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Rocking Horse Farm is a special attraction Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Rocking Horse Farm
Location: 25636 County Road 74, St. Cloud
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guided tours are available by appointment.
Phone: (320) 252-2996 for more information.
Web site: home.earthlink.net/~rhfarm
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Not much farming takes place at Rocking Horse Farm, but you can spin a yarn there.
The farm site, located in St. Cloud, is home to Carole's Country Crafts where Carole Wurst sells all types and colors of yarn, patterns, and knitting and embroidery machines. The knitting seminars she hosts draw visitors to the farm who quickly discover the uniqueness of Rocking Horse Farm -- its history.
Carole, her husband, Fred, and their son, Jason, have kept the outbuildings intact and the farm's antique, oxen-pulled implements.
"The women will come to look at yarn and the machines and the men want to look at the machinery," Carole said.
The farm was owned by siblings Alphonse and Mercedes or "Sadie" Falke. Alphonse relied on oxen to farm. Sadie tended a garden and made jams and jellies. The Wursts, the Falke's neighbors, remember the stories and work ethic of the siblings. Jason keeps those stories alive as he gives guided tours.
When Alphonse died in 1976, Fred farmed the land. Sadie left in 1989 and the Wursts purchased the farm.
They made a few renovations, including building a building for Carole's business and Jason's postage stamp buying, selling and appraisal business.
The Wursts say the site maintenance is a labor of love. Some of the renovations, namely new roofs for the outbuildings, have been costly. They tried to find funding to help fund the barn renovation, but received no help. The barn collapsed due to heavy show in 2000 and is left to decompose naturally.
Many of the buildings on the farm were built with tamarack found in the nearby Mississippi River Valley. Granite was used as foundation stone for many of the buildings.
A log cabin that was home to the farm's Swiss homesteaders has been maintained. A kerosene barrel in the cabin is testament to the Falke's father who chose kerosene lamps over electricity.
"(Alphonse and Sadie) said their father told the rural electric companies he didn't want the electricity," Jason said. "Their father told the companies, 'Why should I pay $4 a month for electricity when I can use kerosene for less?'"
After their father's death, the siblings had electricity installed, he said.
They didn't do the same for running water. A series of rain gutters around the house brought water to the cistern.
If you know of a rural sight you'd like to have featured in Agri News, drop us a line. You can send mail to Box 6118, Rochester, MN 55903. You can call us at (507) 285-7659 or e-mail Agri News staff writer . |
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