Christopher Ostby and Thomas Philbrick walked with Pum, a 2,600-pound ox, through the gate of the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul on Wednesday afternoon, capping off a 420-mile trek along the Pembina Trail commemorating Minnesota's 150th birthday.
The arrival served as a symbol not only of the state's rich history, but of its future.
"The good Lord was with us and everything went OK," said Orlin Ostby, after walking a few steps behind the two 15-year-olds who led Pum, pulling an ox cart on the final leg of the journey from Pembina, N.D.
Orlin Ostby and his family, from rural Gatzke, Minn., began the legacy tour July 1, completing a 50-year circle started by Delmar Hagen, a neighbor and friend who made a similar trip in 1958 for the Minnesota Centennial. At age 17, Orlin helped Hagen train a Shorthorn breed oxen to pull an ox cart for that excursion.
The ox cart trails hold an important place in Minnesota's history.
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Between 1849 and 1901, the Pembina Trail was an important commercial route, as thousands of oxcarts traveled between Winnipeg and St. Paul, carrying bison hides and other furs to St. Paul and returning with goods used by early settlers. The oxcarts were guided by the Metis, a culture that descended from French and other European voyageurs and the Ojibwe.
Oxen is a breed of bovine, cow or steer at least five years old that is trained to pull a wagon or implement, such as a plow.
Dressed in clothing representative of the fur-trade era, the Ostbys -- Orlin, wife Mandy, Chris and 12-year-old daughter, Catherine -- were accompanied by Orlin's cousin Tom Thronsedt, also a Norwegian descendent who lives in Jamestown, N.D., and two family friends, Norwegian descendent Steven Reynolds and Jacqueline Helms, a Metis descendent, both of Wannaska, Minn.
The Ostbys followed the traditional Pembina Trail as much as possible, traveling about an average of eight miles a day. The trip roughly followed Minnesota Highway 59 from St. Vincent to Detroit Lakes, then turning to follow U.S. Highway 10.
They stopped at summer events along the way, giving people a chance to pause and have their pictures taken with Pum and the oxcart.
"We stayed overnight at historic farms when we could. I'm glad we did," Orlin said.
Traffic congestion forced them to pull Pum and the oxcart in a trailer as they got closer to their destination. They stayed the past couple of nights at the historic Gibbs Farm, on the University of Minnesota campus, about a mile from the State Fairgrounds.
It was there, Tuesday, that Chris and the rest of the group met up with Thomas and Jeff Philbrick.
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The Philbrick family sold Pum and another oxen, Kin, to the Ostbys five years ago. They raise oxen at their home farm in Candia, N.H. Thomas and his present team of oxen are three-time New Hampshire state champions. The state 4-H competition judges oxen teams in fitting and showmanship, pulling an ox cart through an obstacle course and maneuvering through a figure-eight course.
"I saw him standing by the barn, and I said, 'Hey Pum, look over here.' And he did. He was huge," Thomas Philbrick said Wednesday.
"It's been five years, but he still remembers me. He comes when I call him. He does all the tricks I taught him," he said. "It's been a great, great story."
For Orlin Ostby, it's been a great adventure.
"I think it was important, especially for our rural heritage," he said. "Oh, it's got many rewards. It was fun, but it was something you wouldn't want to do every year. It's kind of like the army. You're glad you did it, but it's something you maybe
wouldn't want to do again.
"Chris is already talking about doing this again in 50 years," he said. "I won't be around, but maybe he can keep this going."
