04-26-17 Preservation

By Scott Shephard

Above the Missouri River, miles away from any city and disconnected to the present by any road or path sits this little wooden house in a sort of protective circle. To any modern farming method, this structure is a paradox - surely it would be easier to flatten and remove a place that has no real use than to carefully plant and harvest around it?. And yet it remains.

Because I am not from "around here," I can only guess at the reason why. Is the current farmer related to the people who once lived here? Parents? Grandparents? Great grandparents? Maybe the homestead is preserved to perpetuate their memory?

Or perhaps there is no personal relationship and instead this little house on this big prairie is kept out of respect to people who were also stewards of this land? Maybe they were the first to farm here? That kind of history is worth preserving and maybe even venerating.

Phantom 4 FC330 1/80s f/2.8 ISO200 3.6mm

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