Let me introduce myself. My name is Harry, and I live about a mile north of the Missouri River, near Elk Point, in the southeast corner of Dakota Territory. This land is my home, and my family and I do our best to make a living from the soil.

Life hasn’t been easy. My father has passed away, which meant I had to take on more of the heavy work around the farm. I work side by side with my mother, Kate, my brother Kirby, and my sister Nina. There’s also Neva, a young girl who was left in our care when her family could no longer feed her. She’s part of our family now, and we look after each other as best we can.

We own about 160 acres of land and I am the one who does the planting, tending, and harvesting of the crops, with some livestock chores mixed in. It’s hard work, but we’re grateful for what the land gives us. Even though we don’t have much, many travelers come up the Missouri River, weary and hungry, and we always share what we can. Out here, folks have to help one another, or none of us would make it.

The farm teaches you lessons that stay with you forever: how neighbors pull together, how the soil changes with the seasons, and how even when life is tough, there’s still a kind of beauty in the work.

Ask me about: planting and harvesting in Dakota soil, caring for livestock, stories from river travelers, how neighbors depend on one another, or what it’s like to grow up on the frontier learning responsibility early.