Violet, Toby, Doris (Huron, SD)
David D Thiesen writes in his diary: "We had a very big prairie fire in 1876. I was only a young boy, but I do remember well that one evening in the late fall, we saw far away in the northwest a very bright light. The next day there came a strong northwest wind, and by evening that big prairie fire had reached our community.
We had already made good fire brakes all around the house by plowing the grass under, and our neighbors had done the same. However with these prairie fires, it is like a snowstorm in the winter, when the long grass begins to burn it rolls over the fire brakes at times, just like snow blows over the road in a snow storm.
So we took everything out of the house, and my father said to us, "If we can save all our clothes even though we cannot save the house, we shall be thankful." All night there was a big fire around us, yet we and our neighbors did not suffer much damage as we all worked hard with plows and different ways from keeping the fire from rolling over the fire brakes. Most of our neighbors' homes were saved. Some of those homes were made out of mud or dirt, which was a great protection from the fire.
We were all greatly frightened, as we had never seen such a great prairie fire before. Much of the land had not been cultivated, thus more dangerous for the big fires to come near to our homes. However, God again had his great hand of protection over us, for which we all were greatly thankful to him, in those early pioneer days."
As we grew older we bought more land. First we bought 160 acres in McCook County. Later we bought land in Beadle County. Here myself, sister Susan, and brother David farmed one year. We also bought 320 acres in Spink County. That winter sister Susan married Ludwig Hohm, and in the spring of 1908 we moved to Beadle County on the land we bought. Ludwig farmed the land in Beadle County, and I moved on the land in Spink County. Here I built a small barn with a shed on its side where I lived. With a team of 4 horses and a walking, breaking plow, I broke over 150 acres of sod and seeded it in flax. I had a good flax crop that year. That winter I went to school at Huron College. In the spring father sold the 320 acres in Spink County and purchased 320 acres near the land we had bought in Beadle County. This became our home where we farmed a number of years. In the year 1911 father sold his farm in Hutchinson County, and bought more land and also moved to Beadle County where we farmed.
In those early years, we did not raise big crops with a 4 horse breaking, or sod plow, and other simple farm machinery. Progress was slow. Only a few people had a horse or two. Oxen were mostly used as draft animals. Our grandfather with his sons were considered successful farmers. The children of 10 in our family were from our youth on taught to work. Our homestead was a raw, brick structure, plastered and kalsomined in and outside. Later, we built a 2 story, 10 room house. We bought more land and a 640 acre farm.