As far as remembered history goes back, Mendon has had deep connections to the land. This began with the Shoshone who hunted, gathered, and fished at the base of the Wellsville Mountains and extended to the Mormon Pioneers and those who continue to farm today. The first full-time, year-round settlers in Mendon farmed the land growing beets, wheat, and potatoes. Many of these pioneer families, like the Sorensens, Buists, and Willies, still farm or own their ancestors’ farmsteads. In fact, many of these families have worked together for decades, now as a hobby instead of out of necessity. In the audio clips, Fred Taylor and Horace Baker talk about horses in Mendon and how they were used in farming.

Many agriculture and threshing harvesting methods have been used and improved, and we see the improvements in threshing techniques in Mendon as well as an appreciation for the past and ancestors’ efforts.

In pioneer Mendon, the connection to the land was always strong, From the land came not just food for survival, but a lifetime of warm memories. Land has been an integral part of Mendon from its earliest settlement, and farming and agriculture, for well over a hundred years, was what nearly everyone in Mendon did in one way or another . . . Those who plowed, planted, irrigated and reaped crops from the land harvested more than food. Memories of milking time, cutting hay and threshing wheat were common tasks that left vivid impressions on the people who labored and loved the most basic of all occupations. —(Mendon History Committee 2011, 185)

The pictures and videos below are examples of historic farming in Mendon, showcasing the importance of horse culture and family farming.