Happy New Year

I want to thank my family, friends, co-workers and our visitors for a successful and rewarding 2012.  Have a great New Year and I look forward to seeing all of you in in the coming year.  Take Care, Todd

Merry Christmas from everyone at Wagner Farm

A couple more Wagner pictures

Back in time

Recently we had a really neat donation come to the Farm from former Glenview resident Karen Pulfer Focht.  When Karen was in high school she took a number of shots of Wagner Farm for a class project.  They were long forgotten until a recent a trip to the attic brought them to light again.  For us, they are a great chance to see the Farm as it looked while it was still being run by the Wagners in the last part of the 1970's.  In an interesting side, Karen would go on to be a newspaper photographer. 

Farrowing in Schaumburg

Last week I went over to Volkening Farm for a meeting and saw that they had a new litter of pigs come.  Because they use historic breeds there was a lot of color in the shoats.  Today on farms 80% or more of the pigs are pink.  The reason is farmers tend to use breeds that are more specialized and less dual purpose.  In the 1880's, which is the time period depicted by Volkening Farm, pigs were not only used for meat but lard was a very important by-product. 

Passing of a Legend

Photo courtesy of Chris Walker, Chicago Tribune 2001/February 21, 2012

Chicagoland canoe legend, champion of the Illinois waterways, and fourth-generation blacksmith Ralph Frese passed away on Monday, December 10. For those of you not familiar with Ralph, he was an acquaintance of Wagner Farm volunteer Jack, but his credentials did not stop there. He was also an environmentalist, crusader, historian, lecturer, writer, blacksmith, and canoeist supreme. Indeed, Ralph was popularly known in the paddling community as “Mr. Canoe” and was a champion of the Chicago-region rivers for more than 50 years. In recognition of his love, dedication, and contribution to these waterways and the sport of canoeing, he was the recipient of numerous awards from national, state, and local organizations, and in 2007, the Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County named the North Branch of the Chicago River from Willow Road to Dempster Street the Ralph Frese River Trail.

Some of you may remember that Ralph spoke at our quarterly volunteer meeting back in October about the history of the North Branch of the Chicago River and how it has changed over time. I'm so glad that Jack introduced us to him and that many of us were foturnate enough to hear him speak about his passion and lifework before his passing. I think I speak for all of us when I say that it was a pleasure to have had the chance to meet him and learn from such a legend. A wake will be held from 3:00-8:00 pm today followed by a service at 8:00 pm at Simkins Funeral Home, 6251 W. Dempster St., Morton Grove, Illinois.

Hog Workshop

Last week, some of the staff went to Primrose Farm in St. Charles, Illinois for a hog butchering workshop since many of us had never had the opportunity to learn firsthand about this seasonal family farm tradition.  While this type of experience is not for everyone, it was very educational to see just how our food gets from the farm to the kitchen table.  Jon, Kirk, and Kelly did a wonderful job of discussing the science, anatomy and history of porcine proccessing and demonstrating the basic techniques used on family farms for generations to clean, dress and butcher hogs.  All of us who attended the workshop would highly recommend it next year for anyone interested in learning more about traditional methods of meat processing and preservation.

Mending Fences

Posted by Allyson

This past week, Richard and Andy began pulling off the wood that had rotted on the fence posts in front of the farmhouse and even reset one of the posts that was a tad crooked.  There's an old saying, "Good fences make good neighbors."  The saying is typically interpreted within the context of days gone by when small family farmers didn't want their livestock to get out or their neighbors' livestock to come in.  Although the fence around the farmhouse doesn't keep any livestock in or out these days, we still take seriously the building and mainintaing of our fences. 

Deck the Halls With Boughs & Cows

Posted by Allyson

Winter sales are in full swing at Wagner Farm.  Even Daisy is getting into the holiday spirit!  Make sure you stop by soon for a beautiful selection of Christmas trees and wreaths for your home and yard.  Sale hours are Monday-Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday/Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Remember, all sales help to feed and support the animals at the farm.

Breakfast Time!

Posted by Allyson

I took some photos of breakfast time on the farm this morning for Andres's article in the forthcoming issue of Wagner Tales and thought it would be apt to share a few with you as a follow up to the previous post about lunchtime.  Don't worry!  Although the pigs are not pictured here, they were fed (I was a little late for the start of the morning chores). You always have a good chance of getting a good look at the animals if you stop by around feeding time in the mid-morning and again in the late afternoon.  Be sure look for Andres's article in the next issue of Wagner Tales for more details about what the farmers feed the the animals of Wagner Farm in the winter and what else they do to keep the livestock warm and healthy.  Volunteers and members of the Friends of Wagner Farm should receive a copy within the next week or so.  If you aren't a volunteer or member of the FWF, you can always pick up a copy of the latest issue inside the Heritage Center.

What's For Lunch?

Posted by Allyson

This past fall, I went to Galena, Illinois for Laor Day weekend. I took in many of the usual tourist attractions but also took a couple of side trips to some lesser known historic sites. Among these was Belden School, a limestone one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1859 near the center of Guilford Township in what is now the Galena Territory. The schoolhouse was in use for 84 years until 1943 when declining enrollment and school consolidation forced it to close. In 2004, a small group of Galena Territory residents organized the Belden School Restoration Committee and worked to restore the schoolhouse over the next 5 years to its appearance in 1936. As it stands today, the schoolhouse is a wonderful representation of a rural school in the Midwest during the early 20th century and a testament to the will and power of local residents to preserve the past for future generations.

Belden School had a strong appeal for me. As I walked through the schoolhouse and talked with the docents, I found many connections between the history and story of the school and my life. The story of its preservation reminded me of the efforts of COWS to save Wagner Farm. The desks and the layout with the cloak room upfront reminded me of the one-room schoolhouses mentioned in the books I had been reading by Jerry Apps and Bob Artley. Apparently, one-room schoolhouses hold strong appeal for other history enthusiasts as well because in November, I attended a session at a museum conference entirely about what children who attended one-room schools brought for lunch. The results of the research conducted by Sarah S. Uthoff were fascinating and ranged from food items to lunch boxes and hand washing. However, the small number of participants surveyed limited the implications of her results.

Not giving up, Sarah is continuing to collect data would love your help. If you or someone you know attended or taught in a one-room schoolhouse, please take a few minutes to complete her questionnaire. It can be completed online here or printed on Sarah's website and returned to the address provided.