TRAVELING AG EXHIBIT AT LOCAL MUSEUM

    The Marshall County Museum is the new home of a traveling exhibit called “On the Farm Front: Agriculture during WWII.” A program provided through the South Dakota Ag Heritage Museum located on the SDSU campus, was the driving force behind getting this exhibit to the city of Britton.
    The exhibit highlights the call-to-action American farmers received during WWII and the post war years that followed. What farmers and ranchers did to support the war effort went beyond Victory Gardens and scrap drives. The increase in wheat and sugar beet production, the development of the Harvest Brigade, and planting hemp with labor and equipment shortages are just to name a few.
    “Most exhibits focus on urban life during WWII. This exhibit developed by the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum tells a different story about how the war affected life on the farm and the changes in agricultural industries like creameries and farm equipment manufacturers. We have complimented the display with many of our own Marshall County historical artifacts found throughout our Museum,” stated Lorene Bender, Museum Board member.
    Walking into the newly rearranged museum, you will see several banners each detailing a certain sacrifice that farmers, ranchers, women and children had to make during war times. One such banner shows of floral flour sacks. The women had started using the sacks to make items like dresses and even blankets. Once the flour company heard of this, they decided to make the sacks into fun floral designs. There is even a ‘Victory Dress’ on display. The dress was sewn by Veronica Shriver, a Support Service Analyst for the Animal Science Department at SDSU. This dress was sewn with just one ration of the flour sack as fabric.
    Another interesting banner shows 4H children picking milkweeds. The pods in these weeds were sent to the front lines and used to make life jackets for army seaman. A 20 lb bag of milkweed pods would make one life preserver.
    The museum also has several ration cards on display. During war times groceries had to be rationed as well as gas and fuel. Your vehicle would be tagged with a letter and that would designate how many gallons you could receive.
    Each banner holds an interesting story that the Museum board invites guests to come and visit while the exhibit is here. “We really enjoying having kids come in and take a look around,” says Bender. “Someone usually has a connection to something in here,” she adds.
    “We encourage everyone to experience our Museum and this wonderful Display the SD Ag Heritage Museum has created. We welcome individuals or groups to visit us weekends or by appointment throughout the summer,” Bender said.
    The exhibit will be available for viewing every weekend until August 31 from 1-4 p.m.. They will also be open during Harvest Days this year the first weekend of August. The committee wants to remind everyone that you can call one of the phone numbers on the door for a viewing by appointment.
    If you or anyone you know is interested in being a volunteer at the museum, be sure to give Lorene or one of the board members a call.