Jacob L. Wagner
Oct 26,1899-July 1,1994
Jacob Wagner was born and grew up five miles north and west of Bristow, Nebraska. His parents were Henry Sr., a native Iowan, and Lucy, a German immigrant. Jake went to school in Bristow then attended business college in Grand Island, Nebraska for a while.That world didn't appeal to him, however, so he returned to the land, and his roots. Jake always liked cattle and raised them as many years as his health would permit. He worked with cattle all his life as Henry Sr. was a cattle buyer and had a feedlot at Spencer. Jake learned to be a cowboy at an early age, herding cattle his dad bought to their new quarters. 'They were pretty hard to drive sometimes," he recalls. ''They really didn't want to leave home." About 1920, Henry Sr. came to the Winner area. He and his oldest son, Otto, ran a freight line from Winner to Jordan. (Jordan was located where U.S. Highways 18 and 83 intersect about nine miles west of Winner.) With their horses and wagons, the Wagner's hauled lumber to help build the then-booming town. In 1923 Henry Sr. and Lucy decided to come to South Dakota. Tribal land was being sold in Todd County so the family decided to try to make a go of farming here. They bought a farm just north of what is now known as Olsonville. Before the Wagners could farm the land, however, machinery had to be brought from Spencer. That included a big 1917 Titan tractor, forerunner of the International Harvester. Jake drove the tractor onto the railroad car bound for Winner, the nearest rail station to Olsonville. Other machinery was put on a hayrack and pulled to Winner with the team of horses. When everything arrived in Winner, Bill and Henry, younger brothers of Jake, unloaded the tractor, hooked the hayrack behind it, and, leading the horses behind, headed for their new home. Jake soon came to join the family. "This place was broke up with that tractor and it was kind of a shame," Jake's nephew, Alvin Anderson said. "This is really ranchland, not farm country." The family settled one mile north of Olsonville and 1 1/2 miles west of U.S. Highway 83. 'The land was pretty desolate then," Jake says. "There were only a few fences and windmills around." He added that the only people living in the Olsonville area then were the Longcors, Bojes and Schemms. As there were no living quarters for the Wagner family at first, they stayed with Longcors until a house and farm buildings could be erected. The buildings are all gone now with irrigation systems owned by a neighboring farmer in their place. Henry Sr. decided to raise grain and purchased a 16 ft. Case combine. Jake tells of using tractors to pull the new machine up the steep hill just north of Valentine. "There was a very small bridge over the Minnechaduza River then, so we had to take the platform off the combine," he says. "It took a whole day just to get from Valentine to the top of the hill. Then it was getting dark so we slept in the combine overnight. The next day we started out again early. It took us most of the day to get here, about 20 miles." Jake can also vividly recall operating the combine, cutting the 16 ft. swaths of grain. He ran the combine and Henry Sr. ran the tractor to pull it as the combine engine only furnished the power to cut the grain. Jake says another big improvement in the farming operation came when Henry Sr. finally bought a single row cornpicker and the family no longer had to pick the ears by hand. In 1928, Jake and his parents returned to Spencer and Bristow, Nebraska again. His mother passed away in 1941 and then his father died in 1953. In 1959, he came back to Olsonville to live and farm with Alvin. Jake has been with Alvin 35 years now. "He doesn't like being alone," Alvin says. "So he has a home here as long as I can care for him. Alvin's father and mother (Jake's sister) also had a home with him as long as they lived. Jake says he has seen a lot in his nearly 95 years and has had a good life. But the best times of all were when he could work with cattle...herding, feeding, bringing new lives into the world, just watching them graze..."every cowboy's dream," he says. Article written by: Phyllis Littau
submitted by Doris Fernau Wagner
Oct 26,1899-July 1,1994
Jacob Wagner was born and grew up five miles north and west of Bristow, Nebraska. His parents were Henry Sr., a native Iowan, and Lucy, a German immigrant. Jake went to school in Bristow then attended business college in Grand Island, Nebraska for a while.That world didn't appeal to him, however, so he returned to the land, and his roots. Jake always liked cattle and raised them as many years as his health would permit. He worked with cattle all his life as Henry Sr. was a cattle buyer and had a feedlot at Spencer. Jake learned to be a cowboy at an early age, herding cattle his dad bought to their new quarters. 'They were pretty hard to drive sometimes," he recalls. ''They really didn't want to leave home." About 1920, Henry Sr. came to the Winner area. He and his oldest son, Otto, ran a freight line from Winner to Jordan. (Jordan was located where U.S. Highways 18 and 83 intersect about nine miles west of Winner.) With their horses and wagons, the Wagner's hauled lumber to help build the then-booming town. In 1923 Henry Sr. and Lucy decided to come to South Dakota. Tribal land was being sold in Todd County so the family decided to try to make a go of farming here. They bought a farm just north of what is now known as Olsonville. Before the Wagners could farm the land, however, machinery had to be brought from Spencer. That included a big 1917 Titan tractor, forerunner of the International Harvester. Jake drove the tractor onto the railroad car bound for Winner, the nearest rail station to Olsonville. Other machinery was put on a hayrack and pulled to Winner with the team of horses. When everything arrived in Winner, Bill and Henry, younger brothers of Jake, unloaded the tractor, hooked the hayrack behind it, and, leading the horses behind, headed for their new home. Jake soon came to join the family. "This place was broke up with that tractor and it was kind of a shame," Jake's nephew, Alvin Anderson said. "This is really ranchland, not farm country." The family settled one mile north of Olsonville and 1 1/2 miles west of U.S. Highway 83. 