The entry in Wikipedia talks of the elevator burning.   That was the first elevator.  This second elevator in the photos burned in the mid 1970’s.   It was due to be rebuilt, but funding problems arose.

The village of Delft was established as a railroad station in 1892. Ten years later, on June 18, 1902, the village was officially platted by the Inter-State Land Company.[2][4] The community was named after the city of Delft, in the Netherlands, previous to which it was called Wilhelmine.[4][5]

Delft was a station on the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad, which ran through the southwestern part of the township, en route from Jeffers to Bingham Lake. Shortly after the original elevator was built, the village had its first fire which burned the Farmers Elevator Company, its coal sheds, and the railroad company’s stockyards – all of which were rebuilt immediately after. At one time, there was also a general store, hardware store, a general farm implement sales business,[2] as well as a creamery.[6]

Established in a predominantly Mennonite area, by the 1950s approximately 400 members of Mennonite Brethren and General Conference Mennonite churches resided within a 5-mile radius of the little community’s two Mennonite churches. The Carson Mennonite Brethren Church, founded in 1875 and closed in 2005, and the now independent (as of ca. 2002) Immanuel Mennonite Church, originally established in 1940.[7][8]

A post office began operation in Delft in 1903. It was closed in 1993.[9]

Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delft,_Minnesota

Delft COOP Elevator

The spring planting was held up this year due to excessive rain.   The beans should be a little further along that this, but the brown drying soybeans would not have been as colorful.

Soybeans in Cottonwood County MN Sept 2019

Farmhouse Rural Cottonwood County

Farmhouse Rural Cottonwood County

I’ve taken a few photos of this house and really like the style of it.  I think it could have been quite nice in it’s day.  In fact it could look stunning redone with cedar shake shingles and a new exterior and paint.  I’m sure it’s been open to the elements so long though that there is no point.  It would need a complete rebuild.

Still waiting for Spring to arrive and green things up so I can capture scenes like this traditional red barn.

Westbrook Farmer’s Elevator October 2011

A going concern since the late 1800’s or early 1900’s it finally succumbed to the times and closed it’s doors in the early part of the 21st century.  Over the years I think a couple of primary reasons for closing the doors were the loss of the railroad that ran beside the elevator and the availability of semi trucks to easily haul the grain a little further to a an elevator that was thriving – which usually meant one situated next to a rail line.

I’m not sure how many we’re employed here when it was thriving, but regardless, any job loss in a small town is felt.  Westbrook Farmer’s Elevator, you will be missed.

Minnesota is chock full of rural churches in a stark contrast to the trend in the larger cities which is to grow mega churches.

These small churches are special in that it’s a very close congregation typically.  The problem they have long term is with the young people migrating to the city, the congregation is composed of older and older members.  Things like painting and other maintenance tasks that would have been done by volunteer member labor start to be too much given the age of the members.  Fixed incomes of members and a shrinking congregation due to mortality mean less funds for upkeep.  I will say though, I see the country churches doing better than their small town counter parts.  I’m not sure why that is.

Country Church

This beautiful town hall is in Cottonwood County, Minnesota six miles south of the town of Storden.  In addition to being used as a polling place and township hall it was once a school.

School district No. 5 was formed in Springfield township, from sections 26, 27, 28, 33, 34 and 35, in township 105, range 37.  Source.

Springfield Town Hall

Genealogy trails had this little tidbit that I found interesting and mildly amusing.

Springfield township is the second from the western line of the county and is on the south line, with Southbrook township at its west, Amo township at its north, Great Bend township at its east and Jackson county at the south. It comprises all of congressional township 105, range 37 west The main stream and south branch of the Des Moines river flow from the south-east to the northeast of this township, forming the great bend, after leaving and entering Great Bend township. This is an excellent township and the farming interests are good. The people are of the thrifty type, who always succeed in accumulating wealth. Once a barren prairie domain, it has, under the touch and labor of its settlers, come to be known as one of the finest in the county. Its groves, which were planted out by the thoughtful settlers, have come to be of great beauty and utility, both for the fuel and shelter they afford against the severe elements.

I’m not disputing the statement, but I wonder if that observation was of a third party or if it’s more of the case the author putting some personal thoughts down.

As I drive on my jaunts out in the country, I pass many farms with groves.  A lot of them have a treasure or two held within their confines.  Usually machinery or old vehicles.

I wonder if when they were parked the intent was a permanent resting spot for the vehicle, or if there was a a thought to fixing it at a later date and then as time went by that idea faded as the vehicles did.

Old Fertilizer Truck

Fertilizer Truck Showing Sign

A truck used by an auctioneer

Autumn Corn – Cottonwood County MN

Corn just waiting to be picked.

Harvest 2012 Almost Done – Cottonwood County MN

It’s been so dull and rainy lately that I crave color.  Our colder than normal spring has keep the fields in a state of brownish black with a very light mottling of green as the corn tries to grow.

This one is from September 29th 2012 near Delft, MN.  Blue skies, golden fields and well known green of John Deere.

Deer feeding on the kindness of a land owner.

Early March, 2011.  The season of Winter was coming to a close, in actuality, winter seemed to end in mid April.  There was so much snow in the 2010 – 2011 Winter that by February, the wildlife was really hurting.

A lot of area farmers put out hay or corn for the wildlife.  My parents would put out corn and every day around 4pm in the afternoon between 30 and 50 deer would show up in their yard.  They would seem to appear out of nowhere, eat their fill and disappear again.

Once the snow thawed enough that the deer could forage, they stopped coming.  I’m not sure if the deer my parents fed would have died without the food, but I’m sure at least some would have.  I think they would have been weakened and more susceptible to harvest by the Coyotes that inhabit the area as well.

American Four Square variation – Cottonwood County MN

This farm house stands empty in the morning light.  The front faces east and you can imagine the kitchen or dining area did as well.  In terms of the morning it was about the time someone would be back in the house after chores for another cup of coffee before heading out to attend to the rest of the day’s work the farm had in store.

On this morning there were no chores, no people, and nothing to attend to.  Even so, the house still greeted the morning sun.  It was quiet and you could almost hear the chink of the morning dishes being washed and the sounds of the livestock banging around the feeders.

The jet trail above serves to remind that time as flown over this home leaving behind just  a house.