History

In 1954, Leroy and Charlotte moved to Missouri to begin a new life farming, away from the cold Wisconsin winters. They had sold their house in Wisconsin and stayed with family in Nebraska as they looked for a farm to call their own.

They wrote several farm agents around the Missouri and Arkansas area, letting them know the dates they would be traveling through. Upon arriving to Ava, the agents office was closed, with a sign saying “Looks like rain, heading to Springfield for the day”. Leroy looked around town and found another agent that was willing to show properties. They looked at several properties, but decided to go back and take another look at one on Hunter Creek, owned by the Brown family.

They decided to purchase the property and made plans to move. They packed most everything they owned on a flat bed trailer, pulled by Leroy’s tractor. He made a several days journey, mostly traveling at night to avoid traffic. Charlotte stayed behind in Nebraska to care for their three daughters.

Leroy arrived at the farm, just as the power company was about to disconnect the power. He asked them to hold off doing so, as he had a freezer on the trailer he needed to keep running. He quickly unloaded some geese, fed them some corn he had, and hitched a ride with the electrical crew back to town. He purchased a bus ticket back to Nebraska to rejoin his family. They soon made the journey together to their new home.

While Leroy was back in Nebraska, a neighbor, Guy Lakey had heard the geese. Guy fed and watered the geese until the family returned to their new home.