Skip to main content

Full text of "Compendium of history and biography of Polk County, Minnesota"

See other formats 


-^ 


^•s^..^ 


^  •  -e^       A^  /^ 


•,.  ..^      >    -^^ 


^   , -'  v-  '< 


% 


'^^. 


.* 


O  > 


\ 


r.V 


,0'         o"^"*,      'O 


aO' 


•I  o 


4  o 


■P 


°-/> 


v5'    ^^ 


-e^ 


kP    -i.v;/-    ■^         v" 

^-      ^^    xx*     'V 


.0       1  >  •  ■  '       ''> 


V'^^ 


^o 


o  > 


4  o 


^'"--'    aO^  "^ 


o  > 


^>  ■<     ->    ^0 


A 


V  ♦  =  . 


4  O 
V       , '  • "^       o^ 


^x   ...../  ^'%  '$ 


% 


A  «i. 


A'   ^         o 


<?>  ">  "  ■■  A- 


'V.   ^^^^^^ 


•3^ 


•^^o^ 


^/^•^'  -^  "^^w^^^*'  /^\  _^. 


o  > 


'''^.  0^ 


■■/- 
•s 


•S'h  "  ,  s 


-> 


V 


o  > 
■       .'V  -C,       ' o  .  »  "        .0  O,        '  .  .  s  -       V 


o  > 


— ^^  -    •  •  s  *   » 

^  V 


r^-. 


COMPENDIUM 


OF 


History  and  Biography 


OF 


POLK  COUNTY,  MINNESOTA 


MAJ.  R.  I.  HOLCOMBE,   Hiilorical  Editor 
WILLIAM  H.  BINGHAM,   General  Editor 


WITH  SPECIAL  ARTICLES  BY 

ELIAS    STEENERSON,    W.    E.   McKENZIE,    N.    P.    STONE,    EDMUND    M.    WALSH, 

JAMES  M.  CATHCART,  CHARLES  L.  CONGER,  PROFESSOR  N.  A.  THORSON, 

C.    G.    SELVIG,    THOMAS    B.    WALKER,    WARREN    UPHAM,    E.    D. 

CHILDS       REV.     E.     THEILLON,     PETER     ALLAN     CUMMING 

AND   OTHERS 


ILL  USTRA  TED 


MINNEAPOLIS 
W.  H.  BINGHAM  &  CO. 

Bcoh  Publishers  and  Engravers 

1916 


COPYRIGHT  1916 

BY 

W.  H.  BINGHAM  &  CO. 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 


APR  27ISI6 


)GI.A427S53 


FOREWORD 


111  compiling  this  compendium  of  history  and  bi- 
ography and  preparing  it  for  publication  its  publish- 
ers have  been  engaged  in  a  work  of  very  unusual 
interest.  The  story  told  in  these  pages  is  substan- 
tially that  of  a  rich  and  fertile  region  awakened  by 
the  commanding  voice  of  mind  from  its  wasteful  sleep 
of  ages  to  a  condition  of  intensifying  and  expanding 
productiveness  and  the  conversion  of  its  vast  re- 
sources, prior  to  that  time  unused,  into  serviceable 
forms  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 

The  various  stages  by  which  that  region  has  ad- 
vanced from  a  wilderness  to  a  highly  developed  sec- 
tion of  country,  rich  in  all  the  elements  of  modern 
civilization — basking  in  pastoral  abundance,  re- 
sounding with  the  din  of  fruitful  industry,  busy  with 
the  mighty  volume  of  a  multiform  and  far-reaching 
commerce  and  bright  with  the  luster  of  high  moral, 
mental,  and  spiritual  life — the  home  of  an  enterpris- 
ing, progressive,  and  all-daring  people,  as  they 
founded  and  have  built  it,  are  depicted  in  detail  or 
clearly  indicated  in  the  following  chapters.  Such  a 
theme  is  always  and  everywhere  an  inspiring  one. 
But  happily  for  the  world,  though  unhappily  for  the 
historian,  among  us  it  is  one  fast  fading  from  current 
experience  and  comment  into  the  realm  of  the  anti- 
quarian. For  in  this  land  of  oi;rs  civilized  man  has 
established  his  dominion  over  almost  every  region, 
and  there  is  little  of  our  once  vast  wilderness  left  to 
be  conquered. 

The  book  contains  biographies  of  many  of  the 
progressive  residents  of  Polk  County,  past  and  pres- 


ent, and  some  of  men  living  elsewhere  now  who  were 
once  potent  in  the  activities  of  this  region — those 
who  laid  the  foundations  of  its  greatness  and  those 
who  have  built  and  are  building  on  the  superstructure 
— and  is  enriched  with  portraits  of  a  number  of  them. 
It  also  gives  a  comprehensive  survey  of  the  numerous 
lines  of  productive  energy  which  distinguish  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county  at  the  present  time  and  of  those  in 
which  its  residents  have  been  engaged  at  all  periods 
in  the  past  since  the  settlement  of  the  region  began. 
And  so  far  as  past  history  and  present  conditions  dis- 
close them,  the  work  indicates  the  trend  of  the  coun- 
ty's  activities  and  the  goal  which  they  aim  to  reach. 
In  their  arduous  labor  of  preparing  this  volume  the 
publishers  and  promoters  of  it  have  had  most  valu- 
able and  highly  appreciated  assistance  from  many 
sources.  Their  special  thanks  are  due  and  are  cor- 
dially tendered  to  Judge  William  "Watts  for  his  serv- 
ices as  a  reviewer  and  fountain  of  information ;  to  Mr. 
Elias  Steenerson  for  his  complete  and  entertaining 
contribution  descriptive  of  the  early  Norwegian  set- 
tlements in  the  county;  to  Mr.  W.  E.  McKenzie  for 
his  discriminating  history  of  the  press  in  this  section ; 
to  Mr.  N.  P.  Stone,  Historian  of  the  Old  Settlers'  So- 
ciety, for  information  obtainable  from  no  other  per- 
son ;  to  Mr.  Edmund  M.  Walsh  for  thrilling  remi- 
niscences of  the  early  days  at  Crookston  ;to  ]\[r.  James 
]\I.  Cathart  for  his  equally  valuable  history  of  the 
city  of  Crookston ;  to  Mr.  Charles  L.  Conger  for  his 
graphic  account  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  Columbia 
County ;  to  Professor  N.  A.  Thorson  for  his  able  and 


FOREWORD 


suggestive  history  of  tlie  Polk  County  school  system ; 
to  Mr.  C.  G.  Selvig  for  his  fine  exposition  of  the  Nortli- 
vvcstern  School  of  Agriculture  and  the  Experiment 
Station  operated  in  connection  with  it;  to  j\Ir.  Thomas 
B.  Walker,  of  Minneapolis,  for  his  lucid  and  highlj'  in- 
teresting presentation  of  the  salient  features  of  the 
lumhering  industry  in  this  region;  to  Mr.  James  J. 
Hill  and  Mr.  W.  J.  Murphy,  of  Minneapolis,  for  valu- 
ahlc,  timely,  and  helpful  encouragement  in  the  work : 
to  Mr.  Warren  Upham,  secretary  of  the  Minnesota 
Historical  Society,  for  comprehensive  and  accurate 
information  on  the  geography  and  geology  of  Polk 
County;  to  IMr.  E.  D.  Childs,  of  North  Yakima,  Wash- 
ington, for  a  chapter  of  sparkling  reminiscences  of 
the  early  days;  to  Rev.  William  Thieliion  for  his  ex- 
cellent article  on  Gentilly  and  his  church  there  and 
the  cheese  factory  conducted  bv  its  members  under 


his  supervision  and  started  by  his  initiative;  to  Peter 
Allan  Cumming  for  his  article  on  the  Marias  Com- 
nnmity,  and  to  many  other  persons  whose  assistance  is 
gratefully  acknowledged  but  who  are  too  numerous  to 
be  mentioned  specially  by  name.  Without  the  valu- 
able and  judicious  aid  of  all  these  persons,  those  who 
are  named  and  those  who  are  not,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  comiiile  a  history  of  Polk  County  of  the 
completeness  and  high  character  it  is  hoped  and  be- 
lieved this  one  has.  Finally,  to  the  residents  of  Polk 
County,  to  whose  patronage  the  book  is  indebted  for 
its  publication,  and  whose  life  stories  constitute  a 
large  part  of  its  contents,  the  publishers  freely  tender 
their  grateful  thanks,  with  the  hope  that  these  per- 
sons will  find  in  the  volume  an  ample  recompense  for 
their  generosity  and  public  spirit  in  making  its  pro- 
duction possible. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  GEOLOGY  OF  POLK  COUNTY  9 

By  Waeeen  Upham. 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  EARLY  INDIAN  INHABITANTS. 

LACK  OP  INFORMATION  ABOUT  THE  VERY  FIRST  PEOPLE  OF    POLK  COUNTY THE  MOUND  BUILDERS  DOUBTLESS  NEVER 

LIVED  HERE,  AND  THE  MOUNDS  IN  THE  COUNTY  WERE  BUILT  BY  THE  RED  INDIANS THE  CEEES  WERE  THE  FIRST 

MODERN  INDIANS  TO  LIVE  HERE,  ALTHOUGH  EXACT  PARTICULARS  OF  THEIR  OCCUPATION  ARE  NOT  KNOWN — THE 
CHIPPEWAS   FOLLOWED   THE   CREES,  FOUGHT   THE   SIOUX,  AND  DROVE  THE  MAJORITY  OF  THE  LATTER  FROM  THE 

THIEF    RIVER    COUNTRY ORIGIN    OF    THE    NAME    OF    THIEF    RIVER — THE    SIOUX    AND    CHIPPEWAS    BATTLE    FOR 

THE    RED    RIVER    COUNTRY SIOUX   DEFEAT    AT    PEMBINA FLAT   MOUTH,  THE  CHIPPEWA   CHIEF,  THWARTS   THE 

TREACHERY  OP  BEAVER,  THE  SIOUX  CHIEF,  AND  HAS  HIM  MURDERED  NEAR  EAST  GRAND  FORKS — COL.  ROBERT 
DICKSON,  THE  SCOTCH  TRADER  AT  EAST  GRAND  FORKS,  PROTESTS  THE  MURDER  AND  ALSO  HELPS  THE  BRITISH 
IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812 17 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  FIRST  WHITE  MEN  IN  POLK  COUNTY. 

THE  NORSEMEN  WHO  MADE  THE  KENSINGTON  RUNE  STONE  WERE  FIRST— THE  EARLY  WHITE  EXPLORERS — OTHER 
FIRST  VISITORS  TO  MINNESOTA THE  LA  VERENDRYES  DISCOVER  THE  RED  RIVER  VALLEY — FIRST  PRINTED  DESCRIP- 
TION OF  THE  REGION  BY  A  CHIPPEWA  HALF  BREED RED  LAKE  NAMED   "fROM   THE   COLOUR  OP   THE  SAND " — 

NOT    MANY   OTHER    EARLY    EXPLORERS 28 

CHAPTER  IV. 
FUR  TRADERS  THE  FIRST  WHITE  RESIDENTS. 
THE  Hudson's  bay  company — dunc.^n  graham  comes  to  east  grand  forks  prior  to  1800 — d.wid  Thompson 

FINDS  JE.\N  BAPTISTE  CADOTTE  HERE  IN  1798 — THE  NORTHWEST  FUR  COMPANY  FORMED  AND  SENDS  IN  TRAD- 
ERS— THE  COLUMBIA  AND  AMERICAN  FUR  COMPANIES 34 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  V. 

EARLY  AMERICAN  EXPLORATIONS  IN  RED  RIVER  VALLEY. 

MAJOB  long's  expedition   IN   1823 — ITS  HISTORIAN   DESCRIBES  BED  LAKE  KIVEB  AS  THE  "BED  FORK"  AND  NOTES 
THE  SALT  DEPOSITS   OF   THE  REGION — COUNT  BELTRAMI,  OP  ITALY,  ACCOMPANIES  THE  MAJ.  LONG  EXI'EDITION, 

DESCRIBES   THE   COUNTRY,    AND   CALLS   THE  RED   "  THE    BLOODY    RIVER " THE    SELKIRK    SETTLEMENT    AND    ITS 

CONNECTION  WITH  THE  HISTORY  OF  POLK  COUNTY — SELKIRK  COLONISTS  WERE  THE  COUNTY 's  FIRST  WHITE 
RESIDENTS — THE  AREA  OF  THE  PRESENT  COUNTY  FIRST  PURCHASED  OF  THE  INDIANS  BY  LORD  SELKIRK — CAPT. 
JOHN  POPE,  IN  1850,  RECORDED  THE  FACT  THAT  THE  COLONISTS  CAME  TO  EAST  GRAND  FORKS  BETWEEN  1814 
AND  1820 — A  FEW  OF  THEIR  NAMES 40 

CHAPTER  VI. 
CHIEF  HISTORIC  FEATURES  OF  EARLY  TIMES. 

THE   OLD   RED   RIVER    CARTS    AND   THEIR    TRAILS — NORMAN    KITTSON 's   FIRST    TRAIL   ON   THE   EAST   SIDE  OF   THE   RED 

RIVER    THROUGH    POLK    COUNTY ITS    HISTORY    AND    LOCATION,   AS    MAPPED   BY  CAPT.   POPE  AND  DESCRIBED   BY 

OTHERS  WHO  TRAVELED  THE  ROUTE — IT  CROSSED  THE  RED  LAKE  RIVER  WEST  OF  FISHER — WAS  THE  TREATY  OP 
1863  HEI.D  AT  THE  PROPER  CROSSING? — THE  GOVERNMENT  EXPEDITION  UNDER  MAJOR  WOODS  AND  CAPTAIN 
POPE  TO  PEMBINA  IN  1849 — IT  FOLLOWED  THE  OLD  KITTSON  TRAIL  AND  CROSSED  THE  RED  LAKE  RIVER  AT  THE 
OLD  CROSSING,  WEST  OP  FISHER — THEY  DESCRIBED  THE  COUNTRY  NOW  THE  WEST  SIDE  OP  POLK  COUNTY  AS 
GOOD  FOR  WHEAT  BUT  NOT  PROMISING  FOR  CORN — THE  TREATIES  WHICH  BOUGHT  THE  LAND  PROM  THE  IN- 
DIANS— THE  "old   crossing"  TREATY   HELD   AT  THE    NEW  CROSSING  OF  RED  LAKE  RIVER 46 


CHAPTER  VII. 
EARLY  HISTORICAL  DATA  AFTER  1850. 

FIRST  NATIONAL  CENSUS FROM  1850  TO  1860 — HUDSON'S    BAY    COMPANY    RETURNS   TO    MINNESOTA — BUILDING    OP 

FORT   ABraCHOMBIE — CREATION   OF    POLK   COUNTY 56 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
HISTORICAL  ARTICLES  OF  THE  EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

REMINISCENCES  OP  THE  SETTLEMENT  OP  POLK  COUNTY,  BY  ELIAS  STEENERSON — E.  M.  W.VLSIl'S  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  PI- 
ONEER BUSINESS  LIFE— LUMBERING  OPERATIONS  IN  POLK  COUNTY,  BY  T.  B.  WALKEK^EARLY  BUSINESS  ENTER- 
PRISES, BY  E.  D.  CIIILDS — GENESIS  OF  THE  PRESENT  HISTORY   OF   POLK   COUNTY,    WITH    A   GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

OF  THE  county's  RESOURCES,  BY  N.  P.  STONE,  HISTORIAN  OF  THE  POLK  COUNTY  OLD  SETTLERS'  ASSOCIATION 

HISTORY  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  PARISH  OF  ST.  PETER,  CENTILLY,  MINN.,  BY  REV.  E.  THEILLON — THE  MARAIS  COM- 
MUNITY, BY  PETER  ALLAN  GUMMING;  ITS  EARLY  PERMANENT  SETTLEMENT,  ITS  PROGRESS  AND  PRESENT  CONDI- 
TION  FIRST    PERJIANENT    SETTLERS — THE    CHURCHES — SOCIAL  ORGANIZATIONS 63 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  IX. 
CROOKSTON  AND  ITS  INSTITUTIONS. 
By  James  A.  Cathcart,  Secretary  of  the  Commercial  Club. 

HISTORICAL    SKETCH — CITY    BUILDINGS    AND    OTHER    PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS THE  COMMERCIAL  CLUB THE  BANKS 

— MANUFACTURING   INDUSTRIES — THE   CITY   SCHOOLS — OTHER   SCHOOLS — LODGES  AND   OTHER   CIVIC   ORGANIZA- 
TIONS— THE  NORTHWESTERN    MINNESOTA  AGRICULTURAL  ASSOCIATION HOSPITALS,  ETC 85 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  W.  E.  McKenzih,  Crookston  Times. 

NEWSPAPER  conditions  PAST  AND  PRESENT LAND  NOTICES  PAID   THE   PIONEER   PRINTERS E.    M.    WALSH   AND   THE 

crookston    PLAINDEALER — FIRST    PAPER   WAS   THE   POLK   COUNTY'  JOURNAL BROWN  AND  HIS  "  BROAD  AXE " 

THE  TRAGIC  TALE  OF  THE  NORTHERN  TIER THE  CROOKSTON  CHRONICLE THE  FISHER  BULLETIN THE  PAPERS 

OF  1882 RED  LAKE  FALLS  DEMOCRAT  AND  THE  CROOKSTON  TIMES  FIRST  DEMOCRATIC   PAPERS THE  m'INTOSH 

TIMES — CROOKSTON  TRIBUNE THE  VESTESHEIMEN THE  PEOPLE'S  PRESS OTHER  POLK  COUNTY  PAPERS  ALIVE 

AND  DEAD 90 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  SCHOOLS  OF  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  N.  a.  Thorson. 

BASIS  for  school  DEVELOPMENT — THE  COMING  OP  THE  COUNTY 's  SCHOOLS — COUNTY  SCHOOLS  IN  1877  AND  IN 
1878 — FIRST  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  TEACHER,  LUELLA  MAY  THOMPSON — OTHER  EARLY  TEACHERS — THE  COUNTY  SU- 
PERINTENDENTS— REPORTS  OP  SCHOOL  YEARS  FROM  1882  TO  1908 — THE  CONDITIONS  IN  1910 — SOURCES  OP 
SCHOOL  SUPPORT — APPORTIONMENT — STATISTICS  OP  STATE  AND  OTHER  AIDS — PRESENT  CONDITIONS  OP  POLK 
COUNTY    SCHOOLS 96 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  CROOKSTON  SCHOOL  OP  AGRICULTURE. 
By  C.  G.  Selvig. 
a  red  river  valley  institution new  building  dedicated death  op  superintendent  wm.  robertson the 

school's  ADVANCEMENT  AND  GROWTH MOVING  YEAR SCHOOL  FACULTY — ^EQUIPPING  A  TECHNICAL  SCHOOL 

THE  SCHOOL 's  GROWTH — ITS  WORK  OUTSIDE  SCHOOLROOM  DOORS 106 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  NORTHWEST  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

By  Superintendent  C.  G.  Selvig. 

ORIGIN  AND  EARLY  HISTORY — SECURING  THE  LAND  FOR  A  SITE — BEGINNINGS  IN  1895 — THE  SOIL  AT  THE  STATION — 
PLANS  OUTLINED THE  WORK  OF  EARLY  YEARS DRAINAGE  INSTALLED DRAINAGE  WORK  BEGUN A  NEW  AD- 
MINISTRATION— EXPERIMENTS    IN    CROP    PRODUCTION FIELD     CROP     WORK THE     HORTICULTURAL    DIVISION 

LIVE  STOCK   DEPARTJIEXTS,  ETC Ill 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

HISTORY  OF  AGRICULTURE  IN  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  Prof.  C.  G.  Selvig. 

location  op  the  coi'nty — early  geological  history soils temperature settlement  and  first  set- 
tlers— red  river  carts immigration  after  1876 pioneer  wheat  farming agricultural  devel- 
opments   and    production    statistics present    farming  conditions — corn potatoes — fruits live 

stock    industry dairying poultry    raising — live   stock   farming caj'tle   statistics — growth   of 

live  stock  raising — statistics  of  farm  products  and  live  stock — drainage  work  in  polk  county,  by 

GEORGE  A.  RALPH,  C.  E r 116 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  COLUMBIA  COUNTY. 

By  Charles  L.  Conger. 

some  proceedings  of  the  board business  done  regularly  and  in  order defeat  and  disaster  after  all 

— the  new  county  fight  of  1896 the  leaders  of  columbia's  fight  for  existence 125 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  BANKING  INTERESTS  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF  THE  IMPORTANT  AND  TYPICAL  BANKS  OF  POLK  COUNTY CROOKSTON  STATE  BANK— THE  FIRST 

NATIONAL   BANK  OF   M 'iNTOSH THE  FIRST   NATIONAL    BANK    OP    CROOKSTON POLK    COUNTY    STATE    BANK — 

SCANDIA   AMERICAN   BANK,   CROOKSTON — FIRST   STATE    BANK    OF    FERTILE FIRST    STATE   BANK    OP   EAST    GRAND 

FORKS — STATE  BANK  OF  ELDRED THE  STATE  BANK    OF    ERSKINE — FARMERS    STATE    BANK    OF    WINGER — FIRST 

STATE   BANK   OF   MENTOR — CITIZENS   STATE   BANK   OF    FERTILE — FARMERS  STATE  BANK  OF  FERTILE — FIRST  NA- 
TIONAL BANK  OF  EAST  GRAND  FORKS — STATE  BANK    OF    FISHER — FARMERS    MUTUAL    INSURANCE    COMPANY 

FIRST   STATE   BANK   OF   BELTRAMI 131 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


To  face  page   /  To  face  page 

Polk  County  Court  House 9'    The  Consolidated  .Seliool  at  Trail,  Tolk  County 96 

The  Old  Crossing  of  Red  Lake  River,  near  Fisher,  in  1858     48 1^    District   69— Polk   County 96 K 

First  Depot  in  Crookston— Picture  taken  in  1874 70  '^  District   372— Polk   County 90  K 

Main  Street,  Crookston,  in  1883 7o/  N.  A.  Thorson,  County  Superintendent 96  J^ 

Crookston  Lumber  ]Mill  in  Height  of  its  Activities 72  "^  Central  High  School,  Crookston 101  >^ 

Pioneer  Fire  Fighters 76      New  Armory,  Crookston  lOlK 

Bird's-Eye  View  of  Crookston  in  1885 76/  Owen  Hall,  Robertson  Hall,  Stephens  Hall,  Kiehle  Build- 
Robert  Houston's  Claim  Shanty 85'^           ing  and  Home  Economics 107'^ 

Crookston's  Water  Power  in  Early  Days 85  /  Home  Economics  Building  and  Stephens  Hall 109  l^ 

Crookston's   First  Flour   Mill 85  /  Senior  Hall  and  the  Hill  Building 110  C-^ 

South  Broadway,  Post  Office  in  Foreground 86  '/'  Another  View,  Including  Superintendent's  Residence 113  C/ 

A  Corner  of  the  Railroad  Yards,  Crookston 87  ^'   Stock  at  Northwest  Experiment  Station 115  >^ 

The  Crookston  Dam  (Built  by  V7.  J.  Murphy  in  1914) 88  /  First  National  Bank  at  Jlclntosh 131  •^ 

INDEX  OF  PORTRAITS 


Anglim,   W.   S 465  '-^Jlorris,    Tom 153  ' 

^  Mossefin,    Ed SS*"^ 

Bagley,    Sumner   Chesly J"^  ""^Murphy,  W.   J 8^58 

Berg,  CM 131-343 

Buckler,    Hon.    R.    T 194'>-'^e!son.    Dr.    Arne 413i— ' 

,/    Nelson,    Theodore 375  ^""^ 

Conger,   Charles  L 161'' 

,/Opheim,    Andrew 407  " 

Duckstad,  Brown    391       Q^nstad,  Jens,  M.  D 399  l^ 

Flaskernd,  K.    E.,   Mr.   and   Mrs ■'51  ^  Pp„op    TNT  32i  ^ 

Hanson,    Norman 495  i/Remick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .John ~'^'^  ^ 

Hendricks,  John  Albert ,367  '-^Rosaaen,  Hans  Olus ^'^'Z^ 

Hill,  James  Jerome 11^444       Ross,   Charles    384 

.Tohnson,   Edward    W SOO'^Sargent.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  0 283  l^ 

.  Selvig,    Conrad    G 430  *^ 

Keck,    Bert    D 253  ^Stecnerson.  Elias 167  1^ 

Kelley,  Andrew  J 431  '     Steenerson,    Gunder 201  t^ 

Kronschnabel,    George     307>^  Kteenerson,   Hon.   Halvor 363  ^^ 

Krostue,   Hon.    Gunder 175  v/stowe,  Edmund  L '. 3S3  \^ 

Larsen,   L.    W - 243^^*°"^'  ^=^t'-"   ^ ^'^'^ 

McKenzie,  William  E 233^  '^'^-^'^•^''    ^°"''^'^'     ylll 

MeKinnon,    John    R 2,.^  Thorson,  N.  A 9(1-395 

^  Vasenden,    Nels 315 

Marin,    W.    A 216 1^ 


V' 


Melbo,   Hans    H 358  *^ Walker,  Thomas  Barlow 74-451 

Merrill,  Anson  Charles 411"^  Watts,  Hon.   William 141  "^^ 

Misncr,  Harvey   Chase 146'^ Wheeler,    Jerome    Winthrop 187  *^ 


HISTORY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  GEOLOGY  OF  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  Warren  Upham. 


PRINCIPAL   RIVERS. 

The  great  watercourses  of  Polk  County  are  the  Red 
River,  which  here  flows  nearly  north-northwest,  form- 
ing the  western  boundary  of  the  county  and  the  state, 
and  its  principal  tributary,  the  Red  Lake  River,  which 
takes  a  more  meandering  course.  If  the  many  small 
loops  and  bends  of  the  latter  stream  are  disregarded, 
however,  its  general  route,  from  which  the  bends 
mostly  deviate  only  a  quarter  to  a  half  of  a  mile  on 
either  side,  is  seen  on  the  map  to  be  quite  direct,  run- 
ning west  and  northwest  through  the  central  part  of 
the  county.  The  cities  of  Grand  Porks  and  East 
Grand  Porks  are  named  from  their  situation  where 
these  streams  unite,  or  rather  where  the  lower  river 
forks  as  it  was  seen  by  the  Indians  or  the  Prench  voy- 
ageurs  when  coming  up  in  their  canoes. 

Both  these  rivers  have  received  translations  of  their 
Ojibway  or  Chippewa  names,  which  these  Indians 
gave  to  them  on  account  of  their  being  the  outlet  of 
the  great  Red  Lake.  Above  the  Grand  Porks,  indeed, 
the  main  Red  River,  as  it  is  named  by  the  white  men, 
was  called  Otter  Tail  River  by  the  Ojibways  from  the 
lake  of  that  name  on  the  upper  part  of  its  course.  We 
may  also  go  a  step  farther  back  to  note  that  the  name 
of  Red  Lake  is  likewise  translated  from  its  Ojibway 
name,  given  very  long  ago,  according  to  the  late  Rev. 
Joseph  A.  Gilfillan,  for  twenty-five  years  a  missionary 
on  the  White  Earth  reservation,  from  the  bright  red 
and  vermilion  hues  of  the  sunset  sky  reflected  upon 


the  placid  water  of  the  lake;  while  Otter  Tail  Lake 
derived  its  Indian  name  from  a  long  point  of  land, 
shaped  like  the  tail  of  an  otter,  between  the  east  end 
of  the  lake  and  its  main  inflowing  stream. 

FOREST    AND   PRAIRIE. 

The  southeast  part  of  this  county  is  sparingly  tim- 
bered, mostly  with  groves  of  small  poplars,  being 
on  the  western  limit  of  the  originally  forested  region 
of  the  eastern  United  States;  but  it  also  has  consid- 
erable expanses  of  original  prairie,  interspersed  with 
the  wooded  and  brushy  areas.  Westward  a  heavier 
growth  of  forest  trees,  including  oaks,  elm,  basswood, 
box-elder,  cottonwood,  and  other  species,  borders  the 
rivers,  usually  reaching  only  a  few  rods  and  rarely  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  their  banks.  Otherwise  the 
main  western  tract,  forming  a  part  of  the  broad  and 
flat  Red  River  Valley,  is  an  extensive  prairie,  richly 
carpeted  with  grasses  and  flowers,  being  the  eastern 
margin  of  the  great  prairie  region  of  western  and 
southern  Minnesota,  which  thence  continues  west  in 
the  Dakotas  and  is  gradually  succeeded  by  the  drier 
treeless  plains  that  reach  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

SURFACE   FEATURES. 

Although  no  very  conspicuous  hills  or  ridges  diver- 
sify the  surface  of  Polk  County,  it  includes  in  its 
highest  southeastern  part  two  tracts  of  low  drift  hills, 
small  ridges  and  knolls,  called  moraines,  which  were 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


10 

amassed  on  the  borders  of  the  continental  ice-sheet  at 
times  of  pause  or  readvauee  interrupting  its  general 
departure  from  this  region.  The  more  northern  of 
these  tracts  begins  close  east  of  Fertile  and  reaches 
about  thirty-five  miles  northeast  and  east,  with  a 
width  from  one  to  five  miles,  passing  close  soutli  of 
Erskine  and  onward  to  Gully  station,  near  the  east 
boundary  of  the  county.  The  more  southern  morainic 
tract  is  part  of  a  wider  and  longer  hilly  belt,  stretch- 
ing from  Fosston  southward  into  Mahnomen  County 
and  northeastward  into  and  through  Clearwater 
County. 

Hills  in  each  of  these  moraines  occasionally  rise 
50  to  75  feet,  or  rarely  more,  above  the  adjoining  and 
intervening  hollows.  Nearly  all  the  surface  is  strewn 
with  plentiful  drift  boulders,  vai-ying  in  size  up  to 
five  feet  or  sometimes  ten  feet  in  length  or  diameter. 
Their  abundance  on  the  moraine  belts  is  in  remark- 
able contrast  to  their  infrequent  occurrence  on  other 
and  smoother  glacial  drift  areas  that  form  much  of 
this  southeast  part  of  Polk  County  and  also  the 
greater  parts  of  Red  Lake  and  Pennington  counties, 
■which  originally  were  included  in  this  county. 

No  rock  outcrop  is  found  in  these  counties,  nor 
indeed  in  a  very  large  region  of  western  Minnesota, 
which  is  overspread  with  a  vast  sheet  of  the  glacial 
and  modified  drift  deposits  to  a  depth  commonly 
ranging  from  100  to  200  feet  or  more,  mantling  and 
concealing  the  bed  rocks. 

Westward,  along  the  low  and  flat  valley  of  the 
R^d  River,  fine  alluvial  silt,  destitute  of  drift  boulders 
or  even  pebbles,  is  spread  over  both  the  underlying 
rocks  and  the  glacial  drift,  reaching  in  general  about 
twenty  or  twenty-five  miles  from  the  river.  This 
deposit,  which  has  given  this  valley  its  fame  as  a 
very  fertile  wheat  raising  area,  was  laid  down 
chiefly  by  river  floods  that  flowed  northward  after 
the  ancient  lake  of  the  valley  had  been  drained  away. 
If  the  valley  silt  were  mainly  of  lacustrine  deposition, 
it  would  extend  farther  from  the  Red  River  to  the 
old  lake  beaches  on  each  side  of  the  valley  at  consid- 
erable heights  above  the  flat  river  plain. 


FLOODS   OF  RED    KIVEK. 

The  range  between  the  lowest  and  highest  stages 
of  the  Red  River  much  surpa.sses  that  of  any  other 
river  in  Minnesota.  At  Breekenridge  the  range  is 
about  15  feet,  but  it  increases  rapidly  northward, 
liecoming  32  feet  at  Moorhead,  attaining  its  maxi- 
mum of  50  feet  in  the  south  part  of  Polk  County, 
and  continuing  nearly  at  40  feet  from  Grand  Forks 
to  the  international  boundary  and  Winnipeg.  Floods 
rising  nearly  or  quite  to  the  high  water  line  thus 
noted  have  been  rare,  occurring  in  1826,  1852,  1860, 
1861,  and  1882.  They  are  caused  in  the  spring  by 
the  melting  of  unusual  svipplies  of  snow  and  by  heavy 
rains,  and  often  are  increased  by  gorges  of  ice,  which 
is  usually  broken  up  along  the  southern  upper  portion 
of  the  river  earlier  than  along  its  lower  course.  These 
floods  attain  a  height  only  a  few  feet  below  the  level 
of  the  adjoining  prairie  where  that  is  highest,  and 
along  the  greater  part  of  the  distance  between  Moor- 
head and  Winnipeg  the  banks  are  overflowed  and  the 
flat  land  on  each  side  of  the  river  to  a  distance  of  two 
to  four  or  five  miles  from  it  is  covered  with  water 
one  to  five  feet  or  more  in  depth. 

HEIGHTS   ABOVE   THE   SE.\. 

It  is  of  much  interest,  for  our  consideration  of 
the  ancient  water  levels,  that  a  brief  notice  be  given 
to  the  altitude  and  general  contour  of  Minnesota,  and 
more  especially  of  the  basin  of  the  Red  River.  The 
topographic  features  of  the  state  may  be  summed 
up  for  its  western  three  quai'ters  as  being  a  moder 
ately  undulating,  sometimes  nearly  flat,  but  occa- 
sionally hilly  area,  gradually  descending  from  the 
Coteau  des  Prairies  and  from  the  Leaf  hills,  re- 
spectively about  2,000  and  1,700  feet  above  the  sea, 
to  half  that  height,  or  from  1,000  to  800  feet,  in 
the  Red  River  Valley  and  to  the  same  height  along 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  from  St.  Cloud  to  Min- 
neapolis. The  lowest  land  in  Minnesota  is  the  shore 
of  Lake  Superior,  602  feet  above  the  sea;  and  the 
Mississippi  flows  pa.st  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
state  at  the  height  of  620  feet. 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


11 


Lakes  in  northern  and  central  Becker  County, 
forming  the  sources  of  Ottertail  River,  the  head  stream 
of  the  Red  River,  are  1,400  to  1,500  feet  above  the 
sea;  Ottertail  Lake,  1,315  feet;  and  Red  Lake,  1,176 
feet. 

Rainy  Lake  is  1,117  feet  above  the  sea;  the  Rainy 
River  descends  23  feet  at  International  Falls,  two 
miles  and  a  half  from  the  mouth  of  this  lake ;  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods  is  at  1,060  feet;  and  the  Winni- 
peg River  thence  falls  350  feet  to  Lake  Winnipeg. 

At  Fergus  Falls  the  Red  River  descends  about 
80  feet  in  three  miles,  from  1,210  to  1,130  feet;  at 
Breckenridge  its  height  at  the  stage  of  low  water  is 
943  feet ;  at  Moorhead  and  Fargo,  866  feet ;  at  Grand 
Forks,  784;  at  St.  Vincent  and  Pembina,  near  the 
northwest  corner  of  Minnesota,  748;  and  at  the  city 
of  Winnipeg,  724  feet. 

Heights  of  railway  stations  in  this  county,  noted 

in  feet  above  the  sea,  are  as  follows : 

Beltrami   901  East  Grand  Forks. .   831 

Russia  892     Burwell     914 

Kittson    885     Benoit  1019 

Carman     877     Dugdale    1138 

Crookston   863     Mentor    1167 

Shirley    900     Erskine     1187 

Euclid     890     Mcintosh    1218 

Angus   870     Fosston   1288 

Fisher   852     Fertile     1140 

MaUory     837     Tilden   1116 

GEOLOGIC    ERAS. 

During  the  early  geologic  eras  of  Archean  and 
Paleozoic  time,  which  were  almost  inconceivably  long, 
Polk  County  appears  to  have  been  a  land  surface,  re- 
ceiving no  rock  formations.  Probably  then,  as  now, 
it  was  in  the  interior  of  a  large  continent,  which  with 
many  changes  has  become  the  North  America  of  today. 

Through  the  greater  part  of  the  ensuing  Mesozoic 
era,  so  named  for  its  intermediate  types  of  plants  and 
animals,  Minnesota  was  wholly  a  land  area.  The 
floras  and  faunas  of  this  time  were  gradually  chang- 
ing from  their  primitive  and  ancient  characters,  called 
Paleozoic,  but  had  not  yet  attained  to  the  relatively 
modern  or  new  forms  which  give  the  name  Cenozoic 
to  the  next  and  latest  great  division  of  geologic  time. 


Toward  the  end  of  the  Cretaceous  period,  in  late 
Mesozoic  time,  western  Minnesota  was  depressed  be- 
neath the  sea.  Frequent  outcrops  of  Cretaceous  shales 
and  sandstone,  continuous  from  their  great  expanse 
on  the  western  plains,  occur  here  and  there  in  the 
central  and  southern  parts  of  this  state;  and  in 
numerous  other  places  deep  Avells,  after  passing 
through  the  thick  covering  of  glacial  drift,  encounter 
these  Cretaceous  strata,  which  sometimes  are  found 
to  reach  to  a  thickness  of  several  hundred  feet. 

Ever  since  the  uplift  of  the  Red  River  basin  from 
the  Cretaceous  Sea,  it  has  stood  above  the  sea  level 
and  has  received  no  marine  sediments.  It  was  in- 
stead being  slowly  sculptured  by  rains  and  streams 
through  the  long  periods  of  the  Tertiary  era;  and 
during  a  part  of  the  relatively  short  Quaternary  era 
it  was  deeply  covered  by  snow  and  ice  similar  to 
the  ice-sheets  that  now  envelop  the  interior  of  Green- 
land  and  the  Antarctic   continent. 

These  two  eras,  or  principal  divisions  of  geologic 
history,  may  be  here  classed  together  as  a  single 
Cenozoic  era,  distinguished  by  the  evolutionary  crea- 
tion of  new  and  present  types  of  life.  Nearly  all  the 
plants  and  animals  of  the  preceding  eras  have  dis- 
appeared, as  also  many  that  lived  in  the  early  Cenozoic 
periods,  while  new  species  succeeding  them  make  up 
the  present  floras  and  faunas. 

THE    ICE   AGE. 

The  last  among  the  completed  periods  of  geology 
was  the  ice  age,  most  marvelous  in  its  strange  contrast 
with  the  present  time,  and  also  unlike  any  other 
period  during  the  very  long,  uniformly  warm  or  tem- 
perate eras  which  had  preceded.  The  northern  half 
of  North  America  and  northern  Europe  then  became 
enveloped  with  thick  sheets  of  snow  and  ice,  prob- 
ably caused  chiefly  by  uplifts  of  the  lands  as  exten- 
sive high  plateaus,  receiving  snowfall  throughout  the 
year.  But  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  especially 
in  its  lower  temperate  and  tropical  regions,  all  the 
climatic  conditions  were  doubtless  then  nearly  as  now, 
permitting  plants  and  animals  to  survive  and  flourish 


12 


COIUPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


until  the  departure  of  the  ice-sheets  gave  them  agaiu 
opportunity  to  spread  over  the  northern  lands. 

High  preglacial  elevation  of  the  drift-bearing  re- 
gions is  known  by  the  depths  of  fjords  and  sub- 
merged continuations  of  river  valleys,  which  on  the 
Atlantic,  Arctic  and  Pacific  coasts  of  the  north  part 
of  North  America  show  the  land  to  have  been  elevated 
at  least  2,000  to  3,000  feet  higher  than  now.  In  Nor- 
way the  bottom  of  the  Sogne  Fjord,  the  longest  and 
deepest  of  the  many  fjords  of  that  coast,  is  4,000  feet 
below  the  sea  level.  Previous  to  the  Glacial  period  or 
Ice  age,  and  doubtless  causing  its  abundant  snowfall, 
so  high  uplift  of  these  countries  had  taken  place  that 
streams  flowed  along  the  bottoms  of  the  fjords,  chan- 
neling them  as  very  deep  gorges  on  the  borders  of  the 
land  areas. 

Under  the  vast  weight  of  the  ice-sheets,  however, 
the  lands  sank  to  their  present  level,  or  mostly  some- 
what lower,  whereby  the  temperate  climate,  with  hot 
summers,  properly  belonging  to  the  southern  portions 
of  the  ice-clad  regions,  was  restored.  The  ice-sheets 
were  then  rapidly  melted  away,  though  with  numer- 
ous pauses  or  sometimes  slight  readvances  of  the 
mainly  receding  glacial  boundary. 

On  certain  belts  the  drift  was  left  in  hills  and  ridges 
accumulated  during  this  closing  stage  of  the  Glacial 
period  along  the  margin  of  the  ice  wherever  it  halted 
in  its  general  retreat  or  temporarily  readvanced. 
Upon  the  greater  part  of  Minnesota  and  North  Dakota 
the  only  hills  are  formed  of  this  morainie  drift,  rang- 
ing in  height  commonly  from  25  to  75  or  100  feet,  but 
occasionally  attaining  much  greater  altitude,  as  in  the 
Leaf  Hills  of  Ottertail  County,  Minnesota,  which  rise 
from  100  to  350  feet  above  the  moderately  undulating 
country  on  each  side. 

GLACIAL  LAKE  AGASSIZ. 

When  the  departing  ice-sheet,  in  its  melting  off  the 
land  from  south  to  north,  receded  beyond  the  water- 
shed dividing  the  basin  of  the  Minnesota  River  from 
that  of  the  Red  River,  a  lake,  fed  by  the  glacial  melt- 
ing, stood  at  the  foot  of  the  ice  fields,  and  extended 


northward  as  they  withdrew  along  the  valley  of  the 
Red  River  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  filling  this  broad  valley 
to  the  height  of  the  lowest  point  over  which  an  outlet 
could  be  found.  Until  the  ice  barrier  was  melted  on 
the  area  now  crossed  by  the  Nelson  River,  thereby 
draining  this  glacial  lake,  its  outlet  was  along  the  pres- 
ent course  of  the  Minnesota  River.  At  first  its  over- 
flow was  on  the  nearly  level  undulating  surface  of  the 
drift,  1,100  to  1,125  feet  above  the  sea,  at  the  west  side 
of  Traverse  and  Big  Stone  counties;  but  in  the  proc- 
ess of  time  this  cut  a  channel  there,  called  Brown 'a 
Valley,  100  to  150  feet  deep  and  about  a  mile  wide, 
the  highest  point  of  which,  on  the  present  water 
divide  between  the  Mississippi  and  Nelson  basins,  is 
975  feet  above  the  sea  level.  From  this  outlet  the 
valley  plain  of  the  Red  River  extends  315  miles  north 
to  Lake  Winnipeg,  which  is  710  feet  above  the  sea. 
Along  this  entire  distance  there  is  a  very  uniform 
continuous  descent  of  a  little  less  than  one  foot  per 
mile. 

The  farmers  and  other  residents  of  this  fertile  plain 
are  well  aware  that  they  live  on  the  area  once  occu- 
pied by  a  great  lake,  for  its  beaches,  having  the  form 
of  smoothly  rounded  ridges  of  gravel  and  sand,  a  few 
feet  high,  with  a  width  of  several  rods,  are  observ- 
able extending  horizontally  long  distances  upon  each 
of  the  slopes  which  rise  east  and  west  of  the  valley 
plain.  Hundreds  of  farmers  have  located  their  build- 
ings on  these  beach  ridges  as  the  most  dry  and  sightly 
.spots  on  their  land,  affording  perfectlj-  drained  cel- 
lars even  in  the  most  wet  spring  seasons,  and  also 
yielding  to  wells,  dug  through  this  sand  and  gravel, 
better  water  than  is  usually  obtainable  in  wells  on  the 
adjacent  clay  areas.  "Wliile  each  of  these  farmers,  and 
in  fact  everyone  living  in  the  Red  River  Valley,  rec- 
ognize that  it  is  an  old  lake  bed,  few  probably  know 
that  it  has  become  for  this  reason  a  district  of  special 
interest  to  geologists,  who  have  traced  and  mapped 
its  upper  shore  along  a  distance  of  about  800  miles. 

Numerous  explorers  of  this  region,  from  Long  and 
Keating  in  1823,  to  General  G.  K.  Warren  in  1868 
and  Professor  N.  H.  Winchell  in  1872,  recognized  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


13 


lacustrine  features  of  this  valley ;  and  the  last  named 
geologist  first  gave  what  is  now  generally  accepted  as 
the  true  explanation  of  the  lake's  existence,  namely, 
that  it  was  produced  in  the  closing  stage  of  the  Glacial 
period  by  the  dam  of  the  continental  ice-sheet  at  the 
time  of  its  final  melting  away.  As  the  border  of  the 
ice-sheet  retreated  northward  along  the  Red  River 
Valley,  drainage  from  that  area  could  not  flow,  as 
now,  freely  to  the  north  through  Lake  Winnipeg 
and  into  the  ocean  at  Hudson  Bay,  but  was  turned 
by  the  ice-barrier  to  the  south  across  the  lowest  place 
on  the  watershed,  which  was  found,  as  before  noted, 
at  Brown's  Vallej',  on  the  west  boundary  of  Min- 
nesota. 

Detailed  exploration  of  the  shore  lines  and  area  of 
this  lake  was  begun  by  the  present  writer  for  the 
Minnesota  Geological  Survey  in  the  years  1879  to 
1881.  In  subsequent  years  I  was  employed  also  in 
tracing  the  lake  shores  through  North  Dakota  for  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  and  through  south- 
em  Manitoba,  to  the  distance  of  100  miles  north 
from  the  international  boundary,  for  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Canada.  For  the  last  named  survey,  also, 
Mr.  J.  B.  Tyrrell  extended  the  exploration  of  the 
shore  lines,  more  or  less  completely,  about  200  miles 
farther  north,  along  the  Riding  and  Duck  mountains 
and  the  Porcupine  and  Pasquia  hills,  west  of  Lakes 
Manitoba  and  Winnipegosis,  to  the  Saskatchewan 
River. 

This  glacial  lake  was  named  by  the  present  writer 
in  the  eighth  annual  report  of  the  Minnesota  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  for  the  year  1879,  in  honor  of  Louis 
Agassiz,  the  first  prominent  advocate  of  the  theory  of 
the  formation  of  the  drift  by  land  ice.  Its  outflowing 
river,  whose  channel  is  now  occupied  by  Lakes 
Traverse  and  Big  Stone  and  Brown 's  Valley,  was  also 
named  by  me,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  its 
Minneapolis  meeting  in  1883,  as  the  River  Warren, 
in  commemoration  of  General  Warren's  admirable 
work  in  the  United  States  Engineering  Corps,  in  pub- 
lishing maps  and  reports  of  the  Minnesota  and  Mis- 


sissippi River  survej's.  Descriptions  of  Lake  Agassiz 
and  the  River  Warren  were  somewhat  fully  given 
in  the  eighth  and  eleventh  annual  reports  of  the 
Minnesota  Geological  Survey,  and  in  the  first,  second, 
and  fourth  volumes  of  its  final  report ;  and  more  com- 
plete descriptions  and  maps  of  the  whole  lake,  in 
Minnesota,  North  Dakota,  and  Manitoba,  were  pub- 
lished in  1895  as  Monograph  XXV  of  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey. 

Several  successive  levels  of  Lake  Agassiz  are  re- 
corded by  distinct  and  approximately  parallel  beaches 
of  gravel  and  sand,  due  to  the  gradual  lowering  of  the 
outlet  by  the  erosion  of  the  channel  at  Brown's  Val- 
ley, and  these  are  named  principally  from  stations  on 
the  Breckenridge  and  Wahpeton  line  of  the  Great 
Northern  Railway  in  their  descending  order,  the  Her- 
man, Norcross,  Tintah,  Campbell,  and  McCauleyville 
beaches,  because  they  pass  through  or  near  these  sta- 
tions and  towns.  The  highest,  or  Herman,  beach  is 
traced  in  Minnesota  from  the  northern  end  of  Lake 
Traverse  eastward  to  Herman,  and  thence  northward, 
passing  a  few  miles  east  of  Barnesville,  through  Mu3- 
koda,  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  and  around 
the  west  and  north  sides  of  Maple  Lake,  which  lies 
in  Polk  County,  about  twenty  miles  east-southeast  of 
Crookston,  beyond  which  it  goes  eastward  to  the  south 
side  of  Red  and  Rainy  lakes.  In  North  Dakota  the 
Herman  shore  lies  about  four  miles  west  of  Wheat- 
land, on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  and  the  same 
distance  west  of  Larimore  on  the  Pacific  line  of  the 
Great  Northern  Railway.  On  the  international  bound- 
ai"y,  in  passing  from  North  Dakota  into  Manitoba, 
this  shore  coincides  with  the  escarpment  or  front  of 
the  Pembina  Mountain  plateau;  and  beyond  passes 
northwest  to  Brandon  on  the  Assiniboine,  and  thence 
northeast  to  the  Riding  Mountain. 

Leveling  along  the  upper  beach  shows  that  Lake 
Agassiz,  in  its  earliest  and  highest  stage,  was  nearly 
200  feet  deep  above  Moorhead  and  Fargo,  a  little 
more  than  300  feet  deep  above  Grand  Forks  and 
Crookston;  about  450  feet  above  Pembina,  St.  Vin- 
cent, and  Emerson;  and  about  500  and  600  feet,  re- 


14 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


spectively,  above  Lakes  Manitoba  and  Winnipeg. 
The  length  of  Lake  Agassiz  is  estimated  to  have 
been  nearly  700  miles,  and  its  area  not  less  than 
110,000  square  miles,  exceeding  the  combined  areas  of 
the  five  great  lakes  tributary  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 

After  the  ice  border  was  so  far  melted  back  as  to 
give  outlets  northeastward  lower  than  the  River  War- 
ren, numerous  other  beaches  marking  these  lower 
levels  of  the  glacial  lake  were  formed,  and  finally,  by 
the  full  departure  of  the  ice.  Lake  Agassiz  was  drained 
away  to  its  present  representative,  Lake  Winnipeg. 

While  the  outflow  passed  southward,  seventeen  suc- 
cessive shore  lines,  marked  by  distinct  beach  ridges, 
were  made  by  the  gradually  falling  northern  part  of 
this  lake ;  but  all  these,  when  traced  southward,  are 
united  into  the  five  beaches  before  noted  for  the 
southern  part  of  the  lake.  During  its  stages  of  north- 
eastern outflow,  a  lower  series  of  fourteen  shore  lines 
were  made.  Thus  Lake  Agassiz  had,  in  total,  thirty- 
one  successive  stages  of  gradual  decline  in  height  and 
decrease  in  area. 

The  earliest  Herman  beach  has  a  northward  ascent 
of  about  a  foot  per  mile,  but  the  lowest  and  latest 
beaches  differ  only  very  slightly  from  perfect  horizon- 
tality.  It  is  thus  known  that  a  moderate  uplift  of 
this  area,  increasing  in  amount  from  .south  to  north, 
was  in  progress  and  was  nearly  or  quite  completed 
while  the  ice-sheet  was  melting  away.  Before  the  Gla- 
cial period,  all  the  northern  half  of  our  continent 
had  been  greatly  elevated,  producing  at  last  the  cold 
and  snowy  climate  and  the  thick  ice-sheet;  in  a  late 
part  of  that  period  the  land  was  depressed  under  the 
weight  of  the  ice.  which  in  consequence  melted  away; 
and  latest,  at  the  same  time  with  the  departure  of 
the  ice-sheet,  the  unburdened  land  rose  a  few  hnnd- 
dred  feet,  the  uplift  having  a  gradual  increase  toward 
the  central  part  of  the  country  formerh^  ice-covered. 

In  comparison  with  the  immensely  long  and  an- 
cient geologic  periods  that  had  preceded,  the  final 
melting  of  the  ice-sheet,  the  deposition  of  its  marginal 
moraines  and  other  drift  formations,  its  fringing 
glacial  lakes,  and  the  attendant  uplifting  of  the  land. 


occupied  little  time  and  were  very  recent.  The  en- 
tire duration  of  Lake  Aga.ssiz,  estimated  from  the 
amount  of  its  wave  action  in  erosion  and  in  the  accu- 
mulation of  beach  gravel  and  sand,  appears  to  have 
been  only  about  1,000  years,  and  the  time  of  its  ex- 
istence is  thought  to  have  been  somewhere  between 
6.000  and  10.000  years  ago. 

BEACHES  AND   DELTA  IN   THIS    COUNTY. 

The  south  line  of  Polk  County  crosses  the  highest 
beach  near  the  middle  of  the  south  side  of  Garfield 
Township,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of 
Fertile.  In  the  east  edge  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  28  and  the  west  edge  of  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  27,  Garfield,  this  beach  is  a  typical  ridge 
of  gravel  and  sand,  with  its  crest  1,166  to  1,173  feet 
above  the  sea.  There  is  a  gi'adual  descent  toward  the 
west.  The  depression  on  the  east  is  a  sixth  to  a  fourth 
of  a  mile  wide,  sinking  6  to  10  feet  below  the  beach. 
Farther  eastward  the  land  is  moderately  undulating 
glacial  drift,  rising  20  to  30  feet  above  the  beach  and 
Ijearing  frequent  groves  of  small  poplars,  bur  oak,  and 
canoe  birch. 

When  Lake  Agassiz  stood  at  its  greatest  height,  the 
Sand  Hill  River  brought  into  its  margin  a  delta  six 
miles  long  from  south  to  north  and  three  miles  wide, 
reaching  from  the  upper  beach  to  the  west  side  of  Gar- 
field and  continuing  south  through  the  northwest  part 
of  Sundal  in  Norman  County.  The  surface  of  this 
delta  deposit  of  stratified  gravel  and  sand  descends 
slowly  westward  and  is  ci'ossed  by  the  lower  Herman 
and  Norcross  shores,  though  these  lake  levels  are  not 
there  generally  traceable.  The  Tiiitah  shores  pass 
along  its  western  margin,  which  in  some  portions  was 
worn  away  to  a  low  escarpment,  steeper  than  its  origi- 
nal frontal  slope,  while  the  eroded  sand  and  gravel, 
after  being  carried  some  distance  southward,  but  not 
wholly  beyond  the  delta,  were  deposited  in  beach 
ridges.  Upon  the  delta  plain  many  dunes  of  small 
and  large  size,  seen  from  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles  across  the  lower  expanse  at  the  west,  have  been- 
heaped  iip  by  the  winds,  probably  mostly  before  vege- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


15 


tation  had  spread  over  this  area  after  the  withdrawal 
of  the  glacial  lake. 

In  the  south  half  of  section  32,  Garfield,  and  in  a 
belt  which  thence  extends  approximately  north  and 
south,  the  surface  of  the  delta,  as  it  was  originallj' 
deposited,  falls  toward  the  west  with  a  slope  of  25 
or  30  feet  in  a  mile,  from  1,125  or  1,130  feet  to  about 
1,100  feet  above  the  sea.  Beneath  the  original  sur- 
face, however,  channels  have  been  eroded  by  the 
winds,  and  sand  hills  25  to  75  feet  above  it  have 
been  blown  up  in  irregular  groups  and  series,  scat- 
tered over  a  tract  about  a  mile  wide  and  extending 
three  or  four  miles  southward  from  the  Sand  Hill 
River,  in  section  29,  the  northeast  part  of  section  30, 
and  in  section  31  and  32,  Garfield,  and  reaching  south- 
ward in  sections  5  and  8,  Sundal.  An  isolated  group 
of  these  hills  lies  north  of  the  Sand  Hill  River,  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  16,  Garfield.  These  sand 
dunes  are  in  part  bare,  being  so  freqiaently  drifted 
by  the  winds  as  to  allow  no  foothold  for  vegetation; 
other  portions  are  clothed  with  grass  or  with  bushes 
and  scanty  dwarfed  trees,  including  bur  oak,  the 
common  aspen  or  poplar,  cottonwood,  green  ash,  black 
cherry,  and  the  frost  grape. 

The  upper  Herman  beach,  the  first  of  the  series 
which  was  formed  in  the  vicinity  of  Maple  Lake  con- 
temporaneously with  the  single  Herman  beach  farther 
south,  runs  approximately  from  south  to  north, 
through  or  near  the  northeast  corner  of  section  4,  Gar- 
field. It  is  a  smooth  gravel  ridge,  with  its  crest  1,165 
to  1,175  feet  above  the  sea.  The  second  Herman 
beach,  in  the  east  part  of  section  5,  this  township, 
and  section  32,  Godfrey,  about  a  mile  west  of  the 
upper  beach,  has  a  height  of  1,149  to  1,153  feet,  being 
a  ridge  of  gravel  and  sand  about  fortj'  rods  wide,  with 
very  gentle,  prolonged  slopes  toward  both  the  east 
and  west.  A  half  or  two  thirds  of  a  mile  farther 
west,  the  third  Hennan  beach,  passing  through  .the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  5,  Garfield,  and  the  west 
part  of  section  32,  Godfrey,  has  a  height  of  1,130  to 
1,135  feet,  forming  a  distinct  ridge  in  its  southern 


part,  but  farther  north  being  a  flat  area  of  gravel  and 
sand,  slightly  elevated  above  the  land  next  east. 

Thence  the  Herman  beaches  are  very  finely  devel- 
oped for  a  distance  of  six  to  eight  miles  northward, 
passing  through  Godfrey  Township  into  the  southeast 
part  of  Tilden,  where  they  curve  to  the  northeast 
and  east.  From  this  great  bend  of  their  course,  these 
beaches  pass  eastward  by  the  noi'theast  end  of  Maple 
Lake  and  by  Mentor  and  Erskine.  The  highest  Her- 
man beach  is  traced  onward  northeast  and  east  to 
Trail  and  Gully  railway  stations;  and  it  continues 
tlirough  Clearwater  and  Beltrami  counties,  passing 
close  south  of  Red  Lake. 

Maple  Lake,  the  largest  of  the  many  lakes  in  the 
southeast  part  of  Polk  County,  is  1,169  feet  above  the 
sea.  In  its  curving  course  west  and  north  of  this  lake 
the  highest  beach  of  Lake  Agassiz  is  magnificently  ex- 
hibited, forming  a  massive,  gently  rounded  ridge  of 
gravel  and  sand,  about  thirty  rods  across,  with  the 
crest  of  its  highest  portion,  along  a  distance  of  two 
or  three  miles,  at  1,178  to  1,186  feet. 

On  the  Fosston  line  of  the  Great  Northern  railway 
and  on  the  same  latitude  with  the  eastwardly  curving 
beaches  north  of  Maple  Lake,  three  small  beach  ridges 
are  crossed  about  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Benoit, 
the  elevation  of  their  crests  being  successively  1,062, 
1,069,  and  again  1,069  feet,  in  their  order  from  west 
to  east.  These  probably  represent  the  upper  Tintah 
beach.  One  and  a  quarter  miles  farther  east  a  more 
massive  beach  is  crossed,  with  its  crest  at  1,092  feet, 
which  is  probably  the  lowest  Norcross  shore  line. 
Other  beach  ridges  crossed  nearly  one  mile  and  a  half 
and  again  nearly  two  miles  east  of  the  last,  with  crests 
respectively  at  1,114  and  1,120  feet,  are  apparently 
referable  to  upper  Norcross  stages  of  the  lake.  The 
next  beach  noted  on  this  railway,  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  farther  east,  at  the  height  of  1,142  feet,  belongs 
to  the  lower  portion  of  the  Herman  series. 

In  section  34,  Liberty,  close  south  of  the  Sand  Hill 
River,  the  Campbell  shore  is  marked  by  a  low  eroded 
escarpment  of  the  glacial  drift  or  till,  the  top  of  which 
is  1,010  feet  above  the  sea,  being  probably  10  feet 


16 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


higher  than  the  lake  level  when  it  was  made.  It 
runs  in  a  nearly  due  north  course,  parallel  with  the 
well  developed  JlcCauleyville  beach  ridges  which  lie 
a  half  to  two  thirds  of  a  mile  farther  west.  Continu- 
ing northward  through  Liberty  and  Onstad  townships 
and  the  southern  two  thirds  of  Kertsonville,  the 
Campbell  shore  is  almost  continuously  a  terrace  cut 
in  the  till,  having  a  descent  of  10  to  30  feet  within 
as  many  rods.  Numerous  boulders,  remaining  from 
the  wave  erosion,  are  strewn  on  a  narrow  belt  below 
the  terrace.  The  erosion  was  in  progress  along  the 
greater  part  of  this  terrace  during  both  the  upper  and 
lower  Campbell  stages  of  the  lake ;  but  a  beach  ridge 
of  gravel  and  sand,  which  was  accumulated  along  its 
base  during  the  lower  stage,  extends  through  section 
5,  Onstad,  and  into  the  adjoining  sections. 

From  the  southeast  part  of  .section  9,  Kertsonville, 
the  Campbell  shore  takes  a  north-northeastward  course 
for  the  next  ten  miles  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
township  of  Red  Lake  Falls  and  to  the  Red  Lake  River. 
Along  this  extent  it  bears  a  conspicuous  beach  deposit, 
on  which  several  farmhouses  are  built,  their  cellars 
being  dug  to  the  depth  of  six  or  eight  feet  in  gravel 
and  sand,  Avhile  the  surface  on  each  side  of  the  shore 
line  is  till.  For  the  greater  part  of  this  distance  there 
are  two  parallel  beach  ridges,  usually  occupying  to- 
gether a  width  of  about  fifty  rods.  The  crest  of  the 
eastern  and  higher  beach  is  1,012  to  1,015  feet  above 
the  sea,  and  that  of  the  lower  beach  about  1,000  feet, 
varj'ing  from  this  only  one  or  two  feet.  Each  ridge 
has  a  descent  of  four  to  six  feet  toward  the  east,  and 
their  western  bases  are  respectively  at  995  and  985 
feet,  approximately.  The  upper  and  lower  Campbell 
levels  of  Lake  Agassiz,  which  heaped  up  these  beaches 
by  their  waves,  were  very  nearly  at  1,000  and  990  feet. 

Several  much  later  and  lower  stages  of  this  ancient 
ice-dammed  lake,  after  it  had  ceased  to  outflow  at 
Brown's  Valley,  are  represented  by  beach  ridges 
traced    in    nearly   parallel    south    to    north    courses 


through  Crookston,  Pamell,  Belgium,  Euclid,  Angus, 
and  adjoining  townships.  The  lowest  beach  observed 
in  this  count}',  passing  through  sections  10  and  lo, 
Tabor,  is  referred  to  the  Gladstone  stage  of  the  lake, 
named  from  Gladstone  in  Manitoba.  The  southern 
end  of  the  waning  Lake  Agassiz  had  then  receded 
from  Brown's  Valley  to  the  vicinitj*  of  the  mouth  of 
Sand  Hill  River,  and  its  depth  of  water  above  the 
present  Lake  Winnipeg  was  reduced  to  less  than  200 
feet. 

Two  relatively  small  deltas  were  formed  in  the  east 
edge  of  the  lake  by  the  Buffalo  and  Sand  Hill  rivers, 
while  its  west  edge  received  four  deltas,  each  much 
larger  in  both  area  and  thickness,  namely  the  Shey- 
enne.  Elk  Valley,  Pembina,  and  Assiniboine  deltas. 
All  of  these  remarkable  tributary  .sand  and  gravel 
deposits  were  brought  by  inflowing  streams  during  the 
earliest  and  highest  Herman  stages  of  the  lake,  though 
each  was  considerably  channeled  and  in  part  borne 
farther  and  to  lower  levels  during  the  later  and  lower 
stages.  In  every  instance  the  delta  formations  were 
supplied  mainly  by  drainage  from  neighboring  por- 
tions of  the  melting  and  departing  ice-sheet.  Alike 
on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  Red  River  Valley, 
the  retreating  border  of  the  continental  glacier  nearly 
adjoined  the  ancient  lake,  being  melted  back  from 
south  to  north  as  fast  as  the  lake  grew  northward  and 
made  its  earliest  beaches. 

Above  the  Sand  Hill  delta,  southeastern  Polk  Coun- 
ty was  yet  covered  by  the  ice,  melting  fast  away  every 
summer,  when  its  drift  supplied  the  sand  beds  of  the 
delta.  Not  far  distant  northward,  the  front  of  the 
ice-sheet  stretched  across  the  valley,  but  it  was  grad- 
ually yielding  its  place  to  the  great  glacial  lake.  Soon 
the  originally  .smooth  delta  expanse,  laid  bare  by  the 
land  uplift  and  the  declining  lake  levels,  was  partly 
blown  by  the  winds  into  high  and  picturesque  sand 
hills,  before  protecting  vegetation  could  overspread 
the  surface. 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  EARLY  INDIAN  INHABITANTS. 

LACK  OF  INFORMATION  ABOUT  THE  VERY  FIRST  PEOPLE  OF    POLK  COUNTY THE  MOUND  BUILDERS  DOUBTLESS  NEVER 

LIVED  HERE,  AND  THE  MOUNDS  IN  THE  COUNTY  WERE  BUILT  BY  THE  RED  INDIANS THE  CREES  WERE  THE  FIRST 

MODERN  INDIANS  TO  LIVE  HERE,  ALTHOUGH  EXACT  PARTICULARS  OP  THEIR  OCCUPATION  ARE  NOT  KNOWN THE 

CHIPPEWAS   FOLLOWED   THE   CREES,  FOUGHT   THE   SIOUX,  AND  DROVE  THE  MAJORITY  OP  THE  LATTER  FROM  THE 

THIEF    RIVER    COUNTRY — ORIGIN    OF    THE    NAME    OF    THIEF    RIVER THE    SIOUX    AND    CHIPPEWAS    BATTLE    FOR 

THE  RED  RIVER  COUNTRY — SIOUX  DEFEAT  AT  PEMBINA — FLAT  MOUTH,  THE  CHIPPEWA  CHIEF,  THWARTS  THE 
TREACHERY  OP  BEAVER,  THE  SIOUX  CHIEF,  AND  HAS  HIM  MURDERED  NEAR  EAST  GRAND  FORKS — COL.  ROBERT 
DICKSON,  THE  SCOTCH  TRADER  AT  EAST  GRAND  FORKS,  PROTESTS  THE  MURDER  AND  ALSO  HELPS  THE  BRITISH 
IN   THE  WAR   OF   1812. 


The  record  of  the  early  human  occupation  of  the 
Red  River  Valley  of  the  Noi'th  is  very  incomplete  and 
imperfect.  It  seems  quite  probable  that  from  creation 
until  a  few  hundred  years  ago  it  was  not  occupied  at 
all  by  human  beings,  and  its  only  denizens  were  the 
wild  birds  of  the  air,  the  wild  beasts  of  the  prairies 
and  scanty  forests,  and  the  fishes  of  the  lakes  and 
streams.  There  are  no  signs  of  a  remote  settlement  or 
other  form  of  ancient  civilization  in  the  Valley. 

That  very  ancient  and  very  mysterious  race,  which, 
for  inability  to  coin  a  more  suitable  name,  we  call  the 
Mound  Builders,  and  which  lived  at  one  period  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  State,  never  dwelt,  for  any 
considerable  time  in  the  Red  River  Valley.  At  any 
rate,  none  of  their  mounds  and  tumuli,  which  invari- 
ably denote  and  prove  their  former  presence,  are 
found  here.  There  are  mounds  but  they  were  not 
built  by  the  old  Mound  Builders.  The  so-called  Red 
Indians  were  the  first  human  occupants,  but  their  oc- 
cupation was  fugitive,  unstable,  and  disconnected. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  mounds  or  tumuli  within 
the  present  boundaries  of  Polk  Countj',  and  that  some 
authorities  have  pronounced  these  to  be  the  work  of 
the  old  Mound  Builders;  of  course  these  authorities 
are  of  those  that  believe  the  Mound  Builders  were  the 


immediate  ancestors  of  the  Red  Indians.  The  princi- 
pal mound  in  the  county  is  now  within  the  limits  of 
Crookston,  and  only  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the 
center  of  the  city.  It  is  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Red 
Lake  River  and  35  feet  above  the  stream. 

In  about  1890  Prof.  Moore,  then  principal  of  the 
Crookston  City  Schools,  and  some  of  his  pupils  made 
excavations  in  this  mound  and  found  in  it  human 
bones,  including  skulls.  From  the  reports  made  to  the 
compiler  of  this  examination  it  does  not  seem  that  any 
pottery,  flint,  stone,  or  copper  implements,  or  any 
other  reliable  evidences  of  Mound  Builder  work  or  oc- 
cupation were  found.  These  evidences  certainly 
would  have  been  unearthed  had  the  old  pre-historic 
race  been  the  buildei-s.  Their  work  and  former  sites 
of  occupation  are  almost  as  readily  determined  as 
those  of  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans. 

In  noting  the  Crookston  mound  Hon.  William 
Watts  plausibly  suggests  that  it  marks  the  site  of  the 
cemetery  of  an  old-time  Sioux  village.  This  may  be 
a  correct  theoiy,  although  we  now  know  a  great  deal 
of  the  early  and  very  early  history  of  the  Sioux,  and 
we  do  not  know  that  (at  least  within  the  proper  time 
when  skulls  and  other  human  bones  would  be  pre- 
served for  a  long  time  in  the  earth)  there  was  ever  a 


17 


18 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  PObK  COUNTY 


considerable  Indian  village  at  the  site  of  Crookston. 
If  the  Sioux  had  such  a  \dllage,  it  must  have  been  of 
the  Sisseton  band  (Sissetonwaus,  or  People  of  the 
Marsh),  because  the  Sissetons  were  later  located  not 
very  far  to  the  west  or  south;  we  know  their  early 
history  fairly  well,  and  we  have  no  account  of  such  a 
village  in  that  part  of  the  country.  Possibly  the 
mound  may  have  been  the  burial  place  for  a  village  of 
Cheyenne  Indians,  for  we  well  know  that  they  were 
in  this  quarter  for  several  years  before  they  were 
driven  out  by  the  Sioux  and  went  into  various  parts 
of  South  Dakota  and  the  southeastern  part  of  North 
Dakota,  and  mainly  upon  the  river  which  still  bears 
their  name  as  it  is  commonly  pronounced. 

Both  the  Cheyennes  and  the  Sioux  built  mounds 
over  their  dead;  both  tribes  made  and  used  pottery. 
But  their  mounds  were  simple  sepulchres  and  their 
pottery  was  solely  for  domestic  purposes.  In  1680 
Father  Hennepiu  found  the  Sioux  of  Mille  Lacs 
boiling  their  food  in  fire-proof  earthen  pots,  which 
they  had  made.  But  neither  tribe  built  large,  high 
mounds,  for  temples  of  worship,  for  observation  or 
watchtowers,  and  for  the  bui-ial  places  of  their  chiefs 
or  kings,  as  the  Mound  Builders  always  did.  Neither 
tribe  made  flint  and  stone  implements,  either  arrow 
and  lance  heads  or  axes,  spades,  etc.,  and  the  Mound 
Builders  constantl.v  made  these  things.  The  Sioux, 
Cheyennes,  and  other  Red  Indians  picked  up  the  flint 
arrow  points  and  lance-heads  and  used  them  (though 
many  of  them  had  come  from  quarries  as  far  off  as 
West  Virginia),  but  they  could  not  make  them — and 
none  of  them  ever  Inieir  ivho  did! 

It  is  probable  that  the  Crookston  mound  was  made 
to  cover  the  remains  of  their  warriors  slain  in  some 
pre-historic  battle,  in  which  the  Sioux  were  the  victors 
and  had  flie  opportunity  of  decently  interring  their 
(lead.  The  Sioux  often,  and  indeed  almost  commonly, 
raised  a  slight  mound  of  earth  over  the  .skeletons  of 
their  dead.  If  not  slain  in  battle,  their  dead  were  sus- 
])ended  in  trees  or  ])laeed  upon  high  scaffolds  until  the 
flesh  was  gone,  and  then  the  bones  were  taken  down 
and  buried.     Sometimes  the  remains  were  buried  in 


receptacles  made  in  the  banks  of  streams  and  coulees, 
and  even  in  the  big  mounds  made  by  their  predeces- 
sors in  the  country,  the  Mound  Builders.  The  idea 
probably  was  to  honor  the  venerated  remains  and  to 
preserve  them  from  destruction  or  desecration.  Many 
a  modern  Indian 's  bones  have  been  found  in  a  Mound 
I'uildcr's  sacrificial  mound,  and  thus  fairly  .iustifying 
the  belief  that  the  mound  itself  was  the  work  of 
modern  Indians. 

There  is  a  possibility  that  the  great  battle  between 
the  Sioux  and  the  Chippewas  described  by  Warren  as 
having  occurred  on  Sand  Hill  River,  and  mentioned 
on  anotlier  page,  was  really  fought  on  the  Red  Lake 
River  and  that  the  Crookston  mound  is  the  grave  of 
the  Sioux  warriors  killed  therein — as  suggested  on  an- 
other page.  But  there  is  no  positive  evidence  in  sup- 
poi't  of  this  suggestion,  and  Warren  is  clear  in  his 
statement  that  the  battle  was  on  the  Sand  Hill  River. 
Tliere  is  no  moiuid  on  the  Sand  Hill  near  the  supposed 
site  of  the  battle,  although  the  Sioux  held  the  field  and 
had  the  opportunitj'  to  bury  their  dead  properly  ac- 
cording to  their  custom,  with  a  heap  of  dirt  raised 
over  them. 

Prof.  Winchell's  "Aborigines  of  Minnesota"  men- 
tions (p.  361)  the  Crookston  mound  and  gives  its 
dimensions,  when  he  survej^ed  it,  in  1880,  as  "7  feet 
higli  and  120  feet  in  diameter."  The  location  is,  how- 
ever, erroneously  given  as  ' '  about  two  miles  southwest 
from  Crokston. " 

The  "Aborigines"  notes   (p.  362)   another  mound 
in  what  is  now  Polk  County,  and  which  is  described  as 
having  a  diameter  of  .58  feet  and  a  heiglit  of  four  and 
a  half  feet.    Its  location  is  given  as  in  township  148,  ' 
range  45,  not  far  from  Melvin  Station. 

The  Sand  Hill  River  mounds  are  also  noted  on  page 
362  of  "Aborigines."  These  are  three  small  mounds, 
averaging  about  four  feet  high  and  55  feet  across, 
which  are  located  in  township  147,  range  45,  west  of 
Fertile.  It  is  difficult  to  tell  without  examination  by 
digging  into  them  whether  these  are  natural  or  artifi- 
cial. There  are  numerous  erroneous  statements  in 
"Aborigines" — 'typographical    errors    often — regard- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


19 


ing  tliese  mounds.  Oue,  now  in  Red  Lake  County  is 
described  (p.  362)  as  in  "section  90,"  when  section  9 
is  meant. 

The  absence  of  dense  forests  filled  with  deer  and 
other  game,  and  furnishing  fuel  and  material  for  habi- 
tations, was  one  reason  why  the  Red  Indians  avoided 
the  Valley  region.  There  was  little  other  kind  of 
country  here  save  the  big  prairies,  which  were  almost 
untraversable  save  by  horseback,  and  these  aborigines 
had  no  horses,  and  indeed  never  saw  one ;  since  horses 
were  not  original  to  Minnesota,  nor,  indeed,  indige- 
nous to  the  United  States,  but  had  to  be  introduced 
from  Europe.  The  aborigines  of  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley, with  their  flint  arrow  heads  and  lance  heads,  and 
traveling  altogether  on  foot,  had  a  difficult  job  to  kill 
buffalo  and  deer.  Their  best  and  common  mode  of 
securing  these  animals  was  to  creep  upon  them  as  they 
grazed  in  the  high  grass  of  a  lowland,  near  a  lake  or 
river,  and,  suddenly  bounding  forth,  stampede  the 
herd  and  chase  its  members  into  the  water,  where  they 
often  came  up  with  them  and  speared  them  to  death. 
Farther  westward  the  tribes  were  accustomed  to  chase 
the  buffalos  over  high  precipices. 

THE  CREES  WERE  THE  FIRST  RED  INDIANS. 

The  identified  Indians  who  first  visited,  and  prob- 
ably lived  at  intervals,  in  the  section  of  the  Red 
River  Valley  no\v  embraced  within  Polk  County  were 
the  Crees.  There  were  others  before  them,  of  course, 
but  we  do  not  know  who  they  were  or  what  to  call 
them.  The  Crees  were  in  this  region,  especially  about 
Pembina,  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  the  lower  Valley,  when 
the  first  white  men  came.  The  Jesuit  Fathers  men- 
tion them,  in  their  "Relations"  for  the  year  1640,  as 
"dwelling  on  the  rivers  of  the  northern  sea,  [mean- 
ing Hudson's  Bay]  where  the  Nipissings  go  to  trade 
with  them."  Lacombe,  in  his  "Dictionary  of  the 
Cree  Language,"  says  that,  according  to  their  tradi- 
tions, the  Crees — in,  say  about  1750 — "inhabited  for 
a  time  the  region  about  the  Red  River,  intermingled 
with  the  Chippewas  and  Maskegons,"  but  were  at- 
tracted to  the  plains  by  the  buffalo.    The  Maskegons 


were  practically  themselves  Crees,  being  an  offshoot 
of  the  tribe.  They  were  often  called  the  Swamp  Crees, 
because  Maskeg  (or  Muskeg)  means  a  swamp. 

Many  authorities  regard  the  Crees  as  Chippewas. 
Their  language  is  virtually  a  Chippewa  dialect;  their 
manners  and  customs  are  much  alike;  they  too  were 
a  forest  people,  and  finally  they  had  a  tradition  that 
they  were  descendants  of  a  band  that  in  the  long  ago 
seceded  from  the  Chippewas  in  northern  Minnesota 
and  went  to  dwell  on  Lake  Cree.  The  Smithsonian 
Institution  "Handbook"  (1907)  says:  "The  Crees  are 
closely  related,  linguistically  and  otherwise,  to  the 
Chippewa.  Prof.  Hayden  regarded  them  as  an  off- 
shoot of  the  latter  and  believed  the  Maskecons  another 
division  of  the  same  group."  Many  bands  of  the 
Crees  were  nomads  and  were  generally  unsettled, 
their  movements  being  governed  largely  by  their  food 
supply.  In  their  wanderings  they  mingled  with  the 
Assiniboines,  who  were  offshoots  of  the  Sioux,  and  in- 
termarried with  them  and  the  old  Chippewas  from 
whom  they  had  sprung. 

Father  Belcourt,  the  good  priest  of  Pembina,  who 
lived  so  long  with  them  on  the  Assiniboine,  Saskatche- 
wan, and  Red  Rivers,  says  the  Crees,  in  1850,  called 
themselves  Ke-nish-ti-nak,  meaning  held  by  the  winds. 
They  lived  long  at  Lake  Winnipeg,  whereon,  when  the 
winds  blew  hard,  making  the  waves  run  high,  they 
were  checked  by  the  winds  and  could  not  travel  in 
their  little  frail  canoes.  Radisson,  who,  in  1659,  either 
saw  them  or  heard  of  them,  says  the  Cree  canoes  were 
so  small  that  they  could  not  carry  more  than  two 
persons.  The  name  of  the  tribe  was  written  by  the 
French  as  Kri-stin-aux ;  then  it  became  Christenaux, 
Kilistinos,  Kenistonas,  etc.,  but  the  chief  French 
form  was  Chris-ti-naux,  which  was  pronounced  Crees- 
te-nose;  and  the  French  finally  contracted  the  word 
to  Crees,  as  they  contracted  Naudowessioux  to  Sioux. 

Now,  when  the  white  traders  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  came  to  the  Lake  Winnipeg  region  they 
found  the  Crees.  The  poor  savages  were  overjoyed  to 
meet  men  who  could  furnish  them  steel  implements  in 
exchange  for  (to  them)   such  simple  and  easily-pro- 


20 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


cured  things  as  beaver  and  other  skins,  buffalo  robes, 
and  various  other  kinds  of  furs  and  pelts.  Many  of 
them  came  up  the  Red  River  in  their  little  boats,  made 
villages  in  the  groves  along  the  river  and  its  tribu- 
taries, and  remained  in  the  country  a  long  time  en- 
gaged in  trapping  and  huntiug.  The  products  of 
their  efforts  were  sent  down  the  river  to  the  Hudson 's 
Bay  fort  on  Lake  Winnipeg,  whioh  post  was  for  a  long 
time  called  Fort  Garrj-.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Fur  Com- 
pany was  chartered  by  King  Charles  II  of  England, 
"the  Merry  Monarch,"  May  2,  1670;  but  it  was  not 
until  in  1799  that  its  agents  took  possession  of  the  Red 
River  proper  and  established  trading  posts  in  the 
rogion. 

