In between a pair of tragedies 70 years apart was an idyllic piece of farmland in southern Allen County.
The farmstead, owned by Bob and Betty Becker, was destroyed in Thursday’s raging grass fire that burned more than 2,500 acres across a two-mile swath of 3200 Street.
Several other area homes were saved in the fire, thanks in large part to the efforts of volunteer firefighters from Humboldt and other departments and quick-thinking and helpful neighbors.
Unoccupied structures such as the empty home and barns at the Becker farm, had to be neglected.
The fire turned the two-story home to rubble. A stone foundation, masonry siding and ash are all that remain.
Steve Orcutt, Betty Becker’s brother, surveyed the damage, snapping photos to send to his sister and brother-in-law so they can grasp the full extent of the damage.
“We still remain in shock,” Betty Becker wrote to the Register. “We are thankful to God no lives were lost and that others’ homes were saved. Whoever or whatever started the devastation was not mindful of the anguish and pain caused to us and the community.”
THE BECKERS’ affiliation with Allen County began in 1941.
Bob and Freda Becker, then living in LaCrosse, a modest town about 20 miles south of Hays in western Kansas, were looking to relocate.
They found their dream home along a tree-laden farm near Big Creek, about 5 1/2 miles west of Savonburg.
The farm needed some work. There were no barns, for example, a necessity if they were to make a living in eastern Kansas.
So Bill pulled his youngest son, 14-year-old Bob, out of school to help with a number of construction projects. They stayed in the farmhouse with the farm’s former owners.
They were working on a sheep barn — one that stood until last week’s fire — when one of their housemates had come rushing out with dire news: Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
The news, obviously, was a shock to an entire country.
For the Beckers it was worse. Their three eldest sons, Wesley, Marvin and Harvey, were stationed in the Navy aboard the USS Arizona.
Bill and Bob immediately loaded up their truck and hurried home to western Kansas. They completed their trip in total darkness when their headlights went out. Neither said a word the entire trip back.
