The first recorded settlers arrived in the Humboldt district in 1903. Humboldt was advertised as a rich, fertile land with rolling plains and valleys, a land of great possibilities. There were 690 homesteads filed between April 15, 1905 and Nov. 2, 1905.

In 1906 the price of wheat for No. 1 Nor. was $0.60 cents a bushel, oats was $0.25 cents a bushel and barley was $0.31 cents a bushel. On Nov. 6, 1906, the Humboldt Journal reported a steady stream of teams winding their way to the elevators. The total shipment that week was expected to be 25 cars. The settlers in 1906 were overjoyed with their crop yields. Nic Burton, who farmed a few miles north of town, had a wheat field run 41 bushels to the acre. The oats averaged 60 bushels to the acre.

In 1909 the first agricultural society was organized in the area. After the war started the farm population was encouraged to produce more food. The government guaranteed the price of heat in 1916 -17 at $2.21 per bushel, basis No. 1 Nor. at the lake head.

In 1930, the price for farm products dropped and years of l roughs followed. It was a depressing time as many farmers received a bill for freight instead of a cheque after shipping livestock

In the early days of farming the work horse was the main source of power. The horse teams worked very hard pulling ploughs and other farm machinery. The farmer had a special relationship with his horses as they toiled together and each horse had a name such as Barney, Charlie or Nelly, etc.

The threshing crews needed many horses and men to have the crops. Six teams worked to haul sheaves to the threshing machine while two field pitchers helped the teamsters to lift the sheaves onto the racks. Two men labored to take the grain away while a thresherman looked after l setting the machine.

The farm wife was also up at dawn preparing meals over a hot cookstove for the hungry crews.

When the steam engine came along, it often took 12 teams to haul the bundles of grain and one or two men to haul water for the engine. The steam engine also needed a special steam engine with papers to run the machine.

Tractors soon replaced the cumbersome, heavy steam engines. Tractors with the equivalent lent of 200 horsepower are norm today and have names like Big Bud. The family farm diversified into new areas of production as they strive to succeed and survive in the future.