Herdman Barn Pictures

A couple of years ago while I was at a wedding reception for a former student, I was chatting with Gale Iverson about the History Club and some of the things we have been up to the last couple of years. He mentioned to me that Donna Herdman had pictures of a number of local farms. I jotted myself a note.

I was pleasantly surprised when I came to school one morning and had a message from her. She had beaten me to the punch. The History Club had begun its annual application process and we were looking at activities for the summer. The focus for the year is the changing rural landscape. When Donna mentioned the pictures she had, the fit could not have been more perfect.

These photos were taken by Donna and her husband during the 90's. The sheer number of photos is remarkable and they provide the visual evidence of the importance of agriculture in this community (not that a drive through the countryside would not be ample enough evidence). The History Club spent a day scanning the photographs so they can be available digitally. Click here for the first of a series of the photos that Donna has so kindly shared. This first batch is Parkers Prairie Township and the family names and sections have all been documented by the Herdmans.