Ruben Richardson Farm
Yuma County
Royal Richardson came to America from Durham County, England, in the late 1800s with his mother, father, two brothers, and a sister. The family sent their money ahead to Missouri, where it was swindled away from them so they lived in a chicken coop for a few years in Nodaway County, Missouri.
Richardson Family with their award at the Colorado State Fair.
Money was short so Royal boarded a train to work in the sugar beet fields on the front range of Colorado and noticed Yuma’s agricultural attributes on his journey. He came back and purchased a quarter of land in 1911 that was six miles northeast of Yuma. Royal’s two brothers also settled in the Yuma area. Royal met Amanda Stangel at a jack rabbit hunt and later she became his wife. From this union, Margie, Kathryn, and Russell were born. Times were tough. Stories were told of burning buffalo and cow manure to stay warm in the winters. The land provided feed for chickens and milk cows, as that was their main crop for 30 years. Irrigation was added in the late 1950s and five more quarters were purchased. Through the 1950s to the 1980s, Russell developed irrigation on the farm. Today, grandson Ruben and wife Connie and their four children farm and live on the original acres.