Two houses on Johnson farm keep families connected
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The Johnson family farm in Hazel Run Township in Yellow Medicine County received its Century Farm honor in 1999. Shannon Johnson recalls receiving the Century Farm certificate with Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's signature.
"The signature is all but gone now. We can't read it anymore," Shannon Johnson said.
According to Century Farm records, Frank A. Johnson, who immigrated from Sweden and then to Iowa, purchased 160 acres at the Hazel Run site on Feb. 26, 1892. He paid $15 an acre.
He owned the farm until 1918, when his son William took over. Shannon's father, Willis took over in 1960 and Shannon in 1998.
Today, according to Shannon, the farm consists of 1,000 acres that are farmed by him with his son, Tom.
According to Shannon, the two houses on the farm site is a highlight for the family.
"In like 1950, my grandfather bought the quarter across the road, so then it was 320 (acres). And built the house in 1918 that we live in. The first farm site was across the road," Shannon Johnson said.
The original house was torn down when the 1918 house was built.
"Every nail got reused," Laurie Johnson said.
"When dad got out of the service, they built a second house on the farm. Been there since about 1950," he said.
He and his wife, Laurie, now live in the larger house, while his son Tom lives in the smaller house with his family.
"We probably still have stuff in the house from my grandmother," he said.
"We do. Butter churn and old telephone on the wall. Canning jars and tools," Laurie Johnson said.
"Once in awhile we get disgusted with this old house. But it's a good strong house," Shannon Johnson said. "They say it was a Sears Roebuck house plan. They got the plan from Sears Roebuck and they built the house on their own. I guess that's what they did. It took them a couple years to build it."
Shannon Johnson said in 1918 they would have had just ladders and scaffolds to get that high.
"And horse drown shovel," Laurie Johnson said.
Shannon Johnson recalls it was kind of a gathering place for grandma's family.
"They had a lot of events there. A lot of relatives," he said. "It's always been a progression. You start when you get married. You start in the little house and then the next generation retires and moves to town. So that's happen a couple times now. We started in the little house and moved to the big house."
Today, Shannon Johnson says his son. Is content in the little house.
Through the times, Shannon Johnson said the grandchildren enjoyed being able to run to the big house to see grandma and grandpa.
"They (there two boys) could run across the driveway to grandma and grandpa," Laurie Johnson said. "Now we get to do that. So I think that's a good thing. And my husband and his siblings did that when he was little."
Shannon Johnson's father, Willis, died in 2025 at the age of 96. He was born in 1929 to Willie and Esther Johnson.
"He attended country school and embraced farm life from an early age," according to his obituary notice. "After graduating from Granite Falls High School, he married his high school sweetheart, Eleanor (Ueland) Johnson. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 following the outbreak of the Korean War and was stationed in Germany where Eleanor joined him and served as a secretary in the civil service."
Willis and Eleanor had four children: Dean, DeEtte, Shawn and Shannon.
"Farm animals and chores were plentiful with cows, pigs, goats, horses and chickens. He farmed a variety of crops from corn and beans to wheat, oats, sunflowers, beets and even popcorn. Willis and Eleanor had a passion for square dancing, family reunions and extensive travel adventures," the obituary also stated.
According to the Century Farm application, the farm produced corn, wheat, oats and hay. Shannon Johnson said sugar beets were added in 1997 and the farm joined the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative in Renville. And soybeans are grown today as well.
Besides crops, Shannon Johnson the farm raised hogs furrow to finish from 1980 to 2000.
Shannon Johnson also restored the Case tractor the his grandpa purchased new. He restored it 20 years ago.
"My dad was really tickled with getting that old Case going again. Because it looks better now than it ever did," he said.
Shannon and Laurie married in 1984 and now have seven grandchildren
"That's the most fun you can have," Shannon Johnson said of the grandchildren.
"I grew up as a farm kid, so it was neat to marry a farmer myself. I used to help in the field whenever I could and when I wasn't working outside the farm," Laurie Johnson said.
Today, she works at the executive director of the Minnesota Machinery Museum in Hanley Falls.
"It's all about farm life," Laurie Johnson said about working at the museum.
Shannon's son, Tom, is expected to take over farming operations when he retires.