Prior  to  the  advent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
into  their  region,  the  Crees  were  practically  savages 
of  a  very  wild  and  unenlightened  sort.  Their  slight 
contact  with  the  Fi-ench  did  not  improve  them.  In 
the  Jesuit  "Relations"  of  1670-71  Father  Dablon 
writes:  "Finally  the  Kelistinos  [a  name  for  the  Crees] 
are  dispersed  through  the  whole  region  to  the  north 
of  this  Lake  Superior — possessing  neither  corn,  nor 
fields,  nor  any  fixed  abode,  but  forever  wandering 
through  those  vast  forests  and  seeking  a  livelihood 
there  by  hunting."  Their  condition  remained  prac- 
tically unchanged  until  after  the  traders  came.  Then 
their  women  married  many  of  the  traders  and  their 
employes;  the  families  thus  created  lived  after  civil- 
ized fashion,  and  in  time  the  missionaries  and 
school  teachers  came. 

The  Crees  were  attacked  by  smallpox  from  time 
to  time,  and  the  tribe  was  greatly  reduced  by  the  rav- 
ages of  this  disease.  They  left  Minnesota,  as  a  whole, 
before  1820  and  went  up  into  Manitoba  and  other 
Canadian  provinces.  About  10,000  of  them  are  now 
in  Manitoba  and  about  5,000  elsewhere  in  northwest- 
ern Canada.  They  have  always  been  a  peaceful  tribe, 
were  never  at  war  with  their  Algonquian  neighbors, 
and  left  northern  Minnesota  rather  than  fight  the 
Chippewas.  In  1885,  however,  the  mixed  bloods  of 
the  tribes  rose  in  rebellion  against  the  Canadian  au- 
thorities, because  it  was  sought  to  remove  them  from 


their  lands  on  the  Saskatchewan  to  a  more  inhospitable 
region  to  the  northward ;  but  in  a  little  time  their 
rebellion  was  subdued  and  their  leader,  Louis  Riel, 
was  executed  by  hanging,  November  16,  1885. 

It  is  reasonably  certain  that,  during  the  period  they 
were  in  Minnesota,  the  Crees  visited  the  country  now 
called  Polk  County,  and  dwelt  there  from  time  to 
time.  To  be  sure  no  particulars  of  their  connection 
with  the  early  history  of  the  county  can  now  be  given. 
We  can  only  assert  that,  as  they  were  generally 
through  northern  Minnesota,  and  especially  along  the 
Red  River,  they  must  have  been  at  intervals  in  Polk 
County. 

The  Cheyenne  Indians  have  a  tradition  that  at  one 
time  they  were  settled  upon  Otter  Tail  Lake  and  Lake 
Traverse  and  were  driven  out  by  the  Crees  into  the 
upper  Minnesota  River  country,  below  Big  Stone 
Lake.  From  the  Minnesota  Valley,  fearing  trouble 
with  the  Sioux,  they  removed  into  what  is  now  South 
Dakota  and  North  Dakota,  many  locating  on  the  river 
bearing  their  name. 

THE  CHIPPEWAS  FOLLOWED  THE  CREES. 

Although  the  Chippewas  and  the  Crees  were  kin- 
dred people,  and  of  the  same  blood  and  lineage,  they 
had  separate  tribal  organizations  and  are  always 
spoken  of  and  referred  to  as  two  different  nations  or 
tribes.  The  word  Chippewas  is  a  corruption  of  Ojib- 
ways,  by  which  name  these  Indians  formerly  called 
themselves,  and  which  means  "roast  till  puckered 
up,"  referring  to  their  manner  of  cooking  meat  or  of 
torturing  their  prisoners.  They  once  lived  about  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The  early  French  often  called 
them  "Saulteurs, "  v/liich  is  the  equivalent,  in  old 
French,  of  Sauteurs  in  "Francaise  moderue,"  mean- 
ing leapers  or  jumpers.  Sault,  which  is  pronounced  so 
or  soo,  is  an  old  French  word  meaning  leap,  and  is 
not  found  in  modern  French  vocabularies.  Sault  Ste. 
Marie,  therefore,  is  literally  in  English,  the  Leap  of 
Saint  Mary.  The  Sioux  called  the  Chippewas  "Hkah- 
hkah  Tonwau,"  or  Waterfalls  People,  meaning  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


21 


people  of  the  Waterfalls  of  St.  Mary.  Hka-hkah 
meaning  waterfalls  and  Tonwan  meaning  people. 

The  Chippewas  occupied  the  Red  River  country  as 
the  result  of  a  war  of  conquest.  About  the  beginning 
of  the  XVIII  Century — probably  between  1710  and 
1736 — they  drove  the  Foxes  from  northern  Wiscon- 
sin down  to  Iowa  and  Illinois  and  compelled  them  to 
confederate  with  the  Sauks  (or  Sacs).  Then,  some 
time  after  1736,  they  turned  on  the  Sioux  and  drove 
them  (first  from  Lake  Superior  and  then  from  North- 
ern Minnesota  generally)  southward  and  westward 
down  to  the  Minnesota  and  across  the  Mississippi  and 
the  Missouri.  The  Smithsonian  Institution's  "Hand- 
book of  American  Indians"  (Vol.  1,  p.  278)  indicates 
that  after  driving  away  their  enemies  from  northern 
Minnesota,  the  Chippewas  continued  their  westward 
march  into  North  Dakota  until  they  occupied  the  head 
waters  of  the  Red  River  and  had  a  large  band  as  far 
west  as  the  Turtle  Mountains,  in  the  extreme  northern 
section  of  North  Dakota. 

It  is  alleged  by  the  "Handbook"  referred  to  (ibid) 
that  one  cause  of  the  dispossession  of  the  Sioux  by 
the  Chippewas  was  to  obtain  possession  of  the  wild 
rice  tracts  about  the  numerous  lakes  and  streams  of 
northern  Minnesota.  For  a  long  period  the  Sioux  con- 
trolled the  wild  rice  output  of  Minnesota  and  would 
not  allow  the  Chippewas  to  gather  it  without  a  sort 
of  tribute  payment,  and  to  this  tribute  the  Chippewas 
vigorously  objected.  Warren  (History  of  the  0 jib- 
ways)  and  other  authorities  cite  that  the  French  trad- 
ers of  the  posts  on  Lake  Superior  furnished  the  Chip- 
pewas with  fire-arms  and  then  instigated  them  to 
attack  and  drive  away  the  Sioux,  because  they  sold 
their  furs  to  the  English  traders  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  instead  of  to  the  French  of  the  Lakes.  It 
is  probable  that  the  real  reason  of  the  Chippewa  at- 
tack was  a  double  one — the  instigation  of  the  French 
and  the  desire  to  possess  the  wild  rice  beds. 

The  Chippewas  were  largely  dependent  upon  the 
wild  rice  for  food.  They  called  it  mahnomen,  and 
revered  as  a  goddess  the  spirit  that  controlled  it. 
When  the  Sioux  occupied  the  Mille  Lacs  country,  in 


Minnesota,  the  Chippewas  had  to  travel  many  miles 
from  their  Lake  Superior  homes,  and  often  to  risk 
their  lives,  for  the  wild  grain,  which  was  virtually  a 
staff  of  life  for  them.  They  still  use  large  quantities 
of  it.  According  to  the  report  of  the  Bureau  of 
American  Ethnology  for  1900  there  were  10,000  Chip- 
pewas in  the  United  States  using  wild  rice  for  food. 
The  Sioux,  too,  use  it  when  they  can  get  it.  The  de- 
cisive battle  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Chippewas  for 
the  ownership  of  the  wild  rice  beds  of  Minnesota  is 
believed  by  many  to  have  occurred  on  the  eastern 
shores  of  Mille  Lac,  at  the  supposed  Sioux  town  of 
Kathio,  in  about  1750.  (See  Brower's  "Kathio,"  p. 
92.)  According  to  the  estimate  of  Warren,  himself  a 
half-blood  Chippewa,  the  battle  occurred  in  1657 
(Minn.  Hist.  Socy.  Collections,  Vol.  V,  p.  157,  et 
seq. ) ,  a  difference  in  dates  of  the  two  eminent  authori- 
ties of  100  years.  Warren  further  says,  however  (p. 
162),  that,  after  being  defeated  at  Kathio,  the  Sioux 
went  down  near  the  mouth  of  Rum  River  and  did  not 
finally  leave  the  Mille  Lacs  region  until  1770. 

SIOUX  DRIVEN  FROM  THIEF  RIVER. 

Practically  ever  after  their  advent  into  the  country, 
the  Chippewas  continued  to  hold  northwestern  Min- 
nesota, including  Polk  County,  against  the  Sioux. 
Warren's  History  of  the  Chippewas  (p.  356)  relates 
that,  for  a  number  of  years  after  the  Chippewa  occu- 
pation, a  camp  of  ten  tepees  of  Sioux  had  their  camp 
on  the  upper  Thief  River  and  succeeded  in  evading 
and  escaping  the  guns  and  tomahawks  of  their  heredi- 
tary enemies.  The  surrounding  hunting  grounds 
were  so  rich,  and  wild  rice  was  so  plentiful,  that  life 
was  easily  lived,  and  they  were  loth  to  leave  the  local- 
ity. They  built  a  high  embankment  of  earth  around 
their  camp  and  took  every  means  in  their  power  to 
conceal  themselves  from  their  merciless  foes.  In 
hunting  they  would  not  discharge  their  guns,  because 
of  the  loud  noise,  but  used  their  bows  and  arrows  in 
killing  game. 

At  last  they  were  discovered  by  their  relentless  ene- 
mies.   The  Crees  and  Assiniboines  of  the  Pembina  and 


t 


22 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COFNTY 


DeviFs  Lake  regions  made  a  treaty  with  the  Yanktou 
and  Sisseton  Sioux,  and  a  short  term  of  peace  resulted. 
During  the  deliberations  at  this  treaty,  the  Crees 
learned  of  the  existence  of  the  isolated  Sioux  band  and 
the  locality  of  its  camp.  When  the  peace  period 
closed,  some  Crees  gave  the  information  to  their  Chip- 
pewa relatives,  and  the  latter,  from  about  Red  Lake, 
soon  raised  a  war  party  and  marched  upon  the  hid- 
den Sioux.  A  total  surprise  was  made,  and  after  a 
brave  but  unavailing  defense,  the  ten  lodges,  and  all 
their  inmates,  were  totally  destroyed.  The  embank- 
ment or  breastwork  of  earth  which  once  surrounded 
the  little  Sioux  village  was  plain  to  be  seen  in  1852. 
Warren  received  his  information  of  this  affair  from 
Wa-non-je-quon,  then  chief  of  Red  Lake,  whose  father 
helped  destroy  the  Sioux. 

From  the  hiding  place  and  secret  occupation  of  the 
Sioux  on  the  little  river,  the  Chippewas  afterward 
called  it  Ke-moja-ke  Se-be,  or  Secret  Place  River ;  but 
the  French  traders  and  coureurs  pronounced  Kemoj 
a-ke  as  Ke  mod  a-ke,  which  means  .stealing.  Then  the 
stream  began  to  be  called  Stealing  River  and  Thief 
River,  and  by  the  latter  name  it  is  laid  down  on 
Nicollet's  map  of  1842,  and  is  still  so  called. 

THE  INDIANS  BATTLING  FOR  THE  COXJNTEY. 

About  1808  (as  near  as  can  be  conjectured)  a  band 
of  Sioux  defeated  a  larger  band  of  Chippewas  down 
on  Long  Prairie  River,  in  Todd  County.  The  Sioux 
were  Sissetons  and  Wahpetons,  from  western  Minne- 
sota and  eastern  South  Dakota,  and  had  come  over  to 
hunt  on  their  former  rich  game  preserve.  The  Chip- 
pewas were  on  the  way  to  attack  the  Sioux  on  Rice 
River.  The  fight  lasted  all  day  and  was  very  fierce 
and  bloody.  At  the  close  only  seven  unhurt  Sioux 
were  left,  but  they  were  enough  to  drive  back  the 
Chippewas,  because  they  had  gun.s,  furnished  them 
by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  traders  on  the  Red 
River.  The  Chippewas  also  had  some  guns,  but  each 
party  used  bows  and  arrows  in  addition  to  their  fire- 
arms. The  Chippewas  captured  36  horses  (or  ponies), 
but  could  not  learn  to  manage  them,  and,  after  many 


of  them  had  been  crippled  by  kicks  and  falls,  they 
finally  slaughtered  every  pony  and  devoured  them. 
Old  Hole-iu-the-Day,  then  a  young  man,  and  his  elder 
brother.  Strong  Ground,  were  among  the  leaders  of 
the  Chippewas  in  this  battle. 

SIOUX  DEFEATED  AT  PEMBINA. 

The  same  day  on  which  the  battle  at  Long  Prairie 
was  fought  a  large  Sioux  war  party  of  Sissetons,  Wah- 
petons, and  Yanktons  attacked  the  Chippewa  villages 
near  Pembina,  whose  chief  was  Little  Clam.  They 
were  defeated  with  considerable  loss  and  chased  back  i 
up  the  Red  River.  (Wan-en,  p.  354.)  As  a  result  of  ' 
their  defeat  on  this  and  other  occasions  in  the  same 
period,  the  Sioux  were  forced  to  retreat  to  the  west- 
ward of  the  Red  and  Mississippi  Rivers  and  south  of 
the  Shayenne.  Then,  for  an  indcfuiitely  long  period, 
in  order  to  control  the  beaver  dams  and  the  buffalo 
preserves  of  the  Red  River,  there  was  war  between 
the  Chippewas  and  the  Sioux,  from  the  Selkirk  Set- 
tlement to  Big  Stone  Lake  and  the  headwaters  of  the 
Minnesota.  The  Assiniboines  and  Crees  were  allies  of 
the  Sioux  in  this  war.  It  was  during  the  early  years 
when  they  made  the  short  peace  with  the  Sioux  re- 
ferred to,  and  upon  its  termination  when  they  be- 
trayed to  the  Chippewas  the  existence  and  site  of  the 
little  Sioux  band  on  Thief  River. 

TREACHERY  AND  TREATIES. 

The  year  after  the  battle  on  the  Long  Prairie  Riv(>r, 
or  about  1819,  the  Sioux  along  the  whole  line  of  the 
eastern  frontiers  became  tired  of  fighting  the  Chippe- 
was in  open  field  and  sought  to  defeat  them  by  secret 
action  involving  the  foulest  treachery,  even  from  the 
Indian  point  of  view,  which  considers  everythiTig  fair 
in  war.  They  made  an  extraordinary  and  apparently 
sincere  attempt  to  enter  into  a  general  and  permanent 
peace  with  the  Chippewas.  Chah-pah  (or  the 
Beaver),  head  chief  of  the  Yankton,  or  Yanktonnais 
Sioux,  who  were  then  about  Lake  Traverse,  had  a 
Chippewa  woman  for  one  of  his  wives.  He  put  her 
on  a  good  horse,  gave  her  his  peace  pipe,  and  bade 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


23 


her  go  to  her  former  people  at  Pembina  and  tell  them 
that,  in  a  week  or  more,  he  would  come  to  them  with  a 
large  delegation  of  Sioux  and  smoke  with  them  the 
pipe  of  profound  peace  and  good  will.  At  the  ap- 
pointed time  the  Sioux  chief,  with  a  large  number  of 
his  people,  arrived  at  Pembina,  and  the  Red  River 
Chippewas  heartily  accepted  his  offers  of  peace  and 
friendship. 

At  the  same  time  the  Sisseton,  Wahpeton,  some 
Yanktous,  and  a  large  number  of  Medawakanton 
Sioux,  met  the  Mississippi,  the  Sandy  Lake,  and  the 
Mille  Lacs  Chippewas  in  a  treaty  on  the  Platte  River, 
near  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi,  and  ten  miles 
south  of  the  present  town  of  Little  Falls.  The  peace 
pipe  was  smoked  by  these  former  foes,  and  games  of 
various  kinds  were  played  by  the  young  men  of  the 
two  tribes.  For  some  time  all  went  merrily,  friendly, 
and  well. 

But  a  certain  Medawakanton  Sioux  was  one  of  the 
seven  survivors  that  fought  ofif  the  Chippewas  in  the 
Long  Prairie  battle.  He  had  not  forgotten  nor  for- 
given. He  picked  a  quarrel  with  a  Chippewa  warrior 
and  struck  him  with  a  ball  stick.  The  blow  was  re- 
turned and  a  general  fight  would  have  resulted  had 
not  young  Wah-nah-tah  (the  Charger),  a  son  of  Chief 
Chah-pah,  rushed  in,  forcibly  separated  the  combat- 
ants, and  chastised  the  offending  Sioux.  He  feared 
that  the  Chippewas  would  become  suspicious  that  the 
apparent  friendly  intentions  of  the  Sioux  were  not 
real,  and  they  certainly  were  not.  The  intent  was  to 
cause  the  Chippewas  to  be  off  their  guard,  and  then 
the  Sioux  would  fall  upon  them  and  either  extermi- 
nate them  or  drive  them  from  the  country.  The  end 
would  justify  the  means. 

FLAT   MOUTH   THWARTS    THE  BEAVER 's   TREACHERY   AND 
HAS    HIM    KILLED. 

But  while  the  peace  councils  were  being  held  above 
and  below  him,  Flat  Mouth,  chief  of  the  Pillager  band 
of  Chippewas,  about  Leech  Lake,  did  not  attend  them. 
He  quietly  but  industriously  hunted  beaver  on  the 
Long  Prairie  River.     The  peace  pipe  had  been  sent 


him,  but  he  refused  it.  He  said  the  Sioux  were  not  in 
earnest  in  their  professions  of  peace  so  soon  after  their 
bloody  battle  on  the  Long  Prairie.  He  said  he  knew 
the  Sioux  character,  and  felt  sure  that  they  were  in- 
sincere in  their  protestations  of  desire  for  a  future 
permanent  peace  between  the  two  tribes. 

Heading  twenty  or  more  of  his  band,  Flat  Mouth, 
in  the  fall  (of  1819?),  went  to  Otter  Tail  Lake  with 
his  beaver  traps  and  canoes.  But  he  and  his  men  took 
their  guns  with  them  and  kept  their  powder  dry.  At 
the  outlet  of  Otter  Tail  Creek,  one  evening,  the  chief 
became  impressed  with  a  sense  of  danger.  He  had  his 
bark  canoe  (which  he  had  brought  up  the  Crow  Wing 
to  the  Otter  Tail  portage  and  then  across  to  the  lake) 
and,  fearing  to  go  to  sleep  on  the  shore,  he  embarked 
himself  and  family  in  the  boat  and  passed  the  night 
on  the  lake.  The  next  morning  he  discovered  the  trail 
of  a  war  party  of  apparently  400  Sioux.  They  had 
been  at  the  site  of  his  camp  of  the  previous  evening 
and  had  gone  in  the  direction  of  Battle  Lake.  From 
a  rude  drawing  on  a  blazed  tree.  Flat  Mouth  deter- 
mined that  one  of  the  Sioux  leaders  was  Chahpah, 
the  chief  of  the  Yanktons. 

There  were  no  Chippewas  at  Battle  Lake,  south  of 
Otter  Tail,  but  at  the  Leaf  Lakes,  to  the  eastward, 
there  were  quite  a  number.  Working  his  canoe 
through  the  chain  of  lakes  with  their  links  of  streams, 
like  a  great  rosary  of  water,  Flat  Mouth  reached 
Leaf  Lakes  and  sounded  the  alarm.  That  morning 
two  of  his  cousins  were  killed  and  their  bodies  muti- 
lated by  the  Sioux,  but  in  the  fight  they  killed  three 
of  their  enemies  and  wounded  many  others.  The 
Sioux  soon  learned  that  their  plan  had  failed,  because 
the  Chippewas  had  discovered  it  and  were  fully 
aroused.  At  once  they  hurried  southward,  back  and 
away  from  the  Chippewa  country,  and  soon  were  in 
their  villages,  near  the  sources  of  the  Minnesota  and 
Red  Rivers. 

Flat  Mouth  repaired  to  his  village  and  sent  his  war- 
pipe  and  war  club  by  fleet  messengers  from  band  to 
band,  informing  his  people  that  he  was  going  on  the 
war  path  against  the  Sioux  and  wanted  their  help.    It 


2i 


COMPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


was  as  in  the  days  of  Roderick  Dhu,  when  he  was 
wont  to  send  the  fiery  cross  among  his  clansmen  to 
rouse  them  to  war.  The  Chippewas  were  soon  ready 
to  march  down  against  the  Yanktons  at  Lake  Traverse. 
But  meanwhile  Chahpah  had  reached  home,  and 
alarmed  at  the  discovery  of  his  treachery,  again  sought 
to  make  peace  with  the  Chippewas.  He  induced  his 
white  brother-in-law,  Col.  Robert  Dickson,  "the  red- 
headed Scotchman,"  to  act  as  mediator.  Col.  Dick- 
son's wife  was  Chahpah 's  sister. 

At  the  Beaver's  request,  the  Colonel  sent  a  swift 
courier  to  Flat  Mouth  with  a  message  from  the  Sioux 
chief  denying  all  participation  in  the  late  war  party 
of  his  people,  and  especially  denying  that  any  of  his 
warriors  had  killed  the  two  cousins  of  Flat  Mouth. 
He  also  invited  the  Chippewas  to  meet  him  in  another 
peace  council  at  Col.  Dickson's  trading  post,  which 
was  on  the  Minnesota  side  of  the  Red  River,  at  or  near 
"La  Grande  Fourche,"  (the  Grand  Forks)  for  the 
purpose  of  smoking  the  peace  pipe  and  re-establishing 
and  strengthening  good  will  between  their  respective 
people.  Flat  Mouth  accepted  the  invitation  and,  tak- 
ing 30  of  his  best  warriors  with  him,  set  out  for  the 
Grand  Forks.  He  arrived  in  due  time  at  Dickson's 
trading  post,  where  he  found  four  Frenchmen  in 
charge  of  the  establishment.  Col.  Dickson  being  ab- 
sent. On  the  next  day  Chahpah  arrived,  but  with 
only  two  of  his  Yanktonnais  as  a  body  guard. 

Flat  Mouth  refused  to  smoke  the  peace  pipe  with 
Chahpah,  and  the  Sioux  chief  then  realized  that  his 
treachery  had  become  fully  known  and  was  to  be  pun- 
ished. He  was  undismayed,  however,  and  told  his 
sisfter,  Mrs.  Dickson,  that  if  he  had  to  die  he  would 
go  like  a  "brave  Dakota."  That  night  it  rained  heav- 
ily and  the  thunder  roared,  but  amid  the  tumult  the 
Chippewas  could  hear  the  death  song  of  Chahpah  as 
he  chanted  it  amid  the  gloomy  surroundings  in  the 
trading  house  of  his  brother-in-law.  The  Chippewa 
warriors  wanted  to  kill  him  and  his  companions  out 
of  hand,  but  Flat  Mouth  forbade  them.  He  said  they 
might  kill  the  Sioux,  but  must  not  "shed  blood  on 
the  steps  of  these  white  men,  nor  in  their  presence." 


Then  he  added :  ' '  You  know  my  heart  has  been  sore 
since  the  death  of  my  cousins,  but  though  their  mur- 
derers deserve  death  I  do  not  wish  to  see  them  killed. 
Though  it  is  my  doing,  I  shall  not  be  with  you. ' ' 

The  next  morning  early  Flat  Mouth  departed  for 
Gull  Lake,  and  the  three  Sioux,  brave  to  the  last,  set 
out  for  Lake  Traverse,  guarded  by  the  Chippewa  war- 
riors, who  had  murder  in  their  hearts  and  eyes,  as 
an  escort.  Out  on  the  prairie  the  escort  shot  the  hap- 
less and  helpless  chief  and  his  companions,  took  their 
scalps,  cut  off  their  heads,  and  ran  swiftly  with  the 
bloody  trophies  until  they  caught  up  with  Chief  Flat 
Mouth.  Sha-wa-ke-shig,  who  was  F'lat  Mouth's  head 
warrior,  killed  Chahpah  and  took  his  scalp.  The 
chief's  American  medal,  which  he  wore  conspicuously 
on  his  breast,  was  taken  by  Wash-kin-e-ka,  or  Crooked 
Arm,  a  Red  Lake  warrior.  This  incident  occurred  in 
Polk  County,  perhaps  a  mile  below  the  present  site  of 
East  Grand  Forks. 

COL.    ROBERT    DICKSON,    THE   TRADER,    PROTESTS 
THE  MURDER. 

Colonel  Dickson  was  greatly  exasperated  when  he 
learned  of  the  killing  and  the  mutilation  of  his  In- 
dian brother-in-law.  He  sent  word  to  Flat  Mouth 
that  thenceforth  the  smoke  of  a  white  man's  trading 
house  would  never  more  rise  toward  the  sky  from  the 
camp  of  a  Pillager  band  of  Chippewas.  The  Pillager 
chief  laughed  at  the  threats,  and  afterwards,  in  relat- 
ing the  story  to  Warren,  he  said  that  the  traders  con- 
tinued to  visit  and  trade  with  him  as  usual,  and  that 
his  village  continued  to  grow  larger,  "notwithstand- 
ing the  words  of  the  red-headed  Scotchman."  But 
these  traders  were  not  the  agents  of  Col.  Dickson,  who 
refused  to  trade  with  the  Pillager  chief  and  injured 
him  in  every  way  he  could.  Perhaps  his  treatment  of 
the  chief  in  this  respect  alienated  Flat  Mouth  from  the 
British  interest  and  conduced  to  strengthen  his  predi- 
lections toward  the  Americans. 

During  the  AVar  of  1812  Col.  Dickson  was  the  prin- 
cipal agent  of  the  British  in  Minnesota.  He  recruited 
scores  of  Indians  from  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas  and 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


25 


sent  them  to  fight  against  the  Americans.  Some  of 
these  red  mercenaries  served  with  the  British  Army 
as  far  to  the  eastward  as  in  northern  Ohio.  But  Chief 
Flat  Mouth  remained  firm  in  his  friendship  toward  the 
Americans,  although  he  knew  but  little  about  them; 
he  persistently  refused  to  fight  them  in  aid  of  the 
British,  and  was  true  to  the  pi'omises  he  made  Lieuten- 
ant Pike  in  the  council  of  Leech  Lake,  February  16, 
1806.  Dickson  sent  the  French  Canadian,  St.  Ger- 
main, from  Fort  William  to  Leech  Lake,  and  made 
rich  presents  to  Flat  Mouth  to  induce  him  to  lead  the 
Pillager  band  into  the  British  camps,  but  Flat  Jlouth 
sent  back  the  wampum  belts,  etc.,  with  this  message : 
"When  I  go  to  war  against  my  enemies,  I  do  not  call 
upon  the  whites  to  join  my  warriors.  The  white  peo- 
ple are  quarreling  among  themselves,  and  I  do  not 
wish  to  meddle  in  their  quarrels.  I  do  not  intend  to 
ever  strike  a  white  man  or  even  break  a  window  in  his 
house."     (Warren,  p.  369.) 

THE  SIOUX  SWEAR  VENGEANCE  AGAINST  THE  CHIPPEWAS. 

The  Yanktonnais  received  the  news  of  the  killing 
of  their  chief  with  horror  and  indignation,  and  swore 
vengeance  against  every  living  Chippewa  thing.  The 
Beaver  (or  Chahpah)  was  succeeded  by  his  sou  Wali- 
nah-tah  (or  the  Charger),  previously  mentioned,  and 
who  became  one  of  the  most  influential  and  celebrated 
warriors  and  chieftains  of  the  great  Sioux  nation.  He 
was  so  celebrated  and  well  known  among  the  whites 
that  his  name  was  given  to  one  of  the  original  coun- 
ties of  Minnesota  Territory,  in  1849.  Wahnatah 
County  was  about  60  miles  wide  from  north  to  south, 
and  extended  from  the  mouths  of  the  Crow  Wing  and 
the  Clearwater  westward  to  the  Missouri.  During  his 
military  career  the  great  chief  amply  revenged  the 
death  of  his  father  by  repeatedly  striking  bloody  blows 
upon  the  Chippewas  of  the  Red  River. 

After  the  killing  of  the  Beaver,  active  warfare  was 

renewed  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Red  River  Valley 

Chippe"was.     Less  than  a  month  after  the  tragedy, 

Wah-nah-tah    started   from   Lake    Traverse,   with   a 

large  party  of  Sioux  warriors,  to  go  into  the  Chippewa 
2 


country  at  and  about  Red  Lake.  At  the  same  time, 
a  body  of  Chippewas,  headed  by  Chief  Wash-ta-do-ga- 
wub,  started  southward  to  attack  the  Sioux  at  Lakes 
Traverse  and  Big  Stone.  They  were  largely  Red 
Lakers,  although  Flat  Mouth  aud  a  detachment  of 
his  band  were  with  the  party. 

Nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Goose  River,  orig- 
inally called  by  the  French,  ' '  la  Riviere  Outarde, ' '  or 
the  River  of  the  Canada  Goose,  in  what  is  now  the 
southwest  corner  of  Polk  County,  a  little  north  of 
Neilsville,  the  two  armies  met.  Two  of  the  Chippewa 
scouts,  in  advance  of  the  main  force,  were  suddenly 
fired  upon  by  the  Sioux  and  one  of  them  was  killed. 
The  Sioux  then  rushed  forward  and  a  bloody  fight 
ensued.  The  Chippewas  were  taken  somewhat  un- 
awares and  the  Sioux  pushed  them  back  to  Sand 
River,*  after  a  series  of  stubbornly  contested  en- 
counters. The  Chippewas  "dug  themselves  in"  at  the 
little  river  by  letting  themselves  down  behind  its  south 
bank  and  by  digging  rifle-pits  and  improvised  breast- 
works. The  battle  lasted  till  dark,  when  the  Chip- 
pewas, believing  that  they  had  the  worse  of  the  fight, 
crossed  the  Sand  River  to  the  north  and  hastened  to- 
ward their  wigwams.  They  carried  their  badly 
wounded  along  and  threw  the  bodies  of  their  dead 
into  the  river,  to  prevent  them  from  being  scalped  and 
otherwise  mutilated.  One  Chippewa  warrior,  named 
Black  Duck,   particularly   distinguished  himself   by 


*  It  is  possible  that  the  stream  here  mentioned  as  the  Sand 
Eiver  should  really  be  called  the  Red  Lake  River,  and  that  the 
battle  took  place  at  the  present  site  of  the  City  of  Crookston. 
It  may  be  that  the  mound  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Red  Lake, 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  center  of  the  city,  marks 
the  site  of  the  burial  place  of  the  Sioux  that  were  killed  in 
the  action.  The  bones  found  by  Prof.  Moore  and  his  scholars 
in  this  mound  about  25  years  ago  may  have  been  those  of  Wah- 
nah-tah 's  slain  warriors;  they  could  not  have  been  those  of 
Mound  Builders.  After  the  Chippewas  retreated  the  Sioux  may 
have  gathered  up  their  dead  in  a  group  and  heaped  the  earth 
over  them,  as  was  frequently  their  custom  in  finally  disposing 
of  their  dead. 

The  data  which  warrants  the  assertion  that  the  battle  was 
at  Sand  River  is  reasonably  clear,  but  yet  there  have  been  no 
tangible  evidences  of  a  deadly  conflict  there.  And  if  the  bones 
disinterred  by  Prof.  Moore  at  Crookston  were  not  relics  of  a 
battlefield,  what  were  they?  True,  we  have  no  account,  and 
not  even  a  legend,  of  an  Indian  battle  at  the  Crookston  mound, 
but  many  a  battle  between  aboriginal  tribes  has  been  unre- 
corded and  its  victims  gone  "unhonored  and  unsung." — Com- 
piler. 


26 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


killing  and  scalping  seven  Sioux,  lie  was  a  Red 
Laker  and  liis  name  was  given  to  tlie  lake  on  wliieh 
he  lived,  and  whieh  is  a  dozen  miles  south  of  Red 
Lake  and  is  the  source  of  Black  Duck  River.  In  recent 
years  a  railroad  station  on  the  Minnesota  &  Interna- 
tional was  established  near  the  lake  and  a  town  laid 
out  called  Black  Duck.  The  Sioux,  too,  retreated  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  thus  there  was  a  military  spectacle, 
often  seen  where  white  men's  armies  were  the  actors, 
of  two  hostile  forces  running  away  from  each  other 
after  a  battle.  The  Sioux  soon  returned  and  cared 
for  their  dead  and  sent  scouts  after  the  Chippewas 
without  results. 

It  would  not  be  practicable  to  detail  all  of  the  bat- 
tles and  other  hostile  and  sanguinary  encounters  be- 
tween the  Chippewas  and  the  Sioux  while  they  were 
fighting  for  the  control  of  the  Red  River  Valley  and 
the  rest  of  the  country  embraced  within  the  northern 
part  of  Minnesota.     The  narration  of  these  incidents 
which  occurred  in  other  counties  belongs  in  the  his- 
tories of  those  counties.    Except  those  here  mentioned, 
it  must  be  said  regarding  the  old  Indian  fights  which 
took  place  in  what  is  now  Polk  County,  that  no  reliable 
data  regarding  them  can  be  found  by  the  present 
writer.    Plenty  of  mention  is  made  of  fights  and  hos- 
tile campaigns  made  in  the  valley  bj-  the  two  tribes, 
but  no  dates  can  be  fixed  when  they  occurred,  and  no 
localities  determined;  nor  can  it  be  stated  positively 
and  under  conviction  that  these  affairs  took  place  with- 
in Polk  County,  and  therefore  belong  solely  to  this 
history.     Doubtless  there  was  many  an  Indian  fight 
in  Polk  County  which  will  never  be  noted.    Yet  the 
history  of  the  county  will  not  sutfer  by  such  an  omis- 
sion, for,  really,  three-fourths  of  the  fights  between 
hostile  bands  of  the  Sioux  and  the  Chippewas  in  Min- 
nesota were  inconsequential,  and  of  no  more  impor- 
tance than  the  combats  between  packs  of  ravenous 
wolves  on  the  prairies  in  the  days  long  gone  by.    The 
incidents  here  narrated  are  derived,  in  by  far  the 
greater  part,  from  Warren's  History  of  the  Minnesota 
Chippewas;   and   Warren's   presentations   are   based 
upon  the  statements  made  to  him  by  the  renowned 


Chippewa  chieftain  and  warrior,  Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe, 
or  Flat  Mouth. 

AN   OLD-TIME  INDI.\N   BATTLE   ON    RED   LAKE. 

It  may  be  well,  however,  to  give  one  tradition  of  a 
great  Sioux-Chippewa  battle  which  is  said  to  have 
occurred  at  some  time  between  1785  and  1800  on  the 
east  side  of  Upper  Red  Lake.  There  is  no  written  rec- 
ord of  the  affair  that  the  compiler  can  find;  and  the 
only  evidence  that  there  was  such  an  affair  is  the 
testimony  of  Indians  or  mixed  bloods  long  since  dead, 
and  such  testimony  is  almost  altogether  legendary  or 
traditional.  And  yet  this  evidence  is  not  to  be  alto- 
gether disregarded  or  despised,  when  the  character  of 
the  testimony  and  of  those  delivering  it  is  considered. 
Writing  to  the  compiler  under  date  of  January  8, 
1916,  Hon.  Wm.  Watts,  than  whom  there  is  no  one 
more  interested  in  or  a  better  authority  upon  early 
Polk  County  history,  says: 

"After  being  driven  from  this  part  of  the  Red  River 
Valley,  the  Sioux  made  several  attempts  to  recover  it, 
until  they  were  finally  defeated  in  a  great  battle  by 
the  Chippewas  on  the  east  side  of  Upper  Red  Lake. 
I  have  never  seen  a  description  of  that  battle.    •    •    * 

"I  do  not  think  this  was  a  battle  identical  with 
that  described  as  taking  place  on  Thief  River  when 
the  Sioux  band  hid  themselves,  etc.  Battle  River, 
whieh  flows  into  Upper  Red  Lake  from  the  east,  is 
said  to  get  its  name  from  being  near  or  on  the  site 
of  this  battle.  I  have  heard  it  frequently  spoken  of, 
but  cannot  get  anything  like  a  definite  description 
of  it. 

"According  to  what  I  have  heard  it  was  fought 
about  125  years  ago,  and  was  the  last  great  battle  be- 
tween the  two  tribes  in  northwestern  Minnesota.  I 
have  heard  that  Pierre  Bottineau  frequently  told  of 
what  he  had  learned  about  it  from  pai-ticipants.  The 
story  is  that  it  was  a  very  bloody  battle  and  that  the 
Chippewas  were  victorious.  I  think  Paul  Beaulieu, 
of  Mahnomen,  Minn.,  would  be  able  to  give  the  tradi- 
tionary account.  The  father  of  Jloose  Dung,  the  lat- 
ter a  signer  of  the  'Old  Crossing  treaty'  of  1863, 
was  one  of  the  Chippewa  chiefs  engaged  in  the  bat- 
tle, and  Moose  Dung  often  told  what  he  had  heard 
about  it." 

Neither  Warren's  History  of  the  Chippewas  nor 
Prof.  Winchell's  "Aborigines  of  IMinnesota,"  both  ex- 
cellent authorities  on  the  wars  and  feuds  of  the  two 
tribes,  make  any  reference  whatever  to  the  alleged 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


27 


old-tiiue  battle  on  the  Upper  Red  Lake.  And  yet 
there  may  have  been  such  a  battle,  and  certain  of  the 
mounds  found  on  Red  Lake  may  be  the  sepulchres  of 
some  of  the  Sioux  warriors  slain  in  the  conflict. 

THE  CHIPPEWAS  FINALLY   HOLD  THE  COUNTRY. 

In  the  end  the  Chippewas  remained  in  control  of 
the  country,  although  in  many  instances  this  control 
was  disputed  and  disturbed.  War  parties  of  Sioux 
came  up  into  the  Chippewa  country  on  forays  and 
warlike  excursions,  at  intei'vals,  until  1863.  The  Chip- 
pewas raided  the  Sioux  during  the  same  period.  De- 
tachments from  the  eastern  band  at  Pokegama  and 
the  St.  Croix  raided  Little  Crow's  band  near  St.  Paul 
in  the  spring  of  1842,  and  in  April,  1853,  attacked  and 
killed  fugitive  members  of  the  same  band  fairly  in  the 
streets  of  the  Capital  City.  In  May,  1858,  Chippewas 
from  the  Mille  Lacs  and  Gull  Lake  bands  went  down 
and  attacked  the  Sioux  village  of  Chief  Shakopee,  on 
the  lower  Minnesota,  and  at  the  town  bearing  his  name, 
but  were  defeated  with  a  loss  of  20  killed,  and 
wounded. 

THE    TWO    TRIBES    FIGHT    UNTIL    THE    SIOUX    OUTBREAK. 

August  15,  1862,  only  a  very  few  days  before  the 
great  Sioux  Outbreak,  some  Red  Lake  Chippewas 
slipped  down  to  near  Red  Iron's  village,  on  the  Min- 
nesota, not  far  from  the  Yellow  Medicine  Agency,  and 
killed  a  Sioux  man  and  his  son  and  got  away  with 
their  scalps.  The  20th  of  July  a  detachment  of  the 
same  band,  presumably,  had  shot  and  killed  two  Sioux 
within  18  miles  of  Yellow  Medicine;  while  in  May 
a  hunting  party  of  R^d  Iron's  band  was  attacked  on 
the  upper  Pomme  de  Terre  b}'  a  band  of  Chippewas 
(presumably  Red  Lakers)  and  chased  out  of  the  couu- 
tiy,  losing  two  men  killed. 

The  bodies  of  the  Sioux  man  and  his  son  that  were 


killed  in  August  were  taken  to  their  village  and  ex- 
posed in  the  street  and  thus  lay  in  state,  as  it  were, 
for  two  days.  At  last  a  war  party  of  25  was  made  up 
to  go  northward  to  the  Chippewa  country  and  avenge 
the  killing.  All  but  three  of  the  party  (who  were 
Yauktonnais)  were  of  the  Wahpeton  band  of  Sioux 
and  the  leader  was  Eta-zha-zha,  or  Gleaming  Face, 
who,  under  the  Christian  name  of  Lot,  died  at  Sisse- 
ton.  South  Dakota,  only  a  few  years  since.  In  1901, 
before  a  commission  that  was  investigating  the  conduct 
of  the  Sisseton  Sioux  during  the  great  Outbreak,  Lot 
testified  to  the  foregoing  facts,  and  further  stated  that 
the  Sioux  were  absent  from  their  villages  about  two 
weeks,  during  which  time  they  were  mainly  in  the 
Otter  Tail  Lake  region.  AVhen  they  had  returned  to 
Iheir  own  country,  they  found,  to  their  amazement  and 
distress,  that  during  their  absence  a  great  and  bloody 
outbreak  had  been  made  against  the  whites.  (Minn, 
in  Three  Cents.,  Vol.  3,  p.  288.) 

Certain  careless  or  reckless  writers  on  Minnesota 
history  have  asserted  that  the  great  Sioux  Outbreak 
of  1862  was  the  eifect  of  a  long  meditated  and  care- 
fully planned  movement  of  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas 
in  combination ;  that  Little  Crow  and  other  chiefs  for 
the  Sioux,  and  Hole-in-the-Day  and  other  leaders  for 
the  Chippewas,  had  been  in  constant  communication 
and  engaged  in  preparing  for  the  uprising  long  before 
it  occurred,  etc.  These  assertions  are  wholly  false. 
The  two  tribes  hated  each  other  too  viciously  and  im- 
placably ever  to  found  a  friendly  alliance  for  any  pur- 
pose. The  tragic  incidents  mentioned,  and  others  that 
might  be  given,  show  that  these  long-time  foes  con- 
tinued to  fight  one  another  up  to  the  very  date  of  the 
Outbreak  and  prove  the  utter  falsity  of  the  claim  that 
they  ever  were  engaged  as  allies  in  plotting  against  the 
whites. 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  FIRST  WHITE  MEN  IN  POLK  COUNTY. 

THE  NORSEMEN   WHO   MADE   THE   KENSINGTON    RUNE   STONE    WERE    FIRST — THE   EARLY    WHITE    EXPLORERS OTHER 

FIRST  VISITORS  TO  MINNESOTA — THE  LA  VERENDRYES  DISCOVER  THE  RED  RIVER  VALLEY — FIRST  PRINTED  DESCRIP- 
TION OF  THE  REGION  BY  A  CHIPPEWA  HALF  BREED — RED   LAKE   NAMED   "FROM   THE   COLOUR   OF   THE  SANd" 

NOT  MANY  OTHER  EARLY  EXPLORERS. 

It  is  always  interesting  to  every  citizen  to  learn  (so  a  stone  with  an  inseription  to  this  effect.  This  stone 
as  to  l)eliove')  the  facts  connected  with  the  early  his-  has  come  to  he  known  as  the  Kensington  Rune  Stone, 
tory  of  his  country.  Among  the  items  composing  these  hecause  it  was  found  near  the  village  of  Kensington,  a 
facts  one  of  those  of  rarest  interest  is  the  identity  of  station  on  the  Soo  Railroad,  in  the  southwestern  por- 
the  first  Caucasians  or  white  men  to  visit  his  district  tion  of  Douglas  County,  and  because  the  inscription 
or  locality.  Sometimes  this  may  be  ascertained  with  on  it  is  in  the  ancient  Riuiic  dialect.  The  stone  was 
accuracy;  but  generally,  especially  in  Minnesota,  the  found  on  the  farm  of  Olaf  Ohman,  three  miles  north- 
information  is  impossible  to  secure  beyond  and  with-  cast  of  Kensington,  November  8,  1898,  by  himself  and 
out  a  reasonable  doubt.  The  present  writer  is  unable  liis  two  j'oung  sons.  Nils  Olaf  Flaaten,  owner  of  an 
to  assert  positively,  and  to  furnish  proof  of  the  asser-  adjoining  farm,  was  present  immediately  after  the 
tion,  who  were  the  first  white  men  to  visit  the  dis-  finding.  All  the  parties  are  Swedes,  and  though  plain 
triet  of  country  now  comprised  within  the  boundaries  people,  in  modest  circumstances,  are  honest,  upright, 
of  Polk  County.  He  can  only  furnish  certain  infor-  and  highly  esteemed  citizens.  None  of  them  have 
mation  on  the  subject,  all  that  is  readily  accessible,  any  other  than  a  primary  education, 
and  let  every  intelligent  reader  pass  upon  the  ques-  The  stone  was  thoroughly  discussed  and  examined 
tion  and  decide  it  for  himself.  by  several  Scandinavian  and  otlier  archaeologists  and 

scientists,  and  carried  back  and  forth  for  two  or  three 

WERE   NORSEMEN    HERE    IX    A.    D.    1362?  ^.^^^.^^   g„i„„  j,,   ij)|i   ^^  ^^^^^^^     p^.^^^p       j^  j,,   ^g,,.   j„ 

It  is  fairly  probable  that  the  first  white  men  that  the  custody  of  Mr.  Iljalmer  Rued  Holaud  of  Madi- 
visited  and  traveled  over  the  soil  of  Polk  County  were  son,  "Wisconsin,  who  obtained  it  in  1907  from  Mr. 
32  Norsemen,  who  came  some  time  in  A.  D.  1362.  If  Ohman,  the  finder.  Mr.  Holand  has  spent  much  time 
they  were  here  at  that  time,  they  probably  came  from  and  money  and  made  extensive  research  in  his  inves- 
the  very  early  Norse  Colony  of  "Vinland"  which  is  tigation  of  this  tablet  and  is  thoroughly  enthusiastic 
said  to  have  been  on  the  northeastern  Atlantic  coast  in  his  belief  that  it  is  genuine.  This  opinion  is  firmly 
in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Maine,  or  either  of  the  held  by  a  large  majority  of  the  experts  that  have  ex- 
Provinces  of  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  or  New-  amined  it.  Those  who  doubt  its  authenticity  do  so  on 
foundland.  seemingly  insufficient  gi'ounds.     The  strongest  argu- 

The  evidence  that  these  men  were  here,  or  at  least  ment  in  its  favor  is  the  stone  itself,  which  is  of  the 

somewhere  in  this  portion  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  is  variety    that    geologists    call    graywacke,    which    is 

28 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


29 


abundant  in  the  locality  where  the  stone  was  found. 
The  whole  subject  is  well  presented  in  66  pages  of 
Volume  XV  of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society  Col- 
lections, and  in  Castle's  recently  published  State  His- 
tory. 

An  English  translation  of  the  inscription  reads : 

"Eight  Goths  and  twenty-two  Norwegians  upon  a 
journey  of  discovery  from  Vinland  westward.  We 
had  a  camp  by  two  skerries  one  day's  journey  north 
from  this  stone.  We  were  out  fishing  one  day.  When 
we  returned  home  we  found  ten  men  red  with  blood 
and  dead.    Hail,  Virgin  Mary,  save  us  from  evil. 

"Have  ten  men  by  the  sea  to  look  after  our  vessel 
14  (or  41)  days'  journey  from  this  island.  Year 
1362." 

The  term  Goths  means  Swedes,  because  they  were 
from  Gothland,  in  the  southern  part  of  Sweden.  The 
characters  on  the  stone  translated  "Hail,  Virgin 
Mary"  are  the  equivalents  of  A.  V.  M.,  meaning  in 
Latin,  "Ave,  Virgo  Maria."  It  is  uncertain  whether 
or  not  the  characters  translated  14  should  be  41,  as 
some  Runic  writers  put  the  figure  denoting  units  be- 
fore the  figure  denoting  tens;  the  custom  varied  at 
different  times  and  in  different  countries. 

Assuming  the  genuineness  of  the  stone,  the  author- 
ship of  tlie  inscription  may  be  determined  with  reason- 
able probability.  The  party,  con.sisting  of  at  least 
40  persons,  had  set  out  from  Vinland  on  an  expedi- 
tion of  exploration  and  discovery.  Uuiformlj'  a  priest 
accompanied  such  an  expedition  as  its  chaplain,  and 
at  that  period,  and  for  200  years  thereafter,  all  Chris- 
tians were  Roman  Catholics.  In  this  instance  the 
priest  of  the  ill-fated  party  was,  it  may  be  presumed, 
a  Runic  scholar.  The  other  members  doubtless  were 
illiterate.  To  record  the  tragic  incident  of  the  kill- 
ing of  ten  of  their  number  and  the  fact  of  their  pres- 
ence and  condition  in  the  country,  for  the  benefit  of 
civilized  people  that  might  come  after  them,  the  stone 
was  prepared  and  inscribed.  Probably  the  priest 
drew  the  Runic  characters  on  the  stone  and  a  proper 
artificer  cut  them  out.  The  priest  would  almost 
naturally  offer  a  prayer  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  for 
protection  and  preservation  of  the  survivors  from  the 


fate  of  their  comrades  whom  they  had  found  "red 
with  blood  and  dead. ' ' 

The  theory  of  those  believing  in  the  genuineness  of 
the  Kensington  Rune  Stone  and  in  the  authenticity  of 
its  inscription  may  be  here  stated.  It  is  believed  that 
the  starting  point  of  the  expedition  was,  as  the  inscrip- 
tion says,  in  Vinland  (or  Wineland)  the  Scandinavian 
Colony  on  the  eastern  coast  of  America.  Although 
unchallenged  records  prove  that  there  was  such  a  col- 
ony between  the  XI  and  the  XJV  Centuries,  its  exact 
location  has  never  been  determined.  It  may  have  been 
in  Nova  Scotia  or  New  Brunswick  or  Maine  or  Massa- 
chusetts. It  is  supposed  to  have  been  founded  by  Leif 
Erickson,  in  about  A.  D.  1000.  The  records  also  prove 
that  this  colony  sent  out  numerous  exploring  expedi- 
tions. 

It  is  further  believed  that  the  expedition  left  Vin- 
land in  a  ship  of  the  prevailing  character  of  the  period 
and  sailed  successively  through  Davis  Straits,  Hud- 
sou's  Strait  and  across  Hudson's  Bay  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Nelson  River.  Here  the  ship  was  left  in  charge 
of  ten  men,  as  the  inscription  states,  and  the  remain- 
der of  the  party,  including  the  priest,  ascended  Nel- 
son River  in  smaller  boats  to  Lake  Winnipeg.  Pass- 
ing through  the  lake,  they  ascended  the  Red  River, 
probably  to  the  Grand  Porks.  Here,  for  some  reason 
— perhaps  on  account  of  low  water — they  left  the 
stream  and  marched  overland  in  a  southeasterly  direc- 
tion, through  what  are  now  Polk,  Norman,  or  Mahno- 
men, Becker,  and  Otter  Tail  Counties,  and  then  into 
Douglas,  where  the  ten  men  were  killed  and  where 
the  stone  was  found. 

What  finally  became  of  the  party  can  now  never  be 
known.  It  is  barely  possible  that  it,  or  the  most  of 
its  members,  succeeded  in  returning  to  Vinland ;  it  is 
more  probable,  however,  that  all  perished  under  the 
stone  weapons  of  the  savages  of  the  country  that  killed 
the  ten  men  in  the  camp  by  the  two  skerries  (or  big 
rocks  in  the  water)  of  the  lake  now  believed  to  be 
Pelican  Lake.  These  savages  may  not  have  been  the 
ancestors  of  the  Red  Indians  of  modern  centuries ;  for 
there  is  a  belief  that  the  ancestors  of  these  Indians  are 


30 


COMPENDIUJi:  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


not  the  barbarians  that  drove  away  the  Mound 
Builders. 

If  the  Kensington  Rune  Stone  be  genuine,  it  can  be 
readily  accepted  that  the  members  of  the  party  that 
made  it  were  the  first  Caucasians  or  white  men  to  visit 
and  tread  upon  the  soil  of  what  is  now  Polk  County. 
For  they  must  have  come  up  the  Red  River  from  Win- 
nipeg in  boats  or  canoes,  since  they  could  hardly  have 
proceeded  on  foot  through  the  swampy  valley  vrith  its 
rank  vegetation ;  and  they  must  have  struck  out  over- 
land when  the  navigation  of  the  river  further  south- 
ward became  impracticable,  which  would  be  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Red  Lake  River,  or  "the  Grand  Forks" 
of  the  olden  time. 

All  depends  upon  whether  the  stone  is  genuine  or 
not.  And  at  present  a  very  large  majority  of  those 
that  may  be  considered  authorities  on  the  subject  are 
of  the  decided  opinion  that  it  is  what  it  purports  to  be, 
and  that  it  is  in  no  respect  a  fake  or  fraudulent.  The 
latest  history  of  Minnesota  which  is  by  the  accom- 
plished and  conservative  Capt.  Henry  A.  Castle,  gives 
it  full  endorsement. 

THE  EARLIEST  WHITE  EXPLORERS. 

Following  the  party  of  Scandinavians  that  made 
and  left  the  Rune  Stone  in  Douglas  County— assum- 
ing that  there  was  such  a  party— the  next  Caucasians 
to  visit  the  region  of  what  is  now  northwestern  Min- 
nesota, including  Polk  County,  came  in  perhaps  be- 
tween the  years  1655  and  1660.  These  were  the  two 
French  adventurers,  Radisson  and  Groseilliers.  It  is 
not  certain  through  what  portions  of  northwestern 
Minnesota  they  passed,  if  indeed  they  passed  through 
any.  Warren  Upham  (Minn,  in  Three  Cents.,  Vol.  1, 
p.  274)  says  that  their  journeys  extended  into  the 
present  area  of  Minnesota,  ' '  but  not,  as  I  think  to  its 
western  or  northern  boundaries."  Yet  the  accom- 
plished George  Bryce,  in  his  History  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  (p.  6)  states:  "They  visited  the  coun- 
try of  the  Sioux,  the  present  states  of  Dakota,  and 
promised  to  visit  the  Christinos  (or  Crees)  on  their 
side  of  a  lake  evidently  either  the  Lake  of  the  Woods 
or  Lake  Winnipeg." 


Radisson  left  a  "journal,"  written  in  English, 
which  has  been  printed,  and  this  is  substantially  the 
authority  of  all  historians  and  writers  for  their  asser- 
tions concerning  the  two  unscrupulous  adventurers. 
But  the  statements  of  Radisson  in  the  "journal"  of 
his  alleged  travels  and  adventures  is  confusing  rather 
than  enlightening.  It  is  not  certain  where  or  when 
they  went,  what  rivers  or  lakes  they  saw,  or  what  peo- 
ple they  met.  No  two  writers  agree  on  these  points. 
Bryce  and  Upham  disagree  as  to  whether  or  not  they 
visited  western  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas,  and  Bryce 
can  be  no  more  definite  about  a  certain  lake  they 
reached  than  to  say  it  was  either  Lake  of  the  Woods 
or  Lake  Winnipeg,  which  are  100  miles  apart.  The 
"journal"  says  thej'  passed  fourteen  months  on  "an 
island,"  and  Blakely,  writing  in  the  Minnesota  His- 
torical Collections,  saj's  this  "island"  was  in  a  lake 
on  the  northern  boundary  of  Minnesota,  while  War- 
ren Upham  says  it  was  in  the  Mississippi,  near  Red 
Wing. 

It  is  certain  that  Groseilliers  and  Radi.sson  were  in 
the  Lake  Superior  region  and  in  the  service  of  the 
Hudson 's  Bay  Company,  but  it  is  hardly  possible  that 
they  ever  saw  northern  Minnesota,  or  any  part  of  what 
is  now  Polk  County. 

OTHER  E.VRLY  VISITORS  TO  MINNESOTA. 

After  Groseilliers  and  Radisson,  the  first  Europeans 
to  come  to  Minnesota  were  some  other  French  traders 
and  adventurers,  whose  leader  was  Daniel  Greysolon 
Du  Luth,  for  whom  the  present  city  of  Duluth  was 
named.  These  people  came  first  in  1679  to  northwest- 
ern Minnesota,  below  Duluth.  Du  Luth  claimed  that 
he  went  that  year  to  the  great  Sioux  village  on  the 
largest  of  the  Mille  Lacs,  but  this  can  hardly  be  be- 
lieved.   He  was  there  the  following  year,  however. 

For  in  the  spring  of  1680  came  Father  Louis  Henne- 
pin, a  Belgian  Franciscan  priest,  and  two  Frenchmen 
named  Accault  and  Auguelle  to  the  Mille  Lacs  as  pris- 
oners of  the  Sioux.  They  were  coming  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi in  a  canoe,  when  met  by  a  Sioux  war  party  at 
Rock  Island,  made  prisoners  and  taken  back  to  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


31 


villages  of  their  captors.  The  following  July  they 
were  released  and  started  with  a  large  Sioux  hunting 
party  down  the  river.  Below  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Croix  they  met  Du  Luth  and  his  party  and  returned 
with  them  and  the  Indians  to  Mille  Lacs,  where  they 
arrived  August  14.  Here  they  remained  until  the  end 
of  September,  when  they  set  out  in  canoes  for  Can- 
ada. They  passed  down  the  Rum  and  the  Mississippi 
to  the  Wisconsin  and  then  up  that  river  and  on  to 
Green  Bay,  where  was  a  large  French  trading  post. 
Neither  Du  Luth  or  Father  Hennepin  ever  saw  the 
Red  River  Valley. 

Subsequent  white  explorers,  traders,  and  visitors  to 
Minnesota — Capt.  Perrot,  Pierre  La  Sueur,  and  a  few 
others — confined  their  investigations  and  operations  to 
the  southeastern  part  of  what  is  now  Minnesota  and 
never  visited  the  Red  River  Valley.  They  do  not 
seem  even  to  have  gone  very  far  up  the  Minnesota  or 
the  Mississippi.  Le  Sueur  went  up  to  the  Blue  Earth 
and  a  few  miles  xip  that  stream,  where  he  said  he 
found  extensive  copper  mines  and  took  30,000  pounds 
of  their  ore  to  France.  He  also  said  he  had  but  32 
men,  yet  for  a  winter's  meat  supply  he  and  his  men 
killed  400  buffaloes.  Of  the  buffalo  meat  so  furnished, 
he  and  his  chronicler,  M.  Penicaut,  said  that  the  party 
ate  on  an  average  six  pounds  a  day,  besides  drinking 
four  bowls  of  broth  and  that  this  diet  "made  us  very 
fat,  and  there  was  then  no  more  sickness  among  us." 

Every  one  is  at  liberty  to  believe  as  much  or  as  lit- 
tle of  these  portions  of  Le  Sueur's  reports  as  he 
pleases.  If  there  was  ever  any  copper  ore  on  the  Blue 
Earth  River,  Le  Sueur  must  have  taken  it  all  away, 
for  none  has  ever  been  found  there  since,  although  it 
has  been  diligently  and  thoroughly  sought  for.  Le 
Sueur  also  claimed  that  he  ascended  the  Mississippi 
"a  hundred  leagues"  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony, 
which  would  have  taken  him  up  into  Manitoba,  al- 
though he  says  he  went  only  within  "ten  days'  jour- 
ney, ' '  or  250  miles,  from  the  source  of  the  great  river. 
Had  Le  Sueur  visited  the  Red  River  Valley,  which  he 
■did  not,  what  wonderful  reports  he  might  have  made ! 

It  is  an  unpleasant  fact  that  nearly  all  of  the  earli- 


est white  visitors  and  explorers  in  Minnesota  have 
given  us  incorrect,  erroneous,  misleading,  and  even 
knowingly  false  statements  of  their  adventures  and 
of  conditions  in  the  country.  Father  Hennepin  made 
no  mischievous  or  hurtful  statements,  but  even  he 
wrote  that,  a  little  above  where  Fort  Snelling  now 
stands,  he  killed  a  snake  "as  big  around  as  a  man's 
thigh,"  and  other  of  his  assertions  are  gross  exag- 
gerations. Du  Luth  and  Le  Sueur  make  numerous 
incredible  asseverations  and  falsifications  of  history. 
Radisson,  as  a  narrator  and  historian,  is  simply  pre- 
posterous and  ridiculous.  Capt.  Jonathan  Carver  was 
a  great  liar,  but  every  other  American  visitor  that 
came  after  him  in  early  days,  as  Pike,  Long,  Cass,  Cat- 
lin,  and  others,  wrote  the  truth,  or  at  least  tried  to  be 
accurate. 

THE   LA   VEEENDRYES  DISCOVER   THE   RED    RIVER   VALLEY. 

The  first  Caucasians  to  look  upon  any  portion  of  the 
Red  River  and  its  valley  were  a  party  of  Frenchmen 
whose  principal  members  were  Pierre  Gautier  de 
Varennes,  Sieur  (or  Lord)  de  la  Verendrye,  his  sons, 
and  a  nephew  named  De  la  Jemeraye.  The  senior 
Verendrye  (pro.  Vay-ron-dr-yay)  was,  in  1728,  a 
"chief  factor,"  or  head  trader,  in  the  fur  trade  at 
Lake  Nipigon,  north  of  Lake  Superior.  From  what 
the  Indians  told  him,  he  was  induced  to  undertake  a 
rather  formidable  expedition  to  the  far  westward,  ex- 
pecting to  secure  large  quantities  of  furs,  to  establish 
permanent  trading  posts  or  forts  in  the  country,  to 
get  great  gain  for  himself,  and  to  advance  the  interests 
of  his  government.  Verendrye  was  born  in  Canada, 
but  was  loyal  to  the  French  Government  and  its 
authorities. 

With  the  permission  of  the  French  authorities  of 
Canada  and  the  financial  aid  of  some  Montreal  mer- 
chants, the  senior  Verendrye,  with  his  sons  and  his 
nephew — the  latter  the  Sieur  Jemeraye — began,  in 
1731,  a  series  of  explorations  and  developments  far 
west  of  Lake  Superior.  They  followed  rather  closely 
a  line  which  is  now  practically  the  northern  boundary 
of  Minnesota.    They  built  a  trading  post,  which  they 


32 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


called  Fort  St.  Pierre,  at  the  mouth  of  Rainy  Lake; 
another  which  they  called  Fort  St.  Charles,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  near  the  49th 
parallel  of  latitude,  and  finally  other  posts  as  far  west 
as  on  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Assiuiboine  and  Sas- 
katchewan Rivers.  The  Verendryes  and  their  asso- 
ciates were  probably  the  first  Caucasians  to  see  the 
Red  River  of  the  North,  and  this  at  its  entrance  into 
Lake  Winnipeg. 

The  senior  Verendrye  was  far  more  anxious  to  cross 
the  continent  and  reach  the  Pacific  Ocean  than  to  dis- 
cover and  note  the  local  geographic  features  of  the 
country  through  which  he  passed.  He  left  very  mea- 
ger and  unsatisfactory  records  of  his  travels  and 
those  of  his  sons.  He  sent  the  latter  very  far  west- 
ward and  they  discovered  some  considerable  elevations 
which  they  called  "the  Great  Shining  Mountains." 
Some  modern  historians  and  investigators  think  these 
were  the  Big  Horn  Mountains  of  Montana,  while  oth- 
ers think  they  were  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota. 

In  June,  1736,  a  party  of  22  French  voj'ageurs  ac- 
companied by  a  priest  and  one  of  Verendrye 's  sons, 
were  murdered  by  the  Sioux  Indians  of  northern  Min- 
nesota on  an  island  in  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  The 
Sioux  considered  that  the  Frenchmen  were  too  friend- 
ly with  their  old-time  foes,  the  Crees.  Thereafter  the 
Verendryes  kept  out  of  tlie  Sioux  country,  and  kept 
within  the  country  controlled  by  the  Crees  and  the 
latter's  kinsmen,  the  Chippewas  or  Ojibways. 

Verendrye 's  sons  built  a  trading  post  on  the  south- 
em  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Red  River.  Only  the  sons  were  here ;  the  father  re- 
mained at  Lake  Nipigon.  We  cannot  tell  what  his 
sons  reported  to  him,  but  in  his  records  he  makes  no 
mention  of  any  stream  which  can  now  be  identified 
as  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  Of  course  his  sons 
were  familiar  with  the  river,  but  they  either  did  not 
tell  their  father  of  it,  or  else  he  did  not  think  it  worth 
mentioni)ig.  It  is  not  probable  that  they  ascended  the 
river  any  considerable  distance,  because,  for  one  rea- 
son, they  were  afraid  of  coming  upon  the  bloody- 
minded  Sioux. 


In  1734,  Verendrye,  or  his  sous,  built  a  fort  near 
"Lake  Ounipegon,"  at  the  mouth  of  the  Maurepas 
River  (which  is  now  known  as  the  Winnipeg  River), 
and  not  far  from  the  present  Fort  Alexander,  on  the 
southeastern  projection  of  the  lake.  Here  the  French- 
men passed  at  least  a  year,  engaged  in  trading  with 
the  Indians  between  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Grand 
Portage  (Bryce's  History  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, p.  85),  and  during  this  time  they  must  have 
become  acquainted  with  the  Red  River,  although  they 
made  no  written  mention  of  it. 

A     CHIPPEWA     HALF-BLOOD     GAVE     THE     FIRST     PRINTED 
DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    RED    RIVER    REGION. 

The  earliest  printed  description  of  the  northern 
part  of  Minnesota,  and  especially  of  the  lower  Red 
River  region,  was  published  by  Arthur  Dobbs,  in 
London,  1744.  Among  other  articles  it  contains  a 
narrative  by  a  French-Chippewa  half-breed  named 
Joseph  La  France,  who,  from  1740  to  1742,  traveled 
extensively  through  what  are  now  the  northern  parts 
of  Minnesota  and  all  of  Manitoba.  He  reached  Lake 
Winnipeg  (or  "Ouiuipique")  in  September,  1740, 
and  spent  the  autumn  there  hunting  beavers  with  the 
Crees.  From  these  Indians  he  learned  of  the  big  Red 
Lake  of  Minnesota,  but  he  understood  them  (or  else 
his  amanuensis  misunderstood  him)  to  say  that  it  lay 
west  instead  of  south  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  His  descrip- 
tion reads : 

"On  the  west  side  of  this  lake  [Winnipeg]  the 
Indians  told  me  that  a  River  entei'ed  it,  wliich  was 
navigable  with  Canoes ;  it  descended  from  Lac  Rouge, 
or  the  Red  Lake,  called  so  from  the  Colour  of  the 
Sand.  They  said  there  were  two  other  Rivers  run 
out  of  that  [the  Red]  lake,  one  into  the  Mississippi, 
and  the  other  westward  into  a  marshy  Country,  full 
of  Beavers." 

This  is  the  earliest  kno\vn  printed  description  of 

the  lower  Red  River  Valley.     It  will  be  noted  that 

La  France  says  Red  Lake  was  so  called  "from  the 

Colour  of  the  Sand,"  presumablj'  to  be  found  on  its 

beaches  and  shores.     Some  other  observers  saw  the 

reflection  of  a  red  sunset  on  its  surface  and  thought 

the  derivation  of  the  name  came  from  the  apparent 


1 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


33 


color  of  the  water  they  saw,  and  which  of  course  the 
aborigines  had  seen. 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1741  La  France 
canoed  to  a  lake  which  he  called  ' '  the  Lake  du  Sieus. ' ' 
"Warren  Upham  concludes  that  this  lake  is  probably 
the  present  Rice  Lake,  in  Clearwater  County,  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles  northwest  of  Lake  Itasca,  and  on  the 
Wild  Rice  River,  near  its  source.  The  Sioux  word 
for  wild  rice  is  psin,  pronounced  as  spelled,  and  Mr. 
Upham  thinks  La  France  corrupted  the  word  into 
"Siens. "  Why  he  should  use  a  Sioux  word  in  a 
region  peculiarly  Chippewa  to  describe  a  natural  fea- 
ture cannot  here  be  explained.  Moreover  La  France's 
' '  Siens ' '  may  be  a  corruption  of  the  French  ' '  cygnes ' ' 
(pro.  seens),  meaning  swans.  However,  Mr.  Upham 's 
theory  is  rational  and  quite  plausible. 

Mr.  Upham  is  also  of  the  opinion  that  a  river  which 
La  France  called  the  ' '  River  du  Siens ' '  is  the  present 
Red  River;  that  a  "fork"  of  this  river,  which  he 
mentions,  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wild  Riee  River,  and 
that  an  "eastern  tributaiy"  which  he  noted  would  be 
the  Red  Lake  River.  Although  the  conclusions  of 
Prof.  Burpee,  in  his  "Search  for  the  Western  Sea," 
differ  from  Mr.  Upham 's  regarding  the  lakes  and 
rivers  mentioned  by  La  France,  Mr.  Upham  still 
thinks  he  has  identified  these  natural  features  cor- 
rectly.    (See  Minn,  in  Three  Cents.,  Vol.  1,  p.  302.) 

EARLY    WHITE    EXPLORERS    OP    THE    REGION    WERE    NOT 
NUMEROUS. 

After  Verendrye  and  La  France  the  English  trav- 
elers and  explorers  were  the  first  to  come  to  what  are 
now  northern  Minnesota  and  southern  Manitoba. 
These  were  first  of  all  fur  traders,  and  their  explora- 
tions in  behalf  of  development  and  civilization  were 
secondary  considerations  and  operations.  Some  of 
them  visited  the  Red  River  but  others  of  them  never 
saw  it,  confining  their  observations  to  the  country 
eastward  of  the  river  and  its  valley.  Two  of  them 
wrote  out  and  committed  to  print  instructive  and 
valuable  descriptions  of  the  country  they  visited  and 
interesting  accounts  of  their  experiences  therein. 

Alexander  Henry,  the  senior,  traversed  the  central 
route  along  a  portion  of  the  northern  boundary  of 


Minnesota  in  1775,  but  did  not  get  as  far  westward 
as  to  the  Red  River.  In  1809  he  published  in  book 
form  a  record  of  his  investigations  as  a  traveler, 
trader,  and  explorer,  and  his  book  "Travels  and 
Adventures  in  Canada  and  the  Indian  Territories 
Between  1760  and  1765,"  is  frequently  consulted  and 
quoted  from  by  modern  historians. 

Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  who,  in  1789,  discovered 
the  great  northern  river  which  still  bears  his  name, 
came  to  the  Minnesota  shore  of  Lake  Superior  in  1785 
and  finally  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the 
Coast  Range  to  the  Pacific,  going  by  the  way  of  the 
Peace  River.  In  his  book  of  "Voyages,"  etc.,  pub- 
lished in  1801,  he  narrates  much  concerning  the  white 
men  and  the  Indians  of  northern  Minnesota  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  XVIII  Century.  But  he  makes 
no  particular  mention  of  the  Red  River,  which  he 
never  saw. 

David  Thompson,  born  in  London  in  1770,  entered 
the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  when  he 
was  19  years  old,  or  in  1789.  In  1797  he  joined  the 
Northwest  Fur  Company  and  in  the  Spring  of  1798 
he  traveled  through  the  Red  River  Valley,  visiting 
Red  Lake  and  even  Turtle  Lake,  the  latter  about 
seven  miles  north  of  Bemidji,  in  Beltrami  County. 
His  other  explorations  for  the  Northern  Fur  Com- 
pany were  important.  He  became  renowned  for  his 
maps  of  the  country  and  his  plats,  field  notes,  etc., 
fill  forty  large  record  books  of  the  public  surveys 
department  at  Toronto.  Portions  of  his  records  were 
published  by  the  Canadian  Institute  in  1888  and  by 
the  eminent  historian,  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  in  1897.  It 
is  unfortunate,  however,  that  his  description  of  the 
Red  River  and  its  region  is  not  very  elaborate. 

The  younger  Alexander  Henry,  as  he  is  called,  a 
nephew  of  the  senior  Alexander  Henry,  spent  from 
1799  to  1808  in  the  region  of  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the 
Red  River.  He  was  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  and  his 
principal  posis  were  at  the  mouths  of  the  Park  and 
the  Pembina  Rivers.  His  journals,  in  which  he  gives 
many  geogi'aphic  names  of  Northern  Minnesota,  were 
edited  and  published  by  Dr.  Coues  in  1897.  Henry's 
names  of  very  many  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the 
region  are  still  used. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
FUR  TRADERS  THE  FIRST  WHITE  RESIDENTS. 

THE  HUDSON'S  BAY  COMPANY — DUNCAN  GRAHAM  COMES  TO  EAST  GRAND  FORKS  PRIOR  TO  1800 — DAVID  THOMPSON 
FINDS  JEAN  BAPTISTE  CADOTTE  HERE  IN  1798 THE  NORTHWEST  FUR  COMPANY  FORMED  AND  SENDS  IN  TRAD- 
ERS  THE   COLUMBIA   AND  AMERICAN   FUR   COMPANIES. 


The  first  white  men  with  fixed  residences  and  steady 
occupations  in  the  country  to  visit  and  occupy  por- 
tions of  what  is  now  Polk  County,  were  fur  traders 
in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Northwest 
Fur  Companies,  both  English  corporations. 

THE  Hudson's  bay  company. 

In  1668  an  American  ship,  the  Nonsuch,  Capt. 
Zaehariah  Gillan,  a  New  Englander,  sailed  from  Lon- 
don into  Hudson's  Bay  and  landed  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Nelson  River.  It  was  sent  out  by  some  London 
furriers  to  investigate  the  fur  and  pelt  resources  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  which  great  inland  sea  had  been  dis- 
covered by  Henry  Hudson  fifty  years  previously.  A 
full  ship-load  of  furs  and  peltries  was  easily  secured, 
and  on  the  return  of  the  Nonsuch  to  London  a  great 
corporation  was  soon  formed  to  make  permanent  occu- 
pation of  the  Hudson's  Bay  region  and  make  thorough 
exploitation  of  its  resources  available  for  traffic.  The 
corporation  called  itself,  "The  Governor  and  Com- 
pany of  Adventurers  of  England  Trading  into  Hud- 
son's Bay."  King  Charles  II,  England's  "merry 
monarch"  of  the  time,  readily  gave  the  company  a 
charter  which  was  dated  May  2,  1670. 

The  first  Governor  of  the  Company  was  Prince 
Rupert,  the  dashing  English  cavalier,  whose  titles 
were  Count  Palatine  of  the  Rhine  and  Duke  of 
Bavaria  and  Cumberland.  The  region  of  country  in 
which  the  company  was  to  operate  was  styled  Prince 
Rupert's  Land,  whicli  name  is  still  in  use.    The  gen- 


erous King  Charles  gave  the  adventurers  a  vast 
expanse  of  country,  which  of  course  he  did  not  really 
own,  and  which,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  charter 
comprised, — 

The  whole  trade  of  all  those  seas,  streights,  bays, 
rivers,  lakes,  creeks,  and  sounds,  in  whatsoever  lati- 
tude they  shall  be,  that  be  within  the  entrance  of  the 
streights  commonly  called  Hudson's  streights — to- 
gether with  all  the  lands,  countries,  and  territories 
upon  the  coasts  and  confines  of  the  seas,  streights, 
bays,  lakes,  rivers,  creeks,  and  sounds  aforesaid,  which 
are  not  now  actually  possessed  by  any  of  our  subjects 
or  by  the  subjects  of  any  other  Christian  Prince  or 
state. 

Of  course,  by  the  terms  of  the  charter,  the  Red 
River  region  was  included  in  the  trade  territory  of 
the  great  corporation,  since  the  water  of  the  river 
whose  name  it  still  bears  flows  finally  into  Hudson's 
Bay  and  may  be  said  to  lie  "within  the  entrance  of 
the  streights  commonly  called  Hudson's  Streights." 
Into  Lake  Winnipeg  run  both  the  Red  River  and  the 
Saskatchewan,  the  latter  rivaling  the  Mississippi  in 
some  respects,  springing  from  the  very  heart  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  vast  territory  drained  by 
these  streams  was  all  legitimately  covered  by  the 
language  of  the  company's  charter. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  at  the  time 
the  charter  was  given,  the  French  owned  Canada, 
including  the  country  south  of  Hudson's  Bay;  and 
this  great  empire  they  continued  to  own  and  control 
vmtil  it  was  taken  away  from  them  by  the  English 
after  the  French  and  Indian  War  and  by  the  treaty 


34 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


35 


of  Paris  in  1763.  The  charter  recognized  the  facts, 
and  therefore  provided  that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany was  not  to  interfere  with  the  trading  posts 
already  in  the  country  in  the  actual  possession  of 
"the  subjects  of  any  other  Christian  prince  or  state." 

Hence  it  was  that  the  Verendryes,  La  France,  and 
other  French  subjects  acting  under  the  French  au- 
thority, visited  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Red  River 
and  made  establishments  long  before  the  Englisli 
came.  How  far  they  ascended  the  Red  River,  if  they 
ever  ascended  it  at  all,  or  what  they  did,  if  anything, 
in  the  Polk  County  country,  is  unknown  to  the  pres- 
ent writer,  and  it  seems  now  that  it  is  too  late  to 
inquire  into  the  subject.  There  is  no  known  record 
of  the  French  exploitation  of  this  district  beyond 
what  has  been  noted,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  the 
operations  connected  therewith  were  of  much  impor- 
tance or  there  would  be  such  a  record. 

Moreover,  it  was  many  years  after  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  began  operations  when  its  agents  began 
to  operate  in  the  Red  River  region.  We  only  have 
disconnected  accounts  of  the  presence  of  these  traders 
in  the  country,  and  these  accounts  refer  to  only  the 
latter  part  of  the  XVIII  Century. 

DUNCAN    GRAHAM    AT    GRAND    PORKS. 

The  first  engagee  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
to  ascend  the  Red  River,  so  far  as  the  present  writer 
is  informed,  was  a  young  Scotchman  named  Duncan 
Graham.  He  came  to  Winnipeg  and  the  Red  River 
some  time  during  the  last  half  of  the  XVIII  Century. 
A  fairly  reliable  biographical  sketch  of  the  young 
trader  was  published  in  the  Minnesota  Pioneer  of 
April  15,  1851,  over  the  signature  of  "F."  The 
author  was  probably  Dr.  Thomas  Foster,  a  prominent 
pioneer  newspaper  man  and  a  noted  writer  on  Min- 
nesota early  history.  In  this  article  it  is  stated  that 
some  time  prior  to  the  year  1800  Duncan  Graham  was 
' '  connected  with  a  trading  post  of  the  Hudson 's  Bay 
Company  at  the  Grand  Forks  on  Red  River.  Later 
he  was  for  a  long  time  in  charge  of  an  establishment 
at  the  place  which  is  still  called  Graham 's  Point,  south 
of  the  Grand  Forks." 


On  which  side  of  the  river  at  the  Grand  Forks 
stood  the  trading  establishment  with  which  Graham 
was  connected  cannot  with  certainty  be  stated.  Pre- 
sumably, however,  it  was  on  the  Polk  County  side, 
for  the  Indians  who  were  its  patrons  lived  chiefly  on 
that  side,  being  the  Chippewas  of  Red  Lake  and  the 
other  lakes  and  rivers  directly  east  of  the  post. 
Graham  had  associates,  of  course,  and  he  may  have 
had  predecessors,  but  we  do  not  know  who  they  were. 
He  is  the  first  white  man  whose  identity  has  been 
clearly  determined  that  established  himself  within 
what  is  now  Polk  County.  A  sketch  of  him  seems 
proper  in  this  connection. 

Captain  Duncan  Graham  was  a  native  of  the  High- 
lands of  Scotland,  and  a  member  of  a  prominent 
family  of  the  region.  The  Clan  Graham,  or  Graeme, 
is  one  of  the  most  renowned  in  the  early  history  of 
Scotland.  He  was  not  born  in  Edinburgh,  as  one 
account  says.  He  was  born  about  1766,  although 
there  is  ground  for  belief  that  his  birth  occurred  near 
1760.  He  came  to  the  Northwest  when  a  very  young 
man,  presumably  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  He  was  in  the  Minnesota  country  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  XVIII  Century. 

