Ostroms Decide to Make a Move

Ed's Day Wednesday

Dear FOLKS,

This week's stories from my cousin Ed Ostrom has us looking into the last half of the 1930s into the 1940s for Oscar Ostrom and his family who have been farming in the very southern area of Ward County, North Dakota near the small town of Douglas.

Life in Douglas, North Dakota had extreme temperatures. During the winter it is common for the temperatures to drop to -30 degrees for long periods of time. People just “hunkered down and waited for the storms to pass." The white stuff would be dry and the winds would blow the snow into huge piles. Snow banks were left wherever it blew. Winter storms made it difficult to feed and water the “live stock.” The water would freeze in the cold winters and blizzards made it hard to get hay to the animals both in the barn and open fields. This area was previously occupied by bison. The bison had adapted by facing or walking into the storm and would eat the snow for liquid.[1] The animals Europeans brought to the area had not adopted those abilities and would die of thirst standing in a pile of snow. During the summer temperatures often would rise to over 110 degrees. This was usually during harvest time; temperatures that were difficult for people to do the work as well and for the plants they were harvesting.

The Ostrom family was quite connected to this little community. For a while, Oscar was the head of Spring Lake School district in Ward County, N.D. Four rural schools made up the district and it is thought that they were named: Haner, Lunde, Stenberg and Ostrom schools. Oscar also participated on the Township Board, County Board and the local Farmer’s Union. He liked being involved with what was happening throughout the area.

Most of the people in farming areas of North Dakota in the early 1900’s had limited knowledge of the world outside their farming community. There were no electric power grids, and roads were nothing more than dirt trails. The general mode of transportation was the horse. The radios used batteries and static was common so very little could be deciphered. Farmers got their information by joining co-ops and local granges. These and their church provided connection to others for information and social events. 

But it wasn't enough. By 1935-1936 it had been weighing heavily on Oscar that the drought wasn't improving and the Great Depression were working against him to have a profitable farm. Many of his neighbors had already given up and had left the area. This too weighed heavily on Oscar.

Normally, grass for grazing grew in the fields but the drought allowed only Canadian thistle. This plant, known today as as noxious weed is actually a form of thistle called "creeping thistle" and has nothing to do with Canada. It is good food for goldfinches, but is starvation feed for cattle. Farming was a loss; 50 cents a bushel of wheat the cost $3.00 a bushel to grow. Oscar told his son, Edwin "Tom" Ostrom, "I've got to get the hell out of North Dakota. I am going broke!"

IMAGE: In pine trees near mountain, taken about 1936.
Left to right: Oscar Ostrom, Louis Larson and unknown. On
California inquiry trip. Photographer unknown. From the
Ostrom family photograph collection.

In the spring of 1936, Oscar along with two [possibly three] others from Douglas made a scouting trip looking for a new location. One of the three was Louis Larson and it was Louis' car that they drove because Oscar only had a pickup truck at the time.  The third man is unknown. The three traveled to California on the recommendation of Douglas area acquaintances who had already moved. They would also look to Arizona and Oregon for possible places to start over.

IMAGE: 1936 scouting trip to California. Getting acquainted
with a local. Left to right: Oscar Ostrom, unknown (behind) donkey
carrying wood, Louis Larson and unknown. Photographer
unknown. From the Ostrom family photograph collection.

[Author's comment: I suggest there were four people in the group. In most of the photos regarding this trip there are the three mentioned travelers, but who was it that was taking the photos? This omission leads me to ponder the notion of there being a fourth individual who was included in their scouting party.]

IMAGE: 1936 goofing around a Joshua tree. Up in the tree while bending
over the long stem of the tree's flowers[2] is Oscar Ostrom. On the
ground left is Louis Larson and unknown on the right. Photographer
unknown. From the Ostrom family photo collection.

Photo evidence tells us that the group traveled to southeastern California where they experienced pulling off the road and camping for the night at the base of a Joshua tree. I am sure they thought it was an odd tree. They must of had quite the adventure. Can you imagine for them the immensely tall terrain of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. Many of us on the West Coast, take these great mountains for granted, but can you imagine the wonder that these men from the flat lands of North Dakota thought when they reached those giants? 

IMAGE: 1936 Flooded road taken by someone from the running
board of the car,. A horse-drawn buggy is walking the in water
in the middle of the photo. Photographer unknown.
From the Ostrom family photo collection.

They also drove through a flooded area. It is unknown if this was a local flood or a regional one. According to newspaper accounts, there was a flood in January, 1936 in the area of Sacramento, California and north of there.[3] Family has it that Oscar traveled in the spring of that year, so it is unclear as to where they are here where the photo was taken. Just to say the area must of had an unusually wet period in the first-half of 1936.

The areas of interest for this trip included Modesto and  Lodi, California. After his return to North Dakota from this scouting trip, Oscar would tell family and friends, "I don't know grapes. All I know is wheat." Lodi is famous for its grape and wine production; being the "Zinfandel Capital of the World."[4]

The scouting group would also visit Monitor, Oregon. Oscar knew a Douglas farmer who had bought land near Monitor, Oregon. This area is in the Willamette Valley, rich farming land. It took a few days, but Oscar would eventually find a 25-acre farm on Carl Road, in Woodburn, Oregon that he put some money down on and eventually bought. Woodburn, Oregon is roughly 11 miles northeast of Monitor. 

Oscar was pleased with his decision, and now had a lot of work to do and decisions to make on just how to go about packing up from the homestead in Douglas and moving to Woodburn, Oregon. But my, those the tall trees, water and the color GREEN all over; western Oregon were so inviting! Oscar was anxious to get back to Douglas to tell his family about his discoveries and all about the new farm. Next week, we'll see that the news was great to some and not so great for others.

My thanks to Ed's brother, for helping me tell this week's encounter with Oscar Ostrom. If anyone knows of the names of those from the photographs I had to leave as "unknown," please contact me. I would like to fill-in the blanks.

Thank you for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed the visit!

Sources:

1. The National Bison Association Blog (http://www.bisoncentral.com/ : accessed 16 Mar 2016), The Nature of Bison.

2. Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yucca_brevifolia&oldid=701642757 : accessed 16 March 2016), Yucca brevifolia.

3. CDNC : California Digital Newspaper Collection (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/ : accessed 16 Mar 2016), The Madera Tribune, Issue No. 62, 16 January 1936, page 1.

4. Lodi California : Behind the Wine (http://visitlodi.com/ : accessed 16 March 2016), What Makes Lodi the Zinfidel Capital of the World?

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