Getting where we are at today was the result of a years long search for country property. There were many influences that led us here but really it all started back when I (Russell) was a boy listening to my grandmothers’ stories of what life was like back when they were children in the early 1900’s. Then, after I was in the 4th grade we visited cousins who were living in rural Arkansas and I fell in love with country living from that moment on. That was a strong influence back in the early 1970’s.
I had a rather unique childhood. My great grandparents originally owned the land I grew up on in northern IL. They had a little 5 acre homestead and after they passed away the property was divided up between their 4 children, my grandmother on my dad’s side being one of them. The oldest son James got 2 acres and the original house. My Grandma Nellis and her two other brothers each got an acre.
I was an only child and we lived in the same house as my grandma. My dad’s father had died when he was just a boy and my father being the only son in the family felt a sense of responsibility to help care for his mother. And to make things even more interesting Grandma Nellis’ brother Uncle John Myers lived with her in her basement apartment. We lived upstairs.
Being the only kid around I had free run of the whole 5 acres since Grandma Nellis’ 3 brothers owned the rest of the property. It was all family. The whole place was my personal playground! I was used to a certain amount of freedom from an early age.
After my mom’s father passed away when I was 6 years old her mother Jessie moved in with us as well. So I grew up with both my grandmothers and Uncle John all in the same house. Since I never knew my dad’s father and my mom’s dad died when I was little Uncle John was like a grandpa to me.
Finally the neighbors sold their horse pasture which butted up against the family land and a fairly large apartment complex went in directly next to us. They were only two stories high, but seemed to tower right over our back yard. Being outside was like living in a fish bowel with all those apartment dwellers able to see everything we ever did outside. It was horrible and from that moment on I wanted to go someplace else less crowded. We had once been out away from town, but town quickly grew up around.
Once in my teen years I started racing motocross and most of the tracks were out away from the cities in rural areas, some of them right next to door to cow pastures. I always loved that part of motorcycle racing, of being out away from all the congestion of city life.
Kelli and I were married in 1984 and I was blessed with a wife who shared in my dreams of one day leaving the Chicago land area where we both grew up and finding just the right country property. We spent our early years going on near and far land searches often taking whole weekends to go out looking for just the right property.
In 1989 we went to Eagle River, WI on a 2 week vacation with the sole purpose of land hunting. We had a sense that we’d “know when we saw it”. It wasn’t until the last day on our way home back to IL that we found the original 120 acres, we knew as soon as we saw it that this was where we wanted to be. After years of searching we finally found it!
We went halves with my parents Larry and Nita, we moved up in 1998 and my parents followed a few years later after my dad retired. Then in 2016 Kelli and I bought an additional adjoining 80 acres. A great addition in that the new 80 acres has more high ground and extensive trails that our cabin guests enjoy hiking on and exploring.
Currently we have 4 generations living on this northern homestead, my parents, Kelli and I, two of our grown children and grandchildren. As we were growing up multigenerational homesteads where becoming a rarity, but now in today’s economy it is becoming more and more necessary for this type of arrangement. If you can get over the personality conflicts usually found in families it is a way young people can have a chance in today’s world. Not everyone can do it. It requires grace, love and lots of forgiveness.
Memorizing the verses about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is helpful. “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails….”
Until Next Time
Log Cabin Homestead 