In 1907 Elmer claimed the SE-45-10-W-4. Picture from the 1960's?
Farmer 2: Edwin Ralph Erickson
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Farmer 3: Melvin Leroy Erickson
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Farmer 4: Kent Melvin Ross Erickson
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Erickson Farm History – 1908 - 2015
Written by Mel Erickson - includes quotes/excerpts & info from my uncle Lloyd Erickson’s “Memoirs”.
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Farm Operators
Elmer & John Erickson (1908-1921)
Elmer & Anna (nee Honningsvag) – Lloyd, Phyllis, Arline, Ralph, Mary Ruth, Elma, John, & Evelyn. (1915-1971)
Ralph & Lilly (nee Nilson/Fluevog) – Dennis, Melvin, Linda, & Carolyn. (1942–2008)
Mel & Laurie Anne (nee McFarland) – Wendy, Ginger, & Kent. (1978- )
Kent & Tausha (nee Holt) – Kyler, Caris, Blair, & Runa. (2004 - )
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Farm Operators
Elmer & John Erickson (1908-1921)
Elmer & Anna (nee Honningsvag) – Lloyd, Phyllis, Arline, Ralph, Mary Ruth, Elma, John, & Evelyn. (1915-1971)
Ralph & Lilly (nee Nilson/Fluevog) – Dennis, Melvin, Linda, & Carolyn. (1942–2008)
Mel & Laurie Anne (nee McFarland) – Wendy, Ginger, & Kent. (1978- )
Kent & Tausha (nee Holt) – Kyler, Caris, Blair, & Runa. (2004 - )
In 1907, Solomon Ericson, from Volga, South Dakota, brought his two sons, Elmer & John Erickson (they changed the spelling), to Irma, to file claim on two quarters of land. Because John was not yet 18 years of age, his Father would sign on his behalf. Elmer claimed the SE-45-10-W-4 & John claimed the NE-10-45-10-W-4. Elmer & John returned in April of 1908, to start building their sod house, on NE-45-10-W-4, & Solomon, his wife Oline, & their daughter, Hannah, Elmer & John’s only sister, moved to Everett, Washington. Hannah also had 8 children.
Elmer stayed home to farm, while John went out to break land, sometimes many miles away. They had horses, a disc, a sulky plow, & a binder. In 1913 they bought a Rumely tractor, large plow, & thresher, for $6,000. In 1914, Oscar Lindquist helped to build a house, barn, & chicken house. They had chickens, cattle & hogs. Elmer & Anna Honningsvag were married in 1915.
In 1921 the partnership split up when John acquired the farm one mile north, present location of Arnold & Faye Lien. He received the Rumely, threshing outfit, & plow, & Grandpa Elmer bought a Titan tractor & small thresher. It only required 4 teams & racks. The Rumely needed 8 teams & a cook car for the crew. A typical threshing run for Elmer was, at home first, then Matt Larsons, Fluevogs, Oneils, James, Arthur Russel. Then Herons, Pendeltons, further north to McGregors, Albert Johnson, Meakins bros., Waites, Kennedy’s & R.T. Meakins. Most rigs, like John’s, were larger, & did not want to thresh on small farms. As Fall progressed, small farmers would stack the bundles so threshing could continue even with a foot of snow. His wife & children would be left to do all the chores at home. Some years he would head to Jarrow area then to Archibalds, Howard Petersons, Nash family, Selstads, Tom Yarr, & Milburns.
Elmer bought a 1920 Overland car. It had 3 speeds & was a big improvement over the Model T Ford. I (Uncle Lloyd) recall driving to Viking when we had to open gates north of Jarrow to get through. The old road followed section lines & some, only prairie trails. The Overland had side curtains for cold weather.
We planted trees, added a porch, in 1922 the machine shed was built, & in 1924 an addition to the house was added. Most winters we drove to town by cutter or sleigh & horses. We burned wood in our stoves during the day & coal at night. In the late Fall we would butcher a steer & a hog, & the weather was cold enough to keep it for many weeks. We also froze ice in our icehouse & this would last all summer, keeping milk & cream cool.
In 1927, times were good, with high grain prices, & the best crop in years. Elmer drove the 1920 Overland to Edmonton & came home with a large Willis-Knight sedan. It cost $2,420. The whole family took a month long trip, in July, to Everett, Washington, through Edmonton, Calgary & Spokane to visit their cousins, Aunt & Uncle & grandparents.
In August 1928 we had a bumper crop coming, then mid-August we had a killing frost which destroyed the crop. Winter was very cold with no snow, & in 1929 the sloughs all dried up & no crop was harvested. The markets crashed & wheat sold for $.20/bus. In 1930 the crops were good but the prices were very poor & the crops were all flattened by Fall weather. We did well because of a big garden, chickens, turkeys, geese, hogs, & 50-60 head of cattle. Depression years brought dust storms & smoke from forest fires in the north. Many settlers were forced north, closer to our area, from southern Alberta.
In December 1928, John, who had married Hattie Knudson some years before, died suddenly, of Mastoid infection, at age 38.
In about 1948, after Grandma Anna’s struggle with a lung condition, the family decided to rent out the farm & move to the coast, with the relatives, where the doctor believed the humidity would help cure the lung condition. My Dad, Ralph, was not happy, so returned to the farm. Grandma Anna passed away shortly thereafter.
Ralph & Lilly were married in 1951 & raised 4 children on the farm. Up to 14 dairy cows, 75 range cattle, pigs & chickens, along with a variety of crops, were grown.
