Eureka Excelsior
Section 27, Leon Township, Clearwater County

Eureka Excelsior (Rydeen Farms) began as 160 acres in 1897. Edward D. Rydeen from Winthrop, MN homesteaded the land at the age of 21 when President Cleveland signed the Minnesota Homestead Act. He worked on his homestead and organized the first school board (District 20) in 1898 and served as clerk for 47 years. In 1901, Edward enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Spanish American war. He was discharged in 1904, came home to farm and taught school from 1905-1910.

The farm’s first livestock facilities were two log barns. In 1921, a new 96 foot long modern dairy barn was constructed. Native lumber was used to build the barn and the cement blocks were mixed and formed on-site. Today, the barn is used to store machinery. The original frame house (said to be the first of this type of construction in Clearwater County) was built before Edward enlisted. The original design has been kept intact. The wood floors are original as is the living room ceiling and the stained glass window. The kitchen table is one that was in the house and originally given to Edmund and Una Rydeen shortly after their marriage. The china cabinet remains where it originally stood during those early years.

FIRST GENERATION:
In September, 1911 Edward married Louella Schneider of Gonvick. They had eight children: Dorothy, Edna, Martha, Edmund, Ernest, Florence, Reuben and Lucille. Edward was an active member of many state, district, and community affairs. He helped establish the Clearbrook Creamery and was also one of the original promoters and organizers of Land O’ Lakes, Inc. of which he was a life-long member.

SECOND GENERATION:
Reuben was discharged from the Navy in 1946. He went into partnership with his father and married Wanda Forsberg in 1950. They had four children: Debbie, Sherry, Paul and Carl. In 1954, Reuben and Wanda bought the homestead. The house was remodeled at that time and the barn was expanded to house 40 dairy cows. As years passed, the Herman Rydeen and Anton Erickson farms were purchased to increase their acreage.

THIRD GENERATION:
In 1985, Paul married Lois Sundbom and bought the family farm. They have two children: Claire, age 16 and Justis age 13. The farm has continued to expand to a size of approximately 1100 acres. Livestock plays an important role although the dairy operation is no more. The farm hosts an annual livestock production sale in February and is featured on www.breedingcattlepage.com and uses e-mail for buyer’s convenience (rydeen@gvtel.com). AI breeding and embryo transfer have been utilized for years to maximize genetic potential. Crops include: corn, small grains, and forages. New facilities have been added to accommodate the beef herd and the grain enterprise.