Baker Celebrates 100 years        

                Largesse might be the operative word for the way in which the Baker Chamber of Commerce tried to lure businesses and farmers to the area in 1915.  Their book, “Baker, the City of Opportunity,” promised,  “The growth of Baker to a city of 10,000 or 15,000 inhabitants is a practical certainty.”  While the population never reached those numbers, other predictions were closer to the mark. 

                “Baker is in the center of the largest and most perfect geological structure or reservoir on the
American Continent, for the accumulation and retention of petroleum and natural gas,” the promotional book brags.  While it took several years for petroleum production to reach its peak, energy extraction and production are still an important element of the economy in this town of 1600.

                One thing that hasn’t changed in a century is the housing situation.  The Chamber of Commerce bragged in 1915 that “houses are invariably sold or rented before completion.”  Today there is still a need for affordable housing.  Mayor Clayton Horning and City Clerk Kevin Dukart are hopeful that projects being considered will encourage oilfield workers who commute from other communities to move to Baker.  Ironically, the same high energy prices that stimulate oilfield activity may also serve as an additional incentive for these commuters  to move to Baker if housing were available, they say.  Multi-family housing, apartment houses and new subdivisions are all being considered as ways to alleviate the housing shortage.

                One of Baker’s most evident landmarks is Baker Lake, first developed as a source of water for Milwaukee Road’s steam engines.  It was only used for that purpose for a couple of years, but today it provides fishing, boating and swimming opportunities on its 160 acres.  The duck hunting that  the city fathers were touting as an activity available in 1915, is no longer allowed, but watching  yellow-winged blackbirds,  western meadowlarks, pelicans and other avian species that inhabit the area around the lake  is still a popular and relaxing activity.

                Baker has certainly had its ups and downs in its 100-year history, as alluded to in a bumper sticker permanently affixed to the back bar of one of Baker’s neighborhood saloons.  It reads, “ Lord please let there be another oil boom and I promise not to p..s this one away!”  Despite the varying fortunes of the oilfield, many of the residents of Fallon County’s county seat are descendents of pioneers who first responded to the claims and promises of the Milwaukee Road railroad, which needed towns to be established along its newly-laid track to ensure business for the company for years to come.  Family names like Buerkle, Rieger, Stanhope and Wendt have deep roots in the community and are still common in the area; their ancestors started farms, ranches, hotels and implement dealerships.  One area south of Baker was once known as “Minnesota Valley,” according to long-time resident and historical resource Myrtle Stanhope.  

                “It was called that because so many friends and relatives from Minnesota moved into the area in a short period of time,” she said.

                The landscape of downtown Baker has obviously changed in 100 years.  When the Chamber of Commerce and Milwaukee Road were encouraging people to relocate to Baker, there were “Sixty business houses, more than two hundred private residences, four elevators, a large flax fibre  mill, three lumber yards and a creamery,”  not to mention seven secret societies. Today there are two elevators and two lumber yards, but the flax mill and the creamery are businesses of the far-distant past.  Businesses include a grocery store, a hardware store, a farm supply store, two drugstores and several businesses that cater to the  oil companies that have headquarters in Baker. The current number of secret societies is unknown.

                While farming and ranching are still important in the area, costs of production and a diminishing number of young people interested in these pursuits have led to many acres being idled through enrolment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and other federal programs designed to help stabilize the supply and price of agricultural products.  Even with record high prices for grain, many farmers are making the choice to idle their land in exchange for yearly payments. 

                But the spirit of Baker still lives on.  The residents continue to maintain a positive outlook for their future and embrace the changes that come with new technologies and the forces of the global economy.  Demands for renewable energy resulted in the construction of a large wind farm east of the city, making Baker a player in that emerging technology.  

                Many organizations in Baker are planning celebrations and activities from June 26 through 29 which include a quilt show, several class reunions, a homestead parade, threshing demonstration and even a bowling, golf and pool triathlon.  A photographer will be on hand to take “old time pictures.” There will be a pig roast and the “Kahuna Beach Party Concert,” a tribute to the surfing songs and artists of the 60s.    A tour of Baker’s new wind farm is also planned.

                One more thing that hasn’t changed since the early days of Baker is summed up in the last line of text in the 1915 promotional publication.  It reads, “Baker invites the reader to come and get acquainted.”  That’s exactly what the folks in Baker hope you’ll do as they celebrate their 100th birthday from June 26-29.  For more information, go to www.FallonCounty.net or call Judy Brown at 778-2786.