'The land was pretty desolate then," Jake says. "There were only a few fences and windmills around." He added that the only people living in the Olsonville area then were the Longcors, Bojes and Schemms. As there were no living quarters for the Wagner family at first, they stayed with Longcors until a house and farm buildings could be erected. The buildings are all gone now with irrigation systems owned by a neighboring farmer in their place. Henry Sr. decided to raise grain and purchased a 16 ft. Case combine. Jake tells of using tractors to pull the new machine up the steep hill just north of Valentine. "There was a very small bridge over the Minnechaduza River then, so we had to take the platform off the combine," he says. "It took a whole day just to get from Valentine to the top of the hill. Then it was getting dark so we slept in the combine overnight. The next day we started out again early. It took us most of the day to get here, about 20 miles." Jake can also vividly recall operating the combine, cutting the 16 ft. swaths of grain. He ran the combine and Henry Sr. ran the tractor to pull it as the combine engine only furnished the power to cut the grain. Jake says another big improvement in the farming operation came when Henry Sr. finally bought a single row cornpicker and the family no longer had to pick the ears by hand. In 1928, Jake and his parents returned to Spencer and Bristow, Nebraska again. His mother passed away in 1941 and then his father died in 1953. In 1959, he came back to Olsonville to live and farm with Alvin. Jake has been with Alvin 35 years now. "He doesn't like being alone," Alvin says. "So he has a home here as long as I can care for him. Alvin's father and mother (Jake's sister) also had a home with him as long as they lived. Jake says he has seen a lot in his nearly 95 years and has had a good life. But the best times of all were when he could work with cattle...herding, feeding, bringing new lives into the world, just watching them graze..."every cowboy's dream," he says. Article written by: Phyllis Littau
submitted by Doris Fernau Wagner
Jacob L. Wagner
Oct 26,1899-July 1,1994
Jacob Wagner was born and grew up five miles north and west of Bristow, Nebraska. His parents were Henry Sr., a native Iowan, and Lucy, a German immigrant. Jake went to school in Bristow then attended business college in Grand Island, Nebraska for a while.That world didn't appeal to him, however, so he returned to the land, and his roots. Jake always liked cattle and raised them as many years as his health would permit. He worked with cattle all his life as Henry Sr. was a cattle buyer and had a feedlot at Spencer. Jake learned to be a cowboy at an early age, herding cattle his dad bought to their new quarters. 'They were pretty hard to drive sometimes," he recalls. ''They really didn't want to leave home." About 1920, Henry Sr. came to the Winner area. He and his oldest son, Otto, ran a freight line from Winner to Jordan. (Jordan was located where U.S. Highways 18 and 83 intersect about nine miles west of Winner.) With their horses and wagons, the Wagner's hauled lumber to help build the then-booming town. In 1923 Henry Sr. and Lucy decided to come to South Dakota. Tribal land was being sold in Todd County so the family decided to try to make a go of farming here. They bought a farm just north of what is now known as Olsonville. Before the Wagners could farm the land, however, machinery had to be brought from Spencer. That included a big 1917 Titan tractor, forerunner of the International Harvester. Jake drove the tractor onto the railroad car bound for Winner, the nearest rail station to Olsonville. Other machinery was put on a hayrack and pulled to Winner with the team of horses. When everything arrived in Winner, Bill and Henry, younger brothers of Jake, unloaded the tractor, hooked the hayrack behind it, and, leading the horses behind, headed for their new home. Jake soon came to join the family. "This place was broke up with that tractor and it was kind of a shame," Jake's nephew, Alvin Anderson said. "This is really ranchland, not farm country." The family settled one mile north of Olsonville and 1 1/2 miles west of U.S. Highway 83. 