Photos by Cliff BuchanThurnbeck Farm was founded more than 120 years ago. The farm, now ceasing its turkey operation, has been an economic staple of Columbus for decades, and the Thurnbecks who farmed it have been community pillars in both Columbus and Forest Lake for generations.
Darrell Thurnbeck knows full well the ups and downs of farming. It’s part of his family history.
Thurnbeck, 72, and his sister, Diane Rueb, 76, grew up on the Columbus farm 4 miles west of Forest Lake hearing stories of the Armistice Day blizzard of Nov. 11, 1940, when the family’s turkey flock was nearly wiped out by the sudden and fierce storm that struck with little notice. The family, desperate to save some of the flock, sheltered 200 birds in the farm home.broadstreet.zone(48036);
In 1991, the Halloween blizzard hit Darrell Thurnbeck’s turkeys with a cruel blow. As the late fall snowstorm pounded the area with more
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News and other stories about real people, places, and events in Forest Lake and nearby suburbs.