Ramsey County History – Spring/Summer 1977: “The Plowing of America: Early Farming Around St. Paul”

The Plowing of America: Early Farming Around St. Paul
Author: Rodney C. Loehr

An anecdotal piece: a quick summary of early settlement in St. Paul and how people acquired farmland (and the money to buy it.); a description of typical frontier dwellings; the crops grown; dealing with the chronic labor shortage; tools and implements; the use of animals; fencing; heating; dealing with mosquitoes; and amusements. “As one looks back on early Minnesota, one is impressed by the enormous amount of hard work that was necessary to tame the wilderness. Tools were few, machinery was primitive, and energy came from the muscles of humans and animals.”
PDF of Loehr article