• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

What happened in these pictures

S

SMN Herf

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
602
Location
NC South Dakota
Here are a couple pictures I took last summer.

DSCN30091.JPG


What do you suppose happend here? Goes all the way across the quarter in varying degrees

DSCN29331.JPG



Native praire sod. Why the trails?

Brian
 
I agree with Soap on the first one. :lol:

The second one looks like old wagon tracks. We live a couple miles from the old Bismarck / Deadwood trail. Where the grass is native and never been broken up, you can see the trail pretty good.
 
Looks like maybe a tornado, or strong microburst/downdraft??? In the first one.

Second one...??? looks like just a low area that might hold a lil more water therefore the grass is a lil greener in that area.
 
Jersey, your right on the first one. After a storm system came through that evening with 70 plus MPH winds and thinking the whole field may be flat I found this strip through the field. On the other end, round bales were tipped up on end. They would probably weigh about 1600 to 1800 lbs. I think it was a funnel cloud touchdown.

The second one, your not even close. That is 'tracks' going up a side hill. Not wagon tracks either as they aren't parallel.

Brian
 
We had a bull one time that would walk the fences when penned. So bad that it almost looked like stair steps that had been laid down. hump hole hump hole hump hole...he put his feet in the same spot every trip around.

Has there ever been a fence thru there?
 
Possibly old cow trails in the second one? We have some that look like from old trails going to water that they no longer use due to cross fencing or springs that have dried up and haven't been used for 50 years.
 
second one might be an old fire guard..they used to plow them here and there and every where....
 
also in the second pic it looks like you can see seed rows? dont see that in native praire sod grass.
 
Les said:
second one might be an old fire guard..they used to plow them here and there and every where....
Click to expand...

Youre right Les,

My grandpa always said that it was a fire guard plowed when a fire started near Highmore and the wind blew it northwest. Probably 60 miles away. We used to mow across it and still do and I would always kinda cuss it.

I cant' imagine trying to stop a big praire fire with the equipment they had in the horse and buggy days. No phones, no radios and no way to haul much water to the fire. Just had to get way out in front of it and hopefully get a big enough bare patch to stop it. It took a lot of organization
 
We have a hill called Fire guard hill. that we can sneak up and down when not wet or slippery. I was told it was plowed by a steamer pulling 6 bottoms. Came from down in the states but I don't know how far north they went.
 
SMN Herf said:
Les said:
second one might be an old fire guard..they used to plow them here and there and every where....
Click to expand...

Youre right Les,

My grandpa always said that it was a fire guard plowed when a fire started near Highmore and the wind blew it northwest. Probably 60 miles away. We used to mow across it and still do and I would always kinda cuss it.

I cant' imagine trying to stop a big praire fire with the equipment they had in the horse and buggy days. No phones, no radios and no way to haul much water to the fire. Just had to get way out in front of it and hopefully get a big enough bare patch to stop it. It took a lot of organization
Click to expand...

Quite a few years ago there was a big fire going down in the south hills. One ranch crew showed up with a tractor and a plow. The owner of the land went over to them and said, "Boys, we are fighting a prairie fire not planting potatoes." The fire got put out with shovels and water instead. :wink:
 
Soapweed said:
SMN Herf said:
Les said:
second one might be an old fire guard..they used to plow them here and there and every where....
Click to expand...

Youre right Les,

My grandpa always said that it was a fire guard plowed when a fire started near Highmore and the wind blew it northwest. Probably 60 miles away. We used to mow across it and still do and I would always kinda cuss it.

I cant' imagine trying to stop a big praire fire with the equipment they had in the horse and buggy days. No phones, no radios and no way to haul much water to the fire. Just had to get way out in front of it and hopefully get a big enough bare patch to stop it. It took a lot of organization
Click to expand...

Quite a few years ago there was a big fire going down in the south hills. One ranch crew showed up with a tractor and a plow. The owner of the land went over to them and said, "Boys, we are fighting a prairie fire not planting potatoes." The fire got put out with shovels and water instead. :wink:
Click to expand...


That's about what I think about when they call in the grader and he make a big ridge of sod for the fire to get in and burn for days. :x
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
Soapweed said:
SMN Herf said:
Youre right Les,

My grandpa always said that it was a fire guard plowed when a fire started near Highmore and the wind blew it northwest. Probably 60 miles away. We used to mow across it and still do and I would always kinda cuss it.

I cant' imagine trying to stop a big praire fire with the equipment they had in the horse and buggy days. No phones, no radios and no way to haul much water to the fire. Just had to get way out in front of it and hopefully get a big enough bare patch to stop it. It took a lot of organization
Click to expand...

Quite a few years ago there was a big fire going down in the south hills. One ranch crew showed up with a tractor and a plow. The owner of the land went over to them and said, "Boys, we are fighting a prairie fire not planting potatoes." The fire got put out with shovels and water instead. :wink:
Click to expand...


That's about what I think about when they call in the grader and he make a big ridge of sod for the fire to get in and burn for days. :x
Click to expand...

Pretty funny Soapweed. Around here when it gets really dry you just about have to disk down the edges of the fire and tear up the roots so the fire doesn't follow the root ungerground and then flare up later. I have also seen the time when a 36 foot disk and a 4 wheel drive tractor does one whale of a job at bringing a fire under control if you can get to it in the right place.
 
We have lots of old fire guards around here on the native land..I guess if the wind was not to strong it would stop it..And i also think there was something in the homestead act saying you had to have so many fire guards to get approved...
 

Latest posts

Back
Top