Biographical Sketch of
Clyndon C. Gast

Clyndon C. Gast, son of Clifford Lewis Gast and Bertha Caroline Roehr, Lewis Frederick, was born in 1919 in Osage, Mitchell Co. Iowa. He died on June 5, 2000 in Osage, Mitchell Co. Iowa. He was buried Rock Creek Cemetery in Meroa, Mitchell Co., Iowa.

Clyndon and Beatrice (Olsen) Gast moved here in 1942. They operated the Gast Upholstery Shop here; and also sell Northrup King Seeds. They have five children; Gerald of Kansas City, Missouri; Ann (Mrs. Earl Voelker), of Medford, New Jersey; Gail (Mrs. Tim Graham, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Mark, rural Osage; and Jill at home.

Clyndon Gast was the feature of a news article that appeared in the Osage Press-News on December 9, 1998, written by Betty JoLack. Excerpts from the article follow:

Sometimes our best of times were really the worst of times, only we just didn't know it. We made the best of mosteverything, although there were times I'm not sure quite how we did it. I've been farming for 58 years and have seen a lot of changes."

Clyndon is one of few Mitchell County farmers that still live on the farm, semi-retired, but with no intentions, as of now, of moving from the country. He is 79 years old, and has seen changes of farming with horses to present day custom farming by the neighbors with huge, modern day, state-of-the-art equipment. He's a remarkable manwho always has time to have a cup of coffee and visit with friends. Most important, he has kept his great sense of good humor through many years of ups and downs of farming.

I was born in Mitchell County on the home place where my nephew still lives, and have farmed on this farm where I now live for 56 years. I was one of five children and went to rural Cedar #4 school. After 8th grade, I went to a couple years of high school at Nora Springs, but I soon lost interest, and went back home to farm with my Dad and eventually with my father-in-law, Lawrence A. Olsen, for a couple of years.

I married Beatrice Olsen and we moved here in 1942. This farm was owned by Ed Indra, then passed down through their family, now to the third generation. When I rented the place, Ed told me the deal would be crop share, and he didn't see any need for a lease, so we never had one. We trusted each other. Ben and Carm Indra were my next landlords, and now I work with their children, Pete, Nick, Mary and Lawrence. I always told them I would stay until I got kicked off or carried off, whichever came first.

Our house was originally a log cabin. We sheet rocked the walls, added on the kitchen, then added on the living room, laundry room and remodeled the bathrooms. But the original walls were logs. You should of heard the guys that came out to redo the wiring-they had quite a time as the walls were so thick.

One of my special interests has always been horses. We either walked or rode a horse to school and usually kept a few around for riding pleasure. Eventually, we traded in the farm work horse team for a John Deere B tractor. We had a 1936 John Deere B, a 1941 JD "B", and then two 1941 JD "A's". In 1953, we bought a new tractor-which was quite a milestone in my farming career.

I raised corn and beans, and a little oats and alfalfa like everyone else. We had a dairy herd until the 1960's, when milk got so cheap the smaller farmer couldn't produce it and make a profit. We seemed to always have a few beef around, since this farm has quite a bit of pasture land. We also raised hogs, only not in confinement like they do now, but out in the hog pasture in A-houses.

After we quit milking, we remodeled the dairy barn into a chicken house and raised 1000 laying hens. The chicken business was great for quite a while, but they too went by the wayside as big laying houses owned by poultry companies forced out the little guy. The cycle seems to be much like today with guys having so much trouble raising hogs.

I remember during the great depression years of the 30's when I was a kid, dairy farmers were paid so poorly, or not at all, that, in protest, they dumped milk in the ditches. The government got wind of this, and sent out the National Guard to put a stop to this.

Clyndon married Beatrice Ruth OLSEN. Beatrice was born on 8 Mar 1922. She died on 18 Nov 1981 in Mitchell Co., Iowa. She was buried Rock Creek Cemetery in Meroa, Mitchell Co. Iowa. Clyndon and Beatrice had the following children: