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Pictured are Roy Brown, Babe, and Ruth Brown. Roy won Babe selling subscriptions for Webb Publishing Company’s publication Farmer Magazine. Babe pulled a small buggy for the children and entertained them and their friends for many years. Babe lived for over 30 years. Many horses, once they die ended up as lap-robes or blankets. The South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum has both Babe’s hide robe and the buggy.

• Throwback Thursday

Patented June 10, 1902, this bean sorter was used at South Dakota State University Seed Testing Laboratory. This machine does just what its name states, sorts the beans from chaff and debris. When not cleaning beans, it is used to grade them. The sorter is treadle powered; the operator uses his feet to put the machine into motion. The bed of the machine is flat and at each end are shafts which a canvas belt is attached. The beans are dumped into the hopper at the top of the machine. Behind the flywheel is a small trigger that releases beans onto the belt. As the belt passes by the debris can be brushed off the belt and the beans continue along the belt to the front of the machine and drop off the belt into a pail.

• What's New Wednesday

Blacksmithing is an ancient occupation. Archaeologists have evidence of smithing happening in Egypt as early as 1350 B.C.E. Blacksmithing is the art of heating metals until it becomes soft enough to bend and shape using tools like hammers, tongs, and an anvil. A blacksmith works with iron and steel while a whitesmith work with fine metals like silver, gold, or putting a fine finish on steel. Farriers are blacksmiths who shoe horses and other livestock, and wheelwrights are blacksmiths who build wagon wheels and apply iron rims. The local 19th century blacksmith could make or repair just about anything.

Albert E. Hocklin owned his own blacksmith shop and wagon works in Mission Hill township, Yankton, SD in the late 19th century through the early 20th century. Albert was born in Norway in 1863 and immigrated to the US in 1893. The 1900 US Census tells us that he is 36 years old, single, can read, write, and speak English, and is working as a blacksmith. In 1930, he is 65 years old, single, working as a blacksmith, and is now a naturalized citizen. This photograph shows Albert’s shop and the man standing in the doorway, though unidentified is likely Albert!

• Throwback Thursday

Summer is here and in case you didn’t know, July is National Picnic Month! It is time for family gatherings and fun outdoor activities, so gather up your family and friends, everyone’s favorite picnic goodies and head to a park, the beach or your own back yard for good food and fellowship. This well-appointed picnic hamper is from the 1940s-1960s era. Along with a place setting for four, the hamper contains a saucepan, a frying pan, teapot and a steamer. With this mini kitchen you can prepare just about anything on the grill or camp stove. In 1952, the National Bakers’ Association established National Picnic Month.

• What's New Wednesday

Written on the back of photo is "Moving house to hilltop house on Halvorson's place.” This two-story house is being moved by a 110 Case steam traction engine. The Yankton area is the likely location of the activity in the photograph.

• Throwback Thursday

Compared to today’s lightweight plastic electric coffee grinders that fit in the palm of your hand, this 19th century coffee mill is made of cast iron and measures 12 ¾” x 11” x 9”. The wheel is hand turned, beans are dropped into the hopper and ends up as grounds in the small drawer set in the base. The grinder is highly decorative with pinstriping, decals and elaborately designed wheel spokes. This coffee mill was used by the South Dakota State University Pharmacy Department for grinding pharmaceuticals.

A seen on the wheel and hopper label this mill was made by Landers, Frary, and Clark, New Britain, CT. In the 1840s, George and Dewey Landers were manufacturing and selling metal products such as coat racks, furniture casters, wall hooks, and brass items. In 1862, the company incorporated as Landry, Frary, and Clark. The company added kitchenware to their product line. Food scales, coffee grinders, cake mixers, bread makers, coffee pots and percolators along with tableware of every description were all in production before the 20th century. When electricity made its mark on industry and home life, Landry, Frary, and Clark adapted and added electric appliances such as vacuum cleaners, blenders, mixers, and other electric items to their inventory. In the 1960s the cutlery division was closed and the electric appliances division was sold to General Electric.

• What's New Wednesday

Photo of a man on a Farmall H with a front mount cultivator in a corn field. This man and his dog pause in their work long enough for someone to take a photo of them. The Farmall H, a row-crop tractor, was produced by International Harvester (IH) from 1939 to 1953. It replaced the Farmall F-20. The H was the most widely produced of the International Harvester letter series tractors. IH built 391,227 Farmall H tractors and in 1953, the end of the H’s run, it sold for $2000.

• Throwback Thursday

National Pollinator Week is June 20-26, 2022. Pollinator week celebrates the importance of birds, bees, bats, ants, butterflies, beetles, and other creatures who maintain valuable ecosystems. It is unfortunate that many pollinators don’t get the respect they deserve. Many people find them to be creepy, crawly, and ugly. Over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops depend upon these little workers for pollination. The world’s economy depends upon pollinators doing their work to feed the world. There are many species of native bees in the United States, but this is a model of a honeybee. Honeybees alone are responsible for between $1.2 and $5.4 billion dollars in agricultural productivity in the United States. This wire, plaster and wood model was used in biology classes at South Dakota State University. One side is the outside of the bee, with moveable wings. Turn the model around and it shows the bee’s innards.

• What's New Wednesday

June 18 is National Fishing Day, so grab your pole, bait and lures and head to the water! Fishing is a fun and relaxing pastime that is enjoyed by people of all ages. Beside being fun is can lead to some terrific meals, too! This photo is of John Vanderwal, Volga, fishing on the Big Sioux River. A railroad bridge is seen in the background.

• Throwback Thursday

An artesian well is simply a well that taps underground water that is under pressure and does not require a pump to bring it to the surface. An aquifer is an underground layer of water bearing porous rock. An artesian aquifer has water trapped between impermeable layers of shale or clay. Being trapped between the layers creates positive pressure. So, when a well is drilled, it releases the pressure and allows the water to come to the surface. If there is a lot of pressure, the water comes out as a fountain or geyser. The James River Valley, stretching from Yankton to Jamestown, North Dakota, is a large artesian well district. This artesian well district was featured in the April 6, 1889, Scientific American magazine.

• What's New Wednesday