Wendelin Grimm
Encyclopedia
Wendelin Grimm was an American farmer. Grimm is best known for his innovative seed-saving techniques that resulted in North America's first winter-hardy alfalfa
.
as one of seven children to Valentine and Mary Grimm. His childhood was spent in a part of Germany known for its rich agricultural heritage. His formal education was limited to the perfunctory training that would have been given to youth training for a career in farming.
At the age of 27, he married Julianna Segner (June 15, 1821 – October 28, 1897) of Steinback, Baden, Germany. They farmed in Germany until 1857 when, with Julianna and their children, Grimm relocated to Carver County, Minnesota
by way of New York. Wendelin and Julianna had a total of ten children, seven born in Germany and three born in the United States, only four of them reaching adulthood:
The Grimms homesteaded property near modern-day Victoria, Minnesota
. During their time at this location, they transformed the property from a crude log-cabin homestead to a fully functional farmstead. What remains of that farmstead
is now part of the Carver Park Reserve
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
In 1872, Grimm passed the original farmstead onto his son Frank. He then moved to modern-day Chaska and continued to farm. His second farmstead is still occupied and farmed by Grimm's descendants. Wendelin Grimm passed away on December 8, 1890.
Many of Grimm's neighbors noticed the superiority of his crops and the health of his cattle. One of them, Arthur B. Lyman, worked to bring Grimm's alfalfa to the attention of Professor Willet Hays
at the University of Minnesota
. Hays brought Grimm's alfalfa to the masses. A deficiency in Grimm's alfalfa was its inability to resist bacterial wilt. In the 1940s, more resistant strains were developed, and Grimm's alfalfa was no longer widely used. However, Roger Stein of the Carver Park Reserve discusses the importance of the alfalfa grown by Grimm in stating, "You could say that all North American alfalfa comes from parents that originated on this site." It is estimated that Grimm's alfalfa is the basis for the United State's third largest crop (hay) accounting for 60 million acres (242,811.6 km²) and a value of $3.4 billion annually.
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
.
Personal life
Grimm was born in Külsheim, GermanyKülsheim
Külsheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Tauberbischofsheim, and 10 km south of Wertheim am Main.-Town districts :* Külsheim* Eiersheim...
as one of seven children to Valentine and Mary Grimm. His childhood was spent in a part of Germany known for its rich agricultural heritage. His formal education was limited to the perfunctory training that would have been given to youth training for a career in farming.
At the age of 27, he married Julianna Segner (June 15, 1821 – October 28, 1897) of Steinback, Baden, Germany. They farmed in Germany until 1857 when, with Julianna and their children, Grimm relocated to Carver County, Minnesota
Carver County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 70,205 people, 24,356 households, and 18,778 families residing in the county. The population density was 197 people per square mile . There were 24,883 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
by way of New York. Wendelin and Julianna had a total of ten children, seven born in Germany and three born in the United States, only four of them reaching adulthood:
- Frank Grimm (10/18/1846 - 9/25/1925)
- Joseph Grimm (4/18/1848 - 1/29/1929)
- Ottilia (Grimm) Kelzer (11/23/1856 - 2/25/1925)
- Caroline (Grimm) Glatzel (2/4/1859- 12/29/1905)
The Grimms homesteaded property near modern-day Victoria, Minnesota
Victoria, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,025 people, 1,367 households, and 1,141 families residing in the city. The population density was 575.4 people per square mile . There were 1,410 housing units at an average density of 201.6 per square mile...
. During their time at this location, they transformed the property from a crude log-cabin homestead to a fully functional farmstead. What remains of that farmstead
Wendelin Grimm Farmstead
The Wendelin Grimm Farmstead is a farm near Victoria, Minnesota listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm is located within the boundaries of Carver Park Reserve....
is now part of the Carver Park Reserve
Three Rivers Park District
Three Rivers Park District is a "special park district" serving the suburban areas of the Twin Cities metro including suburban Hennepin, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Ramsey counties...
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
In 1872, Grimm passed the original farmstead onto his son Frank. He then moved to modern-day Chaska and continued to farm. His second farmstead is still occupied and farmed by Grimm's descendants. Wendelin Grimm passed away on December 8, 1890.
Farming Innovations
When Grimm arrived in Minnesota in the fall of 1857, he brought with him more than just his family. Grimm also carried with him a small bag of "ewiger klee" or "everlasting clover" seeds. These seeds were the best producers from his farmstead in Germany. The following spring, Grimm planted his alfalfa seeds on his newly purchased land. The winters in Minnesota were harsher than in Germany. Much of his crop winterkilled. Each year, he would save the seeds from the plants that survived and replant them the following spring. After many years of this practice, he no longer experienced winterkill on his crop.Many of Grimm's neighbors noticed the superiority of his crops and the health of his cattle. One of them, Arthur B. Lyman, worked to bring Grimm's alfalfa to the attention of Professor Willet Hays
Willet M. Hays
Willet Martin Hays was an American plant breeder and U. S. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.-Education:Hays was born 1859 on a farm near Eldora, Iowa. He graduated from Drake University in 1885 and obtained a master's degree in agriculture from the Iowa State College at Ames...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. Hays brought Grimm's alfalfa to the masses. A deficiency in Grimm's alfalfa was its inability to resist bacterial wilt. In the 1940s, more resistant strains were developed, and Grimm's alfalfa was no longer widely used. However, Roger Stein of the Carver Park Reserve discusses the importance of the alfalfa grown by Grimm in stating, "You could say that all North American alfalfa comes from parents that originated on this site." It is estimated that Grimm's alfalfa is the basis for the United State's third largest crop (hay) accounting for 60 million acres (242,811.6 km²) and a value of $3.4 billion annually.
Honors
- A bronze monument in Wendelin Grimm's honor was erected at the original homestead property on June 10, 1924. Over 400 people attended to commemorate Grimm's contributions to agriculture.
- Renovation on the original farmstead was completed in 2001 and celebrated with an open house. Events included era-appropriate activities like wool spinning and a speech by a Grimm descendant, great grandson Clarence Kelzer.
- In an homage to the significance of Grimm's alfalfa to Carver County, many of the housing developments in the area once occupied by farmland are now named in its honor. Neighborhoods and school names include: Clover Ridge, Clover Fields and Clover Preserve.
- The State of MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversaryAnniversaryAn anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
in 2008. To celebrate, the state requested citizens to nominate the most significant events and/or people in Minnesota's History. Wendelin Grimm and his alfalfa made the final list of 150.