According  to  the  sworn  testimony  of  Michael 
Brisbois  (as  reported  in  Vol.  2,  Wis.  Hist.  Coll.,  p. 
130),  Captain  Graham,  James  Aird,  Brisbois  himself, 
and  others  were  traders  in  the  Sioux  country  on  the 
Minnesota  in  1781.  If  the  Captain  had  been  born  in 
1766,  he  would  have  been  in  1781  but  15,  or  too  young 
for  an  Indian  trader.  Judge  Lockwood,  who  was  a 
trader  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  also  on  the  upper 
Minnesota,  in  1816,  says  Graham  was  in  the  country 
about  1786  or  1787  (as  is  noted  in  Vol.  9,  Wis.  Hist. 
Coll.,  p.  467),  and  it  is  certain  that  he  was  at  Men- 
dota,  the  mouth  of  the  Minnesota  River,  in  December, 
1802,  for  at  that  date  he  was  one  of  the  witnesses  to 
the  will  of  Archibald  Campbell,  a  prominent  trader, 
who  was  killed  in  a  duel,  and  his  will  recorded  at 
Mackinaw. 

Near  Mendota  Captain  Graham  married  a  mixed- 
blood  Sioux  woman,  a  granddaughter  of  a  noted 
Frenchman  of  the  earliest  times  named  Penichon,  who 


36 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


was  at  first  a  trader  among  the  Sioux  but  became  chief 
of  one  of  their  small  sub-bauds.  Succeeding  him  in 
the  chieftainship  was  his  sou,  whose  Indian  name  was 
Nah-zhin  Okauko,  or  Stops  Suddenly,  but  who  was 
generally  called  Son  of  Penichon ;  he  was  one  of  the 
signers  of  Lieutenant  Pike's  treaty  with  the  Sioux  at 
Mendota  in  1805.  The  true  name  Penichon  is  vari- 
ously misspelled.  His  band  was  in  time  presided  over 
by  Chief  Black  Dog,  and  its  last  chief  was  Maukato. 

During  the  war  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  (1812-15)  Graham  became  first  a  lieu- 
tenant and  then  a  captain  in  the  British  military 
service,  and  was  very  active  against  the  Americans. 
He  had  a  command  of  Sioux  Indians  in  northern  Ohio 
and  participated  with  his  warriors  in  the  battles  of 
Maumee  and  in  the  unsuccessful  assault  on  Fort 
Stevenson.  He  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Prairie  du 
Chien  in  July,  1814,  and  in  the  following  September 
went  down  to  the  Rock  Island,  with  30  Indians  and 
three  small  cannon,  and  utterly  defeated  and  drove 
back  down  the  river  a  force  of  400  Americans  under 
Colonel  Zachary  Taylor  (afterwards  President),  who 
had  a  rather  strong  fleet  of  armed  boats  and  was 
coming  up  to  recapture  Prairie  du  Chien.  Graham 
was  but  a  lieutenant  at  the  time,  but  for  this  exploit 
was  made  a  captain. 

After  the  war  Captain  Graham  remained  in  the 
Northwest  and  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the 
United  States.  He  was  as  faithful  thereafter  to  his 
adopted  country  as  he  had  been  to  British  King 
George.  He  became  an  Indian  trader  in  Minnesota, 
and  a  prominent  one,  and  his  operations  ranged  over 
the  extent  of  country  between  Pembina  and  the  Cana- 
dian border  on  the  north  and  the  latitude  of  Prairie 
du  Chien.  In  1819,  when  the  crop  failed  in  tlio 
Selkirk  Colony,  and  the  people  on  the  lower  Red  River 
were  starving.  Captain  Graham  and  another  trader, 
named  "William  Laidlaw  (or  Laidlow),  went  from 
Pembina  to  Prairie  du  Chien  and  brought  back  to  the 
suffering  colony  three  big  boat  loads  of  wheat  and 
oats  and  30  bushels  of  peas,  which  furnished  plenty 
of  seed  for  planting  and  quite  a  stock  for  eating. 


How  the  supplies  and  the  boats  were  transported 
from  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Minnesota  over 
to  the  Red  River  can  only  be  conjectured.  (See 
Neill's  Hist,  of  Minn.) 

Captain  Graham  had  by  his  marriage  four  intel- 
lectual, fairly  accomplished,  and  altogether  worthy 
daughter,  who  married  four  prominent  Minneso- 
tiaus,  viz. :  Alexander  Faribault,  Joseph  Buisson, 
Oliver  Cratte,  and  James  Wells.  The  son  was 
Alexander  Graham,  who  also  became  prominent  in 
Minnesota.  Some  of  the  Captain's  grandchildren 
have  long  lived  in  Minnesota  and  at  Devil's  Lake, 
North  Dakota,  and  are  well  known  as  honorable  and 
useful  members  of  society. 

Captain  Graham  died  at  Mendota,  Minn.,  at  the 
residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Alexander  Faribault, 
December  5,  1847,  aged  between  81  and  87.  His  wife, 
whose  Indian  name  was  Hahzah-hota-wiu,  or  Gray 
Huckleberry  woman,  also  died  at  Mendota,  March  2, 
1848. 

D.WID     THOMPSON     HERE     IN     1798     AND     FINDS     JEAN 
CADOTTE. 

We  know  for  certain  that  Captain  Graham  was  not 
the  only  trader  at  East  Grand  Forks  at  an  early  day. 
David  Thompson,  the  explorer,  astronomer,  cartogra- 
pher, and  general  investigator  before  mentioned,  vis- 
ited the  Forks  in  March,  1798,  and  found  there  Jean 
Baptiste  Cadot,  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade.  Dr. 
Bryce  (Hist.  H.  B.  Co.,  p.  138)  suggests  that  this  was 
the  son  of  the  Cadot  (or  Cadotte),  the  veteran  master 
of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  who  for  a  long  time  refused 
to  acknowledge  the  English  sovereignty  of  the  country 
but  remained  faithful  in  his  allegiance  to  his  "beau- 
tiful France." 

Thompson  particularly  notes  iu  his  journal  the 
establishment  of  Monsieur  Cadotte  at  the  Forks,  where 
he  remained  a  few  days.  Then  he  determined  to  find 
the  true  source  of  the  Mis.sissippi,  which  had  long 
been  an  object  of  interest  to  geographers  and  explorers. 
This,  too,  had  been  one  of  the  duties  laid  upon  him  by 
his  employers,  the  officers  of  the  Northwest  Company. 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


37 


For  it  must  be  understood  that,  although  Thompson 
had  originally  entered  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  lie  had  disagreed  with  its  authorities  as  to 
wliat  he  should  do,  had  withdrawn  from  its  employ, 
and  had,  in  1795,  eutei'ed  the  service  of  its  strenuous 
rival,  the  Northwest  Company,  which  had  been  organ- 
ized in  1783-84.  His  position  was  that  of  chief  sur- 
veyor and  astronomer. 

Making  a  detour  from  Grand  Forks,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  ice  then  in  the  Red  Lake  River,  Thompson 
struck  the  upper  banks  of  that  river  and  followed  the 
banks  until  he  reached  Red  Lake.  Leaving  this  lake, 
he  made  a  portage  to  the  south  some  12  or  15  miles 
and  came  to  Turtle  Lake  (in  what  is  now  the  southern 
portion  of  Beltrami  County),  and  this  lake  he  con- 
sidered to  be  the  source  of  the  Mississippi ;  but  of 
course  he  was  mistaken,  for  40  years  later  Schoolcraft 
determined  that  Lake  Itasca  (in  the  southern  corner 
of  Clearwater  County),  some  35  miles  to  the  southwest 
of  Turtle  Lake,  is  the  true  source  of  the  great  Father 
of  Waters.  But  in  early  days  many  geographical 
mistakes  were  made.  Thus  when  the  treaty  between 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  was  made,  in 
1783,  following  the  close  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
the  Turtle  Lake  visited  by  Thompson  was  thought  to 
be  farther  north  than  the  northwestern  angle  of  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods. 

After  leaving  Turtle  Lake,  Thompson  visited  Red 
Cedar  Lake  and  Sand  Lake,  in  the  direction  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  at  length  reached  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany's trading  post  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Louis 
River  and  the  Fond  du  Lac.  On  the  Sand  Lake  River 
he  found  a  trading  post  of  his  Company.  Indeed 
about  this  time  posts  of  the  Northwest  Company  fairly 
dotted  the  country  now  comprising  the  northern  por- 
tion of  Minnesota.  Singularly  enough,  however,  when 
Thompson,  in  March,  1798,  came  to  the  present  site 
of  Winnipeg  there  was  no  trading  post  or  other  white 
habitation  there.  The  Verendrye  post  of  Fort  Maure- 
pas,  built  70  years  before,  and  succeeding  white  men's 
establishments  had  all  disappeared. 


THE  NORTHWEST  COMPANY  FORMED. 

The  profitable  operations  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  excited  the  envy  and  cupidity  of  certain  in- 
dependent traders  who  in  1783.  and  1784  organized 
a  rival  corporation  which  they  called  the  Northwest 
Company.  The  leading  members  of  the  Company  were 
Simon  McTavish,  Benjamin  and  Joseph  Frobisher, 
Peter  Pond,  and  William  McGillivray.  Peter  Pond 
was  a  Connecticut  man  but  an  early  trader  in  the 
Northwest.  At  one  time  he  had  a  post  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Minnesota  River.  He  was  of  an  impetuous, 
violent  disposition  and  killed  at  least  two  other  traders 
in  quarrels  over  business  matters.  The  Northwest 
Company  entered  with  great  energy  upon  its  enter- 
prises and  soon  had  more  trading  posts  in  Manitoba 
and  noi'thei'n  Minnesota  than  the  Hudson's-  Bay  Com- 
pany. 

Then,  in  1795,  the  New  Northwest  Company,  com- 
monly called  the  XY  Company,  was  formed,  with 
Alexander  IMackenzie  as  the  leading  spirit.  This  be- 
came a  strong  corporation  and  a  formidable  rival  of 
both  the  Northwest  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  organiza- 
tions. But  in  1804-5  it  was  merged  with  the  North- 
west Company  under  the  old  name.  This  Company 
now  drove  out,  practically  speaking,  nearly  all  the 
Hudson's  Bay  traders  from  lower  Manitoba  and  north- 
ern Minnesota.  When  Lieut.  Pike  came  up,  in  1805, 
he  found  Northwest  Company  trading  houses  on  the 
upper  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Cedar,  at 
Sandy  Lake,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Prairie  River  and 
below  Pokegama  Falls,  on  Upper  Red  Cedar  Lake,  and 
the  main  establishment  at  Leech  Lake,  with  Hugh  Mc- 
Gillis  as  the  general  agent  or  chief  factor.  He  noted 
that  there  were  numerous  other  posts  to  the  north  and 
northwest  of  Leech  Lake.  All  of  these  establishments 
were  flying  the  British  flag  in  token  of  their  allegiance 
to  Great  Britain,  notwithstanding  the  scenes  of  their 
operations  had  been  American  soil,  fairly  won  by  the 
War  for  Independence,  ever  since  the  treaty  of  1783. 
Lieut.  Pike  made  all  the  traders  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact  haul  down  the  Union  Jack  and  run  up  the 


38 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


stars  and  stripes  aud  Chief  Factor  MeGillis  promised 
to  send  word  to  all  the  other  traders  in  the  country 
that  they  must  do  the  same. 

Seven  years  after  Pike 's  visit  came  the  War  of  1812 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  and 
then,  of  course,  the  stars  and  stripes  came  down  from 
the  trading  houses.  Practically  every  British  trader 
was  an  emissary  for  King  George.  Robert  Dickson,  a 
factor  of  the  Northwest  Company,  recruited  a  num- 
ber of  Indians  in  Minnesota  and  led  them  into  the 
British  service.  They  .served  against  the  Americans 
on  the  upper  Mississippi,  in  Jlichigan,  aud  in  northern 
Ohio.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1815,  they  re- 
sumed their  trading  operations  in  Minnesota.  They 
were  openly  defiant  of  the  authority  of  the  United 
States,  kept  up  their  British  flags,  held  frequent  coun- 
cils with  the  Indians,  distributed  British  medals  among 
them,  and  whispered  to  them  that  another  time  was 
coming  when  their  great  English  father  would  need 
their  services  in  a  war  against  the  Americans!  A  few 
American  traders  had  ventured  up  into  the  country, 
l)ut  the  British  traders  conspired  against  them  and 
drove  them  out.  They  controlled  the  trade  from  Win- 
nipeg to  as  far  south  as  the  lower  Des  Moines  River 
and  constituted  a  formidable  menace  to  American  in- 
terests. 

Upon  the  complaints  of  the  American  traders  Con- 
gi'ess  enacted  that  none  but  full  American  citizens 
should  have  licenses  as  fur  traders.  The  British  fac- 
tors evaded  this  restriction  by  having  some  humble 
employee  in  their  service  w'ho  was  an  American  take 
out  the  license  in  his  name  and  then  they  conducted 
the  business  as  theretofore.  Finally  the  Executive 
Department  of  the  Government  acted.  In  1819  the 
Secretary  of  War,  John  C.  Calhoun,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, determined  that  the  laws  and  authority  of  the 
United  States  should  be  respected.  He  ordered  mili- 
tary posts  established  on  the  northern  and  northwest- 
ern frontiers,  and  that  these  posts  should  be  supplied 
with  sufficient  garrisons  to  bring  the  defiant  British 
trading  malefactors  to  terms  and  to  enforce  the  United 
States  laws  in  those  regions.    Posts  were  established  at 


the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's  River,  now  Fort  Snelling; 
at  Council  Bluffs,  on- the  Missouri ;  at  the  month  of  the 
Yellowstone,  on  the  upper  Missouri,  and  at  the  " "  Palls 
of  St.  Mary's,"  now  commonly  called  Sault  Ste. 
Marie. 

Not  long  after  the  U.  S.  troops  came  up  and  built 
Fort  Snelling  the  Northwest  Company  began  to  lose 
business  in  this  region.  Fort  Snelling  was  built  and 
properly  garrisoned  in  1819-20,  and  in  March,  1821, 
the  great  Northwest  Company  virtuallj'  surrendered 
the  field  and  was  absorbed  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany under  the  latter 's  name. 

The  strife  and  warfare  between  the  Northwest  and 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Companies,  involving  attacks 
against  the  members  of  the  Selkirk  Settlement,  on  the 
Red  River,  in  1815  and  1816,  the  actual  fighting  of  lit- 
tle battles — in  one  of  which  Govei-nor  Semple,  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  w-as  killed — the  slaying  of 
perhaps  50  other  men,  etc.,  need  not  be  moi'e  than  ad- 
verted to  here. 

What  is  of  importance  in  a  history  of  Polk  County 
is  that  it  was  the  traders  of  the  Northwest  Company 
that  were  within  what  is  now  that  county  between 
1790  and  1820.  Just  where  they  all  were,  and  who 
they  were,  cannot  now  and  here  be  stated.  David 
Thompson  found  Jean  Baptiste  Cadotte  with  a  trad- 
ing post  at  East  Grand  Forks,  in  March,  1798,  and 
we  know  that  Duncan  Graham  was  here  in  this  period. 
There  was  no  trading  post  then  at  the  Red  Lake,  but 
traders  came  and  went,  and  they  may  have  been  at 
the  big  lake  the  year  before  or  the  year  after.  That 
the  traders  of  the  Northwest  Company  were  scattered 
along  the  upper  Red  River  and  along  the  Minnesota 
from  its  source  to  its  moutli  from  1790  to  1820  is  a 
fact  well  established. 

THE  COLUMBIA   FUR    COMPANY. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Northwest  Fur  Com- 
panies consolidated  in  March,  1821,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  a  number  of  their  former  traders  that  had 
done  business  for  them  in  the  Red  River  and  upper 
Minnesota  region  concluded  to  form  a  new  Company  to 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


39 


operate  in  the  Minnesota  country  and  did  so.  The  in- 
corporators were  Joseph  Renville,  Thomas  Jeffries, 
Kenneth  MeKenzie,  Wm.  Laidlaw,  and  perhaps  Dun- 
can Graham,  and  one  or  two  others.  They  named  the 
new  organization  the  Columbia  Fur  Company.  Its 
central  establishment  was  the  post  on  Lake  Traverse. 
All  of  their  posts  were  licensed  by  the  U.  S.  Indian 
agent  at  Fort  Snelling. 

When,  in  July,  1823,  Maj.  Long's  exploring  expedi- 
tion reached  Lake  Traverse  on  its  way  down  the  Red 
River,  it  found  an  important  post  of  the  Columbia 
Company  in  charge  of  Mr.  Jeffries  and  others.  (Keat- 
ing 's  ' '  Narrative, ' '  p.  444  et  seq. )  The  village  of  the 
Sioux  chief  Wahnatah,  the  Charger,  was  near  by  and 
the  expedition  spent  some  days  in  the  neighborhood. 

By  the  year  1825  the  Columbia  Company  had  a 
number  of  licensed  trading  posts  in  Minnesota.  These 
posts  were  called  by  the  pretentious  name  of  ' '  Forts, ' ' 
and  were  as  follows :  Fort  Adams,  at  Lac  qui  Parle ; 
Fort  Washington,  at  Lake  Travei-se;  Fort  Union,  at 
Traverse  des  Sioux ;  Port  Barbour,  Falls  of  the  St. 
Croix ;  Fort  Bolivar,  at  Leaf  Lake ;  Fort  Confedera- 
tion, on  the  Des  Moines  River,  where  the  city  of  Des 
Moines  now  stands. 

THE  AMERICAN   FUR   COMPANY. 

In  1808  John  Jacob  Astor  founded  the  great  busi- 
ness organization  known  as  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany.    He  was  its  President  until  in  1834,  when  he 


was  succeeded  by  Ramsay  Crooks,  father  of  Col.  Wil- 
liam Crooks,  for  whom  Crookston  was  named.  After 
1822  this  company  had  absorbed  or  swallowed  up  ita 
smaller  rivals  and  was  conducted  in  the  country  east 
of  the  Missouri  by  what  were  termed  its  Northern  and 
Western  Departments.  The  Northern  Department  em- 
braced the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  upper 
Mississippi  and  was  conducted  by  Ramsay  Crooks, 
whose  headquarters  were  in  New  York,  but  who  spent 
much  time  at  Mackinaw  and  at  other  of  his  trading 
posts  in  the  Northwest.  Pierre  Chouteau,  Jr.,  of  St. 
Louis,  superintended  the  Western  Department,  com- 
prising, at  first,  the  Missouri  River  country  and  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Later  Chouteau  &  Company  pur- 
chased the  Western  Department,  including  the  coun- 
try west  of  the  Mississippi.  In  Minnesota  the  chief 
post  or  "factory"  of  the  company  was  at  Fort  Snel- 
ling, and  Gen.  H.  H.  Sibley  was  the  "chief  factor" 
for  many  years. 

In  1825  the  American  Company  had  a  post  at  Red 
Lake  called  Fort  Pike.  Other  of  its  posts  in  the  Min- 
nesota country  were  at  the  ' '  upper  sand  hills, ' '  on  the 
Cheyenne ;  at  Crow  Wing,  on  the  Mississippi ;  at  Lit- 
tle Rapids  (Carver),  on  the  Minnesota;  at  Leech  Lake, 
Devil's  Lake,  below  Big  Stone  Lake,  Sandy  Lake,  and 
at  the  Forks  of  the  Red  Cedar  River.  It  is  unfortu- 
nate that  the  names  of  the  traders  at  these  posts  have 
not  Deen  preserved. 


CHAPTER  V. 
EARLY  AMERICAN  EXPLORATIONS  IN  RED  RIVER  VALLEY. 

MAJOR   long's  expedition   IN    1823 — ITS   HISTORIAN    DESCRIBES  RED  LAKE  RIVER  AS  THE  "RED  FORK"  AND  NOTES 

THE   SALT   DEPOSITS  OF   THE  REGION COUNT  BELTRAMI,  OF  ITALY,  ACCOMPANIES  THE  MAJ.  LONG  EXPEDITION, 

DESCRIBES   THE   COUNTRY,   AND   CALLS   THE  RED   "tHE    BLOODY    RIVER " THE    SELKIRK    SETTLEMENT    AND    ITS 

CONNECTION  ■\VITII  THE  HISTORY  OF  POLK  COUNTY — SELKIRK    COLONISTS    WERE    THE    COUNTY'S    FIRST    WHITE 

RESIDENTS THE   AREA   OF    THE   PRESENT    COUNTY   FIRST  PURCHASED  OF  THE  INDIANS  BY  LORD  SELKIRK — CAPT. 

JOHN   POPE,   IN   1850,   RECORDED  THE  FACT   THAT   THE  COLONISTS  CAME  TO  EAST  GRAND  FORKS  BETWEEN   1814 
AND  1820 — A   FEW  OP   THEIR  NAMES. 


MAJOR  long's  EXPEDITION  OF  1823. 

In  the  spriug,  summer,  and  fall  of  1823,  pursuant 
to  orders  from  the  War  Department,  a  miscellaneous' 
expedition,  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Stephen  H. 
Long,  with  a  corps  of  scientists  for  observations  of  a 
general  character,  went  from  Washington  to  and 
through  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Northwest,  in- 
cluding the  Red  River  Valley  and  a  great  deal  of 
northern  Minnesota.  Coming  into  the  Minnesota 
country  in  July,  the  expedition  passed  from  Fort 
Snelling  up  the  Minnesota  Valley  to  Lake  Winnipeg 
(then  called  Winnipeek)  thence  up  the  Winnipeg 
River  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  thence  eastward 
along  the  Canadian  boundary  to  Lake  Superior.  A 
very  interesting  and  valuable  history  of  the  expedition 
was  written  by  Prof.  Wm.  H.  Keating,  its  geologist, 
recorder,  and  historian. 

The  expedition  left  Fort  Snelling  for  the  ascent 
of  the  Minnesota  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1823,  and 
comprised  two  small  parties,  one  on  horseback  riding 
along  the  shores,  and  the  other  up  the  river  in  boats. 
Lake  Traver.se  was  reached  July  23,  and  here  three 
days  were  spent  with  the  authorities  of  the  Columbia 
Fur  Company,  at  their  main  post.  They  struck  the 
Red  Lake  River  a  few  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  found 


their  position  to  be  latitude  47  degrees,  47  minutes, 
and  25  seconds  north,  and  longitude  96  degrees,  53 
minutes,  and  45  seconds  west.  Keating  calls  the  river 
"the  Red  Fork  of  Red  River,"  and  says  that  where 
the  party  forded  it  the  width  was  forty  yards.  Its 
banks  were  steep,  and  the  carts  were  crossed  with 
difficulty;  its  bed  was  sandy  and  its  current  very 
rapid.  The  party  went  along  the  east  bank  of  the 
river  to  Pembina,  which  was  reached  August  5.  The 
village — or  rather  settlement — of  Pembina  had  then  a 
poj)ulation  of  350,  most  of  whom  were  Metis,  or  half 
bloods,  and  who  lived  in  60  log  houses  or  cabins,  near- 
ly all  of  which  stood  on  the  west  bank,  adjacent  to  a 
former  fort  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  which 
had  been  recently  abandoned. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Hudson's  Baj' 
Company  originally  claimed  the  country  of  the  Red 
River  Valley  as  far  up  as  the  "Red  Fork,"  or  Red 
Lake  River.  In  1812  the  Company  granted  to  Thomas 
Douglas,  Earl  of  Selkirk,  for  his  colony,  the  country 
of  the  Valley,  including  both  banks  of  the  Red  River, 
"up  to  the  Red  or  Great  Fork,"  assuming  ownership 
and  control  to  that  extent.  But  when,  after  the  War 
of  1812,  the  international  boundary  line  was  estab- 
lished, as  a  result  of  the  successful  issue  in  1781  of 
their  War  for  Independence,  the  Americans  acquired 


40 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


41 


the  country  far  down  the  Red  River,  including  the 
site  of  the  Pembina  Settlement. 

Keating  notes  that  in  the  spring  of  1823,  a  few 
months  before  Maj.  Long's  arrival,  the  astronomers 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  made  observa- 
tions which  had  led  them  to  suspect  that  the  Pem- 
bina settlement  was  south,  and  not  north,  of  the 
boundary  line.  They,  therefore,  removed  "Fort  Pem- 
bina" down  the  river  to  Fort  Douglas,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Assiniboine  River.  Keating  records  that  Fort 
Pembina  was  120  miles  by  water  up  the  river  from 
the  Assiniboine,  "and  near  the  mouth  of  a  small 
stream  named  by  the  Chippewas  the  Anepeminansepe, 
from  a  small  red  berry  termed  by  them  anepeminan, 
which  name  has  been  corrupted  into  Pembina.  The 
theme  of  the  word  is  anepin,  meaning  summer,  and 
minan,  meaning  berry,  while  sepe  means  river  or 
creek."  The  berry  is  identified  as  the  high  bush  cran- 
berry; scientific  name,  viburnum  oxycoccus.  Many 
writers  say  that  the  discovery  of  the  fact  of  their 
illegal  location  and  the  removal  from  Pembina  to  Fort 
Douglas  occurred  in  1820  or  1821 ;  but  Keating  was 
there  in  August,  1823,  and  says  that  these  events  oc- 
curred the  previous  spring. 

Describing  the  rivers  and  other  natural  features  of 
the  Polk  County  region,  Prof.  Keating  writes : 

"The  Red  Fork,  which  by  the  Indians  is  consid- 
ered the  main  branch  of  the  Red  River,  takes  its  name 
from  the  Red  Lake,  in  which  it  rises.  Both  are  said 
to  be  translations  of  the  term  bloody,  used  by  the  In- 
dians, and  which  is  doubtless  derived  from  some 
slaughter  committed  in  that  vicinity,  and  not  (as  is 
the  case  with  many  other  rivers  which  have  the  same 
appellation)  from  the  color  of  their  beds.* 

"In  times  of  flood  the  Red  Fork  is  navigable  for 
barges  throughout  its  length  to  Red  Lake,  a  distance 
of  120  miles ;  in  ordinary  stages  of  water,  canoes  can 
ascend  to  its  source.  This  is  the  mo.st  important  trib- 
utary of  the  Red  River,  containing  an  equal  quan- 
tity of  water  with  the  main  stream  above  the  Grand 
Fork.  Mr.  [Thomas]  Jeffries  [of  the  Columbia  Fur 
Company,  and  guide  to  the  expedition]  informed  us 
that  the  Red  Lake  has,  at  the  western  part  of  the 
main  lake,  the  form  of  a  crescent,  with  its  back  to 
the  southwest. 

*  But  La  France,  the  first  visitor,  says  the  lake  was  named 
for  the  color  of  the  sands  on  its  shores. 
3 


' '  The  general  course  of  the  Red  Fork  from  this  lake 
is  northwest.  It  receives  a  few  small  tributaries,  the 
most  important  of  which  are  the  Clear  River,  enter- 
ing about  30  miles  from  its  mouth,  on  the  southwest 
side,  and  Thief  River,  entering  it  from  the  northeast. 
The  woods  along  Red  Fork  are  very  thick  and  extend 
to  about  half  a  mile  on  either  side.  Hazelnuts  were 
very  abundant  and  nearlv  ripe  at  that  time  [August 
2J. 

' '  Below  the  junction  of  the  Red  Fork  with  the  main 
stream,  the  Red  River  was  observed  to  be  about  40 
yards  wide  and  its  current  was  about  one  knot  an  hour. 
The  bed  of  Swamp  or  Marsh  River  was  dry.  At  the 
confluence  of  the  two  branches  of  Two  Rivers  there  is  a 
considerable  salt  spring.  #  #  #  There 
are  doubtless  in  this  country  a  great  many  salt  springs, 
especially  below  the  Red  Fork;  we  saw  none,  but  we 
were  informed  that  fine  springs  exist  on  Big  and  Lit- 
tle Saline  Rivers,  on  the  Two  Rivers,  and  in  other 
places,  where  the  salt  is  found  in  white  efflorescences, 
so  as  to  be  annually  collected  there  by  the  colonists  of 
Pembina.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  its  abundance  in 
the  country,  and  the  ease  with  which  it  can  be  gath- 
ered, the  price  of  this  article  is  from  |4  to  .$6  per  bar- 
rel of  80  pounds.  One  of  the  residents  on  the  river 
cleared  $500  in  one  winter  by  the  salt  which  he  col- 
lected. Probably  by  boring  te  a  small  depth  abun- 
dant springs  would  be  found." 

Recent  investigations  show  that  salt  exists  in  in- 
calculable quantities  in  Kittson,  Marshall,  and  the 
northern  part  of  Polk  Counties,  and  at  no  very  con- 
siderable depth  from  the  surface.  Time  alone  can  de- 
termine whether  or  not  this  great  resource  will  ever  be 
developed. 

COUNT  BELTRAMI  VISITS  RED  RIVER  AND  RED  LAKE. 

There  accompanied  Maj.  Long's  expedition  from 
Fort  Snelling  (or  Fort  St.  Anthony)  to  Pembina,  an 
Italian  gentleman  named  Giacomo  Costantino  Bel- 
trami. He  had  come  to  America  on  a  journey  of  ad- 
venture under  the  patronage  of  an  Italian  countess; 
his  elaborate  published  account  of  his  "Pilgrimage  in 
Europe  and  America,"  etc.,  is  mainly  a  series  of  de- 
scriptive letters  addressed  to  this  lady.  Anglicized, 
his  name  would  be  James  Constantine  Beltrami  and 
on  the  title  pages  of  his  books  it  is  given  as  J.  C.  Bel- 
trami. 

The  accomplished  but  eccentric  Italian  joined  the 
Long  expedition  as  a  guest,  but  his  relations  with  the 


42 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


party  were  unpleasant  almost  from  the  start  at  Fort 
Snelling.  When  Pembina  was  reached,  there  was  an 
open  rupture  and  he  left  the  party  to  complete  his 
"pilgrimage"  by  himself  and  on  his  own  account. 
Leaving  Pembina  (which  he  calls  "Pembenar")  Bel- 
trami set  out,  with  two  Chippewas  and  a  half-breed 
interpreter,  and  traveled  southeastwardly  to  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Thief  and  the  Red  Lake  Rivers,  and  thence 
his  journey  was  by  canoes  up  the  latter  river  to  Red 
Lake.  He  calls  the  Thief  River  ' '  the  Robbers'  River ' ' 
and  gives  the  name  "Bloody  River"  to  both  the  Red 
Lake  and  the  Red  Rivers.  He  considered  the  former 
the  principal  branch  of  the  latter,  which  in  one  place 
(Pilgrimage,  Vol.  2,  p.  400)  he  mentions  as  "the  Red 
River,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  the  Bloody  River." 
But  he  does  not  call  Red  Lake  "the  Bloody  Lake." 

After  a  number  of  perils  and  privations  Count 
Beltrami  finally  reached  Cass  Lake  and  Leech  Lake, 
and  then  went  down  the  Mississippi  in  a  canoe  to  Fort 
Snelling,  and  thence  to  New  Orleans,  etc.  En  route, 
on  Thief  River,  the  Sioux  fired  on  his  party,  severely 
wounding  one  of  his  Chippewas.  The  next  day  both 
Indians  and  the  half-breed  deserted  him  and  took  a 
short  route  to  Red  Lake.  For  four  days  the  Count 
waded  up  Red  Lake  River,  towing  his  canoe,  in  whicli 
was  his  baggage;  once  the  canoe  upset,  throwing 
everything  into  the  water.  On  the  evening  of  the 
fourth  day  he  met  some  Chippewas,  and  one  of  them 
assisted  him  in  paddling  his  canoe  to  Red  Lake  after 
two  days  of  hard  work.  He  skirted  a  great  deal  of 
the  shores  of  the  main  Red  Lake  and  finally  made  a 
portage  from  the  south  shore  to  waters  which  eventu- 
ally led  him  into  Mud  Lake,  which  he  said  the  Indians 
called  the  "Puposk.v-Weza-Kanyaguen,"  or  End  of 
the  Shaking  Lands.  The  chief  of  the  Red  Lake  Chip- 
pewas was  called  Big  Rabbit,  and  on  the  north  shore 
was  another  band  of  some  300  souls  whose  chief  was 
the  Big  Elk. 

THE  SELKIRK   SETTLEMENT  AND  POLK   COUNTY. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  settlement  by 
Scotch,  Swiss,  and  French  Canadian  Colonists  of  the 


district  obtained  in  1881  by  Lord  Selkirk  from  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  which  was  on  the  lower 
Red  River.  It  was  called  generally  the  Selkirk  Set- 
tlement, and  sometimes  referred  to  as  the  Red  River 
Settlement.  The  first  colonists  came  from  Scotland 
in  the  fall  of  1812  and  located  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Assiniboine,  near  the  present  site  of  Winnipeg. 

The  Selkirk  Settlement  is  definitely  and  in  some 
respects  rather  prominently  connected  with  the  his- 
tory of  Minnesota,  and  especially  with  that  of  the 
Red  River  Valley.  The  first  permanent  settlers  and 
residents  of  the  State,  and  of  that  part  of  the  Valley 
within  the  State,  were  refugees  and  fugitives  from  the 
Selkirk  Settlement,  or  Red  River  Colony.  They  had 
been  driven  out  by  grasshoppers,  floods,  drouths,  and 
other  calamitous  visitations  and  they  sought  safety  to 
the  southward,  where  the}'  believed  conditions  were 
better.  By  the  year  1840  nearly  700  Red  River  ref- 
ugees had  come  to  Port  Snelling  and  many  of  them 
had  made  permanent  settlements  about  St.  Paul  and 
elsewhere  in  Minnesota.  (Minn,  in  Three  Cents.,  Vol. 
2,  p.  76.) 

And  so,  too,  regarding  the  first  white  settlers  in  the 
Polk  County  district  of  the  Red  River  Valley.  They 
too  came  from  the  Red  River  Settlement.  Only  a  few 
of  these  were  farmei"s,  however.  They  were  traders, 
but  had  cabins  along  the  Red,  and  perhaps  on  the 
Red  Lake  River,  and  doubtless  they  cultivated  gardens 
and  small  tracts  of  grain.  There  was  also  consid- 
erable coni  raising  in  the  country  in  early  days,  more 
perhaps,  in  proportion  to  other  crops,  than  there  is 
now.  In  1826  the  Chippewas  of  Red  River  were  rais- 
ing plenty  of  corn,  potatoes,  and  turnips.  In  1832, 
when  Schoolcraft  and  Boutwell  were  on  their  famous 
expedition  to  Lake  Itasca,  they  stopped,  in  the  first 
week  of  July,  at  the  trading  post  at  Sandy  Lake.  In 
his  journal  (Minn.  Hist.  Socy.  Coll.,  Vol.  1,  p.  158) 
Boutwell  writes: 

Com  for  this  post  is  mostly  obtained  at  Red  Lake, 
from  the  Indians,  who  there  cultivate  it  to  a  consid- 
erable extent.  The  trader  tells  me  that  he  bought  105 
bushels  from  that  place  this  spring,  and  that  it  is  not 
a  rare  matter  to  meet  a  squaw  who  has  this  quantity 
to  sell. 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


43 


On  page  168  (ibid.)  BoutweU  refers  to  corn  raising 
by  the  Indians  at  the  Red  Cedar  Lake  and  says: 
"They  originally  obtained  the  corn,  which  they  have 
cultivated  here  for  many  years,  from  Red  River. ' ' 

The  Histoi-y  of  the  Minnesota  Agricultural  Society 
(p.  11)  says  that  at  intervals  between  1827  and  1838 
the  quartermasters  at  Port  Snelling  bought  corn  from 
the  northern  Chippewas,  and  that  in  many  instances 
the  Indian  women  had  carried  the  grain  on  their  backs 
from  their  granaries  to  the  shipping  points  on  the 
upper  Mississippi. 

So  that  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  early  settlers  in 
the  Polk  County  region  raised  corn,  notwithstanding 
the  difficulties  of  its  cultivation,  when  it  was  subject 
to  the  injurious  attacks  of  blackbirds,  wild  pigeons, 
and  grasshoppers  from  its  planting  to  its  harvesting. 
The  Selkirkers,  in  their  settlement  at  Pembina,  had 
these  pests  and  other  obstacles  to  contend  against  in 
their  agricultural  operations,  and  this  was  why  so 
many  of  them  left  the  country  for  the  lower  Minne- 
sota districts,  and  other  more  favored  regions.  Some 
of  the  Red  River  refugees  went  as  far  as  to  Indiana. 

Selkirk's  colonists  first  polk  county  settlers. 

The  fact  is  not  generally  remembered  that  many  of 
the  early  members  of  Lord  Selkirk's  Colony  settled 
in  what  is  now  Polk  County  prior  to  1820,  under  the 
mistake  that  they  were  locating  on  British  territory. 
They  were  quite  excusable.  They  knew  but  very  little 
about  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States 
and  the  British  possessions,  as  established  after  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  by  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1783. 
As  has  been  previously  stated,  the  charter  given  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  by  King  Charles  granted  the 
Red  River  Valley  to  the  company— at  least  as  far 
south  as  to  the  Sioux  Wood  River.  In  1811,  when 
Lord  Selkirk  purchased  the  land  for  his  colony  from 
the  company,  the  deed  gave  (in  part)  the  boundaries 
of  the  grant  as  extending  from  the  Assiniboine  River 
"due  south  from  that  to  the  height  of  land  which 
separates  the  waters  which  run  into  Hudson's  Bay 


from  those  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi. ' ' 
(Ross's  R.  R.  Settlement,  p.  9.) 

The  "height  of  land"  mentioned  is  equivalent  to 
the  watershed  between  Lake  Traverse  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Sioux  Wood,  in  Traverse  County,  Minnesota, 
and  Roberts  County,  South  Dakota.  This  is  more 
than  200  miles  south  of  the  49th  parallel,  or  the 
boundary  line  between  Canada  and  the  United  States, 
and  of  course  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  no 
right  to  dispose  of  any  land  on  American  soil  or  below 
the  boundary.  But  it  seems  that  neither  Lord  Selkirk 
nor  any  one  else  in  that  quarter  of  Canada  knew  (and 
perhaps  did  not  care)  anything  about  the  interna- 
tional boundary. 

Selkirk  (or  Lord  Thomas  Douglas)  was  apparently 

innocent.    He  had  paid  a  good  round  sum  for  the  land 

of  his  proposed  colony  and  he  was  determined  to  have 

a  perfect  title  to  it.     He  recognized  the  title  of  the 

Cree  and  Chippewa  Indians  to  the  country  and  he 

was  bound  to  extinguish  it  so  that  there  should  be  no 

cloud  upon  his  own.    So,  at ' '  the  Forks  of  Red  River, ' ' 

July  18,  1817,  he  made  a  treaty  with  certain  chiefs 

and  warriors  of  the  tribes  mentioned  by  which  they 

ceded  to  him  their  claim  to  the  territory  described  as 

follows : 

All  that  tract  of  land,  adjacent  to  Red  River  and 
Assiniboine  River,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Red 
River  and  *  extending  along  the  same  as  far  as  the 
Great  Forks,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Lake  River,  and 
along  Assiniboine  River  as  far  as  Muskrat  River — 
otherwise  called  Riviere  des  Champignons,  [the  River 
of  Mushrooms]  and  extending  to  the  distance  of  six 
miles  from  Port  Douglas,  [near  Winnipeg]  and  like- 
wise from  Port  Daer,  [at  Pembina]  and  *  also  from 
the  Great  Forks  and  certain  other  parts  extending  in 
breadth  to  the  distance  of  two  English  statute  miles 
back  from  the  banks  of  the  said  rivers,  on  each  side, 
together  with  all  the  appurtenances  whatsoever  of  the 
said  tract  of  land,  to  have  and  to  hold,"  etc. 

The  consideration  given  the  Indians  was  200  pounds 
of  tobacco,  100  pounds  to  each  tribe,  for  the  entire 
grant  amounting  to  about  110,000  square  miles. 
(Bryce's  H.  B.  Co.,  p.  207;  but  his  "Romantic  Settle- 
ment  of   Selkirk's   Colonists,"   p.   42,   says  116,000 

*  The  italicizing  is  by  the  compiler. 


u 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


square  miles.)  What  Selkirk  paid  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  is  not  certainly  known;  it  is  stated  at 
$50,000,  $125,000,  $500,000,  etc.*  The  treaty  was 
signed  by  Selkirk  and  by  Chiefs  the  Sounder,  Black 
Blanket,  Big  Ears,  and  Black  Man,  the  first  two  of 
the  Crees. 

As  stated,  the  land  ceded  extended  two  miles  on 
either  side  of  the  Red  River  from  its  mouth  practically 
to  Lake  Travei-se.  It  particularly  included  the  coun- 
try comprising  the  west  two  miles  of  Polk  County. 
The  Selkirk  colonists  came  to  the  Red  River  fij^t  in 
1812,  locating  near  its  mouth.  Soon  after,  when  the 
French  Canadians  had  joined  the  Colony,  many  of 
them,  Scotch  and  French,  came  up  the  river  and  set- 
tled at  various  points.  A  good  many  were  on  the 
Red  Lake  River,  "some  leagues  from  the  Great 
Forks."  (Ross)  John  Mclntyre  is  recorded  as  dying 
at  la  Grande  Fourehe  in  1817.  The  list  of  these  set- 
tlers has  been  lost  so  far  as  the  present  writer  knows. 
But  former  writers  have  established  the  facts  of  tlie 
settlement.  In  his  official  report  of  his  expedition, 
Capt.  John  Pope  states : 

The  settlements  along  the  Red  River  of  the  North 
were  made  first  about  the  year  1812  by  a  colony  of 
Scotch,  English,  and  Canadian  French,  who  were 
located  upon  a  grant  of  land  made  by  the  Hud.son's 
Bay  Company  to  Lord  Selkirk,  t  extending  along  both 
sides  of  the  Red  River  to  about  the  parallel  of  47  de- 
grees north  latit%ide.  It  was  supposed  at  the  time 
that  the  grant  was  contained  in  the  possessions  of  the 
English,  and  t  the  settlements  were  therefore  made 
near  the  mouth  of  Red  Lake  River,  or  what  is  now 
called  "La  Grande  Fourehe,"  on  the  "Great  Fork 
of  Red  River." 


*  Lord  Selkirk  died,  broken  in  heart  and  fortune,  in  1820, 
and  in  1836  his  heirs  sold  back  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
the  territory  of  his  Colony  for  84,111  English  pounds  sterling, 
or  about  $408,000.  (See  Justin  Winsors  Crit.  Hist,  of  Amer., 
Vol.  8,  p.  61.)  His  was  a  noble  character.  He  was  a  real  phil- 
anthropist and  the  most  generous  and  disinterested  man  in  the 
history  of  American  colonization,  but  died  a  victim  to  the 
predatory  selfishness  of  other  men,  that  were  his  business  rivals. 
It  is  not  well  known  that  in  1818  he  went  by  land  from  Pem- 
bina to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peters  (now  the  site  of  Meudota 
and  Fort  Snelling),  and  thence  by  river  to  St.  Louis,  Cairo, 
Louisville,  Pittsburg,  and  thence  overland  to  New  York,  where 
he  took  ship  for  Europe.    He  never  saw  America  afterward. 

t  The  italicizing  is  by  the  compUer. 


Large  numbers  of  Indians  were  soon  attracted  to 
the  settlements  by  the  presence  of  so  many  strange 
people  and  the  display  of  so  manj'  tempting  articles 
of  traflBc;  moreover  mauy  of  the  colony  were  at  once 
induced  to  take  to  themselves  Indian  wives,  and  in  a 
few  years  the  half  bloods  that  resulted  from  these 
connections  amounted  to  several  thousands.  It  was 
not  until  about  1820  when  it  was  ascertained  that 
these  settlements  had  been  made  within  the  territories 
of  the  United  States.  It  then  became  necessary  for 
the  traders  that  had  settled  among  the  people,  and 
who  belonged  to  the  English  trading  companies,  to 
remove  their  stores  to  points  within  the  British  pos- 
sessions, and  they  forced  all  the  peoples  who  had  by 
this  time  become  dependent  upon  them  for  goods  and 
supplies,  to  break  up  their  settlements  and  remove  to 
points  lower  down  or  north  on  the  Red  River.  They 
now  [1850]  extend  along  both  banks  of  the  river  from 
the  northern  frontier  of  the  United  States  northward 
to  the  entrance  of  the  river  into  Lake  Winnipeg,  in 
latitude  51  north.  (See  Pope's  Report  to  Secy,  of 
War,  Senate  Ex.  Doc,  p.  30,  No.  42,  in  31st  Cong. 
1st  Session.) 

A  FEW  OP  THE  FIRST  WHITE  RESIDENTS. 

Not  many  names  can  now  be  given  of  the  Selkirk 
Colonists  that  settled  on  the  Red  River  in  or  near  what 
is  now  Polk  County.  Biyce's  "History  of  Lord  Sel- 
kirk's Colonists''  (p.  167)  mentions  a  French  family 
that  afterwards  was  in  the  Colony  as  having  been  at 
"the  Forks  of  Red  River"  as  early  as  in  1811.  The 
name  of  this  family  was  Lajimoniere.  In  1815  the 
family  had  joined  the  main  colony  and  Mr.  Lajimon- 
iere distinguished  himself  by  carrying  a  packet  of 
letters  for  Lord  Selkirk  from  Red  River  to  Montreal. 

Another  former  member  of  the  Selkirk  Colony  was 
Charles  Bottineau  (father  of  the  noted  mixed  blood 
Pierre  Bottineau,  who  was  prominently  identified  with 
Minnesota  history'),  who  became  a  fur  trader  and 
lived  for  a  considerable  time  near  the  present  site  of 
East  Grand  Forks.  He  had  been  a  hunter  for  Alex- 
ander Henry,  at  Pembina,  in  1803,  later  a  partner 
with  Charles  Grant,  at  St.  Joseph,  and  joined  the 
Colony  several  years  later.  In  182 — ,  he  had  "a  hun- 
dred acres  in  crop."  (N.  D.  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  1,  p. 
304;  Ross's  Red  River  Valley,  176.)  Some  time  after 
this  he  became  a  trader  in  the  Gi'and  Forks  region. 
It  is  commonlj'  stated  that  his  noted  son,  Pierre,  was 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


45 


born  in  the  Red  River  Settlement,  in  Manitoba;  but 
surviving  members  of  his  family  state  that  the  historic 
old  guide,  scout,  pioneer,  town  builder,  etc.,  was  born, 
in  1810,  at  the  trading  post  of  his  father,  at  Bear 
Point,  on  Turtle  River,  12  miles  northwest  of  Grand 
Forks,  and  in  North  Dakota.  His  last  years  were 
spent  on  the  Red  Lake  River,  and  he  died  at  Red  Lake 
Falls  in  July,  1895. 

Donald  McKay  and  Alexander  McBeth,  both  Scotch- 
men, were  two  other  Selkirkers  who  engaged  in  trade 
in  1821  at  "the  Great  Forks"  and  on  the  "Red  Fork." 

Joseph  LaBissoniere  was  a  French  Canadian  with 
a  half-blood  Chippewa  wife,  who  left  the  Selkirk  Col- 


ony and  about  1830,  was  a  trader  on  the  lower  Red 
Lake  River.  Prior  to  that  time  he  had  been  a  North- 
west Company  trader  at  "La  Grande  Fourche,"  or 
the  Great  Fork,  and  had  also  been  on  Turtle  River,  a 
few  miles  to  the  westward.  His  son,  Isaac  LaBisson- 
iere, was  born  at  his  father's  post  in  North  Dakota 
in  1823,  and  died  in  St.  Paul,  in  June,  1910.  The  fam- 
ily removed  to  St.  Paul  in  1837  and  Joseph  and  Isaac 
lielped  build  the  little  log  Catholic  church  at  St.  Paul 
in  1841.  The  church  was  called  St.  Paul's  and  the 
city  took  its  name  from  it.  This  was  the  first  Chris- 
tion  Church  building  erected  in  Minnesota. 


1 


CHAPTER  VI. 
CHIEF  HISTORIC  FEATURES  OF  EARLY  TIMES. 

THE   OLD    RED    RIVER    CARTS    AND   TUEIR    TR.4ILS — NORMAN    KITTSON 's   FIRST   TRAIL  ON   THE   EAST   SIDE   OF   THE  RED 

RIVER    THROUGH    POLK    COUNTY ITS    HISTORY    AND    LOCATION,   AS    MAPPED   BY  CAPT.   POPE  AND   DESCRIBED   BY 

OTHERS  WHO  TRAVELED  THE  ROUTE IT   CROSSED   THE  RED  LAKE  RIVER  VTEST  OF  FISHER — WAS  THE  TREATY  OP 

1863    HELD   AT   THE   PROPER    CROSSING? THE   GOVERNMENT    EXPEDITION    UNDER    MAJOR   WOODS    AND    CAPTAIN 

POPE  TO  PEMBINA   IN  1849 — IT  FOLLOWED  THE  OLD    KITTSON  TRAIL  AND  CROSSED  THE  RED  LAKE  RIVER  AT  THE 

OLD    CROSSING,    WEST    OF    FISHER THEY    DESCRIBED    THE   COUNTRY  NOW   THE  WEST  SIDE  OF   POLK   COUNTY  AS 

GOOD    FOR    WHEAT    BUT    NOT   PROMISING    FOR    CORN THE   TREATIES  WHICH   BOUGHT   THE  LAND  FROM   THE  IN- 
DIANS— THE   "old   crossing"   TREATY   HELD  AT  THE    NEW  CROSSING  OP  RED  LAKE  RIVER. 

THE  RED  RIVER  CARTS  AND  THEIR  OVERLAND  COMMERCE,  nappi  pony. "  A  loaded  cart  generally  contained 
Reference  has  been  made  to  the  passage,  in  former  «'">"*  ^^0  pounds  weight.  A  good  pony  could  often 
times,  through  what  is  now  Polk  County,  of  trains  of  '^''^'''  ^"«^  ^  1°^^  ^0  miles  a  day,  but  a  slow,  plod- 
two-wheeled  vehicles  called  the  Red  River  carts.  These  '^'''"  ^x  could  not  compass  more  than  20  miles  in  that 
carts  were  originally  built  wholly  of  wood  and  raw-  t''"^-  The  axles  of  the  cart  were  not  greased  or  lubri- 
hide,  not  a  particle  of  metal  being  used  in  their  con-  ^^^ed  in  any  way,  and  the  wheels  turned  with  a  dread- 
struction.  The  wheels  were  large  and  clumsy,  being  ^"1  squeaking  and  screeching  which  could  be  heard  on 
sometimes  five  feet  in  diameter  and  three  inches  thick,  ^lie  open  prairie  for  more  than  a  mile. 


The  felloes  were  fastened  together  by  tongues  of  wood, 
and  pressure  in  the  revolutions  of  the  wheel  assisted 
in  keeping  them  from  falling  apart.  The  hubs  were 
thick  and  strong,  the  axles  were  all  wood,  and  even  the 
lineh-pins  were  wooden.  A  light  box  frame,  tightened 
by  wooden  pegs,  was  fastened,  also  by  pegs,  to  and 
poised  upon  the  axle.  The  common  price  of  such  a 
cart  was,  in  Manitoba,  two  pounds;  in  Minnesota,  ten 
dollars. 

Each  cart  wai5  generally  drawn  bv  a  single  ox,  and 
sometimes  by  a  tough,  strong  Indian  pony,  or  "ea- 
yuse. "  The  animal  was  hitched  between  shafts,  and 
its  harness  was  made  of  i'oughl_y  tanned  ox  hide  or 
buffalo  hide.  This  leather  was  called  by  the  Red 
River  Metis,  or  mixed  bloods,  "shagganappi,"  and 


The  carts  generally  moved  in  trains.  Ten  carts  con- 
stituted a  "brigade,"  in  charge  of  three  men.  Five 
or  six  or  more  brigades  made  up  a  train,  which  was 
in  charge  of  a  guide  or  leader,  who  assumed  much  au- 
thority. He  was  on  horseback,  rode  backward  and  for- 
ward along  the  line,  yelling  at  the  drivers  and  those 
in  charge  of  the  extra  oxen  or  ponies,  and  marshaling 
his  forces  in  pomp,  flourish,  and  style.  He  had  to  be 
an  intelligent  man,  for  the  stopping  places  for  the 
night,  where  there  were  plenty  of  grass  and  water; 
the  time  of  halting  and  starting;  the  disciplining  of 
the  crews,  and  all  the  other  details  of  the  successful 
management  of  a  considerable  caravan  were  all  under 
liis  charge  and  responsibility.  The  history  of  these 
Red  River  cart  trains  which  often  might  be  likened  to 


the  horse  that  drew  the  cart  was  called  a  "shagga-     ancient  Midianitish  caravans,  may  be  briefly  sketched. 

46 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


47 


Prior  to  1844  the  import  of  goods  to  and  the  export 
of  furs  from  the  Red  River  Colony  and  the  trading 
posts  in  that  quarter  were  made  tlirough  the  circuit- 
ous, difficult,  and  uncertain  Hudson's  Bay  route. 
This  route  was  open  and  navigable  practically  only 
two  months  in  the  year  and  was  beset  with  difficul- 
ties at  all  times.  In  1843  Norman  "W.  Kittson  (for 
whom  both  Norman  and  Kittson  Counties  were 
named)  established  a  trading  post  of  the  American 
Fur  Company  at  Pembina.  The  first  season  he  se- 
cured about  $2,000  worth  of  furs  and  buffalo  robes, 
but  there  was  the  greatest  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
sending  them  to  market.  He  had  to  deliver  them  at 
iMendota  (Fort  Snelling),  the  headquarters  of  the 
Minnesota  division  of  the  Company,  and  formerly  the 
way  of  transporting  furs  from  the  upper  Red  River 
posts  to  the  "factory"  at  Mendota  was  up  the  Red  to 
and  through  Lake  Traverse,  then  by  portage  to  Big 
Stone  Lake,  and  thence  down  the  Minnesota.  But  this 
method  of  transportation  involved  much  hard  work 
and  its  success  depended  largely  upon  the  proper 
stage  of  water  in  the  rivers. 

After  due  deliberation  Kittson  procured  six  of  the 
rude  carts  which  have  been  referred  to,  loaded  his 
furs,  and  in  the  spring  of  1844,  set  out  for  Mendota, 
which  he  reached  after  a  toilsome  and  expensive  jour- 
ney. Presumably  he  had  six  or  eight  men  with  him. 
The  route  he  followed  was  that  which  had  been  taken 
by  the  Red  River  refugees  when  they  had  left  the 
Selkirk  Settlement  for  Fort  Snelling;  it  ran  along 
the  west  side  of  the  Red  River  to  Lake  Traverse,  then 
crossed  into  what  is  now  Minnesota,  thence  ran  to 
Traverse  des  Sioux,  near  St.  Peter,  and  on  down  the 
Minnesota  Valley  to  Mendota,  or  what  was  then  com- 
monly called  the  St.  Peter's. 

THE  OLD  RED  RIVER  C.\RT  TRAIL. 

Mr.  Kittson's  firet  ventures  in  cart  transportation 
were  failures.  On  the  first  trip  he  lost  $600 ;  and  on 
his  journeys  the  two  following  years  he  lacked  over 
$1,000  in  coming  out  even.  But  he  was  of  stubborn 
Scotch  courage  and  believed  in  his  scheme  and  fol- 


lowed it  up  and  in  time  a  great  success  crowned  his 
efforts.  He  soon  realized  that  he  had  made  mistakes 
and  he  corrected  them.  First,  he  changed  his  route. 
He  crossed  the  Red  River  near  Pembina  and  went 
down  the  east  side  of  the  river  to  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Otter  Tail ;  then  he  struck  across  by  way  of  Otter 
Tail  Lake  to  Sauk  Rapids,  on  the  Mississippi,  near 
St.  Cloud,  and  then  it  was  an  easy  march  down  to 
Fort  Snelling  and  Mendota.  His  carts,  too,  brought 
back  goods  and  supplies  for  the  use  of  his  patrons  and 
for  the  people  of  Pembina  generally.  The  trail  from 
Pembina  down  to  the  Otter  Tail  was  always  a  few 
miles  east  of  the  river. 

The  new  route  crossed  the  Red  Lake  River  near  and 
west  of  Fisher.  This  passage  way  was  long  known 
as  "the  Old  Crossing  of  the  Red  Lake  River."  It 
crossed  Sand  Hill  River  near  Beltrami.  It  passed 
through  the  western  part  of  Polk  County  from  north 
to  south  a  distance  of  about  50  miles.  This  was  called 
the  "western  route,"  to  distinguish  it  from  others.  It 
was  also  called  the  Kittson  Trail,  the  Half  Breed  Trail, 
and  the  Crow  Wing  Trail.  One  reason  for  its  selec- 
tion by  Mr.  Kittson,  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
most  direct,  was  that  it  avoided  the  route  by  Big  Stone 
Lake  and  Traverse  des  Sioux,  the  country  of  the  Sioux 
Indians,  who  were  in  a  chronic  state  of  deadly  hos- 
tility against  the  Chippewas,  including  Kittson's 
mixed-blood  cart  drivers.  The  latter  were  whole- 
somely in  fear  of  their  old  enemies  and  struck  against 
being  employed  among  them.  In  time  the  upper  Red 
River  traders,  who  did  business  with  the  Sioux  sent 
their  trains  down  the  Minnesota  Valley  and  brought 
back  goods  and  supplies. 

This  route  was  selected  by  Wm.  Hallett,  a  noted 
scout  and  trader  of  the  region  acting  for  Mr.  Kitt- 
son. For  a  long  time  it  served  its  purpose  well.  Maj. 
Woods  and  Lieut.  Castor,  with  the  dragoons  of  Capt. 
Pope 's  party,  came  over  it  in  August  and  September, 
1850.  Capt.  Pope  shows  it  on  his  map  accompanying 
his  official  report,  and  the  map  shows  where  Maj. 
Woods  and  the  dragoons  encamped  every  night.  It 
crossed  the  Red  Lake  River  apparently  seven  miles 


48 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


from  the  mouth.  The  map  also  shows  the  trail  on  the 
Dakota  side  which  the  partj-  followed  in  going  up, 
but  lays  down  no  other  trails  in  the  lower  Red  River 
than  it  and  the  one  mentioned  as  on  the  east  side. 
The  latter  is  labeled  by  Capt.  Pope  as  "the  Half 
Breed  Trail."  In  his  report  Major  "Woods  says  as  to 
the  route  he  and  the  dragoons  followed  on  the  return 
from  Pembina: 

The  route  we  followed  is  well  known  and  traveled 
every  summer  by  large  "trains"  of  carts  from  the 
Red  River  settlements.  »  •  *  "We  left  Pembina 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  of  August  on  our  return, 
and  had  for  about  15  miles  the  same  difficulties  to  con- 
tend with  that  we  encountered  going  out ;  but  at  this 
point  the  prairie  began  to  improve.  There  had  evi- 
dently not  been  so  much  rain  as  at  Pembina,  and  25 
or  30  miles  farther  on  the  roads  became  good  and  we 
traveled  without  any  serious  interruptions,  averaging 
more  than  tiventy  miles  a  day  until  we  reached  Fort 
Snelling  the  18th  of  September,  1849.  "We  made  the 
distance  from  Pembina  to  Fort  Snelling,  coming  down, 
471  measured  miles,  in  231^4  days.  We  were  57  days 
going  up.  (Wood's  Report,  p.  21;  Exec.  Doc.  No.  51, 
31st  Cong.,  1st  Sess.) 

"We  have  other  evidence  that  the  old  Kittson  Trail 
was  identical  with  the  "western  trail,"  the  "old 
Crow  Wing  Trail,"  and  the  "Half  Breed  Trail" 
mapped  by  Capt.  Pope.  In  1859  the  late  Capt.  Rus- 
sell Blakeley  and  others,  who  were  engaged  in  open- 
ing the  Red  River  to  commerce,  went  from  George- 
town by  way  of  this  trail  to  Pembina.  In  "Vol.  8  of 
the  Minn.  Hist.  Socy.  Collections,  p.  55,  Capt.  Blake- 
ley says: 

•  •  *  We  resumed  our  journey  by  way  of  the 
old  Kittson  trail,  the  location  of  which  can  be  found 
on  the  map  of  Capt.  John  Pope,  in  his  report  of  the 
topographical  survey  of  the  Tei-ritory,  in  1849. 

Other  early  and  reliable  authorities  confirm  the 
statement  of  Capt.  Blakeley,  that  the  line  marked  by 
Capt.  Pope  as  the  "Half  Breed  Trail,"  and  which 
ran  only  a  few  miles  east  of  Red  River,  was  identical 
with  the  old  "Kittson  Trail,"  opened  by  Wm.  Hallett 
in  1844.  But  this  trail  was  at  least  partially  aban- 
doned in  about  1858  (or  perhaps  in  1860)  and  wholly 
disrused  after  the  Civil  war. 


When  it  was  first  followed,  it  was  used  only  in  the 
early  spring,  in  August,  and  in  the  late  fall.  At  such 
times  the  gi'ound  was  frozen  in  the  spring  and  fall  and 
dry  in  the  late  summer,  and  could  be  easily  traversed ; 
at  other  times  the  muddy  and  swampy  conditions  of 
the  Red  River  bottoms  rendered  this  route  impassable. 
In  April,  before  the  ground  had  thawed,  the  carts 
came  down  with  the  furs  of  the  winter's  hunt,  and 
soon  returned  with  supplies.  In  the  late  fall  they 
came  down  en  route  to  St.  Paul  for  the  trader's  win- 
ter supplies.  IMaj.  Woods  and  his  dragoons  came 
down  late  in  Augiist  and  the  first  part  of  September, 
when  the  rains  were  over,  and  the  major  says  that  15 
miles  from  Pembina  the  road  was  good.  He  had  sev- 
eral wagons,  in  which  his  provisions  and  baggage  were 
transported,  and  thej'  were  easily  hauled  along. 

Manton  Marble,  a  noted  American  journalist,  for  a 
long  time  editor  of  the  New  York  World,  made  with  a 
party,  a  tour  of  Minnesota  and  the  northern  part  of 
North  Dakota  in  the  summer  and  early  fall  of  1858. 
He  went  down  the  river  from  Georgetown  to  Pembina 
on  the  west  or  Dakota  side,  but  returned  via  the  old 
Kittson  (or  Pope)  trail,  on  the  Minnesota.  Appar- 
ently he  crossed  the  Red  Lake  River  near  where  Fisher 
now  is.  In  the  February,  1861,  number  of  Harper's 
Magazine  he  presents  a  descriptive  illustrated  sketch 
of  the  crossing  of  the  little  river  by  his  party;  he 
both  wrote  and  illustrated  the  article,  for  he  was  a 
good  artist  and  an  accomplished  penman.  He  made 
a  fine  sketch  of  where  his  party  crossed  the  Red  Lake, 
and  this  sketch  clearly  shows  a  scene  resembling  the 
topography  near  Fisher,  with  no  boulders  or  other 
features  such  as  are  seen  near  Huot,  but  with  heavy 
timber,  high  banks,  etc.  In  describing  the  situation, 
Mr.  Marble  wrote : 

Red  Lake  River  is  the  largest  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Red  River,  excepting  only  the  Assiniboine. 
•  *  *  It  is  itself  the  main  stream.  We  came  to  its 
banks  one  afternoon  at  the  spot  figured  in  the  sketch 
here  given,  dined,  and  then  attempted  the  passage. 
The  water  was  higii  and  the  river  wide.  By  wading 
it  on  horseback,  we  soon  found  the  easiest  spot  to 
cross.  It  was  necessary  to  enter  the  stream  from  a 
projecting  spot  of  land,  make  head  against  its  cur- 


==?? 


THE   OLD   CROSSING   OF   EED   LAKE   RIVER,   NEAR  FISHER,   IN  1858 

From   a   sketch  made   by  Mauton   Marble   in    tlie  summer  of  1858  aurl  priuted  in  Harper's 

Magazine  for  January,  1861. 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


49 


rent  for  a  few  rods,  then  turn  where  the  deep  chan- 
nel was  narrowest,  wade  through  it,  and  keep  on  a  long 
shallow  bar  to  the  opposite  shore.  The  force  of  the 
current  in  the  deepest  part  was  more  than  any  but 
a  strong  man  could  stand  against;  and,  to  wade,  even 
over  the  shallow  bar,  was  like  forcing  one's  legs 
through  dry  sand. 

The  party  had  great  trouble  in  getting  their  cart, 
with  the  provisions  and  baggage  on  it,  across  the 
stream.  The  water  was  too  deep  to  haul  the  stuff 
in  the  cart,  and  so  the  latter  was  floated  across  and 
the  provisions  and  baggage  carried  over  on  the  men's 
shoulders.  This  was  on  September  23  (1858),  when 
the  trail  was  dry  but  the  Red  Lake  River  was  at  a  good 
stage  where  the  crossing  was  made.  Apparently, 
under  the  conditions  .stated,  this  crossing  was  near 
Fisher.* 

In  the  early  years  of  the  decade  of  1850 — say,  in 
about  1855 — the  Red  River  cart  trade  had  increased 
to  such  proportions  that  trips  had  to  be  made  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  except  in  very  cold  weather. 
The  old  Kitt.son  trail,  on  the  east  side  of  and  only 
a  few  miles  from  the  Red  River,  was  practically  im- 
passable during  many  months,  by  reason  of  watery, 
muddy,  and  swampy  condition.  At  the  breaking  up 
of  the  river  in  the  spring  it  overflowed  its  banks  and 
sometimes  its  swollen  current  was  more  than  a  mile 
wide.  On  such  occasions  several  Aveeks  of  clear  and 
warm  weather  were  required  for  the  waters  to  sub- 
side and  the  mud  to  dry  so  that  the  carts  could  pass 
down  the  valley. 

Supplies  were  demanded  by  the  traders  at  all  sea- 
sons, and  in  almost  every  month,  and  Kittson  and  his 
chief  lieutenant,  Joe  Rolette,  were  forced  to  procure 
them  from  Fort  Snelling  and  St.  Paul,  the  headquar- 


*  Too  late  for  inserting  in  the  proper  place,  Hon.  Win.  Watts 
writes  to  the  compiler:  "There  was  an  old  trail  that  crossed 
Red  Lake  Elver  about  a  mile  west  of  Fisher;  hut  in  the 
Reventies,  when  settlers  first  came  this  way,  the  survivors  said 
that  this  trail  did  not  seem  to  have  been  much  traveled.  In 
this  respect,  they  said,  it  was  in  very  marked  contrast  to  what 
was  known  as  the  Pembina  Trail,  which  crossed  Red  Lake 
River  near  Huot. "  Of  course,  as  the  trail  had  been  abandoned 
for  at  least  ten  years  and  had  never  been  graded  or  otherwise 
improved,  it  soon  fell  into  decay  and  obliteration,  and  to  the 
settlers  from  1878  to  1880  did  present  the  aj^pearance  of  infre- 
quent use. — Compiler. 


ters  of  the  Chouteau  Company  with  which  they  were 
allied.  A  new  route  for  the  cart  trains  which  should 
be  traversable  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year  was 
demanded — and  secured.  Just  who  established  it,  or 
first  passed  over  it,  cannot  now  be  .stated.  Nor  can  it 
be  said  with  certainty  when  it  was  established.  But 
upon  its  definite  location  it  ran  eastward  for  some 
distance  until  it  crossed  the  valley  and  then  went  up 
on  the  permanent  di"y  land  and  then  went  south- 
ward until  after  it  had  crossed  the  Red  Lake,  the  Sand 
Hill,  and  other  rivers  to  Detroit  Lake,  etc.  Lieutenant 
Governor  John  Schultz,  of  Manitoba,  went  over  this 
trail  in  1860,  and  (in  his  pamphlet  on  "the  Crow 
Wing  Trail,"  in  the  Collections  of  the  Manitoba  His- 
torical Society  for  1904)  he  says  that  it  "went  from 
Pembina  across  to  the  country  eastward."  He  de- 
scribes this  country  as  "of  fine  gravel  ridges,  running 
north  and  south,  with  willow  and  balsam  poplar 
trees."  It  was  said  to  extend  from  Snake  to  Sand 
Hill  River,  when  another  sort  of  country  was  entered 
upon.  It  then  went  successively  to  Detroit,  Rush,  and 
Otter  Tail  Lakes,  thence  eastward,  along  the  Leaf 
River,  to  the  Crow  Wing  River,  and  thence  down  the 
latter  to  Crow  Wing. 

This  new  route  could  not  have  been  the  "old"  Crow 
Wing  Trail,  except  in  part.  There  seems  to  have 
been  no  map  made  of  it  until  in  1865.  It  was  called 
the  "Crow  Wing  Trail,"  but  not  the  "Old"  trail  of 
that  name  for  many  years  afterward.  It  was  called, 
at  least  in  later  years,  by  Polk  County  people  the 
"Pembina  Trail."  It  crossed  the  Red  Lake  River  near 
where  is  now  situated  the  village  of  Huot,  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  Red  Lake  County,  whereas  the 
' '  old ' '  trail  crossed  near  the  site  of  Fisher.  From  the 
upper  or  Huot  crossing,  the  new  trail  passed  through 
the  central  part  of  Polk  County  southward  about  26 
miles,  and  is  now  part  of  a  judicial  highway.  It 
crossed  the  Sand  Hill  River  near  Fertile,  while  the 
old  trail  crossed  near  the  site  of  Beltrami. 

In  addition  to  the  two  trails  here  mentioned.  Gov- 
ernor Schultz,  in  the  pamphlet  heretofoi-e  mentioned, 
says  that  in  I860,  when  he  explored  the  country,  there 


50 


COMPENDIU.AI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


were  three  others  in  this  region,  viz. :  (1)  The  military, 
stage,  and  early  Red  River  steamboat  route,  from 
St.  Paul  to  Breekenridge  and  Georgetown,  and  then 
down  the  Red  River  to  Fort  Garry.  (2)  The  Breck- 
enridge  Flats  route,  which  skirted  the  west  bank  of 
the  Red  River  from  Pembina  to  the  junction  of  the 
Sioux  Woo<l  and  the  Red,  crossing  the  latter  either  at 
Georgetown  or  Fort  Abercrombie  (McCauleyville), 
and  then  across  the  Breekenridge  Flats  to  Otter  Tail 
Ford,  and  entered  tlie  rolling,  lake-dotted  country  in- 
terveniug  between  that  ford  and  St.  Cloud.  (3)  The 
mail-carriers,  dog-train  route,  used  only  during  the 
winter  montlis.  It  crossed  the  Red  River  at  Pembina, 
passed  on  to  Red  Lake,  which  it  crossed  on  the  ice; 
then  from  this  big  lake  it  went  south,  over  the  ice  of 
many  other  lakes,  to  and  across  Leech  Lake ;  then,  by 
way  of  sundry  other  lakes,  all  of  which  were  crossed 
on  the  ice,  to  Crow  Wing;  thence  down  the  Missis- 
sippi to  Port  Ripley,  Sauk  Rapids,  and  St.  Anthony 
to  St.  Paul.  Of  the  "old"  Crow  Wing  trail.  Gov. 
Sehultz  says: 

It  was  opened  in  1844  by  Wm.  Hallett  for  the 
trader,  Norman  Kittson,  whose  trains  having  been 
attacked  by  the  Sioux  when  on  their  way  to  St.  Paul 
via  Lake  Traverse  and  Traverse  des  Sioux,  sought 
safety  by  thereafter  taking  the  new  route.  Many 
miles  of  this  trail  had  to  be  cut  through  the  Big  Woods 
country. 

As  stated,  in  1844,  when  the  first  cart  traiu  was 
composed  of  six  carts,  it  carried  $2,000  worth  of 
furs.  In  1850  the  carts  brought  down  to  St.  Paul 
$15,000  worth  and  carried  back  $10,000  worth  of 
goods.  In  1851  there  came  to  St.  Paul  102  carts,  but 
in  1857  there  came  about  500.  In  1858  there  were 
612  and  nearly  all  were  from  the  Red  River  Valle.y. 
When  St.  Paul  was  laid  out,  in  1849,  the  destination 
of  the  carts  and  tlieir  loads  was  changed  from  Men- 
dota  to  St.  Paul,  which  had  been  made  the  capital 
of  the  new  Minnesota  Territory,  and  then  had  stores 
and  shops  and  a  big  warehouse  built  by  the  Fur  Com- 
pany, which  then  belonged  to  Pierre  Chouteau,  Jr., 
&  Company,  of  St.  Louis.  In  1859  the  steamer  Anson 
Northup   was   running  on  the   Red   River   between 


Georgetown  and  Fort  Garry  and  it  carried  tons  of 
furs  for  the  Red  River  traders  as  far  as  to  its  southern 
terminus.  Not  all  of  the  Polk  County  ti-aders  patron- 
ized the  cart  lines,  for  some  of  them  were  in  the  Hud- 
son's Baj'  Company's  service  and  were  forced  to 
ship  their  furs  to  the  markets  of  the  world  by  the 
way  of  Hudson's  Bay. 

In  1858  the  value  of  furs  received  at  St.  Paul  from 
all  sources  was  $161,022,  but  in  1863,  when  the  Sioux 
in  Dakota  were  hostile,  the  value  increa.sed  to  $250,- 
000  and  half  of  the  amount  received  came  from  the 
Red  River  Valley.  (See  Williams'  Hist,  of  St.  Paul, 
pp.  304  et  seq.)  The  trade  was  of  great  advantage  to 
St.  Paul.  Nearly  all  of  the  money  paid  for  the  furs 
on  their  arrival  in  St.  Paul  would  be  spent  in  the 
town,  and  the  supply  of  circulating  medium  would 
be,  at  least  for  a  time,  abundant  and  of  great  value. 
And  there  was  a  valuable  feature  about  this  medium. 
The  Red  River  men  sold  and  bought  for  coin  only, 
gold  and  silver,  nearly  all  of  American  coinage,  with 
occasionally  English  sovereigns  which  were  in  demand 
on  Red  River. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  we  cannot  now  pre- 
sent the  names  of  the  traders  then  living  in  what 
is  now  Polk  County  that  were  interested  in  the  Red 
River  cart  trains.  One  fact  may  be  derived  from 
this  circumstance — they  did  not  grow  rich  from  the 
trade  or  famous  in  any  way.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  misinformation  extant  concerning  the  profits  made 
by  the  Minnesota  fur  traders  from  their  transactions. 
It  has  been  often  asserted  that  they  swindled  the 
"poor  Indians"  shamefully  out  of  their  skins  and 
pelts  and  made  enormous  profits.  And  yet  only  three 
or  four  of  the  old  Minnesota  traders  grew  wealthy. 
We  well  know  who  these  men  were.  Norman  W.  Kitt- 
son was  one,  Henry  M.  Rice,  Gov.  H.  H.  Sibley,  and 
Louis  Robert  were  the  others  that  made  respectable 
accumulations.  Yet  these  men  made  but  very  little 
comparatively  out  of  tlie  fur  business.  By  far  the 
greater  part  of  their  holdings  came  from  their  profits 
in  real  estate  transactions.     They  bought  Minnesota 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


51 


lauds  when   they   were   cheap   and  afterwards   sold 
them  at  handsome  profits. 

MAJOR   wood's   and   CAPTAIN   JOHN    POPE 'S   EXPEDITION 
TO  PEMBINA   IN   1849. 

In  the  summer  of  1849  an  expedition,  half  military 
and  half  investigatory,  went  from  Fort  Snelling  to 
I'embina,  made  a  thorough  examination  and  a  report 
thereon  upon  the  intervening  country,  and  gave  to 
the  world  much  information.  The  expedition  was 
composed  of  about  50  men,  nearly  all  in  the  military 
service.  The  commander  was  Major  Samuel  Woods, 
of  the  Sixth  U.  S.  Infantry  (from  Fort  Snelling), 
and  under  him  were  Second  Lieut.  A.  D.  Nelson,  who 
was  the  expedition  "s  quartermaster  and  commissary ; 
Brevet-Capt.  John  Pope,  of  the  U.  S.  Topographical 
Engineers,  who  had  been  directed  to  make  a  thorough 
survey  of  the  couuti-y,  and  Lieutenants  J.  W.  T.  Gardi- 
ner and  T.  F.  Castor,  who  were  in  direct  command 
of  40  men  of  Company  D  of  the  First  Regiment  of 
the  U.  S.  Dragoons,  acting  as  escort.  There  were  also 
Dr.  Craig,  a  surgeon,  and  Basil  Beaulieu,  the  guide, 
with  some  other  civilians  connected  with  the  ex- 
pedition. 

Tlie  chief  object  of  the  expedition  was  to  select  the 
site  for  two  or  more  forts,  to  be  built  so  as  best  to 
protect  the  country  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany's traders  (who  were  coming  upon  Minnesota 
Territory  and  appropriating  the  fur  trade,  mainly  by 
selling  and  giving  whiskey  to  the  Indians),  and  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  bad  practices  of  Hudson's  Bay  em- 
jiloyes,  who  were  wont  to  raid  upon  northern  Min- 
nesota and  North  Dakota  soil  and  kill  off  the  buf- 
faloes by  thousands. 

The  expedition  took  what  was  called  "the  middle 
route  to  Red  Rivei*,"  and  which  left  the.  Mississippi 
at  Sauk  Rapids,  76  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Min- 
nesota, and  intersected  the  Red  River  near  its  most 
southern  point,  at  tlie  mouth  of  the  Bois  des  Sioux, 
or  Sioux  Wood  River.  It  crossed  the  Red  about  ten 
miles  north  of  the  Sionx  Wood  and  then  pursued  a 
route    down    and    parallel    with    the    river,    on    the 


Dakota  or  west  side,  to  Pembina.  Retui'ning  Capt. 
Pope  and  a  small  party  came  in  canoes  up  the  Red 
River  from  Pembina  to  the  Otter  Tail  River,  thence 
up  that  river  to  Otter  Tail  Lake,  then  through  that 
and  other  lakes  and  streams  and  by  a  portage  to  the 
Crow  Wing  River,  down  it  to  the  Mississippi,  and 
thence  to  St.  Anthony's  Falls  and  Fort  Snelling. 

Going  up,  the  party  left  Sauk  Rapids  June  16  and 
arrived  at  Pembina  August  1.  The  trip  was  without 
special  incident  save  that  the  mosquitoes  were  extra- 
ordinarily voracious  and  annoying,  that  numerous 
severe  electrical  storms  were  encountered,  especially 
at  Lightning  Lake,  and  that  travel  was  toilsome.  At 
the  Rabbit  River  the  party  met  25  Red  River  carts 
from  Pembina,  in  charge  of  a  member  of  the  Selkirk 
Colony,  laden  with  furs  and  pemmican,  and  on  the 
way  to  the  market  at  "St.  Paul's,"  as  the  place  was 
then  called.  Ten  miles  further  north  they  met  65 
more  carts,  similarly  laden  and  with  the  same  desti- 
nation and  in  charge  of  Noimian  W.  Kittson,  the 
trader  at  Pembina,  and  to  whom  all  the  furs  men- 
tioned belonged. 

