BELLE FOURCHE—Past history collides with the future as a current generation takes over the family farm. Taylor and Aleisha Huppler have purchased the Schaub Farm. “I’ll actually be the fifth generation farming it,” said Aleisha.
The 146 acre farm will keep growing crops as past generations have done, but also has plans for a new direction. “We have barley growing in the far lower field and then the rest of the fields are alfalfa or hay,” explained Aleisha.
Bringing in new business ideas to the old farm is something the family looks forward to. “We have an old barn out there that I’m reshaping into a farm store. I’m going to sell all organic goods and stuff out of the farm store right there,” said Aleisha.
They hope to have the store open to the public by mid June. The store will offer a variety of items. Aleisha said, “we will have all organic produce, some organic goods, some home goods, some boutique jewelry and t-shirts—things like that.” Huppler Homestead Farm Store is the intended name of the new market.
With the purchase of the family homestead, Aleisha and her family get to step back in time and live where so much of her family history began. “My mom is Sheryl (Schaub) Hale, her dad is Lawrence Schaub and his dad was George Schaub,” explained Aleisha. “The first person to buy the land was Henry Schaub—which was his (George) dad—and they farmed it.”
Taylor and Aleisha bought out all of the prior generation’s siblings to purchase the family farm outright in February. “When the opportunity came up to buy the family farm, that was in my bloodline, we jumped on it,” said Aleisha.
Carrying on her parents’ and grandparents’ legacy means everything to the Huppler family. “I definitely wouldn’t have spent the money on this land if it hadn’t been in the family,” said Aleisha. “I think it’s really cool to walk where your great, great, great grandparents walked. To see some of the stuff that they grew and to see some of the stuff they planted. Some of the trees on the property definitely were planted by them, we have rose bushes that are 100 years old.”
Being able to witness five generations of history on the land and in the buildings gives the farm an immediate sense of home. “We have stuff in the barn from when they took care of horses—horses haven’t been on the property in 80 years—it’s just really cool seeing the history of it.”
Aleisha has found artifacts from her family that date back to the 1800s. “I actually have a book that I found that came over from Germany and my third great grandfather was learning how to write his name in this German book. There is a German picture Bible with all of the verses in German from 1800s, and it’s so worn you can tell that the Bible had just gone through generations,” she shared. “It’s just really, really cool to find a piece of your history—it’s like your own legacy Museum.”
An old faded sign still marks the entrance to the family farm. “My grandpa had painted a sign—he was so proud of it—it had his name and his father’s name and then his grandfather’s name on the sign and then the years they farmed,” explained Aleisha. The Farm is located a few miles east of Belle Fourche on Highway 212.
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