In some places, Russian thistle has served as a centerpiece at some community festivals, but here in Dakotaland it is a nuisance weed and nothing more. This story took on added meaning when I was visiting my dentist in Tripp. On his waiting room table, I found a copy of the December 2013 National Geographic where, on page 130, was a story titled “The Weed That Won The West.” The story shares that the Department of Agriculture in 1880 had received reports of a strange new plant near the town of Yankton, S.D. Furthermore, the story said the seed was found in some contaminated flaxseed near the town of Scotland, S.D. Interesting as that was the very story Mrs. Bender had shared with me earlier.
AMERICAN EMBLEMS Tumbleweeds were already a detested farming pest and fire threat back in the late 19th century, but that didn’t stop them from becoming immortalized in 20th-century Western movies as rugged roamers, symbols of our national reverence for resilient individualism, wide open spaces and rambling frontier freedom. Several Westerns were named for these shrubby lone drifters — a 1925 silent film called “Tumbleweeds” and a 1953 Audie Murphy flick named "Tumbleweed." A 1935 Gene Autry movie titled "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" also featured a hit song by the same name.
A poster for the 1925 silent movie “Tumbleweeds” starring iconic cowboy actor William S. Hart.
www.treehugger.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-abouttumbleweeds-4864166
TUMBLEGEDDON! From a series of Twitter posts on Jan. 1, 2020, by Washington State Patrol Officer Chris Thorson • We’re still working on clearing the roadway with Washington State DOT. We are unsure when the roadway will be opened. Tumbleweeds are piled 20-30 feet in places. #tumblegeddon • After 10 hours of (Highway) SR 240 being closed last night on New Year’s Eve, it was opened around 0430 thanks to Washington State Department of Transportation. #tumblegeddon • We still have one abandoned car trapped in the tumbleweeds that was found at daylight, luckily no one was in it. #tumblegeddon “Tumblegeddon” was a massive collection of tumbleweeds which closed highways in Washington State on Dec. 31, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2020. Snowplows were brought in to clear the highways of the tumbleweeds. Photo by Chris Thorson, Washington State Patrol.
ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS CARING. For over 100 years, De Smet Farm Mutual has been helping to protect what we all love about South Dakota. While it may take some time to recognize our new look, you can have confidence that the values our company was founded on are stronger than ever.
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(605) 854-3337 www.DeSmetFarmMutual.com November 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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