On  the  return  trip  Maj.  Woods  and  Lieut.  Castor, 
with  the  dragoons,  passed  through  what  is  now  Polk 
County  from  north  to  south.  In  his  report  Maj. 
Woods  describes  the  country  north  and  south  of  the 
Red  Lake  River  as  "naturally  fine  and  fertile"  and 
adapted  to  agricultural  purposes,  although  perhaps 
"too  far  north  for  corn  of  the  present  varieties." 
Capt.  Pope  stopped  at  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Lake 
River  and  computed  the  latitude  to  be  47  degrees,  48 
minutes,  and  8  seconds  north.  He  too  was  of  opinion, 
"that  the  climate  of  the  Valley  of  the  Red  River 
would  be  too  severe  and  the  seasons  too  short  for  the 
successful  cultivation  of  corn,  but  all  other  grains 
would  be  produced  most  abundantly."  The  Captain 
further  said  that  the  only  valid  objection  to  the  Val- 
ley as  a  wheat  country  was  its  distance  from  mar- 
ket; but,  to  remove  this  obstacle,  he  recommended 
that  Congress  make  grants  of  land  in  aid  of  the  con- 
struction of  railroads  from  the  head  of  navigation 
on  the  Red  River  eastward  to  Lake  Superior  and 


52 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


from  the  same  liuad  "to  the  Mississippi  below  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony."  He  referred  to  the  extensive 
wild  rice  fields  in  the  Red  Lake  River  region,  and 
thought  that  large  quantities  of  rice  and  maple  sugar 
produced  here  might  profitably  be  sent  to  market 
over  these  roads  when  they  should  be  constructed. 

At  the  time  of  Maj.  Wood's  and  Capt.  Pope's  ex- 
pedition the  Territory  of  ^linnesota  had  been  re- 
cently organized.  It  embraced  all  the  country  lying 
to  the  north  and  west  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  con- 
taining about  160,000  square  miles.  Capt.  Pope 
noted  that  of  this  great  expanse,  the  country  lying 
west  of  the  valleys  of  the  St.  Peter's  (Minnesota) 
and  the  Red  River,  "is  still  unexplored."  The  two 
oflScers  reported  that  the  head  of  navigation  of  the 
Red  River  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Sioux  Wood  River.  At  the  latter  point  they  recom- 
mended the  establishment  of  a  military  post;  but 
when  Fort  Abererombie  was  built,  some  nine  years 
later,  it  Avas  established  several  miles  to  the  north- 
ward, on  the  Dakota  side,  nearly  opposite  MeCauley- 
ville.  They  also  recommended  that  a  post  be  estab- 
lished at  Pembina  and  this  was  afterward  done. 

During  the  Civil  War,  Capt.  John  Pope  became  a 
major  general  in  the  Union  Anny ;  but  after  his  dis- 
astrous defeat  at  Second  Bull  Run  he  was  sent  to 
the  Northwest  to  conduct  the  military  operations 
against  the  Sioux  Indians  during  the  great  outbreak 
of  1862. 

HOW  POLK   COUNTY   WAS  OBTAINED  FROM   THE   INDIANS. 

The  region  in  which  Polk  County  is  situated  was, 
upon  the  advent  of  civilization  in  this  quarter,  and 
for  a  long  time  thereafter,  conceded  to  belong  to  the 
Chippewa  (or  Ojibway)  tribe  of  Indians.  The  Polk 
County  country  was  obtained  by  treaties  made  with 
them  at  different  times  by  the  United  States  author- 
ities. 

The  first  treaty  for  the  cession  of  the  country  was 
made  by  the  old  Pillager  Band  of  Chippewas  with 
Territorial  Governor  Alexander  Ramsey,  who  was 
accompanied  by  ten  other  civilians,  at  Pembina,  in 


the  early  autumn  of  1851.  Gov.  Ramsey  and  party, 
with  a  military  escort  of  25  dragoons  fi'om  Fort 
Snelliug,  left  St.  Paul  August  18  and  returned 
October  28.  By  this  Pembina  treaty  the  Chippewas 
ceded  to  the  United  States  a  tract  on  the  lower  Red 
River  150  miles  in  length  by  65  miles  in  width,  and 
which  was  fairly  divided  from  north  to  south  by  that 
river.  The  noi-thern  boundary  of  the  cession  was  the 
49th  parallel  of  latitude  and  the  southern  boundary 
was  Goose  River  on  the  west  side  and  Buffalo  River 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Red  River.  The  Government 
was  to  pay  the  Indians  $30,000  cash  in  hand,  and 
$10,000  a  year  for  twenty  years  as  the  purchase  price. 
But  the  U.  S.  Senate  refused  to  confirm  this  treaty 
and  therefore  it  never  went  into  effect,  to  the  great 
disappointment  of  both  the  Pembina  settlers  and  the 
Pillager  Chippewas.  (Minn,  in  Three  Cents.  Vol.  2, 
p.  325.) 

THE   TREATY   OP   "THE  OLD  CROSSING   OF  THE  RED   LAKE 
RIVER. ' ' 

Not  until  in  1863  did  Congress  order  another  treaty 
with  the  northwestern  Minnesota  Chippewas.  This 
treaty  was  ordered  held  "at  the  old  crossing  of  the 
Red  Lake  River."  The  probabilities  all  are  that 
Congress  meant  the  site  of  the  treaty  to  be  the  cross- 
ing of  the  old  Kittson  Trail,  the  trail  mapped  by 
Capt.  Pope,  since  that  was  the  first  Red  River  cart 
trail,  the  old  trail  of  1844.  This  crossing  was  near 
the  present  site  of  Fisher,  perhaps  a  little  to  the  west- 
ward. There  being  in  1863  two  crossings  of  the  Red 
Lake  River,  Congress  particularly  designated  the 
"old"  crossing  as  the  council  ground. 

Yet  the  treaty  was  not  held  at  the  "old"  crossing, 
but  at  the  crossing  of  the  new  trail,  up  near  the  site 
of  Iluot,  in  Red  Lake  County.  At  the  time  that  was 
the  crossing  best  known,  and  probably  this  was  the 
reason  for  its  use.  June  8,  1914,  the  people  of  the 
country  celebrated  the  event  by  a  large  meeting  at 
which  appropriate  exercises  were  held  and  an  endur- 
ing monument  placed  in  position.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion that  this  is  the  place  where  the  treaty  was  held. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


53 


since  it  must  be  presumed  that  the  participants  in 
the  celebration  knew  the  facts  and  what  they  were 
doing.  A  soldier,  Benjamin  Dolbec,  of  the  Mounted 
Rangers,  who  was  present  at  the  treaty  was  also  pres- 
ent at  the  celebration.  The  preamble  to  the  treaty 
says  it  was  made  at  the  "old  crossing,"  but  it  cer- 
tainly seems  that  this  is  a  mistake. 

At  all  events,  on  October  2,  1863,  while  war  with 
the  Sioux  to  the  westward  was  yet  being  waged,  the 
treaty  was  concluded.  The  Government  commission- 
ers were  the  then  Senator  Alexander  Ramsey  and 
Ashley  C.  Morrill,  representing  the  Government,  and 
the  Chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  Pembina  and  Red 
Lake  bands  of  Chippewas  for  the  cession  of  a  large 
tract  of  country  containing  Polk  County.  The 
boundaries  of  the  country  so  acquired  were  these: 

Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  international 
boundary  with  the  Lake  of  the  Woods;  thence,  in  a 
southwesterly  direction,  to  the  head  of  Thief  River; 
thence  down  Thief  River  to  its  mouth;  thence  south- 
easterly, in  a  direct  line,  toward  the  head  of  Wild 
Rice  River  to  the  boundary  of  a  former  cession  (1855) 
by  certain  bands  of  Chippewas;  thence  along  the 
boundary  of  said  cession  of  1855  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Wild  Rice;  thence  up  the  channel  of  the  Red  River 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Sheyenne;  thence  up  the  Shey- 
enne  to  Stump  Lake  ["Place  of  Stumps,"  otherwise 
called  Lake  Chicot],  near  the  eastern  extremity  of 
Devil 's  Lake ;  thence  north  to  the  international  bound- 
ary and  thence  eastward  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

Thus  the  territory  acquired  embraced  practically 
all  of  the  Red  River  Valley  in  Minnesota  and  Dakota, 
except  a  small  portion  previously  ceded,  and  was 
estimated  to  contain  11,000,000  acres.  The  treaty, 
with  certain  amendments,  was  ratified  by  the  Senate 
March  1,  1864,  the  Indians  assented  to  the  amend- 
ments in  April  following,  and  President  Lincoln  con- 
firmed it  May  5. 

As  finally  confirmed,  the  treaty  provided  that  the 
Indians  should  receive  for  their  lands  ceded  as  above 
$10,000  annually  to  the  Red  Lake  band  and  $5,000 
to  the  Pembina  band,  to  be  distributed  equally  per 


capita  among  the  members  of  the  band.  The  Govern- 
ment also  agreed  to  expend  annually,  for  fifteen  years 
$8,000  for  the  Red  Lake  band  and  $4,000  for  the 
Pembina  band  in  the  purchase  of  fishnet  twine,  dress 
goods,  blankets,  provisions,  farming  tools,  etc.  The 
Government  also  agreed  to  furnish  each  band  for 
fifteen  years  with  a  blacksmith,  a  physician,  a  miller, 
and  a  farmer,  as  also  $1,500  worth  of  steel  and  iron 
and  other  articles  for  blacksmithing  purposes  and 
$1,000  for  carpentering. 

The  treaty  made  by  Ramsey  and  Morrill,  at  the 
"Old  Crossing  of  the  Red  Lake  River,"  in  1863,  pro- 
vided that  the  Chippewa  contracting  parties  should 
' '  not  be  held  liable  to  punishment  for  past  offenses. ' ' 
This  clause  referred  to  an  incident  which  occurred 
at  the  "Old  Crossing"  of  the  Red  Lake  River  the 
previous  year,  and  which  may  here  be  described. 

The  treaty  of  1863  with  the  Chippewas  was  origi- 
nally ordered  and  planned  to  be  held  in  August,  1862. 
In  his  report  of  Indian  affairs  in  Minnesota  for  that 
year  Superintendent  Clark  W.  Thompson,  says  that 
the  Chippewas  of  Red  Lake  and  Pembina  were  noti- 
fied to  "collect  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bed  Lake  River 
(italics  compiler's),  on  the  25th  of  August,  1862." 
There  they  were  to  meet  the  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  Government  for  their  lands  and  the  right  of 
navigation  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  "The  In- 
dians assembled  at  or  tiear  the  point  designated" 
(italics  compiler's),  says  Superintendent  Thompson, 
"but  the  Commissioners  were  unable  to  meet  them." 
They  had  started  up  from  St.  Paul  and  reached  St. 
Cloud  on  the  19th  of  August,  and  the  next  day  re- 
ceived the  news  of  the  great  Sioux  uprising  of  that 
season,  and  also  learned  that  Chief  Hole-in-the-Day 
and  some  other  Chippewas  were  acting  menacingly 
and  threateningly.  The  commissioners  therefore 
feared  to  go  farther  up  into  the  Indian  country  at 
the  time,  and  turned  back  to  St.  Paul. 

The  Indians  waited  until  they  had  consumed  all  the 
provisions  they  had  with  them,  and  all  they  could  pro- 
cure in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Kittson  was  then  passing 
through  towards  Pembina  with  about  $25,000  worth 


r' 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


54 

of  goods,  a  portion  of  which  belonged  to  British  sub- 
jects, agents  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  Some 
of  the  goods  consisted  of  flour,  canned  goods,  etc., 
and  the  hungry  Indians  at  once  seized  them  and  every- 
thing else  eatable,  and  finally  took  of  the  stores  any- 
thing and  everything  they  wanted.  They  said  to  Kitt- 
son that  they  knew  he  was  their  friend,  but  that  for 
a  long  time  he  and  other  traders  had  traveled  through 
the  Indian  country  without  paying  anything  for  the 
privilege  and  they  were  determined  that  the  white 
men  should  no  longer  use  their  trails  as  thoroughfares, 
unless  the  owners  of  the  country,  the  Chippewa  In- 
dians, should  be  paid  for  the  trespass.  They  said  they 
would  take  and  use  the  goods  before  them  as  a  part 
payment  for  what  was  due  them.  They  finally  prom- 
ised that  if  the  United  States  would  make  a  treaty 
with  them,  either  that  or  the  following  year,  they 
would  consent  to  pay  for  them  out  of  any  sum  prom- 
ised them  in  the  treaty  for  their  lands.  This  promise 
they  kept  when  the  treaty  was  made. 

The  "Old  Crossing"  treaty  provided  that  $100,000 
should  be  appropriated  to  the  Indians  to  "make  com- 
pensation to  said  injured  parties  [the  traders  that 
owned  the  seized  goods]  for  the  depredations  com- 
mitted upon  them."  Some  of  the  goods,  while  they 
were  transported  by  Kittson's  carts,  really  belonged 
to  Hudson's  Bay  traders  about  Pembina. 

A  subsequent  treaty,  made  at  Washington  in  April, 
1864,  by  Clark  W.  Thompson  and  Ashley  C.  MorriU, 
as  representatives  of  the  Government,  and  the  chiefs, 
head  men,  and  principal  warriors  of  the  Red  Lake 
and  Pembina  bands  of  Chippewas,  amended  the  pro- 
vision in  the  "Old  Crossing"  treaty  above  quoted.  The 
amendment  provided  that  $25,000  of  the  $100,000 
mentioned  in  the  first  treaty  should  be  paid  to  the 
chiefs  of  the  bands  to  enable  them  to  purchase  pro- 
visions and  clothing  to  be  used  as  "presents  to  their 
people  upon  their  return  to  their  homes."  Of  this 
$25,000  there  was  to  be  $5,000  expended  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  head  chief,  May-dwa-gwa-no-nind.  From 
the  $75,000  remaining,  the  injured  traders  and  the 
steamboat  people  were  to  be  paid,  and  then  if  any 


further  sum  remained  it  was  to  be  paid  for  the  debts 
of  the  Indians  which  had  accrued  since  January  1, 
1859. 

Scrip  for  160  acres  of  the  land  ceded  by  the  treaty 
was,  by  the  Old  Crossing  treaty,  to  be  issued  to  every 
mixed  blood  of  the  bands  "who  has  adopted  the 
habits  and  customs  of  civilized  life  and  is  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States;"  but  this  restriction  as  to  citi- 
zenship, etc.,  was  stricken  out  by  the  Washington 
treaty,  so  that  any  mixed  blood,  whether  civilized  or 
not,  was  entitled  to  scrip  for  160  acres  of  the  ceded 
laud  as  a  homestead ;  but  if  they  accepted  the  scrip 
and  located  it,  then  it  was  to  be  "accepted  by  said 
mixed  bloods  in  lieu  of  all  future  claims  for  annui- 
ties." 

There  was  to  be  set  apart  from  the  tract  ceded  a 
reservation  of  640  acres  near  the  mouth  of  the  Thief 
River  for  Moose  Dung,  a  chief  of  the  Red  Lakers, 
and  a  like  reservation  of  640  acres  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Pembina  River,  for  Red  Bear,  a  chief  of  the 
Pembina  band.  In  recent  years  an  extensive  saw- 
mill was  built  on  the  Moose  Dung  tract  and  there  was 
mueli  litigation  connected  with  the  acquirement  of  the 
site.    Article  6  of  the  "Old  Crossing"  treaty  reads: 

The  laws  of  the  United  States  now  in  force,  or 
that  may  hereafter  be  enacted,  prohibiting  the  intro- 
duction and  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  in  tlie  Indian 
countiy,  shall  be  in  full  force  and  effect  throughout 
the  country  hereby  ceded,  until  otherwise  directed 
by  Congress  or  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

This  provision  was  not  disturbed  by  the  Washing- 
ton treaty  made  by  Thompson  and  Morrill,  and  pro- 
hibitionists have  claimed  that  under  it  no  liquors  can 
be  sold  on  the  great  expanse  of  country  mentioned 
in  the  treaty.  It  will  be  noted,  however,  that  the 
temperance  provision  quoted  makes  no  reference  what- 
ever to  beer  or  any  other  malt  liquors,  nor  to  wines. 

Clark  W.  Thompson,  who  signed  the  treaty  at 
Washington,  was  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs 
for  the  Northwest.  For  a  number  of  yeare  he  lived 
at  Wells,  in  Faribault  County,  and  was  prominent  in 
Minnesota  affairs. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


55 


The  Indians  who  signed  the  treaty  made  by  Ram- 
sey and  Morrill  at  the  Old  Crossing  were  as  follows : 
Moose  Dung,  Crooked  Arm,  Little  Rock,  and  Leading 
Feather,  chiefs  of  the  Red  Lake  band ;  Red  Robe, 
Big  Man,  Four  Skies,  Falling  Wind,  and  Berry 
Hunter,  principal  warriors  of  the  Red  Lake  band. 
Representing  the  Pembina  band  were  Chiefs  Red 
Bear  and  Little  Shell,  and  Warriors  Wolverine, 
Joseph  Gornore,  and  Joseph  Moutreuil,  the  last  two 
mixed  bloods. 

It  was  Indian  war  time  when  the  Old  Crossing 
treaty  was  made,  and  Commissioners  Ramsey  and 
Morrill  had  a  formidable  military  escort  of  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery,  all  Minnesota  volunteers.  Some 
of  the  witnesses  to  the  Indian  signatures  were  Joseph 
A.  Wheelock,  the  commission's  secretary,  afterward 
the  well-known  editor  of  the  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press; 
Maj.  Geo.  A.  Camp,  Capt.  Wm.  T.  Rockwood,  and 
Surgeon  F.  Rieger,  of  the  Eighth  Minnesota  Infan- 
try ;  Capt.  P.  B.  Davy  and  Lieut.  L.  S.  Kidder,  Com- 
pany K,  First  Minnesota  Mounted  Rangers;  Lieut. 
G.  M.  Dwelle,  Third  Minnesota  Battery,  and  Pierre 


Bottineau,  the  famous  old  mixed-blood  scout.  Benj. 
Dolbec,  a  member  of  Capt.  Davy's  Company,  was 
present  at  both  the  treaty  and  the  celebration  and 
pointed  out  the  exact  site. 

At  Washington  and  the  treaty  of  April,  1864,  the 
Indian  signei's  of  the  amended  treaty  were  as  follows : 
From  the  Red  Lake  Band,  Head  Chief  May-dwa-gwa- 
no-nind  (or  One  Spoken  to)  and  Chiefs  Moose  Dung 
and  Little  Rock ;  Warriors  Leading  Feather,  the  Boy, 
Falling  Wind,  Little  Shoe,  White  Hair,  Straight  Bird, 
Makes  the  Earth  Tremble,  and  Bad  Boy.  From  the 
Pembina  Band,  Chief  Red  Bear  and  Warriors  Equal 
Sky  and  Wants  Feathers.  The  witnesses  for  the  In- 
dians were  Paul  H.  Beaulieu,  J.  G.  Morrison,  and 
Hon.  Peter  Roy,  interpreters;  for  the  United  States; 
T.  A.  Warren,  interpreter,  Chas.  E.  Gardell,  and 
Chas.  Bottineau.  All  of  the  witnesses  for  both  sides 
were  Chippewa  mixed  bloods. 

As  has  been  stated  the  treaty  was  held  near  the 
village  of  Huot,  which  was  first  called  Louisville. 
Both  names  were  derived  from  Louis  Huot,  the  pio- 
neer owner  of  the  site. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


EARLY  HISTORICAL  DATA  AFTER  1850. 

FIRST  NATIONAL  CENSUS — FROM  1850  TO  1860 — HUDSON'S   BAT   COMPANY   RETURNS  TO   MINNESOTA — BUILDINQ   OF 

FORT  ABERCROMBIE — CREATION  OF  POLK  COUNTY. 


In  Volume  II  of  Cooper  &  Company's  History  of 
the  Red  River  Valley  (Chicago,  1909),  appears  a 
chapter  descriptive  and  narrative  of  Polk  county.  It 
may  he  characterized  as  the  only  historical  sketch  of 
the  county  ever  published  in  imposing  form.  The 
article  was  written  and  revised  by  Hon.  William 
Watts,  of  Crookston,  and  therefore  may  be  regarded 
as  authoritative.  For  Judge  Watts  is  a  long-time  resi- 
dent of  the  county  and  well  versed  in  its  history  from 
its  beginning  as  an  organized  county,  and  even  long 
before.  It  is  well  that  he  consented  to  write  the 
article,  for  otherwise  much  of  the  record  of  the  county 
would  be  lost  and  not  preserved  in  convenient  and 
permanent  form. 

From  the  judge's  valuable  article  several  notes  of 
the  county's  history  have  been  extracted  and  used  as 
data  or  notes  for  the  present  volume.  Some  of  them 
have  been  quoted  literally,  but  the  majority  have  been 
used  practically  as  texts  or  suggestions  for  comment. 
For  example  he  speaks  of  the  old  Pembina  trail,  as 
' '  the  route  by  which  the  Hudson 's  Bay  Company  car- 
ried its  furs  and  mereliandise  between  the  Northwest 
and  St.  Paul  in  the  early  days,"  and  he  states  that 
although  the  famous  trail  passed  through  Polk  County 
the  Bay  Company  had  no  trading  post  within  its  bor- 
ders. The  fact  is  that  the  Bay  Company  never  used 
the  trail  "in  early  days,"  and  made  but  little  use 
of  it  at  any  time.  The  trail  was  inaugurated  in  1844 
by  Norman  W.  Kittson  (then  the  chief  factor  of  Chou- 
teau &  Company,  of  St.  Louis)  at  Pembina,  and  it  was 
used  almost  exclusively  by  him  and  his  sub-agents  up 
to  about  1854,  when  he  entered  into  partnership  witli 


Major  W.  H.  Forbes,  in  St.  Paul,  in  the  general  Indian 

trade  supply  business.     The  organization  was  called 

■'the  St.  Paul  Outfit."     The  Hudson's  Bay  Company 

first  used  the  trail  in  1858.    In  Harper's  Magazine  for 

January,  1859,  the  late  Dr.  R.  0.  Sweer/ey,  of  St.  Paul, 

wrote : 

*  *  *  The  past  season  over  800  Red  River 
carts,  loaded  with  furs  and  skins,  came  into  St.  Paul 
from  those  far  northwestern  valleys.  Even  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  have  at  last  availed  themselves  of 
the  superior  facilities  of  the  heretofore  ignored  routes 
to  our  market,  by  sending  last  season  over  60  packages 
of  furs  and  pelts,  taking  in  return  cattle,  mules,  and 
implements  of  agriculture. 

It  would  seem  that  60  packages,  or  about  3,000 
pounds,  would  not  constitute  but  a  very  small  portion 
of  the  cargoes  of  the  carts,  for  three  of  the  screaking 
but  stout  vehicles  could  easily  transport  3,000  pounds. 

FIRST    NATIONAL  CENSUS. 

From  1850  to  1860  there  was  some  development  and 
occupation  of  the  countrj^  within  the  present  limits  of 
Polk  county.  Indeed  it  seems  from  certain  known 
circumstances  that  settlements  were  made  in  different 
parts  of  the  country's  present  area  before  1850. 

In  1858,  when  Polk  County  was  created  by  the  Min- 
nesota Legislature,  its  declared  boundaries  included 
all  of  the  now  area  of  the  county,  and  also  the  follow- 
ing described  territory :  All  of  Pennington,  Red  Lake, 
Mahnomen,  Clearwater,  and  Norman  Counties;  the 
greater  part  off  the  north  half  of  Clay  County ;  twelve 
miles  of  the  northern  part  and  a  strip  three  sections 
long  from  north  to  south  by  one  section  wide  off  the 


56 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


57 


■west  side  of  Becker  County;  the  southwest  part  of 
Beltrami  County;  twelve  miles  off  the  southern  part 
of  Marshall  County  and  all  of  the  Red  Lake  Indian 
Reservation — an  area  of  about  3,030  miles. 

When  in  1849  and  1850  a  census  of  the  people  of 
Minnesota  Territory  was  taken  whatever  civilized 
population  existed  in  this  region  was  coi;nted  in  the 
returns  of  Pembina  County,  to  which  county  what  is 
now  Polk  then  belonged.  But  in  1860  Polk  County 
was  in  existence,  a  separate  county,  and  in  the  census 
of  that  year  it  was  enumerated  separately.  The  com- 
missioner; was  Oscar  Taylor,  of  St.  Cloud,  who  was  a 
lawyer,  but  during  the  Civil  and  Indian  Wars  was  a 
captain  in  the  First  Minnesota  Mounted  Rangers; 
later  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  for  several 
years  and  a  prominent  attorney  of  St.  Cloud.  His 
enumeration  was  made  in  the  month  of  July. 

At  the  time  of  the  enunciation  there  were  four  post- 
ofifices  in  the  then  Polk  County,  viz. :  Georgetown,  Rice 
River,  Red  River  Junction,  and  Red  Lake.  Of  these 
only  Red  River  Junction,  now  East  Grand  Forks,  is  a 
Polk  County  town  and  post  office.  The  population  of 
the  county  was  listed  as  to  their  post  office  addresses, 
and  the  total  was  240,  of  which  140  males  and  100 
were  females.     (Minnesota  Year  Book  for  1871-1872.) 

Of  course  each  of  these  post  offices  was  the  site  of 
one  or  more  trading  houses  and  the  enumerated  inhab- 
itants were  for  the  most  part  connected  in  some  way 
with  them.  Perhaps  a  majority  of  those  counted, 
especially  those  at  Red  Lake,  were  Indians  or  mixed 
bloods.  The  rule  was  to  count  all  of  white  blood,  and 
also  all  Indians  and  those  of  mixed  Indian  blood  that 
had  "adopted  the  habits  and  customs  of  civilization." 
This  definition  wa.s  held  to  include  all  that  had  pro- 
fessed Christianity,  no  matter  if  they  still  went  blank- 
eted and  moecasined  and  yet  dwelt  in  tepees  and  wig- 
wams. The  number  of  the  mixed  bloods  reported  was 
S4,  leaving  the  total  white  population  146. 

These  figures  are  from  the  manuscript  copy  of  the 

census,  as  reported  by  Commissioner  Taylor  and  now 

on  file  in  the  office  of  Public  Documents  in  the  capitol 

building  at  St.  Paul,  and  also  as  reported  in  the  State 

Legislative  Manual  for  1871. 
4 


According  to  the  manuscript  copy  of  the  census 
referred  to  the  population  of  Red  River  Junction 
(now  understood  to  be  what  is  East  Grand  Forks) 
was  as  follows: 

"Eustace  Oiner,  age  30;  laborer;  born  in  Upper 
Canada. 

"Nolbert  Laureance,  age  20;  laborer;  born  Upper 
Canada. 

"Martin  Schulte,  age  14;  .servant;  born  Germany. 

"Charles  Benoit,  age  18;  servant;  born  Lower 
Canada. 

"William  C.  Wil worth,  age  33;  engineer;  value  of 
real  estate,  $3,000;  personal,  $1,200;  born  in  New 
York.  His  wife,  Emily  Wilworth,  age  27;  housewife; 
born  New  York ;  his  child,  Jane  Wilworth,  age  4 ;  born 
in  Minnesota. 

"Wm.  Peters,  age  21 ;  laborer;  born  Hudson's  Bay 
Terry. 

"George  W.  Northrup,  age  23;  surveyor;  personal 
property  $300 ;  born  in  New  York. 

"Antoine  Bellaire,  age  34;  laborer;  his  wife,  Kath- 
erine,  age  34,  and  their  seven  children,  Antoine,  age 
12;  Charlotte,  age  10;  Mary,  age  8;  Eustace,  age  6; 
Delict,  age  5 ;  Solomon,  age  3,  and  Joseph,  age  1 ;  all 
mixed  bloods  and  born  in  Minnesota;  no  property 
listed. 

"Saml.  J.  Painter,  (?)  age  39;  steamboat  captain; 
real  estate,  $3,000;  personal  property,  $1,000;  born 
Pennsylvania.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  born  Virginia, 
and  their  five  children — Sarah  Ellen,  aged  11, 
Rosanna  aged  9,  Francis  M.  aged  7,  and  James  aged 
5,  were  born  in  Kentucky,  and  Joel,  aged  3,  born  in 
Jlinnesota. 

"Charles  Cavileer,  age  42;  physician;  real  estate, 
$10,000;  personal,  $500;  born  in  Ohio.  His  wife, 
Isabel,  age  22;  born  Hudson's  Bay  Territory;  their 
children,  Sarah  J.  age  3,  Edmund  R.  age  2,  and  Wil- 
liam McI.  age  two  months,  were  born  in  Minnesota. 

"Jane  Bruce,  age  30 ;  no  occupation  given ;  personal 
property  $200 ;  born  in  Hudson 's  Bay  Terry. ;  mixed 
blood. 

"Eliza  Currier,  age  16;  no  occupation;  born  Hud- 
son's Bay  Territory;  mixed  blood. 

"Moses  Currier,  age  12;  born  H.  B.  Terry;  mixed 
blood. 

"Albert  Seargeant,  age  40;  merchant;  real  estate 
$800;  personal  $1,500;  born  New  Hampshire. 

' '  Wm.  Henry  Morse,  age  30 ;  steamboat  pilot ;  real 
estate  $10,000;  personal  $500. 

"Richard  C.  I5urdick,  age  25;  merchant;  personal 
$1,000.  His  wife,  Catherine,  age  22;  born  in  New- 
York.  Their  child,  Charles,  age  2,  bom  in  Minne- 
sota. 

"Catherine  Nelson,  age  39;  servant;  born  Vir- 
ginia ;  negro. 

"John  Bereau,  age  24;  servant;  born  Hudson's 
B.  Terry." 


58 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


The  whole  population  therefore  was  40,  including 
one  negro  and  12  mixed  Woods.  Total  males,  25; 
females,  15.  There  were  only  8  dwelling  houses 
listed ;  perhaps  the  Indian  and  mixed-blood  lodges 
and  shacks  were  not  counted.  The  total  value  of 
real  estate  owned  wa.s  $26,800;  personal  property, 
$6,200. 

Georgetown  post  office  reported  65  people,  of  wliom 
3  were  mixed  bloods;  Rice  River,  46  whites  and  4 
mixed  bloods;  Red  Lake  had  4  whites  (traders)  and 
80  mixed  bloods  and  one  Indian,  John  Tombay. 

The  exact  residences  of  the  people  of  these  various 
post  offices  cannot  here  be  definitely  given.  It  is 
probable,  however,  tliat  for  the  most  part  those  of 
Red  River  Junction  (as  East  Grand  Forks  was  then 
called)  lived  at  or  near  the  Junction.  The  place 
was  called  Red  River  Junction  because  it  was  the 
junction  of  the  R^d  River  with  its  principal  tribu- 
tarj',  the  Red  Lake.  .What  eventually  became  of  all 
these  Red  River  Junction  people  is  not  known  to  the 
present  writer.  We  know  that  Charles  Cavileer  (as 
he  always  Avrote  his  name)  went  to  North  Dakota 
and  laid  out  the  town  of  Pembina,  was  its  first  post- 
master, and  died  thei-e  in  1902.  He  was  prominent 
in  early  North  Dakota  affairs  and  the  count.y  of 
Cavalier  (with  the  reformed  spelling)  was  named 
for  him. 

George  W.  Northrup  was  from  St.  Paul,  though  a 
New  York  born.  He  led  an  adventurous  life  as  a 
hunter,  Indian  trader,  guide,  etc.  At  one  time,  in 
1858,  he  was  captain  of  the  "Anson  Northrup" 
(Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  8,  p.  52.)  In  the  Civil  War 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  of  Brackett's  Battalion, 
of  cavalry,  and  in  the  Sioux  battle  of  Khay  Tah-hkali 
Koota,  ("hill  or  mountain  where  we  shot  the 
deer")  commonly  called  the  battle  of  Killdeer  Moun- 
tain, he  charged  far  to  the  front  and  received  ten 
Indian  arrows  in  his  body,  one  through  his  heart. 
The  Indians  knew  him  well  and  called  him  "the  Man 
that  Pulls  a  Hand  Cart,"  because  when  on  one  occa- 
sion, when  he  was  connected  with  a  train  of  Red 
River  carts,  he  drew  one  of  them  quite  a  distance. 


(See  Pioneer  Press,  Oct.  12,  1896;  Capt.  Blakely, 
Minn.  Hist.  Soey.,  Coll.  Vol.  8,  p.  53 ;  Edwd.  Eggles- 
ton.  Harper's  :\lag.  Feb.,  1894.) 

FROM   1850  TO   1860. 

After  the  creation  and  organization  of  Minne- 
sota Territorv,  in  the  early  part  of  1849,  the  first 
Legislature  divided  the  territory  into  nine  counties, 
called  Washington,  Ramsey,  Benton,  Itasca,  Waba- 
shaw,  Dakotah,  Wahnahta,  Mahkahto,  and  Pembina. 
At  the  time  the  ^Missouri  River  was  the  western  boun- 
dary. Pembina  County  extended  from  the  west  line 
of  Itasca  to  the  Missouri  River  and  from  the  Cana- 
dian boundary  southward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Buf- 
falo River.  It  comprised  generally  what  is  now 
nearly  all  of  the  northwestern  part  of  Minnesota 
and  practically  all  of  the  present  State  of  North 
Dakota  east  of  the  Missouri  River.  What  is  now 
and  has  in  the  past  been  North  Dakota  was  for  nine 
years  a  part  of  Pembina  County. 

The  census  of  that  countj'  in  1849  gave  it  a  popu- 
lation of  637,  of  which  number  295  were  males.  Tlie 
post-office  of  all  these  persons  was  given  as  Pembina, 
though  many  of  them  lived  at  what  is  now  St.  Vin- 
cent, on  the  east  bank  of  the  Red  River,  opposite 
Pembina.  Of  the  entire  population  27  persons  were 
li.sted  as  born  at  Red  Lake  or  elsewhere  in  "Minne- 
sota Territory,"  and  seven  were  natives  of  other 
States.  Nearly  all  the  people  were  of  mixed  Indian 
blood.  (U.  S.  Census  Reps,  for  1850;  al.so  N.  Dak. 
Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  1,  p.  385  et  seq.)  It  is  almost  cer- 
tain that  in  1849  there  were  white  people  living 
within  tlie  present  confines  of  Polk,  but  we  do  not 
know  who  and  exactly  where  thej'  were. 

THE  Hudson's  bay  company  returns  to  Minnesota. 

After  having  its  posts  and  agents  banished  from 
the  United  States,  in  1821,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany confined  its  operations  to  its  own  territory  or 
other  portions  of  Canada.  There  was  great  ill  feel- 
ing by  the  American  traders  against  the  traders  and 
posts  of  the  great  English  coi-poratioii.     Tlie  agents 


COMPENDIU.AI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


59 


of  this  corporation  seem  to  have  been  always  rapa- 
cious and  they  became  unscrupulous  and  bold.  They 
sought  every  means  to  capture  and  secure  the  Indian 
trade  in  the  northern  part  of  the  United  States  west 
of  Lake  Superior  and  as  far  south  of  the  interna- 
tional boundary  as  possible.  They  supplied  the  In- 
dian hunters  freely  with  whisky,  during  the  trading 
seasons,  induced  hundreds  of  them  to  come  over  to 
Canada  to  trade  and  even  to  sell  their  furs  to  the 
company's  servants  at  points  within  the  United 
States.  They  frequently  came  upon  trading  excur- 
sions up  the  Red  River  and  often  were  at  Red  Lake, 
always  bringing  whisky.  They  were  not  allowed 
under  an  English  law  to  "sell"  ardent  spirits  to 
the  liquor-loving  Indians,  but  it  was  held  that  "ex- 
changing" these  beverages  for  furs  was  not  selling! 

All  along  during  the  decade  of  1840,  and  in  the 
early  part  of  that  of  1850,  Norman  Kittson,  Joe 
Rolette,  and  other  American  traders  in  this  quarter 
had  complained  often  and  vehemently  of  the  injuries 
done  thera  by  the  Bay  Company's  traders  and  hunt- 
ers. They  said  that  in  addition  to  seducing  the 
Indian  trade  away  from  them,  the  company's  men 
habitually  raided  wliat  is  now  the  northern  part  of 
North  Dakota  and  killed  and  drove  off  so  many  buf- 
faloes that  often  there  was  a  meat  famine  among 
the  Teton  and  Mandan  Sioux  and  the  Assiniboines, 
Crees,  and  Cbippewas,  upon  whom  the  traders  de- 
pended for  patronage. 

In  the  winter  of  1849  Kitt.son  and  Henry  M.  Rice 
— the  latter  having  a  number  of  trading  houses  in 
the  Chippewa  country — made  .strenuoiis  efforts  to 
stop  the  predatory  incur.sions  upon  their  preserves. 
Kittson  wrote  to  Delegate  Sibley :  ' '  The  tradei's  of 
the  Hudson's  Baj'  Company  have,  during  a  few 
months  past,  been  engaged  extensively  in  intro- 
ducing liquor  among  the  Indians  within  our  limits." 
Rice  wrote  to  Gen.  Fletcher,  agent  for  the  Winne- 
bagoes : 

"The  agents  of  the  H.  B.  Co.  brought  a  large 
quantity  of  ardent  spirits  to  their  depot  at  Rainy 
Lake,  and  at  the  time  the  Indians  were  gathering 


their  last  wild  rice  crop  they  .sent  a  quantitj'  of  liquor 
within  our  boundary  and  gave  it  to  our  Indians  in 
exchange  for  rice.  I  have  ample  and  positive  pi'oof 
of  this.  It  is  impossible  to  take  provisions  to  these 
remote  posts,  and  the  traders  and  employees  are 
compelled  to  live  on  wild  rice  and  fish ;  the  rice  they 
purchase  from  the  Indians.  The  object  of  the  H.  B. 
Co.  was  to  secure  all  of  the  surplus  rice  so  tliat  my 
men  would  be  compelled  to  abandon  the  country. 
They  well  know  that,  with  the  advantage  of  whisky, 
they  can  break  down  any  opposition." 

And  February  12,  1849,  Gen.  Fletcher  wrote  to 
Hon.  Wm.  Medill,  comuiissioner  of  "Indian  Affairs." 

"The  object  which  the  British  traders  have  in  sup- 
plying the  Indians  with  ardent  spirits  is  to  break 
down  the  American  traders.  They  annoy  and  dis- 
commode our  traders  b.y  purchasing  with  whisky  all 
the  surplus  provisions  the  Indians  have,  but  they 
injure  our  traders  most  by  preventing  them  from 
obtaining  furs.  While  tlie  Indians  can  obtain  liquor, 
they  will  not  hunt  and  obtain  furs,  and  having  no 
money  nothing  can  be  made  out  of  trade  with  them. 
About  20,000  buffalo  are  killed  annually  within  the 
country  occupied  by  the  Sioux  and  Chippewa  In- 
dians south  of  our  northern  boundary  by  half  breeds 
from  the  British  side  of  the  line.  One-third  of  the 
Red  River  Canadians  subsist  on  buffalo  killed  on  the 
American  side  of  tlie  line.  The  destruction  of  the 
buffalo  is  a  heavy  tax  on  our  Indian.s,  especially  the 
Sioux." 

These  descriptions  of  conditions  induced  the  au- 
thorities at  Washington  and  the  expedition  of  Maj. 
Woods  and  Capt.  Pope,  of  1849,  was  resolved  upon. 
In  his  instructions  to  Maj.  Woods  for  the  conduct 
of  the  expedition,  Adjutant  General  R.  Jones  in- 
structed him,  among  other  things,  to  observe  and 
report  upon  the  condition  of  the  Indians  at  Pem- 
bina and  the  Red  River  Valley,  and  particularly  to 
report  "the  influence  exerted  on  them  by  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  by  ti'ade,  present,  and  other- 
wise." In  asking  President  Taylor  for  the  expedi- 
tion, Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
— which  ofSce  had  been  newly  created — stated  that 
the  great  evils  committed  upon  northern  Minnesota 
by  the  Hudson's  Bay  agents  ought  to  be  at  once 
"corrected  and  prevented  in  the  future."  Among 
other  suggestions  he  proposed  that  a  moderate  por- 
tion of  the  then  Indian  country,  near  the  boundary 


60 


COJIPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


I 


line,  and  "upon  the  Red  River  of  the  North"  be 
speedily  acquired  by  treaty  and  purchase.  This 
tract  of  country  so  acquired  he  thought  ought  to  be 
"opened  to  actual  settlement,  for  which  it  is  repre- 
sented to  be  well  adapted."  On  the  tract  he  would 
place  "a  body  of  citizens  ready,  not  only  to  observe 
our  laws  respecting  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  but 
willing  and  able  to  prevent  further  violations  of  them 
or  incursions  into  our  territory  by  those  connected 
with  the  British  settlements  north  of  the  boundary." 

The  Secretary  wrote  April  4,  1849,  and  on  the 
6th  of  June  following  the  expedition  left  Fort 
Snelliug. 

But  for  some  time  after  the  Woods  and  Pope  ex- 
pedition to  Pembina  the  trespasses  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  continued;  not  until  1857,  after  they 
had  been  allowed  to  establish  their  own  posts  on 
American  soil.  Gradually,  however,  they  ceased 
almost  entirely. 

In  1857  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  decided  to 
abandon  York  Factory,  its  station  and  principal  port 
of  entry  at  the  mouth  of  Nelson  River,  at  Hudson's 
Bay.  Soon  after  it  completed  arrangements  with 
the  U.  S.  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  whereby  goods 
for  the  company  and  for  the  former  Selkirk  eoloni.sts 
might  be  carried  in  bond  through  the  United  States 
via  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  the  Red  River  of  the 
North.  (N.  D.  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  3,  p.  552.)  Trade 
with  the  Red  River  Valley  now  grew  rapidly.  Posts 
of  the  Bay  Company,  bj^  permission  of  the  United 
States,  were  established  at  various  points  on  the 
river.  In  1860  Mr.  Kittson  sold  out  all  his  interests 
in  the  Red  River  fur  trade  to  his  former  unprin- 
cipled rival  and  oppressor,  the  Bay  Company,  and 
became  its  agent,  eventually  establishing  a  line  of 
steamboats  and  barges  called  the  Red  River  Valley 
Transportation  Company. 

BUILDING   OP  FORT    ABERCROMBIE. 

The  establishment  of  Fort  Abercrombie,  although 
on  the  Dakota  .side  of  the  river,  was  another  event 
of  importance  in  the  history  and  development  of  the 


Red  River  Valley.  Its  location  was  determined  upon 
in  1857,  but  it  was  built  chiefly  in  1858  and  1859. 
Its  location  was  determined  by  the  reports  and  rec- 
ommendations of  ^Maj.  Woods  and  Capt.  Pope,  after 
their  expedition  to  Pembina  in  1849.  Work  was 
commenced  upon  the  buildings  in  the  spring  of  1858, 
and  the  first  structures  were  log  cabins.  It  was 
named  for  Col.  John  J.  Abercrombie,  then  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  Second  U.  S.  Infantry,  and  detach- 
ments of  that  regiment  constituted  the  first  garrison. 
In  June,  1858,  a  private  expedition,  of  which 
Maiiton  JIarble,  the  accomplished  writer  and  artist, 
was  a  member,  visited  Fort  Abercrombie  on  a  trip 
to  Pembina  and  beyond.  On  page  306  of  Harper's 
Magazine  for  August,  1860,  appears  a  sketch  by  Mar- 
ble of  the  incomplete  fort  as  it  was  in  June,  1858, 
with  the  little  log  caliins  as  the  soldiers'  (juarters, 
etc.  Below  the  sketch  is  a  printed  description  by 
Mr.  Marble  from  which  the  following  is  an  extract: 

"North  of  Graham's  point  (12  miles)  as  we  round- 
ed a  turn  of  the  river,  whose  wooded  margin  had 
concealed  it  from  us  hitherto,  we  came  in  sight  of 
Fort  Abercrombie — that  is,  of  the  one  building 
erected  for  the  commander's  quarters  and  the  canvas 
storehouses,  which  are  built  upon  the  prairie  near 
the  river  bank.  The  log  houses  or  quarters  which 
otficers  and  privates  at  present  occupy  are  all  built  in 
a  quadrangle  upon  a  pear-shaped  promontory,  look- 
ing west  toward  the  prairie." 

The  Government  records  show  tliat  Lieut.  Col. 
Abercrombie  arrived  with  the  first  detehmeut  of  his 
troops  in  August,  1857.  (Sec.  War  Rep.  Cong.  Series 
No.  943,  p.  354.)  But  the  fort  was  not  fully  com- 
pleted for  .several  years  later.  The  object  of  its  build- 
ing at  the  time  the  work  commenced  was  not  the  pro- 
tection of  the  American  traders  against  the  agents  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  since  at  that  time  the 
latter,  by  permission  of  and  license  from  the  Ameri- 
can authorities,  had  their  posts  everywhere  through 
the  Valley  and  practically  controlled,  without  protest 
or  objection,  the  trade  of  the  region.  The  object  was 
to  protect  and  encourage  the  pioneers  that  were  com- 
ing into  western  Minnesota  to  take  advantage  of  the 
offer  by  the  Government  of  new  lands  in  that  quarter. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


61 


Probably,  too,  the  building  was  secured  by  the  associa- 
tion of  Northern  and  Southern  Democrats,  some  of 
whom  were  Senator  Henry  M.  Rice  and  Henry  T. 
Welles,  of  Minnesota;  John  C.  Breckinridge  and 
Beriah  Magoffin,  of  Kentucky ;  Robert  Toombs,  of 
Georgia ;  George  B.  Clitherall,  of  Alabama ;  Jefferson 
Davis,  of  Mississippi,  and  probably  Dr.  Archibald 
Graham,  of  Virginia.  Some  of  the  operations  in  Min- 
nesota of  these  gentlemen  are  noted  elsewhere. 

But  in  July,  1859,  the  fort  was  temporarily  aban- 
doned. Ou  the  25th  Capt.  N.  H.  Davis,  Second  U.  S. 
Infantry,  with  one  company  of  that  regiment,  aban- 
doned the  po.st,  leaving  it  in  charge  of  a  military  store- 
keeper. The  reason  assigned  was  that  there  was  no 
longer  any  danger  to  Americans  or  American  inter- 
ests in  that  quarter.  The  abandonment  was  not  for 
very  long.  In  June,  1860,  it  was  re-occupied  by  three 
companies  of  the  Second  Infantry,  under  Capt.  Gard- 
ner and  was  garrisoned  thereafter  until  in  1877,  when 
it  was  discontinued  as  a  military  post. 

The  establishment  of  Fort  Abercrombie  was  of  great 
assistance  in  the  development  of  Polk  County  and 
all  of  the  other  portions  of  the  Red  River  Valley.  Set- 
tlers were  induced  to  come  to  the  country  in  the  belief 
that  the  fort  would  be  a  refuge  and  a  rendezvous  in 
case  of  Indian  trouble,  and  that  no  serious  danger 
need  be  feared  from  the  savages.  It  was  due  largely 
to  the  representations  of  Henry  T.  Welles,  through 
Senator  Henry  M.  Rice,  that  a  garrison  was  ordered 
re-established  in  the  summer  of  1859.  The  associa- 
tion which  he  represented  had  laid  out  the  town  of 
Breekenridge  and  wanted  to  sell  lots  therein,  as  well 
as  to  dispose  of  their  lauds  in  the  vicinity,  and  the 
occupation  of  the  fort  by  300  soldiers  would  give  con- 
fidence in  the  situation  to  would-be  investors  and  spec- 
ulators. (For  a  good  and  authentic  sketch  of  Fort 
Abercrombie  see  Part  2,  Vol.  2,  No.  Dak.  Hist.  Socy. 
Coll.) 

CREATION  OF    POLK    COUNTY. 

The  creation  of  Polk  County  was  brought  about  by 
a  strange  set  of  influences  and  circumstances.     In 


1856-57,  while  Henry  M.  Rice  was  in  Washington,  as 
delegate  in  Congress  from  Minnesota  Territory,  he 
formed  a  sort  of  business  alliance,  as  he  had  some  time 
before  formed  an  intimate  friendship  with  certain 
prominent  Southern  men,  the  most  of  whom  were 
members  of  Congress.  Some  of  these  men  were  Jeffer- 
son Davis,  Secretary  of  War  in  1856 ;  John  C.  Breck- 
inridge, Vice  President ;  James  Buchanan,  President, 
both  from  1857  to  1861 ;  Robert  Toombs,  of  Georgia, 
U.  S.  Senator,  and  Beriah  Magoffin,  later  Governor  of 
Kentucky. 

Mr.  Rice  had  long  possessed  great  influence  and 
control  over  a  faction  of  the  Democratic  party  in  Min- 
nesota Territory.  Through  his  control  of  the  Terri- 
torial Legislatures  he  succeeded  in  having  Minnesota 
counties  named  from  time  to  time  in  honor  of  his 
Southern  friends  and  associates.  Davis  County  (now 
partly  Swift  County)  was  named  for  Jeff.  Davis; 
Toombs  County  (now  Wilkin)  for  Robert  Toombs, 
and  Breekenridge  (now  Traverse,  etc.)  for  the  Vice 
President,  all  ultra  pro-slavery  men.  Then  two  coun- 
ties, Polk  and  Pierce,  were  named  for  ex-Democratic 
Presidents,  and  one  for  the  existing  President,  James 
Buchanan.  All  of  these  Southern  statesmen,  except 
President  Polk,  had  been  of  valuable  personal  .service 
to  Mr.  Rice  and  were  greatly  pleased  at  the  rare  com- 
pliment involved  in  the  naming  of  counties  for  poli- 
ticians of  others.  It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Rice  lost 
nothing  by  his  courtesy. 

But  the  bestowal  of  the  name  of  James  Knox  Polk 
upon  a  Minnesota  county  was  proper  and  befitting. 
It  is  understood  that  his  last  official  act  as  President, 
at  11 :45  P.  M.,  March  3,  1849,  was  his  signing  of  the 
bill  creating  Minnesota  Territory ;  he  died  at  his  home, 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  June  15  following.  When  Gen. 
Sibley,  who  was  Delegate  in  Congress  from  what  by 
courtesy  was  called  "Wisconsin  Territory"  and  was 
pushing  the  bill  for  the  creation  of  Minnesota,  it  was 
understood  that  all  along  he  had  the  sympathy  of 
President  Polk.  It  was  unfortunate  that  he  did  not 
live  to  see  the  Territory  which  he  helped  to  create  be- 
come a  magnificent  commonwealth  of  the  Union.    He 


62 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


was  but  54  when  he  died,  having  been  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  November,  1795.  His  home  was  in  Ten- 
nessee after  he  was  eleven  years  old.  He  served  in 
Congress  fourteen  years  and  was  Speaker  of  the 
House  from  1835  to  1839,  He  was  Governor  of  his 
State  from  1839  to  1841.  The  Democrats  nominated 
him  for  President  in  1848  and  he  was  elected  over  the 
great  Henry  Clay  by  a  majority  of  40,000  of  the  popu- 
lar vote  and  of  70  in  the  electoral  college.  He  de- 
clined a  second  term.  He  advocated  the  war  against 
Mexico  and  was  an  efficient  President  during  that 
contest.  But  he  was  opposed  to  wars  in  general,  and 
it  was  largely  his  great  influence  during  his  adminis- 
tration which  prevented  war  with  Great  Britain  in 
1846  over  the  Oregon  question — a  war  of  which  many 
unwise  Americans  were  decidedly'  in  favor — and  when 
he  was  in  Congress  he  and  some  other  Congressmen 
prevented  a  war  with  Spain.  He  was  a  man  of  pure 
and  high  character  and  personally  popular.  This 
county  need  be  well  satisfied  with  its  name. 

Polk  County  was  created  by  the  first  State  Legis- 
lature of  Minnesota  in  the  summer  of  1858;  it  was 
approved  by  Governor  Sibley  July  27.  From  the 
Legislative  Journals  it  is  learned  that  the  bill  was 
introduced  in  the  House  of  Representatives  and  was 
known  as  House  File  No.  303.  It  established  the  coun- 
ties of  Pembina  and  Polk  and  was  so  entitled.  It  is 
difficult  to  learn  who  was  the  author  of  the  bill,  since 
the  Legislative  Journals  are  without  indexes;  proba- 
bly it  was  Hon.  John  N.  Chase,  the  Representative 
from  the  Pembina  district,  which  was  the  22d  and 
was  composed  of  Todd,  Cass,  and  Pembina  Counties. 
The  act  passed  the  House  some  time  in  the  first  weeks 
of  July  and  the  Senate  July  13.    In  the  latter  body 


the  votes  were  23  for  and  3  against.  Those  against 
were  Senators  Michael  Cook  (for  whom  Cook  County 
was  named),  H.  L.  Thomas,  and  George  Watson. 
What  their  objections  were  is  not  known. 

The  boundaries  of  the  county  as  originally  estab- 
lished commenced  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Pembina 
County,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Turtle  River  and  run- 
ning up  the  Ri'd  River  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  Buffalo 
River,  or  Georgetown ;  thence  eastwardly  up  the  Buf- 
falo along  tlie  northern  boundary  of  Breckenridge 
County,  and  then  along  the  nortJiern  boundary  of 
Becker  Country  to  the  southeastern  extremity  of  Lake 
llasea;  then  north  and  east  up  the  Mississippi  to  its 
intersection  with  the  county's  eastern  boundary  line, 
at  the  northeastern  extremity  of  Cass  Lake;  thence 
due  north  to  the  southern  boundar}-  of  Pembina  Coun- 
ty, and  then  due  west  to  the  point  oppcsite  the  mouth 
of  the  Buffalo  River,  the  place  of  beginning. 

The  county  seat  of  Polk  County  was  temporarily 
located  at  Douglass,  and  that  of  Pembina  County  at 
St.  Vincent.  According  to  Sewall's  map  of  Minnesota 
for  1860,  Douglass  was  located  on  the  Red  Lake  River, 
at  the  new  crossing,  or  where  the  new  Pembina  trail 
crossed  the  river,  and  where  the  Ramsey  treaty  of 
1863  was  held.  The  present  site  is  called  Iluot  P.  0., 
and  consists  of  one  house,  which  stands  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Red  Lake  County.  Douglass  was  orig- 
inallj^  a  trading  post  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  A  town  was  laid  out  here  in  1858,  but  it 
does  not  seem  to  have  made  any  progress.  No  at- 
tempt at  formally  organizing  Polk  County  was  made 
until  in  1872,  and  the  Legislature  did  not  declare  the 
county  fully  organized  until  March  3,  1873,  fifteen 
vears  after  it  had  been  created. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 
HISTORICAL  ARTICLES  OF  THE  EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  SETTLEMENT  OP  POLK  COUNTY,  BY  ELIAS  STEENERSON — E.  M.  WjiJLSH'S  DESCRIPTIONS  OP  PI- 
ONEER BUSINESS  LIFE LUMBERING  OPERATIONS  IN  POLK  COUNTY,  BY  T.  B.  W^UjKER — EARLY  BUSINESS  ENTER- 
PRISES, BY  E.  D.  CHILDS GENESIS  OF  THE  PRESENT  HISTORY   OP   POLK   COUNTY,    WITH   A   GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

OF  THE  county's  RESOURCES,  BY  N.  P.  STONE,  HISTORIAN  OF  THE  POLK  COUNTY  OLD  SETTLERS'  ASSOCIATION — 
HISTORY  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  PARISH  OP  ST.  PETER,  GENTILLY,  MINN.,  BY  REV.  E.  THEILLON THE  MARAIS  COM- 
MUNITY, BY  PETER  ALLAN  GUMMING  ;  ITS  EARLY  PERMANENT  SETTLEMENT,  ITS  PROGRESS  AND  PRESENT  CONDI- 
TION— FIRST    PERMANENT    SETTLER.S — THE    CHURCHES SOCIAL  ORGANIZATIONS. 


E'EMINISCENCES    OF    THE    SETTLEMENT    OF    POLK 
COUNTY,  BY  ELIAS  STEENERSON. 

If  the  history  of  Polk  County  begins  at  the  time 
when  it  became  first  occupied  by  actual  and  perma- 
nent settlers,  it  can  be  said  to  begin  in  June,  1871. 
It  is  true  that  W.  C.  Nash  settled  at  East  Grand  Forks 
in  1870,  but  he  belongs  to  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the 
Valley,  having  come  here  as  a  military  man  and  mail 
carrier,  contractor,  and  Indian  trader,  and,  while  we 
crown  him  as  the  oldest  and  earliest  settler  of  Polk 
County,  we  shall  date  the  real  settlement  of  Polk 
County  one  year  later. 

It  is  also  proper  here  to  mention  another  name, 
that  of  the  really  celebrated  French  mixed  blood, 
Pierre  Bottineau,  who  was  born  in  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley, and  as  early  as  1830  traveled  over  Polk  County 
as  trapper,  scout,  and  messenger.  After  residing  at 
various  other  points  in  Minnesota,  he  finally  settled 
near  Red  Lake  Falls,  Polk  County,  in  1876.  He  was 
instrumental  in  bringing  to  Polk  County  a  large  num- 
ber of  French  settlers,  who  established  what  was  then 
known  as  the  French  Colony. 

SOME  FIRST  ACTUAL  SETTLERS. 

Barring  the  exceptions  stated,  the  first  settlers  of 
Polk  County  are,  in  the  order  named,  the  following: 
Levi  Steenerson,  Ole  Estenson  and  family,  Ole  0. 
Estenson,  Peter  0.  Estenson,  Esten  0.  Estenson,  Peter 


0.  Setermoe,  Ole  Jevning,  ToUif  Ose,  Knut  Steener- 
son, Henry  Simon,  Paul  Simon,  GuUek  Spokley, 
Salve  Spokley,  Tollef  Tollefson,  Jorgen  Knutson,  John 
Bremseth,  Peter  Jacobson,  and  John  Sundet.  This 
was  in  June,  1871;  all  were  "squatters"  on  lands 
along  the  Red  River,  extending  for  a  stretch  of  about 
twelve  miles,  and  on  both  sides  of  Sand  Hill  River. 
The  land  was  not  surveyed,  and  each  of  the  settlers 
had  plenty  of  elbow  room.  They  agreed  among  them- 
selves as  to  boundaries,  and  each  sought  to  secure  a 
large  proportion  of  timber,  which  stood  in  abundance 
along  the  river  bank,  the  sheltered  bends  forming 
ideal  building  places. 

telemarken  and  osterdalen. 

These  settlers  constituted  two  groups  or  parties. 
Those  settling  south  of  Sand  Hill  River  were  acquaint- 
ances from  Houston  County,  Minnesota;  but  most  of 
them  came  originally  from  Telemarken,  Norway. 
Those  to  the  north  of  the  Sand  Hill  were  acquaint- 
ances from  Freeborn  County,  Minnesota,  and  origi- 
nally came  from  Osterdalen,  in  Norway.  The  settle- 
ments became  known  among  the  Norwegians  as 
Telemarken  and  Osterdalen. 

These  settlers'  chief  occupation,  for  a  number  of 
years,  was  stock  raising,  both  on  their  own  account 
and  on  shares,  or  for  pay  from  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.     Agriculture  was  conducted  on  a  compar- 


63 


64 


COMPFA'DH'M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


atively  small  scale,  as  the  markets  were  not  developed, 
and,  besides,  the  grasshoppers  harvested  what  they 
did  put  in  during  the  hrst  two  or  three  years.  Fish- 
ing for  catiish  was  quite  an  industry  among  the  set- 
tlers those  days. 

THE    IRISU,    TUB    BYGLAND,    THE   SCOTCH,    AND    THE 
STAV ANGER  SETTLEMENTS. 

As  time  went  on  each  of  these  pioneers  corre- 
sponded with  friends  in  other  localities,  who  soon  came 
and  located  near  them,  and  thus  the  settlements  grew 
at  a  remarkably  rapid  rate,  the  Irish,  the  Bygland, 
the  Scotch,  and  the  Stavanger  Settlements.  North  of 
the  Osterdalen  Settlement,  came  several  Irish  fami- 
lies, and  located  what  is  called  the  Irish  Settlement. 
They  came  there  soon  after,  but  the  same  j'ear  as  the 
Osterdalens,  and  among  them  were  Peter  Genaw, 
Barney  Haggerty,  Mike  Quirk,  Patrick  Quigley, 
Thomas  and  John  Logan,  John  Garrety,  and  Mathew 
Martin. 

North  of  the  Irish  Settlement,  and  for  a  stretch 
of  about  twelve  miles,  is  the  settlement  known  as 
Seterdalen.  The  first  man  to  settle  there  was  Daniel 
Ose,  in  June,  1872,  and  the  next  was  his  brother-in- 
law,  Knute  Ose,  who  took  land  near  him  in  August 
of  the  same  year.  These  two  Oses  had  been  induced 
to  come  by  Tollef  Ose,  who  was  one  of  those  who  took 
land  along  the  Sand  Hill  River  in  1871,  and  became 
neighbor  and  partner  to  Levi  Steenerson,  who  was 
engaged  in  teaming  and  contracting  for  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  He  was  interested  in  developing  the 
County,  and  saw  the  opportunities  for  emigrants  to 
soon  become  independent  land  owners  in  this  new 
country.  He  advised  them  to  come  and  locate,  which 
they  did,  and  they  became  the  nucleus  for  that  set- 
tlement, which  grew  very  rapidlj',  and  when  it  was 
organized  into  a  town  was  named  Bygland,  after  the 
town  in  Norway  where  the  Oses  came  from. 

That  part  of  Polk  County  which  is  now  Norman 
County,  from  near  Georgetown,  on  Wild  Rice  River, 
to  north  of  Marsh  River,  was  settled  about  the  same 
time  as  the  Sand  Hill  country,  only  a  little  later  in 


the  summer.  Among  the  first  there  were  Joe  Grotte 
and  his  three  sons,  Joseph,  Nicholas,  and  Albert. 
Peter,  John,  and  Tonnes  Efterlaud,  Andrew  B.  Lar- 
son, Lars  B.  Larson,  Andrew  Thompson,  L.  Hender- 
son, H.  L.  Gorden,  Ole  Halstad,  R.  and  N.  R.  Hage, 
and  L.  L.  Hauske.  The  majority  of  these  immigrants 
were  from  Fillmore  County,  and  originally  from  Sta- 
vanger, Nonvay,  wherefore  it  was  frequently  called 
the  Stavanger  Settlement. 

The  Norwegian  stream  of  emigrants  seems  to  have 
stopped  at  Red  Lake  River,  as  there  we  find  the  Scotch 
in  possession  in  the  same  year,  represented  by  such 
hardy  pioneers  as  Robert  and  John  Coulter,  James 
Thomas,  Robert  Nisbet,  and  William  Flemming,  who 
were  soon  followed  by  their  friends  and  acquaintances 
until  the  Scotch  element  also  had  a  fair  foothold  in 
the  virgin  soil  of  Polk  County. 

PIONEERS  NEAR   CROOKSTON. 

In  1872  parties  began  to  locate  on  the  Red  Lake 
River  near  Crookston.  Among  the  first  there  were 
found  Bernard  Sampson,  E.  M.  Walsh,  Peter  Cor- 
nelius, Christian  Sather,  John  Darko,  Delos  Jacobus, 
Wm.  Stewart,  James  Greenhalgh,  E.  C.  Davis,  N.  P. 
Johnson,  John  Christianson,  P.  J.  LaChapelle,  and 
Richard  Hussey.  They  were  attracted  by  the  rail- 
road survey  which  located  the  crossing  at  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Crookston. 

The  Danes  and  Swedes,  not  to  be  outdone,  also  put 
in  appearances.  Of  the  Danes  we  recall  Hans  P. 
Johnson,  Nels  P.  Johnson,  L.  P.  Johnson,  Ole  Chris- 
tiansen, C.  C.  Tygesen,  and  of  tlie  Swedes,  Nels  Wood- 
strom,  Nels  and  Andrew  Malmberg,  Olof  Erickson, 
and  August  Peterson. 

DELAY  IN  RAILROAD  BUILDING  MADE  DISTRESS. 

On  account  of  the  financial  panic  of  1873,  the  rail- 
road was  not  completed  when  expected  and  the  set- 
tlers, for  a  number  of  years,  were  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment and  great  hard.ships.  The  settlers  along 
the  Red  River  were  better  off,  beeaiise  in  summer 
time  the  steamboats  plied  the  river  as  far  as  Moor- 


COMPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


65 


head  in  early  spring,  and  to  Frog  Point  (now  Bel- 
mont), later  in  the  season.  In  low  stages  of  water,  and 
in  the  winter  time,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  main- 
tained a  stage  line  on  the  Dakota  side,  and  trading 
posts  at  points  ten  or  twelve  miles  apart,  thus  keeping 
up  communication  between  St.  Paul  and  Winnipeg 
the  year  around. 

fisher's  landing  fiest  commercial  point. 

The  projected  and  partly  built  St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
Railroad  was,  during  the  years  following,  patched  up 
so  as  to  carry  traffic  between  Fisher  and  Glyndon 
where  it  connected  with  the  Northern  Pacific,  which 
was  in  operation  between  Duluth  and  Moorhead.  Fish- 
er's Landing  was  head  of  navigation  on  Red  Lake 
River,  and  there  connected  with  the  steamboats  run- 
ning up  Red  River  from  Winnipeg.  Thus  a  traffic  was 
established,  via  Crookston,  between  St.  Paul  and  Win- 
nipeg, which  afforded  the  settlers  relief  to  a  consider- 
able degree.  Although  in  winter  they  were  barred  out 
of  this  communication  with  the  outside  world,  it  did 
not  cause  such  disappointment  as  at  first,  as  it  was  all 
understood  before  hand,  and  all  were  prepared  for  this 
condition. 

These  conditions  prevailed  until  1880,  and  during 
that  time  Fisher's  Landing  was  the  leading  business 
point  in  the  county.  In  the  early  seventies  the  influx 
of  settlers  was  rather  slow,  on  account  of  the  ravages 
of  the  grasshoppers  and  the  unsettled  condition  of 
railroad  building.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this 
was  the  period  following  the  financial  panic  of  1873 
and  the  failure  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Company,  who  were 
the  chief  promotors  of  the  Northern  Pacific  and  other 
railroads  of  this  country  at  the  time. 

FIEST  SETTLERS  WKRE  PRE-EMPTORS  OR  SQUATTERS. 

Up  to  1876  the  settlement  of  the  county  extended 
very  little  more  than  has  already  been  mentioned. 
That  is  to  say,  it  was  settled  along  the  streams;  the 
Red  River,  the  Sand  Hill  River,  and  the  Red  Lake 
River  as  far  up  as  a  few  miles  above  Crookston ;  the 
prairie  was  unoccupied  and  in  its  wild  stage.  The 
lands  were  not  surveyed  until  1874,  so  that  up  to  that 


time  the  settlers  were  merely  squatters.  It  then  became 
known  where  they  were  "at,"  and  from  that  time 
there  were  Government  regulations  to  follow. 

The  Railroad  Company  had  a  grant  of  every  odd 
section  for  twenty  miles  from  the  Red  River  east,  ex- 
tending from  Marsh  River  to  the  Canadian  Line,  and 
this  was  in  dispute  in  some  way  so  that  it  could  not 
be  sold,  but  the  company  recognized  the  first  applicant 
to  purchase,  by  acknowledging  his  application  on  a 
postal  card,  stating  that  the  application  had  been  re- 
ceived and  placed  on  file  and  would  receive  first 
consideration  when  placed  on  the  market,  which  would 
be  when  a  decision  on  the  validity  of  the  grant  had 
been  reached.  While  this  was  all  right,  these  condi- 
tions made  events  uncertain,  and  did  not  tend  to  boost 
things.  In  a  few  years,  however,  this  uncertainty 
came  to  an  end  as  the  railroad  company  secured  a 
favorable  decision  and  put  their  lands  on  the  market 
at  very  reasonable  terms,  and  they  went  like  "hot 
cakes."  It  was  not  long  until  the  prairies  were  set- 
tled, as  well  as  the  timbered  stretches  along  the 
streams.  Up  to  this  time  the  country  was  mainly  a 
grazing  country,  but  now  it  began  to  take  on  a  difl:'er- 
ent  aspect.  The  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  Railroad  had  come 
into  the  hands  of  men  familiar  with  the  Red  River 
Valley,  of  whom  N.  W.  Kittson  and  J.  J.  Hill  were 
leading  spirits,  and  the  master  hand  of  the  now  famous 
financier  was  soon  in  evidence.  The  St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
Railroad  became  the  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Mani- 
toba Railroad,  and  in  1880  was  completed  to  Grand 
Forks. 

THE  PERIOD  OP  REAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

The  years  1878  and  1879  were  the  real  beginning  of 
the  development  of  the  Red  River  Valley.  During 
this  period  the  railroad  lands  were  placed  on  the 
market  at  the  rate  of  $5.00  per  acre,  but  rebated  at 
the  rate  of  $2.50  per  acre  for  breaking  three-fourths 
of  it,  and  an  additional  rebate  of  fifty  cents  per  acre 
for  cropping  it,  so  that  a  quarter  section  of  land  cost 
only  $440,  and  no  residence  was  required.  It  was 
fully  as  good  terms  as  on  Government  land;  an  addi- 
tional charge,  however,  was  placed  on  land  with  tim- 
ber on  it. 


66 


COMPENDIU.M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


This  method  encouraged  the  men  on  the  railroad 
lands  to  break  up  the  land  and  farm  it,  and  produce 
freight  for  the  railroad  to  handle,  which  was  of  im- 
portance to  the  railroad  company,  in  order  to  show 
the  financiers  of  the  East  that  the  railroad  traversed 
a  rich  country  which  would  afford  traffic  sufficient 
to  produce  profits  on  its  investment.  The  plan  worked 
out  to  full  realization  for  the  railroad  company,  and 
it  was  not  long  until  all  its  lands  were  sold  and  the 
wheat  came  into  the  loading  stations  so  fast  that  they 
were  unable  to  take  care  of  it  for  want  of  cars  and 
elevators.  The  railroad  company  then  arranged  with 
elevator  companies  to  build  elevators,  and  gave  them 
preference  over  track-buyers  and  flat-houses  by  de- 
clining to  furnish  the  latter  with  ears,  and  thus  forced 
the  wheat  into  the  elevators.  This  was  a  justifiable 
proposition,  probably,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  rail- 
road company,  but  it  was  a  bitter  pill  for  the  grain 
growers  to  swallow,  and  led  to  a  strife  between  the 
farmers  and  the  railroad  company.  The  farmers 
finally  made  their  demand  a  State  issue,  resulting  in 
legislative  enactments  tending  to  relieve  the  conditions 
and  to  establish  the  principle  of  State  control  of  rail- 
roads, which  recently  has  been  confirmed  to  the  fullest 
extent  by  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 

It  is  interesting  to  recall  the  stages  of  development 
of  this  great  Valley.  First,  we  find  it  a  stock  country, 
necessarily  so  on  account  of  the  natural  conditions. 
Transportation  was  of  the  crudest  kind,  mostly  by 
ox  teams  over  poor  roads  and  across  unbridged 
streams.  The  early  settler  lived  snugly  along  the 
river  bank,  well  sheltered  by  tall  timber,  in  which 
he  had  a  cluster  of  log  buildings,  used  as  dwelling 
and  stables.  He  had  a  large  herd  of  fat,  sleek  cattle, 
fed  exclusively  on  prairie  hay,  which  had  been  gath- 
ered on  the  vast  unsettled  prairie  with  a  hand  scythe 
and  pitchfork,  and  which,  possibly  on  account  of  its 
having  been  produced  on  virgin  soil,  may  have  con- 
tained a  large  amount  of  nutrition,  which  enabled  the 
cattle  to  grow  fat  on  it  to  the  exclusion  of  other  food. 
Unrestricted  freedom  was  enjoyed  by  the  pioneer; 
there  was  no  encroachment  bv  near  neighbors  and  he 


hud  unlimited  range  for  his  cattle  in  summer  time, 
with  abundance  of  timber  for  building  and  for  fire- 
wood. These  were  comforts  which  to  some  degree 
overcame  the  many  hardships  of  the  Red  River  Valley 
pioneer. 

Then  a  change  came.  The  prairie  began  to  be  set- 
tled and  opportunities  for  raising  stock  began  to 
diminish.  Claim  shanties  began  to  appear  on  former 
meadows  and  pasture  lands.  Soon  there  were  seen 
men  driving  two  ox  teams  abreast  before  a  breaking 
plow,  turning  down  the  green  grass  and  turning  up 
the  black  soil,  making  a  field  at  the  best  rate  of  speed 
then  known.  Then  some  lands  would  be  fenced,  and 
soon  the  hitherto  bleak  expanse  was  dotted  with 
shacks  and  well  covered  by  fenced  fields. 

These  conditions  produced  two  classes  of  farmers — 
those  who  wanted  an  open  range,  and  thase  who 
wanted  each  one  to  pasture  his  own  cattle.  This 
question  was  at  one  time  a  burning  one  in  this  com- 
munity, and  a  spirited  election  to  decide  it  was  once 
held  in  the  towni  of  Vineland,  as  there  was  at  that 
time  local  option  by  the  towns  on  such  questions.  The 
party  that  favored  pasture  law  was  defeated,  greatly 
to  their  disappointment,  as  they  were  anxious  to 
extend  their  wheat  fields.  When  the  next  Legislature 
passed  a  herd  law  for  the  State,  there  were  those  who 
attributed  it  to  the  railroad  company,  which,  they 
said,  was  encouraging  the  grain  growing  to  the  great- 
est extent  possible.  This  State  herd  law  removed  one 
of  the  main  barriers  of  progress  to  the  prairie  farmers. 
The  stock  man  adjusted  himself  to  the  new  conditions, 
and  soon  the  i-ailroad  coiiipanios  were  flooded  with 
wheat ;  and  then  they  began  to  agitate  for  more  stock 
raising  by  the  farmers.  This  is  a  question  which  still 
puzzles  many  wise  heads,  and  is  yet  to  be  adjusted, 
according  to  professional  critics,  in  a  better  manner 
than  now  prevalent. 

DRAINAGE  AN   IMPORTANT   FEATURE  OP  DEVELOPMENT, 

Drainage  became  of  utmost  importance,  especially 
so  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  The  Sand 
Hill  River  lost  itself  on  the  flat  country  near  Beltrami, 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


67 


and  created  a  vast  tract  of  wet  land  known,  as  the 
Beltrami  Swamp,  extending  from  near  Marsh  River, 
south  of  Beltrami,  to  west  of  Fisher,  a  distance  of 
about  twenty-four  miles,  with  a  width  of  about  six  to 
ten  miles.  The  channel  of  Sand  Hill  River  was  com- 
pletely obliterated  for  ten  miles  across  this  swamp, 
and  came  out  again  about  four  miles  east  of  Red 
River,  where  it  again  regained  its  channel,  with  high 
banks  fringed  with  fine  timber,  and  having  a  fall  of 
several  feet  to  a  mile,  sufficient  to  create  fine  water 
power.  The  towns  of  Vineland  and  Hubbard  were 
isolated  from  P'isher,  Crookston,  and  Ada.  From  the 
points  where  its  railroad  was  running  it  was  neces- 
sary, in  order  to  reach  Fisher,  to  travel  around  this 
swamp,  making  the  distance  twenty-five  miles,  in  place 
of  fifteen  miles  straight  across,  and  the  same  would 
hold  good  in  order  to  reach  Crookston.  We  were  haul- 
ing our  wheat  with  oxen  which  traveled  about  two 
miles  per  hour,  so  it  can  be  imagined  that  it  was  an 
annoying  situation,  and  a  continuous  temptation  to 
liavel  straight  across;  but  if  any  one  was  rash  enough 
to  yield  to  the  temptation  he  nearly  always  met  with 
disaster  by  getting  stuck  in  the  mire.  Imagine  the  dis- 
gust and  despair  of  a  gi-auger  who,  with  his  ox  team 
and  load  of  wheat,  would  get  stuck  in  the  mire  everv 
forty  rods  for  a  distance  of  more  than  six  miles  (and 
having  to  unload  and  carry  the  grain  sacks  on  his  back 
across  each  time),  and  the  desire  it  would  incite  in  the 
mind  of  such  granger  for  better  roads  and  better 
drainage,  and  how  he  would  highly  resolve  to  pro- 
mote such  a  reform! 

It  was  to  some  extent  due  to  this  situation  that 
the  matter  of  drainage  was  finally  taken  up  by  the 
State.  During  the  fall  of  1879  a  mass  meeting  was 
called  in  the  Sand  Hill  Settlement  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  what  could  be  accomplished  with  regard 
to  opening  the  channel  of  Sand  Hill  River,  and  also 
to  secure  a  road  across  to  Crookston,  the  county  seat. 
The  secretary  of  the  meeting  was  instructed  to  com- 
municate with  the  county  commissioners  and  the 
St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Manitoba  Railroad  Company 


with  a  view  to  get  aid  from  them  to  further  the  enter- 
prise. This  resulted  in  a  call  for  a  drainage  conven- 
tion, which  was  held  at  Crookston  in  a  skating  rink 
located  on  the  comer  where  the  federal  building  now 
stands.  At  that  convention  it  was  decided  to  ask  the 
State  for  an  appropriation  for  a  drainage  survey,  and 
J.  J.  Hill  pledged  one  third  of  the  cost.  At  the  next 
Legislature  the  appropriation  was  made  and  later  fol- 
lowed up  by  appropriate  legislation  on  the  subject, 
until  a  system  of  drainage  had  been  installed  which 
has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  our  county  and 
State. 

Where  parties  in  1877  maintained  a  muskrat  camp, 
and  the  writer  partook  of  a  dish  of  muskrat  soup, 
he,  in  1907  established  a  route  and  located  boxes  for 
rural  free  mail  delivery,  and  this  land  today  is  grow- 
ing as  fine  a  crop  as  any  other  tract  in  the  county, 
and  fine  automobile  roads  traverse  it  in  all  directions.' 
Fine  frame  dwellings  and  barns  can  now  be  seen 
where  in  early  pioneer  days  ducks  and  geese  were 
swimming  among  the  weeds.  The  fine  dwellings  and 
barns  now  throughout  our  county  present  a  great 
contrast  to  the  structures  of  1871  to  1878. 

A  TYPICAL  FIRST-CLASS  PIONEER  DWELLING. 

The  writer  had  a  log  house  ten  by  twelve  feet  on 
his  homestead  in  section  six,  township  one  hundred 
forty-eight,  range  forty-eight;  it  was  covered  with 
elm  bark,  with  turf  on  top  of  it  to  hold  it  down  and 
make  it  warm.  The  logs  in  the  structure  were  about 
eight  inches  in  diameter  at  the  top ;  each  end  of  the 
log  had  a  notch  cut  half  way  into  it,  and  these  were 
laid  on  top  of  each  other,  the  upper  side  being  hewed 
into  shape  to  fit  into  the  notch  of  the  other  log.  This 
dwelling  had  a  door  and  a  window ;  the  ground  served 
as  a  floor;  thrde  beams  and  the  walls  and  sides  con- 
stituted the  rest  on  which  the  elm  bark  roofing  was 
placed.  It  was  a  real  modern  beam  ceiling  bungalow. 
This  model  was  one  of  the  best  in  vogue  for  the  time 
for  the  bachelors,  with  the  exception  that  mine  was 
smaller  than  the  general  run. 


68 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


DISASTER  TO  TUDAL'S  DUG-OUT. 

My  nciglibor  ou  section  eight,  cornering  on  my 
lioniestead,  had  a  cabin  of  a  different  make,  one  which 
was  not  considered  as  well  up  in  fashion  as  mine,  but 
which  he  insisted  was  of  much  older  architectural 
design ;  and  unless  he  could  be  convinced,  he  said,  that 
my  more  modern  structure  proved  of  some  special 
superior  fitness,  he  would  consider  his  the  better  of 
the  two,  not  to  mention  the  fact  that  he  had  a  larger 
structure  than  I,  which  he  continually  reminded  me 
of  especially  in  the  presence  of  a  friend  of  ours,  who 
had  several  marriageable  daughters. 

I  must  not  forget  to  give  my  neighbor's  name  and 
to  describe  how  his  cabin  was  constructed.  His  name 
was  Jorgen  Jorgenson  Tudal.  His  cabin  was  sixteen 
by  twenty-four  feet  in  size  and  was  dug  four  feet 
down  into  the  ground,  and  the  dirt  piled  two  feet 
high  on  one  side  of  it  and  three  feet  on  the  other;  a 
rather  small  log  was  placed  on  top  of  the  dirt  on  the 
lower  side  and  a  big  one  on  the  higher  side,  thus  giv- 
ing sufficient  slant  for  a  roof.  In  the  center  was 
placed  a  good  strong  log,  and  across  the  whole  were 
placed  split  poles,  and  ou  top  of  that  was  put  a  layer 
of  hay,  then  a  lot  of  loose  dirt,  next  a  layer  of  turf ; 
there  w-ere  a  door  and  window  in  the  front  end. 

