Out Here on the Prairie

There are many sloughs in the Streeter area.

It looks like this tiny old place is succumbing to one. 

Old house on a hill.

Clearly the land is still used (the trucks are there) but the house hasn’t been lived in for ages.

This little place catches my eye because, when it’s not a drought, the water creeps so close to the house!

Plus the house is just plain cute. I wish I could see inside!

So there you have it! Some notable homesteads in the Streeter area that catch my eye. 

Here is one of the barns on the property. She says each winter is harder on it. It’s used for storage.

And here is just part of her amazing garden from 2021! This is the biggest garden I have ever seen and trust me when I say - very little goes to waste. Bethany cans and preserves more than anyone I know! I have eaten food from this garden and it is incredible. 

And it brings me to my next song I have to share...

“O LIGHT SHINE DOWN ON ME

You know what I need

Shine down on me

Shine down on the garden

Sweet earth alive under me

You know what I need

Cradle me like a seed

As I lay in the garden...” (continue listening below)

Behind the house, a huge back yard. Her farm is partially surrounded by sloughs which I absolutely love. It’s such a peaceful, lovely place.

Out to another of the barns on the property! 

She showed me around this one and we were accompanied by a curious barn cat.

Bethany cares for unwanted animals that show up at her place. If only everyone could have a heart like her heart! I know she does it because they are all God’s creatures, and it warms my heart. 

Here’s another song to enjoy along our photo tour. A good old hymn - Bethany and I both love hymns. 

The view from the barn is a good one!

It’s right on the edge of a slough. 

Just outside the barn, more beautiful prairie country, and right by the slough. There is quite a bit of wildlife that live in and around the water. And I know Bethany and her family have canoed in it as well! 

A view of a few buildings on the property. 

One of the most beautiful songs I had to share while we tour Bethany’s farm is a song by one of my favorite groups - the Wailin Jennys. Their voices are purely heaven! And this is such a pretty old hymn. 

“Come, come with me to the old churchyard I so well know those paths 'neath the soft green sward Friends slumber in there that we want to regard We will trace out their names in the old churchyard...” (listen below) 

A view from the old white barn looking at some of the other property buildings. Used now for storage. This is no longer a working farm (aside from the giant garden!)

On the way to/from Bethany’s place you can see this old road - obviously closed now.

A slough has taken it over. This was an exceptionally dry year so you can see most of the road, but usually it’s fairly covered with water when I’ve been there before. Perhaps with all the snow ND has gotten this winter it will again be covered come spring. 

I should walk it sometime when it’s above water again! I know she has, and has reached the abandoned building on the other side. 

To close out this little post, I have to end with this song. Thank you for being my friend, Bethany! I’m so lucky to know you!

“My bark of life was tossing down

The troubled stream of time

When first I saw your smiling face

And youth was in its prime

I'll never forget where e're I roam

Wherever you may be

If ever I have had a friend

You've been that friend to me

Misfortune nursed me as her child

And loved me fondly too

I would have had a broken heart

Had it not been for you

I'll never forget where e're I roam

Wherever you may beIf ever I have had a friend

You've been that friend to me

I now look back across the past

Across life's trouble sea

And smile to think, 'mid all life's scenes

You've been a friend to me

I'll never forget where e're I roam

Wherever you may be

If ever I have had a friend

I think this truck was blue - or maybe red. Heck, maybe both. 

I have to wonder why it’s in pieces. 

Does anyone know what model this was, or is it too far gone?

Another thing I hadn’t thought of - actually exploring the area between the silos and the dairy building - and the silos themselves! This is why I love exploring with Linda and Bethany (and Lucas too!)

Here’s the operation on the back of the silos. 

It never ceases to amaze me what big operations these farms could be. No wonder they needed so many kids! 

We could actually look into the silos themselves! Up and up! 

Some kind of machinery inside the silo. 

This massive amount of space seems like such a waste. 

More of this contraption inside the silo. 

After the silos, we ventured behind the house and shelter belt to the old trailer house. 

It was far from in good shape. 

So much junk surrounded it. 

I wondered who lived here - farm hands, perhaps? 

Inside - it looks like this place was torn apart and stacked with junk. 

I don’t think the trailer is long for this world. And every old trailer has the same smell. Bad. 

Inside one of the few well intact buildings on the property - the machine shed. Clearly this place is still used for something. 

Lastly we checked out the old truck. There is usually a great old truck on these properties. This one didn’t disappoint! Also, note the boat in the background. 

A cool old door. 

And here we have it - final proof that this was absolutely a dairy farm! 

This was quite the operation and I can’t help but wonder why it was abandoned. 

Looking into the next room. 

Wow! So much going on here for milk, I assume. 

In a tiny room - an intact bathroom. 

This place is still in fine shape - better than the house. 

What could be through this door?

Wow!

This was really a total operation. Everything seems to be laid out well. 

Here is some old farm equipment. 

Some kind of automatic feeder. This couldn’t have been cheap. 

A pen. 

