Farms, Firearms, and Families

Not too many years ago Minnesota farms dotted the state landscape. Farm families lived lonely lives on remote land that was inhabited by prairie grasses, woods and fields cleared to plant and grow crops. The average farm was big enough to support the family. Often, the bigger the farm - the larger the family. Life was not easy.  Up at dawn, sweat all day, and back to the barn in the dark. Neighbors were miles apart.  It took courage, hard work,  and self motivation to make a successful farm.

In 1938 the daily news didn't appear on the television every hour. Actually, there was no television at all. A few of the more prosperous farms had a telephone and a party line connection so that the phone could be shared with a few of their neighbors.  For example: On Joe and Rose Koch's place near Grand Rapids, Minnesota, there were four families on the same line, each with a unique pattern of rings. Joe and Rose answered three quick rings/a pause/three quick rings, etc. The Olsons answered four/pause/four and so forth.  Many farm families received their news of the outside world ( as well as local gossip) by way of the telephone party line.  The usual 'men' conversations covered crops, animals, weather, equipment, and market prices. The 'women' talked about children, who did what to who, foods, shopping in town and etc. 

In 1938 the escalating war in Europe was starting to be a major discussion topic. It was still far away but America was gearing up for it fast. F.D.R. was in the newspapers and on the radio every day. Patriotism was on the rise. Sacrifices were asked of every citizen. The process of going to war took years back then. 

Comment: Today it seems to take the immediate decision of one man, but the result has been less than good. After WWII came a succession of examples: The Koren Police Action which we did not win but fought to a compromise, and The War in Viet Nam, also not won but fought to a compromise. 

Firearms: During the period roughly from after the Great Depression 1935 to today, carrying on a frontier tradition of self protection, every farm family owned at least on firearm. Usually it was a relatively small caliber rifle or small shotgun. By this time in our history only a few farm families depended exclusively on hunting for their own meat. Almost no farm families used their weapons exclusively for protection either. To keep and bear arms when needed was, as it has been since the Constitution was drawn, a freedom protected by law.