Jorgen  would  always  insist  that  I  should  stay  Avith 
him,  as  there  was  so  much  more  room  in  his  house, 
and  I  frequently  acceded  to  his  wishes,  and  I  had  to 
admit  that  my  quarters  were  rather  cramped.  An 
opportunity  eame,  however,  that  proved  that  my  cabin 
was  superior  in  fitness.  At  one  time,  while  we  were 
attending  a  stag  dance  at  a  bachelor  friend's  house, 
on  a  sultry  summer  evening,  he  insisted  I  should  stay 
with  him  after  the  dance  was  over,  and  I  consented. 
It  was  well  on  in  the  wee  small  hours  when  we  retired 
and  we  were  quite  drowsy  and  soon  fell  asleep.  Jorgen 
was  a  very  heavy  .sleeper  and  was  snoring  away  in 
great  shape — snoring  so  that  the  reverberation  fairly 
shook  the  roofing.  We  had  not  been  sleeping  very 
long  until  a  big  rain  storm  set  in  and  the  rain  eame 
down  in  torrents.  I  finally  awoke  and  found  the 
water  coming  in  ou  all  sides  and  standing  two  feet 


deep  on  the  floor ;  the  bread  box  was  floating  around ; 
the  ham  and  yeast  cakes  eame  tumbling  from  their 
moorings,  and  dirt  was  continually  .sliding  ofl;  the 
wall  as  the  rain  washed  it  down.  I  shook  Jorgen  by 
the  arm  and  called  out  to  him,  liut  he  slept  on.  I 
could  not  arouse  him.  Finally  I  took  him  by  the  legs 
and  pulled  his  bare  feet  down  into  the  water  and  thus 
got  him  awake.  I  called  out  to  him  then,  "Jorgen, 
your  house  is  not  tit  to  live  in ;  let  us  go  down  to  my 
place."  "Oh,  you  scoundrel,"  he  said,  "how  can  you 
sit  there  and  laugh  at  tliis?  See  my  bread  and  bacon 
in  the  water ! ' ' 

PIONEERS  WHO  CAME  PRIOR  TO  1879. 

Besides  those  I  have  already  named  as  the  earliest 
pioneers  I  will  give  a  list  of  names  of  others  who 
came  to  the  county  previous  to  the  period  of  rail- 
roads, say  up  to  1879,  and  the  towns  in  which  they 
settled. 

Hubbard  Town :  Andrew  Thompson,  Peter  Jacob- 
son,  Henry  Smith,  Lars  Helgeland,  Ole  Spokley.  Jens 
Syverson,  Nels  Paulsrud,  John  Bjorenstad,  Jens 
Vigen,  Bore  Kolstad,  Carl  Olson,  Ilalvor  Kravik,  El- 
ling  Ellingson,  John  Ellingson,  Ole  Fossos,  Gunder 
Veum,  Jorgen  Jorgenson,  Thor  A.  Berland,  Frank 
Hanson,  Halvor,  Gunder,  Kittel  and  Ole  Dale,  Ole 
Thostenson,  Knute  S.  Aker,  Elias  Steenerson. 

Town  of  Vineland:  Steener  Knutson,  Chris  and 
Andrew  Steenerson,  Ole  and  Andrew  Bremseth,  Tom 
Knutson,  Andrew  P.  Elseth,  S.  P.  Elseth,  Iner  II.  M. 
Joen,  Sven  P.  Svenson,  M.  C.  Roholt,  Iver  Bjorge,  Ole 
and  Erick  Stortroem,  Anthon  E.  Hanson,  Simon  Ban- 
gen,  Ole  Simonson,  Hans  Bangen,  Hans  and  Lars 
Berg,  Swennung  and  Erick  Linden,  Peter,  Edward 
and  Amon  Moen,  John  and  Peter  Thompson,  John  J. 
Borsevald,  Ingeret  Stubson,  Nels  Thune,  Nels  Glaback, 
Hans  Glasrud. 

Town  of  Tynsert :  Ole  and  Jacob  Johnson,  Erick 
Jordal,  Paul  Halverson,  Isia  Abrahamson  (a  Fin- 
lander),  Hans  Kopang,  Helge  Thoreson,  Esten,  Leet, 
Ole  and  Ingebret  Fosback,  Ole  Bruenen,  August  Aas, 
Iver  Lund,  Peter  Boukind,  Halvor  Lunos,  Ingebret 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


69 


Vingelin,  Elling  Dokken,  Gunder  Harraldson,  Arne 
Ness,  Ole,  John,  Louis  and  Lars  Larson,  Andrew 
Elby,  K.  D.  Gulseth,  Lars  Gulseth. 

Town  of  Bygland :  Torkel  and  Ole  Danialson,  Tar- 
grim  Jorgenson,  Jorgen  Knute,  Halvor  and  Ole  Torg- 
rinison,  Gunsten  and  Swenke  Swenkeuson,  Torbjon 
Tollefson,  Anton  Lindem,  Soren,  Knute,  Paul,  and  Ole 
Sorenson,  Ole  and  Osmund,  Isaacson  and  Osmund 
Osmundson,  Knute  K.,  Halvor  K.,  and  Osmund  K. 
Knutson,  Tom  Benson,  J.  G.  Anderson,  Ole  Anderson, 
Jens  Halvorson,  Ben  Torkleson,  Aslak  Bjorenson,  Ole 
Legvald. 

Fisher :  Ole  and  Jacob  Jorgenson,  Andrew,  Halvor, 
Nels  and  Ole  Stalemoe,  Ole  Williamson,  Jon  Peterson, 
Ole  Vatendal,  A.  G.  Anderson,  T.  G.  Olson,  Osmund 
and  Gunder  Thommason,  Patrick  Lealas,  John  Cown- 
eron,  Henry  Sweet,  Fred  and  George  Warden,  Sara 
Tarreson,  Theodore  Helgeson,  Jens  Halvorson,  John 
Hegg,  Jens  Wallerbeck,  A.  E.  Bradish,  Tom  Erwin, 
Carl  Widenhoefer,  Mike  Feleske,  Julius  Wagoner, 
Adam  Burr,  Julius  Zacho,  C.  U.  Webster,  Fred  Radi, 
Hod,  Frank  and  Will  Haney,  Ole  and  Jorgen  Hanson, 
Louis  Christienson,  Gunder,  Gudno  and  Knute  Lee, 
James  Brewster,  Dave  Greenlief,  Thomas  Moran, 
James,  Roberts,  and  Dan  Bain,  Mike  Burns,  Ole  Olson, 
J.  B.  Merrill,  Even  and  Lars  Olson,  Hugh  Thompson, 
Frank  S.  DeMers,  Gunder  Krostue,  John  Carter, 
Frank  Zaraker,  Capt.  Russell  Adam  and  Alex  Thomp- 
son. 

Town  of  Huntsville :  Edwin  and  James  Lealos,  Ed 
C!ookman,  George,  Charley,  and  Alex  Coulter,  D.  B. 
Ferguson,  James  Shanks,  Tom  MacVity,  James  Mc- 
Gregor, Paul  Jones,  Joe  Jai'ves,  Wilber  Skinner, 
Richard  Barrett,  John  Goodwin,  James  and  Joseph 
Robertson,  James  Lee,  James,  Dan  and  John  Mc- 
Donald, R.  E.  White,  Ole  Hanson,  Adam  Ii-vine,  Rob- 
ei't  Anderson,  Arne  Higden,  James  Cummings,  Dun- 
can Bain,  A.  Boucher,  Leon  Surpanault,  Halvor  Thar- 
aldson,  Ole  Danielson,  M.  Boucher,  M.  Hunt,  A.  L. 
Steele,  Jerry  Enright,  William  Jackson,  Garrett  Mur- 
phy, C.  J.  Tollakson,  John,  Thomas  and  Pete  McCoy. 

Crookston :  Frank  Bevins,  J.  0.  Sargent,  H. 
Schribner,  H.  C.  Schribner,  B.  Soper,  Jacob  Ide,  Mart. 


Leikness,  Simon  Skogness,  Andrew  Kleven,  Ole  Knut- 
son, J.  B.  Rome,  Peter  Berg,  Chris  Hansel,  Sampson 
and  Matt  Hilde,  Ole  Jorgenson,  L.  Aspass,  Knute  A. 
Berget,  Chas.  Mattson,  J.  Knutson,  Ole  Engebritson, 
A.  Anderson,  J.  B.  Anderson,  Rev.  Bersnen  Ander- 
son, John  Gilbei-t,  Jens  Wallerbeck,  0.  0.  Knudson, 
H.  0.  Gudvongen,  S.  C.  Lytic,  A.  Arness,  M.  K.  Valor, 
John  Saugstad,  T.  A.  Harris,  0.  J  Volland,  Ole  Kro- 
ken,  Oscar  Johnson,  John  Sylvester  and  Joseph  Syl- 
vester, 0.  P.  Onstad,  W.  A.  Marin,  Mat  Cornelius,  E. 
E.  Lomen,  Mike  Wentzel,  Julius  Wentzel,  August 
Wentzel,  Phil  Capestran,  Alfred  Savory,  Christ  Han- 
son, Hans  Jenson,  M.  LaPlant,  Ole  O.  Hoven,  N.  T. 
Woodstrom,  John  Stoughten,  0.  K.  Quamme,  F.  L. 
Robert,  M.  C.  Hanson,  T.  H.  Bjoin,  P.  J.  McGuire, 
Rice  Webb,  William  Watts,  R.  H.  Cochran,  E.  F.  Kel- 
ley,  M.  Langevin,  Fred  Fox,  Joe  Gouehe. 


E.   M.  WALSH'S  REMINISCENCES  OF   PIONEER  LIFE 
IN  POLK  COUNTY. 

Edmund  M.  Walsh  will  always  be  fairly  distin- 
guished for  his  prominent  connection  with  the  early 
history  of  Crookston  and  Polk  County.  He  came  here 
when  but  20  years  of  age.  His  personal  sketch,  which 
appears  elsewhere,  shows  that  he  was  born  in  New 
York  State  in  1851,  and  when  six  years  of  age  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Henderson,  Sibley  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  was  reared  to  young  manhood.  In 
1870  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  general  store  at 
Henderson,  but  closed  it  the  following  year  and  set 
out  for  the  Red  River  Valley,  which  became  the  future 
scene  of  his  successful  operations. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Walsh  left  Henderson  the  old  St. 
Paiil  &  Pacific  Railway  Company  was  operating  its 
line  at  that  time  from  St.  Paul  to  Willmar,  and  con- 
structing the  balance  of  the  line  to  Breckenridge.  A 
four-horse  stage  line  was  running  from  Willmar  to 
Fort  Garry  and  carrying  passengers,  express,  and 
mail,  and  the  freighting  was  done  by  Red  River  carta 
drawn  by  Indian  ponies  and  oxen,  one  pony  or  ox 
being  harnessed  to  each  cart ;  sometimes  there  were 


70 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


as  many  as  two  hundred  carts  in  a  string.  These  ve- 
hicles were  made  entirely  of  wood,  and  often,  when 
in  motion,  their  scjueaking  eould  be  heard  for  a  long 
distance.  A  large  amount  of  freight  was  also  hauled 
by  American  freighters,  using,  mosrtly,  oxen  and 
wagons,  and  hauling  from  one  ton  to  one  and  one-half 
tons  to  the  wagon,  and  making  on  an  average  of  twenty 
miles  a  day ;  but  when  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway 
was  completed  and  in  operation  to  JMoorhead,  the  Red 
River  steamboats  and  barges  superseded  and  put  out 
of  business  the  ox  carts  and  wagons  as  freighters. 

Describing  his  pioneer  exjjeriences  in  the  great  Val- 
ley, Mr.  Walsh  writes: 

I  left  St.  Paul,  the  forepart  of  September,  in  the 
j'ear  1871,  and  went  as  far  as  Willniar  on  the  passen- 
ger train  of  the  old  St.  Paul  &  Pacifie,  now  the  Great 
Noi'thern.  At  Willmar  I  boarded  the  construction 
train  and  rode  to  the  end  of  the  track,  then  walked 
thirty  miles  to  Breckenridge,  which  was  then  com- 
posed of  one  .shanty  as  a  stopping  place.  I  expected 
to  overtake  an  ox  train  going  to  Fort  Garry  (which 
train  was  owned  by  friends  of  mine),  and  continue 
my  trip  with  them  as  far  as  Grand  Forks,  North 
Dakota,  where  my  father  was  in  the  lumber  and  mer- 
cantile business;  but  unfortunately  for  me  the  ox  train 
had  left  Breckenridge,  the  day  before  I  had  gotten 
there,  and  so  thei-e  was  nothing  left  for  me  to  do  but 
to  stai't  out  on  foot  and  alone  and  overtake  my  friends ; 
but  this  I  accomplished  that  same  day,  after  they  had 
struck  camp  for  the  night.  Tlie  next  day  we  passed 
through  Moorhead.  This  was  a  very  busy  place  at 
that  time,  as  the  Northern  Pacific  crossing  had  just 
been  located  at  that  point,  and  every  one  was  either 
building  or  seemed  to  be  getting  ready  to  build.  There 
were  also  a  number  of  tent  stores  and  saloons;  the 
only  building  of  any  importance  was  the  Chapin 
House. 

Georgetown  was  the  next  point  of  interest,  being 
the  Hudson's  Bay  trading  post,  having  stores  and 
buildings  of  good  construction.  Here  we  cros!3ed  the 
Red  River  to  the  Dakota  side  and  continued  our  slow 
journey  north.     AVhen  we  got  to  within  twenty  miles 


of  Grand  Forks,  we  had  .stopped  at  a  creek  to  water 
the  oxen ;  then  the  stage  came  along,  and  also  stopped 
to  water  the  stage  horses.  I  induced  the  stage  driver 
to  take  me  into  Grand  Forks,  where  we  arrived  after 
dark  at  the  stage  and  hotel  station,  which  was  kept 
liy  John  Stewart.  I  asked  him  if  that  was  Grand 
Forks,  and  he  said  "Well,  yes;  part  of  it."  I  then 
asked  him  where  the  rest  of  it  was,  and  he  told  me 
around  the  corner  of  the  building,  and  said  "Do  you 
see  that  light  over  there,  about  a  mile  away?"  I 
said  "yes."  "Well,"  said  he,  "that  is  the  rest  of 
Grand  Forks.    Good  night." 

The  next  morning  I  discovered  that  Old  Uncle  John 
was  about  right,  as  in  the  town  there  were  only  the 
saw  mill  owned  and  operated  by  Griggs,  Walsh  &  Co., 
their  general  store,  their  bunk  and  boarding  house, 
and  a  small  building  occupied  as  a  saloon  by  Romeo 
Whitney.  There  w-ere  also  several  other  buildings 
under  construction  and  which  were  completed  that 
Fall,  one  being  a  residence  for  Capt.  Alex.  Griggs 
and  a  boarding  house  by  Uncle  John  Fadden. 

There  not  being  much  for  me  to  do  in  Grank  Forks, 
I  boarded  the  stage  November  1,  1871,  and  went  to 
Fort  Garry  or  Winnipeg  where  I  found  employment 
at  my  trade,  as  tinner,  at  good  wages,  and  staying 
there  until  March  1,  1872,  I  then  returned  to  Grand 
Forks.  Winnipeg  at  tliat  time  had  a  population  of 
about  1,000,  mostly  Scotch  and  Frencli  mixed  bloods. 

About  that  time  there  was  considerable  talk  of  a 
railroad  being  built  through  Northern  Minnesota  from 
Breckenridge  to  Pembina.  From  information  that 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  Gi'and  Forks  had,  it  was 
said  that  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Lake  River  by  the 
railroad  would  be  about  ten  or  tw-elve  miles  east  of 
Grand  Forks,  and  that  tliere  would  l)e  a  great  city 
at  that  point  some  day ;  consequently  there  was  much 
interest  manifested  by  many  in  trying  to  strike  the 
right  point  where  the  road  would  cross.  Myself 
with  Jake  Eshelman  (known  as  "Stripes"),  Harry 
Farmer  ("the  dude"),  and  Harry  Sheppard 
("Shepp"),  were  sent  up  the  Red  Lake  River  to  set- 
tle on  four  claims   (the  land  not  being  surveyed  at 


FIRST  DEPOT  IN  CEOOKSTON— PICTURE  TAKEN  IN  1874 


MAIN  STREET,  CROOKSTON,  IN  1882 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


71 


that  time),  and  to  hold  them  for  the  town  syndicate. 
We  located  our  claims  about  two  oi'  three  miles  west 
of  where  Fisher  is  now  located,  and  commenced  to 
make  improvements  in  the  way  of  shanty  building, 
etc. 

Along  about  May  1, 1872,  we  were  informed  that  the 
railroad  had  located  the  crossing  at  Crookston,  so 
we  then  abandoned  our  claims  and  joined  in  the  rush 
to  the  crossing,  afterwards  named  Crookston,  after  the 
chief  engineer  of  the  railroad.  Col.  Wm.  Crooks,  of 
St.  Paul.  We  were  too  late  to  secure  any  land  on  the 
town  site,  as  it  was  all  taken  up  or  squatted  on  by 
parties  following  the  railroad  engineers.  Bob  Hous- 
ton was  one  of  the  fir.st,  with  W.  H.  Stewart,  Leo 
Peigonote,  E.  C.  Davies,  Joseph  Barrett,  B.  Sampson, 
John  Darkow,  Dick  Hussey  close  seconds.  Soon  a 
very  lively  little  town  was  born,  and  it  grew  quite 
rapidly.  Stewart  started  a  saloon  and  hotel ;  Davis, 
who  had  a  large  grading  contract,  had  supply  stores, 
and  other  stores  and  saloons— principally  saloons — 
grew  up  in  a  night.  Among  others  of  the  first  settlers 
whom  I  call  to  mind  are  J.  R.  Barb,  Charles  Wentzel, 
Frank  Jerome,  P.  Gervais,  Paschal  and  Mrs.  Lacha- 
pelle,  Jake  Meyers,  Jim  Turner,  and  Henr}'  Sheppard. 
There  were  a  great  many  men  employed  in  railroad 
work,  in  steel  and  gi'ading  gangs,  and  business  was 
very  brisk,  gamblers  and  others  of  that  ilk  reaping 
part  of  the  prosperity.  During  the  summer  of  1872 
Bruiis  &  Finkle,  of  Moorhead,  put  up  a  large  store, 
which  was  managed  by  Wm.  Ross.  E.  Lariviere  also 
put  up  a  large  store  and  had  a  large  Indian  trade,  and 
about  that  time  I  put  up  a  frame  tar-paper  shack 
and  started  a  tin  shop  and  hardware  store  on  a  small 
scale.  There  were  also  a  few  settlers  that  came  in  and 
settled  on  land  near  Crookston.  James  Greenbalgh, 
Sr.,  Christ  Sathre,  Peter  Cornelius,  David  Wilkins, 
and  Sam  Honeywell,  with  their  families,  were  among 
the  first  to  settle. 

Prosperity  was  in  the  air  all  during  the  summer 
and  up  to  the  middle  of  October  in  the  year  1872, 
when  word  came  from  railroad  headquarters  to  stop 
all  work  at  once;  consequently  several  hundred  men 


were  thrown  out  of  work.  As  winter  was  coming  on 
most  of  the  men  left  and  winter  closed  in  on  the  few 
that  remained.  Fortunately  the  stores  and  others 
had  large  stocks  of  goods  on  hand.  Money  being 
plenty  (apparently),  everybody  lived  high,  antici- 
pating the  resumption  of  railroad  work  in  the  early 
spring  of  1873;  but  we  were  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment, and  for  four  years  it  might  be  said  we  hung  on 
by  our  eyelashes  waiting  for  the  operation  of  the 
railroad. 

A  part  of  this  period  is  what  we  used  to  call  ' '  cat- 
fish-or-no-breakf ast "  times,  and  what  the  inhabitants 
didn't  know  about  cooking  cat-fish  was  not  worth 
knowing.  We  had  them  stewed,  fried,  baked,  boiled, 
scalloped,  and  in  bouillon.  The  winter  months  con- 
stituted the  social  season  of  the  year,  and  were  spent 
in  dancing,  surprise  parties,  theatrical  entertainments 
with  all  local  talent,  and  other  social  doings.  During 
these  years,  were  added  to  our  numbers  K.  D.  Chase, 
John  McLean,  W.  G.  Woodruff,  D.  Jacobus,  E.  H. 
Shaw,  H.  G.  Palmer,  Munroe  Palmer,  and  their  fam- 
ilies. Mrs.  Munroe  Palmer  was  our  first  school  mis- 
tress, and  taught  the  few  children  in  a  small  log 
cabin  that  was  built  by  the  railroad  engineers. 

The  Indians  were  very  numerous  during  the  early 
years  of  settlement.  Particularly  in  the  summer 
time  they  would  come  in,  in  large  numbers,  and  they 
usually  camped  where  the  High  School  buildings  now 
are.  They  were  peaceable  enough  and  we  had  very 
little  trouble  with  them,  except  when  tliey  got  liquor 
from  some  of  the  traders,  and  this  happened  often 
enough  to  cause  the  U.  S.  Government  to  send  U.  S. 
Marshal  Nichols  here  to  investigate.  He  evidently 
found  evidence  enough  to  convince  himself  that  there 
was  good  cause  for  complaints,  for  a  short  time  after 
his  third  visit  here  he  I'eturned  with  a  squad  of  soldiers 
from  Port  Pembina  and  seized  the  entire  stock  of 
goods  of  E.  Lariviere 's  store  and  later  sold  the  same 
at  public  auction.  Mr.  W.  D.  Bailey  was  the  success- 
ful bidder,  and  he  continued  the  business  until  he  sold 
out  to  Pontain  &  Anglim  in  1876. 

The  Red  River  steam  boats  I'an  up  here  part  of  the 


72 


COMPENDIU:\I  OF  HISTORY  AXD  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


seasons  of  1874  and  1875,  landing  at  the  foot  of  Third 
Street,  and  carrying  freight  to  Winnipeg  which  had 
l)een  hauled  in  here  by  the  branch  line  of  the  St.  Paul 
&  Pacific  Railroad.  During  1875  the  railroad  was 
built  into  Fisher's  Landing,  which  was  made  the  head 
of  navigation  until  the  railroad  was  built  on  to  Grand 
Forks. 

In  1877  and  1878  the  heavy  settlement  of  Polk 
County  began.  Pierre  Bottineau  and  his  son,  John 
B.,  brouglit  in  a  large  number  of  French  Canadians 
from  Ramsey  and  Hennepin  Counties,  Minnesota,  and 
also  quite  a  number  from  the  East,  locating  them 
along  Red  Lake  River  from  Louisville  to  Red  Lake 
Falls,  and  along  Clearwater  River  from  Red 
Lake  Falls  to  Lambert.  The  Southern  part  of  the 
State  also  furnished  quite  a  number  of  settlers  from 
Wabasha  County  and  other  points  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  and  these  newcomers  settled  around  Crookstou. 


T.  B.  WALKER'S  LUMBERING  OPERATIONS  IN  POLK 
COUNTY. 

(Contributed.) 

In  1871  a  firm  of  lumbermen,  Jarvis  &  Berridge, 
of  Winnipeg,  purchased  a  lot  of  logs  cut  from  Indian 
lands,  under  a  permit  fi"om  the  Indian  Department, 
for  the  sale  of  stumpage,  the  proceeds  to  go  to  the 
Indians.  The  logging  was  to  be  done  just  north  of 
the  White  Earth  Reservation,  on  the  very  upper 
waters  of  the  Clearwater  River,  a  tributary  of  Red 
Lake  River,  coming  in  at  Red  Lake  Falls.  The  en- 
terprise was  in  large  part  a  failure,  in  consequence 
of  the  extraordinary  expense  of  driving  the  logs,  and 
the  prosecutions  by  the  Government  of  those  who  did 
tlie  logging  on  the  deal  with  the  Indian  Department, 
as  not  being  authorized  by  Congress.  This  led  to 
prosecutions  by  the  Federal  Department,  and  it  was 
finally  declared  an  unwarranted  prosecution,  as  the 
authorization  of  the  cutting  was  done  by  the  Indian 
Department  and  parties  to  the  contract,  as  purchas- 
ers of  the  timber,  were  legally  authorized;  therefore. 


for  any  violation  of  law  pertaining  to  the  operations, 
the  Government  ofBcials  should  be  held  responsible.  i 
In  this  case  the  cutting  was  not  held  to  be  a  criminal  " 
offense,  as  it  was  done  in  the  interest  of  the  Indians. 
The  work  extended  over  two  or  three  years,  in  efforts 
to  get  the  logs  over  the  difficult  driving  on  Clear- 
water River. 

These  operations  led  the  lumbermen  of  Winnipeg 
to  investigating  the  timber  on  Rice  River,  which  nins 
through  the  White  Earth  Reservation,  and  on  the 
R<?d  Lake  and  Clearwater  Rivers,  on  the  Red  Lake 
Reservation.  It  was  found  that  a  considerable  body 
of  timber,  belonging  to  the  Pillsburys  and  to  T.  B. 
Walker,  was  lying  around  the  northeast  corner  and 
easterly  side  of  the  '\^^lite  Earth  Reservation.  The 
most  of  this  timber,  by  more  or  less  of  a  long  haul, 
could  reach  the  Clearwater  River  (which,  for  the  first 
ten  or  fifteen  miles,  runs  eastward  along  the  north 
boundary  of  the  White  Earth  Reservation,  and  then 
farther  east  and  north  to  Clearwater  Lake),  and 
made  a  considerable  body  of  the  pine  mentioned, 
tributary  to  that  river.  The  Winnipeg  lumbermen, 
having  found  this  timber  available  for  driving  to  the 
Red  River,  undertook  to  purcliase  some  of  it  for  sup- 
plying their  mills  in  Winnipeg,  and  their  undertak- 
ing resulted  in  a  contract  to  purchase  logs  of  Mr.  T. 
B.  Walker,  to  be  delivered  at  Winnipeg,  at  a  rate 
which  seemed  to  be  sufficient  to  make  the  operations 
profitable,  although  at  a  large  expense  for  hauling 
and  driving  the  logs. 

Tons  of  dynamite  were  used  in  clearing  the  boul- 
ders which  were  thickly  strewn  along  the  lower  fifty 
miles  of  the  Clearwater  River,  and  expensive  dams 
were  built  to  hold  the  spring  floods  in  Clearwater 
Lake  and  on  the  river  above.  Upon  Mr.  Walker's 
purchasing  the  timber  owned  by  the  Pillsbui"ys,  a 
number  of  years'  logging  was  carried  on  and  the  logs 
driven  to  Winnipeg,  where  the  difficulties  of  hold- 
ing the  logs,  the  high  price  which  they  had  to  pay  for 
them,  and  the  bad  management  of  the  lumber  firm, 
made  a  practical  failure  of  the  enterprise,  with  the 
failure  of  the  lumber  company  to  meet  their  obliga- 


a*i,J}fcS2i4.S:K!&Sr-    ^^E^w-'-     i»««fras«» 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


73 


tions  and  pay  for  the  logs.  When  the  logs  were  all 
delivered  in  the  booms  at  Winnipeg,  the  banks  came 
to  the  rescue,  took  possession  of  the  logs  and  paid  for 
them,  and  ran  the  mills  and  received  back  their  ad- 
vance, together  with  money  ah'eady  due  them  from 
the  Winnipeg  lumber  firm. 

The  drive  of  logs  that  was  delivered  at  Winnipeg 
that  lar.t  season  was  one  that  had  been  hung  up  the 
year  before  on  the  Clearwater  River,  and  which,  by 
means  if  the  spring  floods,  was  brought  down  over 
the  faL  and  rapids  and  into  Red  Lake  River,  where 
there  was  plenty  of  water  to  drive  the  balance  of  the 
waj'.  The  logs  of  the  previous  winter  were  driven 
dov.n  to  the  rapids  and  had  to  be  left  (the  same  as 
they  ]  ad  been  the  year  before),  for  the  drive  that 
was  taken  that  year  to  Winnipeg. 

As  the  Winnipeg  firm  was  "all  iu"  it  was  not  in 
condition  to  purchase  the  logs,  which  were  hung  up 
on  Clearwater  River,  and  this  led  to  the  building  of 
the  lumber  mills  at  Crookston.  A  site  was  selected 
opposite  the  city,  on  the  townsite  of  Carmen,  which 
had  only  the  river  between  it  and  the  townsite  of 
Crookston.  The  mill  was  built  and  expensive  improve- 
men  '^  put  in  for  holding  logs.  These  improvements 
consisted  of  expensive  cut-offs  or  bins  above  Crooks- 
ton for  the  floods  to  pass  through  and  leave  the  logs 
on  the  lagoons,  with  very  expensive  piers  and  booms; 
this  made  quite  a  practical  and  satisfactory  lumber- 
ing enterprise,  excepting  as  to  its  large  cost.  This 
was  followed  by  attempts  of  certain  parties  in  Crooks- 
ton to  organize  boom  companies  and  secure  the  ripar- 
ian rights  on  the  river  to  control  the  booming,  making 
the  lumber  company  pay  tribute  to  the  extent  of  about 
what  there  would  be  in  the  lumber  business  as  a  boom- 
ing charge  for  this  unnecessary  outside  interference ; 
but  the  courts  intervened  and  decided  against  the 
interference,  and  for  that  reason,  the  mills  were  built 
at  Crookston ;  otherwise  they  would  have  gone  to 
Grand  Forks,  or  the  logs  might  have  been  taken  again 
to  Winnipeg,  and  no  further  lumbering  would  have 
been  done  at  Crookston. 

A  first-class  milling  plant  was  established  at  Crooks- 
5 


ton  and  it  was  iu  operation  for  many  years;  but  as 
soon  as  the  plant  was  located  and  the  lumber  in  pile, 
the  farmers  of  the  township  in  which  it  was  located, 
outside  of  the  townsite  of  Crookston,  began  levying 
the  most  excessive  rate  of  taxation, — in  excess  of  that 
levied  against  any  lumber  plant  in  Minnesota,  even 
ill  the  cities,  where  vastly  greater  expenditures  for 
local  matters  would  be  necessary.  This  became  so 
burdensome  that  it  became  necessary  to  appeal  to 
the  Legislature  of  the  State  and  to  add  the  mill-site 
to  the  townsite  of  Crookston,  where  naturally  there 
would  be  at  least  double  or  triple  the  amount  of  taxa- 
tion appropriately  assessable  for  expenditures  which 
were  not  in  any  manner  necessary  in  a  townsite  of 
farmers. 

Soon  after  the  Crookston  mills  were  in  operation, 
the  people  of  Grand  Forks,  finding  how  advantageous 
it  was  to  Crookston  to  have  the  mills  located  there, 
made  an  especial  effort  and  offered  a  millsite  location 
and  a  portion  of  the  necessary  lumber  yard,  as  au 
inducement  for  either  Mr.  Walker  or  the  Red  River 
Lumber  Company  to  build  mills  at  that  point.  They 
also  were  to  furnish  the  riparian  or  shore  rights  for 
boom  privileges  for  holding  the  logs  for  a  consider- 
able length  of  the  Red  River,  at  Grand  Forks,  and 
also  a  considerable  length  of  shore  rights  on  the  Red 
Lake  River,  some  miles  above  Grand  Forks,  to  hold 
larger  drives  of  logs  which  could  not  be  held  down 
at  the  mill  booms.  Pursuant  to  this  agreement,  the 
mills  were  built  at  Grand  Forks,  just  at  the  lower 
edge  of  what  was  then  the  town,  and  a  thrifty  lumber 
manufacturing  business  was  established.  After  sev- 
eral years  the  mill  burned  down,  and  as  the  riparian 
rights  had  never  been  furnished,  as  agi'ced  upon  by 
some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Grand  Forks,  and 
as  there  was  not  sufficient  room  to  hold  the  logs,  and 
there  was  a  likelihood  of  losing  a  large  lot  down  the 
river,  in  case  of  a  flood,  Mr.  Walker  undertook  to 
locate  on  the  Minnesota  side  of  the  river.  This  loca- 
tion would  have  been  fully  as  well,  or  better,  for  Grand 
Forks;  but  the  people  opposed  it  and  some  of  the 
citizens   bought   up   shore   rights   in   the   properties 


74 


COMPENDIU:\I  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


which  the  mill  company  was  seeking  to  secure.  Find- 
ing that  a  sufficient  amount  of  boomage  riglits,  as  well 
as  necessary  yard  room  for  piling  and  for  planing 
mills  and  other  purposes  of  the  lumber  plant,  could 
not  be  secured,  the  project  was  abandoned,  and  the 
persons  who  had  come  there  pretending  to  be  in  line 
to  build  more  mills  were  found  not  to  have  any  such 
intention,  but  were  only  speculating  out  of  options 
and  purchases  which  they  had  made  to  sell  to  the 
Red  River  Lumber  Company.  Thus  ended  the  Grand 
Forks  lumbering  operations,  after  about  ten  years  of 
operating  the  mills. 

After  the  Crookston  mills  had  been  running  for 
about  sixteen  years,  came  the  panic  of  '93.  At  this 
time  also  came  the  Government  sale  of  the  timber  ou 
the  Red  Lake  Indian  Reservation.  As  the  Red  River 
Lumber  Company  was  the  only  lumber  concern  on 
Red  Lake  River,  Mr.  Walker  arranged  to  secure  money 
from  the  banks  in  Minneapolis  to  purchase  a  sufficient 
amount  of  the  timber  to  enable  the  mills  at  Crooks- 
ton  to  operate  for  many  years.  For  this  purpose  he 
arranged  with  one  of  the  largest  banks  of  Minneap- 
olis for  sufficient  funds  to  purchase  a  large  amount 
of  the  timber,  and  to  do  this,  he  placed  several  busi- 
ness accounts,  including  his  own  personal  account,  in 
this  bank,  and  provided,  under  an  agreement,  for  the 
amount  of  the  ten  per  cent,  which  each  account  was 
allowed  to  take  from  the  bank,  under  the  banking 
laws.  When  panicky  conditions  came  on,  and  the 
bank  was  calling  upon  its  customers,  as  far  as  they 
reasonably  could,  for  payments  to  meet  the  withdraw- 
als of  money  that  the  depositors  were  making,  there 
was  one  lumber  firm  in  Minneapolis  which  owned  a 
very  favorable  tract  of  timber  on  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi waters.  This  tract  two  other  prominent  lumber 
firms  were  anxious  to  purchase  and  to  take  advantage 
of  the  stringent  times  to  secure  it  at  only  a  fraction 
of  its  value.  Mr.  Walker  had  no  interest  in  either 
one  of  these  concerns — nor  was  it  any  of  his  particular 
business,  as  to  the  outcome  of  such  sale — but,  finding 
that  the  president  of  the  bank  was  forcing  the  owners 
to    sell    for    $200,000    property    worth    $600,000    or 


$800,000,  he,  rather  indiscreetly,  said  to  some  of  the 
directors  of  the  bank,  that  it  was  a  shame  to  sacri- 
fice the  rights  of  this  concern  in  favor  of  the  wealthier 
firm  that  happened  to  have  money  to  pay,  and  as  that 
firm  owed  the  bank  money,  the  president  was  requir- 
ing the  owners  to  sell  and  sacrifice  for  this  price.  The 
directors,  on  the  statement  of  ^Iv.  Walker,  did  not 
approve  the  order  requiring  them  to  sell,  which  so 
displeased  the  president  of  the  bank  that  he  called 
oft'  the  agreement  to  furnish  the  additional  loans  that 
he  had  agreed  to  make  to  Mr.  Walker,  and  also  re- 
quired him  to  pay  up  the  comparatively  small  amount 
which  he  owed  the  bank. 

At  that  time  of  panic  the  banks  were  not  furnishing 
money,  and  were  having  a  close  time  to  meet  their 
own  obligations,  and  so  the  Red  Lake  timber  sale 
passed  and  Mr.  Walker  did  not  even  attend  the  sale. 
Therefore  the  Shevlin  Company,  backed  by  one  of  the 
largest  concerns  in  the  State,  found  itself  without 
competition  to  buy  in  these  lands  at  a  veiy  low  rate, 
and  much  less  than  was  anticipated.  It  had  been 
presumed  that  Mr.  Walker  would  be  on  hand  at  the 
sale  to  purchase  substantially  the  whole  at  whatever 
price  was  necessary  to  get  it,  and  at  more  than  any 
one  else  could  aiford  to  pay.  He  had  some  use  for 
the  timber,  and  the  others  would  have  to  make  a  be- 
ginning, and  without  a  sufficient  amount  to  establish 
mills,  they  hardly  considered  it  worth  while  to  attend 
the  sale. 

Mr.  Shevlin,  after  finding  himself  in  possession  of 
so  large  an  amount  of  timber,  bought  out  the  mills 
and  lumber  and  the  remainder  of  the  timber  that  Mr. 
Walker  owned  on  the  Clearwater  River.  In  addition 
to  this,  he  built  mills  at  Thief  River  Falls,  and  for  a 
considerable  number  of  years  supplied  the  Red  River 
Valley  with  lumber  and  aided  very  materially  in  the 
prosperity  of  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state.  Mr. 
Walker  then  withdrew  from  that  territory  and  after- 
ward built  mills  over  at  Akeley,  Hubbard  County, 
Minnesota,  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Crow  Wing 
River,  and  has  been,  up  to  the  present  time,  quite 
largely   engaged   in   manufacturing  lumber  at  that 


■  y  /u  n  I  n  .J 


Mt/J^^. 


7^- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


75 


point.  In  the  meantime,  lie  sold  his  milling  plant  in 
Minneapolis  and  for  the  past  sixteen  years,  has  been 
engaged  only  in  manufacturing  at  the  new  townsite 
of  Akeley. 

The  episode  given  as  the  reason  for  Mr.  Walker's 
abandoning  the  Red  Lake  River  mills  at  Crookston, 
and  the  sale  to  Shevlin  &  Company,  is  more  a  per- 
sonal incident  than  an  historical  feature,  but  may  be 
of  interest  as  an  explanation,  and  as  an  example  of 
how  an  incidental  or  accidental  circumstance  may 
turn  the  current  of  events  into  diiferent  channels. 


EARLY   BUSINESS    OPERATIONS    IN   POLK    COUNTY, 
BY  E.   D.   CHILDS,   PIONEER. 

In  the  spring  of  1877,  in  company  with  James  Hill, 
of  Warren,  Wisconsin,  Superintendent  W.  H.  Fisher, 
of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  et  al.,  I  visited  the  Valley  of  the 
Red  River  of  the  North,  making  headquarters  at 
Crookstou.  At  this  time  the  other  railroads  into  the 
Valley  were  the  Northern  Pacific,  which  had  been  built 
from  Dulutli  to  a  point  just  west  of  Fargo,  and  the 
old  St.  Paul  &  Pacific,  which  had  built  two  lines,  one 
of  which,  starting  from  St.  Paul,  had  been  completed 
as  far  north  as  Melrose,  Minn. ;  the  other  starting  at 
Minneapolis,  had  been  completed  and  was  being  oper- 
ated to  Breckenridge,  Minn.  Also,  while  these  were 
in  process  of  construction,  the  company  building  the 
road  brought  material  from  Duluth  over  the  Northern 
Pacific  to  Glyndon,  and  had  laid  rails  as  far  south  as 
old  Barnesville  toward  Melrose,  and  also  north  from 
Glyndon  to  what  is  now  Euclid.  At  this  point  of  con- 
struction the  financial  backers  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
were  thrown  into  bankruptcy,  all  work  stopped,  and 
the  property  defaulting  on  its  interest  was  thrown 
into  court  and  J.  P.  Farley,  of  the  Illinois  Central, 
was  named  receiver,  with  W.  H.  Fisher  as  superin- 
tendent. 

After  Mr.  Farley's  appointment  as  receiver,  he  had 
interested  Norman  Kittson,  of  St.  Paul,  who  was  run- 
ning a  line  of  steamboats  from  Crookston  to  Port 


Gari-y  (now  Winnipeg)  on  the  Red  River,  induced 
him  to  furnish  the  funds  to  take  up  the  track  from 
Crookston  to  Euclid  and  relay  it  to  Fisher,  thereby 
enabling  the  boats  to  meet  the  end  of  the  railway 
without  navigating  the  dangerous  stretch  of  river 
between  Crookston  and  Fisher. 

This  was  the  condition  of  the  railway  service  on 
my  first  visit  to  Crookston.  Our  party  took  the  train 
at  Minneapolis,  and  during  the  day  made  our  way 
to  Breckenridge  where  we  stopped  over  night  at  the 
old  Hyser  House.  The  next  morning  we  hired  a  team 
and  drove  to  Fargo,  stopping  at  Fort  Abercrombie 
for  dinner,  reaching  the  old  Headquarters  Hotel  at 
Pargo  near  nightfall.  I  distinctly  remember  that 
where  Wahpeton  now  stands  there  was  but  one  house 
and  that  was  covered  with  tar  paper.  The  third  morn- 
ing we  took  train  from  Fargo  to  Glyndon,  ten  miles, 
and  then  changed  from  the  Northern  Pacific  to  the 
St.  Paul  &  Pacific  and  went  aboard  a  mixed  train, 
which  ran  tri-weekly  during  the  summer  (there  were 
no  trains  in  the  winter),  from  old  Barnesville  to 
Fisher.  We  arrived  at  Crookston  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  third  day. 

The  town  at  that  time  consisted  of  two  streets ;  the 
main  one  is  now  the  alley  between  the  Great  Northern 
Depot  and  the  property  known  for  many  years  as  the 
Fountain  &  Anglim  store,  at  that  time  occupied  by  W. 
D.  Bailey  as  a  general  store.  The  other  was  a  short 
intersection  of  Robert  Street  from  the  railway  to  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Routell  Block,  then  occupied  by 
Ross  &  Walsh  as  a  general  store  and  tin-shop. 

During  the  previous  spring  Mr.  Farley  had  been 
greatly  hampered  in  operating  the  road  by  the  flood 
waters  collecting  on  the  south  half  of  Section  1,  just 
south  of  the  river,  and  on  our  return  to  St.  Paul,  he 
proposed  to  Mr.  Hill  and  myself  that  if  we  would  buy 
Section  1  at  the  agreed  price  of  $2.50  per  acre,  and 
bind  ourselves  to  di'ain  it  so  the  water  would  not  be 
a  menace  to  traffic,  he  would,  "run  flat  ears  under 
the  Crookston  depot  and  locate  it  and  the  town  on 
Section  1,  moving  all  their  switches  and  the  yards, 
with  other  railroad  property,  to  the  south  side  of 


76 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


the  river."  We  were  not  ready  at  that  time  to  accept 
the  offer,  and  six  weeks  later,  when  we  went  back 
prepared  to  enter  into  the  contract,  he  informed  us 
that  in  the  meantime  J.  J.  Hill  and  associates  had 
secured  control  of  the  properties,  and  that  it  was 
beyond  his  power  to  carry  out  his  former  proposition. 

This  trip  with  our  party  led  to  the  formation  of 
the  firm  of  Chjlds,  Lytic  &  Co.,  consisting  of  E.  D. 
Childs,  W.  G.  Lytle,  and  James  HiU,  and  the  con- 
tracting between  this  partnership  and  J.  P.  Farley 
for  10,000  acres  of  land  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
Railway  grant  at  the  price  of  $2.50  per  acre,  or 
$25,000.  This  contract  was  afterwards  ratified  by 
J.  J.  Hill  and  his  associates  and  the  land  selected  from 
the  townships  of  Andover,  Fairfax,  Lowell,  and 
Angus. 

During  the  summer  of  1877  we  sent  teams  from 
Warren,  Wisconsin,  to  Crookston  and  broke  up  300 
acres  of  laud  on  sections  23  and  24  in  the  township 
of  Andover,  returning  the  teams  to  Wisconsin  for  the 
winter  at  the  close  of  the  breaking  season.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  Mr.  Lytle  and  family  and  myself  and 
family  removed  to  Crookston,  where  Mr.  Lytle  still 
resides  (although  he  retired  from  the  firm  in  the  fall 
of  1880),  and  where  I  remained  until  the  fall  of  1907. 

We  were  the  pioneers  in  the  wheat  business  from 
Ada  north,  except  that  Barnes  &  Tenny,  of  Glyndon, 
had  bought  a  few  carloads  at  Crookston  during  the 
fall  of  1877.  They  built  houses  at  Rolette,  Beltrami, 
Carmen,  and  Crookston,  and  as  fast  as  the  road  was 
extended  north,  after  its  re-organization  as  the  St. 
Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Manitoba.  Under  the  firm  name 
of  Sterret,  Hill  &  Childs,  we  built  at  Fanny,  Euclid, 
Angus,  Warren,  Argyle,  Stephen,  Hallock,  and  St. 
Vincent;  also  on  the  line  to  the  west  as  far  as  Grand 
Forks.  At  Fisher  we  went  into  Capt.  Demeres's 
wheat  field  cut  down  a  portion  of  his  gi'ain,  sufficient 
for  a  building  site,  had  the  elevator  built,  and  filled 
with  over  30,000  bushels  of  wheat  before  a  rail  was 
laid  to  it,  so  we  could  load  cars. 

When  at  Grand  Forks,  the  very  first  cars  of  freight 
brought  in  by  rail  was  the  lumber  for  our  wheat 
house. 


When  we  first  settled  in  Crookston,  one  of  the  heavi- 
est drawbacks  to  immigration  was  the  lack  of  good 
water  supply  for  domestic  use  and  during  1878  and 
1879  our  firm  spent  much  money  in  prospecting  for 
an  artesian  supply  from  below  the  alkaline  deposit. 
Finally,  in  company  with  Corser  &  Elwood,  we  im- 
ported a  deep-well  contractor,  with  his  machinery 
from  Minneapolis,  and  succeeded  in  establishing  two 
flowing  wells  in  Carmen.  An  analysis  of  these  waters 
showed  them  to  be  99.4  per-cent  pure  water  and  the 
residue  healthful  mineral  salts.  One  of  these  wells, 
furnished  water  for  the  city  of  Grand  Forks  during 
the  great  typhoid  epidemic  in  the  decade  of  1880, 
being  shipped  over  in  carload  lots;  but  afterwards, 
when  the  Carmen  elevators  burned,  this  well  was 
choked  and  has  never  been  opened  up ;  the  other  well 
is  still  in  use  in  the  street  north  of  Block  11,  Carmen. 
This  demonstration  of  the  existence  of  an  artesian 
basin  of  pure  water  in  tlie  Red  River  Valley  was  a 
factor  in  its  development  of  more  than  passing  in- 
terest. 

In  1880  and  1881  our  firm  platted  and  dedicated 
the  townsite  of  Carmen,  now  embraced  in  the  Fifth 
ward  of  Crookston. 

When  the  city  in  the  early  '80s  was  negotiating 
with  T.  B'.  Walker  of  Minneapolis,  asking  him  to 
locate  a  great  lumber  industry  at  that  point,  the  dona- 
tion by  our  firm,  without  price,  of  the  land  on  which 
the  mill  and  lumberyard  were  established  was  a  lead- 
ing factor  in  influencing  Mr.  Walker's  decision. 

In  the  church  life  of  the  city  it  was  my  privilege 
to  be  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  First  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  at  a  later  date,  of  the  Baptist,  both 
in  Crookston  and  Carmen.  After  the  city  limits  were 
extended  south  of  the  river  during  different  periods 
I  was  for  fourteen  years  a  member  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil and  took  part  in  much  of  the  important  legisla- 
tion of  that  period,  among  others  had  an  active  part 
in  defeating  the  $50,000  bond  issue,  which  was  sought 
to  be  given  as  a  bonus  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
wlien  it  entered  the  city. 

The  years  1878  to  1888  were  crowded  full  of  activ- 
ity.   We  were  laying  foundations  on  which  those  who 


I 


IMONEER  FIRE  FIGHTERS— CEOOKSTON 'S  FIRST  VOLUNTEER 
FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  CROOKSTOX  IX  1885 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


77 


came  later  have  iu  many  instances  buikled  success- 
fully. Late  in  the  decade  of  1880  my  partner,  Mr. 
Hill,  made  a  heavy  and  most  unfortunate  investment 
in  a  silver  mine  in  New  Mexico,  which  swept  away 
every  vestige  of  his  personal  fortune.  The  loss  so  far 
undennined  the  financial  condition  of  our  corpora- 
tion that  it  took  the  next  fifteen  years,  and  very  great 
sacrifices  of  our  holdings,  to  pay  off  the  claims  result- 
ing from  his  unfortunate  speculation,  and  this  led  to 
my  selling  all  of  our  holdings  in  Minnesota  and  re- 
moval, in  1907,  to  Wasliiugton,  where  I  have  since 
resided. 


GENESIS     OF     THE     PRESENT     HISTORY    OF     POLK 

COUNTY,  WITH  A  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

OF   THE  COUNTY'S  RESOURCES. 

BY   N.    P.    STONE,    HISTORIAN    OP   THE   POLK   COUNTY   OLD 
SETTLERS '   ASSOCIATION. 

To  the  large  number  of  members  of  the  Old  Settlers' 
Association  who  were  not  present  when  the  initial 
steps  in  the  direction  of  compiling  and  publishing  a 
personal  and  general  history  of  Polk  County,  and  es- 
pecially of  its  pioneer  period,  a  statement  of  the  op- 
portunity and  circumstances  leading  to  the  venture 
is  due.  The  following  synopsis  of  report  of  the  meet- 
ing at  which  this  enterprise  was  launched  will  give 
a  better  view  of  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  old  set- 
tlers than  any  mere  statements. 

Persuant  to  a  call  issued  by  John  Carter,  president 
of  the  Old  Settlers'  Association  of  Polk  County,  a 
meeting  was  held  in  the  office  of  0.  0.  Christiansen, 
at  Crookston.  At  this  meeting,  in  addition  to  the  local 
members,  there  were  present  the  Honorable  Halvor 
Steenerson  and  the  Honorable  R.  J.  Montague.  IMr. 
Montague  was  one  of  the  pioneer  attorneys  of  Crooks- 
ton,  who  at  one  time  held  the  office  of  county  judge, 
and  at  another  time  the  office  of  mayor  of  Crookston. 
A  few  years  since,  he  moved  to  Virginia,  IMinne.sota, 
where  he  is  officially  known  as  city  attorney  of  that 
enterprising  city.  Routine  business  being  temporarily 
laid  aside.  Judge  Montague  interested  the  meeting 
with  a  half  hour's  talk,  reviewing  many  of  the  im- 


portant events  in  the  env\y  history  of  the  county  and 
city,  also  calling  to  mind  many  amusing  affairs  in  the 
early  public  life  of  the  city,  recalling  and  rephrasing 
stories  a  tliird  of  a  century  old,  illustrating  the  truth 
that  a  good  story  well  told,  like  old  wine,  may  improve 
with  age. 

The  sympathy  of  the  meeting  becoming  largely 
reminiscent  in  its  attitude,  all  were  ready  to  hear  from 
Congressman  Steenerson,  who  then  addressed  the 
meeting.  Mr.  Steenerson  gave  a  review  of  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  pioneers  who  came  to  the  Red  River 
Valley  leaving  old  associations,  old  friends,  and  even 
civilization,  hundreds  of  miles  behind,  to  try  their 
fortunes  in  an  untried  climate  of  long  winters  of  storm 
and  snow,  and  summers  of  rain  and  flood.  "These 
men,"  said  Mr.  Steenerson,  "are  the  heroes  who  have 
helped  build  the  empire  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  and 
they  are  worthy  of  a  place  in  its  history." 

Judge  William  Watts,  who  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  the  early  settlement  and  develop- 
ment of  the  valley,  having  contributed  quite  largely 
to  a  "  History  of  the  Red  River  Valley, ' '  published  in 
1909,  next  entertained  the  meeting  for  a  short  time, 
and  closed  with  an  endorsement  of  Mr.  Steenerson 's 
suggestion.  It  being  evident  that  the  sentiment  of  all 
present  was  favorable  to  the  proposed  history,  Mr. 
Steenerson  moved  that  the  Old  Settlers'  Association 
compile  and  print  in  book  form  a  history  of  Polk 
County.  The  president  declared  a  unanimous  vote 
in  favor  of  the  motion,  and  it  was  so  recorded. 

A  few  weeks  later  Mr.  Bingham,  of  W.  H.  Bingham 
&  Company,  historical  publishers,  of  Minneapolis, 
having  become  informed  of  the  movement,  came  to 
Crookston  and  called  on  the  officers  of  the  association 
with  a  view  to  securing  the  publishing  of  the  con- 
templated history.  Later  he  met  with  the  Old  Settlers 
in  session  and  made  a  proposition,  in  substance,  that 
his  firm  would  furnish  material  for  the  history,  with 
such  aid  as  the  Old  Settlers  could  give,  and  that  his 
firm  would  furnish  such  history  to  the  public  at  a 
price  of  $15  per  copy.  The  Old  Settlers  ratified  an 
agreement  of  this  nature:  this  agreement  being  the 


78 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


warrant  under  which  the  publishers  have  undertaken 
the  work. 

GENERAL   CONDITIONS    OF    THE    COUNTY. 

Preliminary  to  the  general  historical  features  of 
this  woik,  the  writer  desires  to  call  the  attention  of 
the  reader  to  certain  conditions,  physical  and  other- 
wise, peculiar  to  Polk  County  and  differing  vastly 
from  those  found  elsewhere  in  the  Red  River  Yallej'. 
If  one  hundred  residents  of  this  county  were  ques- 
tioned as  to  the  location  of  Polk  County,  one  hun- 
dred would  answer,  "In  the  Red  River  Valley,"  and 
not  one  would  give  the  correct  answer. 

Polk  County  is  geograi^hically  centrally  located 
more  largely  and  particularly  in  the  valley  of  the  Red 
Lake  River,  than  in  the  valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the 
North.  Red  Lake  River  is  the  outlet  of  Red  Lake, 
the  largest  body  of  fresh  water  within  the  boundaries 
of  any  one  of  the  United  States  of  America.  This  lake 
is  located  centrally  in  a  basin  of  about  two  million 
acres  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Minnesota,  having 
a  large  number  of  small  rivers  entering  the  lake  from 
various  directions,  and  but  one  outlet,  the  Red  Lake 
River.  Red  Lake  River  receives,  in  addition,  the  flow 
of  two  important  rivers :  the  Clearwater,  coming  from 
the  southeast  and  joining  Red  Lake  River  at  Red  Lake 
Falls,  and  the  Thief  River,  coming  from  the  north  and 
joining  the  Red  Lake  River  at  Thief  River  Falls. 

The  natural  physical  conditions  of  the  Red  Lake 
River  Valley  have  no  harmony  with  the  conditions  of 
the  Red  River  of  the  North.  Red  Lake  River,  after 
reaching  the  prairie  at  Red  Lake  Falls,  has  a  contin- 
uous average  fall  of  four  feet  per  mile,  to  within  a 
few  miles  of  Grand  Forks.  The  Red  River  of  the 
North,  as  shown  by  the  records  accepted  as  correct, 
has  an  average  of  only  a  major  fraction  of  a  one-foot 
incline  per  mile  from  Breckenridge  to  St.  Vincent.  A 
rapid  current  clarifies  the  stream,  while  a  slow  one 
tends  to  a  sluggish  and  unwholesome  condition. 

The  occasional  floods  that  have  occurred  in  the  Red 
River  are  mentioned  in  the  "History  of  the  Red  River 
Valley, ' '  published  in  1909,  as  follows :    ' '  These  floods 


attain  a  height  of  only  a  few  feet  below  the  level  of 
the  adjoining  prairie  where  that  is  highest,  and  along 
the  greater  part  of  the  distance  between  Fargo  and 
Winnipeg,  the  banks  are  overflowed  and  the  flat  land 
on  each  side  of  the  river  to  a  distance  of  two  to  four 
miles  from  it,  is  covered  with  water  one  to  five  or  more 
feet  in  depth."  Compare  the  above  with  the  condi- 
tions found  in  the  valley  of  the  Red  Lake  River.  The 
Red  Lake  River  flows  through  a  well-defined  valley 
ranging  from  one-quarter  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
wide — from  the  prairie  level  on  one  side  to  that  on 
the  other.  At  Crookstou  the  width  is  fully  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile.  The  business  part  and  three- 
fourths  of  the  residence  portion  of  the  city  are  located 
between  these  banks,  upon  the  table  lauds  somewhat 
peculiar  to  this  river.  These  table  lands  vary  in 
height,  and  generally  slope  gradually  toward  the 
river.  The  lowest  portion  of  the  city  has  a  few  resi- 
dences which  have  been  troubled  with  the  high  waters, 
as  had  been  anticipated  at  the  time  of  building.  The 
highest  water  known  in  Crookston  has  not  risen  to  a 
point  within  twenty  feet  of  the  prairie  level. 

For  thirty  years  the  pine  logs  cut  upon  the  Red 
Lake  Indian  Reservation  were  floated  down  the  Red 
Lake  River  to  the  T.  B.  Walker  sawmill,  at  Crookstou, 
and  manufactured  into  lumber  to  be  distributed 
through  the  Red  River  Valley  for  building  purposes, 
furnishing  employment  to  one  hundred  or  more  men 
during  the  process  of  manufacture. 

The  first  dam  in  Crookston  was  built  in  the  early 
eighties,  and  later  rebuilt  by  the  Crookston  Water- 
works, Power  &  Light  Company.  The  power  obtained 
from  this  dam  was  used  for  furnishing  light,  water, 
and  power  for  the  city.  During  the  past  year  the 
Crookston  Waterworks,  Power  &  Light  Company  have, 
by  the  addition  of  another  and  nuich  larger  dam,  re- 
harnessed  the  water  power  of  the  Red  Lake  River, 
giving  it  a  capacity  for  service  many  times  greater 
than  before.  This  company  has  a  wire  already  run- 
ning from  their  power  plant  near  Crookston  to  Grand 
Forks,  which  will  soon  be  in  service  furnishing  power 
to  that  city.    Arrangements  have  also  been  made  for 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


79 


lighting  the  tovvu  of  Fisher  from  this  wii'e.  This  com- 
pany has  established  two  artesian  wells  in  the  City  of 
Crookston,  which  supply  an  abundance  of  pure,  whole- 
some water  to  the  citj'.  The  general  absence  of  any 
alkaline  feature  in  the  water  is  marked  throughout 
the  county,  and  it  is  possible  to  find  pure  artesian  wa- 
ter of  the  finest  kind  in  nearly  all  places  where  a  well 
is  drilled. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  best  soil  of  the  Red 
River  Valley  is  along  the  river  banks,  produced  by 
the  deposits  of  silt  and  clay  during  the  thousand  or 
more  years  of  valley  formation.  Polk  County  borders 
on  the  Red  River  a  distance  of  48  miles,  and  including 
the  two  sides  of  the  Red  Lake  River,  which  runs  cen- 
trally through  Polk  County  a  distance  of  forty  miles, 
has  a  total  frontage  of  timber  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  miles  length,  and  an  equivalent  larger 
breadth  or  length  of  the  richest  kind  of  soil.  If  the 
statements  of  the  geologists  are  reliable,  Polk  County 
must  excel  in  quality  of  soil  all  other  counties  in  the 
Red  River  Valley. 

No  more  fitting  recognition  of  the  merits  of  Polk 
County,  in  its  relations  with  the  Red  River  Valley, 
could  have  been  given  than  when  James  J.  Hill  offered 
four  hundred  and  ninety-nine  acres  of  land  as  site 
for  the  State  Agricultural  College  centrally  located  at 
Crookston,  and  no  more  signal  service  was  rendered 
the  Valley  than  when  Senator  A.  D.  Stephens,  then  a 
member  of  the  Legislature,  through  his  active  per- 
sonal effort  and  influence,  secured  the  passage  of  a 
bill  through  the  Legislature,  establishing  a  school  of 
agriculture  at  Crookston.  The  interest  in  the  school 
has  been  of  gradual  but  continuous  growth,  until  to- 
day the  college,  as  a  Valley  institution,  has  become  a 
dominant  feature  in  practical  husbandry  and  kindred 
branches,  with  an  enrollment  of  over  two  hundred 
students. 

The  period  of  actual  steamboating  on  the  Red  River 
extended  from  the  time  of  the  completion  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  to  Moorhead  in  December, 
1871,  to  the  time  of  the  completion  of  the  St.  Paul  & 
Pacific  from  Crookston  to  St.  Vincent,  making  a  con- 
tinuous all-rail  line  from  St.  Paul  to  Winnipeg,  in 


1878.  The  largest  number  of  boats  plying  the  Red 
River  of  the  North  at  one  time  was  reported  as  twelve, 
according  to  the  History  of  the  Red  River  Valley, 
published  in  1909.  Dui'ing  these  years,  traffic  was 
frequently  suspended  owing  to  low  water.  After  the 
establishment  of  all-rail  service,  steamboating  gradu- 
ally disappeared,  until  the  last  boat  went  out  of  com- 
mission, and  the  sound  of  the  steamboat  whistle  is 
heard  no  more.  The  commercial  value  of  this  river 
described  in  the  above-mentioned  history  as  one  of  the 
"two  mighty  rivers"  (referring  to  the  Mississippi  and 
the  Red  River  of  the  North),  today  is  at  zero.  Its 
service  to  the  world  was  short.  It  now  is  only  a 
hazard.  Every  year  of  high  flood-tide  must  bring  dis- 
aster of  greater  or  less  degree.  Red  Lake  River  has  a 
record  for  safety  that  can  be  trusted.  Red  Lake 
River  still  holds  in  reserve  enough  silent  force,  when 
added  to  that  with  which  it  has  already  been  taxed,  to 
amount  in  round  numbers  to  ten  thousand  horsepower 
energy,  thus  demonstrating  its  capacity  of  service  to 
Polk  County. 

In  the  matter  of  railroad  transportation  and  traffic 
Polk  County  is  again  most  fortunate.  Two  trunk 
lines,  the  Great  Northern  and  the  Northern  Pacific, 
including  branch  lines  radiating  from  Crookston,  num- 
bering eight  lines  of  rail  trackage  in  the  city  in  all, 
furnish  Crookston  with  an  admirable  service.  A  large 
number  of  traveling  salesmen  have  made  their  homes 
in  Crookston,  finding  it  a  most  satisfactory  point  from 
which  to  reach  the  trade  in  their  territory.  The  serv- 
ice given  by  this  system  reaches  more  advantageously 
to  all  sections  of  the  county  than  the  service  found  in 
any  other  county  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  Valley. 

Nature  has  endowed  Polk  County  not  only  with 
agricultural  and  commercial  possibilities,  but  also 
with  attraction  in  her  physical  beauty.  In  driving 
through  the  country,  one  enjoys  both  the  free  sweep 
of  the  rolling  prairies,  and  the  frequent  groves  and 
many  beauty-spots  discovered  in  the  woods  along  the 
picturesque  river  banks.  Down  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  county  is  situated  an  attractive  group  of 
lakes.    Most  of  them  are  a  little  remote  from  the  com- 


1 


80 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


mon  highway,  and  are  souglit  out  mostly  by  lovers'of  Joseph  Sauve,  Joseph  Laframboise,  Remi  Fortier,  Tel 


good  fishing  in  the  summer  and  sportsmen  out  for 
wild  ducks  in  the  fall. 

The  largest  of  tlie  group,  however.  Maple  Lake,  so 
named  from  the  many  maple  trees  growing  about  its 
shores,  is  only  two  miles  from  the  town  of  Jleutor, 
and  has  become  a  noted  summer  resort  for  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  Maple  Lake  is  about  seven  miles 
long  and  varies  in  width  from  one  and  one-half  miles 
at  the  "big  end"  to  one-third  of  a  mile  at  the  other 
end,  Maple  Bay.  It  is  a  picturesque,  homelike  lake, 
with  its  wooded  banks  and  grace^dlj'  curving  shores. 
It  has  good  fishing  and  bathing,  and  being  the  only 
lake  of  its  attraction  and  location  near  to  that  section 
of  Minnesota  to  the  west  and  north  of  it,  has  become  a 
favorite  spot  in  summer  for  that  part  of  the  country, 
even  for  many  in  Grand  Forks  and  other  town.s  in 
northern  North  Dakota.  The  great  majority  of  the 
cottages,  numbering  from  75  to  100,  are  found  along 
the  northwestern  shore,  and  some  of  them  have  been 
built  as  long  ago  as  twenty-five  or  thirty  years.  There 
are  two  principal  hotels  -.  Bulin  's  Hotel,  familiar  to  the 
countryside  for  many  years;  and  the  Lakeside  Hotel, 
which  was  put  up  a  few  years  ago,  and  which  is  also 
a  popular  .spot  with  cottagers  and  transients  in  the 
summer  time. 

This  attempt  of  the  writer  to  give  Polk  County  its 
true  "setting"  in  the  history  of  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley of  the  North  is  made  in  the  hope  that  it  will  meet 
with  the  approval  of  the  old  settlers  who  have,  with 
the  true  pioneer  spirit,  aided  in  redeeming  the  Valley 
from  its  wild  nature  and  the  tramp  of  the  not-too- 
niuch-civilized  American  Indian. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  PABISH  OF  ST.  PETER, 

GENTILLY,  MINN. 

BY  REV.   E.   THEILLON. 

Gentilly  is  an  inland  town,  situated  seven  miles  east 
of  Crookston,  and  was  settled  by  French  Canadians 
about  1878.  Prominent  among  the  first  settlers  were 
Joseph  Beaudette,  Edouard  Lanctot,  Chas.  Rejimbal, 


Arel,  Ces  Cervais,  Basilic  Dufault,  J.  B.  Dufault, 
Joseph  Martel,  Frs.  Pinsonnault  and  Labonte,  and 
others.    A  majority  of  these  are  now  dead. 

Rev.  Father  Champagne,  during  the  years  1S7S- 
1879,  and  1880,  occasionally  attended  Gentilly  from 
Red  Lake  Falls,  offering  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass  in  the  little  frame  district  school  house  of  the 
village.  The  first  resident  priest  was  Rev.  A.  Bouch- 
ard, who  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  parish  in 
June,  1881,  by  the  Right  Reverend  Rupert  Seidem- 
busch,  D.  D.,  then  Vicar  Apostolic  of  Northern  Minne- 
sota. The  first  presbytery  and  the  first  church  were 
erected  by  Father  Bouchard  at  a  cost  of  $1,200;  they 
were  simple  frame  structures  of  modest  dimensions, 
suitable,  however,  for  the  condition  of  the  settlement, 
which  comprised  some  63  families. 

The  faithful  services  of  Father  Bouchard  termin- 
ated in  1884,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  C'.  V. 
Gamaehe,  who,  during  four  years  of  pastorate,  built 
an  addition  to  the  church  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  increasing  population  and  purchased  the  present 
cemetery  in  close  proximity  to  the  church.  Father 
Gamaehe  worked  successfully  in  promoting  the  best 
interests  of  the  parish,  both  spiritually  and  materi- 
ally. 

In  November,  1888,  Rev.  E.  Theillon,  the  present 
pastor,  assumed  charge  of  the  parish,  having  been 
promoted  by  Bishop  Seidembusch  from  Terrebonne, 
Minn.  At  his  advent  into  the  parish.  Father  Theillon 
found  the  population,  chiefly  farmers,  somewhat  dis- 
couraged because  of  the  partial  failure  of  crops 
caused  by  their  farming  methods ;  but  knowing  that 
the  material  progress  would  i)romote,  iii  no  small 
measure,  the  spiritual  advancement  of  the  members 
of  the  congregation,  who  were  already  leaving  in 
large  numbers,  he  advised  and  exhorted  them  to 
adopt  diversified  farming  and  was  mainly  instru- 
mental in  la.ying  the  foundation  of  the  now  famous 
cheese  factory  of  Gentilly,  which  has  been  and  is  to- 
day the  main  source  of  the  present  remarkable  pros- 
perity of  Gentilly.  The  Gentilly  cheese  has  fre- 
quently taken  the  first  premium  in  inter-State  and 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


81 


intra-State  contests  and  is  known,  on  the  market, 
as  the  "First  Premium"  cheese  throughout  the 
country.  Amid  this  new  prosperity  the  Gentilly  par- 
ish has,  under  the  able  supervision  of  Father  Theil- 
lon,  built  the  present  large  presbytery,  known  as 
"the  White  House  of  Gentilly,"  and  erected  during 
the  past  year  (1915)  the  beautiful  brick  church  of 
gothic  architecture,  with  artistic  stained  glass  win- 
dows and  furnishings,  to  the  value  of  $35,000,  prac- 
tically free  from  all  indebtedness.  This  indicates  the 
good  financial  condition  of  the  Gentilly  people,  due 
mainly  to  their  loyalty  to  their  old  pastor  and  church. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
parish  has  far  exceeded  its  material  progress. 


from  St.  Cloud.  Soon  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  es- 
tablished a  post  at  the  present  city  of  Grand  Forks, 
and  thus  eliminated  many  hardships.  As  a  conse- 
quence of  this,  settlers  streamed  into  the  Northwest, 
and  the  real  development  of  the  countrj'  began. 


THE  MAEAIS  COMMUNITY,  ITS  EARLY  PERMANENT 

SETTLEMENT,  ITS  PROGRESS,  AND  ITS 

PRESENT  CONDITION. 

One  of  the  very  best  districts  in  northwestern 
]\Iinnesota  is  what  is  known  as  the  Marais  Community. 
It  is  one  of  the  oldest  settled  districts  in  Polk  County 
and  its  local  history  is  most  interesting.  It  has  been 
well  described  in  an  address  by  Peter  Allan  Gum- 
ming, a  son  of  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  Com- 
munity, before  the  Civics  Club  of  the  University  of 
North  Dakota  and  printed  in  the  Grand  Forks  Herald 
of  February  27,  1916.    In  part  Mr.  Gumming  says : 

"In  the  year  1871  two  middle  aged  Scotchmen, 
"William  Fleming  and  Robert  Coulter,  accompanied 
by  T.  L.  McVeety,  migrated  to  Northern  Minnesota 
in  search  of  government  land.  "While  camping  one 
night  upon  the  banks  of  the  Red  Lake  river,  seven 
miles  from  the  present  city  of  Grand  Forks,  they  dis- 
cussed the  possibilities  of  the  district  in  which  they 
were  stopping.  After  examining  the  soil  in  the  morn- 
ing and  taking  into  consideration  the  possibilities  of 
a  nearby  town  and  the  prospects  of  good  transporta- 
tion, they  decided  to  settle  there.  These  gentlemen 
formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present  Marais  Community. 
For  a  few  years  they  were  the  only  settlers.  During 
this  time  they  underwent  many  hardships,  for  they 
were  forced  to  draw  all  their  provisions  with  oxen 


FIRST  PERMANENT  SETTLERS. 

Perhaps  there  were  temporary  settlers  on  the 
Marais  a  hundred  years  ago,  for  the  trappers  and 
fur  hunters  were  here  at  that  time,  but  we  are  not 
certain  that  this  is  true ;  we  are  only  certain  that  if 
white  men  lived  here  in  "the  long  ago,"  they  did 
not  remain  long  and  their  occupation  was  unim- 
portant. Just  across  the  river  on  the  North  Dakota 
side  is  the  English  Coulee,  called  by  the  early  French- 
men in  this  quarter  "La  Coulee  Anglais."  Reliable 
accounts  of  the  olden  time  say  that  this  coulee  was 
so  named  because,  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  an 
English  family,  that  of  a  trader  or  an  employee  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  were  murdered  at  this 
point,  where  the  family  were  living.  The  names  of 
these  martyrs  of  civilization  have  not  been  preserved. 

The  first  permanent  latter  day  settlers  of  the  dis- 
trict, who  have  reclaimed  it  from  wilderness  and 
made  it  to  "bloom  and  blossom  as  the  rose,"  may  be, 
in  part  at  least,  named  here,  according  to  so  high  an 
authority  as  Mr.  James  Gumming,  who  has  long  lived 
here.  The  very  first  were  "W^m.  Fleming  and  Robert 
Coulter,  who  settled  in  what  is  now  the  Marais  Com- 
munity in  1871.  These  are  the  "two  middle-aged 
Scotchmen"  previously  referred  to.  Fleming  was 
born  in  Glasgow ;  Coulter  was  a  Scotch-Canadian, 
but  his  father  was  a  native  of  Glasgow.  Later  in 
1871  came  T.  L.  i\IcVeety  and  David  Nisbet,  two 
other  Caledonians.  In  1872  came  James  McRae  and 
Archie  McRae ;  in  1875,  James  Nisbet ;  in  1876,  Rob- 
ert Nisbet  and  Joseph  Robertson ;  in  1877,  James  Rob- 
ertson, David  Morrow,  James  McDonald,  Donald  ile- 
Donald,  and  Duncan  Bain ;  in  1878,  J.  A.  Hannah ;  in 
1879,  James  Shanks.  All  these  men  were  either 
Scotchmen  themselves  or  the  descendants  of  Scotch- 
men. 


82 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


One  of  the  first  districts  to  become  quickly  settled 
was  the  present  Marais  community.  It  was  not  long 
until  it  eoinmcnced  to  organize.  For  many  years  this 
organization  was  crude,  but  since  that  time  until  the 
present  day,  development  has  been  going  on.  This 
paper  will  not  attempt  to  trace  the  developments,  but 
rather  will  deal  with  this  community  in  its  present 
developed  condition,  although  in  a  few  instances  a 
comparison  will  be  made  with  conditions  as  they  ex- 
isted ten  years  ago. 

This  community,  consisting  of  twenty-eight  square 
miles,  is  situated  in  the  west  central  part  of  Polk 
County,  in  the  State  of  Minnesota.  Its  western 
boundary  may  be  irregularly  drawn  about  one  mile 
east  of  East  Grand  Forks ;  the  southern  boundary  is 
formed  by  the  Red  Lake  River;  while  the  northern 
and  eastern  boundaries  are  but  imaginary  lines  a  few 
miles  north  and  east  from  the  banks  of  the  Marais. 
Meandering  through  this  community  and  dividing  it 
nearly  in  two  is  the  IMarais.  This  is  an  intermittent 
stream  which  is  believed  to  have  been  once  a  river 
bed.  This,  together  with  the  Red  Lake  River,  pro- 
vided ample  opportunities  for  proper  drainage.  The 
natural  lay  of  the  land,  however,  because  of  its  gen- 
eral levelness  did  not  give  sufficient  drainage,  but 
the  building  of  county  ditches  a  few  years  ago  along 
each  highway  running  east  and  west  and  leading  into 
either  the  Marais  or  the  Red  Lake  River,  completed 
a  sufficient  drainage.  This  situation,  which  gives  the 
inhabitants  easy  access  to  the  marketing  towns  of 
Crookston  and  Grand  Forks,  and  which  permitted  the 
easy  completion  of  an  efficient  drainage  system,  has 
been  a  great  asset  to  the  communitj'. 

In  1915  the  approximate  value  of  improved  land 
in  this  community  was  $26  an  acre ;  to-day  the  aver- 
age value  is  about  $85  per  acre.  This  great  increase 
in  land  is  partly  due  to  the  complete  drainage  sys- 
tem ;  partly  to  the  improved  conditions  established 
by  better  building,  and  partly  to  the  adoption  of 
more  scientific  methods  of  farming,  whereby  the  3'ield 
per  acre  has  been  greatly  increased.  The  increase  in 
the  valuation  of  buildings  is  in  part  due  to  the  in- 
crease in  cost  of  lumber,  but  nevertheless,  many  new 


buildings  have  been  erected,  which  bears  testimony 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  community.  The  increase  in 
the  value  of  live  stock  is  in  part  due  to  the  rise  of  the 
market  price,  but  it  is  also  due  to  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  stock  as  a  consequence  of  a  realization  of 
the  value  of  live  stock.  In  the  case  of  live  stock, 
when  considering  cattle,  the  increase  was  from  six 
to  twelve  head  for  each  farm. 

Perhaps  a  part  of  this  thrift  may  be  accounted  for 
when  we  learn  of  the  people  who  compose  this  com- 
munity. Of  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  inhab- 
itants, six  are  Norwegians,  twelve  Germans,  twenty- 
two  Irish  and  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  Scotch. 
The  village  of  Mallory  boasts  of  eleven  inhabitants. 
It  also  boasts  of  the  only  bachelors  in  the  community 
— two  carpenters. 

In  this  village  also  is  situated  the  most  important 
school.  There  are  four  schools  in  the  community 
having  a  combined  enrollment  of  sixty-eight  pupils. 
The  Mallory  School,  established  in  1870,  derives  its 
importance  chiefly  by  being  the  instigator  in  leading 
the  schools  of  the  community  with  the  East  Grand 
Forks  school  system. 


THE  CHURCHES. 


But  the  greatest  institutions  within  this  community 
are  the  churches.  Of  these  there  are  two,  one  a  Meth- 
odist church  situated  at  jMallory,  the  other  a  Presby- 
terian church,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Marais. 
The  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1885.  It  has 
but  few  members  in  the  church,  but  they  have  man- 
aged to  always  help  support  a  minister.  Their  strong- 
hold is  in  the  Sunday  school,  in  which  they  have 
fifty-one  enrolled.  Almost  all  this  church's  activities 
come  through  the  young  people's  organization  known 
as  the  Epworth  League.  •  •  •  The  chief  church, 
however,  is  the  Presbyterian.  The  activities  of  this 
church  are  felt  far  and  wide.  At  the  last  meeting  of 
the  Presbytery  it  was  shown  that  the  Marais  Church 
bested  all  of  the  other  churches  of  Adams  Presbytery 
in  contributing  to  the  various  boards  of  both  foreign 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


83 


and  home  missionaries.     Of  course  a  part  of  this 
comes  through  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society. 

The  church  was  organized  in  1885,  and  the  original 
members  were  Mrs.  "Wm.  Fleming,  Mrs.  Tena  Lee, 
Christopher  Coulter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Coulter,  S.  S. 
Davidson,  Mrs.  S.  S.  Davidson,  John  Bryson,  Mrs. 
Isabelle  Bryson,  Mrs.  R.  Bryson,  John  Hannah,  Mrs. 
Janet  Hannah,  ilrs.  Barbara  McDonald,  Margaret 
Lee  Coulter,  Mrs.  Margaret  Durtell,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Cumming,  Mrs.  Annie  Robertson,  Mrs.  Agnes  Stew- 
art, James  McVeety,  Mrs.  Janet  McVeety,  Donald 
McDonald  and  wife,  Charles  McDonald,  Robert  Nis- 
bet,  and  Stephen  Sprague.  The  elder  was  Donald 
McDonald.  The  deacons  were  J.  A.  Hannah  and  S. 
S.  Davidson.  The  trustees  were  Robert  Nisbet,  John 
Bryson,  Christopher  Coulter,  also  treasurer;  Charles 
McDonald  and  Stephen  Sprague.  The  present  mem- 
bership is  75.  At  iirst  services  were  held  in  private 
houses,  and  after  1878  in  the  school  house. 


yield    per    acre    and    for    the    highest    grade    of 


SOCIAL  OEGANIZATIONS. 

Besides  the  schools  and  churches  there  are  several 
organizations.  The  first  which  we  might  mention  is 
the  Mallory  Burns  Club.  This  club  was  organized  in 
1900,  and  James  Nisbet  was  the  first  President.  On 
the  25th  of  January  of  each  year,  this  club  gives  a 
banquet,  entertainment  and  dance  in  commemoration 
of  Robert  Burns.  Because  it  is  one  of  the  strongest 
of  its  kind  in  the  northwest,  Scotchmen  come  from 
far  and  near.  Gifted  players  on  the  bagpipe,  old- 
time  Scotch  dancers  and  singers,  coupled  with  the 
talents  of  the  younger  generation,  never  fail  in  giving 
a  splendid  entertainment.  The  25th  of  January  is 
always  remembered  for  months  afterwards. 

