peeve is the fact that beavers were allowed to dam ditches they were taxed for to have dug!
Otto passed away in 1969 and Anna in 1978.