I returned to the farm full time, in 1981, after training for a commercial pilot at Mount Royal College, and then serving as a Ramp Agent for seven years with Pacific Western Airlines in Edmonton. Together with my wife Laurie Anne, we raised three children. Livestock was not part of the farm in the 80’s & 90’s, as we expanded crop land acres with rented land. Zero Till seeding was adopted in 1991, & many new crops were grown & tested over these years. An eight year crop rotation was also introduced, that year, & is still being followed today. The business was incorporated as Erickson Agro Inc. in 1999.
Son Kent, and Tausha, joined the farming operation in 2004, after he graduated from U. of A. with an Ag. Degree. The custom spraying operation was expanded by Kent, & is still part of the farm business. Range cattle were added back into the operation at this time also.
In July 2008, we celebrated 100 years of farming, with a large Erickson family reunion at our farm. Many cousins from Washington State, & Norway, were in attendance. Dad’s (Ralph) siblings & extended family, had frequent get-togethers & reunions, & we all look forward to those times together. Ralph passed away 4 months later.
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to raise my family on a multi-generation family farm, where we can all experience God’s incredible creation every day.
Elmer stayed home to farm, while John went out to break land, sometimes many miles away. They had horses, a disc, a sulky plow, & a binder. In 1913 they bought a Rumely tractor, large plow, & thresher, for $6,000. In 1914, Oscar Lindquist helped to build a house, barn, & chicken house. They had chickens, cattle & hogs. Elmer & Anna Honningsvag were married in 1915.
In 1921 the partnership split up when John acquired the farm one mile north, present location of Arnold & Faye Lien. He received the Rumely, threshing outfit, & plow, & Grandpa Elmer bought a Titan tractor & small thresher. It only required 4 teams & racks. The Rumely needed 8 teams & a cook car for the crew. A typical threshing run for Elmer was, at home first, then Matt Larsons, Fluevogs, Oneils, James, Arthur Russel. Then Herons, Pendeltons, further north to McGregors, Albert Johnson, Meakins bros., Waites, Kennedy’s & R.T. Meakins. Most rigs, like John’s, were larger, & did not want to thresh on small farms. As Fall progressed, small farmers would stack the bundles so threshing could continue even with a foot of snow. His wife & children would be left to do all the chores at home. Some years he would head to Jarrow area then to Archibalds, Howard Petersons, Nash family, Selstads, Tom Yarr, & Milburns.
Elmer bought a 1920 Overland car. It had 3 speeds & was a big improvement over the Model T Ford. I (Uncle Lloyd) recall driving to Viking when we had to open gates north of Jarrow to get through. The old road followed section lines & some, only prairie trails. The Overland had side curtains for cold weather.
We planted trees, added a porch, in 1922 the machine shed was built, & in 1924 an addition to the house was added. Most winters we drove to town by cutter or sleigh & horses. We burned wood in our stoves during the day & coal at night. In the late Fall we would butcher a steer & a hog, & the weather was cold enough to keep it for many weeks. We also froze ice in our icehouse & this would last all summer, keeping milk & cream cool.
In 1927, times were good, with high grain prices, & the best crop in years. Elmer drove the 1920 Overland to Edmonton & came home with a large Willis-Knight sedan. It cost $2,420. The whole family took a month long trip, in July, to Everett, Washington, through Edmonton, Calgary & Spokane to visit their cousins, Aunt & Uncle & grandparents.
In August 1928 we had a bumper crop coming, then mid-August we had a killing frost which destroyed the crop. Winter was very cold with no snow, & in 1929 the sloughs all dried up & no crop was harvested. The markets crashed & wheat sold for $.20/bus. In 1930 the crops were good but the prices were very poor & the crops were all flattened by Fall weather. We did well because of a big garden, chickens, turkeys, geese, hogs, & 50-60 head of cattle. Depression years brought dust storms & smoke from forest fires in the north. Many settlers were forced north, closer to our area, from southern Alberta.
In December 1928, John, who had married Hattie Knudson some years before, died suddenly, of Mastoid infection, at age 38.
In about 1948, after Grandma Anna’s struggle with a lung condition, the family decided to rent out the farm & move to the coast, with the relatives, where the doctor believed the humidity would help cure the lung condition. My Dad, Ralph, was not happy, so returned to the farm. Grandma Anna passed away shortly thereafter.
Ralph & Lilly were married in 1951 & raised 4 children on the farm. Up to 14 dairy cows, 75 range cattle, pigs & chickens, along with a variety of crops, were grown.
I returned to the farm full time, in 1981, after training for a commercial pilot at Mount Royal College, and then serving as a Ramp Agent for seven years with Pacific Western Airlines in Edmonton. Together with my wife Laurie Anne, we raised three children. Livestock was not part of the farm in the 80’s & 90’s, as we expanded crop land acres with rented land. Zero Till seeding was adopted in 1991, & many new crops were grown & tested over these years. An eight year crop rotation was also introduced, that year, & is still being followed today. The business was incorporated as Erickson Agro Inc. in 1999.
Son Kent, and Tausha, joined the farming operation in 2004, after he graduated from U. of A. with an Ag. Degree. The custom spraying operation was expanded by Kent, & is still part of the farm business. Range cattle were added back into the operation at this time also.
In July 2008, we celebrated 100 years of farming, with a large Erickson family reunion at our farm. Many cousins from Washington State, & Norway, were in attendance. Dad’s (Ralph) siblings & extended family, had frequent get-togethers & reunions, & we all look forward to those times together. Ralph passed away 4 months later.
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to raise my family on a multi-generation family farm, where we can all experience God’s incredible creation every day.
From left: Kent, Melvin and Ralph. (Photo from Melvin)
Pictures from after 2009
Pictures from july 2008
The Erickson Hjemsted 2016.