A  recently  organized  club  is  the  Boys'  Corn  Club. 
With  the  East  Grand  Forks  High  School  Agricultural 
Department  at  the  head,  all  the  boys  imder  eighteen 
years  of  age  throughout  the  community  are  leagued 
together  to  foster  the  growth  of  corn.  Prizes  are 
offered  by  various  concerns,  such  as  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  East  Grand  Forks  for  the  largest 


corn.     -     *     " 

For  purely  economic  benefits  are  the  Equity  League 
and  Farmers'  Insurance  Company.  When  this  or- 
ganization was  first  organized,  it  was  an  attempt  to 
co-operate  the  farmers.  Although  the  farmers  have 
failed  in  co-operating  for  selling,  nevertheless,  they 
have  co-operated  for  buying,  and  thus  have  derived 
many  benefits  from  the  organization.  The  insurance 
company  likewise  has  aided  the  farmers  in  sav- 
ing.    *     *     * 

But  the  most  valuable  organization  socially,  edu- 
cationally and  financially,  is  the  Farmers'  Club.  This 
club  was  organized  about  two  years  ago,  and  has 
proven  a  great  success.  Here  the  farmers  and  their 
families  meet  once  a  month,  and  enjoy  a  real  sociable 
time.  A  part  of  each  program  is  always  given  over  to 
entertainment 

This  district,  like  the  rest  of  the  Red  River  Valley, 
M'as  blessed  by  nature  at  the  close  of  the  glacial 
period  by  the  deposition  of  a  rich  deep  alluvial  loam 
upon  a  yellow  clay  subsoil.  At  one  time,  this  district 
was  covered  with  trees,  which  have  been  chopped 
down.  These  trees  left  the  soil  rich  in  organic  mat- 
ter. No  better  soil  for  agricultural  purposes  can  be 
found  anywhere.  Besides  this  gift  of  a  wonderful 
soil,  the  district  was  blessed  by  having  two  railroads 
cross  its  territory.  These  railroads  establish  spurs 
at  almost  every  mile,  thus  giving  great  advantages 
for  transportation.  Three  lines  of  farmers'  telephones 
intersect  the  country,  connecting  them  with  the  cities 
of  Grand  Forks  and  Crookston.  Two  rural  free  de- 
liveries leave  the  mail  daily  at  almost  every  door. 
With  the  establishment  of  these  facilities  this  district 
was  brought  into  closer  contact  with  the  rest  of  the 
world.  The  consequence  was  a  great  upheaval  in  the 
methods  of  farming;  a  change  of  attitude  toward 
higher  learning,  and  a  great  change  in  crops. 

Well  settled  in  a  valuable,  thickly  populated  com- 
munity, surrounded  by  the  best  environment  which 
schools,  churches,  and  other  organizations  can  offer, 
and  allowed  ample  opportunities  for  industrial  ex- 


84  COMPENDIU:\r  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 

pansion,  each  individual  of  this  eommunity  holds  a  ment,  but  that  development  has  by  no  means  been 

feeling  of  gratitude  towards  the  rest  of  the  com-  completed.    The  citizens  realize  that  the  future  holds 

munity.     This  community  has  made  great  progress  much  for  them,  and  it  is  almost  certain  that  they  will 

in  the  past,  and  today  has  a  high  stage  of  develop-  keep  pace  with  all  progress  and  prosperity. 


^  o 


^  >^ 


:  ffi 


K 

&^ 

[a 

-<  of 


-< 

O 


^l^^&' 

IH 

Ml 

nl 

V 
'A' 

^ 

s 


y. 


< 


c 
o 

M 
O 


CHAPTER  IX. 
CROOKSTON  AND  ITS  INSTITUTIONS. 
By  James  A.  Cathcart,  Secretary  of  the  Commercial  Club. 

HISTORICAL    SKETCH — CITY    BUILDINGS    AND    OTHER    PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS THE  COMMERCIAL  CLUB THU  BANKS 

MANUFACTURING    INDUSTRIES THE    CITY   SCHOOLS — OTHER    SCHOOLS LODGES   AND    OTHER   CIVIC    ORGANIZA- 
TIONS  THE   NORTHWESTERN    MINNESOTA  AGRICULTURAL  ASSOCIATION HOSPITALS,  ETC. 


Crookston,  Minnesota,  known  as  the  Queen  City  of 
the  Red  River  Valley,  is  the  County  Seat  of  Polk 
County  and  the  largest  and  most  important  city  in 
northwestern  Minnesota.  In  size,  Crookston  ranks 
fourteenth  in  the  state,  its  population  (from  1915  city 
directory),  being  about  8,500.  Early  history  shows 
the  township  of  Crookston  was  organized  March  28, 
1876.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  1879  by  a  spe- 
cial law  signed  by  Governor  John  S.  Pillsbury.  The 
name  Crookston  was  given  to  both  the  town  and  town- 
ship in  honor  of  Colonel  William  Crooks,  of  St.  Paul, 
who  was  chief  engineer  in  locating  the  first  railroad 
in  this  section.  This  road  was  then  known  as  the 
St.  Paul  &  Pacific  Railway,  and  during  the  year  1872 
was  constructed  from  Glyndon  through  Crookston 
to  the  Snake  River,  where  is  now  the  city  of  Warren, 
Minnesota. 

Later  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  Railway  was  put  in 
the  hands  of  receivers,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
railroad  construction  work  was  at  a  standstill.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year  1875  part  of  the  rails  north  of  Crooks- 
ton were  taken  up  and  used  to  turn  the  line  to  Fisher's 
Landing,  a  distance  of  eleven  miles  west  of  Crooks- 
ton. No  other  railroad  extension  work  was  attempted 
in  this  section  until  the  year  1877,  when  the  St.  Paul 
&  Pacific  Railway,  still  in  the  hands  of  receivers,  again 
took  up  the  construction  work  of  connecting  certain 
portions  of  the  road  left  unbuilt  after  the  financial 


crisis  of  1873.  In  1878  the  line  from  Crookston  to 
Warren  was  reconstructed  and  the  road  extended  to 
the  Canadian  boundai-y.  During  the  following  year, 
the  road  was  also  extended  from  Fisher's  Landing  to 
Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota.  In  subsequent  years 
the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  Railway  was  purchased  by  Mr. 
J.  J.  Hill  and  his  associates,  who  rapidly  increased 
the  line  by  purchase  and  construction,  building  up 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Great  Northern  Railway 
System.  Crookston  is  a  Great  Northern  Railway  Di- 
vision point,  having  the  main  lines  to  St.  Paul,  Winni- 
peg, and  Duluth,  connecting  lines  to  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and  branches  to  Fargo,  Warroad,  and  St.  Vincent. 

The  Northern  Pacific  Railway  was  constructed  from 
the  south  to  Crookston  and  from  Winnipeg  to  Grand 
Forks  in  the  year  1889.  It  was  not  until  1890,  how- 
ever, that,  by  the  construction  of  the  road  from 
Crookston  to  Grand  Forks,  a  through  line  was  pro- 
vided from  St.  Paul  to  Winnipeg  via  Crookston.  The 
year's  delay  in  connecting  the  line  was  occasioned 
by  right-of-way  and  crossing  controversies  between 
the  Great  Northern  and  Northern  Pacific  Railways. 

From  the  above  facts,  Crookston 's  importance  as 
a  railroad  center  is  quite  evident,  her  transportation 
facilities  including  eight  lines  reaching  directly  to 
St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis,  to  Duluth,  to  Winnipeg,  to 
Fargo,  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  country  and  across 
the  State  of  North  Dakota  to  the  Pacific  Coast. 


85 


86 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


THE  city's  buildings  AND  OTHER  PUBLIC 
IMPROVEMENTS. 

Crookston  takes  just  pride  in  its  civic  improve- 
ments. Its  streets  are  clean  and  probably  the  best 
lighted  of  any  city  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
State.  It  has  thoroughly  modern  water  and  sewer 
systems,  an  efficient  police  department,  a  paid  fire 
department,  with  modern  equipment,  a  large  and 
beautiful  municipal  park,  and  a  children's  play 
ground.  The  city  engineer's  report  for  1915  shows 
the  following  improvements  to  December  31st : — 

Miles. 

Westrumito  Paving   2.00 

Street  Asphalt  Paving 7 

Macadam  Paving 7 

Gravel  Paving   6-7 

Sewerage   11-2 

Cement  Walks 2.3.7 

Water  Mains    l-^-O 

No.  of  Hydrants 98.0 

Telephone  Lines — Pole  9-5 

Underground    2.U5 

Electric  Line   (C.  W.  W.  P.  &  L.  Co.) 17.0 

JSo.  Arc  Lights 66 

Blocks  of  White  Way 10 

Gaa  Mains 8.0 

The  city's  public  buildings  are  modern  and  up-to- 
date,  among  the  most  important  of  which  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

City  Hall   $  30,000.00 

Polk  County  Court  House 75,000.00 

U.  S.  Post  Office 90,000.00 

Armory   (Seats  1,500) 40,000.00 

Grand  Theatre    (Seats   850) 30,000.00 

Library    (4,600    Volumes) 17,500.00 

High  School 150,000.00 

The  United  States  Land  Office  for  the  Crookston 
district,  covering  the  territory  of  the  Minnesota  Red 
River  Valley,  is  located  here,  offices  being  provided 
in  the  United  States  Postoffice  Building. 

The  city  has  a  Charter  form  of  government  with 
power  vested  in  its  executive  officer,  the  mayor,  and 
members  of  the  city  Council  consisting  of  Aldermen, 
elected  one  from  each  of  the  various  wards  of  the 
city  and  one  Alderman-at-Large.  At  the  County 
Election  in  the  spring  of  1915  Polk  County  was  voted 
"Dry"  and  from  November  27,  1915,  Crookston  has 
been  without  saloons. 


THE  COMMERCIAL   CLUB. 

For  its  population,  Crookston  has  one  of  the  strong- 
est and  most  active  commercial  organizations  in  the 
northwest.  The  membership  numbers  over  400  indi- 
viduals with  a  sufficient  number  of  shares  subscribed 
to  provide  an  annual  income  of  over  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars ($10,000).  A  secretary  is  paid  to  devote  all  his 
time  to  looking  after  the  Club's  interests.  Large  and 
well-equipped  club  rooms  are  provided.  The  Club 
maintains  the  well-known  Citizens  Band  of  Crook- 
ston, one  of  the  best  municipal,  mu.sical  organizations 
in  the  state. 

Crookston  is  a  well  built  city  with  many  handsome 
brick  and  stone  business  blocks  and  a  beautiful  resi- 
dential section.  The  splendid  hotel  and  other  facili- 
ties makes  the  city  an  excellent  meeting  place  for 
conventions. 

BANKS. 

The  city  has  five  banks  representing  a  capital  stock 
of  Two  Hundred  and  Eighty  Thousand  Dollars 
(.$280,000).  The  deposits  in  these  banks,  on  Decem- 
ber 1,  1915,  aggregated  the  sum  of  Three  Million, 
Eight  Hundred  and  Eighty  Five  Thousand  Dollars 
($3,885,000).     The  banks  are  as  follows: 

Name  Capital  Stock 

Crookston  State  Bank   $40,000 

First  National  Bank 75,000 

Merchants  National  Bank 75,000 

Polk  County  State  Bank 40,000 

Scandia  American  Bank  50,000 

MANUFACTURING  INDUSTRIES. 

Crookston  is  rapidly  assuming  importance  as  a 
manufacturing  center.  Manufactured  goods,  to  the 
amount  of  about  five  million  dollars  ($5,000,000.00), 
are  put  out  annually  and  hundreds  of  men  are  given 
steady  employment  in  the  various  plants.  Among 
the  most  important  of  Crookston 's  manufacturing 
industries  is  that  of  the  Crookston  Milling  Company, 
whose  plant  is  valued  at  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars ($100,000.00),  and  who  have  just  completed  a  new 
75,000  bushel  capacity  elevator  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five 


/ 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


87 


thousand  dollars  ($25,000.00).  This  plaut  is  being 
run  at  capacity  (500  barrels  per  day)  the  year  around 
and  employs  twenty-five  men.  The  value  of  the 
Crookston  Milling  Company's  products  aggregates 
one  million  dollars  ($1,000,000.00)  annually.  The 
Bridgeman-Russell  Company  manufacture  at  its  local 
plant  over  one  million  pounds  of  butter  each  year. 
Among  the  other  manufacturing  industries  of  the  city 
are  numbered  bakers,  two;  blank  book  manufacturers 
and  binders,  one;  bottlers,  two;  box  and  tank  manu- 
facturer, one;  brewery,  one;  brick  and  tile,  two; 
cereal,  one ;  cigar  manufacturers,  four ;  foundries,  ma- 
chinists, and  boiler  makers,  three ;  ice  cream  and  con- 
fection manufactures,  five ;  machinery  manufacturers, 
two;  marble  and  granite  works,  two;  printers,  four; 
sash  and  door  manufacturers,  two;  sign  and  motor 
car  enameling  works,  one;  silo  manufacturer,  one; 
tannery,  one ;  tent  and  awning,  one ;  upholsterers'  tow, 
one;  wagons  and  sleighs,  two.  The  city  also  has  two 
substantial  wholesale  grocery  houses  and  three  grain 
elevators. 

Crookston  is  fortunate  in  having  a  big  supply  of 
water  power  (electrical).  This  is  derived  from  the 
Red  Lake  River  at  two  points,  one  station  situated 
within  the  city  limits  and  the  other  about  four  miles 
to  the  east.  Cheap  electrical  power,  excellent  railroad 
facilities,  and  plenty  of  labor  at  reasonable  wages 
make  Crookston  a  desirable  location  for  manufactur- 
ing indu^ries. 

CROOKSTON   CITY  SCHOOLS. 

One  of  the  chief  problems  to  solve  in  any  commun- 
ity is  the  provision  of  adequate  educational  facilities 
for  its  young  people.  Crookston  believes  that  every 
child  within  its  borders  is  entitled  to  a  school  environ- 
ment which  is  conducive  to  its  highest  development, 
mentally,  morally,  and  physically.  One  will  be  con- 
vinced of  this  fact  by  a  visit  to  the  new  $150,000 
Central  High  School,  with  its  equipment  for  all  de- 
partments of  secondary  education,  which  are  in  the 
hands  of  well  trained  and  experienced  instructors, 
and  also  note  that  another  $150,000  is  invested  in  five 


grade  buildings  located  in  various  sections  of  the  city, 
which  care  for  the  pupils  below  the  seventh  grades. 

The  upper  grades  are  organized  on  the  junior- 
senior  high  school  plan,  which  is  now  being  followed 
in  all  the  leading  schools.  Beginning  with  the 
seventh  grade,  three  courses  are  offered — academic, 
industrial,  and  commercial,  which  afford  the  boy 
or  girl  an  opportunity  to  select  what  will  be  of  the 
greatest  value  to  him  or  her,  if  it  be  not  possible  to 
complete  the  high  school  course.  Other  advantages 
are  that  promotion  is  made  by  subject  instead  of  by 
grade,  thus  bridging  over  the  gap  between  the  eighth 
grade  and  the  high  school,  which  previously  was  the 
means  of  preventing  many  from  continuing  their 
work  in  the  higher  grades.  In  the  Crookston  schools 
last  year  only  eleven  per  cent  did  not  enter  the  senior 
high  school  from  the  eighth  grade. 

The  Senior  High  School  is  directed  by  a  principal 
who  has  sixteen  assistants.  Complete  courses  are 
offered  in  the  following:  Academic  subjects,  teacher 
training,  commercial,  industrial,  art,  and  public 
speaking.  Specialists  in  music  and  drawing  super- 
vise these  subjects  throughout  the  entire  system. 

The  following  statistics  will  be  of  interest  as  indi- 
cating the  extensiveness  of  our  school  system:  Total 
enrollment  is  as  follows:  Senior  High  School,  300; 
Junior  High  School,  250;  grades  below  the  sixth, 
850.  Fifty  persons  are  on  the  faculty,  whose  annual 
salaries  amount  to  $35,000.  Adding  to  this  money 
paid  for  janitor  and  office  help,  the  total  salary 
schedule  for  the  year  amounts  to  nearly  $45,000. 
School  property  is  valued  as  follows:  Grounds,  $35,- 
000;  buildings,  $300,000;  furnishings,  $10,000; 
equipment,  $5,200,  or  a  total  of  $350,000. 

OTHER  SCHOOLS. 

In  addition  to  the  public  schools,  Crookston  has 
also  the  Cathedral  School,  providing  various  grade 
work  and  full  high-school  courses.  The  high-school 
enrollment  is  forty  and  the  grades  one  hundred  sixty. 
The  school  is  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Bishop 
and  directed  by  a  principal  who  has  eight  assistants 
of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Benedict,  of  Duluth. 


88 


COMPENDIUiM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


The  Cathedral  School  building  is  a  fiue  structure, 
erected  and  equipped  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.00,  and  con- 
tains club  rooms  and  gymnasium  and  an  auditorium 
with  a  seating  capacity  of  seven  hundred. 

Another  institution  of  education  is  the  St.  Joseph 
Academy,  under  the  direction  of  the  Sisters  of  St. 
Joseph.  The  courses  provide,  including  high  school 
work,  grade  and  kindergarten,  the  attendance  in  each 
being  twenty-five,  one  hundred  and  forty,  and  thirty- 
five  respectively.  This  school  is  housed  in  a  beautiful 
structure,  located  on  Houston  Avenue,  and  erected 
and  equipped  at  a  cost  of  appro.ximately  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

Other  Crookston  educational  institutions  include  the 
Crookston  College,  providing  commercial  courses, 
shorthand,  typewriting,  and  preparatory  work;  also 
automobile,  gas  and  steam  engineering.  The  faculty 
consists  of  the  president  and  five  assistants ;  the  enroll- 
ment is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The  Crookston 
College  property  and  equipment  are  valued  at  forty 
thousand  dollars. 

A  branch  of  the  University  of  Minnesota,  the  North- 
west School  of  Agriculture,  is  located  at  Crookston. 
Elsewhere  in  this  volume  a  special  chapter  is  given 
to  this  institution. 

CHURCHES. 

The  religious  field  of  Crookston  has  not  been 
neglected.  Nearly  every  denomination  is  represented 
and  the  city  has  fourteen  splendid  church  edifices,  two 
Catholic,  one  Episcopal,  and  eleven  other  Protestant 
churches,  divided  as  follows,  one  Congregational, 
seven  Lutheran,  two  Methodists,  and  one  Presbyterian. 
There  is  also  a  Christian  Science  society. 

LODGES. 

Nearly  all  of  the  important  secret  societies,  lodges, 
etc.,  are  well  represented  in  Crookston,  among  which 
are,  Ancient,  Free,  and  Accepted  Masons,  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  Knights  Templar,  Order  of  Eastern  Star,  Odd 
Fellows,  Rebecca  Lodge,  Knights  of  Columbus, 
Ancient  Order  United  "Workmen,  Degree  of  Honor, 


Elks,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  Ladies  of  the 
Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  Royal  Arcanum,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Royal  Neighbors  of  America, 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  the  Maccabees,  Modern  Samari- 
tans, Moose,  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America,  the 
Equitable  Fraternal  Union,  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  Brotherhood 
of  American  Yeomen,  Sons  of  Norway,  Independent 
Scandinavian  Workmen's  Association,  Sons  of  Her- 
mann, United  Commercial  Travelers,  and  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union.  Among  other  associa- 
tions are  numbered  the  Crookston  Commercial  Club, 
Germania  Hall  Association,  Crookston  Rod  &  Gun 
Club,  Tennis  Club,  Citizens'  Band  of  Crookston,  Mer- 
chants' Association,  Crookston  Automobile  Club,  Vi- 
king Chorus,  Red  River  Valley  Medical  Association, 
and  the  Northwestern  Minnesota  Agricultural  As- 
sociation. 

NORTHWESTERN  AGRICULTUR.\L  ASSOCIATION. 

The  grounds  of  the  Northwestern  Minnesota  Agri- 
cultural Association  consisting  of  sixty -eight  acres  are 
located  one  half  mile  north  of  the  city.  The  annual 
fairs  are  put  on  in  July,  and  draw  exhibits  and 
patronage  from  all  of  northwestern  Minnesota,  parts 
of  North  and  South  Dakota  and  Wisconsin.  Particu- 
lar attention  has  been  given  to  the  matter  of  exhibits 
and  the  institution  has  become  a  farmer's  affair  in  the 
broadest  sense.  Good  amusement  features  have  also 
been  provided  and  the  excellent  manner  in  which  the 
yearly  fairs  and  expositions  have  been  handled  has 
made  the  enterprise  very  beneficial  and  popular  with 
the  people. 

HOSPITALS. 

Three  high  class  hospitals  are  located  at  Crookston, 
namely :  The  Bethesda  Hospital,  the  St.  Vincent  Hos- 
pital, and  the  Polk  and  Norman  County  Tubercular 
Sanitarium.  These  hospitals  are  strictly  modern  and 
up-to-date.  The  Bethesda  and  St.  Vincent  are  each 
equipped  to  handle  about  thirty-five  patients  and  the 
Sanitarium  thirty  patients.    The  Bethesda  Hospital  is 


THE  GROOKSTON  DAM 
Built  hy  W.  J.  Murphy  in  ]ftl4 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY  89 

operated  under  the  direction  of  the  Bethesda  Hospital  grounds  and  equipment  are  valued  at  approximately 

Association,  and  the  investment  in  building,  ground  $50,000.     The   Sanitarium   is   a  Polk   and   Norman 

and  fixtures  is  approximately  $25,000.    The  St.  Vin-  County  institution  and  their  property  is  valued  at 

cent  Hospital  is  under  the  direction  of  the  Benedictine  about  $70,000. 
Sisters'   Benevolent   Association   and   the   buildings, 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  NEWSPAPERS  OP  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  W.  E.  McKenzie,  Crookston  Times. 

newspaper  conditions  past  and  present land  notices  paid  the  pioneer  printers e.  m.  walsh  and  the 

crookston  plaindealer — first  paper  was  the  polk  county  journal — brown  and  his  "  broad  axe " 

the  tragic  tale  op  the  northern  tier — the  crookston  chronicle — the  fisher  bulletin the  papers 

OF  1882 — RED  LAKE  FALLS  DEMOCRAT  AND  THE  CROOKSTON  TIMES  FIRST  DEMOCRATIC   PAPERS ^THE  m'iNTOSH 

TIMES — CROOKSTON  TRIBUNE-^HE  VESTESHEIMEN — THE  PEOPLE'S  PRESS — OTHER  POLK  COUNTY  P^ERS  ALIVE 


AND   DEAD. 


i'E-^l 


The  history  of  Polk  County  newspapers  is  largely 
within  the  period  of  the  personal  experience  and  ob- 
servation of  the  Writer.  It  is  the  period  of  the  great- 
est evolution  of  the  newspaper  and  publishing  busi- 
ness of  any  similar  lapse  of  time  in  the  history  of  the 
world — the  period  of  the  perfecting  press,  and  the 
linotype  machine,  of  the  big  penny  paper,  and  the 
rural  free  delivery,  which  has  put  tlie  daily  news- 
paper into  the  hands  of  the  farmers  and  people  liv- 
ing in  outlying  country  villages  all  over  the  United 
States.  It  is  a  period  coincident  with  the  period  of 
accomplishment  in  all  lines  of  human  endeavor  in 
all  climes  and  countries. 

To  go  back  to  the  early  history  of  Polk  County 
newspaperdom — not  the  earliest  histoi-y  by  a  few 
years — is  to  go  back  to  my  boj^hood,  and,  with  the  aid 
of  a  halting  memory,  to  recapture,  so  far  as  possible 
from  the  dim  storehouse  of  things,  half  forgotten,  the 
incidents  connected  with  the  propitious  birth,  the 
illustrious  or  inglorious  career,  and  in  many  cases  the 
untimely  death,  of  Polk  County  newspapers. 

Thirty  years  ago  Polk  County  supported  twenty- 
one  newspapers.  To-day  there  are  but  nine  in  the 
county,  and  twelve  in  the  territory  composing  Polk 
County  at  that  time,  but  now  divided  into  the  coun- 


ties of  Polk,  Red  Lake,  and  part  of  Pennington.  The 
falling  off  in  the  number  of  papers  is  due  to  two  main 
causes — the  establishment  of  rural  mail  routes,  and 
the  loss  of  patronage  derived  from  the  publication  of 
final  proof  and  contest  notices  on  Government  Land. 

LAND  NOTICES  PAID  THE  PIONEER  PRINTERS. 

In  the  early  history  of  Polk  County  newspapers 
the  final  proof  and  contest  notices  were  the  chief,  and 
in  some  cases  practically  the  entire,  support  upon 
which  the  pioneer  publisher  leaned.  Wherever  there 
was  a  postoffice,  and  considerable  quantities  of  Gov- 
ernment land  being  proved  up,  there  the  intrepid  edi- 
tor, with  a  big  case  of  nonpareil  type  for  setting  land 
notices,  and  a  cigarbox  full  of  long  primer  for  setting 
the  two  or  three  inches  of  news  and  the  editorial, 
pitched  his  tent,  and  began  to  accumulate  a  fortune. 

Three  dollars  for  final  proof  notices  and  five  dol- 
lars for  contest  notices  was  the  rate  allowed  by  the 
Government.  The  notices  had  to  be  published  in  the 
paper  nearest  the  land,  so  as  to  make  no  slashing  of 
rates  or  dividing  up  with  "the  attorney  in  the  case," 
which  has  taken  many  thousands  of  dollars  in  money 
which  belonged  to  tlie  newspapers  and  distributed  the 
sum  among  the  "poor  and  needy"  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession. 


90 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


91 


Some  of  the  papers  in  those  days  carried  as  high 
as  two  or  three  pages  of  land  notices,  set  in  solid 
nonpareil,  and  their  incomes  from  this  source  ran  as 
high  as  $150  or  $200  a  week.  No  wonder  those  early 
publishers  were  optimists  of  the  most  virulent  type! 
No  wonder  they  were  boosters  of  the  brightest  luster ! 
No  wonder  the  publisher  at  Red  Lake  Falls  saw  in 
his  town,  of  one  store  and  two  saloons,  a  "Second 
Minneapolis,"  and  the  editor  at  St.  Hilairc,  with  two 
stores,  three  saloons,  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  went  his 
rival  one  better,  and  christened  his  town  the  "Second 
Chicago,"  and  in  leaded  long  primer  proved  it,  too, 
to  his  own  satisfaction  at  least. 

But  their  dreams  of  future  greatness,  colored  by 
the  roseatg-hue  of  their  present  prosperity,  were  not 
to  be  for  long.  The  country  was  rapidly  settled. 
The  public  land  passed  from  the  Government  to  the 
pioneer  farmer,  and  the  fat  pickings  from  final  proof 
notices  began  to  dwindle,  until  now  the  publisher  of 
a  Polk  County  paper  would  not  recognize  a  laud  no- 
tice, if  he  tripped  over  it.  The  rural  mail  carrier 
was  the  next  shadow  to  be  cast  across  the  sunlit  path 
of  the  early  Polk  County  publisher.  He  pushed  out 
daily  into  the  highways  and  byways,  where  the  local 
weekly  had  reigned  supreme,  and  brought  with  him 
the  daily  papers  of  the  neighboring  towns  and  the  big 
cities,  and,  with  circulation  decreasing  and  income 
diminishing,  the  life  of  the  pioneer  publisher  began 
to  be  cast  along  hard  lines.  The  big  city  papers,  es- 
pecially the  weekly  editions,  competed  with  the  local 
journals  to  the  letter's  great  disadvantage.  Many  a 
Polk  County  man,  disgracefully  deficient  in  public 
spirit  and  local  patriotism,  cut  off  his  home  paper  and 
subscribed  for  a  city  sheet  instead. 

Some  branched  into  other,  and  more  profitable 
fields,  others  folded  their  tents  and  sought  new  pas- 
tures, and  others  hung  on  and  on,  and  weut  down 
with  their  colors  flying.  Of  the  twenty-one  papers 
that  flourished  in  Polk  County  thirty  years  ago,  but 
four  are  in  existence  today,  and  of  the  publishers 
of  thirty  years  ago  the  writer  of  this  article  is  the 
only  one  who  survives  in  the  business. 


E.   M.  WALSH  AND  THE  CROOKSTON  PLAINDEALEB. 

E.  M.  Walsh  was  Polk  County's  first  editor  and 
publisher.  In  1874  he  established  the  Crookston 
Plaindealer.  It  was  printed  at  Grand  Forks  in  the 
office  of  the  Grand  Forks  Plaindealer,  which  was  es- 
tablished and  then  being  conducted  by  his  brother, 
George  Walsh.  The  Crookston  Plaindealer  was  con- 
ducted as  a  side  issue  to  ilr.  Walsh's  other  activities. 
He  was  postmaster,  storekeeper,  real  estate  dealer, 
land  locator,  and  a  few  other  things  in  those  days, 
and  when  John  McLean,  now  long  since  dead,  but 
then  in  the  hey-day  of  his  youth,  came  up  from  Audu- 
bon to  practice  law  and  establish  the  Polk  County 
Journal,  Mr.  Wal^Ji  gladly  transferred  the  literary, 
social,  and  political  burden  to  his  shoulders,  and  the 
Plaindealer  ceased  to  exist. 

POLK    COUNTY    JOURNAL    FIRST    PAPER    PRINTED    IN    THE 
COUNTY. 

The  Journal,  like  the  Plaindealer,  was  at  that  time 
a  branch  or  offshot  of  another  publication.  It  was 
the  offspring  of  the  Audubon  Journal,  published  by 
Harvey  E.  Cooke,  and  was  printed  in  Audubon  for 
several  months  after  it  was  established  here.  But 
about  that  time  Crookston  began  to  assume  the  airs 
of  a  civilized  community.  Settlers  were  coming  in, 
the  trees  had  been  chopped  out  of  the  ground  on  Main 
Street,  and  one  or  two  other  stores  had  been  estab- 
lished; the  Pioneer  Hotel  had  been  erected,  the  tin 
horn  gambler,  the  tent  saloon,  and  the  dance  hall  were 
established  institutions.  The  Crookston  offspring  of 
the  Journal  soon  reached  a  stature,  where  it  over- 
topped its  parent.  It  looked  as  if  Crookston  was  to 
be  "some  town,"  and  Mr.  Cooke  wisely  decided  to 
leave  Audubon  to  rot  in  ignorance  and  folly,  and  to 
move  his  plant  to  Crookston.  The  Audubon  Journal 
was  accordingly  discontinued,  and  in  1878  the  Polk 
County  Jom-nal,  the  first  paper  to  be  published  and 
printed  in  the  County,  was  born. 

For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr.  Cooke  was  the 
guiding  star  in  the  Journal's  destiny,  and  never  was 
there  an  issue  of  that  paper  that  was  not  made  in- 


92 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


teresting  to  a  large  family  of  readers  while  he  was  its 
editor  and  publisher.  He  was  a  ready  and  entertain- 
ing writer,  possessed  a  great  fund  of  dry  humor,  com- 
"bined  with  much  common  sense;  he  knew,  better  per- 
haps than  any  other  man  who  had  ever  occupied  an 
editorial  chair  in  this  County,  how  to  shape  his  edi- 
torial expressions,  and  present  the  news  most  effect- 
ively. He  was  not  as  good  a  business  manager  as  he 
was  an  editor,  and  while  the  Journal  prospered  fairly 
well,  it  did  not  make  any  big  fortune  for  its  owner. 
Mr.  Cooke  died  in  the  harness  in  1900,  and  Mi-s.  Cooke 
took  charge  of  the  Journal  for  a  few  months,  when 
it  was  sold  to  N.  S.  Gordon.  He  began,  shortly  after 
his  purchase,  the  publication  of  a  daily  edition,  which 
was  continued  with  many  ups  and  downs,  and  under 
various  managements,  until  1910,  when  it  was  tiually 
discontinued  and  the  plant  was  purchased  and  the 
paper  merged  with  the  Times. 

BROWN  .\ND  HIS  BROADAXE. 

The  next  paper  to  embark  upon  the  treacherous 
sea  of  Polk  County  journalism  was  the  Broadaxe. 
"Broadaxe  Brown"  is  the  only  name  which  the  editor 
was  ever  known  by.  He  was  an  itinerant  printer  of 
the  tramp  variety.  The  motto  of  the  Broadaxe  was 
"Hew  to  the  line,  let  the  chips  fall  where  they  may." 
The  line  was  rather  a  crooked  one  in  Brown's  case; 
but  the  chips  were  plentiful,  and  many  was  the  good 
citizen  who  was  banged  in  the  neck  with  one  of  them. 
The  Broadaxe,  i;nder  those  circumstances,  had  a  short 
and  exciting  cax-eer.  It  was  started  one  bright,  sun- 
lit day  in  the  spring  of  1880;  but  before  the  frosts 
had  nipped  the  foliage  in  the  fall  the  Broadaxe  had 
ceased  to  hew.  In  the  last  issue,  which  was  printed  on 
butcher's  straw  wrapping  paper.  Brown — in  delight- 
fully frank,  if  not  overly  elegant,  language — expressed 
his  opinion  of  the  town,  and  of  a  lot  of  the  leading 
citizens,  and  he  then  quietly  disappeared.  He  left 
in  the  night,  a  proceeding  which  showed  his  com- 
prehensive conception  of  the  axiom  that  "discretion 
is  the  better  part  of  valor."  There  were  many  look- 
ing for  Broadaxe  Brown  the  next  day — those  with 


bills  to  collect,  as  well  as  those  with  grievances  to 
avenge;  but  Broadaxe  Brown  has  been  but  a  troubled 
memory  from  that  day  to  this.  There  are  people  still 
living  here  who  do  not  like  the  name  of  Brown. 

THE  TR.VGIC   TALE  OF  THE  "NORTHERN   TIER." 

Captain  Arnold  was  the  next  soldier  of  fortune  to 
tilt  a  lance  against  the  windmill  of  early  day  journal- 
ism. His  paper  was  the  Northern  Tier,  named  for 
the  four  counties  of  large  proportions,  though  limited 
population,  that  constituted  the  territory  along  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  State.  The  Northern  Tier 
was  started  at  the  same  time  the  Broadaxe  was  cut- 
ting the  deepest  gashes  into  the  characters  of  leading 
citizens.  Its  life  was  also  fleeting.  Captain  Arnold 
was  a  man  of  distinguished  military  appearance,  and 
brilliant  attainments.  lie  was  a  good  mixer,  but  a 
poor  financier.  The  local  columns  of  the  paper  were 
crowded  with  personal  "jollies"  for  Tom,  Dick,  and 
Harry.  Every  citizen  was  mentioned  by  his  or  her 
Christian  name,  and  they  were  all  smilingly  present 
when  the  roll  was  called  in  the  local  items  each  week. 
There  was  no  room  left  for  advertising,  and  the  ghost 
failed  to  walk  after  the  first  few  weeks — and  then  the 
Northern  Tier's  light  went  out. 

A  year  or  two  later  (in  the  year  of  1883  to  be  exact), 
Captain  Arnold  came  back.  He  had  found  a  financier 
in  the  person  of  H.  W.  McCall.  McCall  was  also  a 
capitalist,  in  a  limited  way,  but  made  no  claims  to 
being  a  newspaper  man.  Arnold  and  McCall  had 
also  gathered  together  a  number  of  brilliant  young 
fellows,  whom  they  had  induced  to  cast  their  lot  with 
them  and  gather  riches  and  renown  in  the  revival  of 
the  Northern  Tier  and  its  publication  as  a  daily. 

There  was  Billy  Stark,  a  live  wire  reporter;  J.  A. 
McNair,  an  up-to-date  advertising  manager;  an  Eng- 
lishman of  studious  mien,  and  Cockney  accent  whose 
name  I  have  forgotten,  who  was  to  be  city  editor,  and 
Albert  Kaiser  and  E.  U.  Ilauser,  who  were  just  print- 
ers. But  the  craft  was  too  heavy — too  many  officers 
on  the  bridge,  and  too  few  seamen  before  the  mast. 
When  the  waves  of  financial  disaster  began  to  roll 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


93 


over  its  decks  Captain  Arnold  was  the  first  to  be 
tossed  overboard.  He  drifted  to  St.  Paul,  and  from 
there  to  the  Soldiers  Home,  where  he  remained  until 
he  died.  The  others  hung  on  a  month  or  two  longer. 
Then  came  the  crash. 

A  fact  worthy  of  mention  in  connection  with  the 
passing  of  the  Northern  Tier  is,  that  the  only  two  men 
whose  whereabouts  are  known  are  the  two  who  acted 
as  deck  hands  on  the  wreck — Albert  Kaiser  and  E.  U. 
Hauser.  The  former  is  the  wealthy  president  of  the 
Pirst  National  Bank  of  Bagley,  and  the  latter  is  a 
millionaire  member  of  the  firm  of  the  Grant  Smith 
Company,  one  of  the  largest  firms  of  railroad  con- 
tractors in  the  United  States. 

THE  CROOKSTON   CHRONICLE. 

Previous  to  the  revival  of  the  Northern  Tier,  or  in 
1881,  W.  R.  Dunn,  a  young  newspaper  man  in  search 
of  a  location,  drifted  in  this  direction.  He  found 
Crookston  a  thriving  town  of  over  1,000  people,  the 
county  seat  of  a  county  big  enough,  and  rich  enough 
in  natural  resources,  to  support  a  nation.  Brother 
Crooke,  with  his  Journal,  was  fighting  the  battle  for 
education  and  reform  all  alone.  Mr.  Dunn  was  not 
deaf,  or  near  sighted.  He  heard  the  call  of  duty  and 
rushed  forward  and  dug  himself  in  with  the  Crooks- 
ton  Chronicle. 

The  Chronicle  was  a  good  newspaper,  as  newspapers 
went  in  those  days — newsy,  well  edited,  clean  and 
able.  Mr.  Dunn  was  a  lovable,  upstanding,  kindly 
man,  an  able  writer,  honest  and  straightforward  in 
his  convictions,  and  in  his  business  methods.  The 
Chronicle  prospered,  and  in  a  short  time  became  the 
leading  paper  in  Northern  Minnesota.  Owing  to  the 
ill  health  of  the  editor  the  Clironicle  was  sold  in  1884 
to  J.  G.  McGrew,  and  Mr.  Dunn  went  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  where  he  secured  a  government  appointment 
in  the  census  department,  which  he  held  until  his 
death  a  couple  of  years  later. 

Mr.  McGrew,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Dunn,  was  a  law- 
yer. He  had  been  practicing  in  Crookston  for  sev- 
eral years  previous,  and  continued  to  practice  for  a 


year  after  making  the  purchase.  The  writer  was  then 
put  in  charge  of  the  Chronicle  until  Mr.  McGrew 
closed  up  his  legal  practice,  and  assumed  personal 
control.  Mr.  McGrew  was  not  a  success  as  a  news- 
paper man.  He  was  a  profound  and  able  editorial 
writer ;  but  not  a  good  news  gatherer  or  business  man- 
ager. He  soon  realized  this,  and  turned  the  paper 
over  to  a  nephew,  who  was  even  more  proficient  in  his 
inability  to  make  ends  meet  in  a  financial  way.  W.  H. 
Palmer  and  his  son,  Harry  Palmer,  were  the  next  to 
try  to  rejuvenate  the  paper.  They  tried  it  as  a 
daily ;  but  it  would  not  go  somehow,  and  in  a  month 
or  two  they  discontinued  it  for  good — -with  numerous 
creditors  bewailing  its  loss. 

In  the  meantime  the  County  was  filling  up  rapidly 
with  new  settlers.  Towns  were  springing  up,  and 
what  perhaps  was  the  nearest  approach  to  a  boom 
ever  known  in  this  section  was  on. 

THE  FISHER  BULLETIN. 

In  1882  the  Pisher  Bulletin  was  started,  by  A. 
Dewey.  He  was  a  product  of  the  celebrated  Kindred- 
Nelson  Congressional  fight  inaugurated  that  year.  A 
politician,  a  political  writer,  stump  speaker,  and  a 
man  of  recognized  ability,  but  of  questionable  finan- 
cial strength,  he  existed  for  a  time  on  the  returns  from 
the  plethoric  Kindred  coffers  and  then  drifted  back 
to  a  place  on  the  staff  of  a  Metropolitan  paper  from 
which  he  had  emanated.  He  was  succeeded  by  C.  C. 
Knappen,  and  he  by  a  son  of  Erin,  named  Shaugh- 
nessy,  who  conducted  the  last  wake  over  the  remains 
of  the  Bulletin.    Fisher  has  not  had  a  paper  since. 

THE  PAPERS  ESTABLISHED  IN  1882. 

The  Red  Lake  Palls  Gazette,  the  St.  Hilaire  Spec- 
tator, the  East  Grand  Forks  Courier,  and  the  Fertile 
Journal  were  all  started  during  the  year  1882,  and  all 
are  still  in  existence.  The  Red  Lake  Palls  Courier, 
and  the  Fertile  Jouimal,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  were 
founded  by  Fred  Puhler,  long  since  dead.  The  East 
Grand  Forks  Courier  was  started  and  conducted  for 
many  years  by  P.  J.  Duffy,  who,  by  combining  it  with 
other  business  interests,  made  a  fortune  upon  which 


94 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


he  is  now  living.    The  writer  was  responsible  for  the 
St.  Ililaire  Spectator. 

THE  THIRTEEN  TOWNS. 

In  the  year  1883  Albert  Kaiser  went  to  Fosston, 
and  founded  the  well  known  journal  called  the  Thir- 
teen Towns.  He  possessed  the  rare  combination  of 
a  good  newspaper  man  and  a  good  business  man.  In 
a  year  or  two  he  had  saved  enough  money  to  go  into 
the  banking  business  at  Fosston,  and  sold  the  Thir- 
teen Towns  to  W.  A.  Foss,  who  is  still  conducting  it 
successfully. 

FIRST   DEMOCRATIC  PAPERS — RED  LAKE  PALLS  DEMOCRAT 
AND  THE   CROOKSTON   TIMES. 

The  same  year  F.  J.  Rothpletz,  a  Southei-n  fire- 
eating  Democrat,  started  the  Red  Lake  Falls  Demo- 
crat, but  the  surroundings  were  not  congenial  to  one 
of  his  fiery  temperament.  The  Chronicle  was  then 
started  on  its  downward  journey  to  oblivion,  and  he 
came  to  Crookston,  and  engaged  the  distinguished 
services  of  the  writer  to  help  launch  a  Democratic 
paper,  which  was  named  the  Times. 

This  was  in  the  summer  of  1885.  Things  went 
swimmingly  until  the  icy  bla.sts  of  winter  began  to 
howl  upon  us.  Then  Mr.  Rothpletz  began  to  pine  for 
his  sunny  Southern  clime,  and  I  nursed  a  lusty  ambi- 
tion to  be  the  sole  owner,  and  publisher  of  the  Times. 
Mr.  Rothpletz  went  to  Tennessee,  I  went  to  work, 
and  I  also  went  into  debt.  In  1887  the  Daily  Times 
was  launched.  Both  Daily  and  Weekly  are  still  pub- 
lished at  the  old  stand.  Subscription  prices  on  appli- 
cation. 

THE  M  'iNTOSH  TIMES. 

In  the  year  1886  there  was  a  demand  for  a  paper 
at  Mcintosh,  and  I  joined  with  C.  F.  Lommen  in  es- 
tablishing the  Mcintosh  Times.  After  a  year  or  two 
Mr.  Lomman  became  obsessed  with  the  idea  that  he 
was  healthy  and  wealthy  enough  to  monopolize  the 
whole  business,  and  I,  in  turn  was  magnanimous 
enough  to  let  him — after  I  had  gotten  a  good  price 


for  my  interest.  He  conducted  the  paper  success- 
fully for  ten  or  twelve  years  when  he,  aided  and 
abetted  by  a  frugal  wife,  and  a  growing  family  of 
boys,  had  gained  sufficient  intelligence  and  filthy 
lucre  to  own  and  stock  a  dairy  farm,  which  he  is  now 
conducting  with  ability  and  profit.  Since  then  the 
Mcintosh  Times  has  passed  through  various  hands; 
but,  though  ancient,  is  not  yet  extinct. 

THE   CROOKSTON  TRIBUNE. 

Tlie  Crookston  Tribune — first  a  weekly,  then  a  daily, 
and  then  a  memory — was  a  later  Crookston  venture. 
It  was  published  by  Hammond  &  Allen,  the  former 
a  good  practical  printer,  but  not  a  trained  newspaper 
man ;  the  latter  a  humorist,  whose  forte  was  on  the 
vaudeville  stage  instead  of  the  editorial  sanctum. 
After  its  demise  Hammond  went  back  to  setting  type, 
and  at  last  accounts  Allen  was  doing  a  monologue 
stunt  in  tank  towns. 

Then  there  was  the  Gully  Sunbeam,  established  by 
Mr.  Hunt,  and  noted  for  its  phonetic  spelling,  and 
athletic  English.  It  is  still  running,  but  under  new 
management,  and  is  to-day  a  well  l)alanced  and  suc- 
cessful local  paper. 

THE  VASTESHEIMEN. 

The  Vastesheimen  is  a  Scandinavian  paper,  started 
in  Crookston  in  the  early  nineties,  by  Adolph  Bydal, 
and  continued  later  by  A.  J.  Johnson,  and  is  now 
being  published  by  G.  T.  Hagen.  It  is  a  paper  of 
extensive  circulation  and  much  influence  among  the 
Scandinavian  readers. 

THE   POPULISTIC    PEOPLE'S   PRESS. 

When  the  Crookston  Chronicle  gave  up  the  ghost, 
the  plant  was  taken  over  by  C.  C.  and  Harry  Knappin 
— the  latter  a  well  known  political  writer  connected 
with  the  Twin  City  papers  for  many  years — and  was 
used  in  publishing  the  People's  Press.  This  was  in 
the  days  when  Populism  was  rampant  in  the  political 
bull  ring.  From  them  it  passed  to  A.  R.  Holston,  an 
attorney  with  Socialistic  tendencies,  now  of  Los  An- 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


95 


geles,  California.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Hagen, 
the  present  publisher  of  the  Vastesheimen  who  added 
a  prohibition  hue  to  its  editorial  policy.  Ellas  Steen- 
erson,  then  Postmaster,  had  it  wished  ou  him,  and  it 
became  the  distinguished  exponent  of  pure  and  unde- 
filed  Republicanism.  Three  years  ago  Crawford  and 
Egley  purchased  the  Press,  and  are  now  conducting 
it  successfully  as  a  semi-weekly. 

OTHER  COUNTY  PAPERS  LIVING  AND  DEAD. 

The  Erskine  Echo,  and  the  Climax  Chronicle  are  the 
only  two  of  the  later-day  weeklies  not  previously 
mentioned  that  are  still  in  existence.  There  are  sev- 
eral others,  like  the  Mcintosh  Tribune,  the  Euclid 
Eagle,  the  Beltrami  Chronicle,  most  of  which  died 


' '  aborning, ' '  and  left  hardly  a  scratch,  on  the  tablets 
of  fame. 

There  are  many  side  lights  and  incidents  connected 
with  the  history  of  Polk  County  journalism,  proclaim- 
ing the  joys  of  temporary  victories  or  the  sorrows  of 
disastrous  defeats,  which  would  make  a  long  and  inter- 
esting chapter;  but  they  cannot  be  recorded  here. 
Sufficient  to  say  that  the  newspaper  history  of  Polk 
County  is  coincident  with  the  material  progress  of 
the  County  itself.  In  every  instance,  in  every  sec- 
tion, the  newspapers  have  been  the  advance  guard  in 
the  march  toward  a  higher  and  better  order  of  things. 
They  have  had  their  ups  and  downs,  their  trials, 
temptations,  and  disasters;  but  their  tendencies  have 
always  been  cast  on  the  side  of  better  living,  and  better 
citizenship,  for  greater  striving  and  bigger  ideals. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  SCHOOLS  OF  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  N.  a.  Thorson. 

basis  for  school  dkvelopment — the  coming  of  the  county's  schools — county  schools  in  1877  and  in 
1878 — first  public  school  te.vcher,  luella  may  thompson other  early  teachers the  county  su- 
perintendents— reports  op  school  years  from  1882  to  1908 — the  conditions  in  1910 — sources  op 
school  support — apportionment — statistics  of  state  and  other  aids — present  conditions  op  polk 
county  schools. 


MATERIAL    BASIS    FOR    THE    DEVELOPMENT.    OF    SCHOOLS. 

The  State  school  system  embraces  the  schools  of 
each  individual  county,  and  one  cannot  be  considered 
without  the  other.  In  order  to  understand  better  why 
the  schools  in  Polk  County  have  developed  thus,  we 
need  to  call  to  mind  some  of  the  factors  in  education 
in  Minnesota. 

The  Federal  Government  gave  to  the  people  of  Min- 
nesota certain  tracts  of  land,  the  benefits  from  which 
were  to  go  to  the  common  schools,  the  University  and 
other  public  institutions.  No  grants  were  made  to 
normal  schools.  The  people  were  given  these  lands 
in  trust,  and,  as  trustees  of  a  great  wealth,  it  was  their 
duty  to  increase  the  same  for  the  benefit  of  themselves 
and  the  generations  yet  unborn.  No  restrictions  were 
placed  upon  the  State  as  to  the  disposition  and  use 
of  school  lands,  and  as  a  result,  through  the  wise  plan- 
ning of  our  early  law-makers,  we  own  a  permanent 
school  fund  excelling  that  of  every  other  state. 
Amounting  to  $3,191,042  in  1875,  shortly  after  Polk 
County  was  organized,  it  had  grown  to  $24,668,248  in 
1914,  and  is  now  increasing  at  the  rate  of  nearly  a 
million  dollars  yearly.  Sections  16  and  36  in  every 
congressional  township  were  designated  as  "school 
lands,"  as  the  result  of  an  act  of  Congress  of  1849, 


when  Minnesota  was  formed  into  a  Territory.  In 
1851,  by  a  similar  act,  grants  for  the  State  University 
were  made.    These  were  doubled  in  1857. 

To  one  man  more  than  to  any  other  perhaps,  must 
be  given  credit  for  the  satisfactory  condition  of  our 
permanent  school  fund,  and  that  man  was  Governor 
Alexander  Ramsey.  In  Minnesota  history  he  is  styled, 
"the  Father  of  the  School  Fund,"  which  title  he  justly 
earned  in  bringing  before  the  people  the  question  as 
to  whether  the  school  fund  should  be  one  with  deferred 
blessings  and  administered  along  the  sanest  and  safest 
lines,  or  if  we  should  look  for  immediate  benefits  which 
would  prove  to  be  premature  before  long.  In  his  mes- 
sage to  the  Legislature  in  1861  he  said :  "  *  *  * 
Of  this  magnificent  gi-ant,  the  gift  of  the  nation  to 
all  the  millions  who  are  to  inhabit  the  soil  of  Minne- 
sota, you  are  the  stewards  in  their  behalf,  and  it  de- 
volves upon  you  to  see  that  the  sacred  trusts  involved 
are  faithfully  executed."  When  some  held  that  the 
administration  of  the  school  lands  was  too  great  a 
task  for  a  central  State  authority  to  perform,  and  that 
it  had  better  be  left  to  each  county  to  use  the  school 
lands  within  its  boundaries  as  seemed  best  to  that 
county.  Gov.  Ramsey's  idea  again  won  the  day  and 
the  result  is  the  administration  by  State  authority  of 


96 


o 


ii; 

a 

o 

H 

cr' 

W 

o 

UJ 

H 

ro 

--I 

Cj 

1    1 

(• 

t- 

u 

t^ 

n. 

1- 

s 

c 

r"! 

o 

►V 

o 

H 

(— ' 

K^ 

ro 

rt> 

fi3 

o 
o 

CO 

o 


CO 

o 
o 

O 


o 


o 
o 
a 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


97 


all  school  lands.  That  this  was  the  wisest  policy  may 
be  concluded  from  the  fact  that  not  one  dollar  of  the 
public  school  fund  has  been  lost  through  investment. 
A  minimum  price  was  placed  upon  school  lands  and 
the  disposal  of  the  same  was  to  be  at  public  auction. 

Timber  school  lands  proved  very  valuable  and  soon 
the  sale  on  such  lands  was  discontinued  until  the  tim- 
ber had  been  cut  and  sold.  The  Legislature  of  1855 
provided  that,  except  when  in  danger  of  waste  or  in- 
jury, timber  lands  should  not  be  sold.  There  remain, 
therefore,  today  school  lands  whose  maturing  timber 
accrues  to  the  general  fund. 

The  discovery  of  iron  ore  on  some  of  the  school 
lands  added  a  new  chapter  to  the  story  of  the  almost 
fabulous  fund.  No  more  ore  lands  were  sold  as  be- 
fore, but  instead  they  were  leased  for  twenty-five  cents 
on  each  ton  of  iron  ore  mined.  Mineral  rights  are  now 
reserved  for  the  State  on  all  lands  sold  in  the  future. 
The  funds  obtained  from  the  direct  sale  of  school 
lands,  timber  sale,  and  ore  revenue  invested  in  good 
securities  yields  the  money  which  together  with  the 
State  one-mill  tax  is  paid  to  school  districts  as  appor- 
tionment on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  pupils  who 
have  attended  forty  days  or  more  in  a  school  year. 
Here  then  is  the  material  basis  for  our  public  school 
system.  The  following  table  is  a  vivid  representa- 
tion of  growth  of  the  school  fund : 

APPORTIONMENT    PER    PUPIL. 


1873 

1904 

1906 

1908 

1910 

1912 

1914 

$0.96 

$2.65 

$3.80 

$4.60 

$4.90 

$5.12 

$5.80 

It  is  not  likely  that  this  fund  will  ever  be  large 
enough  to  support  the  school  system  without  the  local 
district  tax  and  State  aid,  but  it  will  always  guaran- 
tee free  education  to  all. 

EARLY    HISTORY   AND   THE   COMING   OP  THE  SCHOOLS   IN 
POLK  COUNTY. 

As  has  already  been  alluded  to,  Polk  County  was 
officially  organized  in  1873.  The  nation  at  large  would 
soon  celebrate  the  centennial  anniversary  of  its  birth. 
Minnesota  had  existed  as  a  Territory  since  1849  and 
as  a  State  since  1858.    The  superintendent  of  public 


instruction  had  already  issued  his  thirteenth  annual 
report  which  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  school 
system  had  progressed  to  a  considerable  degree. 
Things  governmental  were  in  the  very  beginning,  how- 
ever, in  the  vast  region  of  northwestern  Minnesota 
which  then  bore  the  name  of  Polk  County,  almost  a 
veritable  empire  in  extent,  or  at  least  several  times 
larger  than  the  present  county.  The  U.  S.  census 
showed  no  return.s  for  1870  from  Polk  County.  Im- 
migration from  neighboring  States  and  Canada  soon 
resulted  in  early  settlements,  mainly  along  the  Red 
River  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Crookston  and  Fisher. 

Despite  the  iive  years  of  hard  times,  the  population 
had  grown  to  nearly  1,000  in  1875.  It  was  here  that 
hopeful  and  courageous  people  were  to  work  out  a 
future.  With  the  early  settler  came  also  the  country 
school,  to  keep  open  the  channels  of  literacy  by  teach- 
ing mainly  reading,  'riting,  and  'rithmetie,  the  time- 
honoi'ed  "3  R's."  The  rural  school— there  was  no 
other — arose  originally  as  essentially  a  local  com- 
munity affair.  Apportionment  and  other  financial 
aids  from  the  State  were  almost  nil,  but  the  school 
district  and  the  district  school  arose  in  response  to 
community  needs.  While  the  organization  of  school 
districts  took  place  under  the  provisions  of  State  law, 
much  local  concern  and  control  of  the  most  detailed 
kind  characterized  school-building  in  the  early  days. 
Here  was  a  form  of  "extended  democracy."  When 
a  school  had  once  been  decided  upon,  it  became  the 
concern  of  the  community  in  a  marked  degree.  The 
construction  of  the  furniture ;  the  length  of  the  school 
term,  if  it  can  be  said  to  have  had  length ;  the  choice 
of  teacher  and  how  much  to  pay  her ;  the  itinerary  in 
the  now  obsolete  "boarding-around"  plan,— these  and 
other  details  were  the  direct  concern  of  parents.  The 
extreme  simplicity  of  the  country  school  made  it  well 
adapted  to  pioneer  days.  State  control  existed,  but 
manifested  itself  in  a  lesser  degree  than  now. 

THE   teARLY   COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENTS. 

LTnder  proceedings  in  1872  which  were  not  legalized 
until  the  creation  of  the  county  the  following  year, 


98 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Richard  J.  Reis  was  appointed  County  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools  for  Polk  County.  The  real  beginning 
of  the  schools,  however,  came  in  1876,  when  District 
No.  1  was  organized  at  Crookston.  The  same  year, 
by  action  of  the  county  board,  Christopher  Steenerson, 
who  now  resides  at  Climax,  this  county,  was  dulj'  ap- 
pointed Superintendent  of  Schools  with  a  salary  of 
fifty  dollars  the  first  year.  He  served  in  that  capacity 
until  the  next  election,  when  he  was  chosen  by  the 
people  to  serve  two  more  years.  In  view  of  the  un- 
authorized proceedings  mentioned  above  before  the 
county  was  duly  formed,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Steenerson  was  the  first  person  that  was  either 
appointed  or  elected  to  the  office  under  authorized 
proceedings,  he  too,  has  been  termed  the  first  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Polk  County.  He  served 
until  the  close  of  the  year  1879. 

The  following  are  the  first  educational  reports  sent 
to  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
from  Polk  County.  They  are  reproduced  here,  as  we 
may  gather  from  them  the  first  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  beginnings  of  the  Polk  County  schools. 

COUNTY  SCHOOLS  IN    1877. 

"Of  the  fourteen  organized  school  districts  in  this 
county,  seven  have  had  school  during  the  past  year. 

"Di.strict  No.  1,  Crookston,  had  four  months  of  sum- 
mer school.  This  district  also  voted  bonds  in  the 
amount  of  $2,000  for  the  erection  of  a  schoolhouse. 
One  new  schoolhouse  has  been  built  and  one  is  in 
course  of  construction.  The  Norwegian  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Synod  has  a  schoolhouse  in  District  4  and 
the  North  Dakota  Conference  one  in  District  No.  6. 
Portions  of  this  county  are  settled  by  Scandinavians, 
many  of  them  coming  direct  from  the  old  countrj', 
wholly  unacquainted  with  the  English  language. 
These  I  have  tried  to  assist  in  organizing  districts  and 
in  conducting  school  meetings. 

"A  great  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  English  educa- 
tion among  the  Scandinavians  is  the  indifferent,  and 
in  many  cases  hostile,  attitude  toward  our  schools  of 
many  of  the  better  educated  among  them,  particularly 
among  the  clergy.  These  enemies  of  secular  educa- 
tion have  for  some  time  been  crowding  the  Scandi- 
navian press  with  the  most  virulent  and  heedless  at- 
tacks on  the  public  schools  of  this  country.  But  these 
enemies  of  the  public  schools  are  perhaps  not  very 
numerous  and  they  have  many  able  opponents  among 
the    more    enlightened    and    liberal-minded    Scandi- 


navians, which  probably  accounts  for  the  fact  that  the 
violent  discussions  of  the  former  do  not  seem  to  have 


ap- 


very  serious  effects  upon  the  mass  of  the  people. 

This  county  is  increasing  in  population  very  r  . 
idly,  and  we  hope  next  year  to  be  able  to  report  simi- 
lar progress  in  educational  matters. — C.  Steenerson, 
County  Superintendent." 


county  schools  in  1878. 

"There  are  in  this  county  at  present  seventeen  or- 
ganized districts,  eleven  of  which  had  school  during 
the  past  year. 

' '  Competent  teachers  have  hitherto  been  very  scarce, 
but  the  rapid  influx  of  intelligent  immigration  has 
partially  supi)lied  the  deficiency. 

"There  are  only  five  schoolhouses  in  this  county. 
One  of  the  reasons  for  this  neglect  of  erecting  suitable 
school  buildings,  is  the  size  of  the  districts.  Many  of 
them  comprise  a  whole  township,  and  in  some  cases 
districts  are  twelve  miles  in  length,  these  having  been 
organized  by  the  first  settlers  who  took  the  timbered 
claims  along  the  streams.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  of 
such  districts  are  in  favor  of  dividing  the  district ; 
others  think  it  wiser  to  build  two  or  three  school- 
houses  in  one  district  and  others  think  that  one  good 
school  is  all  they  can  afford,  but  they  cannot  agree 
on  the  location.  Many  of  the  residents  of  the  county 
have  settled  on  railroad  lands  which  are  not  yet  in 
the  market,  and  the  settlers  feel  unsafe  to  incur  heavy 
expenses  until  they  can  obtain  title  to  their  lands. 

"The  Scandinavians,  who  constitute  the  majority 
of  the  population  of  the  county,  have  also  parochial 
schools,  and  I  think  nearly  all  their  children  attend 
these  from  four  to  eight  weeks  during  the  year.  These 
schools  are,  however,  not  taught  in  the  English  lan- 
guage and  but  little  instruction  is  given  in  secular 
branches.  Crookston  has  nearly  completed  its  new 
school  building,  pleasantly  situated,  and  will  cost 
when  completed  nearly  $4,000. — C.  Steenerson, 
County  Superintendent;  P.  0.  Address,  Frog  Point, 
Dakota  Territory. 

The  year  1876  saw  the  formation  of  not  only  the 
first  district  in  the  county,  but  also  five  other  districts, 
as  follows :  Districts  No.  2  and  No.  3,  embracing  East 
Grand  Forks  and  some  of  the  surrounding  country; 
District  No.  4,  in  Bygland  Township ;  District  No.  5, 
in  Hubbard  Township,  and  District  No.  6,  in  Vine- 
land  Township. 

Just  as  Miss  Harriet  E.  Bishop,  a  teacher  from  the 
far-off  East,  came,  under  a  commission  from  the  Board 
of  Popular  Education,  to  teach  the  first  school  in  Min- 
nesota, in  1847,  so  came  a  young  lady  from  Wiscon- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


99 


sin  to  teach  the  first  school  in  this  county.  The  first 
school  at  St.  Paul  was  conducted  in  an  unused  black- 
smith shop,  fitted  with  the  standard  school  equip- 
ment of  that  day,  consisting  mainly  of  bench  seats, 
desks  supported  by  pegs  driven  into  the  walls,  and  a 
home-made  teacher's  desk.  The  first  school  in  Polk 
County  was  held  in  a  shanty,  built  from  coarse  lum- 
ber and  tar  paper,  near  the  edge  of  the  timber  at 
Crookston.  The  first  teacher  of  this  school  soon  gave 
up  teaching  and  became  Mrs.  Luella  May  Thompson, 
as  a  result  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Hugh  Thompson, 
one  of  the  leading  mei'chants  in  the  county.  She  was 
succeeded  in  succession  by  Mrs.  Kelsey  D.  Chase. 
EUery  C.  Davis,  E.  M.  Walsh,  and  Robert  Houston 
constituted  the  first  school  board  at  Crookston  and 
first  in  Polk  County. 

Schools  soon  sprang  up  in  other  parts  of  the  county, 
and  the  first  district  created  in  the  extreme  eastern 
part  of  the  present  Polk  County  was  District  No.  8, 
northeast  of  Lengby,  in  the  Township  of  Columbia. 
Miss  Kraukie  Beams  (later  Mrs.  Bernt  Anderson), 
Atty.  A.  Marin,  and  Mr.  John  P.  Kirseh  were  among 
the  earliest  teachers  in  this  district.  In  describing 
some  of  his  early  experiences  as  a  teacher  in  the 
county,  Mr.  Kirseh  writes  as  follows : 

I  believe  I  was  teaching  in  Dist.  No.  18  in  1887.  This  school 
was  on  what  was  then  known  as  the  ' '  tote  road ' '  between 
Fosston  and  the  Bagley  Dam  Lumber  Company.  I  did  not  find 
it  necessary  to  board  around,  as  was  the  custom  for  teachers 
in  those  days,  for  the  reason  that  I  was  taken  in  by  Mr.  E.  H. 
Noel,  who  kept  a  stopping-place  for  teamsters  and  lumber- 
jacks. For  a  school  house  we  used  a  log  shack  on  a  bachelor  's 
claim.  One  side  of  the  room  was  so  low  that  one  found  it 
necessary  to  stoop  down  while  passing  along  that  wall.  We 
had  every  conceivable  kind  of  a  chair,  bench  and  church  pew 
for  desks  and  seats.  The  country  was  quite  wild  and  my  first 
real  experience  with  the  woods  was  getting  lost  in  them,  be- 
tween the  homes  of  Director  Lillo  and  Clerk  Aspelie.  Once, 
when  I  lost  my  watch,  we  unintentionally  dismissed  school  at 
noon,  and  another  time,  the  children  were  kept  till  nearly  dark. 
We  then  took  to  marking  the  sun  light  on  the  wall  until  some 
one  went  to  town  to  ' '  get  the  time ' '  for  the  school.  The 
children  gave  their  names  as  ".Anderson,"  "Larson,"  "John- 
son," etc.,  and  we  had  them  take  family  names  as  "  Scabebo, " 
"Aspelie,"  etc.  The  boys  came  to  school  on  skis,  usually 
carrying  a  rifle,  and  they  often  reported  a  deer  hung  up  for  the 
homeward  trip.  Most  of  the  families  were  very  poor.  We 
kept  a  hair  clipper  in  the  school  and  the  teacher  especially 
received  practical  training  in  hair-trimming,  which  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  school's  distinctive  services  to  the  com- 
munity. The  children's  clothing  and  footwear  were  as  varied 
as  the  school  furniture.  One  family  had  footwear  made  from 
a  green  and  untanned  brindle  cow  hide,  hair  out,  which,  when 
they  entered  the  school,  often  was  frozen  and  ' '  clumped ' '  like 


wooden  shoes.  As  was  common  ia  those  days,  the  bachelors 
were  in  the  majority  and  several  school  meetings  were  held 
before  a  school  building  was  voted,  and  this  not  until  we  had 
the  bachelors  befuddled  iu  parliamentary  practice.  It  did  not 
take  long  however  before  all  were  satisfied  with  the  prospects 
for  a  better  school  home. 


THE   COUNTY    SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Polk  County  has  had  ten  county  superintendents  of 
schools  which  follow  in  chronological  order :  Richard 
J.  Reis,  appointed  in  1872,  before  the  county  was  duly 
organized;  Christopher  Steenerson,  1877-79;  V.  D. 
Carruth,  1880-87;  E.  F.  Elliot,  1887-89;  Thomas 
Casey,  1889-1891;  E.  J.  Grefthen,  1891-93;  Andrew 
Lommen,  189-3-95 ;  0.  McCrillis,  1895-97 ;  I.  I.  Kassa, 
1897-1901 ;  Thomas  Casey,  1901-9,  and  N.  A.  Thorson, 
1909,  present  term  expiring  1919.  One  of  the  special 
duties  of  the  early  superintendents  was  the  examina- 
tion of  teachers  and  issuing  certificates  to  teach.  The 
result  was  that  a  very  indefinite  standard  existed  for 
the  grading  of  teachers.  Later  the  examining  of 
teachers  was  taken  over  by  the  State. 

The  following,  based  upon  excerpts  from  some  of 
the  special  reports  made  by  the  county  superintend- 
ents of  schools  to  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  indicates  certain  developments: 

1882 — Superintendent  Carruth.  When  Norman 
County  was  set  off,  nineteen  school  districts  were  also 
taken  from  the  county.  The  following  remarkable 
growth  is  noteworthy: 


1879. 
1882. 


Organized  School 

Districts. 

24 

82 


Valuation. 

$  7,000 

37,000 


Pupils 
Enrolled. 
5.58 
1,701 


Twenty  new  schoolhouses,  at  a  cost  of  $18,000,  were 
built  in  the  year  1884.  The  greatest  needs  were  school 
buildings  and  teaching  facilities. 

1888 — Superintendent  Elliot.  Low  wages  and  short 
school  terms  combine  to  keep  out  many  good  teachers. 
The  Crookston  School  was  commended  for  good  teach- 
ing work.  The  professional  study  by  teachers  has 
grown  and  some  efforts  have  been  made  to  grade  and 
systematize  the  school  work.  ' '  The  law  on  temperance- 
hygiene  has  produced  some  good  results,  but  the  use 
of  intoxicants  and  cigarettes  still  exists, ' '  adds  Super- 


100 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


intendeiit  Elliot.  The  county  sj-stera  of  examining 
teachers  is  not  satisfactory. 

1894 — Superintendent  Lommen.  Both  a  training 
school  and  an  institute  for  teachers  have  been  held  in 
the  county.  The  uniform  text-book  plan  is  in  vogue, 
and  the  number  of  school  libraries  is  increasing.  A 
tine  new  school  building  has  been  erected  at  East 
Grand  Forks. 

1898 — Superintendent  Kassa.  Thirteen  new  school 
districts  and  fourteen  new  schoolhouses  are  the  prod- 
uct of  one  year.  Little  attention  is  given  to  ventila- 
tion in  school  building  construction.  There  is  a 
greater  demand  for  efficient  teachers. 

1902 — Superintendent  Casey.  The  supply  of  teach- 
ers is  insufficient.  Agitation  for  school  consolidation 
appears  to  be  growing.  "General  prosperity"  is  said 
to  exist. 

1908 — Superintendent  Casey.  The  number  of 
school  districts  has  now  reached  215.  Nearly  every 
school  has  free  text-books.  One  hundred  and  nine  dis- 
tricts have  libraries.  No  schools  have  been  closed  in 
connection  with  transporting  children,  but  some  par- 
ents haul  their  children  to  neighboring  towns  to  at- 
tend school.  It  is  claimed  that  school  consolidation 
is  better  on  both  economic  and  pedagogical  grounds, 
and  the  objections  to  this  form  of  school  merger  are 
overbalanced  by  the  advantages.  The  yearly  meetings 
of  school  officers  have  had  a  salutary  effect  upon  the 
schools.  Many  schools  have  installed  special  systems 
of  heating  and  ventilation.  The  depression  always 
noted  in  the  unventilated  school  disappears  where 
these  devices  are  used. 

COUNTY    SCHOOLS    IN    1910. 

The  varying  conditions,  ranging  from  the  very  best 
to  the  very  poorest  schools  in  the  county,  present  an 
almost  true  picture  of  the  evolution  of  the  rural  school. 
An  occasional  brick-supported  stove  still  remains,  but 
up-to-date  heating  and  ventilating  systems  are  going 
in  at  a  rapid  rate.  Fifteen  schools  added  libraries. 
Antiquated  text-books  are  being  replaced  by  new  ones. 
The  progressive  teacher  is  in  growing  demand.     In- 


quiries relative  to  the  establishing  of  consolidated 
schools  are  increasing  in  number.  Four  special  par- 
ents' and  officers'  meetings  for  the  consideration  of 
consolidation  were  conducted.  In  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  compulsory  law  defines  the  duties  of  parents 
and  children  with  respect  to  school  attendance,  it 
would  be  only  right  that  the  State  should  guarantee  a 
term  of  stated  length,  a  course  well-defined  and  suit- 
able, a  school  building  commodious  and  sanitary,  a 
complete  and  usefnl  e(|uii)ment,  and  teachers  that  are 
professionally  and  academically  trained.  A  special 
state  aid  for  transportation  is  urged.  Several  school 
stables  have  been  erected. 

Two  teacher-training  departments,  one  at  Crooks- 
ton  and  the  other  at  ]\IcIntosli,  working  in  the  interest 
of  the  rural  schools,  are  turning  out  teachers  .some- 
what professionally  trained.  These  activities  prove  a 
boon  to  the  country  school.  Educational  literature 
receives  more  attention.  The  use  of  a  course  of  study 
is  becoming  more  general.  The  number  of  State-aided 
schools  has  increased  one  hundred  per  cent,  and  these 
schools  are  the  most  prosperous  in  the  countj'.  School 
officers'  meetings,  with  practical  programs,  continue 
to  attract  large  numbers.  Many  teachers  are  volun- 
tarily preparing  themselves  to  teach  agi'iculture.  In- 
du.strial  contests  have  been  started  and  promise  to 
foster  activities  of  special  interest  to  the  home  and 
the  school.  Many  schools  oi3fer  systematic  work  in  ag- 
riculture and  sewing.  Such  subjects  tend  to  ward  off 
a  dislike  for  agricultural  pui*suits.  Two  hundred  and 
one  schools  have  free  libraries.  In  1910  there  were  778 
trees  planted  on  school  grounds.  The  Crookston 
School  of  Agriculture  and  the  special  departments  in 
the  high  schools  offer  excellent  opportunities  for  our 
people  along  the  lines  of  industrial  education. 

SOURCES  OP  SCHOOL  SUPPORT. 

The  common  schools  in  Polk  County,  as  elsewhere 
in  the  State,  have  derived  their  support  from  (a)  ap- 
portionment, (b)  special  State  aid  voted  by  the  Legis- 
lature out  of  the  general  tax  fund  of  the  State,  (c) 
certain  small  fines,  and  (d)  the  local  district  tax. 


ifj 


CENTRAL  HIGH  SCHOOL,  CEOOKSTON 


NEW  AUMOEY,  CEOOKSTON 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY                     101 

APPORTIONMENT.  each  county  is  smaU,  and  on  each  district  only  a  trifle, 

This  support  has  been  paid  to  districts  where  school  ^          cents, 

has  been  in  session  five  months  during  the  year,  on  the  ^^^^'^  ^"^  *»  ^^'"^  ^''^"^''^^  ™  ^""^^  ^o""*-^  ^^^  g'"''^^  ^"^ 

basis  of  the  number  of  pupils  who  have  attended  forty  considerable  proportions  of  late.    The  five  high  schools, 

days  or  more  in  any  year.  Under  the  new  law  of  1915,  '''""^l^ '"  l^^^  received  altogether  $6,895,  received  $18,- 

apportionment  will  be  paid  to  districts  where  school  is  ^^^  ^"  ^^^^'  distributed  as  follows : 

in  session  at  least  six  months  during  the  year,  in  pro-  ^""^ff     I '^dusu-ial  Associated  J^'^f^^f^ 

portion  to  the  number  of  pupils  that  attended  school     C'lookston    $1,700         $i,ooo 

Kast   Grand   Forks.      1,700  $2,000  $480  1,000 

at  least  foi'ty  days  during  the  preceding  year.     In     Fertile  i,700         

.  ■  ■      .  .    ,         u  -1         ^      e  I'osston    1,700  1,440  

recent  years  apportionment  has  been  paid  out  of  a     Mcintosh  i,700  2,000  312  998 

fund  consisting  of  the  interest  on  the  permanent  school 

,,,„,,              .„  ,         ^^    ,       ,             ,  Ihe  graded  schools  at  Fisher,  Erskine,  Carman,  and 

fund  and  the  State  one-mill  tax.    Under  the  new  law,  _, 

,         ,                   „              .                  .  ,  Eldred  received  each  $600  State  aid  in  1915. 

the  only  source  oi  apportionment  will  be  the  perma-  ^     . 

,   „      ,         ■,.,,,,  During  the  period  stated  above  for  high  schools,  the 
iicnt  school  fund,  and  will  be  known  as  the  endow- 

.      ,     _,,                        .,  State  aid  to  one  and  two-teacher  schools  in  the  county 

ment  iund.    The  state  one-mill  tax  for  schools  will  be  .                 „         , 

,      ,  „      ,           .     „         .    .  increased  from  $3,110,  given  to  29  schools,  to  $13,380, 

known  as  the  current  school  fund.     This  fund  is  in-  .  ,      „                         ... 

,   ,             .      ,.      .        .        ,  .           „„  "ith  127  schools  participating, 
tended  to  assist  districts  in  which  a  fifteen-mill  levy 

.  ^„„  „           ,      ,      ,    .           .  The   consolidated   schools   in   the   county   received 
will  not  produce  $oOO  for  such  school,  in  session  seven 

,        ^       .„     ,      ,           ,             ,            ,  „  .      .  State  aid  as  follows  in  1915  in  addition  to  the  regu- 

months.     It  will  also  be  used  to  make  up  deficits  in  ,         . ,      „, ,     ,    ^    „        „     .     ^ 

^,  ,       .,        ,  f      ,   ;■       f                  -1  \          -1     •  laraitl:     Eldred,  $1,200;  Trail,  $600. 

State  aid  and  tor  tuition  for  non-resident  pupils  in  ^           „            , 

.  ,    ,                       „  ,  .  ,           ,   ,        ,           ,.  Each  of  the  schools  received  building  aid  equal  to 
industrial  departments  of  high,  graded,  and  consoli- 

one-fourth  of  the  cost  of  the  building,  not  to  exceed 
dated  schools. 

^   .     „  ,.     Q  cKo         -1           11  J  •      11  ii        u     1      £  $1,500.     The  new  law  allows  a  building  aid  up  to 
Out  of  the  8,653  pupils  enrolled  in  all  the  schools  of  ,  „    ^„ 
„„    ^            .     ,„, ,    „  „„^                       ,  „  $2,000  on  the  same  basis. 
Polk  County  in  1914,  7,720  were  counted  for  appor- 
tionment at  the  rate  of  $o.80  per  pupil.  present  polk  county  schools — the  high  schools. 

The  high  school  is  a  part  of  our  common  school  sys- 

STATE  AID.  .      . 

tern;  it  IS  under  no  separate  control  or  tax  levy,  and 

A  child  residing  in  the  poorest  section  of  Minnesota  is  maintained  by  public  tax  and  governed  by  a  Board 

is    as    valuable    to    the    State    as    the    child    whose  of  Education,  through  its  administrative  officer,  the 

home  is  on  "Millionaire  Street"  in  our  large  cities.  City  Superintendent. 

The  State  tries  to  equalize  educational  opportunities  The  first  high  school  in  Polk  County  was  organized 

for  all  the  children  by  a  system  of  State  aid,  which  under  Superintendent   S.  A.   Farnsworth,  who  was 

it  takes  out  of  the  general  taxes  of  the  State  and  pays  succeeded  by  Supt.  John  Moore.    The  latter  served  for 

to   school   districts.      This   question   has   often   been  fifteen    years.      Others    who    headed    the    Crookston 

asked :    "Of  what  good  is  State  aid ?    We  take  it  out  schools  previous  to  the  present  incumbent  were  Super- 

of  one  pocket  and  put  it  in  another."    But  this  is  not  intendents  Hitchcock,  Sellek,  Mclntire,  and  Hess, 

so.     Over  half  of  all  the  State  aid  money  is  paid  by  There  are  now  five  high  schools  in  Polk  County  lo- 

the  three  large  cities,  Minneapolis,  St.  Paul,  and  Du-  cated  in  the  larger  towns  and  superintended  as  fol- 

luth,  and  the  counties  in  which  they  are  situated.  The  lows :     Crookston,  Superintendent  G.  Sanberg ;  East 

other  portion,  less  than  half  of  the  State  aid,  is  there-  Grand  Forks,  Superintendent  F.  E.  Lurton ;  Fertile, 

fore  paid  by  over  eighty  counties.     The  amount  on  Superintendent  E.  M.  Hauge;  Fosston,  Superintend- 


102 


COMPENDIUM  OF  niSTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ent,  L.  G.  Mustain ;  Mcintosh,  Superintendent  E.  E. 
Hanson.  Tlie  combined  value  of  their  sehoolhouses 
and  sites  is  over  a  half  million  dollars.  All  of  them 
maintain  departments  of  domestic  science  and  manual 
training.  Crookston  and  East  Grand  Forks  have  spe- 
cial departments  in  school  music  (under  separate  su- 
pervisors), art,  commercial  subjects,  and  normal  train- 
ing, in  addition  to  those  named.  Mcintosh,  also,  main- 
tains a  normal  training  department.  East  Grand 
Forks,  Fosston,  and  Mcintosh  also  have  strong  depart- 
ments in  agriculture.  The  activities  in  this  subject 
extend  also  to  associated  rural  schools  at  Mcintosh  and 
East  Grand  Forks,  affiliated  for  instruction  in  indus- 
trial subjects. 

