Craigie Farms was incorporated in 1975 by Jean Ballou. Part of the land owned by Craigie Farms is part of the original pieces homesteaded by James ("Jim") Craigie and Agnes (nee: Johnson) Craigie. The name "Craigie Farms" comes from the surname of James and Agnes, the original/first generation owners.
A Family Farm
The farm is family owned, and some of the land run by a cousin - a decendent of the original homesteaders. The original homestead was divided between the two daughters of the original homesteaders, and the portion that came to Jean Ballou is part of the current holdings of Craigie Farms. This portion of the farm has been owned by the same family for four generations, and will someday belong to the fifth. The rest of Craigie Farms is composed of land aquired by Jim and Agnes, or their daughter Jean. All the land is agricultural, and used for crop production. None is used for livestock.
Family farms are an important part of American history and have a place in today's world. More and more though, children of the farms are leaving to pursue other work, or combining farming with a full time day job in addiiton to running a farm so as to make ends meet. Land is expensive and the work can be difficult and not particularly glamorous
Jim & Agnes Craigie, with their two daughters, Jean & Hazel
Jean with son Daniel, daughter-in-law Helen, and grandchildren Anne & Daniel H. in 1983
Homesteading
Jim and Agnes Craigie are the original homesteaders. They took a risk by leaving their relatively staid lives and known professions to take up wheat farming - something they knew nothing about when starting out. Agnes, as the youngest child in a family of 5 children was known to be adverterous and bold. Strengh of character, flexibility and an entrepreneurial spirit were required attributes in successful homesteading. And perhaps a bit of daring and a lot of tenacity. Luckily, they were also fond of getting their pictures taken, giving us some great shots of life during that time. Agnes and Jim originally went west to Montana to open a general store for the fledgling community, but discovered on their arrival that one already existed. Jim's family had owned a 5 and Dime in the Minneapolis area, and Agnes's parents owned and ran a boarding house in that same city. Deciding to stay where they had landed, they switched their plans from general store to a farming operation and signed up to homestead land in that same area of Northeastern Montana. It was hard work and hard going. To make the land theirs, they had to successfully farm the piece they were given. Several times they ran out of money and had to return to Minneapolis to work in the family businesses in order to save enough to return and continue. They built their own home with the help of their neighboors - later, they were able to afford imporvments and a larger home.
The Craigie Family 5 and Dime
The Johnson Family Boarding House
The Johnson Family with young Agnes
Christmas at the Boarding House 1904
Out in Montana
The Craigie Home (larger) with Agnes and baby Jean
Growing up in rural Montana was a different kind of childhood for Jean, her sister Hazel, and later Jean's son Daniel, than either Jim or Agnes Craigie had had in a large city. You had to make your own fun, learn to sew if you wanted anything like the latest fashions, and get along with the kids on the farm near you (if there were any kids near you at all) if you wanted to have a playmate. Still, the family stayed connected with the Johnson's back in Minneapolis and made frequent trips back, along with some of Jean's and Hazel's cousins traveling out to Montana. The train (now Amtrak) runs from Minneapolis and makes a stop at Wolf Point, which is near Poplar. Later in life, after growing up and attending college, and when her son was grown, Jean eventually chose to move back to Minneapolis to teach and be a counselor. Hazel remained in Montana to farm with her husband and raise their children, two of whom have run Craigie Farms land.
Family Craigie Jim Agnes Jean Hazel
Hazel & Jean with Bozo the dog
The cousins
Making our own fun - riding a cart behind the horse (named 'bird')
