Roger's Ramblings

Hi to all my rambling friends of Webster County and beyond. A few weeks ago, I was driving down Old Wire Road (west of Marshfield off of Hwy 38 and E ) and noticed a crew of skilled masonry workers. They were restoring the old spring house that kept the milk cool before electricity was available across from the famous Hosmer dairy barn. O.K. folks: Let’s all go back into the past and review when the Hosmer’s dairy operation was the pinnacle of all dairy herds. During the early 1900s, the Wire Road was the main travel route through Webster County. In addition, Highway 38 West from Marshfield was nothing but a dirt trail. When the Hosmer’s first began they milked a handful of cattle with the aspirations of expanding. They were always trying to improve and be the best. Through hard work and good management, they expanded over the years to an unheard number of 100 cows.

Let’s list a few reasons for their success.

Number one: they kept records on their cattle to breed the best.

Number two: They were the first dairy farmers in our community to employ milking machines.

Number three: They were big enough operators to have their own trucks to market their milk and cream daily and seek out the best price.

Number 4: being among the first to feed silage.

Now, let’s hear a story I have heard many times from my mom, who will be 98 years old in a few more weeks. She was the baby of nine kids– everyone has already passed, so this story and other personal accounts of the past are very important to me! The Vineyards back then were fence neighbors to the Hosmers, and they knew each other very well! One such story was when the Hosmer’s bought a new car (first farm family to have a car) and were driving it to Marshfield. My mom recalls the day when the Hosmer’s called the 10 Vineyard kids hayseeds on their way to Marshfield. These were fighting words to my uncles and aunts. They kept watching down the road until they came back, and all of the 9 Vineyards (hayseeds) waited with bated breath, each armed with rocks to pelt their new car. Long story short. My grandfather got notified by Mr. Hosmer about his car being rocked, and that evening, my grandfather whipped his 10 kids. My family members were all angels and would never do anything like this again. (If you believe this, can I sell you some oceanfront property in Kansas?) Oh, my Rambling friends, come back next week for more stories and adventures!