| Show Barns were built to store alfalfa wild hay and grain as well as to shelter farm animals during the harsh winters and hot summers in Sanpete County barn good strong well-built barn was as important to these early settlers as the home which housed the family It was not uncommon even until the 1940 to seehouse on the corner of each block and at the back and side of the homecorral full of farm animals barn granary and of course an outhouse fence separated each enterprise from the family on the other side of the block who had the same arrangement When the Halling barn was built is hard to ascertain The first records in the Sanpete County Courthouse show the land was first deeded from Manti City to Peter Lund on January 1872 Agnes Stocks bought it from Mr Lund April 24 1879 and it was purchased from her by John Ruesch June 24 1880 John was born in Switzerland and wasconvert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints He emigrated to Manti Sanpete County sometime before 1880 He married Verena Buehler alsoconvert to the Church from Switzerland in 1883 His family and his daughterfamily Bertha and Edward Carlson were the owners of this corner lot until it was sold to the Dean Hallings in 1982 This lot belonged to the Ruesch and Carlson family for over 100 years An early appraisal of the lot shows the barn to be 34 34 but it is evident an addition was added on the west side where stalls were built so cows could be fed and milked The foundation of the barn was built of river rock and is approximately seven feet high at the main opening on the south side but graduates to approximately ten feet high on the north side This was necessary because of the terrain of the land to have the top edge square on which to lay the planks for the upper part Some of the rocks which make up the foundation are as big as two 68 |
