Rudie's Centennial Farm – Established in 1905

The journey was long, but well worth it for Eivind Nilssonn Rudi and Knut Rogne of Vesleroe, Norway. Their trip began in 1905. After leaving Norway their first stop was Liverpool, England, and then on to Hull, Canada where they boarded a train to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and finally crossed into the United States. From there, they boarded another train to MonDak, Montana, crossed the Missouri by ferry, went to a town called Java and then on to Fairview, MT. Both men filed on homesteads seven miles west of Fairview in Dawson County.

In 1907, Nels Rudi made the journey from Norway and in November of 1910 he bought Eivind's farm. Eivind then sailed back to Norway. Nels was a steam engineer and a carpenter. In June of 1913 while digging a well by hand, Nels dug through a small, poisonous gas filled coal vane. He died in the well and was buried in the Fairview Pioneer Cemetery.

In 1913 the rest of the Rudi family departed Norway and made Montana their home. Rangchild Rudi bought Nels land in August of 1914. She also used up her homestead rights on forty acres of additional land. These forty acres produced an oil well in 1977 and it is still pumping today.

In 1936 Sigurd Rudi, the youngest of the Rudi children, bought the 360 acre farm from the family. He married Amanda Stordahl in 1935 and they raised five children on the farm. Sigurd farmed into his 70s.

In 1979, Sigurd Jr. and his sons Jon and Barron moved back to the farm and in October of 1998 he purchased the farm from his mother. Sigurd Jr. currently lives on and farms the family homestead and farm with his wife Joyce and daughter Susan. They've since purchased two additional parcels of land. The farm raises wheat, malt barley, oats, canola, peas, Angus cattle, and sheep. "Like dad and many Norwegians we never have put the farm in debt. I will always operate it on a cash basis," states Sigurd Jr.

My Life as I remember it – by Sigurd Rudie

I was born on 14 November 1936, on our grandparent's farm, in a log cabin. The same bed that mother was born in. My first memory was when I crapped my pants when we were playing out in the yard. Dad got after me; that was the last time that happened. I also remember when Norman was born on the farm.

Farming

Farming was different in those days; we had pigs, chickens, garden, horses, cows, and small grains. We grew corn, wheat, oats, and barley. Horses were our source of power. Horses were still used in the fifties. Dad's first tractor was a 1928 10-20 McCormick Deering. Dad bought it in the early forties while the war was still on. I still have this tractor; it runs and I am in the process of painting it. Sometime during its early life it was painted red. This tractor came out with steel wheels and painted gray. I can get the original grey, DuPont #1063.

Martin Davidson hauled gas out to the farm. He had ground chain on his truck. You could hear the chain dragging when he came out. There was no gas pump on the truck. He would drain gas into a five gallon can and pour it into 55 gallon barrels. When we used the gas the barrel had to be tipped to get the gas out. Since the war was on we had to use ration stamps to get gas, tires, sugar, meat, and many other items. I still have a ration book.

After school us boys would hitch up a team of horses to a wagon and go pick a load of corn each night. The corn was unloaded into a crib. It was fed to the pigs; cobs were thrown on the ground for them to eat.

Hay was still cut with a team of horses and a five foot sickle mower. The hay was raked with a team and a dump rake. After it was cured, we hooked a team to the hay rack, loaded and stacked it by hand. Part of the hay was stored in the barn hay mow. This was a big job, dad in the rack and us boys moving the hay back in the mow. In the winter we went out to the hay stacks, in the field and hauled it in and fed it to the cows. When it was cold and storming the cows were fed in the barn and allowed to stay in all night. This made a big job of cleaning out the barn by hand.

Art Henderson lived one mile south of my house.  Art rented our farm for a few years when dad lived in Portland.  I own part of Art's land.  I did not buy the twenty acre building site where Bob Hunter lived. 

Country School

We went to the Thomson School; also called the Ullman School. Don started school in 1941 when he was five. I always went with him.  Norman went one year, Sig three years, and Don four years.  This school was located one half mile south of Dallas Ullman's home. School was two and a half miles from home. We had many methods of getting to and from school. Dad drove us by car, all three of us rode one bike, in the winter we took a team and wagon.  No one plowed snow on the roads.  Many times we walked home; I do not remember walking to school.  We always cut across so it was shorter.  Had to cross a creek, high water was tricky.  We were very young and small, but walking went well.  Jimmie Henderson walked with us to Art's place.  Up hill most of the way, but not into the wind. The building was moved over to Ole Sundhiem's place after the school was closed.

If anyone has old pictures of the farm yard, I would like to have copies of them. Dad and mother wrote some family history years ago. If anyone has this history, I would like to have copies.