The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older.
February 4, 1943
When prairie chickens were so numerous in this section of the country that one could ride along in a wagon and shoot them was recalled this week by William Heckt, Luverne. The birds found the unbroken prairie an ideal place for nesting and raising their young, but as the county became more densely populated, and more and more land was placed under cultivation, the number of prairie chickens gradually decreased until now there are only a few scattered flocks that spend the winters in corn fields here.
Mr. Heckt has been a resident of the United States since 1880, when he came here from Germany. He was born Aug. 5, 1865 in Holstein, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joachim Heckt. His father was a ship’s carpenter, and the town in which they lived was located on the sea. There was fog where he lived which was much the same as in England, he states.
He attended the school in his home town and was confirmed there before his family left for the United States in January, 1880. Making the trip here were his father and mother and five brothers and sisters in addition to himself. He recalls but little about the trip here except that the weather was bad and the sea was so rough that they were confined to their cabin for several days.
His father deciding to come to America was due, perhaps, to the fact that Germany was undergoing an economic recon-struction following the Franco – Prussian war, and times were difficult, especially for a man with a large family. Another factor which no doubt had some bearing on his father’s decision was Mr. Heckt’s older brother, who was already living in this country. He told of America’s wealth and agricultural future, and this, Mr. Heckt believes, had its influence on his father.
They settled in Tama county, Ia. near the village of Dysart, where the elder Mr. Heckt bought an 80 acre farm. Although thought of as a comparatively small acreage in this country, this was a big farm for the Heckt family, who came from a country where land was farmed only in very small tracts. Farming was different here too, than it was in Holstein, Mr. Heckt recalls. There all the farmers lived in villages, and tilled the land adjoining the village.
Mr. Heckt lived at home until he was 21, and he then went to Lyon county to obtain employment. He worked as a hired hand for several years for a salary of $20 a month. He came to Rock county in 1889 and worked on a farm that summer. On Dec. 24 of that year, he married Mollie Hemme at Luverne. In 1891, the couple began farming in Springwater township. From there, they moved to Rose Dell township which was their home for nine years. In 1905, they moved to the village of Hardwick where Mr. Hemme was engaged in the retail mercantile business. Three years of business life was as much as he wanted, however, and he moved back to a farm in Denver township. Here the Heckt family lived until retiring and moving to Luverne in 1919. Farming today in many ways is different from what it was when he came to Rock county, Mr. Hemme states, but in one way, it’s just the same. You still have to plant the seed and harvest your crops, he philosophizes, no matter how mechanized your farming has become.
Threshing from stacks rather than from shocks was the common rather than the uncommon thing when he first came to Rock county. One year, he set up over 100 stacks, 80 of which stood through the winter because he was unable to get a threshing crew to finish them in the fall. Although the butts were wet, the grain in the upper five sixths of the stacks were dry and in excellent condition. The driest years he experienced was during 1894 and 1911. In 1894, he recalls, there was a killing frost in May, and no rain fell after that time. Wheat sown on corn stalk ground produced some grain, but that sown on plowing was worthless. He harvested his biggest crop the year following, in 1895.
Mr. and Mrs. Heckt became the parents of two children, the late Mrs. Gus Schlapkohl and Louis Heckt of Hardwick. Mrs. Heckt died about two years ago.
Mr. Heckt has three brothers and three sisters living. They are E. P. Heckt, Dysart, Ia., R. O. Heckt, Mason City, Ia.; E. C. Heckt, Hardwick; Mrs. Emma Hemme, Hardwick and Mrs. Meta Rohlk, Luverne. He has six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Two of his grandsons, Orville Schlapkohl and Alvin Hemme, are in the Army.
Mr. Heckt is a member of the of the Woodmen lodge. He states he has held no offices except that of treasurer manager of the Rock County Burial association several years ago.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.