'The land was pretty desolate then," Jake says. "There were only a few fences and windmills around." He added that the only people living in the Olsonville area then were the Longcors, Bojes and Schemms. As there were no living quarters for the Wagner family at first, they stayed with Longcors until a house and farm buildings could be erected. The buildings are all gone now with irrigation systems owned by a neighboring farmer in their place. Henry Sr. decided to raise grain and purchased a 16 ft. Case combine. Jake tells of using tractors to pull the new machine up the steep hill just north of Valentine. "There was a very small bridge over the Minnechaduza River then, so we had to take the platform off the combine," he says. "It took a whole day just to get from Valentine to the top of the hill. Then it was getting dark so we slept in the combine overnight. The next day we started out again early. It took us most of the day to get here, about 20 miles." Jake can also vividly recall operating the combine, cutting the 16 ft. swaths of grain. He ran the combine and Henry Sr. ran the tractor to pull it as the combine engine only furnished the power to cut the grain. Jake says another big improvement in the farming operation came when Henry Sr. finally bought a single row cornpicker and the family no longer had to pick the ears by hand. In 1928, Jake and his parents returned to Spencer and Bristow, Nebraska again. His mother passed away in 1941 and then his father died in 1953. In 1959, he came back to Olsonville to live and farm with Alvin. Jake has been with Alvin 35 years now. "He doesn't like being alone," Alvin says. "So he has a home here as long as I can care for him. Alvin's father and mother (Jake's sister) also had a home with him as long as they lived. Jake says he has seen a lot in his nearly 95 years and has had a good life. But the best times of all were when he could work with cattle...herding, feeding, bringing new lives into the world, just watching them graze..."every cowboy's dream," he says. Article written by: Phyllis Littau
submitted by Doris Fernau Wagner
Oct 26,1899-July 1,1994
Jacob Wagner was born and grew up five miles north and west of Bristow, Nebraska. His parents were Henry Sr., a native Iowan, and Lucy, a German immigrant. Jake went to school in Bristow then attended business college in Grand Island, Nebraska for a while.That world didn't appeal to him, however, so he returned to the land, and his roots. Jake always liked cattle and raised them as many years as his health would permit. He worked with cattle all his life as Henry Sr. was a cattle buyer and had a feedlot at Spencer. Jake learned to be a cowboy at an early age, herding cattle his dad bought to their new quarters. 'They were pretty hard to drive sometimes," he recalls. ''They really didn't want to leave home." About 1920, Henry Sr. came to the Winner area. He and his oldest son, Otto, ran a freight line from Winner to Jordan. (Jordan was located where U.S. Highways 18 and 83 intersect about nine miles west of Winner.) With their horses and wagons, the Wagner's hauled lumber to help build the then-booming town. In 1923 Henry Sr. and Lucy decided to come to South Dakota. Tribal land was being sold in Todd County so the family decided to try to make a go of farming here. They bought a farm just north of what is now known as Olsonville. Before the Wagners could farm the land, however, machinery had to be brought from Spencer. That included a big 1917 Titan tractor, forerunner of the International Harvester. Jake drove the tractor onto the railroad car bound for Winner, the nearest rail station to Olsonville. Other machinery was put on a hayrack and pulled to Winner with the team of horses. When everything arrived in Winner, Bill and Henry, younger brothers of Jake, unloaded the tractor, hooked the hayrack behind it, and, leading the horses behind, headed for their new home. Jake soon came to join the family. "This place was broke up with that tractor and it was kind of a shame," Jake's nephew, Alvin Anderson said. "This is really ranchland, not farm country." The family settled one mile north of Olsonville and 1 1/2 miles west of U.S. Highway 83. 'The land was pretty desolate then," Jake says. "There were only a few fences and windmills around." He added that the only people living in the Olsonville area then were the Longcors, Bojes and Schemms. As there were no living quarters for the Wagner family at first, they stayed with Longcors until a house and farm buildings could be erected. The buildings are all gone now with irrigation systems owned by a neighboring farmer in their place. Henry Sr. decided to raise grain and purchased a 16 ft. Case combine. Jake tells of using tractors to pull the new machine up the steep hill just north of Valentine. "There was a very small bridge over the Minnechaduza River then, so we had to take the platform off the combine," he says. "It took a whole day just to get from Valentine to the top of the hill. Then it was getting dark so we slept in the combine overnight. The next day we started out again early. It took us most of the day to get here, about 20 miles." Jake can also vividly recall operating the combine, cutting the 16 ft. swaths of grain. He ran the combine and Henry Sr. ran the tractor to pull it as the combine engine only furnished the power to cut the grain. Jake says another big improvement in the farming operation came when Henry Sr. finally bought a single row cornpicker and the family no longer had to pick the ears by hand. In 1928, Jake and his parents returned to Spencer and Bristow, Nebraska again. His mother passed away in 1941 and then his father died in 1953. In 1959, he came back to Olsonville to live and farm with Alvin. Jake has been with Alvin 35 years now. "He doesn't like being alone," Alvin says. "So he has a home here as long as I can care for him. Alvin's father and mother (Jake's sister) also had a home with him as long as they lived. Jake says he has seen a lot in his nearly 95 years and has had a good life. But the best times of all were when he could work with cattle...herding, feeding, bringing new lives into the world, just watching them graze..."every cowboy's dream," he says. Article written by: Phyllis Littau
submitted by Doris Fernau Wagner
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