Title: Corn Shocks Through The Trees – Accession Number: 2006.003.017
Artist: Stan Jorstad
Medium: Photography
Location: Pottawatomie Community Center (South Lobby), 8 North Avenue
Owner: St. Charles Park District
Donated By: Stan Jorstad
Map Locator Number: #13

Story: This landscape shows corn shocks through the trees. Taken from southeast corner of Crane & Ronsu Lane, it looks west northwest across Primrose Farm. It shows a pattern of agriculture that has nearly vanished from Illinois. The field partition fencing, cattle lanes, small corn patches, wheat stubble and hayfields seen in this 50 acre view would be a small part of a single crop field in today’s farming.

The Park District’s Collection of Jorstad Photographs in this Exhibit includes:  Chicken Coop Door; Combining Oats; Corn Field on a Summer Afternoon; Corn Shocks in Autumn; Corn Shocks in Winter; Corn Shocks Through the Trees; Field Corn on Primrose Farm Silo; Hauling Grain; Primrose Farm Dairy Barn in Winter; Primrose Farm Granary; Primrose Farm Milk House; Pushing the Wheelbarrow Back to the Barn; Ripe Wheat in Amber Light; Standing Wheat; The Farmer; Wooden Wagon Wheel

Artist Story, excerpted from Mr. Jorstad’s web site:  “In the early 1960s, Stan was a cinematographer for the acclaimed television series, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. In 1979, he launched PhotoMark, a commercial photography business, based in St. Charles, Illinois. His son, Steve, now carries on the business. During his travels, his wife Wanda and their family often accompanied him on his park excursions.

Stan Jorstad’s life work has become an impressive film-based, historic photographic portfolio of America’s National Parks. He was the first film-based professional photographer to document and photograph each of our then 58 National Parks. His son Steve continued the tradition and photographed Pinnacles National Park in California which completes the current collection of 59 “Crown Jewels” in the National Park system.”

Photograph Courtesy of the St. Charles Park District