Unsure what this hole in the floor was for - But I’m sure my fellow explorers did! I am very ignorant of dairy farming, while Linda and Bethany are far less so. 

The back of this place - sunlight is coming in because part of the metal roof has blown off, which is a real bummer. 

But wait...what’s in that lower right corner? We will come back to that after we look at the blue thing in the center. 

A rock picker! I wonder if it was a Harley, which my paternal grandfather had something to do with. 

Random things in a corner. 

Now we get back to this! I was like what is!? It was quickly determined to be bowling ally flooring! 

What on earth would bowling ally flooring be doing here? 

And what would bowling pins be doing here!? Linda pointed out that likely, a local bowling ally was sold and whoever owned this place must have bought parts of it if not the whole building. Then stored the floor and pins in his dairy barn. There are at least six nearly abandoned tiny towns nearby. The mystery could likely be solved. 

Perhaps more wood from the bowling ally. 

Walking back down the other side of the barn you can see they used the feeding troughs as storage. 

And here we have stalls for the cows.

More storage. 

And more junk in a corner. 

Back in the front room, an old TV. 

So many things just rotting away. It’s a real shame. This building is still in ok shape! 

Right away you could see the space for animals. 

What this was, I am unsure. Perhaps my fellow adventurers remember. 

Someone had tried to finish off parts of the barn, although they’re pretty ruined now. 

I have to wonder what this room was and why someone had finished it at one point.

What’s through the door?

Obviously more space for animals. 

Hay racks and stalls. 

More hay racks. 

I discovered what this was long ago while exploring, and have seen them many times over my years looking through abandoned homesteads. An old waterer for the livestock. 

And the source of the humming noise - the source of the electric fence that is still alive and well despite the rest of the place falling apart. 

Another room falling apart, complete with old milk bucket. 

And another view of the hay racks, likely for the cows. 

Once we were in there was a lot to see. The room was in so much better shape than the rest of the house!

Below: seen in the corner. 

You can see the door to the upstairs, and the damage really starting by the window. How long as this place been abandoned and why is the damage so much worse in other places? Also, note the many canning jars. 

Curtain material. 

This is the closet by the front door.

Beside the front door closet - an old oven and an old kirby. 

My mom loved Kirby vacuums. She said they lasted forever - I bet this one could still work. 

Let’s go upstairs! Note the extensive wood paneling. 

Nearly there...

Back to extensive damage on this level. And so much filth. Look at that ceiling. 

The upstairs is two rooms with plenty of closet space. This is room one. 

Why repair a window with old newspapers and duct tape? Why not a piece of wood?

Here’s a pice of the “fix” that blew in. It’s the Jamestown Sun (so popular in these parts - found in many an abandoned house). As far as I can tell it’s from 2000. The house has been emptier longer than I thought. 

Looking around the room you can see a mattress and old chair. 

A totally decent bedroom at one point, I would imagine. 

Let’s head into the second bedroom. 

This one has worse damage from the ceiling. The roof outside doesn’t look too bad (better than most abandoned houses) so I have to wonder - what animal got in here?

Old chair and lots of ceiling gunk. 

A closet - and you can see the part of the roof that is the worst off.

Yikes it’s bad. 

Complete with a mirror on the back. It was a nice room once.

This is probably where this part of the house is deteriorating the most, it’s so sad. 

More storage. I think the doors are so pretty. 

Heading back downstairs. 

And back outside. 

We took a peek in the basement. 

Several washing machines left behind, and a whole bunch of junk. 

This lovely little homestead is tucked up against a hillside, overlooking a slough. You can see the silos from afar, and drive down the hill to get into the sheltered farm yard. It’s a truly lovely location!  

Here is the view from the corner of the farmyard. Isn’t it nice? 

Below: I don’t often see a metal sided building totally crunched in. Tornado, perhaps? 

A beautiful old leaning barn. As we walked around we could hear the hum of an electric fence.

View of the house and what was an old outbuilding that has obviously seen better days. I do wonder what it was for. 

We zeroed in on the house. I figured, this place couldn’t have been abandoned for long, right? It still has siding and a roof - and a lovely old shelter belt. 

Walking around the side, you can see the structure that protects the back door from the wind. 

I was excited to go inside. I figured this place must be fairly intact. 

Let’s check it out! 

Standing right in the front doorway, you look down into the basement on one side. We’ll get to that later. 

We headed up the stairs to the left that led to the main part of the house. Already it was in poorer shape than I thought it would be. 

I headed into a bedroom right off the main room (a dining room.) What clawed open the ceiling!? And the closet wall?

Yikes to that doorway. Also - so so dirty! 

What a nightmare! 

The back bedroom. 

YIKES. Why is this house in such terrible shape!? 

It was so dirty - obviously many abandoned homes are, but this one was top tier nasty. 

Space between rooms. 

This is the door you use when you come in from the back door. The dining room area. What an absolute shame. 

The kitchen - in the same room as the dining room. 

Did someone let raccoons loose in here? It’s so trashed. 

