Family farm hits century mark just before long-time owner dies

By PHILIP WEYHE philip.weyhe@apgsomn.com

LE SUEUR — Laying in a hospital bed, 93-year-old Ralph John King was shown a certificate, signed by Gov. Tim Walz, that indicated his family farm, established by his parents in 1920, was officially a century farm. A moment of great pride, it came just weeks before his Sept. 29 death.

For Ralph, life was always centered around that 80-acre homestead at 25968 Lexington Road in rural Le Sueur County.

“In those last months, on one of my visits, we took a ride out to the farm and it was probably one of the happiest days of the end of his life,” said Ralph’s niece Barb Damerow. “He really loved that farm.”

Ralph’s parents, John and Hattie, ran the farm for 48 years before John died and Ralph took over. Ralph then presided over it for another 52 years (renting it out in the last several years). In February, Ralph started to experience some health problems, and with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting life by March, any plans to celebrate the family farm’s achievement were put on hold. Unfortunately, the opportunity to celebrate with Ralph was lost, as his health deteriorated and he died by the fall.

While it was painful to lose her uncle, Damerow was grateful for the time she and her five children got to be with him, and happy that he was able to see the century farm certificate before his passing. Ralph had no children of his own, and the future of the farm is still to be determined, but that won’t impact the past 100 years. at my uncle, as a 93-year-old living there so long, he was looked at as the head of the farming community in that area.”

History

King’s parents purchased the farm from Henry and Ida Thelemann in 1920 at a cost of $300 per acre. The 80 acres grew corn, barley, alfalfa and meadow hay, and those staple crops stuck around through its history. Also on the farm over the years, there have been chickens, dairy cows, pigs, horses, dogs, cats and geese.

“They lived on that farm from 1920 on and raised the family,” said Damerow of her grandparents.

John and Hattie King raised four children — three girls and a boy. Ralph King was actually part of triplets, along with one of his sisters; but the third triplet, a brother, died shortly after birth. The kids grew up, helping out in the fields, in the house and with the animals.

“I think they really enjoyed growing up on the farm,” Damerow said. “I think the girls didn’t see farming in their future. They all left and moved

FARM FACTS

• Took over by Ralph King in 1968 • Rented out in 1980 all along, learning how to farm.”

In 1938, a fire took down the family’s original home. A corn husk got caught in a wood stove and burned the house down. Hattie ran off to call the fire department, while John ran in to grab important insurance papers and other items. The family lived with relatives until they — with some outside help — could get a new home built.

“The community really pulled together to rebuild the new home for the family,” Damerow said. “It was a significant moment for them. My uncle (Ralph) told stories about how they were building in the winter, and they had to heat the nails during construction. My mom talked about losing all her little dolls and things like that. They were all little kids.”

Ralph was more than ready to take over by the time his father died in 1968. He maintained the 80 acres, not shrinking or growing the farm. He was the full-time farmer on the land until he was 80, when he started renting out some of the land.

There was never too much stress for

• Purchased by John and Hattie King in 1920 for $300 per acre

Ralph.

• Located at 25968 Lexington Road, Le Sueur

• 80 acres, growing corn, wheat, oats, barley, alfalfa and meadow hay

• Animals raised include cows, chickens, pigs, horses, dogs and cats the King family farm in rural Le sueur County, photographed in the 1940s. the King farm was purchased by John and Hattie in 1920 and then transferred to their son John in 1968. (Photo courtesy of Barb Damerow)

mom talked about that a lot, too,” Damerow said. “He was a very intelligent farmer. There was never any financial worries. He was definitely the type of farmer that helped out a lot of the other farmers, too.”

After taking over the farm, Ralph met Carol, a Le Sueur schoolteacher, and the two married and lived together until her death about five years ago.

Community leader

There are a number of longstanding family farms in the area where the King farm stands, and it created a community where people helped and shared with one another.

Chris Wacker runs a farm about a mile and a half across the fields, as the crow flies. He was 33 years younger than Ralph, but ever since he was about 10 years old, he knew the longtime farmer well. Work gets done on the King family farm in the 1950s. (Photo courtesy of Barb Damerow) Wacker said. “We picked corn to- so when people took ear corn and put gether. We made wood in the win- it in cribs, he came over and shelled ter time together. When he sold his that to take the corn off the cob to sell cows, I rented his barn to put hay it it in town,” Wacker said. “It meant a in and everything. We got along real lot. You can always count on Ralph. well. Ralph was a heck of a good guy.” He’d be there.”