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Diamond A Cattle Company |
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A |
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Tucker & Crystal Ashley, Pukwana, SD (605) 778-6885 |
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Century Homestead |
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Garnard Ashley is 95 years old and still lives on the Ashley Homestead. He was born in July of 1910 on the homestead. He started farming with horses, used tractors with steel wheels , graduated to 2 cylinder John Deere tractors and finally when he was 75 years old, he bought a John Deere tractor with a cab. He has an extensive collection of John Deere tractors, and continues to search for the perfect 330 John Deere tractor. |
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Since January 2000 the Ashley Shanty and Privy have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Thomas and Lewis Ashley (brothers) became the owners of the two quarters on July 24, 1906 when they paid $6500 for the land. The shanty was built for Thomas and Rachel (Moreland) Ashley, parents of Garnard Ashley and grandparents of Tucker Ashley. The original shanty measured 12 x 16, and about 1910 the 8 x 16 lean-to on the north side was added. The lean-to is the bedroom; the upstairs loft was also used as a bedroom. A kitchen chair and a three-drawer dresser located in the shanty are pieces of furniture used by Thomas and Rachel. |
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Also located on Ashley’s Diamond A Ranch is a one-room schoolhouse. Walk into the schoolhouse and you step back into time. Visitors can view desks with ink wells, a coal shuttle and a wood burning stove. Old books, period maps, and globes illustrate the teaching methods of the day. In one corner is a curtained voting booth with its original voting box. |
