By Andrew Halada

My dad died in 1983. My mom, after living on the farm by herself for six years with the support of all my siblings, decided it was time to sell the homestead along with the 40 acres it was located on and move to town (Algoma, Wisconsin).

The struggles of living alone in what was becoming a sparsely populated area along with grieving the loss of her husband made the decision easier. Most of the old neighbors have also passed on or moved to begin new lives. With the farm being about 5 miles from Algoma and now becoming more isolated, especially in winter, also hastened the move.

As I look back, I think us kids felt more sentimental than she did, as she was ready to move on. The fond (and maybe some not so fond) memories were not a practical reason to stay.

Cleaning out and sorting through things in preparation for the auction was tough, as again so many memories.

The day of the auction was very sad even though many relatives, friends and the remaining neighbors came to support us.

My dear friends Dennis and Debbie Anderson drove up from Port Washington and without me knowing, bought two wooden spoked grain drill wheels.  Much to my surprise they gave them to me as a gift.  The wheels are still prominently displayed on the side of our garage here in Madison. I think of the farm every time I walk by them.

The hardest thing to see sold was our Allis Chalmers D-17 Tractor which our parents bought new in 1960.  It was our workhouse tractor, which was our main tractor until the very last day. The purchase of this tractor meant the end of the line for our draft horses King & Nellie.

On the day of the real estate closing, I got up early and walked through the buildings for most likely the final time.  I took pictures of the milkhouse wall where we, as well as friends and family, wrote or carved things, mainly initials and dates.  I then etched into the wall for the last time my initials AAH and 11/30/1989. 

It was a melancholy time and I moped around for a few months feeling sad about selling what was a big part of our life. The sadness passed after seeing how happy my mother was, living in town in a house she loved and was proud of.

One can only imagine the heartache those farmers and families felt who lost their farms due to the agricultural downturn of the 198’s.

As a side note, my wife and I bought my mother’s house in town to preserve these memories with the idea of keeping our Algoma roots together and having the family gather with ease.  So far, the goal has been met.

© 2023 Andrew Halada

A farm boy at heart, Andrew Halada grew up in rural Algoma, Wisconsin on a 120-acre dairy farm that also had pigs, chickens, and a small apple orchard. He attended UW River Falls with a Major in Agribusiness and a Minor in Animal Science. Andrew retired from the USDA Farm Service Agency in 2019 after a 40-year career. Writing short stories has always been an interest and he has taken a few writing classes the last few years.