In  connection  with  the  normal  training  departments 
at  Mcintosh  and  Crookston,  a  special  rural  practice 
school  at  each  place  is  arranged  for,  where  the  prospec- 
tive teachers,  through  actual  school  room  practice, 
may  gain  valuable  experience  before  they  are  licensed 
to  teach.  These  are  real  rural  schools,  in  charge  of  the 
regular  teachers,  and  are  located  about  five  miles  from 
the  central  school.  Students  in  training  for  teaching 
are  required  to  spend  a  stated  time  in  the  practice 
school. 

A  definite  plan  for  vocational  guidance  has  been  in- 
augurated at  Crookston  recently. 

Departmental  work  for  the  upper  grades  below  the 
high  school  is  established  in  the  larger  places.  Under 
this  arrangement  pupils  are  taught  by  several  teachers 
in  any  one  term.  Each  instruction  teaches  a  lesser 
number  of  subjects,  but  more  grades.  The  Junior 
High  School  involves  this  plan. 

The  generous  State  aid  to  high  schools  is  a  trust 
fund  given  them  to  maintain  certain  departments  and 
courses  which  shall  be  open  to  any  person  of  school 
age  in  the  state.    Tuition  in  the  high  school  is  free. 

GRADED  SCHOOLS. 

The  smaller  villages  of  the  county  have  a  problem 
of  their  own.  Here  we  find  pupils  ready  for  nearly 
all  grades,  from  the  primary  up  through  the  high 
school.    The  number  of  teachers  and  the  housing  facil- 


ities are  naturally  somewhat  limited.  The  defijiite 
control  by  the  State  Board,  as  to  certain  definite  stand- 
ards— such  as  the  quality  of  the  teachers  and  their 
certification,  the  material  equipment  of  the  school,  the 
course  of  study,  adequate  provision  for  light  and  heat- 
ing, books,  etc.,  has  been  the  result  of  the  State's  great 
concern  for  the  schools  in  such  places. 

Our  graded  schools — which,  together  with  sites,  are 
valued  at  nearly  $45,000 — are  located  at  Carman, 
Fisher,  Erskine,  and  Eldred.  Classes  covering  sub- 
jects belonging  to  the  first  two  years  of  high  school 
usually  are  offered  in  most  of  these  places.  At 
Erskine,  five  teachers  are  employed,  while  the  other 
schools  each  have  four.  The  Eldred  School  is  of  the 
consolidated  type  and  oflrers  courses  in  domestic 
science,  manual  training  and  agriculture.  Here  the 
people  have  realized  and  crystallized  into  a  living 
reality  the  theory  that  pure  academic  knowledge  alone 
does  not  spell  achievement,  as  of  old.  Eldred  has  a 
school  auditorium  where  the  people  of  the  community 
frequently  come  together. 

THE  COUNTRY  SCHOOL. 

A  school  system  must  be  all-containing.  To  accom- 
plish this  we  have  retained  very  largely  the  historic 
one-room  school  in  the  open  country.  Its  numbers 
have  continued  to  increase  as  new  lauds  have  become 
occupied.  In  the  216  districts,  outside  of  those  main-, 
taining  high  and  graded  schools,  there  are  now  three 
schools  having  three  teachers  each ;  nine  two-teacher 
schools  and  220  one-i-ooin  one-teacher  schools.  The 
three-teacher  schools  in  the  county  are  at  Beltrami, 
Mentor  and  Trail.  The  last  named  is  of  the  con- 
solidation type  and  offers  industrial  courses. 

Two-room  schools  are  found  at  Angus,  Climax,  Dug- 
dale,  District  No.  69,  Euclid,  Gully,  Lengby,  Niels- 
ville,  and  Winger.  At  the  last  named  place,  evening 
classes  for  adults  are  organized  binder  the  supervision 
of  the  day  school  teachers. 

Schools  with  two  or  three  teachers  are  classified  as 
semi-graded  schools.  Some  of  them  offer  work  in  the 
ninth  and  even  the  tenth  grade.     Recitation  periods 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


103 


are  naturally  crowded  and  these  schools  are  very  lim- 
ited in  caring  for  school  needs  of  the  oldest  pupils. 
Most  of  our  semi-graded  schools  offer  good  nuclei  for 
consolidation. 

About  60  per  cent  of  the  children  enrolled  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  county  attend  schools  having  only 
one  teacher.  The  average  attendance  in  days  by  each 
pupil,  which  is  nearly  95,  is  57  days  less  than  the 
average  for  pupils  enrolled  in  the  high  and  graded 
schools,  despite  the  fact  that  the  average  has  been  ad- 
vancing steadily.  Two  hundred  and  seven  of  these 
districts  have  free  text  books;  66  districts  have  more 
than  10  pupils  enrolled,  but  less  than  20,  while  in  15 
districts  less  than  ten  are  enrolled.  Among  the  com- 
mon schools,  eighteen  hi^  had  some  form  of  trans- 
portation for  pupils. 

We  have  over  125  State  aided  rural  schools  which 
are  really  standardized  schools  that  have  met  certain 
requirements  in  equipment,  school  buildings,  school 
term,  library,  heating  and  ventilation,  school  grounds, 
and  outbuildings.  These  schools  must  employ  teachers 
with  special  training  or  actual  experience  for  at  least 
seven  months  during  the  year.  Such  schools  will  here- 
after be  known  as  Class  B  schools.  Class  A  schools 
must  maintain  school  for  at  least  eight  months. 

A  plan  of  giving  school  credit  for  work  at  home  is 
practiced  in  some  districts.  This  ties  the  school  up 
closer  to  the  parents,  who  ai'e  glad  to  have  their  chil- 
dren consider  the  chores  and  smaller  jobs  about  the 
home  as  something  worthy  of  recognition  which  ap- 
peals to  the  children's  pride  in  performing. 

CONSOLIDATED   SCHOOLS. 

At  the  present  time  Polk  County  has  two  consoli- 
dated schools,  one  at  Eldred  organized  in  1912  and  one 
at  Trail  organized  in  1914.  Both  these  schools  have 
modem  buildings,  equipped  with  fan  ventilating  sys- 
tems, indoor  flush  toilets,  and  pressure  water  foun- 
tains. In  addition  to  these  modern  appliances  the 
school  at  Eldred  has  an  electric  lighting  system.  Both 
schools  offer  courses  with  regular  and  systematic  in- 
struction in  agriculture,  manual  training  and  domestic 


arts.  The  Eldred  school  is  a  graded  school  with  four 
teachers.  The  Trail  school  is  a  semi-graded  school 
with  three  teachers. 

The  advent  of  these  schools  marks  a  new  epoch  iu 
rural  education  in  Polk  County.  In  addition  to  fur- 
nishing better  teaching  facilities  and  an  opportunity 
for  country  children  to  pursue  advanced  studies  and 
industrial  subjects  while  living  at  home,  these  schools 
are  reaching  out  to  the  community  at  large,  and  as  a 
result  we  find  literary  societies,  choral  clubs,  lecture 
courses  and  other  notable  community  enterprises 
springing  up. 

The  consolidated  school  at  Trail  was  the  first  one  in 
the  state  to  be  organized  by  unanimous  vote.  The 
school  at  Eldred  was  organized  under  bitter  opposi- 
tion, and  not  until  more  than  one  legal  battle  had  been 
fought  did  some  of  the  opposition  subside.  In  both 
these  schools,  transportation  under  state  control  is  sup- 
plied by  the  district.    It  has  been  safe  and  regular. 

People  in  general  concede  the  advantages  of  the 
consolidated  school  over  the  old  plan.  That  consolida- 
tion is  coming  soon  in  different  parts  of  the  county, 
can  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  at  least  four  com- 
munities are  now  considering  the  formation  of  con- 
solidated districts,  which  will  make  full  high  school 
courses  possible,  with  six  or  more  teachers.  Several 
other  consolidation  projects  are  under  consideration. 

The  success  of  consolidation  where  tried  has  laid 
its  claim  to  the  attention  of  our  people,  and  each  new 
year  finds  a  larger  number  giving  serious  thought  to 
this  all-important  school  problem — the  most  important 
which  the  countryside  has  yet  to  solve  in  the  secular 
education  of  the  children. 

SUPERVISION. 

By  means  of  a  system  of  monthly  reports  to  the 
county  superintendent,  which  recently  inaugurated  in 
this  county  the  work  of  the  schools,  is  more  closely 
supervised.  This  has  resulted  in  a  more  thorough  and 
systematic  preparation  of  the  work  by  many  of  the 
teachers.  The  condition  of  the  attendance  each  month 
is  watched.    The  keeping-up  of  records  is  constantly 


104 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


before  the  toaelier.  The  material  needs  of  the  school 
reported  in  duplicate  to  tlie  clerk,  can  now  receive  the 
speedier  action  of  the  board.  The  scope  of  work  cov- 
ered in  each  suljject  and  class  and  the  monthly  stand- 
ings of  pupils  go  into  the  records  of  the  county  siiper- 
intendent.  This  system,  while  it  requires  additional 
time  for  checking  up  on  the  reports,  and  the  making 
of  the  same  once  a  month,  has  proved  to  be  fruitful  of 
many  good  results.  Time  used  in  systematizing  school 
work  is  not  in  vain. 

VISITATION. 

The  common  schools  are  inspected  by  the  county 
superintendent  and  his  assistant.  While  the  time 
spent  at  any  one  school  is  not  great,  yet  the  occa- 
sional "dropping  in"  by  an  official  visitor  has  a 
salutary  effect.  Four  hundred  and  twentj'-five  school 
visits  were  made  in  the  county  last  year.  Close 
supervision  like  tliat  in  a  city  school  system  is  not 
possible  luider  the  present  plan.  More  and  closer 
supervision  is  the  crying  need  of  the  country  school 
today. 

teachers'  clubs. 

In  the  fall  of  1915  a  plan  of  teachers'  study  clubs 
was  launched  in  the  county,  with  the  result  that 
twenty  clul)s  of  small  groups  of  teachers  have  met 
at  various  times.  Some  of  the  clubs,  at  their  pres- 
ent rate  of  holding  meetings,  will  register  about 
ten  meetings  by  the  close  of  the  school  year.  The 
number  of  members  in  these  clubs  varies,  ranging 
from  three  or  four  to  ten.  Reading  circle  books 
with  a  plan  for  giving  credit,  and  other  topics  of 
special  interest  to  teachers,  are  discus.sed.  These 
clubs  aj.'e  proving  popular  and  helpful. 

WARM    LUNCHES   IN   SCHOOLS. 

The  practice  of  catering  to  the  physical  welfare 
of  the  children  by  .serving  w-arm  dishes  to  them  dur- 
ing the  noon  hour  is  not  confined  to  the  high  schools 
— alone,  where  the  practice  is  quite  general,  but  is  to 
be  found  in  many  of  the  country  schools  that  are 


fitted  up  with  special  equipment  for  this  purpose. 
The  teacher  usually  appoints  from  among  the  larger 
pupils  those  who  are  to  look  after  the  serving  of  the 
lunch  each  day.  A  general  pantry  supply  is  often 
kept  at  tile  school  to  supplement  the  eatables 
bi-ought  from  the  homes  for  cooking.  Several  plans 
for  furnishing  the  materials  are  in  vogue.  The 
parents  generally  favor  this  innovation.  The  rural 
schools  associated  with  Mcintosh  and  East  Grand 
Forks,  or  most  of  them,  have  good  lunch  outfits. 

boys'   and   girls'   CLUBS. 

A  practical  form  of  club  work,  closely  affiliated 
with  the  school,  includes  such  projects  as  corn-grow- 
ing, bread-making,  and  pig-raising.  Through  the 
special  efforts  of  the  high  school  agriculturists  and 
the  county  agent,  instructions  from  the  State  Agricul- 
tural School,  the  office  of  the  county  superintendent, 
and  a  number  of  enterprising  private  citizens  the 
club  work  in  Polk  County  has  become  well  estab- 
lished. No  less  than  ten  boys'  corn  clubs  existed  in 
101.5.  A  number  of  bread  clubs  sent  representatives 
to  a  county  bread-making  contest  held  at  Crookston 
in  July,  and  they  competed  for  the  right  to  represent 
Polk  County  at  the  State  Fair.  The  pig  clubs  at  East 
Grand  Forks  and  Fosston  figured  prominently  in  the 
State  pig-contest  last  year. 

CROOKSTON   SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

This  branch  of  tiie  State  University,  located  at 
Crookston,  while  naturally  established  to  serve  the 
State  at  large,  is,  by  virtue  of  location,  an  educational 
asset  of  special  benefit  to  us.  Many  of  the  graduates 
of  this  school  are  carrying  on  extensive  and  up-to-date 
farming  in  this  county.  Summer  training  courses 
for  teachers,  with  special  inducements  for  the  pur- 
suit of  industrial  subjects,  are  maintained. 

In  connection  with  the  regular  school  year,  a  spe- 
cial course  for  rural  teachers  is  offered.  One  of  the 
aims  of  this  course  is  to  fit  young  persons  for  work 
in  consolidated  schools. 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY  105 

FROM  1876  TO  1916.  cational  systems  far  in   advance  of  what  we  have 

We  have  lived  through  forty  years  of  school-build-  attained.    Education  which  is  a  business  of  universal 

ing  in  Polk  County.     The  past  has  seen  many  school  concern   must  continue   to  engage  our  people  even 

laws  and   administrative   regulations   come   and   go.  more  in  the  future,  to  the  end  that  the  paramount 

The  last  word  in  education  has  not  yet  been  spoken,  issues  shall   be   wisely   solved   and   the  purposes  of 

and  forty  years  more  will  find  our  schools  and  edu-  schools  better  understood. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  CROOKSTON  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE. 
By  C.  G.  Selvig. 
a  red  river  valley  institution — new  building  dedicated — death  op  superintendent  wm.  robertson the 

school's  ADVANCEMENT  AND  GROWTH — MOVING  YEAR — SCHOOL  FACULTY — EQUIPPING  A  TECHNICAL  SCHOOL 

THE  school's  GROWTH — ITS  WORK  OUTSIDE  SCHOOLROOM   DOORS. 


The  Crookston  School  of  Agriculture  must  be  con- 
sidered separately  from  the  Northwest  Experiment 
Station,  although  they  are  located  at  one  and  the 
same  place,  and  their  work  is  carried  on  together. 
The  Experiment  Station  had  been  organized  and  in 
operation  for  ten  years  before  the  School  came  into 
existence. 

The  Crookston  School  of  Agriculture  is  also  a  part 
of  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota.  It  was  created  by  an  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  the  session  of  1905.  An  appropriation  of  $15,- 
000  was  provided  for  the  building  known  as  the 
School  Building  (now  named  the  Home  Economies 
Building),  which  was  completed  in  1906.  No  funds 
for  maintenance  were  voted.  In  order  to  have  school 
open  that  fall  it  was  necessary  to  secure  funds  for 
salaries  and  expenses.  A  sum  of  $2,500  was  privately 
subscribed  by  patriotic  citizens  of  Crookston  and 
vicinity.  This  fund,  and  assistance  from  the  North- 
west Experiment  Station  funds,  made  it  possible  to 
begin  in  1906.  Thirty-one  students,  all  the  school 
could  accommodate  in  its  cramped  quarters,  were  en- 
rolled. Their  names  were  as  follows :  Emma  Agusta 
Anderson,  Hallock;  Agnes  Bjoin,  Crookston;  Henry 
L.  Blackmore,  Baggs,  Wyoming;  Carl  Carlson,  Ken- 
nedy ;  William  Dewar,  Crookston ;  Walter  Dewar, 
Crookston;  John  Distad,  Perley;  Hans  Forseth,  Cli- 
max ;  Christopher,  Lewis,  and  Molly  Fossbakken,  Foss- 


ton ;  Clara  Hagan,  Hendrum ;  Christian  Hanson,  Bel- 
trami ;  Floy  Ingersoll.  Crookston ;  Thor  Lonne,  Crooks- 
ton ;  Christian  Lindberg,  Beltrami ;  Leroy  Lytle, 
Crookston;  Gustaf  Nelson,  Northland;  Olaf  F.  Nel- 
son, St.  Hilaire ;  Simon  Nelson,  Climax ;  Carl  Nord- 
lum,  Beltrami ;  Lena  Opdahl,  Beltrami ;  Elmer  01s- 
lund,  Beltrami ;  Albert  Petterson,  Crookston ;  Wil- 
liam H.  Rager,  Crookston;  Lewis  Regeimbal,  Crooks- 
ton ;  Carl  Seeger,  Red  Lake  Falls ;  Joseph  Skala, 
Red  Lake  Falls ;  Julie  Swisse,  Faribault ;  Nels  A. 
Thompson,  Birkholz,  and  Ida  Thompson,  Beltrami, 
Minnesota. 

The  school  building  was  a  combination  dormitory, 
dining  hall,  office,  and  class  room  building.  The 
boys  had  rooms  on  the  third  floor,  while  the  farm 
house  was  improvised  into  a  ladies'  hall.  On  the 
second  floor  were  located  the  class  rooms,  the  adminis- 
trative office,  and  the  library,  while  on  the  first  floor 
were  the  kitchen  and  dining  room.  JIany  interesting 
experiences  happened  during  the  iirst  two  years  of 
the  school.  Both  the  faculty  and  the  student  body 
acquired  an  enthusiasm  for  the  aims  and  work  of 
the  institution  and  a  loyalty  to  it  that  counted  greatly 
in  its  influence  upon  the  community.  By  the  time 
the  1907  Legislature  had  convened  and  sent  commit- 
tees to  inspect  the  school,  it  was  found  that  a  full- 
fledged  institution  had  sprung  into  being.  Two  new 
buildings   were   provided   at   that   session,    Stephens 


106 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


107 


Hall,  a  dormitory  for  boys,  and  the  Industrial  Build- 
ing (later  named  S.  M.  Owen  Hall).  A  modest  sum 
was  provided  for  annual  maintenance,  and  the  sum 
of  $2,500  was  appropriated  to  reimburse  the  private 
contributors  who  made  the  first  year  of  the  school 
possdble. 

The  school  is  what  might  be  classed  as  a  technical 
agricultural  school,  and  is  intended  to  round  out  the 
education  of  the  farm  boys  and  girls  after  they  have 
left  the  rural  schools,  fitting  them  either  to  go  back 
to  the  farm  or  to  enter  the  University,  should  they 
desire  to  take  up  professional  work  in  the  line  of 
agriculture.  Students  attending  the  institution  are 
boarded  at  the  School,  and  are  thus  in  a  continual 
agricultural  atmosphere,  expenses  being  only  the 
actual  cost  of  living.  The  course  of  study  includes 
farm  botany,  mechanical  drawing,  music,  farm  mathe- 
matics, poultry,  English,  agriculture,  blacksmithing, 
carpentry,  military  drill,  cooking,  physical  training, 
sewing,  study  of  breeds,  laundering,  agricultural 
physics,  dairying,  fruit  growing,  farm  accounts,  stock 
judging,  breeding,  household  art,  agricultural  chem- 
istry, vegetable  gardening,  field  crops,  forestry,  en- 
tomology, algebra,  handling  grain  and  machinery, 
veterinary  science,  civics,  geometry,  plant  propaga- 
tion, dressing  and  curing  meats,  feeding  soils  and 
fertilizers,  home  economy,  domestic  chemistry,  domes- 
tic hygiene  and  meats,  rural  economics  and  sociology, 
and  teachers'  training  subjects. 

As  a  result  of  the  loyal  support  of  the  people  of 
the  Red  River  Valley,  the  school,  early  in  its  life, 
was  well  cared  for  in  the  way  of  current  expenses, 
and  in  buildings.  -It  was  not  long  before,  with  its 
numerous  attractive  buildings  and  pleasant  surround- 
ings, and  the  practical  work  which  it  was  doing,  that 
the  institution  became  a  source  of  pride  to  the  people 
of  the  Red  River  Valley. 

A  RED  RIVER  VALLEY  INSTITUTION. 

Many  questions  were  raised  as  to  the  advisability 
of  creating  a  school  in  the  Red  River  Valley,  or  any- 
where for  that  matter,  when  there  was  a  great  cen- 


tral school  and  experiment  station  at  St.  Anthony 
Park,  between  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  It  was  not 
possible  those  days  to  prophesy  just  what  work  such 
an  institution  would  find  to  do.  Its  justification  lies 
in  the  fact  that  the  agricultural  problems  of  one  part 
of  the  State  differ  from  those  of  another  part.  The 
problems  of  the  timbered  country  of  the  North  are 
certainly  not  those  of  the  prairies  of  the  West.  Like- 
wise, the  problems  of  the  Red  River  Valley  are  not 
those  of  that  part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  adjacent 
to  the  Twin  Cities.  Naturally,  too,  the  problems  of 
the  Red  River  Valley  cannot  be  worked  out  under  the 
different  conditions  which  prevail  in  the  part  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  named.  The  physical  factors  of 
farming  are  not  portable. 

Furthermore,  the  object  of  a  technical  agricultural 
school  is  to  train  young  men  so  that  they  may  go 
back  to  the  land  and  cultivate  it  with  success.  Obvi- 
ously, the  thing  to  do  is  to  train  them  on  the  kind 
of  farm  to  which  they  are  to  return,  or  as  nearly  that 
as  possible,  and  not  on  some  other  kind,  where  dif- 
ferent conditions  rule  and  different  problems  have  to 
be  worked  out. 

The  Experimental  Station,  then,  was  established  in 
the  first  place  to  work  out  the  agricultural  problems 
of  the  Red  River  Valley,  and  the  school  came  later 
as  a  means  of  training  young  men  from  the  Red 
River  Valley  farms,  on  a  Red  River  Valley  farm,  in 
order  that  they  might  go  back  to  Red  River  Valley 
farms  to  build  them  on  sounder  principles.  This  and 
more  fundamental  problems  of  agriculture  are  not 
at  all  neglected  at  the  Crookston  School,  but  it  is 
simply  to  say  that  the  special  problems  of  the  region 
receive  the  special  attention  they  demand. 

NEW  BUILDINGS  DEDICATED. 

The  fall  of  1908  was  an  auspicious  one  for  the  new 
institution.  Two  magnificent  buildings  were  ready 
for  occupancy,  and  the  School  had  gained  a  reputa- 
tion for  earnest  efficient  effort,  and  was  rapidly  forg- 
ing ahead.  At  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the 
boys '  dormitory,  it  was  named  Stephens  Hall,  in  honor 


108 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


of  Senator  A.  D.  Stephens,  of  Crookston,  who  repre- 
sented Polk  County  in  tlie  State  Senate  during  these 
years,  and  to  whose  successful  efforts  to  secure  funds 
for  the  school  building  and  equipinpnt,  as  well  as  ade- 
quate provision  for  its  support,  much  credit  is  due. 
James  J.  Hill  was  present  at  the  dedication  exercises, 
and  delivered  a  prophetic  address. 

Stephens  Hall  is  a  beautiful  three-story  brick  build- 
ing, a  model  of  comfort  and  convenience.  The  two 
upper  floors  are  used  as  a  boys'  dormitory,  and  the 
iirst  floor  for  the  dining  club,  with  its  dining  room, 
kitchen,  bakeshop,  and  other  necessary  quarters.  The 
dining  club  quarters  were  installed  temporarily,  as  a 
separate  building  is  planned  eventually  to  accommo- 
date that  department.  Stephens  Hall  will  then  provide 
comfortable  rooms  for  150  young  men.  The  in- 
dustrial building  provided  the  same  year,  now  named 
S.  M.  Owen  Hall,  contains  the  blacksmith  and  carpen- 
try shops,  stock  judging  room,  dairy  room,  mechanical 
drawing  room,  and  a  large  addition  constructed  in 
1911  provides  commodious  quarters  for  the  farm  en- 
gineering department. 

One  hundred  and  one  students  attended  during 
the  third  year  of  the  school  (1908-1909),  more  than 
double  the  second  year's  enrollment  of  41. 

DEATH    OF    SUPERINTENDENT    VV^M.    ROBERTSON. 

The  year  1910  was  one  of  many  changes.  Early  in 
January  occurred  the  very  sudden  and  deeply  re- 
gretted death  of  the  first  superintendent  of  the 
School,  William  Robertson.  His  death  cast  a  pall  of 
gloom  over  the  entire  School  that  could  not  be  re- 
moved. His  services  and  enthusiasm  had  been 
mighty  faetore  in  establishing  the  School  and  in  out- 
lining policies  and  plans.  The  School's  pioneer  days 
were  passed  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Robertson 
and  his  estimable  wife,  who  was  also  his  co-worker 
in  all  the  numerous  activities  necessary  during  these 
early  days. 

THE  school's  advancement  AND  GROW^TH. 

The  Legislative  session  of  1909  fairly  outdid  its  pre- 
vioTis  record  in  the  matter  of  having  a  larger  vision 


regarding  the  School's  future  work  and  usefulness, 
both  in  the  matter  of  providing  buildings  and  equii>- 
ment,  and  also  in  the  very  important  matter  of  es- 
tablishing an  annual  maintenance  fund  suflicient  to 
permit  the  School  to  increase  the  faculty  and  extend 
the  work.  These  buildings  were  under  construction 
when  the  new  superintendent  came  to  Crookston.  For 
this  position  the  Board  of  Regents  selected  Mr.  G.  G. 
Selvig,  whose  work  began  August  1,  1910. 

Two  new  buildings  were  completed  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  viz. :  Robertson  Hall,  named  in  honor  of 
William  Robertson,  the  first  superintendent  of  Crooks- 
ton School  of  Agriculture,  and  a  girls'  dormitory, 
which  provides  accommodations  for  75  young  leidies, 
and  is  a  model  home  for  girls  attending  the  school. 
It  is  a  three-story  brick  building,  with  beautifully 
tinted  interior  walls  and  with  good  architectural  lines 
exteriorly.  Climbing  vines  which  eventually  will 
cover  the  outside  walls  greatly  add  to  its  homelike 
appearance.  The  other  building,  the  David  L.  Kiehle 
Building,  was  named  in  honor  of  former  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Regent,  and 
University  Professor,  Dr.  David  L.  Kiehle.  This,  the 
fifth  of  the  school  buildings,  and  one  of  the  largest, 
is  also  one  of  the  most  useful  on  the  campus.  It  con- 
tains a  well  equipped  gymnasium  and  a  beautiful  au- 
ditorium (which  is  pronounced  by  all  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  rooms  in  the  State,  seating  about  500), 
administrative  offices,  and  the  library. 

MOVING   YEAR. 

The  Experiment  Station  buildings  were  located  on 
a  tract  of  slightly  elevated  land  near  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  farm.  It  was  found  that  the  school 
campus  required  more  room.  During  1911,  therefore, 
numerous  changes  were  made.  A  class  room  building 
and  minor  station  buildings  had  been  provided  by  the 
1911  session  of  the  Legislature.  In  order  to  find  a 
suitable  location  for  this  structure  and  others  that  the 
School  would  soon  require,  due  to  its  rapidly  increas- 
ing attendance,  it  became  necessary  to  remove  the 
horse  barn,  dairy  barn,  poultry  house,  and  the  farm 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


109 


house  to  new  locations  on  a  permanent  campus  plan. 
Four  cottages  for  married  members  of  the  station 
and  School  faculty  were  also  Iniilt  that  year.  The 
class  room  building,  which  was  completed  in  1912, 
was  named  the  Hill  Building,  in  honor  of  James  J. 
Hill,  who  was  present  at  the  dedicatory  exercises. 
It  is  a  fine  three-story  structure,  beautifully  finished 
in  oak  throughout,  and  admirably  arranged  to  accom- 
modate the  various  departments.  With  the  horticul- 
ture and  botany  departments  on  the  first  floor, 
agronomy  on  the  second,  and  English,  agricultural 
chemistry,  and  physics,  and  normal  training  depart- 
ments on  the  third  floor,  it  made  possible  a  degree  of 
efficiency  in  actual  school  room  work  hitherto  impos- 
sible at  the  Crookston  School. 

SCHOOL   FACULTY. 

The  policy  of  building  up  the  departments  of  the 
Agricultural  School  and  Experiment  Station  by  se- 
curing well  trained  and  able  specialists  for  each  was 
given  prominence  by  the  new  administration.  Prof. 
C.  E.  Brown,  in  charge  of  poultry  investigations  and 
teaching,  continued  in  his  position.  Prof.  J.  D.  Bils- 
borrow  became  the  Station 's  first  agronomist,  followed 
by  Prof.  0.  I.  Bergh,  who  in  turn  was  succeeded  by 
Prof.  F.  L.  Kennard,  the  first  two  leaving  to  accept 
positions  which  lack  of  means  and  opportunity  pre- 
cluded the  Northwest's  station  from  offering  them. 
In  1911,  Prof.  T.  M.  McCall  came  from  Iowa  State 
College,  at  Ames,  to  take  charge  of  the  horticultural 
and  botany  departments,  a  position  he  still  holds  and 
in  which  he  has  rendered  very  efficient  services  to  the 
State.  Professors  P.  H.  Sargent  and  Robert  B.  Bax- 
ter carried  on  the  dairy  and  animal  husbandry  work 
until  1913,  when  these  departments  were  merged, 
and  put  in  charge  of  Prof.  AVm.  Dietrich,  formerly  of 
the  Illinois  Experiment  Station,  an  able  teacher  and 
investigator.  Prof.  T.  R.  Sewall,  the  present  head  of 
the  farm  engineering  department,  came  from  the  Cen- 
tral School  at  St.  Anthony  Park,  in  1911.  Prof.  J.  P. 
Bengston,  now  in  charge  of  the  boys'  dormitories  and 
who  is  also  an  instructor,  resigned  his  position  as  su- 


perintendent of  the  Roseau  City  Schools,  in  1913,  to 
accept  a  position  with  this  institution. 

Miss  Bess  M.  Rowe,  Miss  Laura  Franklin,  Miss 
Mabel  H.  Olsen,  Miss  Faith  S.  Brown,  and  Miss  Grace 
B.  Sherwootl  occupied  responsible  positions  at  the 
school,  the  latter  having  charge  of  the  teachers'  train- 
ing department.  The  progress  that  the  School  and 
Station  has  made  is  due  to  the  strong,  earnest  efforts 
of  the  faculty  members  and  station  workers.  In  this 
bi'ief  sketcli  it  is  impossible  to  state  more  fully  an 
account  of  their  services. 

EQUIPPING  A  TECHNICAL  SCHOOL. 

The  Legislature  in  1913  continued  its  interest  in 
the  Crookston  School,  providing  two  major  additions 
to  the  buildings,  besides  placing  the  annual  support 
fund  on  a  more  substantial  basis.  A  central  heating 
plant  was  constructed  in  1913,  and  a  second  dormitory 
for  young  men,  in  1914.  A  greenhouse  and  a  grain 
storage  eciuipment,  as  well  as  other  minor  buildings, 
completed  the  station  group  on  i^resent  basis  of  work. 
A  spur  track  was  constructed  in  1911  which,  with  the 
completion  of  the  new  heating  plant,  produced  decided 
economics  in  annual  maintenance. 

THE  school's  GROWTH. 

We  can  look  to  the  buildings  and  equipment,  the 
school  campus  and  grounds,  class  rooms,  and  other 
outward  evidences  which  indicate  increasing  prepar- 
edness and  efficienc}^,  but  no  institution  must  be  per- 
mitted to  gauge  its  service  by  these  things.  The 
students  of  a  school  and  its  graduates  must  be  sought 
out  if  a  school's  real  history  is  to  be  written.  The 
State  Institution  at  Crookston  is  closing  its  tenth  j'ear 
at  this  time.  Six  hundred  and  eighty-one  students 
have  enrolled  during  the  regular  school  terms,  with 
181  in  i-ts  junior  course,  835  in  its  summer  course  for 
teachers,  and  manj'  thousands  at  its  farmers'  short 
courses  and  farmers'  week  meetings,  which  are  held  in 
Crookston  every  February.  Twenty  Northwestern 
Minnesota  counties  have  learned  of  the  school  and 
the  work  of  its  students,  not  only  in  the  class  rooms, 


110 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


lahoratorios.  and  shops,  but  of  its  work  in  creating 
power,  in  adapting  itself  to  the  social  life  one  is  to 
live,  in  meeting  the  fuller  requirements  of  citizenship 
and  of  co-operative  community  life  wliich  must  char- 
acterize the  bountiful  and  full  country  life  which  all 
recognize  is  desired.  The  school  is  a  dormitory  insti- 
tution whereunder  men  and  women  of  poise,  iutegritj-, 
lofty  aims,  and  high  visions,  the  young  men  and 
women,  acquire  ideals  of  conduct  that  shall  last  as 
long  as  there  is  life.  Sports,  indoor  and  outdoor, 
social  activities;  music,  in  band,  orchestra,  glee  club 
and  chorus,  piano  and  voice, — all  contribute  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  individual  and  to  increasing  the 
joys  and  happiness  of  the  group.  Public  speaking 
and  debates  are  recognized  as  essentials  in  the  courses 
and  are  required  of  all.  At  an  agricultural  school, 
where  farmers  are  to  be  trained,  the  ability  to  think 
clearly,  to  write  or  speak  easily,  is  an  important  work 
to  do.  Nothing  can  be  said  about  the  extensive  courses 
in  agriculture  and  home  training,  nor  aboiit  the  more 
recently  organized  courses  in  teacher  training.  Bul- 
letins and  circulars  describe  this  w'ork  in  detail. 

ITS   WORK   OUTSIDE   SCHOOLROOM    DOORS. 

The  history  up  to  the  present  time  of  the  North- 
west School  of  Agriculture  and  E.xperiment  Station 
would  not  be  complete  without  a  statement  regarding 
its  work  and  influence  outside  of  the  class  rooms  and 
experimental  plots.  Reference  has  been  made  to  the 
organization,  in  1903,  of  the  Red  River  Valley  Dairy- 
men's Association,  of  which  Superintendent  T.  A. 
Hoverstad  was  the  guiding  spirit.  Prof.  Robertson 
continued  the  interest  of  the  station  in  this  organiza- 
tion, and  was  followed  by  Superintendent  C.  G.  Selvig, 
who  is  the  present  president.     This  organization  has 


accomplished  much  in  the  interest  of  dairy  farming 
and  manufacturing.  The  Red  River  Valley  Horti- 
cultural Society,  under  the  leadership  of  Station  men, 
is  an  active  organization,  its  members  being  interested 
in  tree  and  fruit  growing.  In  these  various  organiza- 
tions, the  Station  and  School  workers  are  simply  the 
means  which  various  conuuittees  may  use  in  accom- 
plishing certain  things.  The  Farmers'  Short  Course 
and  Agricultural  Exhibit,  begun  at  the  Agricultural 
School  in  1911,  was  branched  out  and  increased  so 
much  in  magnitude  that  in  1913  it  was  necessary  to 
hold  the  meetings  at  Crookston.  The  Farm  Crops 
Show  and  Meetings  have  come  to  be  annual  clearing 
house  for  ideas  and  plans  to  make  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley not  only  more  productive,  but  to  make  home  and 
school,  city  and  country,  better  and  more  fit  to  live  in. 

The  Northern  Minnesota  Poultry  Association,  the 
Red  River  Valley  Live  Stock  Breeders'  Association, 
and  the  Red  River  Valley  Seed  Growers'  Association 
are  all  broadly  educational.  Thej'  serve  to  increase 
the  spirit  of  co-operation,  to  break  down  community 
distrusts  and  to  realize  more  fully  the  possibilities 
and  potentialities  of  that  full  and  abundant  life  which 
is  vouchsafed  every  one,  in  city  or  country. 

This  brief  sketch  of  the  Northwest  School  of  Agri- 
culture and  Expei'iment  Station  can  well  close  in 
testifying  to  the  influence  and  service  of  farmers' 
clubs  and  of  community  centers  in  consolidated 
schools  of  this  great  section  of  the  State.  The  exten- 
sion service  of  the  institution  sprang  into  existence 
in  helping  to  organize  clubs  and  to  promote  the  or- 
ganization of  such  schools.  This  service  is  justifying 
itself  and  those  groups  are  increasingly  flnding  their 
full  value  as  agencies  for  action  and  service. 


.SEMOB  HALL 


IPy  ^^rm 


HILL  BUILDING 


i 

i 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  NORTHWEST  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

By  Superintendent  C.  G.  Selvig. 

origin  and  early  history — securing  the  land  for  a  site — beginnings  in  1895 — the  soil  at  the  station 

plans  outlined the  work  op  early  years drainage  installed drainage  work  begun a  new  ad- 
ministration— experiments  in  crop  production — field   crop   work the  horticultural   division 

live  stock  departments,  etc. 


THE  NORTHWEST  EXPERIMENT   STATION. 

Sometime  before  1894  Prof.  Willet  M.  Hays,  of 
Minnesota  Experiment  Station,  St.  Anthony  Park, 
had  made  a  study  regarding  the  best  location  for  two 
other  experiment  farms  in  Minnesota  besides  the  one 
at  St.  Anthony  Park.  There  were  two  great  areas 
of  the  State  considered  in  this  survey,  viz:  the  Red 
River  Valley  and  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  northwest 
part  of  the  State,  and  the  lighter  soils  of  the  great 
north  central  timbered  section.  By  consulting  the 
State  geological  surveys,  and  doing  some  traveling,  he 
had  formulated  a  general  plan  as  to  where  these 
farms  should  be  located. 

There  had  been  some  agitation  of  this  question 
among  the  citizens  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  resulting 
in  a  delegation  being  sent  to  urge  the  establishment  of 
an  experiment  farm  before  the  Legislative  committee 
to  whom  a  bill  had  been  referred.  Favorable  action 
resulted,  for  at  the  Legislative  session  of  1895,  $30,000 
was  appropriated  with  which  to  procure  equipment, 
and  for  the  two  following  years  to  conduct  two  sub- 
experiment  farms.  They  were  placed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota. 

Several  tracts  of  land  were  considered  for  the  loca- 
tion of  the  Northwest  Experiment  Farm  by  the  Agri- 
cultural Committee  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  consist- 


ing of  Wm.  W.  Liggett,  Chairman;  J.  S.  Pillsbury, 
S.  M.  Owen,  and  W.  W.  Pendergast,  and  by  Prof. 
W.  M.  Hays  who  had  made  a  study  of  the  northern 
half  of  the  State.  It  was  finally  located  by  the  Board 
of  Regents  at  Crookston,  Polk  County,  on  land  do- 
nated by  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  through  the 
generosity  and  liberal  mindedness  of  President  J.  J. 
Hill  and  Samuel  Hill.  It  was  considered  that  prob- 
lems to  be  solved  upon  this  area  were  the  problems 
of  many  communities  in  the  Red  River  Valley,  espe- 
cially the  problem  of  drainage.  This  reason  weighed 
largely  in  the  minds  of  the  Committee,  for  the  land 
selected  was  extremely  low,  there  being  higher  land 
on  the  north,  east,  south,  and  southwest.  A  shallow 
coulee  drained  a  part  of  the  waters  to  the  northwest. 
The  ditch  established  later  followed  this  natural  out- 
let. It  was  regarded  as  advantageous  to  have  such 
a  tract  of  land  for  experimental  purposes  and  for 
investigational  use. 

The  tract  donated  to  be  used  for  the  Northwest  Ex- 
periment Farm  contains  476.61  acres,  according  to  a 
United  States  Government  survey  which  was  made 
in  1872.  It  comprises  the  north  half  and  southeast 
quarter  of  Section  19,  Crookston  Township.  Its  south 
line  is  the  northern  limit  of  the  city  of  Crookston. 
The  farm  buildings  were  located  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  section,  approximately  two  miles  from 
the  center  of  the  city. 


Ill 


112 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


SECURING   THE  LAND. 

This  tract  of  land  remained  in  the  possession  of 
the  General  Government  until  March,  187S,  when 
the  ownership  of  this  tract  was  transferred  to  the 
State  of  Minnesota,  which  in  turn  transferred  it  on 
the  same  date,  to  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany, now  a  part  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway 
system.  All  of  it  had  remained  unimproved  in  the 
possession  of  the  railway,  excepting  about  fifty  acres 
which  had  been  broken,  cropped,  and  filled  with  mus- 
tard and  other  weeds  liy  trespassers,  until  1895,  when 
the  University  of  Minnesota  was  given  permission  to 
use  it  for  an  experimental  farm.  In  1903  an  agree- 
ment was  made  with  the  railway  by  which  tlie  Uni- 
versity could  become  the  purchaser  of  the  land  at 
any  time  at  .$25  per  acre,  but  could  have  the  posses- 
sion of  it  free  of  charge  so  long  as  it  was  used  for 
educational  or  experimental  purposes. 

BEGINNINGS  IN  1895. 

Work  at  the  experiment  farm  began  in  1895,  when 
the  city  of  Crookston  and  the  County  of  Polk  each 
gave  $1,000,  which  was  utilized  for  drainage  and  mak- 
ing of  roads  around  and  through  the  Northwest  Farm. 
Prof.  "W.  M.  Hays  was  placed  in  general  charge  of 
the  equipment  and  plans  for  experimental  work,  and 
Mr.  T.  A.  Hoverstad  was  chosen  assistant  agricul- 
turist, and  was  given  the  local  management  of  this 
Northwest  Farm,  at  Crookston,  a.s  Superintendent. 

SOIL  AT   NORTHWEST   STATION. 

The  surface  soil  at  the  Northwest  Experiment  Farm 
is  a  blackish  color,  usually  about  twelve  inches  in 
depth,  although  at  places  it  becomes  very  thin,  while 
at  others  the  dark  material  extends  in  slender  s-treaks 
for  18  to  30  inches  down  into  the  lighter  subsoil.  Two 
distinct  types  of  soil  were  mapped  on  the  farm.  The 
larger  portion  is  of  Fargo  clay  loam  soil,  which  con- 
tains a  very  large  per  cent  of  organic  matter.  This 
renders  the  soil  loamy  and  easily  cultivated,  when 
in  a  dry  condition ;  but  when  wet,  it  is  sticky  and 
tenacious,  clods  badly,  and  does  not  scour  well,  mak- 


ing plowing  almost  impossible.  The  other  type  of  soil, 
called  the  Fargo  fine  sandy  loam,  is  easily  cultivated, 
and  can  be  plowed  much  earlier  in  the  spring  and 
summer  after  heavy  rains,  than  the  heavy  type  of  soil. 

PLANS    OUTLINED. 

The  plans  outlined  for  the  Northwest  Fann  in- 
cluded the  production  for  dissemination  of  the  best 
grains  produced  by  the  station ;  the  testing  of  varie- 
ties of  grains,  roots,  trees,  and  fruits;  field  manage- 
ment ;  tillage  and  weeds ;  pastures  and  meadows ;  for- 
age and  pastures  from  annual  crops;  prairie  fores- 
try; road  making;  feeding  work  horses  and  other 
.stock;  breeding  animals;  and  dairying.  All  of  these 
were  to  be  studied  with  reference  to  conditions  in 
this  part  of  the  State.  These  plans  involved  extended 
investigations  to  answer  questions  which  could  be 
properly  studied  only  in  this  peculiar  part  of  the 
state. 

WORK  OF  EARLY  YEARS. 

The  work  froiu  1896  up  to  tlie  installation  of  the 
drainage  ditch,  in  1909,  was  difficult  and  the  results 
uncertain,  on  account  of  excessive  rainfall  and  lack 
of  drainage  during  the  greater  time  of  this  period. 
The  reports  of  the  Northwest  Experiment  Farm 
present  these  difficulties  very  vividly.  In  the  spring 
of  1896  the  rainfall  was  so  constant  and  excessive  that 
the  season  for  planting  grain  crops  had  practically 
passed  before  the  seed  could  be  planted.  In  1897, 
floods  just  before  harvest  nearly  ruined  the  wheat  and 
oats.  The  need  of  an  adequate  drainage  system  was 
early  recognized ;  but  the  problem  was  one  requiring 
a  considerable  expenditure  of  money  and  the  co-op- 
eration of  several  agencies,  which  it  took  some  time  to 
secure.  A  yield  of  23  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre 
is  reported  for  1897,  with  an  average  of  20.9  for  three- 
year  period.  Oats  averaged  47  bushels  to  the  acre 
in  a  three  year  test,  and  barley  varieties  averaged 
from  26.6  bushels  to  31.7  busliels  to  an  acre.  A  con- 
siderable number  of  trees  were  planted  which  afford 
at  the  present  time  both  windbreak  and  shade. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


113 


July  25,  1897,  lightning  caused  a  fire  whicli  de- 
stroyed the  harn  with  several  horses  and  a  larger  por- 
tion of  the  collection  of  farm  tools  and  conveyances. 
The  total  loss  v*^as  $6,000.  A  new  barn  was  con- 
structed for  the  $3,000  received  from  insurance  on 
the  one  destroyed. 

The  season  of  1899  was  somewhat  unfavorable  for 
field  experiments  at  the  Northwest  Farm,  as  seeding 
was  delayed  until  the  latter  part  of  May  and  the  first 
part  of  June.  A  heavy  hail  storm  came  just  before 
harvest.  Successful  work  was  done  with  clover  and 
with  cultivated  forage  crops.  Com  tests  were  begun. 
The  forestry  planting  was  considerably  increased.  In 
1900,  excessive  rainfalls  and  inadequate  drainage 
again  feature  the  reports,  interfering  with  the  small 
grains.  Tests  in  growing  fodder  corn  proved  suc- 
cessful; seedling  plums  fruited;  six  thousand  trees 
were  planted  in  the  nursery ;  and  a  poultry  plant  was 
successfully  started.  A  cattle  barn  was  authorized 
by  the  Legislature  in  1901.  During  these  years,  con- 
siderable work  was  done  in  preparing  for  a  complete 
system  of  drainage,  which  it  was  hoped  could  be  put 
into  operation  in  1905. 

DRAINAGE  INSTALLATION. 

William  Robertson  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  Northwest  Farm  in  1904,  entering  upon  his 
work  in  1905.  The  three  years  preceding  1905,  he 
reported  as  having  been  unusually  wet  in  the  Red 
River  Valley.  Most  of  his  energy  was  devoted  to  the 
matter  of  securing  suitable  drainage  for  the  farm. 

In  1903,  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  was  made  by 
the  State  Legislature  for  drainage,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing summer  the  highway  and  railway  ditches  which 
had  been  opened  up  were  suppleinented  by  1,285  rods 
of  capstan  plow  ditch.  This  ditch  extended  east  and 
west  across  the  farm,  thence  northwest  through  a  shal- 
low coulee  to  Lowell  Ditch  No.  1.  These  ditches  re- 
moved some  of  the  surface  water,  but  were  not  of  suffi- 
cient capacity  to  remove  the  water  quickly  at  the 
spring  thaws,  or  after  heavy  rains.  The  Legislature 
of  1905  made  an  additional  appropriation  of  $4,000 


to  be  used  in  drainage  and  experimenting  with  tile 
drainage. 

DRAINAGE  WORK   BEGUN. 

A  district  survey  was  made  by  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  in  the  fall  of  1895,  and  a  petition  was 
circulated  for  a  county  ditch  passing  the  north  side 
of  the  farm  which  would  also  furnish  drainage  to  con- 
siderable territory  north  and  east  of  the  farm.  In 
April,  1906,  this  petition  was  granted,  and  Polk 
County  Ditch  No.  60  was  established.  The  office  of 
Experiment  Stations  at  Washington,  D.  C,  was  in- 
vited to  co-operate,  and  John  T.  Stewart  was  ap- 
pointed to  supervise  the  work  for  the  department. 
Plans  were  drawn  for  laying  about  50,000  feet  of  tile 
and  digging  of  one  and  one-half  miles  of  open  ditch. 
A  portion  of  the  farm  was  to  be  supplied  with  sur- 
face drainage  for  comparison  of  results.  The  tiles 
were  laid  at  different  distances  apart,  and  at  different 
depths,  and  wells  were  established  at  different  dis- 
tances from  the  tiles  to  determine  the  effect  of  tiles 
upon  the  water  level.  Tests  were  to  be  made  of  the 
alkali  content  of  both  the  water  and  the  soil  at  times 
before  and  after  the  drainage  was  installed,  in  order 
to  determine  the  effect  of  drainage  upon  this  feature. 
Expense  data  on  the  installation  was  kept. 

The  seasons  of  1906,  1907,  and  1908  were  given 
up  to  the  work  on  ditching  and  laying  tile.  Bulletin 
No.  110  was  written  describing  this  work.  The  year 
1908  was  one  of  the  driest  years  on  record.  Experi- 
ments with  clover  and  alfalfa  showed  favorable  re- 
sults. Five  additional  varieties  of  alfalfa  were  seeded 
that  year,  selected  as  to  hardiness  and  yield. 

NEW    ADMINISTRATION. 

Superintendent  William  Robertson  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1910.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Selvig.  A 
fuller  account  of  Mr.  Robertson's  work  and  services 
is  to  be  found  in  the  school  section  of  this  history.  In 
1911,  the  work  at  the  Northwest  Station  became 
largely  experimental  and  investigational  work  was 
conducted  under  station  specialists  in  direct  charge 


114 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


of  departmental  projects.  The  superintendent  was 
in  direct  charge  of  both  the  Agricultural  school  and  ex- 
periment station,  and  assumed  specific  charge  of  the 
drainage  work  and  of  co-operative  work  with  school 
students  and  farmers  in  the  Red  River  Valley.  This 
plan  brought  extensive  additions  to  the  station  work, 
and  has  already  succeeded  in  making  the  station  a 
clearing  house  for  the  solution  of  vexed  questions  that 
arise  in  connection  with  farming  in  Northwestern  Min- 
nesota, which  it  was  originally  intended  the  experiment 
station  should  become.  With  the  completion  of  the 
drainage  system,  this  new  work  was  made  possible 
although  many  handicaps  and  drawbacks  still  had 
to  be  met.  The  problems  of  lack  of  surface  drainage, 
of  foul  weeds,  or  general  adaptation  to  the  new  work 
were  met,  however,  and  the  station  has  taken  forward 
steps  which  are  increasing  every  year. 

EXPERIMENT   IN    CROP   PRODUCTION. 

At  the  present  time,  the  experimental  work  em- 
braces, besides  the  drainage  investigations  which 
have  been  outlined,  the  following  lines  of  work:  In 
the  agronomy  section,  there  is  work  in  cultural  meth- 
ods with  farm  crops,  including  rate  of  seeding  wheat, 
oats,  and  barley,  using  six  rates  for  each;  date  of 
seeding  winter  wheat,  alfalfa,  winter  rye,  and  barley, 
using  four  dates  for  each ;  and  plowing  and  sub-soiling, 
packing  subsoil,  a  comparison  of  tractor  and  horse 
plowing  and  disking,  dates  of  plowing  and  disking 
stubble  before  plowing. 

The  work  in  varietal  tests  of  farm  crops  includes 
variety  tests  of  all  farm  crops,  with  the  object  of 
getting  the  varieties  best  adapted  to  northwestern 
Minnesota  conditions,  and  eo-opera.tive  tests,  with 
various  divisions  of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota,  St.  Paul,  and  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  in  testing  wheat,  for  mill- 
ing purposes;  flax,  for  fiber;  wheat  hybrids,  for  rust 
resistance ;  and  corn  varieties. 

FIELD   CROP   WORK. 

The  results  of  the  season  of  1915  at  the  Northwest 
Experiment  Station  indicate  what  is  being  done  there 


along  crop  production  lines.  The  station  has  been 
drained  since  1909,  and  each  year's  results  are  more 
and  more  indicative  of  the  improved  conditions  re- 
garding plant  growth. 

In  1915,  the  highest  yield  per  acre  of  oats  was  98.7 
bushels  in  a  rate  of  seeding  plot.  The  lowest  in  this 
series  was  80  bushels.  The  next  highest  was  95.3 
bushels  per  acre  in  a  fertilizer  plot  series,  with  the 
lowest  yield  in  that  series  of  70.3  bushels  to  the  acre. 

A  16.3  acre  field  averaged  77  bushels,  and  a  28.5 
acre  field  averaged  75.5  bushels,  and  a  field  of  Early 
Roosevelt  oats  yielded  82.2  bushels  per  acre. 

The  highest  yield  of  barley  per  acre,  was  65.2 
bushels  in  the  fertilizer  plot  series.  A  field  of  19.7 
acres  averaged  43.4  bushels  per  acre,  and  a  field  of 
44.85  acres  averaged  42.5  bushels  per  acre. 

The  highest  yield  of  wheat  per  acre  was  40.8  bush- 
els per  acre,  and  in  the  rotation  series  the  highest 
yield  was  32.46  bushels,  and  in  the  variety  series  the 
highest  was  40.8  bushels  per  acre.  These  yields  are 
the  result  of  improved  strains  of  seed,  drainage,  man- 
agement, and  soil  condition. 

Seeds  and  trees  are  distributed  to  co-operators,  in 
order  to  determine  the  varieties  of  farm  crops  and 
trees  best  adapted  to  Northwestern  Minnesota.  In 
this  work  it  will  be  necessary  to  distribute  improved 
strains  of  seeds  of  cereals,  forage,  root,  and  vegetable 
crops,  and  hardy  varieties  of  trees,  grown  at  this  Sta- 
tion, to  test  them  on  farms  located  where  soil  and 
moisture  conditions  are  different.  The  sale  of  pure 
bred  seeds  and  of  nursery  stock  is  included  in  this 
project.  Tests  on  fifty  farms  were  in  progress  in  1915. 
This  number  will  be  materially  increased. 

The  corn  breeding  work  has  for  its  object  the  secur- 
ing of  corn  with  early  maturity. 

Several  crop  rotation  plans  are  being  followed,  and 
a  study  made  of  resulting  crop  yields,  soil  fertility, 
and  weed  conditions. 

Extensive  fertilizer  tests  are  being  made  in  co-op- 
eration with  Division  of  Soils,  University  Farm,  St. 
Paul.  These  tests  comprise  an  investigation  of  the 
effects  of  commercial   fertilizers,   with   and   without 


STOCK  AT  NORTHWEST  EXPERIMENT  .STATION 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


115 


manure,  for  ordinary  farm  crops  grown  iu  rotation. 
This  work  is  to  be  extended  for  tests  of  typical  soils 
of  Northwestern  Minnesota,  including  peat  lands. 

The  weed  eradication  work  is  planned  so  as  to  de- 
termine and  test  methods  of  eradicating  noxious 
weeds  common  to  Northwestern  Minnesota.  This 
work  is  to  be  done  on  Northwestern  Minnesota  farms 
in  typical  areas.  This  project  will  be  greatly 
extended. 

HORTICULTURAL   DIVISION. 

In  the  Horticultural  Division,  one  of  the  principal 
lines  of  work  is  with  the  potato  plant,  including  va- 
riety testing,  to  determine  the  varieties  best  adapted 
to  Northwestern  Minnesota ;  a  study  of  tuber  and  leaf 
diseases,  to  determine  the  best  methods  of  handling 
these  diseases;  a  test  of  several  methods  of  planting, 
to  determine  the  method  giving  most  profitable  yield ; 
and  seed  selection  of  potato  seed,  to  determine  relation 
to  yield,  vigor,  and  resistance  to  disease. 

Extensive  fruit,  tree,  and  shrub  investigations  em- 
bracing variety  and  hardiness  tests  of  tree  fruits, 
small  fruits,  trees,  shrubs  and  vines  are  in  progress. 

Garden  crops  and  field  root  crops  are  being  grown 


to    determine    the    best    varieties    for    Northwestern 
Minnesota. 

LIVE  STOCK  DEPARTMENTS. 

In  the  animal  and  dairy  husbandry  work,  feeding 
experiments  with  horses,  cattle,  swine,  and  sheep  are 
in  progress.  The  station  herds  include  animals  of 
the  different  breeds  which  are  used,  in  addition,  for 
school  stock  judging  work. 

In  the  poultry  department  extensive  trials  com- 
paring artificial  with  the  natural  incubation  of  chick- 
ens have  been  conducted.  Cockerel  fattening  work, 
egg  preservation,  goose  feeding,  wet  versus  dry  mash 
feeding,  the  influence  of  various  plans  and  methods 
of  poultry  house  construction,  have  been  tested.  Sev- 
eral bulletins  have  been  published  dealing  with  poul- 
try raising. 

The  experiment  work  at  the  Northwest  Station  can 
now  be  said  to  be  well  organized.  A  report  published 
early  in  1916  dealing  with  the  preceding  five  years, 
showed  an  extensive  program  of  work,  much  of  which 
gave  immediate  results,  but  many  projects  seemed  to 
require  longer  periods  of  time  for  results  to  be  of 
anj'  value. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HISTORY  OF  AGRICULTURE  IN  POLK  COUNTY. 

By  Prof.  C.  G.  Selvig. 

location  of  the  county — early  geological  history — soils — temperature — settlement  and  first  set- 
tlers  red  river  carts — immigration  after  1876 pioneer  wheat  farming agricultural  devel- 
opments   and    production    statistics — present    farming  conditions corn potatoes fruits — live 

stock    industry — dairying — poultry   raising — live   stock   farming — cattle   statistics — growth   op 

live  stock  raising statistics  of  farm  products  and  live  stock — drainage  work  in  polk  county,  by 

george  a.  ralph,  c.  e. 

Polk  County,  Minnesota,  is  located  in  the  heart  of      Valley,  spread  a  gray  drift  over  most  of  the  western 


and  southern  parts  of  the  State.  This  gray  drift,  de- 
rived in  larger  part  from  shale  and  limestone,  has 
proved  to  be  intensely  fertile.  Polk  County  is  located 
on  this  gray  drift  area,  and  in  that  part  of  it  that 
was  covered  by  the  ancient  glacial  Lake  Agassiz.  This 
lake  was  formed  during  the  recession  of  the  ice  sheet. 
At  its  ma.xiraum  development,  it  exceeded  in  size  the 
five  Great  Lakes  of  today.  The  finest  parts  of  the  soil 
carried  by  the  ice,  or  carried  from  the  surrounding 
land  were  deposited  towards  the  center  of  the  lake 
where  the  water  was  deepest.  This  was  the  origin 
of  the  heavy  clay  soils  which  have  made  the  Red  River 
Valley  one  of  the  greatest  grain  growing  regions  in 
the  world. 

There  are  patches  of  sand  and  gravel  in  this  area 
where  glacial  streams  formerly  reached  the  lake,  and 
long  ridges  of  sand,  flanked  on  either  side  by  sandy 
loam,  which  mark  its  early  shore  lines.  In  Polk 
County  these  shore  lines  cross  through  the  center 
from  north  to  south. 

This  glacial  formation  of  the  Red  River  Valley  cre- 
west  and  entering  Minnesota  through  the  Red  River      ated  a  problem  in  securing  adequate  drainage,  but  a 

116 


the  Red  River  Valley  of  the  North.  When  first  estab- 
lished, it  extended  from  the  Red  River  on  the  west 
to  Lake  Itasca  and  the  Mississippi  River  on  the  east. 
In  1866,  all  east  of  the  Hue  between  ranges  38  and  39 
was  taken  to  form  part  of  the  new  county  of  Beltrami. 
In  1881,  Norman  County  was  created  by  taking  the 
four  southern  tiers  of  townships  from  the  county  of 
Polk,  and,  in  1897,  the  county  of  Red  Lake  was  or- 
ganized by  taking  twenty-four  full  and  seven  frac- 
tional townships  in  a  somewhat  irregular  form  from 
its  northeastern  part.  Polk  County,  as  it  is  today,  is 
forty-six  miles  from  east  to  west  in  its  main  part,  and 
about  thirty  miles  from  north  to  south.  It  has  several 
streams  and  in  the  eastern  part  there  are  innumerable 
lakes.  The  average  elevation  of  the  western  half 
of  the  county  is  between  750  aud  1,000  feet.  The 
south  half  has  an  elevation  of  between  1,000  and  1,200 
feet,  while  in  the  south-eastern  corner,  the  elevation 
is  between  1,250  and  1,500  feet. 

E.\RLY  GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY. 

The  Kewatin  ice  sheet,  advancing  from  the  north- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


117 


great  deal  of  work  has  been  done  which  is  proving 
satisfactory  for  the  successful  production  of  crops. 

SOILS. 

The  soils  of  Polk  County  may  be  divided  into  three 
distinct  areas  as  follows :  First.  The  Eastern  area  of 
glacial-till,  of  a  clayey  nature,  with  a  marked  undu- 
lation to  a  hilly  topography  dotted  with  lakes,  and 
which  was  originally  wooded  with  hardwood  timber. 

Second.  The  "sandy  ridge"  area,  a  strip  of  land 
several  miles  wide  and  running  north  and  south  across 
the  middle  portion  of  the  county. 

Third.  The  prairie  fiats  to  the  west  of  the  "sandy 
ridge"  area  which  extends  in  a  magnificent  plain  to 
the  Red  River  of  the  North,  and  which  has  a  soil  won- 
derful in  its  richness  and  fertility.  It  is  of  a  lacus- 
trine and  alluvial  origin,  being  deposited  there  by  the 
waters  of  Lake  Agassiz  and  the  flood  waters  of  the 
streams  that  emptied  into  the  plain  at  a  later  day. 
The  top  soil  varies  from  a  sandy  loam  to  a  heavy 
clay  loam.  This  dark  rich  loam  varies  from  a  depth 
of  12  inches  to  30  inches.  It  is  underlaid  by  a  silty 
clay,  which,  in  most  cases,  is  almost  impervious  to 
water. 

The  plain  has  been  cut  through  by  numerous 
streams  and  rivers  whose  beds  lie  from  ten  to  forty 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  prairie,  affording  excellent 
outlets  for  the  numerous  drainage  ditches  that  have 
been  constructed  by  the  state  and  county.  These 
ditches  have  a  fall  of  several  feet  per  mile  and  where 
these  ditches  have  been  made,  drainage  forms  a  simple 
problem  to  the  farmer,  which  can  be  easily  and 
cheaply  effected  by  shallow  surface  ditches. 

TEMPERATURE. 

The  mean  annual  temperature  of  Polk  County  is 
between  37°  and  38°  Fahrenheit.  The  mean  annual 
temperature  during  the  months  of  April  to  September 
is  between  57°  and  58°,  and  during  June,  July,  and 
August  between  65°  to  66°.  The  average  date  of  the 
last  frost  in  Polk  County  is  between  the  dates  of  May 


15  and  May  20.  The  average  date  of  the  first  fall 
frost  is  September  22.  This  gives  an  average  grow- 
ing season  for  the  county  of  between  120  and  130 
days. 

The  average  annual  precipitation  of  the  county 
is  22  inches,  being  greater  in  the  eastern  two-thirds 
of  the  county,  where  the  average  is  24  inches.  The 
average  of  precipitation  from  October  to  March 
varies  from  3.73  inches  in  the  northwestern  part  to 
5.31  inches  in  the  eastern  two-thirds  of  the  county. 
The  precipitation  from  April  to  September  is  15.37 
inches  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  and 
17.07  inches  in  the  eastern  section.  The  evaporation 
varies  directly  with  the  temperature,  and  is,  there- 
fore, less  rapid  in  northwestern  Minnesota  than  in 
regions  farther  south.  A  rainfall  of  24  inches  in 
Polk  County  is  equal  in  crop  producing  power  to  40 
or  even  50  inches  in  lower  latutudes.  In  the  north- 
ern Red  River  Valley  as  much  as  77  per  cent,  of  the 
precipitation  occurs  in  the  growing  season.  This, 
and  the  fact  that  the  average  annual  depth  of  evapora- 
tion from  a  free  water  surface  in  Polk  County  is 
from  20  to  30  inches,  makes  conditions  that  are  favor- 
able for  crop  producing  and,  particularly,  for  rais- 
ing of  small  grains. 

SETTLEMENT   OF    POLK    COUNTY. 

The  settlement  of  Polk  County  was  a  part  of  the 
general  movement  that  occurred  in  the  late  years 
of  the  decade  of  1860  and  the  early  years  of  that 
of  1870.  In  1843,  Norman  Kittson  established  a 
trading  post  at  Pembina,  in  the  Red  River  Valley, 
which  later  became  the  location  of  a  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  post.  In  1823,  Major  Long  had  ascended 
to  the  Minnesota  portage  through  to  the  Red  River, 
returning  later  by  way  of  Rainy  River  and  Lake 
Superior.  This  indicated  the  means  of  entry  into 
Polk  County,  located  in  the  center  of  the  Red  River 
Valley.  Between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Red  River, 
the  principal  water  route  led  up  the  Minnesota  River, 
and  over  the  portage  at  Browns  Valley,  from  Big 


118 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Stone  Lake  into  Lake  Traverse,  and  thence  north  on 
the  Red  River.  The  distance  by  this  route  from  St. 
Paul  to  Pembina  was  said  to  be  448  miles,  and  the 
time  taken  by  carts  was  30  to  40  days.  The  stage 
route  over  which  the  early  settlers  in  Polk  County 
arrived  was  laid  out  in  1859,  following  an  inter- 
mediate course  along  the  border  of  the  hardwood  belt 
by  way  of  Sauk  Rapids,  Osakis,  Alexandria,  Pomme 
de  Terre  (near  Ashby),  and  Breckeuridge.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  during  1869,  2,500  river  carts  passed  up 
and  down  the  valley. 

The  first  steamboat  was  called  the  Anson  Northup 
and  was  launched  on  the  Red  River  in  1859.  Funds 
for  its  construction  had  been  obtained  in  part  by  pub- 
lic subscriptions  in  St.  Paul,  the  purpose  being  to 
secure  the  trade  for  that  city  of  Fort  Garry  (Winni- 
peg) and  the  Red  River  Region.  The  period  of  most 
active  navigation  in  the  Red  River  Valley  was  dur- 
ing the  years  following  1871,  when  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  had  reached  Moorhead,  the  usual 
head  of  navigation,  and  while  the  river  north  of 
that  point  was  not  yet  paralleled  by  railroads.  Dur- 
ing this  period,  there  were  four  or  five  boats  on  the 
river  which  made  from  35  to  65  round  trips  an- 
nually, depending  largely  on  the  stage  of  the  water 
and  the  length  of  the  season. 

POLK   county's  first   SETTLERS. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  Polk  County  received 
its  first  settlers.  The  following  is  from  an  article  by 
Judge  Watts  in  the  "History  of  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley:" 

"In  1871,  there  came  from  southeastern  Minnesota 
some  Norwegian  families  that  settled  along  the  Red 
River  and  near  it,  in  what  are  now  the  towns  of  Hub- 
bard, Vineland,  Tynsid,  and  Bygland.  Farther  north, 
at,  and  near  the  place  where  the  Red  Lake  River  joins 
the  Red,  and  along  the  Marais,  at  this  time  also  came 
a  considerable  number  of  Scotch  and  Canadian  people, 
who  had  been  attracted  ])y  accounts  of  the  lower  part 
of  the  Valley  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  but  finding 
the  desirable  lands  there  already  taken  or  reserved, 
returned  to  this  place,  one  of  the  garden  spots  of  the 
Northwest,  to  make  fine  homes  for  themselves  and 
their  families.     A  line  of  boats  had  been  established 


by  Norman  Kittson  plying  the  waters  of  the  river  be- 
tween Moorhead  and  Winnipeg,  and  upon  them,  most 
of  these  settlers  reached  their  new  homes.  Among 
those  who  came  thus,  and  made  the  deepest  impres- 
sion upon  the  future  of  the  county,  were  Robert  Coul- 
ter, John  Coulter,  and  William  Fleming." 

RED  RIVER  CARTS. 

These  Red  River  carts  and  steaml)oats — and  es- 
pecially the  steamboats — were,  undoubtedly,  great 
factors  in  promoting  immigration,  and  in  developing 
agi-iculture  in  the  Red  River  Valley.  Owing  to  the 
earlier  establishment  of  agriculture  by  the  Selkirk 
settlers,  more  immigrants  seemed  to  have  come  into 
Canada  by  this  route,  than  stopped  off  in  the  Minne- 
sota part  of  the  Valley.  The  railroad  was  constructed 
from  Glyndon  to  Snake  River  in  1872  and,  in  1875, 
from  Crookston  to  Fisher's  Landing.  Interesting  in- 
cidents are  told  of  the  early  traffic  on  the  railroad 
between  Crookston  and  Glyndon.  The  people  at 
Crookston  built  a  platform  on  two  pairs  of  railway 
trucks,  and  attached  sails,  and  used  them  in  making 
trips  down  to  Glyndon,  bringing  back  supplies. 

Polk  County  was  declared  to  be  a  legally  organized 
county  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  approved  March 
3,  1873. 

Within  the  space  of  ten  years,  and  for  the  most 
part  within  five  years,  the  development  of  settlement 
in  Polk  County  dependent  upon  Red  River  carts,  stage 
lines,  and  river  navigation  for  intercourse  with  the 
outside  world,  came  to  an  end,  and  a  way  was  opened 
for  the  rapid  settlement  of  the  agricultural  develop- 
ment of  the  country. 

IMMIGRATION  TO  POLK  COUNTY. 

The  population  in  1876  was  937,  of  mixed  nation- 
alities, but  largely  Norwegians.  In  1877  lands  sold 
for  $2.50  per  acre.  The  immigration  during  this 
period  was  largely  from  Norway  and  Sweden,  and 
about  one-half  the  population  were  Scandinavians  or 
of  Scandinavian  descent.  In  1878,  a  large  immigi-a- 
tion  of  French  Canadians  and  their  descendants  set 
in.  In  1877  the  railroad  had  been  extended  to  St. 
Vincent. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


119 


EARLY    WHEAT    FARMING. 

The  period  of  wheat  farming  in  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley began  in  1870.  In  1872  the  average  production 
per  acre  was  17.4  bushels  as  against  12.28  bushels  in 
1871.  The  use  of  middlings,  through  the  invention  of 
a  middling  purifier,  in  1870,  greatly  increased  wheat 
production.  This  invention  was  in  general  use  by 
1876.  The  invention  of  iron  or  porcelain  rollers,  re- 
placing the  old  mill  stones,  added  another  strong 
factor  in  increasing  wheat  production.  These  inven- 
tions resulted  in  increased  prices  for  wheat.  During 
the  years  1877  to  1884  there  was  a  boom  period  in 
Polk  County.  This  was  followed  by  additional  rail- 
roads tapping  the  county.  In  1884,  the  raih'oad  was 
laid  from  Shirley  to  St.  Hilaire.  In  1886  the  D.  &  M. 
road  was  built  fi*om  Fertile  to  Red  Lake  Falls,  and 
west  through  to  Grand  Forks.  In  1898  the  Great 
Northern  line  was  built  from  Duluth  to  Grand  Forks 

The  territory  included  in  Polk  County  at  that  time 
comprised  the  present  counties  of  Polk,  Red  Lake, 
Norman,  and  Mahnomen,  with  a  population  of  11,400 
persons.  In  the  same  year,  only  4.3  per  cent  of  the 
land  area  of  Polk  County  was  improved.  The  acreage 
of  wheat  in  1879  in  Polk  County  was  31,000  acres, 
producing  535,000  bushels  of  wheat,  or  an  average  of 
seventeen  bushels  to  the  acre.  Wheat  farming  con- 
tinued up  to  1895,  when  diversified  farming  began  to 
be  practiced.  The  population  of  Polk  County  in- 
creased to  30,192  in  1890,  and  to  39,209  in  1895,  and 
with  Red  Lake  County  taken  out,  to  35,499  in  1900; 
37,212  in  1905 ;  and  36,001  in  1910. 

AGRICUIVrURALi   DEVELOPMENTS   AND   PRODUCTION 
STATISTICS. 

The  same  condition  of  agricultural  depression  ex- 
isted in  Minnesota  during  the  decade  of  1870  as  in 
other  "Western  States,  though  apparently  in  a  less 
extreme  form.  As  a  result,  farmers,  on  the  average, 
found  themselves  able  to  accumulate  little  except 
through  the  rise  in  value  of  their  lands.  The  infer- 
ence seems  warranted  that  it  was  this  relative  un- 
profitableness of  agriculture  which  started  the  rush  to 


the  cities  and  likewise  furnished  the  motive  power  both 
of  the  Grange  movement  to  regulate  railroad  rates, 
and  of  the  several  cheap  money  campaigns  designed 
to  check  the  fall  of  prices. 

There  were  no  noticeable  changes  in  the  average 
size,  value,  and  tenure  of  farms  in  Polk  County  from 
1860  to  1910,  as  shown  by  census  figures.  The  larger 
increase  in  the  average  value  per  acre  of  land  and 
buildings  between  the  years  of  1900  and  1910  indi- 
cates one  important  result  of  the  transition  from 
specialized  wheat  farming  to  diversified  farming. 

AVERAGE    SIZE,   VALUE,    AND   TENURE    OF   FARMS    IN    POLK    COUNTY 
FROM   1860  TO  1910. 


Val.  of 

Av.  val.  per 

Per  cent 

land 

acre  land 

worked 

Year. 

Av.  Size. 

and  bldgs. 

and  bldgs. 

byowners. 

1860... 

.   3.56.7   Acres 

$        16,000 

$   7.48 

1880... 

.  .   215.4   Acres 

3,189,394 

8.45 

98^7 

1890... 

.   193.2   Acres 

9,085,270 

10.21 

92.7 

1900... 

,  .   224.3   Acres 

16,054,900 

16.50 

88.5 

1910... 

.  .   2.52.2   Acres 

29,738,082 

33.46 

81.1 

Polk  County  early  became  one  of  the  foremost  coun- 
ties in  the  Red  River  Valley  group.  The  rapid  ad- 
vancement made  in  production  of  the  principal  crops 
is  here  given : 

In  1880  there  were  7,000  acres  of  oats  with  a  pro- 
duction of  240,000  bushels ;  1,000  acres  of  barley  with 
20,000  bushels;  11,000  acres  of  hay  with  7,000  tons. 
No  statistics  for  wlieat,  rye,  corn,  and  potatoes  are 
available. 

In  1890  there  were  237,439  acres  of  wheat  with 
3,013,361  bushels;  44,215  acres  of  oats  with  226,221 
bushels ;  16,474  acres  of  barley  with  300,439  bushels ; 
153  acres  of  corn  with  4,100  bushels;  2,393  acres  of 
potatoes  with  283,382  bushels. 

In  1900  there  were  305,807  acres  of  wheat  with  a 
production  of  4,128,620  bushels ;  65,267  acres  of  oats 
with  1,873,450  bushels ;  28,194  acres  of  barley  with  a 
yield  of  682,230  bushels;  575  acres  of  corn,  with  15,- 
030  bushels;  1,651  acres  of  potatoes  with  252,965 
bushels. 

In  1910  the  wheat  area  had  shrunk  to  164,229  acres 
with  2,621,256  bushels;  96,774  acres  of  oats  with  2,747,- 
228  bushels;  53,268  acres  of  barley  with  1,173,579 


120 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


bushels ;  2,903  acres  of  corn  with  96,890  bushels,  and 
3,900  acres  of  potatoes  with  524,374  bushels. 

PRESENT    FARMING    CONDITIONS    IN    POLK    COUNTY. 

The  results  of  numerous  chemical  analyses  of  the 
soils  of  Polk  County  show  them  to  contain  all  the 
plant  food  elements  in  abundance.  Their  high  lime- 
stone content  would  class  them  with  the  best  lime- 
stone soils  in  the  world.  They  are,  also,  exception- 
ally rich  in  organic  matter  and  potash.  Many  of 
these  soils  which  have  known  no  other  than  grsiin 
crops  since  first  they  were  broken  in  the  "eighties" 
still  produce  in  a  normal  season,  with  good  tillage, 
from  15  to  25  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  Where 
a  rotation  of  crops  has  been  followed,  good  plowing 
done,  some  manure  applied,  and  good  seed  used,  with 
proper  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  and  adequate 
drainage,  this  soil  will  produce  from  40  to  80  bushels 
of  oats;  20  to  35  bushels  of  wheat  of  the  finest  qual- 
ity; 30  to  50  bushels  of  barley;  15  to  25  bushels  of 
flax ;  18  to  20  bushels  of  winter  rye ;  30  to  50  bushels 
of  corn,  or  when  cut  for  silage,  10  to  15  tons  per  acre. 
Timothy  and  clover  yield  from  one  and  one-half  to 
three  tons  per  acre;  alfalfa  from  two  to  four  tons; 
potatoes  from  200  to  300  bushels  on  clover  land, 
where  manure  has  been  used,  and  from  100  to  200 
bushels  following  grain,  without  manure.  Maximum 
yields  are  often  reported  doubling  the  minimum  of 
those  stated  above. 

CORN. 

Corn,  it  may  be  said,  has  completed  the  conquest 
of  the  State,  since,  according  to  the  census  of  1910, 
com  of  some  sort  was  grown  in  every  county  but  two. 
Polk  County  has  shared  greatly  in  this  development, 
as  it  is  gradually  becoming  a  standard  crop. 

POTATOES. 

The  opportunities  for  siiccessful  potato  growing  in 
Polk  County  are  unsurpassed.  The  soil  and  climatic 
conditions  are  such  as  produce  potatoes  of  excellent 
flavor,  splendid  keeping  qualities,  and  high  yielding 


power.  The  counties  of  the  Red  River  Valley  have 
long  been  known  as  the  home  of  the  Early  Ohio  seed 
potato;  however,  both  early  and  late  varieties  grow 
here  to  great  perfection.  This  region  is  not  subject 
to  many  of  the  serious  diseases  of  other  potato  re- 
gions of  the  United  States.  It  is  because  of  their 
great  constitutional  vigor  that  the  Red  River  Valley 
seed  potatoes  are  much  sought  for  in  the  seed  potato 
markets  of  the  middle  west. 

FRUITS. 

Contrary-  to  the  view  of  those  not  acquainted  with 
Polk  County  conditions,  tree  and  small  fruits  are 
easily  and  profitably  grown  here.  Native  fruits,  such 
as  plums,  grapes,  blueberries,  high-bush  cranberries, 
gooseberries,  and  many  others  grow  in  great  abun- 
dance in  the  woods  along  the  watercourses. 

The  standard  varieties  of  plums,  gooseberries,  cur- 
rants, and  crab  apples  grow  with  but  little  care,  and 
produce  large  crops  of  fruit.  Hardy  varieties  of  ap- 
ples given  intelligent  care  and  attention  yield  abun- 
dantly, as  has  been  proved  by  the  many  bearing  trees 
and  orchards  of  Polk  County.  The  same  as  in  any 
other  region,  the  successful  growing  of  fruits  is  more 
dependent  upon  the  man  than  it  is  upon  the  climate, 
and  an  increasing  number  of  persons  are  proving  that 
there  are  no  handicaps  of  note  to  prevent  success 
along  this  line,  here. 

LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY. 

Beginning  in  1890,  live  stock  came  to  be  gradu- 
ally introduced  into  Polk  County.  It  had  been  recog- 
nized all  the  time  that  the  county  possessed  excep- 
tional advantages  for  the  growing  of  beef  cattle, 
horses,  sheep  and  hogs,  as  well  as  for  dairying. 

The  fundamental  conditions  which  are  necessary 
for  live  stock  raising  are  amply  filled  here.  There 
are  many  varieties  of  cheap  feeds  which  will  furnish 
the  different  food  nutrients  for  growth  and  fatten- 
ing, such  as  are  found  in  home  grown  feeds,  as  al- 
falfa, shock  corn,  or  corn  silage,  barley,  oats,  and 
flax.     Another  great  advantage  is  found  in  the  dry 


COJIPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


121 


climate,  free  from  sudden  and  extreme  changes.  This 
fact  regarding  the  climate  is  of  greatest  importance. 
The  temperature  in  the  winter  is  somewhat  low  but 
with  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere,  this  is  not  a  seri- 
ous matter  with  beef  cattle,  and  especially  those  that 
are  being  fattened.  Suflficient  shelter  can  be  pro- 
vided at  a  very  small  cost,  as,  for  example,  simply  a 
straw  shed  with  openings  at  the  south  side.  Beef 
cattle  are  different  from  dairy  cattle  in  this  respect, 
because  they  retain  all  the  body  heat,  a  large  propor- 
tion of  which,  in  the  dairy  cow,  is  withdrawn  when 
the  milk  is  removed  twice  each  day. 

