A farm owned by Doug and Mary Log Egeland of Ossian is featured in the June/July edition of the "Our Iowa" magazine for its regular "Prettiest Farm in Iowa" feature.
The six-page article profiles the farm, which was bought by the Egelands in 1995 when Luther College put it up for auction after being given the property. The farm needed a lot of work, the Egelands told the magazine, so they created a 3-acre pond and built a gazebo with a bridge leading to it.
The house and the barn were the only buildings worth saving--and they needed a lot of paint and a lot of work. And when a tornado tore through the property, destroying a lot of trees, the Egelands began replanting.
Now the farm has over 5,000 hardwood and spruce trees and has served as a location for weddings, family reunions, proms receptions and senior high school photos.
It's a long way from the farm's condition 15 years ago. But Mary Lou Egeland says the results have borne out the faith she and her husband had: "We imagined what it could be."
Copies of "Our Iowa" magazine are available by contacting the publisher at 1606 Golden Aspen Drive, Suite 109, Ames, Iowa 50010. You can also visit their website, www.ouriowamagazine.com