Bountiful Harvest

Bountiful Harvest. . , Bountiful Harvest , Rich Land , , First settlers, like John Juchem (Yõcŭm) in 1859, farmed the Ralston and Clear Creek river valleys, where they could turn the soft soil with a spade fork. John Reno claimed a 160 acre homestead in 1860 – probably the first in the area. The next wave of settlers claimed land farther from the river and used “sod-buster” plows to break up the tough, matted buffalo grass. , Harvest Technology , , In 1868, pioneer William Graves brought steam powered threshing machines to the Valley. This “modern” technology separated the grain from stalks and leaves, increasing harvesting capacity and the size of fields. , Graves moved his fleet of threshing machines from farm to farm. Farm wives helped each other daily to serve three generous meals to the crews. It was a time of community sharing and cooperation. , “…almost all the land within view of town is cultivated, and no finer view can be had than when the golden harvests are attacked by hundreds of mowers and reapers at the proper season.” , (Rocky Mountain News, March 16, 1884)