A 21-year-old Norwegian left his family and all familiar to him for a land of opportunity.

In 1841, Martin Olson Lundgaard sailed from Norway aboard Preciosa with a pocket of courage and a handful of hope. Also aboard the vessel was Amund Pederson Berge. These are the late great-grandfathers of Pierce County resident and previous owner of the 165-year-old family farmstead, Gaylen Lundgaard.

Both immigrants settled in the Martell area of Pierce County, one across the road from the other. As a young man, Martin enlisted in the military and served in the Civil War for three years. He also jointly owned a general store in Martell which enabled him to purchase what is celebrated as the family farm, a quarter-section in Martell Township where his great-great granddaughter Gina and her spouse, Jeff Girdeen, live today, at N6701 570th Ave., Beldenville.

“I feel like it is a great honor to live here,” said Gina. “I am so thankful. I feel the blessing and favor of God has been on this farm since 1856.”

The original Lundgaard homestead remains in the family. Martin’s only son, Oscar was next in line, followed by his son, Melvin and brother, Bill. In 1984, Melvin’s only son, Gaylen, purchased the farm, where he worked and raised his family with his wife, Laurie. Gaylen, now 75, recalls the history of extensive work with horses when he was young.

The initial land has been through generations of family members who tilled the land, raised dairy cattle and various other farm animals and established families. Horses, whether for work or pleasure have always been on the Lundgaard farm.

A team of draft horses, Captain and Jane, helped with much of the work prior to Gaylen’s adult years. However, the farm had a Mc-Cormick Deering 1020 tractor too. Gaylen tells of his father purchasing a new Farmall H tractor for $800 in 1941 and his father wondering if he could pay it off while milking his 20 cows.

“When I am here (on the farm) I think of the past, some good, some . . . my dad died of a heart attack here in 1965,” he said. “I remember him telling me before he died ‘now you have to do everything you can to help your mom.’” Although only in high school, “he took over and did it grandly,” according to Gina.

Words of the past still resonate.

Gaylen recalls being 15 years old when a startled pair of Belgian work horses he was driving bolted. The horses were hitched to a stone boat where the young farmer stood. His father’s words “don’t ever let go of the reigns of those horses,” echoed in his mind. Hanging on tightly, he hit the ground where his oval-shaped belt buckle turned like a plow, packing dirt into his pants. Gaylen ultimately redeemed the situation, repeating the experience that first scared the team until they could calmly cross the area that initiated the fear.

Laurie, the current family matriarch grew up in St. Paul, Minn. Her initial transition to the Martell home was challenging.

“It’s complicated, said Laurie. “It was a gradual acclamation. I did some plowing and raking hay, but it was lonely,” she recalls. So, her dedication remained but her jobs changed a bit.

She took outside work at the Pierce County Manor and ultimately retired from the Pierce County Highway Department in 2010.

“I feel honored to carry on the legacy,” she said of the location she and her husband have now passed to upcoming generations and where her granddaughter, Eva, now expands her love of horses. “There aren’t many homes like this anymore. What we do here is real life.”

Gina, the current owner, says the farm is most recently converting from a beef operation to a horse farm.

Horses have always been part of the heritage. Her 13-year-old daughter, Eva, competes often in horse events. Grandpa Gaylen is the designated driver of the horse trailer and still gets family soil on his boots.

“I have a new identity as a horse grandpa,” he said. “I help train. It is even more fun when I work with Eva. I am so proud of her.

“I love the horses,” said Gaylen. “Good horses are about the relationships. If you treat them with love and respect, they will take care of you."

The Lundgaard sesquicentennial farm is measured by more than just legacy of ownership and horses. A portion of the original barn still exists along with a section of an earlier house. Both have changes and upgrades. But historically it tells one family’s story. And that will continue.

“I won’t leave,” said Gina. “Then, Eva will take it over.”

Century Farms

Three Pierce County farms will be honored at the Pierce County Fair and Wisconsin State Fair as Century Farms this year.

•Charla Kusilek, Town of River Falls. The property has been in the family since 1884.

•Dianne, Chad and Larry Madson, Town of Gilman. The property at W3795 770th Ave., Spring Valley, has been in the family since 1920.

•Cheryl A. and Glenn D. Anderson, Town of Trenton. The property at W7852 290th Ave., Hager City, has been in the family since 1920.

What is the Century Farm Program?

The Century Farm Awards Program began in 1948 in conjunction with the state’s Centennial Celebration. Currently, Wisconsin has almost 10,000 Century Farms.

The Sesquicentenial Program started in 1998 as part of Wisconsin’s Sesquicentennial Celebration and has since honored more than 900 properties.

To qualify for the awards, families must provide proof of continuous family ownership of the property for either the last 100 or 150 years. In 2020, 118 properties in Wisconsin received the Century Farm designation, in 53 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Thirty-six properties received the Sesquicentennial Farm Award, located in 24 of the 72 counties.

The counties with the most Century farms are:

•Dane – 409

•Dodge – 359

•Washington – 322

•Manitowoc – 310

•Sheboygan – 281 The counties with the most Sesquicentennial farms are:

•Washington – 94

•Dodge – 54

•Dane – 53

•Columbia – 48

•Manitowoc – 41