The Edam family, made up of five children: George Oliver Edam, Ella May Edam-Perkins-Reese, Wilbert Benjamin Edam, Alice Marie Edam-Weier, and Mamie Eleanor Edam-Stratman and two loving parents: Bert Oliver Edam and Amelia Kopps-Edam, that were aware of the sacrifices that needed to be made for a family.
June 5, 1905, the family began their move to Yates, Montana (between Wibaux, MT and Beach, ND) in hopes of a drier climate for their mother who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Only seven months would pass and she would pass away.
During the spring of 1912 Bert and fourteen year old son, George, travel to Crane, Montana near Savage. They acquired 160 acres of land, built a house, harvested, stacked, and fenced-in a crop of hay through the Homestead Act. All the while 13 year old, Wilbert, took care of his sisters, Mamie(7) and Alice(8) back in Yates. Wilbert prepared meals, pumped water for drinking, cooking, bathing and laundry, for several months while his brother and father were gone making a future for the family.
In 1913 the whole family moved to their home in Crane. A year later their father was killed in an accident with a run-away horse team. The girls returned back to Wisconsin while the brothers continued farming their father’s farm. They would face testing hardships while farming such as drought, depression, World Wars, swarming locusts, failing health, and several more.
Under the Selective Service Act of 1917 the boys were never drafted into the war because they were employed in agriculture. They would provide produce to the war efforts. WWI was important because it made people realize that farmers really do matter and support the economy. An increased agricultural production would fuel our nation into the war. During this time U.S. engaged more in farms to help benefit the farmers. They introduced rationing and surplus purchasing to help keep farmers’s in business because they understood the impact of rural farming during such a hard time for the nation.
June 5, 1905, the family began their move to Yates, Montana (between Wibaux, MT and Beach, ND) in hopes of a drier climate for their mother who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Only seven months would pass and she would pass away.
During the spring of 1912 Bert and fourteen year old son, George, travel to Crane, Montana near Savage. They acquired 160 acres of land, built a house, harvested, stacked, and fenced-in a crop of hay through the Homestead Act. All the while 13 year old, Wilbert, took care of his sisters, Mamie(7) and Alice(8) back in Yates. Wilbert prepared meals, pumped water for drinking, cooking, bathing and laundry, for several months while his brother and father were gone making a future for the family.
In 1913 the whole family moved to their home in Crane. A year later their father was killed in an accident with a run-away horse team. The girls returned back to Wisconsin while the brothers continued farming their father’s farm. They would face testing hardships while farming such as drought, depression, World Wars, swarming locusts, failing health, and several more.
Under the Selective Service Act of 1917 the boys were never drafted into the war because they were employed in agriculture. They would provide produce to the war efforts. WWI was important because it made people realize that farmers really do matter and support the economy. An increased agricultural production would fuel our nation into the war. During this time U.S. engaged more in farms to help benefit the farmers. They introduced rationing and surplus purchasing to help keep farmers’s in business because they understood the impact of rural farming during such a hard time for the nation.