My great-grandfather (Donald Briest) was born here. I am a decendant of the first settlers on this farm site. This site was destroyed via controlled burn in the Fall of 2016.

My father( Verner Briest) was born here also. The Briest farm was settled by my great, great grandfather in the early 1860s. My great grandfather fought in Civil War and with his Dad in the New Ulm Indian War. My grandfather, the third generation farmed there and my father Verner, then took over. The family lived among Indians in the early years. The house was log and further from road. Some time later another house and farm buildings were built. This house burned on Christmas Day , about 1909 with no injuries. Then the house in picture was built 1910-11.My Dad was first baby born there in 1911. His brother Donald was the next and youngest child of the family of 8. Dad farmed this place until he was near 80 when it was sold out of the family, to a neighbor. I lived there most of my life until I went away to school and then married. I was devastated When my cousin told me about the leveling of the farm by fire. In the picture is the barn and silo, corn crib, hog house, chicken coop, machine shed, smoke house and granary,and garage. Missing is the long drive through corn crib where corn was stored and hogs were butchered in the fall or winter. At top of picture is the house and a separate summer kitchen. A windmill stood towards the road. Near house was a flower garden and the vegetable garden was to the left of the woods in the field. Over time there was an orchard in several locations. The farm was located south east of Gaylord about 6 miles. I am not familiar with the new numbers of streets as there was no numbering system as now.