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northome

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=Northome, MN=

Northome is located in the northern part of the state, between Bemidji and International Falls (yes, where it gets cold, like -40° cold). Fred Ungerecht was the first to arrive, apparently fleeing the dust bowl conditions that North Dakota was experiencing. His brother Walter Ungerecht came in the 40's, returned to Glen Ullin in 1950 to run the family ranch due to illness in the family, then came back to Northome in 1956. Fred eventually left for Washington state, but his son Vernon stayed on the farm.

Northome is way back in the sticks, with a population density of less than 2 people per square mile (the "uninhabited" color of most population maps). One of the attractions during the Great Depression was that if a family was really going hungry, they could shoot a deer to feed the family, and it wouldn't draw attention. (And our families were quite poor at that time). Also, with the numerous swamps and lakes, there was always water for the cattle and the garden. Some money could be made on the side with logging or trapping animals for fur. Electricity (from the REA, or Rural Electrification Act) finally made its way to to the farms around Northome in late 1949.

Fred and Walter lived on farms near each other in Bridgie Township, about 5 miles west of the village of Northome itself. Ungerecht descendents still live on both farms today.

northome.1462899846.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016-05-10 by nerfer