Ryan farm started in 1881
Celebrate Centennial (Brule County News dated July 2, 1981
By Chris Larson
Located four miles west of Kimball, Mark Ryan's farm will celebrate its 100th year in operation this summer. Mark's dad, Leo will celebrate his 94th birthday on July 2, 1981. He farmed the land until he retired in 1956 and moved into town. According to Mark, the "younger generation" is planning a family reunion to celebrate the centennial in July 1982. "I just couldn't get them altogether this year," explained Mark.
Mark contacted the Register of Deeds in the courthouse to get information on the history of the Ryan farm. He received several documents from the National Archives, pertaining to the land.
"I learned some interesting things, that I hadn't heard about before from those papers," he said.
Bartholomew "Batt" Ryan and his wife, Elizabeth arrived in Kimball on the train in 1881. "They ended up here," explained Mark, "because this is where the train line ended, in Kimball. The original Ryans came from Allamakee County in Iowa.
According to the papers from the National Archives, Batt filed for a homestead on July 20, 1881. He began building a house and completed it in (incomplete)
"Batt was where he wanted to be," said Mark. "But the description was wrong and to top it off, someone else had since filed for that piece of land."
The other man disappeared and never came back to claim the land. However, it took nearly two years to get the land descriptions right. Batt had to gather witnesses to testify that he alone had worked the land.
"Batt had a house and was already living in it, before the whole mess was straightened out," Mark said.
Batt and Elizabeth's second son, James, was born July 4, 1882. He was the first white baby born in Kimball according to the National Archives records. The Ryans had seven children.
...three rooms and with a cellar. Two more rooms were added after the family grew in number. The present structure was built in 1949 when the original house was bought and moved into Kimball. The original house was torn down in the spring of 1981.
Mark's dad, Leo, was the fifth son of Batt and Elizabeth. He and his youngest brother, Will, farmed the land until Will was drafted during World War I. He died on board ship on his way to France, after he contacted the flu.
Batt and Elizabeth celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in 1940. They both died in 1941 at the ages of 91 and 89, respectively. Mark can recall his dad and uncles sitting around and telling stories about the old days on the farm. "It's too bad a fellow didn't have a tape recorder or something to get those stories. They would be valuable to the family," he added.
Leo married Lillian Meis, Kimball in 1918. The couple had three sons and two daughters. Lynus lives in North Dakota, while Mark owns the Ryan farm in Kimball. One daughter, Mary lives in Illinois, while Veronica Lisa is in California. The youngest son, Leroy lives in Huntington Beach, Calif.
"Everybody's scattered all over," said Mark. That's why it is so hard to get everyone together for a reunion." The Ryans held a reunion in Mitchell in 1977 and about half the relatives made it, according to Mark. I'd get alot of static if I ever thought about selling the farm, Mark said. "This place is home to everybody and they do get back here quite often."
"I've never been away from home for Christmas," said Mark. He has lived on the farm for the past 60 years.
Farming has changed through the years, said Mark. "Every farm used to have a milk cow and chickens and how, very few do. Many still have their own meat, but now it's butchered in town and not on the farm."
Mark and his sons are the only remaining Ryans in the Kimball area. A cousin of Mark's, Jack, died in February 1980. He was the publisher and owner of the Brule County News and Pukwana Press Reporter for 33 years. His wife, Irene, still lives in Kimball.
Leo retired in 1956 and he and his wife moved into Kimball. Mark had been working on the farm before, but he bought the place, when his parents moved to town.
Mark has four sons and the eldest, Richard, is an auto mechanic in Wyoming. Steve, 22 is a draftsman for Northwestern Public Service in Huron and Paul is a senior at the University of South Dakota. Dave, 11 lives at home with his father.
The acreage of the farm is still basically the same as it was in 1881. "It's a little bit less," said Mark. "The Interstate took quite a bit of land when it went through."
"I never believed in big farming," Mark said. "It's a lot more headaches with bigger farming. I tried it once and I lost my shirt. So I decided to come back and take better care of what I had."
Through the past 100 years, the Ryans have raised hogs, sheep and cattle along with some crops. "There used to be alot more cropland, but there were alot of cattle in those days too," he said. "Remember, what wasn't homesteaded back then was free range."
Today, the Ryans raise cattle. "It's a lot easier to raise feed for cattle during dry years, then for hogs or something else," explained Mark.
As far as the future, Mark has no plans. "I haven't really given it much thought," he said. "I'm not going to sell it. But, I would like to take a year off and have somebody run the farm, so I can decide what I want to do."
Mark says the farm is pretty much the same as it was 100 years ago. He and his son Paul have been tearing down some of the old buildings in the past few years. "The farm hasn't really changed," he said. "Only the people have changed."