This week the James family farm is being recognized for achieving the Missouri Century Farm designation.

The Wayne and Alice James family provided the following description of their farm, which is located not far from Vienna on MCR 514:

This Century farm began with Tom James and Ina Snodgrass James. Tom was born on March 4, 1891, the third of 12 children of David Thomas James and Harriet Isabell (Curtis) James. Ina was born on August 23, 1894, the second of 14 children of William Riley Snodgrass and Mary Bell Feeler. Tom and Ina were married in Ina’s parent’s home on July 28, 1912, and to this union 10 children were born, five girls and five boys. Their children attended the Bloomgarden School. Tom and Ina purchased this farm (342 acres more or less) on February 25, 1920. It is located on the Old Springfield Road overlooking the Gasconade River. As with all farm families in the area, they raised their children by doing hard work on the farm using horse drawn equipment, growing fresh fruits and vegetables from their garden and fruit orchard and raising cattle, pigs, and chickens for sale and food as well as hunting wild game. Tom James died May 29, 1960, at the age of 69. Ina James died May 2, 1948, at the age of 53. Tom and Ina were buried at the James Community Cemetery near Vienna.

In the 1800’s early 1900’s there was a ravine, which still exists between two rock bluffs on the Gasconade River on the farm, that was used to slide ties down to the river and they were tied together and floated down river to be used for construction of railroads. To this day this is known as the “Tie Slide Ridge”.

A landmark located on this property on the bank of the Gasconade River is the Pink Cabin. It is recognized by floaters and motorboats as a halfway point between destinations and just a meeting place, and used in providing directions. The Pink Cabin was built in 1956 by the siblings of the Tom and Ina James family.  The flood (35.06 ft. as recorded at Jerome, MO) which happened in April-May 2017, removed the structure from the foundation and it was destroyed. It had been there for 61 years and survived countless floods through the years. Since then a new structure has been placed on the foundation and some of the remains of the cabin have been revived and used to identify it as the Pink Cabin. Many, many years of family and friend gatherings, fish fries and river fun are still shared by all at the Pink Cabin. 

The farm, through the estate of Tom and Ina James, was willed to their living siblings on March 6, 1967.

Berthal and Hazel James purchased the farm on January 24, 1980. Berthal James was born March 28, 1919, the fifth of 10 children of Tom and Ina James. He attended eight years of grade school at Bloomgarden School and graduated from Vienna High School. Hazel Ester Terry was born April 19, 1918, the first of two children of Austin Timothy and Katherine Albertine Opperman Terry. Hazel attended grade school at Terry School. Berthal and Hazel were married May 10, 1941, by a Justice of Peace in the old courthouse in Rolla and to this union six children were born.  Berthal and Hazel were life-long Maries County farmers who raised cattle and hay crops. Berthal, also did a lot of logging in the deep Gasconade River hills. Berthal died June 9, 2010, at the age of 91 years and Hazel died July 17, 2013, at the age of 95 years.  Both were buried in the James Community Cemetery. 

Wayne and Alice James purchased the farm on March 5, 1988.  Wayne James was born April 15, 1951, the third child of six children of Berthal and Hazel James. Wayne’s wife, Alice, is the second of eight children of Theodore and Matilda Libbert Schwartze. Wayne and Alice James were married on November 6, 1971, at St. Aloysius Church in Argyle, and to this union two children were born. 

During the years, barns and out buildings were refurbished and new machinery and storage buildings were added to the farm. The land has provided an abundance of hay crop and raised many cattle, which the family still does today. 

The Old Farm House has become a favorite gathering place during deer season and many tales are told of past and current deer and turkey hunting adventures. We have enjoyed numerous trail rides in the Gasconade River hills with family and friends and of course the Gasconade River and Pink Cabin have provided us with so much fun.

Many memories have been made through the years at the James Family Farm and there will be many more to come.