Victoria — When Wendelin Grimm emigrated from Germany and settled in Carver County in 1857, he had no idea what an impact he would have on this country’s agriculture. When he died in 1890, he still was not aware of his legacy.

Grimm was the farmer who developed winter-hardy alfalfa, which after his death became known as Grimm alfalfa. It helped make Carver County a premier dairy belt, and became the basis of the alfalfa used throughout Minnesota, and across wintry North America.

Everlasting clover

Wendelin and Juliana Grimm had farmed in the area of Baden, Germany. They brought with them a small box or bag of alfalfa seed, or as Grimm called it, “ewiger Klee” (German for “everlasting clover”). It had produced well in his homeland. In the spring of 1858, he planted the 15 to 20 pounds of seed on his Carver County farm, near what became the town of Victoria. Climate conditions in Minnesota were colder than in Germany, and most of it winterkilled.

Grimm collected seeds from the plants that survived, and planted again. He did this each year until he had developed a stand of winter-hardy alfalfa plants. Grimm’s determination was probably due to the fact that alfalfa was the forage of choice for European dairy herds.

When his neighbors saw how well his cattle did on alfalfa, they obtained seed from Grimm. During his lifetime, his successful alfalfa was grown primarily within a 10-mile radius of the Grimm farm.

It wasn’t until Anthony Lyman, a school teacher in Carver County who had encouraged his father to grow alfalfa, brought it to the attention of Professor Willet Hays of the Agriculture Experiment Station of the University of Minnesota, that the alfalfa began to get widespread attention. That was in 1900, 10 years after Grimm’s death, and tests over the next decade showed Grimm alfalfa superior to other forage crops.

Grimm alfalfa was developed and distributed throughout the northern United States and Canada, and became the standard hay crop. It is possible to visit where this forage phenomenon began.

Historic farmstead

Megan Seaton, interpretive naturalist for the Three Rivers Park District, opened the Wendelin Grimm farmhouse on a sunny September weekday. (It normally is open only during scheduled times and programs.)

Built around 1875 with Chaska brick, the house is the only structure remaining from the Grimm farm.

Trees have grown on and wetlands have reclaimed other portions of the farmstead.

The Three Rivers Park District acquired the Grimm farm in 1962 as part of Carver Park Reserve, which is on the western edge of the Twin Cities. In 1974 the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic it may have been, but its state of disrepair required either demolition or restoration.

The Park District chose to invest the funds necessary to restore what the Minnesota Historical Society designated a prime historic agricultural site.

The house displays period furniture and items, but none that can be traced to the Grimm family. The main floor has a kitchen with pantry, parlor and two smaller rooms. Upstairs are four bedrooms. One had a closet, which Seaton said indicates the family was doing well since closets were not typical.

The basement has field stone walls. The dirt floor was covered with concrete during the stabilization and restoration. The rehabilitation was completed in 2001 at a cost of approximately $540,000.

There are photos of the Grimm family members, but the only photo of the farm was taken after the Grimm family had sold it. The photo is from 1924 when a crowd gathered to dedicate a memorial placed by the Alfalfa Growers Association.

A bronze plaque commemorating what Grimm accomplished at this location is attached to a large stone that rests on the hillside below the house. (It mistakenly states that 1891 was the year of his death.)

Just a farmer doing his job

To the west of the house, beyond a parking area, is a patch of alfalfa, which Seaton said may be land where Wendelin Grimm developed his winter-hardy alfalfa. At the time, no one realized how important that work was, not even Grimm.

He was just a farmer doing his job, working to improve his enterprise.

“When he passed away in 1890, his obituary didn’t recognize his significance,” Seaton said.

Minnesota agriculture has much of which to be proud, but few, if any, of its accomplishments have had greater impact on American agriculture than winter-hardy alfalfa.

Grimm developed it, others promoted and distributed it, and now the Three Rivers Park District is preserving where it all began, giving us the opportunity to walk where agricultural history was made.

Plans for the Grimm Farm in 2010 are to have the house open for public viewing every Saturday afternoon from June 5 through Sept. 25, with a special event planned for Oct. 2.

For details and directions, log on to www.threeriverspark.org, click on Parks & Trails, then Carver Park Reserve “more details.”

Thanks to Three Rivers Park District for its assistance in making this article possible.

Historical information was drawn from facts assembled by Bill Walker, Cultural Resources Program coordinator for the Park District; from an article in the 1938 Minnesota Historical Quarterly Magazine, Volume 19, Issue 1, online at http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/19/v19i01p021-033.pdf; and from the University of Minnesota Extension website’s information on forages.