Always interesting to see what is left behind. 

Frilly curtains intact, and a baset in the sink. 

So much left behind. Such a shame. 

Just off the kitchen - the bathroom. It’s big! 

Nice storage. 

Decent cabinetry. 

Once again, every drawer pulled open and every cabinet door swinging. 

The rug was even left behind. 

This bathroom honestly wouldn’t be bad if it were fixed up. 

Looking toward the rest of the bathroom.

Toilet...someting landed on it. 

Complete with a light above it. And plenty of plug ins. 

What was the shower. 

Filthy filthy - ish, ish, ish!

Leaving the bathroom, the next doorway looks like this! Time to explore it in the next post. Stay tuned! 

Below: Linda explores the cottonwood grove. We were quite taken with it!

Looking over to the house again. 

You can see one thing that has really damaged the roof. 

Yikes! I bet that made a fun sound when it fell. 

A big part of me wished I could just pull it off the poor house.

The dead tree gave this angle of the house a different vibe. 

By the house, this funny, folded tree. 

Here we can see the lower windows that go to the bathroom (L) and the main bedroom (R ). 

So many lilacs! What may be hidden in them? 

Why, the old outhouse of course! 

An old tank. 

Rusting away beside the house.

Quick view into the house. 

Coming around the corner, a metal plate.

A coal chute?

Yup. “Majestic Coal Chute No 101”. This house was around a long while! 

An advertisement from 1918 for this exact coal chute. 

A view of the house and garage.

The garage was quite empty. 

The garage and an outbuilding. 

This place had everything to do with the farm operation. 

Let’s check it out!

Still standing strong!

A very home made contraption up top...

...for grain? 

What do you think?

Wired for electricity. 

Grain storage. 

Looking back outside. 

Pastureland. 

Windmill, still slowly turning. 

The edge of the farm property, appropriately clad with a grove of cottonwoods that mirror the much bigger grove on the other side. 

As with each homestead, this one tells its own story. We try to fill in the pieces the best we can. And as always, I wonder, who lived here? Why did they leave? If only I had a time machine and could visit 100 years back. It must have been a nice, tidy operation! 

For your listening pleasure...

Look at the decorative aspects of this place! Fading away, but enough left to still be lovely. 

One thing I love finding in abandoned places - things left behind. In this case, perennials! 

These orange day lilies hang on, even still. They are planted all along one side of the house. 

Can you imagine a farm wife putting them in the ground, hoping to add some beauty to her homestead? 

So many windows knocked out...

...the weather really gets in here. 

Let’s go inside! 

The steps are concrete, so we don’t need to worry about those, but watch your step around the house...

Something odd right off the batt in the entryway...(also, notice plumbing...perhaps a mudroom sink?)

What on earth is this thing?

We had some guesses...thought it looked a bit homemade...

...but ultimately, we didn’t come up with any one idea. Do you have one?

UPDATE: this thing has been identified thanks to the good folks at reddit!

"I would put $10 on it being a planter that once sat in the corner of the living room, and a floor lamp came up through the slot. The blue colour does make me think water feature as well, as such things do exist (someone has linked a very similarly shaped one). But the rocks make me settle on it being a little corner garden in the living room. It does look like there's an outlet on that wall in about that position as well."

and

"Mid century indoor fountain. If you don’t plan on keeping, do some research before selling— MCM pieces are extremely sought after/valuable. Hope this helps!

https://www.bukowskis.com/en/lots/294776-fontanbord-1960-70-tal "

From the mudroom to the kitchen. Everything has been ripped out.

An old heater is between the doors to the living room and second level. 

Here we go to the living room. 

Goodness, the blinds aren’t really helping matters are they?

That floor must have been beautiful once. 

Off the living room, this closet under the stairs. 

And a bedroom, as well. With doors nailed over a window. 

A fancy grate.

Going back into the kitchen...

...but first, look at the old light switch! 

Through the kitchen and another door and we find the old bathroom.

Normally tubs are not in such bad shape. This one is trashed! 

Pity. I’m sure someone loved and treasured this room back when it was fist put in. Indoor plumbing is no small deal.

Shall we go upstairs? 

Watch your step! 

Lots of damage on the second floor. This place has been uncared for for years.

Look at the pattern still visible on the floor!

I wonder - who decided the room should be a nice, sunny yellow?

Views to pasture land and prairie.

Closet.

Inside the closet, hooks remain.

And a faded wallpaper pattern.

And a different pattern on the coset ceiling. 

Let’s check out the next room!

A pink room.

The view - lovely cottonwoods.

Lots of damage here.

Corner moulding. 

Let’s go...

A quick look at the attic. I’m sure melting snow wrecks this place.

And out the door we go! Back to exploring outside. Stay tuned for part two!

For your listening pleasure...

This was, unbeknownst to me at the time, my last solstice at our home in Washburn. As I generally do, I drove out to the country for photos. 

They may not be photos of anything particularly special or noteworthy, but they are special to me because the North Dakota prairie is special to me.