Baby Animal Farm Days
 |
| Farm Building- by Debbie Pike |
(Located in Wellsville, Utah)
Frank and I drove to Cache Valley April 11, 2015 for a school assignment
The center is located just a bit off the main road in a
rural area. Once we left the parking lot there were not many modern
distractions, I say not many because I had my cell phone in my pocket, a water
bottle in one hand, and my camera strap around my neck.
We first stopped in at the welcome center to buy our tickets,
$5.50 each, and a destination map to find our way through the property.
 | |
| Antique Farm Equipment- Taken by Debbie Pike |
Our walk from the welcome center down the gravel road was an
adventure in itself because of all the antique farm equipment that lined the
roadway. It was an almost perfect spring day with hazy clouds and a little
wind, but that didn’t stop the many visitors that were happy to be outside on
one of the first nice days of the year.
 |
| Baby colt with mare- Taken by Debbie Pike |
There were several rules for riding the ponies for the safety of the visitors
as well as the horses.
We passed by the large covered picnic area with a few
families were having lunch at the tables. Next to the picnic area is a Kettle
Korn Concessions stand which also sold bottled water. The popcorn smelled yummy
as we continued to the old fashioned buildings to the left. I would have liked to go inside the Wood Wright Shop and Millinery but it was locked ... I tried. .
 |
| Old Fashion Tractor- by Debbie Pike |
 |
| Antique Tractor- by Debbie Pike |
Right next to the wood shop
was a Historic Tractor Display, which my husband loved, it is hard to imagine
having to work with such equipment but, I can imagine how excited farmers were
to see new tools and tractors to ease their burdens. I had to ask what several
of the tractors were for since it wasn’t easily apparent to this city girl.
We also walked past the train ride with an equally long
line. The 1917 Farm Site is a grassy area with two early 1900’s houses, a smoke
house, an underground cellar, and a blacksmith shop.
 |
| Smoke House Replica- by Debbie Pike |
I’ve never
seen a smoke house before. This picture shows the fire place dug underneath the
building to smoke the meat hung inside. We were able to walk through one of the homes which was completely
furnished with everything I would expect to see in a farm house in 1917. Also
inside the house were two women, dressed in period clothing, available to ask
questions about the lives of women and children and about the items in the
house. The two women were students from U.S.U. and knew quite a bit about the
furnishings and life styles of early farmers.
 | |
| Laundry tub -by Debbie Pike |
There was another woman outside
washing laundry in an old
fashioned laundry tub. There were several children
gathered
around trying to wring the wet clothes out using the hand operated
equipment.
Now the part I’ve been waiting for, the baby animals.
Visitors were
able to hold the baby chicks and ducks, and were able to walk inside
the pen with the goats to pet them. We walked past the chicken coop
as did the other visitors around at the time.
The horses were larger than the usual horses I have seen before
and a few other smaller horses, and in the back pen a mare with her new born colt. He
was so young he was having trouble keeping his balance.
 |
| Mare and colt -by Debbie Pike |
The farm belonged to the Wyatt family in 1917 and was bought
by Ronald V. Jensen and donated it to the Utah State University in Logan and is
called the Jensen Living Historical Farm. Going to the farm was a fun adventure
and I recommend it to anyone who wants to spend a fun day outside with their
kids.
Before I went to the Historical Farm I visited the website which
has visitor information about park hours and upcoming activities. The
website also provided more information than I learned from the actual visit. There is an
interactive farm complete with farm animal noises in the background such as
pigs and ducks. Visitors can click on different items on the farm and a window
opens with information of what the item is and how it is used. There is an
Agricultural Quiz which asks questions about the information given in the several short
video clips that are very entertaining and educational, and I love quizzes! There
are also several educational programs that I want to take advantage of when I
am a school teacher. One program is called the Traveling Trunks which is a
large trunk filled with historical items surrounding a theme; such as the
Shoshone Indians or the Fur trappers’ trunk. The trunks can be checked out and
taken to the classrooms for free with a refundable $50.00 deposit. Schools in
the area can bring their students to the farm as a field trip and camping sites
can be rented for family reunions too.
Works Cited
“American West Heritage Center.” Utah State University. Wellsville, Ut. 11Apr. 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment