In a joint effort between the Clearwater Area Historical Society and the Young at Heart group, photographer and storyteller Doug Ohman presented an entertaining program on old barns during the monthly Young at Heart meeting last week.

 

Doug Ohman is a photographer who specializes in historic structures and community landmarks. His work is featured in the Minnesota Byways book series and has also been featured in the Smithsonian Institute’s exhibit “Barn Again! Celebrate an American Icon.”

 

“I’m a photographer and I’m also a storyteller,” said Ohman. “A photo is important because it tells a story, so when I’m driving around rural Minnesota roads I’m looking for an image, but I’m also looking for a story.”

 

“Today we’re going to tell a story. A story about the barns of Minnesota.”

 

Ohman told the audience that of the 22 programs he gives, barns are the most popular because they’re disappearing and people understand they’re the backbone of America.

 

“Barns tell a historic story of our country,” he said. “If you study barns you can tell what kind of agriculture was happening at the time the barns were built.”

 

Ohman began his presentation with a photograph of a threshing barn, one of the oldest kinds of barns. He said wheat was the biggest Minnesota crop in 1869; 80% of tillable land was planted with it.

Threshing barns had diamond shape openings at the top that were called ‘owl holes,’ which were designed so owls could fly in and catch rodents.

 

“Farmers didn’t do anything by accident,” said Ohman. “Everything had a purpose on a farm.”

 

Inside the threshing barns farmers would thresh wheat by hand, beating the grain with long sticks called flails. The kernels would fall to the floor, be bagged up and brought to a mill. In the 1880s there were over 1,000 gristmills operating in the state. 

 

By the late 1890s farming began to change dramatically, and wheat was replaced with corn, oats and alfalfa. Farmers started getting dairy cows, and barns began to have lower levels and different shapes, with the hip roof barn becoming popular.

 

Barns began to incorporate windows for natural light and a hayloft, or haymow, to store food for the winter. Copulas were added for ventilation, and lighting rods were placed on roofs.

Ohman shared a photo of a 1903 Sears and Roebuck mail order barn, the only one he’s found in Minnesota. The barn was purchased for $606 and came in a kit from Chicago. It took 10 wagonloads to haul all the pieces.

 

He also showed a photo of an 1875 Northern Pacific Railroad barn. The railroad ran the stagecoach at the time, and the barn was for the horses.

 

Ohman next shared photos of round barns, which were designed for dairy cows and were a fad built between 1900 and 1925. For a while Minnesota boasted over 250 of them, today there are only around 45 left.

 

“Farmers are usually too practical to follow fads,” he said. “But they did with round barns.”

 

He said round barns were efficient, with many having silos in the center, but they had one major problem. It was a challenge to get enough workable light.

 

By 1930 gothic type barns began to be built, which were the biggest barns on the landscape going forward.

 

Ohman also spoke briefly about silos, which were as big a part of farms as barns. He told the audience wooden silos were rare and there aren’t many left. Most were made of concrete block.

Windmills were also important to farms, in 1990 there were 77 windmill manufacturers in the United States. 80% of them were Aermotor windmills from Chicago.

 

Ohman talked about ‘swayback syndrome’ on barns, which happens when the roof starts sagging and eventually comes down. He told the group over 100 barns over the age of 100 are lost each year in Minnesota.

 

Ohman ended his presentation with the story of his favorite barn photo, which isn’t of a barn. It’s of the hands of a 102 year-old farmer.

 

“A barn is about people,” said Ohman. “The story of America’s farmers. Men and women who dedicated themselves, who understand the value of hard work. Thank a farmer; they’re the backbone of America. When you see an old barn don’t feel sad. Say ‘well done,’ you’ve done your job. Barns should make you smile.”

 

“If you remember one thing today, let it be this,” he added. “The value of life is to pass on stories to future generations. Your life will only be remembered if you tell more. I want you to tell stories to your kids and grandkids. They’ll thank you someday.”