Small Town News

Louis Beirwagen Farm celebrates 98 years

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The "Mountaineer" has been looking for one hundred year and almost one hundred year farms and ranches to help celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the newspaper.

Louis and June Beirwagen reluctantly sat in the "Mountaineer" office, prepared to share their 98 year history with their friends and neighbors. It wasn't that the Bierwagons were unable to share their story; it was just that it should not sound like bragging.

What a history it has been since Ludwig Beirwagen came from the Balkans via North Dakota to work in the fields at Virgelle and homestead in what was to become the Spring Coulee area. That was in 1912.

After proving up on his land, Ludwig Beirwagen went back to North Dakota and met a Winnipeg girl, fell in love, married and returned to the land he was never again to leave for an extended period of time.

That first house was a 14 by 16 wood shack with a chicken coop roof. Louis Beirwagen was bom there. Two more rooms were added later and in 1949 the present farm house was built.

Beirwagen started with 160 acres. Then a homestead relinquishment came up which he bought and that started the farm.

As to Louis being born in that first farm house, it was commonplace then as mid wives travelled the prairie when needed for birthing. "That has happened twice on our farm," said Beirwagen, smiling broadly. "My granddaughter was bom seven years ago on the farm as well. We have that in common. She was bom on Christmas Eve. That is part of reason her name is Noel."

Back to some older history. Louis was one of two children that lived to adulthood at the Beirwagen farm. Louis' brother Arthur farmed during his life to the west of the Beirwagen home place.

Louis Beirwagen married a school teacher from Highwood in 1953. June and Louis had four children, three daughters and a son.

Son, Duane is the third generation on the farm. He has two teen age boys who look like they are made for the soil too. The legacy continues!

To begin with the farm ran cattle because Ludwig Beirwagen liked the cattle business. Louis found that grain was more profitable through the years so has raised grain only for many years.

Asked why farmers after World War II seemed to prosper more than before, Louis said, "I think it was farming practices. Summer fallowing and the like really helped grain to grow better."

June Beirwagen added, "And, there have not been those terrible droughts like there were in the 1930's. That was bad for everybody."

Beirwagen explained that in 1923, things were so bad for his father that the farm was foreclosed on and put on sheriff's sale in Fort Benton. Luckily for the family, Beirwagen raised the money and paid the back taxes, redeeming the farm on the day before the sale.

It got worse than that in 1926. The only way out of creditors closing in was bankruptcy. Ludwig Beirwagen visited the McNamara bank and each and every creditor, telling them that all of them would be paid fully and with interest before he came out of the bankruptcy. Beirwagen did just that. It took three years but everyone was paid. His credit became good and Mr. McNamara told him to come on in that gave Ludwig Berwagen another start. By 1930 he was a very successful farmer.

"My dad credited a lot of success to C. J. McNa-mara who he felt never got enough credit for the good things he did for the prairie dwellers," said Beirwagen. Louis Beirwagen remembers coming into Big Sandy with his father. They would always stop at McNamara's office in the front of the Big Store where McNama-ra could see the comings and goings of his bank across the street.

In the 1930's with the advent of the New Deal, there were programs that were of help to farmers. Ludwig Beirwagen never got involved in a one of them, not because he felt they were bad, but he thought others needed those programs more than he did.

Truth be told, June Beirwagen said that Louis managed the farm mostly since he was 16 due to his father's ill health.

Although that is true, Louis Beirwagen is quick to say, "I give all the credit to my dad. It was easier for me. He gave me my start."

Like on most farms, all the Bierwagons start early. Louis drove a tractor at age 11. His son Duane started on the tractor at 12 and his sons started at 12.

"Thatis notunusualon any farm in these parts," Beirwagen said.

Louis Beirwagen sold the farm to his son Duane in 1996. He makes it a point to stay away from decision making although at 82 he still looks forward to tooling down the highway with a truck piled high with grain to the flour mills at Carter and Great Falls.

Seemed like there were just a couple of questions left to ask this legendary farm patriarch.

Are the Beirwagen's going to celebrate 200 years on the farm one day?

"If they manage well, they will be around another one hundred years," said Beirwagen.

"You know," he added, "with farming in general, it is really a good position to be in. Business waits for us. They rely on us. Really, we have no more problems than any other businessman."

Last question.So, how is the crop? "The winter wheat looked good last fall and it has a good snow cover on it now. Things look good. It is starting out as a half decent year," said Beirwagen with all the optimism of any farmer in this next year country called North Central Montana.



Copyright 2010 The Mountaineer, Big Sandy, Montana. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 The Mountaineer Big Sandy, Montana. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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