A dirt road in the Driftless
On Saturday I went to Crawford and Vernon Counties in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. My eye was drawn to the beautiful old barns surrounded by hills and streams in the area. Driving around the Driftless you’ll see lots and lots of barns. Some are in good shape, many are not. The days of family farms have come and gone, and sadly what you see now in rural Wisconsin is a lot of poverty and abandon buildings. Farm houses and barns may still be standing, but they’re either not used or not maintained.
Crawford County Barn
These old buildings are wonderful to look at, and I can imagine the care that went in to running each of these farms 70 years ago. Many of the barns were built with lumber that was felled and milled right on site, and they’re made using traditional timber framing methods.
Tainter Creek Valley
I’ve heard it said that to make a similar structure today would cost $200,000. I wish I had the money and the resources to restore old barns because they really hold within them the rich history of the Driftless Region. Sadly, many of these structures cave in or are picked apart for their fine timbers.
Vernon County Barn
If you have deep pockets and agree with me that these buildings should be saved, send me your money and I’ll see that it’s taken care of.
Is this heaven?
