Located to the east of the Badlands National Park, this is a tourist destination, for sure, complete with souvenir shop. Especially appealing to urban dwellers who have never experienced life on a farm.
I paid the current fee to tour the grounds. There is a short (10 minute?) video available, then you can don vintage clothing and walk the homestead at your leisure.
Walking up the pathway to the left, you will probably see prairie dogs running from hole to hole. They may or may not observe you as you walk along.
Inside the home on the left, the dirt-floor room has a button which you push to get a bit of narration. The right side of the house was a newer addition, with furniture and wood flooring. In the old section, you will find the original homestead, with the bedroom in back. Check out some of the 'wallpaper' and you can read articles of news from the era. Yes, they used newspaper to help insulate the home.
There are lots of items to see from the homestead days. I found the cream separator to be an interesting apparatus.
There was a cellar which had a chicken wire mesh over the entrance. You could see inside from the walkway. The chicken coop was next, typical of the era.
On to the barn, there is a broken down Ford Model T in one bay. Various saddles and equestrian items are next. To my surprise, a pony and some chickens were in the next section, staying inside to avoid the approaching storm.
An outhouse is set back a bit, nothing fancy, a little worn for time.
There are various farm implements out in the yard. I found the big kettle, complete with firebox, to be interesting to investigate. They used it to render slaughtered animals, and also for washing clothes.
A sign along the pathway displayed typical Midwestern humor.
Words to the effect: The government put up 160 acres to your $16, betting that you'd starve to death before 5 years had passed.
All in all, a decent display of how the settlers in the area lived in bygone days. A helpful addition would be guided tours vs. the self-guided tours.
I recommend. read more