Jesse James was a Piker, 1959

Advertisement for a regular The Farmer feature known as "The Watchdog." Full text available here. The use of the word "piker" doesn't follow most definitions I can find: it usually means 'miserly' or a 'hobo', but the article uses it in a "thieving" context. If you do happen to be in the Northfield area, Jesse James Days are going on this weekend, and you can find out just how big a piker he was, first-hand.

The Old Woman Tossed in a Basket, 1910s

An illustration of the Mother Goose rhyme The Old Woman Tossed in a Basket, from The Book Of Knowledge.

Threshing Oats, 1942

Note reads, "Threshing oats at home. November 1942." If you're in west-central Minnesota, go see this done live at Rollag starting today.

Farmall F-20 Threshing, 1942.

Caption reads, "Threshing at our old home place. November 1942. That's Lawrence on the load." The thresher is stopped and not visible, behind the wagons. More detail tomorrow morning in another photo. The tractor pictured is a mid-1930s-era Farmall F-20 tractor.

Two Men At Bridge, 1940s.

Two men standing at bridge. 1940s.

Malferd's Garden, 1960s.

Note on back reads, "This is part of our house on the south side. Malferd & I both love to work in the yard." Color photo, appears 1960s.

Black Dress, Wooden Screen, 1890s

A cabinet card portrait of a woman wearing a plan black dress, standing with one hand on an intricately woven bent-wood fireplace screen. The view behind her is a hand-painted backdrop depicting the interior of a house. Portrait by G.T. Hamery of Crookston, Minnesota, late 19th century.