Pickhard Family
Pickhard Family – Richfield Homesteaders. Garvin Pickhard (married Laila 
Nehm) was an ancestor of Johann Pickhard (formerly spelled Pickhardt) who emigrated from Germany to Richfield probably in the 1850s. Garvin had many farming stories to share before he passed away in 2017. He remembers the Messer/Mayer Mill well since he did business there, including the grinding of his oats and corn. The Pickhards also raised hemp as did other farmers in Richfield. Elmer Ebling hauled his hemp and the Pickhard’s to Hartford. The cows were located across the road at the milking parlor. These were Holsteiins, and the milk went to Golden Guernsey. Milk haulers were Alvin Wiedmeyer and then Eddie 
Koeffel. Milk was picked up and taken to the Allenton collection station.
Garvin reminisced about Pleasant Hill. He thinks there was more than one blacksmith shop at Pleasant Hill. The Kurtz General Store had a connection with a store in Hartford. Pleasant Hill ‘grew up’ because of the Messer/Mayer Mill. There was also a Post Office at “Bear’s Corners” as Pleasant Hill was called many, many years ago.
Garvin lived through several snow storms. The storm of 1936 when Garvin was 10, he was off school for 2 weeks. During the 1947 snowstorm (which wasn’t as bad as the 1936 one) Garvin’s grandmother was ill and he attempted to drive down the road to stay with her and grandpa (Charles & Margaret Held Garvin). Garvin’s car got stuck and he walked the rest of the way. When Garvin’s father (Harry Pickhard) had pneumonia in 1934, Dr. Kern came every day for 3 weeks. Dr. Kern was the Richfield doctor. He mixed his own medicines in the back room.
Garvin had the first grain dryer in Washington County. One time, he had 8 trucks lined up waiting to have grain dried. The dryer ran 24 hours each day, and that was a huge challenge.
Oh, the memories of Richfield. So glad they have been captured.
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