Historical Photos

Murray, William G. (1903-1991)

Agricultural economist, founder of Living History Farms, and Iowa gubernatorial candidate. William G. Murray received a B.A. from Coe College (1924), an M.A. from Harvard University (1925), and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (1932). He came to Iowa State University in 1927, with teaching and research interests in farm land valuation and finance. Murray served as head of the Department of Economics and Sociology at Iowa State from 1943 to 1955. In 1935-1936, he was chief economist with the Farm Credit Administration, and in 1948 he served as president of the American Agricultural Economics Association. Murray played a prominent role in the creation and early history of Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. In 1967, he helped organize the Living History Farm Foundation. He served as research director of Living History Farms from 1967 to 1974, and as its president from 1974 to 1981. Murray was also involved in Iowa politics, and was Iowa's Republican gubernatorial candidate in 1958 and 1966. Much of the collection relates to Murray's work with Living History Farms.

Early Photos

Black and white photo of many white chickens on a farm — Chickens; part of the original livestock

Class members checking tall corn — Checking the corn crop (1940s)

Student and instructor reviewing corn records — Student and instructor reviewing crop records.

Black and white photo of an old white farmhouse — Original farm house

Two people hanging out with two cows in a barn — Dairy cows (1950s)

Three students on an old tractor — Harvesting grain (1950s)

Four members of a 1950s class out in a field — Early class (1950s)

The old Ag 450 Farm sign — Farmstead (1950s)

Some 1940s chickens in a barn — Chickens (1940s)

Farmall Model C

In 1948 the first Farmall Model C tractor rolled out of the factory and into the farmer's field. A follow-on to the Model B, it was slightly larger in size but kept the same 113 CID engine and 4-speed transmission. Other upgrades included adjustable rear tire spacing (with sliding hubs), a frame design similar to the larger Farmall Models H and M, and International Harvester's new "Touch Control" system which allowed the operator to lower and raise implements by touching one small lever. The tractor was very versatile and was used primarily on smaller farms or for small jobs on large farms. (Source: Yesterday Tractor Co. http://ytmag.com/articles/artint217.htm)

Grain Leg & Drying Equipment

Three big and tall round buildings — Grain leg & storage bins (1967)

A large machine, a corn dryer — Corn dryer

Three big round buildings — Grain leg (1976)

Livestock Photos

Low long buildings in the distance — Cargill Unit (1974)

Pigs in a pasture — Pasture hogs (1970s)

A mama and baby pigs in a farrow outside — Pasture farrowing (1970s)

Cows in a pen by a red barn — Cattle (1977)

Photos 1980s

Black and white photo of a student and an old computer — First computer

Photo of the farmstead taken from far away — Farmstead (1982)

Students at tables in a room — Class (1983)

Students observing cattle outside — Cattle (1980s)

Long red building that has hogs in it — Hog Huts (1980s)

Unloading a tower of bales of hay onto a machine — Unloading Hay (1983)

Pigs in a pasture with litle round pig houses — Pasture Hogs (1980s)

Idyllic view of the farm and its red barn and white fence — Farmstead (1981)

Machine Shed #2

A second machine shed was constructed at the north end of the farmstead in 1989. This allowed for storage of larger pieces of equipment used in the farming operation.

Photos 1990s

Pigs in an open building — Open front swing building

Students working in a barn/classroom — Students working on a planter

Students fixing a big machine — Working on a sprayer

Students on a committee — Class Committee (1977)

Tractor planting in a field — Working in a field

Group photo of the 1997 class — 1997 Fall Class

Students and teacher in a classroom — 1996 Fall class

Aerial view of the farm — Farmstead (1996)

Students working on a sawhorse in front of a half-finished garage — Garage construction

Students outside with pigs — Sorting hogs (1995)

Students planting trees — Planting windbreak (1997)

Photos 2000s

Two people kneeling in front of the farm sign — Past Student & Former Manager

John Deere 60230D — John Deere 60130D (loader tractor)