Remember that the teacher that I don't know where he came from but not protect. You know, you've been all over looking for a job, but he stopped and done Center for half an hour. And he said this is the place I want to be and I can never figure that out. Megatel just as soon as he got into the sound of guns on it. And I don't know what it is unless it be the the Danish people. That's Ruben Knutson and he lives in Dunn Center a small town of 107 in the west central part of North Dakota Senators. It's on Loop Nightcore deposits. Its future will be very different from its past in this program in the series titled our hometown. You'll hear about the past from Sherman McConnell and Kendal Thompson. Another residents will tell about ranching in the importance of the land the series exploring the quality of life in small towns is produced with financial assistance for the North Dakota committee for the Humanities and public issues produced by Minnesota Public Radio Station k c c m The interviewer is John Getz be that's the way I've always hun. I don't like to be. Considering myself geographically aloof from the eastern half has a state of North Dakota. But the minute you get to Bismarck and Beyond Bismarck, there's a difference in the friendliness of the people. They don't have that Western. Friendliness is I see it that's been my experience and about 50 years of going back and forth between here and Minneapolis. Well, the reason why most of us are farmers and ranchers out here in the little towns we are independent lot. in the freedom I don't know. If not being in crowds. It's a part of our life. Let's put it that way. We don't we don't mind being in with the crowd. But we also like our small crowds. We believe in our freedom out in the country. You just one that boy just part of our life. Let's but like most of the people you talked to some of the people in town. They can't even stand up tree growing on the side Wamego. They claim that the darn Birds you just ruined everything. So that's the difference between their opinion on live out in the country and ours something about our country that is unique in the fact that now he's gone to a big draw the real either here. We just didn't have any any rain and yet our crap really came to surprisingly well and there's many places it if they had has much dry weather as we had their just would have been nothing left. So there's something here that really helps in the same with the kid with the grass you here at many times people will have been around and don't aren't acquainted Mile and how can those cattle be that fat on that short grass? The grass is got lots of nutrition. It can really has lots of food value in it. And where you want sign is that lots of places you'll find the grass knee-high and you know on the cattle really are thin for these cattle really must be like nutritional because they really is surviving and do well on but seems to be quite short pasture when I'm away my dad farmed and I was going to high school and we find his horses right here at the edge of town. I enjoyed getting out and roaming around over the countryside and lots of Sundays will just take off and just drive just to go or go around. There's been some country down south here that I hadn't been over for 15 years or so this fall. I weigh we went just to renew it there. that aren't there not anymore and fences that have been mood and Fields that are growing up back into pasture so that Ann Landers always changing No matter who who's around or who's on? It is always something changing about it. So that It's an experience to get out and get next to it. I was here before done Center which one of them. My parents moved from Iowa to Grand River, Iowa and South here. So we came here $0.19 and I think it was round about nineteen thirteen or fourteen Summers around there when done Center so I was a fairly good-sized boy, you know, what started it was about a mile East in on that. They moved it over here people living outside and I once in a while, they'd be able to pass through something like that. but beyond that way, there's no offense with no roads Trails across the Prairie, you know, wherever you want to make it have a road while you started out in you they what kind of get-together if you were the neighbors and told a few rocks in the creek so you can get across, you know, make a Crossing but it was no no roads or nothing like that no fences. well, then of course and they had their this influx of homesteaders and wow the story Oh, well, not not not not not not in that no. No, there wasn't no no killings in that I can recall any out. Well, it wasn't really a railroad don't know what is just a business little bit. I guess it probably a few of the women a little on the wild order and stuff like that, but No, there was not not right around here. That wasn't any any any any feelings or anything like that. Probably a lot of them felt like your number tents. They didn't do it. Anyhow. 10 years old and you know it. County Seat over there, but you're still looking to see Channel. And where we lived in with 55 miles to Dickinson closest railroad town. That was there a big jar of them days. It was a great week and all that and take care of it took him four days sometime to go to town with a load of my folks were only going to stay here three years, you know improve up their Homestead to go back to Wisconsin. but at the time we come Quite a few old man. I've been here long enough to prove up but they couldn't because you didn't have the water on a place. You were supposed to improve these places to know them days, and it was a family on family on several sections. Only one bag down Wisconsin Barn Northvale outfit and shipped it out here and start digging Wells and here we are still at it might be one of my boys not a third-generation who were the first people out in this area. Do you know. It would be one of them rest with Jensen up north to kill here. They will ranchers, you