I Luv Herfrds thread "40 acres] reminded me.
We have a similar situation in one of our pastures. A true story.
A half section. About 15 years ago we got word that new owners where moving in and would just as soon not have our cattle running on it.This piece of ground is high and windblown and never fenced. Homesteaded back in 1915. The owners left but kept ownership. This property is 55 miles from buying a loaf of bread, no power. A two track goes to the property and to check cattle and water. The trail runs though the ranch yard and used only by hunters and us. When it rains or snows the trail is impossible for wheeled travel. Anyway, sure enough SHE, a single Woman 40 ish arrives in June wanting to hire me to move a 16 X80 mobile home up there.
When I hear her say she's going to live year around, I tell her she CAN"T!!! and start explaining why. I can tell she's not buying it, thinks I am just after free grazing.
Anyway we help her get set up. She is as happy as can be up there. We had a nice Summer and a perfect Fall And She has some goats some pigs and some chickens all living in a acre she has fenced and some rabbits in cages. And no Winter shelter for them. She visits once in a while on the way to town and I reminded her that Winter will be long and NOT nice, there is no shelter up there. Oh Yeah? She says. I remind her "I will be working on fences 1st thing the ground thaws in the Spring.
Winter came early and hard, her last trip out was Mid Dec just before the big winds started, said "all was well, just going into town to get supplies to last the Winter" Then the weather really went bad, 1st part of Jan a big snow and a big Arctic blast leveled the coulees temps dropped to -40. !'st calm day I took the cat and opened the trail. She did take my advice on a big propane tank, but might need a fill by now. When I knocked on the door no answer, I walked in thinking the worst. She was there alive, piled in blankets and upset. She packed up, I got the pick up, took her to Malta and the train and she was gone. Back to California. I had heard later she was a niece or something to the original homesteader. Couple years ago a nice young couple came though, the ladies daughter and son in law from California. Camped a few days, and left. The trailer and junk is still up there, blown apart. No one has ever asked me if I would be interested in buying the land, I'm not.
Sorry this got long, I left out a lot of good stuff.
We have a similar situation in one of our pastures. A true story.
A half section. About 15 years ago we got word that new owners where moving in and would just as soon not have our cattle running on it.This piece of ground is high and windblown and never fenced. Homesteaded back in 1915. The owners left but kept ownership. This property is 55 miles from buying a loaf of bread, no power. A two track goes to the property and to check cattle and water. The trail runs though the ranch yard and used only by hunters and us. When it rains or snows the trail is impossible for wheeled travel. Anyway, sure enough SHE, a single Woman 40 ish arrives in June wanting to hire me to move a 16 X80 mobile home up there.
When I hear her say she's going to live year around, I tell her she CAN"T!!! and start explaining why. I can tell she's not buying it, thinks I am just after free grazing.
Anyway we help her get set up. She is as happy as can be up there. We had a nice Summer and a perfect Fall And She has some goats some pigs and some chickens all living in a acre she has fenced and some rabbits in cages. And no Winter shelter for them. She visits once in a while on the way to town and I reminded her that Winter will be long and NOT nice, there is no shelter up there. Oh Yeah? She says. I remind her "I will be working on fences 1st thing the ground thaws in the Spring.
Winter came early and hard, her last trip out was Mid Dec just before the big winds started, said "all was well, just going into town to get supplies to last the Winter" Then the weather really went bad, 1st part of Jan a big snow and a big Arctic blast leveled the coulees temps dropped to -40. !'st calm day I took the cat and opened the trail. She did take my advice on a big propane tank, but might need a fill by now. When I knocked on the door no answer, I walked in thinking the worst. She was there alive, piled in blankets and upset. She packed up, I got the pick up, took her to Malta and the train and she was gone. Back to California. I had heard later she was a niece or something to the original homesteader. Couple years ago a nice young couple came though, the ladies daughter and son in law from California. Camped a few days, and left. The trailer and junk is still up there, blown apart. No one has ever asked me if I would be interested in buying the land, I'm not.
Sorry this got long, I left out a lot of good stuff.