It wasn’t a really prosperous farm (only about 120 acres but it was pretty. It bordered the Sheyenne river for about 2 miles. It weaved and bobbed the edge of our property.
This was a riverside of character. I spent days walking this, cutting firewood from it, cultivating and just enjoying it for what it was.
When we moved we no longer owned the farm. Our neighbors bought it.
After a couple years I revisited the place we had built. It was a painful experience. It was a mistake. It was like visiting a crime scene.
- Nearly all the outbuildings had been leveled.
- There were trees lining the river and particularly near the buildings. They were nearly all bulldozed over.
- Hundreds of Trees I had planted were gone.
- Much of the roadway I had built was pushed aside.
What was the purpose? Dirt. Simply Black Dirt.
All this destruction to gain about 5 acres of additional farmland. Tillable acres when I owned it was about 90 of 120 acres. With these changes there were about 95 of 120.
The buildings were old and not real fancy. OK. Some of the trees I had planted needed to go if they had died. Please spare me the argument, " when you sold it you no longer had a say. The guy you bought it from might have said the same thing." YADDA YADDA YADDA
The part that was and is to this day a sticking point in my craw are the ancient native towering Oaks, Linden (Basswood), Ash, and Ironwood that were part of that riverbank culture. I know something about trees and some of the Oaks that were pushed over for an extra acre were 200 years old.
I am a Christian. I am supposed to be forgiving. I try. This one I’m not quite over. Greed driven slash and burn agriculture as practiced in North Dakota and many other states is nearly the worst kind of rape next to actual physical rape.
If the family who bought this reads this and is offended. Sorry. So was I; no, so am I.
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