know, and then there was some Pelicans in here, but probably not that they were sheep ranchers in the car. North Rangers Finally, it was free-ranging on the first year. We were out here and then run wild in the town of Dunn Center when you can no no, no, no. But they quit that you understand peace out of this branch, which was supposed to hit land on West farther, you know what them cars in the trucks come right away then and then never let anybody want to be the first train in Europe. I had a big celebration in town here that day. I remember that the closest one from new settlement Carpenter chinon. Dorky person Shoemaker and Barbara's from Full House. When was its best times? When was the Heyday of dense? I suppose it made me worse. In the twenties far as I could see and then they get in the forties after the war. We had three lumberyards here and we had to Livery Barnes to blacksmith to shoemakers. grocery stores I was a little later. I don't get the member. And a couple of pool halls in on bowling alley. butcher shop to Banks Channel most animals Bank buildings once. Is now in the other issue had a gush message. shop down there See what else was in here? American River Henry family how to call you And what if you had horses with hearts background? And then this church in the Latter Day Saints Church in the Congregational Church. Latter-Day Saint Church was sold out his soldiers to the years ago and they took the steeple off them shut. So you can't tell where it is. Now, you know that I'm here for the mood in here. In 1990 December 1920 we moved in here in the summer time. I used to ride bicycle to buy some candy. Spend that $0.50. And then now they don't do that was more of a western town with more Ranch people. Them days until New Year's Eve catalog all them cattle Addiction horsebacking on soon as they got their course. It's too had the same thing later and writers with all the celebration. Well, I never rode on one of those drive-thru anything, but I was watching to see that their milk. I wouldn't get to go with him. One of my greatest Thrills was when you know, you're talkin about these cattle drives and when I was 14 years old when Rancher asked me to go to work for him Jim Conley. And I went over the reservation next winter. I I really enjoyed my Summers. I was over there for five Summers when I was going to school. spirit wear hand-me-downs if somebody else didn't Up there on the reservation and the Cowboys and they'd come from. Every Camp, you know, they all meet at this one place. We meet one day and then the next day the Roundup would start we have the Chuck Wagon and have a cook canned or they suppose there's about fifty Riders maybe and then there was one boss of the Roundup. His name was egg Kennedy. And he told you where to go in the mornings, but Circle the ride. A lot of times you remember one time we started riding at 2 in the morning and we got back to the Chuck Wagon that night at 6 and nothing to eat. We would all day and Brandon cab and I remember We had we rode one day and the next night. It started raining and it rained for three days. And we were sleeping outside. I know me and another kid was sleeping outside in the round of bed and her bed was all wet. It was three days. I never took my clothes off. We're just wet continually, but they just kept on riding. You didn't do any branding on it was raining but you kept on riding and after cleared up with any brand, but I really enjoyed it. I really did. That was a big day. When we Chase cattle to town to have him load it out or the cattle come across the reservation. We just live for that follow him on in and watch him loading. The train take off of Dunn Center was one of the biggest shipping points as far as cattle in this area reservation Ranchers with Holloman are Chase a man load right out of the Stockyards hair done so they don't even have that anymore. And that was a Have a great time in the fall of the year was John there was in September, wasn't it? We live right next to the Conley Ranch and that's where they would have their three four year old steers overnight and then has kids like remember we would sit in the window the garage and watch the Cowboys ride by and bunches and we just waited for that day. And I think all three of us brothers were thought that's the life for us to and see those Cowboys go by and I thought that the cattle business was sure had it over and have the pasture land for a male cows and But then we still. Learn to ride on the farm and saw that's what we ended up being. But as of now, we have one milk melt around I guess you can say to yourself a cowboy now. I guess I guess so ride the horses and and they have Spurs and shops like they had when I I couldn't wait till I got my first hat and Spurs and The first $8 I got that's what I bought my Mexican pair of boots. I was wearing some. Some more on boots and I thought I really the cowboy boots in the high heels. One of the Cowboys had about four sizes too big but I really enjoy. We have the one song and he's very definitely a cowboy. As if you have them want to go out and powerbait for card, or do a little hammerfall only have 130 Acres a weed in and out 80 Accord. But 65 of oats and so we have a little apartment in the sidelines. And he just he just assumed get on a horse and check for pink eye or something done to get on and set up a tractor and summer fall. And that I have a father and son. How big is your Ranch? We run about $300 here. Baker's, it's about 4200. And at least some what's the typical Roundup night, like now you load your arson take it up to the pasture and you buy we ride for a day or so and that's about all of with you. That's right. Enjoy it as much as I like when we bring our cows one from the breaks we ride for 4 days. Rewrite two days up there and it takes us a day to get them down here. And then Harry Larson it takes another day to get him down there. Mississippi What do you like about this country? What