This cache is part of the Fargo-Moorhead GeoTour, the first official GeoTour in the states of Minnesota & North Dakota.
To participate, download a passport here or pick one up at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitor Center. Use the passport to track your progress in collecting “code words” at each location. Find 20 of the 24 Fargo-Moorhead GeoTour caches to earn an official GeoTour coin, and find all 24 caches to earn a virtual souvenir from HQ.
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This cache was placed with permission and is available for all to enjoy during daylight hours. Please do not attempt to drive to this cache. Instead, park at the posted coordinates on the east side of the highway and walk across the road (with caution) to access the main property. The cache is a bit smaller than its nearest neighbor (GC8C5JW), but I think most geocachers will enjoy the contrast in container size. Due to the location, this doesn't require the typical amount of stealth.
ABOUT THIS LOCATION:
Please enjoy your visit to this historical farmstead and feel free to spend time exploring the nearby grounds of Probstfield Farm. As you walk west on the drive, here is a listing of the buildings you will encounter:
- The Probstfield Farmhouse: As you walk past the gate and up the drive, the farmhouse is on your left. The 1868 vintage house is squared log construction with clapboard siding over the logs. If you look on the side of the house facing the drive, some of the siding is off exposing the hand-hewn logwork. It is reputed to be the oldest extant farmhouse in the Valley south of the Canadian border. The house has lost about half of its footprint in recent years as restoration intends to return it to its 1884 configuration.
- The Jeep House and Pot Shed: If you look back toward the fence and gate on the east side (left side of driveway) you will see a tiny little shack against the trees. This is the current iteration of the Jeep House, which was housing for hired hands on the farm. The shack has been added to and subtracted from many times over the years. The Pot Shed is to the south (left of the Farmhouse), and is the only other building from the same era as the farmhouse. Its name implies its purpose, but it likely also housed small farm animals.
- The Wood Barn: On the right side of the drive, right next to the edge of the river terrace, is the Wood Barn. Again, its name implies purpose. It was originally used to keep wood dry and cured, both for use on the farm and for sale. When steamboats plied the Red River (from 1859 until approximately 1909), the area below the Wood Barn next to the River was known as Probstfield’s Landing. The river to the south was shallow and boats coming down river toward Canada would wait to purchase fuel from Probstfield and others where the river was deeper and the boats could be loaded to full capacity. There are antique tractors parked in the Wood Barn. At the time this cache was published, all of the tractors you may see on the property are operational and are used in the maintenance of the property and assisting in plowing and tilling. Please feel free to take photos, but be very careful around them!
- The Chicken Barn and Wellhouse: The Chicken Barn (left) is a larger structure built in the 1930s and 40s which housed a workshop, storage, chickens, rabbits and other small animals. The small well house covers a well drilled in the 1890s. Prior to the well, water was drawn from the nearby river.
- The Big Barn: The left (south side) of the farmstead is dominated by the Big Barn. It was built in the 1930s and 40s, as most structures were built in stages. It housed what you’d expect a barn to house: hay in the lofts, provisions and stalls for larger animals, a milking stand and washing areas for animals, and some cages or roosts for smaller animals. The Barn was heated and had two chimneys, one of which is still active. Today the Barn is the nerve center of volunteer activities on the farm and is the meeting place of both the foundation board and the “Tractor Guys," a dedicated crew of retiree volunteers who maintain the farm and the antique machinery used. Curious why it's not painted red like many other barns in the region? The white painted structures were both a cultural affectation associated with German farmers (often adopted by other groups too), and a practical necessity. The white paint would protect and seal the wood, but would not fade like red. Another selling point is that white paint was about the cheapest pigmented paint you could get or mix yourself.
- The Machine Shed: This last building on the left (south) side of the farmstead is actually very new. It was built by volunteers in the summers of 2014 and 2015. It is, however, a replica of the actual Machine Shed which once stood on the concrete slab behind you and to your right against the river terrace. Incidentally, one of the original outhouses stands next to the slab. The original shed structure was badly decayed and was subsiding down the river bank so the replica was built away from the bank. The current building houses workspace and antique equipment. On the north side of the Shed, you will see a Barn Quilt painted by Howard Anderson, one of our longtime volunteers and a retired educator from Moorhead.
- The Woods: Nearest GZ and along the north side of the farmstead is a good example of the Gallery Forest that parallels the Red River for most of its length. The dominant tree species include Oaks, Elms, Ash, Maples, Cottonwoods, and other deciduous types. There are a few coniferous and evergreen trees, but they are the exception in this area. The two main species would likely be the White Oak and other Oak varieties, and the American Elm. Feel free to look from the edge of the woods, but please, for safety sake, remain on the mown areas of the farmstead.
Special thanks to Paul Sando and the board of Probstfield Farm Living History Foundation for allowing me to put this cache on their property for all to find and enjoy.