The family鈥檚 desire to keep the story succinct, simply states that in 1919 Reinhold Mantei purchased a homestead quarter of land in the Outram area that remains with the family to this day.
Like other early homestead adventurers, the progress toward prosperity in a sometimes unforgiving land, was slow and, at times, stymied due to weather or other conditions that would place walls in front of the brave men, women and their children who were determined to carve out a living and a lifestyle they could enjoy.
This family was no different, but they did persist with a modest house being built on the home quarter as one of the first steps, probably done in concert with the purchase of farm equipment in incremental fashion as well as a Model T Ford Coupe in 1929, to provide more mobility for the quickly growing family that eventually numbered 12 siblings.
One event, family members recall fondly and vividly entailed a windcharger. From that charger, a power line was strung into the home from that 32 volt charger that had been installed around 1946.
When electricity was made available from the tiny community of Fortuna, North Dakota, in 1955, the Mantei family grabbed hold of the opportunity and the power line was completed, making the family farm the first one in the region to boast of electrical power.
A photo accompanying this article was taken of the family by the photographer (most likely a family member) sitting atop the windcharger. It clearly shows the power lines running into the home with the family posing outside.
Donald Mantei, who was one of the younger siblings, still lives on this farm, only a few feet away from where the photo was taken. He said he still drives down the same road to get into the farmyard and he noted the landscape pictured in the background hasn鈥檛 changed much over the decades.
Another interesting fact about the farm is that the windmill, featured in the photo and from which the electrical system was hooked up, is still operational to this day, providing power to recharge a water source to the farm. While the windmill is still up and operating as efficiently as ever, the original farm home is gone, but the family鈥檚 proud history of ownership remains intact and just as valid now as it was 97 years ago.聽聽聽