do I like about it? Well. I know I guess I liked everything about it. Also wouldn't be here. My book is nothing like North Dakota? Dollar good grass. Good quality grass. This last year. It's been Drive. I don't think anybody's hurting really. Heather Bayer crop Is there a special feeling about the land? Call the special feeling or not. But you want to save your land. I always win that Farm Life. If it starts to erode or wash your something like to do something about it and take care of it. And I know there's a feeling I don't know how to explain it. But there is a feeling working with your land. I don't can't put no words to it right now, but satisfaction of some kind rolling prairies are out in front of you. It's it's the fast faction that that you can go across there and nobody can tell you to get out and you can do whatever you want to with it and some of these things that you just did and there's a warm feeling and and you enjoy it because it belongs to you and and the things that are there the trees are so sorry things have special meaning because certain things have happened with you and your family in these areas and things like this that they do the years they become more meaningful and more. The old swimming hole in the old fishing the place that you fish so many times in some of these things. They just become a part of you in a part of your life and and You feel a closeness chart them might be just playing Badlands but to us. To us. It's something that nobody else has and it's a beautiful country is a beautiful cat what country into US it means the whole world to us. and we feel we don't necessarily need somebody to real to reshape or we do our our land out here we feel that as it was as good enough for our coming generation was good enough for us and we all happy at it with it. We compared to Iowa or Illinois or Ohio or Indiana. There's there's a large percentage of the land that is farmed and say the Corn Belt states is tenant farming or leased or rented. Where is the land here a large majority of it and I think in the state of North Dakota South Dakota, probably Montana to still within the family that homesteaded it or originally purchased it so that that there is this family tied to the land and I think the knowing that your grandfather as trite as it sounds sweat of his brow and and walk behind the horses while he plowed the sod and everything. I think you have to have you get back to the tradition and everything. Is it something that it's you brought up with? You saw it when you were little we saw your father's and grandfather's working hard and everything and it and you can you keep on working and you know that if you can improve on something they did there's a there's a great satisfaction and knowing that you can get more bushels per acre on a piece of land they did. I think I think this is your creativity and everything else for their life it is there any of the mother earth? concept that the traditional Indian had I suppose that you have to put you always have to put the economic value in in front of mother earth when it comes to white man. That's my personal opinion. I always feel that as far as when it comes right down to to the worst racer is I always felt as far as abusing other races of using the land of using anything that was put in front of the white man has been the worst by far and I mean it I studied I didn't say I didn't history was my major but I studied quite a bit of it and that's so that's the only that's the one ReSound. In fact that I can remember at all history. Of course. It was a history written by white man. I suppose if the Indian had written some history you could you can take it that way but it seems it whenever you talk about when you get into the points of of Nature and Mother Earth and and respecting mother nature in general that they are as far as the Homesteader and the And the family in the Family Farm is it is now that it's purely and he can Onyx that's all he can know how much money is going to bring me. The people have a special feeling for the land for nature for the environment of here near us. Especially now since the idea or the plans are for coal gasification. I guess that's the big thing on everybody's mind and his brother to big thing on my mind to it. She probably got it once in a while. I'll bring it up but when you take him stand and look out at the hills and realize it may be in 10-15 years, they won't be there anymore. You know, when you've grown up with them. They've been there. Your forefathers have been there. My relatives came and settled this country or this community around here. There's a clay Butte on our land will half a mile to the east over here and you realize that things going to be gone maybe if they come through. Well, it's been a landmark. There is Clay Buick to me and you if you read that in some of the old history books of this area, it's been a landmark. It's been there, you know when it's going to be gone and I bothered you bothers me. So I think we do have a romantic feeling about to land the environment and everything. I mean in order for a farmer to make a living he has to be concerned about the environment in his land because if he lets it go. Let's see Charlie Rose and come in and everything. He's going to die. I mean, he just won't be able to make a living on it. So you are concerned and you are romantic about of gas. That was Reynard Hauck. One of the residents of Dunn Center who helps make this sound portrait of a small town. This program is one of the series titled our hometown which explorers of values and quality of life in small communities. It's produced by Minnesota Public Radio Station k c c m with buns from the North Dakota committee for the Humanities and public issues producers for the series are John ydstie, Dennis Hamilton and Bill Sebring. does that copies of these programs are available by contacting kccm care of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota 56560