Live  stock  raising  with  beef  cattle  production  as 
the  main  ob.iect  can  be  operated  with  probably  the 
smallest  amount  of  labor  of  all  the  different  classes 
of  farming.  Polk  County  has  the  farms  and  the 
labor  can  be  secured.  The  general  conditions  apply- 
ing to  beef  cattle  also  applj'  to  sheep  and  swine. 
Great  success  has  followed  iu  this  work.  In  raising 
beef,  mutton,  and  pork,  the  good  water,  the  dry  cli- 
mate, and  the  easily  grown  feeds  present  unusually 
favorable  conditions  for  the  man  of  even  moderate 
means.  Many  splendid  herds  are  hei'e  now,  with 
increasing  numbers  each  year. 

DAIRYING. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  year  after  j'ear,  that  corn, 
clover,  and  alfalfa  can  be  depended  upon  for  a  good 
crop  in  Polk  Countj^  With  these  crops,  dairying  is 
assured  of  its  proper  place  in  the  fi'ont  rank.  Dairy- 
ing means  a  constant  monthly  income  from  the  sale 
of  the  products,  the  utilization  of  the  farm  help  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  when  labor  is  comparatively 
cheap,  and  above  all,  the  use  of  the  home  grown  feeds 
upon  the  farm  and  the  return  of  the  fertility  to  the 
soil. 

Polk  County  has  all  the  elements  of  a  dairying 
section.  Dairy  herds  are  springing  up  around  every 
town.  A  co-operative  creamery  is  the  proud  boast  of 
nearly  every  community  in  the  county.  There  are 
21  creameries  in  the  county,  19  of  which  are  co-oper- 
ative. This  can  be  said  of  only  four  other  counties 
8 


of  the  state.  These  20  creameries  paid  to  the  farmers 
of  this  county,  $492,346.12,  in  1912,  for  butterfat 
alone.  There  is  room  for  mauj'  times  as  many 
dairy  cows  as  there  are  at  present.  The  earning  ca- 
pacity of  Minnesota  cows  has  grown  from  $15.40  each 
iu  1890  to  $53.10  each  in  1912.  With  such  a  showing 
the  prospects  are  favorable. 

POULTRY   RAISING. 

There  is  no  section  of  the  country  that  presents 
greater  opportunities  in  poultry  raising  than  Polk 
Countj^  The  markets  are  at  its  door,  the  Twin  Cities 
to  the  south,  Duluth  and  the  Iron  Range  cities  to 
the  east;  and  numerous  summer  resorts,  scattered 
over  a  wide  area,  give  access  to  the  greatest  markets 
in  the  Northwest. 

The  climate  of  this  part  of  the  State  is  exti'emely 
favorable  to  poultry  raising.  The  stead.y,  unvariable 
winter  weather  insures  the  best  of  health  and  vigor 
in  the  flocks,  while  tlie  long  cool  summer  days  are 
conducive  to  the  most  rapid  and  steady  growth  of  its 
young  stock.  Indeed,  it  is  freely  admitted  by  buyers 
of  national  reputation,  that  nowhere  in  the  United 
States  can  be  found  young  stock  of  chickens,  ducks, 
and  turkeys,  that  exhibit  such  marked  indications  of 
rapid  growth  and  freedom  from  disease  as  are  pro- 
luced  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

LIVE    STOCK    FARMING. 

The  greatest  asset  of  any  county  is  the  number  of 
farmers  that  are  using  the  natural  advantages  sur- 
rounding them  to  the  best  advantage.  Live  stock 
farming,  be  it  with  beef  cattle,  sheep,  dairy  cows, 
brood  mares,  or  poultry,  is  profitable  every  year,  and 
annually  leaves  the  farm  in  better  shape.  This  is 
what  the  Red  River  Valley  counties  are  going  into, 
and  Polk  County  is  going  with  the  rest.  The  move- 
ment is  strongly  in  evidence  in  every  community. 

The  following  table  shows  the  total  number  of  cat- 
tle and  per  cent  of  dairy  cows  in  Polk  County  for 
1860  to  1910,  with  the  exception  of  1870.  The  table 
following  shows  the  dairy  production  of  Polk  County 
for  the  same  period: 


122 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


CATTLE  STATISTICS. 

Total  No.  Dairy  Other  Per  cent 

Year.                         Cattle.  Cows.  Cattle.  Dairy. 

18C0 114  15  99             ia.2 

1880 7,304  2,774  4,530     38.0 

1890 39,397  14,413  24,984     36.6 

1900 41,015  16,021  24,994     39.1 

1910 5.3,491  24,650  28,841  46.1 


of  the  county  consists  of  liigL  rolling  laud,  partly  tim- 
bered. 

The  following  elevations  of  land  and  water  surfaces 
at  various  places  in  the  countj'  will  show  at  a  glance 
the  practicability  of  drainage : 


D.URT  PRODUCTS  OF  POLK  COUNTY. 


Milk  pro- 
duced on 
fanus, 
gallons. 


Mim, 

gH  lions 

sold. 


Cream, 

gallons 

sold. 


Butter 

made  on 

rarnis, 

IHjuiids. 

1,4.50 
110,253 


Butter. 

pounds 
sold. 


Cheese 

made  on  Clieeec. 

farms,  pounds 

pounds,  sold. 


Sear. 
1860 

1880 1,.565  110,253  738 

1890.. 4,157,202  981,314  16,162  

1900.. 7,494,300  314,389   3,000  1,438,801  676,660  33,272  30,714 
1910.. 8,039,937  338,421  127,238  1,377,339  665,911   466  


VALUE  OF  FARM   PRODUCTS. 


Total  value 

Per  capita 

of  all  farm 

Per  square 

Per  acre 

of  county's 

Year. 

l)roJuets. 

mile. 

imi)roved. 

population. 

1880... 

.  .     $    61.5,304 

$    138.27 

$  5.02 

$  63.03 

1890... 

.  .       2,223,310 

736.68 

5.25 

93.33 

1900... 

.  .       3,662,269 

1,850.57 

5.62 

145.63 

1910... 

.  .       7,216,630 

3,646.60 

11.21 

326.15 

The  number  of  farms  at  present,  3,500. 

The  number  and  value  of  live  stock  in  Polk  County 
from  the  years  1860  to  1910  with  the  exception  of  1870 
is  given  in  the  following  table : 

NUMBER  AND  VALUE  OP  LIVE  STOCK  IN  POLK  COUNTY,   1860-1910. 

Year.                                                           Number.  Value. 

1860 139  $        5,450 

1880 12,653  549,002 

1890 76,214  1,8.38,973 

1900 91,686  2,435,827 

1910 95,989  3,704,380 

There  were  two  creameries  in  1890.  The  number 
increased  to  three  creameries  and  five  cheese  factories 
in  1896.  In  1910  these  increased  to  thirteen  cream- 
eries and  seven  cheese  factories,  and  in  1915  to  twenty- 
one  creameries  and  one  cheese  factory. 

DRAINAGE  WORK  IN  POLK  COUNTY, 
BY  GEORGE  A.  RALPH,   C.  E. 

The  western  lialf  of  Polk  County  is  in  the  Red 
River  Valley,  and,  to  a  casual  observer,  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  very  level  prairie  land.  In  reality  it  has 
a  good  general  slope  towards  the  northwest  ranging 
from  three  to  sis  feet  to  the  mile.     The  eastern  half 


Eler.   above  sea, 
(land  surface) 

Fosston     1,290 

Mcintosh    1,220 

Fertile    1,144 

Mentor    1,168 

Crookston     890 

Beltrami     902 

East  Grand  Forks 835 

Mouth  Sand  HiU  Biver  .  .  865 

N.  W.  corner  of  county. .  810 


Kiev,     above    sea, 
( water  surface) 


1,275 

1,200 

1,120 

1,156 

848 

882 

790 

801 

770 


Lake  surface 
Sand  Hill  River 
Sand  Hill  Kiver 
Maple  Lake 
Red  Lake  River 
Sand  Hill  River 
Red  Lake  River 
Red  River 
Red  River 


The  valley  portion  of  the  county  is  separated  from 
the  rolling  land  to  the  east  by  a  well  defined  gravel 
ridge  claimed  by  geologists  to  be  the  eastern  beach  of 
ancient  Lake  Agassiz,  which  at  one  time  covered  the 
entire  Red  River  Valley.  The  old  Pembina  Trail  be- 
tween Fort  Garry  and  St.  Anthony  Falls  followed  this 
ridge. 

Polk  County  has  always  been  in  the  front  rank  in 
any  movement  having  for  its  object  the  reclamation 
of  the  wet  lands  of  the  state.  Her  citizens  have 
reached  drainage  in  season  and  out  of  season,  and 
were  the  first  to  take  decisive  action. 

FIRST    DRAINAGE    CONVENTION    IN    THE    STATE. 

The  first  drainage  convention  in  Minnesota  was  held 
in  Crookston  July  1  and  2,  1886.  The  subject  of 
draining  the  Red  River  Valley  had  long  been  dis- 
cussed by  the  citizens,  but  public  attention  was  drawn 
toward  its  investigation  by  a  newspaper  article  writ- 
ten by  Hon.  Frank  Ives,  of  Crookston,  and  published 
in  the  Crookston  press  in  the  spring  of  1886.  Fol- 
lowing the  publication  of  Judge  Ives'  article,  there 
was  an  outburst  of  comment  and  approval  throughout 
the  Valley,  and  the  result  was  a  call  for  a  convention 
of  the  citizens  at  Crookston  on  tlie  dates  heretofore 
mentioned. 

There  was  a  large  attendance  of  farmers  and  busi- 
ness men,  fully  representative  of  the  interests  in- 
volved. Mr.  Springer  Harbaugh,  of  St.  Paul,  pre- 
sided ;  Fred  Puhler  and  H.  E.  Cook  were  secretaries. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


123 


The  convention  lasted  two  days;  and  during  its  ses- 
sions the  necessity,  practicability,  and  advantages  of 
a  general  drainage  of  the  low  lauds  of  the  county 
were  thoroughly  discussed.  Near  the  close  James  J. 
Hill,  president  of  the  St.  Paul,  ^liuueapolis  &  Mani- 
toba Railway  (now  the  Great  Northern)  proposed 
that  a  drainage  survey  of  the  Valley  be  made.  He 
further  promised  that  if  the  several  counties  inter- 
ested would  pay  one-half  of  the  expenses  of  such  a 
survey,  the  railroad  company  which  he  represented 
would  pay  the  other  half.  An  executive  committee 
was  created  consisting  of  one  member  from  each 
county  interested  in  drainage  and  three  members  ap- 
pointed by  Mr.  Hill.  There  were  six  counties  that 
had  declared  themselves  interested  and  the  original 
members  of  the  committee  from  these  counties  were : 

E.  D.  Childs,  of  Polk;  S.  A.  Farnsworth,  of  Norman ; 

F.  J.  Burnham,  of  Clay;  D.  McCauley,  of  Wilkin; 
C.  W.  Culbertson,  of  Marshall,  and  H.  W.  Donaldson, 
of  Kittson.  Mr.  Hill  appointed  M.  R.  Brown,  of 
Crookston;  J.  T.  Fanning,  of  Minneapolis,  and  C.  E. 
Page,  then  of  Ada,  afterwards  of  Fergus  Falls.  Upon 
organizing,  M.  R.  Brown  was  chosen  president,  S.  A. 
Farnsworth,  secretary,  and  E.  D.  Childs,  treasurer. 
Mr.  Farn.sworth  removed  to  St.  Paul  (where  he  still 
resides),  and  C.  E.  Page  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 

THE  RED  RIVER  VALLEY  DRAINAGE  COMMISSION. 

Thus  was  constituted  the  organization  called  the 
Red  River  Valley  Drainage  Commission  so  weU  known 
in  northwesteru  Minnesota.  It  was  largely  a  Polk 
County  organization.  The  headquarters  of  the  com- 
mission were  at  Crookston  and  two  of  its  most  active 
members  were  Polk  County  men. 

The  purpose  of  this  commission  was  to  take  charge 
of  the  work  of  making  a  complete  drainage  survey  of 
the  Red  River  Valley.  Mr.  Hill,  on  behalf  of  his 
company,  agreed  to  and  did  contribute  one-half  the 
cost  of  the  survey,  besides  furnishing  free  transporta- 
tion to  those  engaged  in  doing  the  work.  The  several 
counties  affected  furnished  the  other  half.  The  head- 
quarters of  this  commission  was  in  Crookston.     The 


survey  was  completed  and  maps  aud  reports  compiled 
and  published  early  in  the  year  1887.  This  survey 
was  in  charge  of  C.  G.  Elliott,  of  Illinois,  chief  engi- 
neer of  the  commission,  who  had  twelve  assistant  engi- 
neers employed.  The  writer  was  one  of  the  engineers 
employed  on  this  work.  J.  T.  Fanning  was  chosen  as 
consulting  engineer  of  the  commission. 

This  survey  proved  very  conclusively  that  the  Red 
River  Valley  lands  were  not  as  level  as  generally  be- 
lieved to  be,  but  had  a  slope  of  from  three  to  six  feet 
to  the  mile,  and  that  complete  and  effective  drainage 
was  not  only  practicable,  but  could  be  secured  at  com- 
paratively small  cost. 

THE  LEGISLATURE  AIDS  THE  WORK. 

The  members  of  the  Legislature  from  Polk  and  other 
Red  River  Valley  counties  fortified  with  this  drain- 
age report  and  backed  by  a  strong  delegation  from 
Polk  County  tried,  for  several  sessions  of  the  Legis- 
lature, to  secure  the  passage  of  drainage  laws  and 
appropriations  for  reclaiming  swamp  lands,  but  not 
until  the  legislative  session  of  1893  were  they  success- 
ful in  securing  the  desired  legislation.  At  this  session 
an  act  was  passed  creating  the  Red  River  Valley 
Drainage  Commission,  and  appropriating  $100,000 
for  drainage  work ;  also  an  act  which  provided  for  a 
general  state  law  for  the  drainage  of  wet  lands  under 
county  management,  and  assessing  the  cost  of  doing 
the  work  against  lauds  benefited  tliereby.  The  first 
ditch  constructed  under  this  law  was  County  Ditch 
No.  1,  Polk  County,  about  six  miles  in  length  and  run- 
ning south  and  emptying  into  Red  Lake  River  two 
miles  west  of  Crookston.  The  first  state  ditch  com- 
pleted by  the  Red  River  Valley  Drainage  Commission 
was  the  Sand  Hill  River  State  Ditch,  Polk  County, 
extending  from  Beltrami  along  the  Sand  Hill  and 
emptying  into  that  stream  nine  miles  WTst  of  the  vil- 
lage. 

Drainage  work  has  progressed  without  interruption 
since  1893.  There  is,  at  the  present  time,  approxi- 
mately 800  miles  of  public  drainage  ditches  in  Polk 
County  which  have  been  constructed  at  a  cost  of  a 


124 


COMPENDimr  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


little  over  $1,000,000.  This  expenditure,  while  it  may 
seem  large,  represents  a  little  over  $1  per  acre  for  the 
lands  l)enefited. 

GOOD  RESULTS  OBTAINED. 

The  rise  in  farm  laud  values  from  !{!25  per  acre 
in  1900  to  $60  and  $75  per  acre  in  1915  is,  in  a  large 
measure,  due  to  the  extensive  drainage  work  which 
had  been  carried  on  during  tliis  period.  Nearly  all 
of  the  drainage  work  done  in  Polk  County  consists 
of  open  ditches.  Tile  drainage  has  just  begun.  The 
tile  drains  that  have  been  constructed  fully  demon- 
strate the  practicability  as  well  as  the  great  benefits 
that  will  result  from  this  kind  of  drainage. 

I  am  convinced  tliat  tile  di-ainage  will  now  supple- 
ment open  ditches  wherever  additional  drainage  is  re- 
quired. The  open  ditch  w-as  necessary,  not  only  for 
the  purpose  of  removing  storm  water,  but  also  to  fur- 
nish an  outlet  for  under  drainage,  and  under  drainage 
is  necessary  in  order  to  get  the  greatest  returns  from 
the  land.  The  effect  of  tile  drainage  on  the  lands  of 
Polk  County  is  just  as  marked  as  on  lands  in  other 
States.  A  well-drained,  well-cultivated  farm  in  Polk 
County  should  give  fully  as  good  returns  to  the  farmer 
as  the  best  lands  of  Iowa  or  Illinois. 

SOME    OF    THE    DITCHES    CONSTRUCTED. 

Among  the  most  important  county  and  judicial 
ditches  are  the  judicial  ditches  numbered  1,  3,  4,  and 
60,  and  the  county  ditches  niuiiliered  2,  9,  12,  and  66. 

Judicial  Ditch  No.  1  is  one  of  the  largest  ditches  in 
the  county.  It  ha.s  an  average  width  of  50  feet,  an 
average  depth  of  10  feet  and  is  12  miles  long.  It 
drains  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county.  Judicial 
Ditch  No.  3  drains  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
county.  It  is  16  miles  long,  has  an  average  width  of 
30  feet,  and  an  average  depth  of  9  feet.  Judicial 
Ditch  No.  4  drains  a  large  area  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county.  It  is  18  miles  long,  has  an  average  width 
of  35  feet  and  an  average  depth  of  8  feet.  Judicial 
Ditch  No.  60  drains  the  territory'  northeast  of  Crooks- 


ton.     It  is  IG  miles  long,  has  an  average  width  of  30 
feet  and  depth  of  8  feet. 

County  Ditch  No.  2  drains  the  territory  between 
Angus  and  tlie  Red  River.  It  is  12  miles  long,  has  an 
average  width  of  35  feet  and  depth  of  8  feet.  County 
Ditch  No.  9  drains  the  territorj'  south  of  Russia  village 
extending  west  to  Sand  Hill  River.  It  is  11  miles 
long,  30  feet  wide  and  7  feet  deep.  County  Ditch 
No.  12  drains  the  territory  north  and  west  of  Bel- 
trami. It  is  16  miles  long,  26  feet  wide  and  7  feet 
deep.  County  Ditch  No.  66  drains  a  large  area  north 
and  northeast  of  Crookston.  It  is  8  miles  long,  25  feet 
wide  and  6  feet  deep. 

State  Ditches  numbered  6,  23,  and  61  are  in  Polk 
Count}'.  No.  6  is  known  as  the  Sand  Hill  River  Ditch. 
It  is  12  miles  long,  6  to  8  feet  deep  and  40  feet  wide. 
No.  23,  known  as  tlie  Grand  IMarais  State  Ditch,  is  5 
miles  long,  from  5  to  15  feet  deep,  and  40  feet  wide. 
It  consists  of  opening  the  outlet  of  this  old  river  bed 
No.  60,  known  as  Lost  River  State  Ditch,  and  is  an 
improvement  consisting  of  opening  up  and  straighten- 
ing the  channel  of  Lo.st  River.  It  is  21  miles  long, 
from  5  to  8  feet  deep  and  36  feet  wide. 

The  work  done  by  the  Drainage  Commission  is  and 
lias  been  of  incalculable  value,  especially  to  the  lands 
on  the  west  side  of  Polk  County.  The  reclamation  of 
so  many  thousands  of  acres  of  these  lands  from  watery 
and  swampy  conditions,  forbidding  cultivation, to  areas 
of  fine,  fertile,  and  highly  productive  fields,  has  been 
a  work  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  county,  the  region, 
and  the  State.  In  its  scientific  character  it  is  a  very 
rare  and  unsurpassed  piece  of  drainage  engineering, 
and  the  best  proof  of  this  assertion  is  that  the  ditches 
have  done  the  work  assigned  to  them  and  expected  of 
them.  In  some  instances  the  sandy  nature  of  the  soil 
forming  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  ditch  has  been 
responsible  for  its  washing  away  and  its  enlargement, 
but  there  is  no  danger  of  destruction,  or  even  great 
damage  from  this  cause.  The  damages  to  the  entire 
ditch  system  will  not  be  serious  or  consequential ;  the 
benefits  from  the  great  enterprise  will  be  magnificent 
and  perpetual. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  RISE  AND  PALL  OF  COLUMBIA  COUNTY. 

By  Charles  L.  Conger. 

some  proceedings  of  the  board business  done  regularly  and  in  order — defeat  and  disaster  after  all 

— the  new  county  fight  of  1896 — the  leaders  of  columbia's  fight  for  existence. 

For  some  years  after  the  year  1890  certain  citizens  lation  and  controlling  influences  in  northwestern 
of  what  are  commonly  called  the  Thirteen  Towns —  Minnesota's  business  and  commercial  affairs.  They 
being  the  thirteen  Congressional  townships  in  the     denied  that  there  was  any  necessity  for  a  new  county 


southeastern  part  of  Polk  County — had  agitated  and 
promoted  the  project  of  the  formation  of  a  new 
county  to  be  composed  of  the  townships  named.  The 
grounds  assigned  for  the  change  in  the  composition 
of  the  original  Polk  County  were  various.  Some 
persons  said  the  district  was  too  far  from  the  county 
seat  (Crookston)  and  that  the  people  could  not  at 
tend  court  or  transact  other  county  business  without 
trouble  and  difficulty.     Others  were  prohibitionists, 


to  be  taken  by  a  sort  of  Caesarian  operation  from 
the  body  of  the  mother  organization.  They  also 
charged  that  the  advocates  of  the  new  scheme  only 
desired  that  the  towns  or  villages  in  which  they  were 
interested  should  become  county  seats,  or  that  they 
should  become  county  officers. 

Late  in  1900  the  partisans  of  a  new  county  in  the 
Thirteen  Towns  took  decided  action.  December  13 
a  petition  was  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  State,  pray- 


or  zealous  temperance  advocates,  and  feared  that  the     ing  for  the  creation  of  the  proposed  new  division, 

which  was  to  cover  the  area  of  the  Thirteen  Towns 
and  called  Nelson  County  (in  honor  of  Ex-Governor 
and  then  Senator  Knute  Nelson),  with  its  county  seat 
at  the  village  of  Fosston,  five  legal  voters  were  also 
named  to  constitute  the  first  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners.   The  next  day,  December  14,  another  and  sim- 


western  part  of  the  county  would  some  day  become 
so  strongly  "wet"  that  Polk  County,  as  a  whole', 
would  allow  liquor  selling  throughout  its  borders. 
There  Avere  of  course  other  reasons  which  were  not 
either  strong  or  attractive.  There  was  a  large  ele- 
ment in  the  western  part  of  the  county  which  favored 


a  new  county  that  would  be  "dry"  and  allow  the  old     ilar  petition,  describing  the  same  territory  precisely, 

county  to  remain  "wet."  was  presented  and  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  State. 

Those  opposed  to  a  new  county  favored  keeping     In  this  petition  it  was  proposed  to  call  the  new  county 


Polk  undivided  and  undisturbed,  in  symmetrical 
shape,  and  strong  and  influential  as  a  political  divi- 
sion, which,  they  argued,  would  be  better  for  the 
whole  people.  The  area  of  the  county  with  its  3,030 
square  miles,  was  larger  than  either  the  States  of 
Rhode  Island  or  Delaware,  with  their  1,248  and  2,376 
square  miles,  respectively,  and  that  Polk  and  its  big 
sister  county.  Otter  Tail,  might,  if  not  dismembered 
or  mutilated,  become  powerful  factors  in  State  legis- 


Columbia,  with  Mcintosh  as  the  county  seat  and  five 
other  and  different  legal  voters  to  constitute  the 
board  of  county  commissioners.  More  than  a  year 
later,  or  July  22,  1902,  a  third  petition  was  presented 
and  filed  asking  for  a  new  county  with  identically 
the  same  territory  as  named  in  the  petitions  for 
Nelson  and  Columbia.  It  was  proposed  to  call  this 
county  Star,  and  its  county  seat  was  to  be  at  Erskine. 
These  several  petitions  were  duly  considered  by 


125 


126 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Governor  Hon.  John  Lind,  Secretary  Peter  E.  Han- 
son, and  Auditor  K.  C.  Dunn,  and  December  17  the 
Governor  issued  his  proclamation  declaring  that  fact. 
The  Governor  further  proclaimed  that  the  question 
of  the  creation  of  the  proposed  new  county  was  sub- 
mitted to  the  voters  of  Polk  County  to  be  voted  upon 
at  the  next  general  election,  November  4,  1902.  All 
these  proceedings  were  under  Chapter  143  of  the 
Laws  of  1893,  as  amended  by  Chapter  124  of  the  Laws 
of  1895.  Later  a  proposition  to  create  the  county  of 
Valley  was  made  and  ordered  voted  upon. 

There  was  a  very  earnest  and  heated  canvass  over 
the  new  county  question  by  the  respective  rivals. 
The  newspapers  of  Fosston  and  Mcintosh  conducted 
a  spirited  discussion  of  the  question,  each  editor  argu- 
ing plausibly  if  not  convincingly  for  his  own  town. 
As  the  canvass  progressed  the  rival  villages  made 
what  they  considered  liberal  offers  to  the  voters. 
Each  said  that  if  its  county  with  the  favored  name 
should  be  created,  then  the  town  would  not  only 
give  the  site  for  the  public  buildings  but  would  build 
factories  and  mills  which  should  furnish  employment 
to  many  and  add  to  the  development  and  prosperity 
of  the  old  Polk  County. 

At  the  election  November  4,  1902,  the  vote  on 
the  new  county  question  was : 

For  Columbia  County :  Yes,  1,513 ;  no,  813. 

For  Nelson  County:    Yes,  1,381;  no,  112. 

For  Star  County :    Yes,  132 ;  no,  18. 

For  Valley  County :    Yes,  135 ;  no,  918. 

It  seemed,  on  the  face  of  the  returns,  that  "Colum- 
bia County,"  with  Mcintosh  as  the  county  seat,  bad 
won,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing  in  Mcintosh !  But 
the  partisans  of  Fosston  and  "Nelson  County"  pro- 
tested that  they  had  won  the  fight,  and  Star  County 
had  hopes;  only  "Valley  County"  was  out  of  the 
running.  The  Nelson  County  forces  set  up  the  claim 
that  under  the  Red  Lake  County  decision  (State  ex 
rel.  Atty.  Childs  vs.  Comrs.  Red  Lake  Co.,  67  Minn., 
352)  it  was  entitled  to  be  the  county,  since  on  its 
proposition  it  had  received  a  majority  vote,  and  more- 
over its  petition  was  the  first  filed,  preceding  that  of 


Columbia  County  by  one  day.  Chief  Justice  Start 
and  Associate  Judge  Buck  had  said  that  the  law  did 
not  authorize  the  submission  of  conflicting  or  com- 
peting petitions,  and  that  the  one  first  legally  filed 
was  the  only  one  that  ought  to  be  submitted  to  a  vote, 
"Columbia  County"  stood  upon  the  decided  majority 
it  had  received,  and  that  all  its  proceedings  had  been 
regular  and  legal,  and  contended  tliat  it  made  no 
difference  whether  its  petition  had  been  the  second 
filed — or  the  first  or  the  fourth — because  all  four 
propositions. 

The  result  of  the  vote  having  been  canvassed  and 
announced.  Governor  Van  Sant,  following  the  rule 
announced  by  the  Supreme  Court  in  the  Red  Lake 
County  case,  issued  his  proclamation  declaring  the 
proposition  for  the  creation  and  organization  of  Co- 
lumbia County  carried. 

Thereupon  the  County  Commissioners  of  the  new 
county — who  were  named  in  the  petition  and  the 
proclamation,  and  who  were  Lawrence  O'Neill,  Henry 
G.  Mitchell,  Ingebret  Larson,  llalvor  Off,  and  Olaf 
Stardig — met  at  the  temporary  courthouse  in  ilc- 
Intosh  December  23,  1902,  and  organized  according 
to  the  forms  of  law  and  proceeded  in  the  usual  man- 
ner of  County  Commissioners.  There  was  great  satis- 
faction and  even  jubilation  among  the  new  county's 
people.  For  years  they  had  labored  for  the  creation 
of  a  county  all  their  own  and  now  they  rejoiced  that 
they  had  lived  until  their  eyes  had  seen  the  glory. 

SOME  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  BOAUD. 

The  Board  chose  Commissioner  Mitchell  as  Presi- 
dent and  Commissioner  O'Neill  as  Clerk.  The  first 
business  was  the  division  of  the  county  into  five  dis- 
tricts, as  follows:  District  No.  1  was  composed  of 
the  townships  (or  tovras*)  of  Garden,  Winger,  and 
Kuute  and  the  village  of  Erskine.  District  No.  2, 
townships  of  Woodside,  Grove  Park,  Badger,  Lessor, 
and  the  village  of  Mentor.    District  No.  3,  townships 


'  Political  divisions  of  counties  in  the  Eastern  States  are 
called  towns;  in  Western  and  Southern  States  they  are  called 
townships.  In  the  West  and  South  a  town  is  either  a  village  or 
a  small  city. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


127 


of  Sletten,  Brandsvold,  King,  and  the  village  of  Mc- 
intosh. District  No.  4,  townships  of  Johnson,  Gully, 
Chester,  Hill  River,  and  Eden.  District  No.  5,  town- 
ships of  Queen,  Rosebud,  Columbia,  and  the  village 
of  Fosston.  Thus  the  county  was  composed  of  eigh- 
teen Congressional  and  civil  townships,  every  Con- 
gressional being  a  civil  township. 

The  Commissioners  also  elected  a  full  list  of  county 
officers,  who  were :  Auditor,  Charles  MeCarty ; 
Treasurer,  F.  E.  Le  Page ;  Register  of  Deeds,  Andrew 
Trovaaten ;  Sheriff,  Edward  L.  Stowe ;  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate, Anton  I.  Solberg;  Surveyor,  J.  E.  Beime,  of 
Fosston;  Attorney,  Harvey  W.  Stark;  Clerk  of  the 
Courts,  George  E.  Flatten ;  School  Superintendent, 
Gunstein  D.Aakhus;  Court  Commissioner,  Thomas 
R.  Brownlee;  Coroner,  Dr.  Archibald  McBachren. 
At  the  second  meeting  of  the  Board  it  was  announced 
that  Geo.  E.  Flatten,  who  had  been  chosen  Court's 
Clerk,  had  failed  and  refused  to  qualify  for  the  posi- 
tion, and  Charles  Hanson  was  elected  in  his  stead. 
The  annual  salaries  were  fixed  at  a  subsequent  meet- 
ing and  the  County  Auditor  was  to  receive  $1,200, 
the  Treasurer  $360,  the  County  Attorney  $1,200,  the 
Judge  of  Probate  $825,  and  the  Superintendent  of 
Schools  $10  per  district. 

At  the  first  meeting,  December  23,  it  was  announced 
that  Attorney  General  Douglas  had  brought  an  action 
in  the  name  of  the  State,  which  would  bring  up  and 
determine  the  legality  of  Columbia  County.  The  case 
was  entitled  ' '  the  State  of  Minnesota  on  the  relation 
of  Wallace  B.  Douglas  vs.  Ingebret  Larson."  When 
the  votes  were  canvassed  at  St.  Paul,  the  Attorney 
General  had  said  that,  as  to  the  election  over  the  new 
county  proposition  Columbia  County  had  won  over 
Nelson  and  the  other  counties.  But  he  said  he  was 
not  certain  as  to  the  validity  of  the  law  under  which 
the  election  was  held,  because  it  permitted  four  prop- 
ositions to  be  submitted  to  the  individual  voter,  who, 
however,  was  restricted  to  voting  only  upon  one.  In 
his  formal  opinion  he  said,  among  other  things,  that 
to  deprive  the  voter  from  voting  upon  each  of  the 
propositions  submitted,  where  there  is  no  question 


but  that  he  has  the  right  to  have  his  vote  counted  and 
given  force  and  effect,  "seems  to  me,"  he  said,  "to 
be  beyond  the  power  of  the  Legislature."  A  fort- 
night or  so  later,  he  brought  the  action  to  test  the 
law.  He  named  Mr.  Larson  and  the  other  Commis- 
sioners who  alleged  themselves  to  be  officials  of  Col- 
umbia County  and  sought  to  have  them  ousted  as 
one  having  no  official  authority.  The  Board  granted 
the  County  Attorney  assistance  in  defending  the  case, 
and  Columbia's  lawyers  were  County  Attorney  Stark, 
Gideon  S.  Ives,  of  St.  Peter,  and  A.  A.  Miller,  of 
Crookston.  Representing  the  State  were  De  Forest 
Bueklin,  Martin  O'Brien,  J.  H.  Hendricks,  and  the 
strong  St.  Paul  firm  of  Childs,  Edgerton  &  Wick- 
wire.  The  writ  of  quo  warrants  were  served  on  the 
Board  January  6. 

But  until  the  election  was  declared  invalid,  and 
"Columbia  County"  declared  to  have  never  legally 
existed,  the  County  Board  went  ahead  with  its  as- 
sumed duties.  A  transcript  of  its  records*  shows  that 
on  December  30  the  Commissioners  conferred  with 
the  Mcintosh  Village  Council  in  regard  to  providing 
a  suitable  room  or  rooms  to  be  used  as  a  sort  of  tem- 
porary court  house,  and  that  Chas.  L.  Conger,  the 
President  of  the  Council,  agreed  to  have  partitions 
put  up  in  the  village  hall  and  the  building  wired  for 
electric  lights  in  order  to  accommodate  the  Board  and 
the  public  business.  Later  the  Council  proposed  to 
lease  the  city  hall  to  the  Commissioners  for  the  use 
of  the  several  county  officers;  to  build  a  good  and 
substantial  vault,  of  sufficient  size  and  security,  in 
which  to  keep  all  records  of  the  county,  and  to  fur- 
nish a  hall  room  for  court  purposes.  The  propositions 
were  accepted  and  the  County  Attorney  was  in- 
structed to  procure  a  lease  from  the  proper  village 
officials. 

Among  other  proceedings  of  the  Board  were  the 
letting  of  contracts  for  the  public  printing  for  1903 
to  the  Mcintosh  Times  and  the  Thirteen  Towns ;  the 
owners  and  conductors  of  these  papers — respectively, 


*  Kindly  furnished  for  this  history  by  Chas.  L.  Conger,  Esq., 
of  Mcintosh. 


128 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Charles  T.  Lauman  and  Arthur  W.  Foss— were  to 
publish  the  county  financial  statement,  delinquent  tax 
list,  Commissioners'  proceedings  and  other  official 
notices,  and  to  do  the  job  printing. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Mcintosh,  the  Citizens' 
Bank  of  Mcintosh,  and  the  Bank  of  Mentor  were  des- 
ignated the  official  depositories  of  the  county.  Geo. 
D.  Barnard  &  Company  agreed  to  furnish  the  county 
a  $600  steel  vault  for  the  preservation  of  the  public 
records.  This  company  had  already  agreed  to  do 
$1,975  worth  of  printing  for  the  county,  and  now  the 
steel  vault  M'as  to  cost  $600  more.  But  how  it  turned 
out  that  Barnard  &  Co.  were  the  victims  of  misplaced 
confidence,  and  never  received  a  cent  for  their  con- 
tract, Avill  be  explained  on  another  page. 

BUSINESS  DONE  REGULARLY  AND  IN   ORDER. 

The  officials  of  Cook  County  upon  appointment  im- 
mediately organized  their  respective  offices  and  be- 
gan the  transaction  of  appropriate  business.  The 
Register  of  Deeds  began  transcribing  the  records  at 
Crookston  so  far  as  they  pertained  to  Columbia 
County,  and  new  deeds,  mortgages,  and  other  trans- 
fers were  recorded  as  fast  as  ofllered.  The  Polk 
County  officials  relinquished  all  claim  to  any  deeds  or 
mortgages  sent  to  the  Register  of  Deeds  of  that 
county  and  sent  them  to  the  proper  officers  of  Colum- 
bia County.  The  Clerk  of  the  Courts  transcribed 
from  the  Polk  County  records  all  judgments  recorded 
therein  which  affected  lands  in  Columbia  County  and 
recorded  them  in  the  latter  county's  books.  Ilis  of- 
fice at  Mcintosh  was  open  every  day. 

The  County  Treasurer  received  all  fees  and  pay- 
ments due  to  Columbia  County  and  deposited  all 
sums  in  the  county's  name.  At  the  spring  election  of 
1903  a  full  complement  of  justices  of  the  peace  and 
constables  was  elected  and  they  filed  their  official 
bonds  with  the  Columbia  officers;  bills  from  justices' 
courts  were  duly  allowed  by  the  Columbia  authorities. 
All  former  Polk  County  notaries  residing  within  Col- 
umbia were  re-appointed  in  the  new  county. 

The  Judge  of  Probate  committed  a  number  of  per- 


sons to  the  insane  asylum  and  the  bills  for  their  trans- 
portation were  audited  and  paid.  He  also  probated 
a  number  of  estates.  His  office,  too,  was  open  every 
day. 

In  the  Clerk  of  Court's  office  Joseph  Ekstadt,  Mrs. 
Samuel  Hanson,  and  Guro  Anderson,  aliens,  made 
their  proper  declarations  to  become  U.  S.  citizens. 
The  following  named  couples  were  licensed  to  marry : 
Lars  Enguster  and  Ingeborg  R.  0])pegaard.  both  of 
Mcintosh;  Carl  A.  Johnson  and  Anna  Sophia  John- 
son, both  of  Gully  ;01af  Axel  Engdahl,of  Park  Rapids, 
and  Abigail  M.  Olsen,  of  Mcintosh ;  Ingval  E.  Solberg, 
of  Winsor,  and  Florence  Coon,  of  Mcintosh;  Johu  N. 
Sanden  and  Anna  W.  Ahman,  both  of  Mcintosh ; 
Thomas  Oystad,  of  Winnipeg,  Man.,  and  Inga  Ander- 
son, of  Fosston ;  Ole  Kamplien,  of  Gossen,  and  Emma 
Josephine  Faylestda,  of  Fosston;  Ole  Jlykleby  and 
Krestene  Lokken. 

Thus  tlie  county  of  Columbia,  while  it  existed,  was 
a  de  facto  county  and  as  such  was  recognized  by  the 
State  and  sister  couuty  authorities.  A  subsequent 
Legislature  passed  a  sjiecial  act  legalizing  all  the  acts 
of  the  de  facto  officials  of  the  county,  thus  preventing 
much  confusion  and  embarrassment. 

DEFEAT  AND  DISASTER  AFTER  ALL. 

But  all  the  while  officials  and  common  citizens  were 
apprehensive  and  uneasy.  The  result  of  the  Attorney 
General's  action  to  have  the  proceedings,  the  elec- 
tion, etc.,  leading  to  the  county's  organization  de- 
clared illegal  was  uncertain.  There  were  devout 
wishes  that  the  Supreme  Court  would  decide  in  favor 
of  Columbia,  and  there  were  fond  hopes  in  certain 
quarters — yet  there  were  many  doubts  and  misgiv- 
ings. 

At  last,  on  April  16  (1903)  the  Supreme  Court 
handed  down  its  decision  in  the  Attorney  General 
against  Larsen  and  Others  case,  and  that  decision  was 
that  the  pretended  organization  was  invalid  and  of 
no  effect  and  its  pretended  officials  were  ousted  from 
the  offices  which  they  claimed  to  hold.  In  brief,  the 
Court's  decision  was  (and  it  is  still  the  law)   that 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


129 


under  Chapter  143  of  the  Laws  of  1893,  but  one  propo- 
sition for  creating  a  new  county  involving  the  same 
territory  can  be  submitted  at  the  same  election.  In 
Columbia  County's  case  there  had  been  four  proposi- 
tions at  the  same  election.  It  was  also  decided  that 
the  first  petition  presented  to  the  State  officials  for 
the  organization  of  a  new  county  must  be  given  pri- 
ority by  them  in  deciding  which  petition  should  be 
acted  upon  in  calling  an  election.  The  late  Judge 
Loren  W.  Collins,  who  wrote  the  opinion  of  the  Court, 
declared : 

"It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  the  Legislature 
intended  by  the  act  to  permit  and  authorize  an  un- 
limited number  of  petitions  to  be  filed  for  one  county 
— that  is  to  say,  several  petitions  describing  the  same 
territory.  *  *  •  With  three  petitions,  each  de- 
scribing the  same  territory,  there  could  be  but  one 
inuin  proposition  to  be  submitted,  namely,  the  crea- 
tion of  one  new  county,  and  but  one.  The  petition 
first  filed  complied  in  form  with  the  statute  and  de- 
manded that  the  creation  of  certain  described  terri- 
tory into  a  new  county  be  submitted  to  the  electors 
of  Polk  County.  The  subsequently  filed  petitions 
were  mere  repetitions  as  to  this  essential  question, 
and  invalid."  (Italics  Compiler's.)  For  the  full  de- 
cision, see  Vol.  89  of  the  Minnesota  Reports,  pp.  123- 
131.  The  Revised  Laws  of  1905  changed  the  wording 
of  the  law  to  conform  to  the  decision. 

THE  "new  county"  FIGHT  OF   1896. 

In  the  contest  before  the  Supreme  Court  in  1905 
Columbia  County's  attorneys  relied  upon  a  former 
decision  of  the  Court  in  1896,  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Red  Lake  County  case.  The  main  facts  in  that  case 
were  these: 

May  8, 1896,  four  petitions  for  the  organization  and 
location  of  four  new  counties,  to  be  formed  out  of  a 
portion  of  Polk  County,  were  filed  with  the  Secretary 
of  State.  These  proposed  counties  were  to  be  called 
respectively  "Nelson,"  for  Hon.  Knute  Nelson; 
' '  Hill, ' '  for  James  J.  Hill ;  "  Garfield, ' '  for  the  former 
President;  "Red  Lake,"  for  the  lake  itself.  The 
propositions  for  the  creation  of  these  counties  were 
not  inconsistent  or  competing,  because  no  territory 
included  in  any  one  of  the  proposed  counties  was  in- 
cluded in  any  one  or  more  of  the  other.    In  the  Co- 


lumbia County  case  of  1903  the  territory  was  the 
same  in  each  of  the  proposed  counties. 

July  14,  1896,  two  other  petitions  were  filed  for  the 
creation  of  two  more  new  counties  out  of  Polk  County, 
to  be  called  "Mills  County,"  for  Hon.  Ira  B.  Mills, 
and  "Columbia  County,"  for  the  "Gem  of  the 
Ocean."  Each  of  these  two  propositions  were  com- 
peting ones  with  the  previous  Red  Lake  and  Nelson. 
Columbia  competed  with  Garfield,  each  having  part 
of  the  other's  territory.  More  than  half  of  the  pro- 
posed Red  Lake  and  pai-t  of  Nelson  were  included  in 
ilills.  A  part  of  Red  Lake  was  also  included  in  Col- 
umbia, and  Columbia  included  part  of  Garfield.  At 
the  general  election  of  1896  the  propositions  were 
voted  upon  and  the  vote  resulted : 

Nelson  County :    For  creation,  765 ;  against,  1,050. 

Garfield  County :    For  creation,  603 ;  against,  608. 

Hill  County :    For  creation,  553 ;  against,  1,574. 

Red  Lake  County :    For  creation,  992 ;  against,  449. 

Mills  County:    For  creation,  334;  against,  56. 

Columbia  County :    For  creation,  575,  against,  107. 

The  Governor  proclaimed  that,  as  a  result  of  the 
election,  the  proposition  for  the  creation  of  Red  Lake 
County  had  been  adopted.  In  a  case  brought  by  At- 
torney General  Childs  against  the  Commissioners  and 
other  officials  of  Red  Lake  County  the  Supreme  Court 
sustained  the  Governor's  proclamation  and  the  crea- 
tion. It  decided  that,  "an  elector  may  sign  two  or 
more  non-competing  petitions  for  the  creation  of 
new  counties,  but  that  only  one  of  the  competing 
propositions  can  be  adopted  at  the  same  election,  and 
to  secure  this  result  it  must  receive  a  majority  of  all 
the  votes  cast  thereon,  and  also  a  plurality  of  the 
votes  cast  on  the  propositions  with  which  it  is  com- 
peting." (State  ex  rel.  Childs  vs.  Comrs.,  67  Minn., 
pp.  352-360.)  A  comparison  of  the  two  decisions  is 
both  instructive  and  interesting. 

THE  LEADERS  OF  COLUMBIA 's  FIGHT  FOR  EXISTENCE. 

The  prominent  men  of  Mcintosh  who  fought  for 
and  led  the  movement  to  organize  Columbia  County 
were  John  P.  Johnson,  who  is  considered  to  have  been 


130 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


the  leader,  and  his  principal  lieutenants  were  C.  T. 
Lanman,  of  the  Mcintosh  Times ;  Dr.  Archibald  Mc- 
Eachren,  Charles  L.  Conger,  S.  H.  Drew,  0.  E.  Sto- 
vern,  Anton  Jensen,  W.  G.  Hunt,  and  C.  F.  Page. 
These  men  started  and  led  the  movement  originally. 

In  the  contest  of  1902  the  leading  fighters  were 
Johnson,  Lanman,  Conger,  Drew,  Jensen,  and  Hunt, 
and  they  were  re-enforced  by  Thomas  Lawrence, 
Wells  S.  Short,  Paul  W.  Carpenter,  E.  A.  Webster, 
Andrew  Trovaaten,  T.  N.  J.  Reese,  John  L.  Ilagen, 
Thomas  R.  Brownlee,  and  Leslie  Shadduck. 

A  prominent  former  Columbia  County  partisan, 
who  has  furnished  much  information  for  this  article, 
writes  the  compiler  on  the  subject  and  says:  "The 
separation  of  the  Thirteen  Towns  from  Polk  County 
and  the  creation  of  Columbia  could  yet  be  made  at 
any  general  election  were  it  possible  for  the  villages 
of  Fosston,  Mcintosh,  and  Erskine  to  agree  upon  a 
county  seat.  But  as  each  village  will  vote  against 
any  proposition  that  will  locate  the  county  seat  in 


any  other  village,  all  hope  of  dividing  the  county  has 
been  abandoned. 

The  only  loser  of  a  claim  for  money  against  Colum- 
bia is  Barnard  &  Co.,  the  St.  Louis  printers,  who 
furnished  the  blank  books  and  other  stationery, 
amounting  to  over  $2, .500.  When  Columbia  County 
vanished  they  brought  suit  against  Polk  County  as 
"the  successor"  of  Columbia.  But  Polk  County  de- 
nied that  it  was  anybody's  "successor."  It  declared 
it  had  no  sort  of  responsibility  for  Barnard  &  Co.'s 
claim,  and  eventually  the  Supreme  Court  (98  Minn., 
p.  289)  sustained  this  county's  contention.  The 
Court's  decision  declared  that  when  the  attempt  to 
create  a  new  county  out  of  the  territory  of  an  ex- 
isting county  results  in  a  de  facto  county,  which  is 
subsequently  dissolved  the  original  county  is  not 
liable  for  debts  contracted  by  the  de  facto  count}'. 
The  old  county  is  not  the  successor  of  the  de  facto 
county. 


o 


~z  C 

-  < 

PS 

-.  c 

-•  E- 

-  < 


c    s 

t^  — 

O    £ 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  BANKING  INTERESTS  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

SKETCHES  OP  SOME  OF  THE  IMPORTANT  AND  TYPICAL  BANKS  OP  POLK  COUNTY CROOKSTON  STATE  BANK THE  PIRST 

NATIONAL  BANK  OP  M'INTOSH THE  PIRST   NATIONAL    BANK    OP    CROOKSTON — POLK    COUNTY    STATE    BANK — 

SCANDIA  AMERICAN  BANK,   CROOKSTON — FIRST   STATE    BANK    OF    FERTILE FIRST    STATE    BANK    OF   EAST    GRAND 

FORKS — STATE  BANK  OF  ELDRED THE  STATE  BANK    OF    ERSKINE FARMERS    STATE    BANK    OF    WINGER — FIRST 

STATE   BANK   OF   MENTOR CITIZENS   STATE   BANK   OF    FERTILE FARMERS  STATE  BANK  OF  FERTILE — FIRST  NA- 
TIONAL BANK  OP  EAST   GRAND   FORKS STATE  BANK    OF    FISHER FARMERS     MUTUAL    INSURANCE    COMPANY 

FIRST  STATE  BANK  OP  BELTRAMI. 


CROOKSTON  STATE  BANK. 

The  Crookston  State  Bank  is  one  of  the  important 
financial  institutions  of  the  county  and  was  organized 
May  1,  1909.  It  had  operated  for  a  number  of  years 
as  a  private  bank,  having  been  incorpoi-ated  as  such, 
May  1,  1902,  with  a  capital  of  $20,000.  L.  E.  Jones 
was  elected  president,  J.  A.  Northrop,  vice  president 
and  L.  D.  Foskett,  cashier.  E.  S.  Ellsworth  was  also 
interested  in  the  enterprise.  Upon  its  re-organization 
into  the  Crookston  State  Bank,  the  capital  stock  was 
increased  to  $40,000  and  J.  A.  Northrop  chosen  presi- 
dent with  S.  C.  Johnson  as  vice  president  and  Mr. 
Foskett  retained  as  cashier.  These  officers  with  E.  A. 
Mills  and  L.  Sargent  are  the  directors  of  the  bank. 
This  institution  is  justly  popular  in  all  its  business 
relations  and  all  its  interests  have  been  attended  with 
steady  prosperity.  It  is  widely  known  in  the  north- 
west, its  activities  being  identified  with  the  associate 
banks,  the  Farmers  State  Bank  at  Fosston ;  the  Secur- 
ity State  Bank  of  Borup,  Minn.,  the  Ulen  State  Bank 
at  Ulen,  Minn.,  and  Ellsworth  &  Jones  at  Iowa  Falls, 
Iowa. 

THE  FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK  OF  M 'iNTOSH. 

The  Fii>st  National  Bank  of  Mcintosh  was  founded 
on  January  1,  1903,  and  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 


State  Bank  of  Mcintosh,  which  had  succeeded  the 
old  Bank  of  Mcintosh,  which  was  founded  in  1889 
and  was  owned  by  James  and  Sol.  H.  Drew,  and 
who  continued  in  the  banking  business  until  1901. 

The  First  National  Bank  has  a  capital  stock  of 
$25,000,  with  a  surplus  of  $5,000,  undivided  profits 
of  $6,000  and  deposits  of  $200,000. 

The  bank  building  is  a  beautiful  pressed  brick, 
23x52,  with  offices  in  second  story.  Present  officers 
are :  C.  M.  Berg,  president ;  K.  K.  Hofford,  vice 
president,  and  Geo.  A.  Beito,  cashier.  The  majority 
of  the  stock  is  owned  by  the  people  of  Mcintosh.  The 
bank  is  modern  with  safety  boxes,  vaults,  etc. 

THE    FIRST    NATIONAL    BANK  OF    CROOKSTON. 

The  First  National  Bank,  of  Crookston,  is  one  of 
the  oldest  and  best  known  financial  institutions  in 
northern  Minnesota  and  during  the  many  years  of 
its  successful  and  extensive  transactions,  has  been 
instrumental  in  promoting  the  development  of  this 
region.  The  bank  was  founded  in  1881,  with  a  cap- 
ital stock  of  $50,000.  The  directors  were,  Ansell 
Bates,  William  Anglin,  Conrad  Utzimer,  Morris 
Brown,  J.  I.  Case  and  R.  H.  Baker.  Mr.  Baker  was 
made  the  first  president,  Morris  Brown,  vice  president 
and  Ansell  Bates,  cashier,  serving  in  that  position 


131 


132 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


for  a  number  of  years.  George  Q.  Erskine  succeeded 
Mr.  Baker  as  president  with  K.  D.  Chase  as  vice 
presidcut  and  in  1883  the  capital  stock  was  doubled. 
In  1895  Jerome  W.  Wheeler  became  cashier  of  the 
bank  and  has  continued  to  be  prominently  identified 
with  the  administrations  of  its  affairs  and  in  1905  was 
made  president.  The  capital  stock  was  reduced  from 
$100,000  to  $75,000,  which  is  the  present  capital,  with 
a  surplus  of  .$50,000  and  deposits  exceeding  one  mil- 
lion dollars.  It  is  an  institution  whose  substantial 
prosperity  has  been  founded  upon  capable  manage- 
ment and  the  natural  resources  of  the  country  and  has 
advanced  steadily  with  the  latter 's  growth  and  devel- 
opment. The  present  directors  are-.  J.  W.  "Wheeler, 
Edmund  M.  Walsh,  John  R.  ]\IcKinnon,  Samuel  A. 
Wallace,  Ole  0.  Christianson,  Harry  L.  Marsh  and 
Sam  A.  Erickson.  Mr.  Wheeler  continues  as  presi- 
dent and  Edmund  M.  Walsh,  vice  president,  Harry 
L.  Marsh,  vice  president.  C.  F.  Mix  holds  the  office 
of  cashier  with  Sam  A.  Erickson  as  assistant  cashier. 

POLK    COUNTY   STATE   BANK. 

The  Polk  County  State  Bank,  of  Crookston,  is  one 
of  the  leading  banking  institutions  of  the  county  and 
since  its  first  business  transactions  on  September  2, 
1913,  has  met  with  unusual  success  and  wide  favor 
among  the  depositors  of  the  county  and  in  the  finan- 
cial world.  The  bank  was  organized  August  27,  1913, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $40,000  and  a  surplus  of 
$10,000.  Peter  M.  Ringdal  was  elected  president,  L. 
W.  Larson,  vice  president,  G.  0.  Hage,  cashier,  and 
these  officers  with  G.  A.  Anbal  and  Henry  O'Neil 
formed  the  board  of  directors.  These  men  continue 
to  direct  the  affairs  of  the  bank  which  under  their 
capable  management  has  rapidly  won  its  way  to  a 
substantial  and  prominent  position  in  the  banking 
circles  of  northern  Minnesota. 

SCANDIA  AMERICAN  BANK,  CROOKSTON. 

This  bank  was  organized  in  the  summer  and  fall  of 
1887,  and  opened  its  doors  for  business  on  the  first 
day  of  December,  1887,  at  the  corner  of  Robert  and 


Main  Streets,  in  what  was  then  the  new  McKinnon 
Block,  with  the  following  officers:  Carl  Hendrick- 
son,  of  Grafton,  North  Dakota,  president ;  G.  M.  Bar- 
ber, of  Crookston,  vice  president;  A.  G.  Gallasch,  of 
Crookston,  cashier,  and  L.  Ellington,  of  Crookston, 
assistant  cashier.  The  paid  in  capital  of  the  bank  was 
$40,000. 

The  bank  continued  in  busness  at  this  location  until 
about  three  years  ago  when  it  purchased  the  building 
upon  the  opposite  corner  and  remodeled  the  same  and 
moved  into  it,  where  it  has  since  continued  business. 

The  personnel  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  of  the 
officers  changed  but  slightly  for  several  years.  The 
only  one  of  the  original  officers  who  now  has  any  con- 
nection with  the  bank  is  Mr.  L.  Ellington  who  has 
always  been  connected  with  the  bank  in  some  official 
capacity  from  its  organization  to  the  present  time. 
Carl  Hendrickson,  the  original  president,  continued 
with  the  bank  until  the  year  1904.  At  this  time  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  bank  was  purchased  by  the 
firm  of  Miller  &  Foote,  at  which  time  Mr.  J.  P.  Foote 
became  president  of  the  bank  and  Mr.  Ellington 
cashier. 

Under  the  new  arrangement  the  bank  was  conducted 
for  six  years  at  which  time  Messrs.  Miller  &  Foote 
sold  their  stock  to  Mr.  L.  Ellington  who  thereupon 
became  president  of  the  bank,  with  II.  D.  Reed,  now 
of  Comfrey,  Minnesota,  as  cashier. 

In  February,  1913,  Miller  &  Foote  again  purchased 
a  controlling  interest  in  the  stock  and  the  official 
board  was  reorganized  with  J.  P.  Foote  as  president, 
H.  Steenerson,  vice  president;  C.  C.  Strander,  vice 
president;  Oscar  Fredericks,  cashier;  George  F.  Van 
Pelt  and  H.  H.  Clapp,  assistant  cashiers,  which  or- 
ganization continues  at  the  present  time. 

The  business  of  the  bank  has  steadily  grown  from 
the  time  of  its  organization  until  the  present  time. 
The  statement  of  its  resources  and  liabilities  as  re- 
turned to  the  Superintendent  of  Banks  on  November 
10,  1915,  is  as  follows : 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


133 


RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $534,205.23 

Overdrafts  905.40 

Bonds  and  securities 4,000.00 

Banking  house 15,000.00 

Furniture  and  fixtures 9,055.20 

Other  real  estate 34,450.90 

Cash  and  due  from  banks 205,765.07 


$803,381.80 


LIABILITIES. 


Capital  stock $  50,000.00 

Surplus   10,000.00 

Undivided  profits 4,238.17 

Deposits    739,143.63 


$803,381.80 


The  present  Board  of  Directors  is  as  follows :  J.  P. 
Foote,  president;  A.  A.  Miller,  attorney;  H.  Holte, 
physician  and  surgeon ;  L.  Ellington,  city  clerk ; 
Charles  Loring,  attorney;  C.  C.  Strander,  president 
Strander  Abstract  &  Investment  Co. ;  J.  H.  Ruettell, 
president  Ruettell  Clothing  Co. ;  H.  Steenerson,  mem- 
ber of  Congress;  R.  C.  Ruettell,  manager  Ruettell 
Clothing  Co. 

FIRST  STATE  BANK  OF  FERTILE. 

Tlie  First  State  Bank  of  Fertile  was  the  first  bank 
establi.shed  in  that  locality  and  has  ever  furnished  the 
sound  financial  backing  and  co-operation  which  has 
so  materially  advanced  the  growth  of  Fertile  and  the 
surrounding  territory  to  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  prosperous  centers  in  Polk  County.  It  was  or- 
ganized in  1887,  the  first  year  of  Fertile 's  existence, 
as  a  private  bank,  owned  by  W.  H.  Matthews,  E.  L. 
Matthews  and  Frank  P.  S.  Miller,  who  comprised  the 
firm  of  Matthews  &  Company,  and  Norman  Hanson. 
Re-organization  as  a  State  bank  was  eflPeeted  in  1892 
and  the  capitalization  increased  from  $10,000  to  $25,- 
000,  with  W.  H.  Matthews,  president,  Otto  Kankel, 
vice  president  and  Mr.  Hanson  continued  in  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier,  which  office  he  had  held  from  the 
initial  movement  of  organization.  After  nine  .years' 
operations  under  this  incorporation,  the  bank  was 
changed  to  the  First  National  and  six  years  later,  in 


1907,  again  became  a  state  bank  and  has  since  con- 
tinued as  the  First  State  Bank  of  Fertile.  No  change 
in  the  capital  was  made  and  a  surplus  of  $7,500  was 
set  aside.  The  same  officers  remained  in  charge  until 
1912  when  Norman  Hanson,  after  twenty-five  years' 
able  service  as  cashier,  became  president  and  the  for- 
mer president,  W.  H.  Matthews,  who  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Spokane,  Wash.,  was  made  vice  president.  Two 
years  later  Mr.  Hanson  bought  out  the  interests  of 
Matthews  &  Company  and  secured  controlling  interest, 
owning  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  of  the  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  shares  of  bank  stock.  All  the  stock  is 
owned  by  local  shareholdei's.  In  June,  1915,  the  pros- 
perous conditions  of  that  section  advanced  the  com- 
bined deposits  of  the  three  banks  of  Fertile  to  $650,- 
000,  an  increase  of  $60,000  in  three  months  and 
$25,000  of  that  amount  was  placed  with  the  First 
State  Bank.  The  bank  operates  with  a  cash  reserve 
fund  of  $30,000  and  has  loans  of  $240,000.  The 
officers  are  Norman  Hanson,  president ;  Brown  Duck- 
stad,  vice  president;  and  Elmer  B.  Hanson,  cashier, 
and  these  with  C.  F.  Kankel,  Nels  Vasenden,  Odd  Eide 
and  George  Kronschnabel  comprise  the  board  of  di- 
rectors. The  bank  was  housed  for  twenty  years  in 
the  two-story  brick  building  which  had  replaced  the 
original  frame  structure  in  1894,  but  in  1914  was 
moved  into  its  present  sumptuous  quarters  in  the 
splendidly  equipped  building  erected  for  its  use.  This 
is  furaished  with  every  thought  for  the  convenience  of 
patrons  and  the  facility  of  banking  operations,  be- 
sides appealing,  in  its  inch  appointments,  to  the  ad- 
mirer of  architectural  considerations. 

Statement  of  the  condition  of  First  State  Bank  of 
Fertile  at  the  close  of  business  December  31,  1915 : 

RESOURCES. 

Loans    $213,467.92 

Bonds,  etc 8,235.57 

Banking  house 7,500.00 

Furniture  and  fixtures 3,500.00 

Overdrafts 166.44 

Cash  and  due  from  banks 84,827.16 


Total $317,697.09 


134  COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 

LIABILITIES.  former  of  Climax,  Polk  County.  The  bauk  was  started 

Capital $  25,000.00  as  a  private  institution  with  a  capital  of  $10,000  and 

Surplus,  earned 5,000.00  oi    „    m,  i  •         nr     m 

Undivided  profits 5;848.57  ^^'''  Thompson  as  cashier.    Mr.  Thompson  gave  way 

(Now,  Jan.  26,  $7,500.00)  iu  August,  1908,  to  T.  E.  Johnson,  who  has  served  as 

Deposits  281,848.52  cashier  of  the  bank  ever  since.     Other  banks  belong- 

Xotal $317  697  09  ^"^  to  Messrs.  Rosholt  and  Larson  are  located  at  Hal- 

sted.  Climax  and  Neilsville. 
Directors:     Norman    Hanson,    B.   Duckstad,   Nels         The  banking  house  used  by  the  bank  was  erected 

Vasenden,    C.   F.   Kankel,    Geo.   Kronschnabel,   Odd  jq  1908.    Deposits  in  the  institution  now  (1916)  ag- 

Eide,  E.  B.  Hanson.  gregate  $86,000.     Its  loans  total  $85,000,  and  its  sur- 
plus is  $2,500.    These  sums  are  steadilv  increasing  and 

FIRST   STATE  BANK  OF  EAST  GRAND  FORKS.  ,.    . 

dividends  are  paid  regularly  and  promptly  by  the 

The  First  State  Bank  of  East  Grand  Forks  is  one  bank,  which  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising 

of  the  most  aggressive  and  efficient  financial  institu-  ones  of  its  rank  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  is 

tions  in  Polk  County  and  thoroughly  identified  with  continuously  strengthening  its  resources,  augmenting 

the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  region  and  the  its  business  in  volume  and  intensifying  its  hold  on  the 

prosperity  of  the  community.     This  bank  was  organ-  confidence  and  regard  of  the  public  throughout  the 

ized  in  1906  by  N.  J.  Nelson,  who  has  since  directed  territory  subject  to  its  operations. 

its  affairs  as  cashier,  with  a  policv  which  extends  most         rp.     u     1  i,  4.  1  i  •*!      ^  -i. 

'  ^       *  The  bank  has  not,  however,  been  without  its  expen- 

liberal  acconnnodations  to  local  enterprise,  which  with  ^^^^^  j,^  ^^.^^,^j^      0,^  0^^^^^^.  33,  if,n,  its  safe  was 

well  known  financial  responsibility  has  won  the  con-  dynamited  and  robbed  of  $1,400,  but  the  loss  was  fully 

fidence  of  its  patrons  and  a  wide  popularity.     The  j  v     •  m,  4.  4.1,     1     j     «  4.1 

'  1-  r-  .'  covered  by  insurance.     The  men  at  the  head  of  the 

bank  is  capitalized  at  $25,000  with  a  surplus  and  un-  ,      ,        j  n/r      t  1  ^1  1  ■  *. 

'  '  '  bank  and  Mr.  Johnson,  the  cashier,  are  enterprising 

divided  profits  of  $12,000  and  its  deposits  are  ap-  ,  •      1      •  *  i  ■  i         1        1  j 

_  '  ^  ^  and  progressive  business  men  01  high  rank  and  demon- 

proaehiug  the  half  million  mark.    The  men  associated       .     ^   ,     i-i-^  i  *i    •  v      4-*i      xi,        •     *  n 

'^  °  strafed  ability,  and  their  merit  entitles  them  in  full 

with  its  management  as  officers  are  C.  J.  Loggren,  pres-  ^     .1      \     ■  .11  o 

°°      >  ^  measure  to  the  business  success  they  have  won  tor 

ident ;  Frank  J.  Zeidlik  and  H.  A.  Bronson,  vice  pres-  ^1    •    •     *•*  *■         t*.  •     j  ^  ..    u     1 

■'  '  f  their  institution.     It  was  reorganized  as  a  state  bank 

idents;  N.  J.  Nelson,  cashier  and  Paul  Johnson,  as-  ^^^^^  -^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^ 
sistant  cashier.     The  board  of  directors  comprise  the 

first  four  named  above  with  J.  W.  Wheeler,  C.  M.  the  state  bank  of  erskine. 

Sprague  and  F.  W.  Sprague.    The  bank  is  located  in 

a  fine  building  equipped  with  every  modern  facility  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^'^^^  institution  has  been  one  of  the 
for  efficient  banking  and  which  stands  as  a  credit  to  financial  bulwarks  and  sources  of  strength  and  con- 
civic  pride  as  well  as  to  the  enterprise  of  the  bank  ^'enience  to  the  village  of  Erskine  and  the  several 
directors.  townships  of  Polk  County  lying  around  it.    The  bank 

was  organized  and  started  on  its  useful  and  prosperous 

state  bank  t)F  ELDRED.  •      ii     4.  1       TT    1  c.  TJ-    T      HT   1 

career  in  that  year  by  Halvor  Sfeenerson,  H.  L.  Mel- 

This   sound   and   flourishing   financial   institution,  gaard,  Carl  Hendrickson,  and  Louis  Ellington,  and 

which  was  the  first  regularly  organized  banking  house  A.  F.  Cronquist  was  chosen  cashier.    It  was  a  private 

in  the  town  of  Eldred,  this  county,  was  founded  on  institution  until  1903,  when  it  was  incorporated  as 

February  29,  1908,  by  Messrs.  Rosholt  &  Larson,  the  a  state  bank  under  its  present  name  with  a  capital 

latter  of  whom  is  now  a  resident  of  Ilalsted  and  the  stock  of  $10,000,  Louis  Ellington  as  president,  Halvor 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTOKY  AND  BIOGEAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Steenerson  as  vice  president  and  A.  F.  Cronquist  as 
cashier. 

The  history  of  the  bank  wa^the  same  as  that  of 
many  similar  institutions — a  stea9y^growth  of  busi- 
ness, an  increasing  hold  on  public  confidence  and  re- 
gard, and  a  firm  standing  in  financial  and  banking 
circles — until  December,  1912,  when  some  forty-six 
merchants  and  farmers  bought  it.  The  surplus  at 
that  time  amounted  to  $3,000  and  the  deposits  to 
$140,000.  Under  its  new  ownership  A.  D.  Stephens 
was  chosen  president,  Gilbert  K.  Espeseth  vice  presi- 
dent and  Theodore  Nelson  cashier.  He  had  been  the 
assistant  cashier  of  the  bank  for  ten  years.  The  other 
directors  are  John  Clementson,  A.  J.  Haugen  and  0.  T. 
Rovang,  all  farmers  living  near  Erskine.  Mr.  Stephens 
has  since  been  succeeded  as  president  by  G.  K.  Es- 
peseth and  T.  K.  Berg  chosen  vice  president,  but  none 
of  the  other  officials  have  been  changed  since  the  pur- 
chase was  made. 

The  surplus  of  the  bank  at  the  time  of  this  writing 
(October,  1915)  is  increased  to  $5,000,  and  the  de- 
posits have  increased  to  $210,000.  In  1903  the  fine 
modern  building  in  which  the  bank  now  conducts  its 
business  was  erected.  The  bank  makes  loans,  does 
insurance  and  carries  on  all  other  departments  of 
banking  according  to  the  most  approved  present-day 
methods,  and  is  one  of  the  soundest  and  best  managed 
institutions  of  its  rank  in  the  Northwest. 

FARMERS  STATE  BANK  OF  VflNGER. 

This  popular  financial  institution,  which  is  render- 
ing great  and  appreciated  service  to  the  community, 
was  founded  September  1,  1904,  as  the  First  State 
Bank  of  "Winger,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,  A.  N. 
Eckman  as  president  and  Gilbert  Bratland  as  cashier. 

In  1908  Messrs.  Simons  &  Bourdon  became  the  own- 
ers but  continued  under  the  old  name  and  with  only 
minor  changes  in  its  management  until  May,  1912, 
L.  C.  Simons  being  the  president,  Chas.  N.  Bourdon, 
vice  president,  and  Edward  Randklev,  cashier. 

May  27,  1912,  the  bank  was  purchased  by  local  men, 
some  fifty-five  of  them,  nearly  all  farmers,  becoming 


stockholders.  They  elected  J.  0.  Hovland  president, 
H.  A.  Loitten  vice  president,  and  A.  I.  Solberg  cashier, 
and  in  December  following  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Winger,  the  capital  stock 
being  increased  to  $12,500.  At  that  time  the  bank  had 
a  surplus  of  $2,500  and  deposits  amounting  to  $50,000. 
At  the  present  time  (1915)  the  officers  and  the  capital 
stock  are  the  same  as  in  1912,  the  surplus  is  $3,500  and 
the  deposits  are  $150,000.  Loans  and  discounts 
amount  to  $140,000.  The  bank  building  was  erected 
in  1905. 

FIRST  STATE  BANK  OP   MENTOR. 

The  First  State  Bank  of  Mentor  was  established  in 
1901,  as  a  private  bank,  by  A.  D.  Stephens  and  Joseph 
Tagley  and  operated  as  such  until  1908,  when  it  was 
incorporated  as  the  First  State  Bank  of  Mentor,  with 
a  capital  of  $10,000.  The  president,  A.  D.  Stephens, 
Joseph  Tagley  as  cashier,  M.  Tagley,  vice  president, 
and  Nels  Paulsberg,  assistant  cashier,  the  first  three 
comprise  the  board  of  directors  and  are  the  owners 
of  the  stock.  Mr.  Tagley,  in  the  capacity  of  cashier, 
has  directed  the  management  of  the  bank  in  its  pros- 
perous activities  as  the  financial  center  of  business 
enterprise  in  Mentor.  The  present  capitalization  of 
the  bank  is  the  original  amount,  with  a  surplus  of 
$2,000  and  deposits  of  about  ninety  thousand  dollars. 
Aside  from  general  banking  interests,  the  State  Bank 
maintains  a  real  estate  agency  and  deals  in  insurance. 
The  brick  structure  which  it  occupies  was  erected  in 
1901  and  is  equipped  with  modern  banking  facilities. 

CITIZENS    STATE    BANK   OP   FERTILE. 

The  Citizens  State  Bank  of  Fertile,  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  banking  institutions  of  northwestern  Min- 
nesota, was  organized  on  December  7,  1904,  as  the 
successor  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank,  which,  in  turn 
had  succeeded  the  Citizens  Bank  in  1901.  The  latter 
corporation  had  been  effected  in  1897  by  Lewis  Lar- 
son, of  Britt,  Iowa,  M.  B.  Dahlquist,  and  B.  E.  Dahl- 
quist  of  Forest  City,  Iowa,  Louis  Ellington,  of  Crooks- 
ton  and  M.  J.  Pihl,  of  "Wells,  Minn.,  and  these  men 


136 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


continued  tlieir  association  with  the  institution  upon 
its  reorganization  into  a  National  bank,  merging  their 
interests  with  several  others.  The  Citizens  National 
was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  Lewis 
Larson  became  president  of  the  board  of  directors, 
Mr.  Ellington  and  Mr.  Pihl,  vice  presidents  and  Mr. 
M.  B.  Dahlquist,  cashier,  and  B.  E.  Dahlquist  assist- 
ant cashier.  In  1901  K.  J.  Taralseth  and  0.  H.  Taral- 
scth,  of  Warren,  Minn.,  Mr.  Ellington,  and  Ed  Mosse- 
fin  and  A.  P.  Hanson,  of  Fertile,  took  over  all  the 
assets  and  the  l)uilding  of  the  Citizens  National  and 
organized  the  Citizens  State  Bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$15,000.  The  able  direction  of  its  affairs,  which  has 
resulted  in  unusual  benefit  to  the  stockholders  and 
a  wide  popularity  in  financial  circles,  has  been  under 
the  management  of  Jlr.  Mossefin  and  Mr.  Hanson,  as 
resident  stockholders  and  officers.  Mr.  Mossefin  be- 
came president  of  the  bank  in  1911  and  Mr.  Hanson 
has  served  as  cashier  from  the  start.  0.  II.  Taralseth 
is  the  present  vice  president.  The  bank's  interests  are 
housed  in  a  fine  modern  brick  building  of  two  stories, 
which  was  erected  in  1901  and  is  splendidly  furnished 
with  all  modern  conveniences,  including  reinforced 
concrete  vaults  and  safety  deposit  boxes  for  individual 
use.  The  second  floor  is  utilized  for  office  room.  The 
bank  engages  in  general  banking  business,  making 
loans  on  real  estate  and  also  are  writers  for  several 
lines  of  fire  and  cyclone  insurance.  The  substantial 
condition  of  its  affairs  appears  in  the  recent  statement 
is-sued  of  a  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  $9,000 
and  deposits  of  $180,000. 

FARMERS   STATE   BANK    OF   FERTILE. 

The  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Fertile  was  organized 
September  6,  1912,  through  the  co-operation  of  a  num- 
ber of  prominent  business  men  and  farmers  and  has 
enjoyed  a  steady  prosperity  in  all  its  activities,  con- 
tributing notably  to  the  accommodations  afforded  by 
the  splendid  financial  institutions  of  Polk  County. 
The  men  who  were  associated  in  the  establishment  of 
the  bank  and  who  composed  the  first  board  of  direct- 
ors were  James  F.  Hanson,  Martin  G.  Peterson,  An- 


ders 0.  Morvig,  Ole  H.  Vidden,  Nels  Clementsen, 
Albert  0.  Gullickson,  E.  G.  0.  Hoglund,  A.  L.  Hov- 
land  and  Hans  Paulsrud.  The  latter,  who  had  been 
the  assistant  cashier  in  the  First  State  Bank  for  a 
number  of  years,  was  made  cashier  of  the  new  bank 
and  in  that  position  has  continued  to  capably  direct 
its  affairs.  The  bank  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
of  $25,000,  with  James  F.  Hanson  as  president  and 
Nels  Clementsen,  vice  president.  In  1913  the  present 
fine  modern  banking  building  was  erected  and  excel- 
l(>nt  fixtures  installed,  making  it  a  worthy  addition  to 
the  busiues-s  district  of  Fertile.  The  stock  in  this 
corporation  is  owned  by  the  above-mentioned  direct- 
ors, which  is  the  present  executive  body  with  the 
exception  of  Andrew  Hoffe  who  has  been  elected  in 
place  of  E.  G.  Ilogluud  and  Andrew  Peterson,  in 
place  of  James  F.  Hanson,  and  some  ninetj'  share- 
holders, most  of  whom  are  local  farmei-a.  Nels 
Clementsen  has  succeeded  Mr.  Hanson  as  president 
and  Albert  0.  Gullickson  is  vice  president,  with  Mr. 
Paulsrud  retaining  his  position  as  cashier,  with  Ole 
Lutnes  as  assistant.  The  latest  statement  issued  by  the 
bank  reports  a  surplus  of  $5,000,  with  the  original 
capital  of  $25,000,  deposits  aggregating  $2.'^2,000  and 
loans  of  .$210,000. 

FIRST   NATIONAL   BANK  OF   EAST   GRAND   FORKS. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  East  Grand  Forks,  an 
important  banking  house  of  which  Polk  County  is 
justly  proud,  has  been  materially  identified  in  all  its 
activities  with  home  industries  and  development,  its 
record  of  noteworthy  prosperity  having  advanced 
steadily  with  the  growth  of  the  country.  It  was  or- 
ganized in  1890  as  the  Bank  of  East  Grand  Forks 
with  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  its  first  officers  were 
William  Busge,  president;  Alex  Griggs,  vice  presi- 
dent; and  E.  R.  Jacobi,  cashier.  In  the  following  year 
reorganization  into  a  national  bank  was  effected  and 
the  capital  stock  doubled.  Alex  Griggs  was  made  pres- 
ident of  the  board  of  directors,  E.  R.  Jacobi,  vice 
president,  and  W.  H.  Pringle,  cashier.  The  other 
members  of  the  board  were  Ole  Lukkason,  C.  Madson, 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


137 


B.  A.  Griggs,  Paul  Hagen  and  Robert  Jarvis.  The 
excellently  equipped  and  modern  banking  building 
which  houses  its  interests  was  erected  in  1893  at  the 
cost  of  $15,000  and  aside  from  the  commodious  quar- 
ters provided  the  bank,  furnishes  office  space  in  the 
basement  and  second  story.  The  present  board  of 
directors  was  elected  in  1905,  with  E.  Arneson  as  pres- 
ident, J.  R.  Johnson,  vice  president,  and  G.  R.  Jacobi, 
cashier  and  the  other  members,  J.  H.  McNicol  and 
August  Nelson.  The  stockholders  of  this  institution 
include  many  of  the  influential  citizens  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  men  whose  successful  careers  have  been  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  the  community  and  its  policy 
of  administration  has  always  rendered  it  a  strong 
financial  support  to  local  enterprise.  During  the 
twenty-three  years  of  its  operations  this  bank  has  not 
foreclosed  a  mortgage  and  pays  four  per  cent  interest 
on  savings  deposits,  a  record  which  is  loyally  rewarded 
by  the  extensive  patronage  extended  it  by  the  farmers 
and  business  men  of  the  district  and  which  is  one  of 
the  ways  in  which  its  management  has  demonstrated 
its  keen  interest  in  the  development  of  the  farming 
community  tributary  to  East  Grand  Forks.  The  First 
National  is  a  member  of  the  Federal  Reserve  Banks 
and  is  allied  with  the  important  banking  activities  of 
the  country,  selling  drafts  payable  in  all  the  principal 
cities  of  the  world.  Its  present  substantial  standing 
is  attested  to  with  deposits  of  some  three  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  and  surplus  of  $10,000. 

Condensed  report  of  the  condition  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  East  Grand  Forks,  Minnesota,  at  close 
of  business,  November  10,  1915 : 

RESOURCES. 

Loans $303,419.89 

Overdrafts 2,219.68 

U.  S.  Bonds 37,500.00 

Stock,  Federal  Reserve  Bank 1,800.00 

Real  estate 24,800.00 

Banking  house 14,500.00 

Redemption  fund 1,875.00 

Cash   149!602.87 


LIABILITIES. 


Capital $  50,000.00 

Surplus  and  profits 10,906.36 

Circulation   37,500.00 

Deposits  437,311.08 


Total $535,717.44 


Total $535,717.44 

They  pay  4  per  cent  on  savings,  4  per  cent  for  six 
months  and  5  per  cent  for  twelve  months  on  time  cer- 
tificates. E.  Arneson,  president;  J.  R.  Johnson,  vice 
president ;  G.  R.  Jacobi,  cashier. 

STATE  BANK  OP   FISHER. 

The  State  Bank  of  Fisher  is  one  of  the  pioneer 
banking  institutions  of  that  region  and  has  been  iden- 
tified for  many  years  with  the  prosperity  and  the 
more  substantial  progress  in  Polk  County,  the  history 
of  its  activities  being  marked  with  notable  success  and 
able  management  and  a  large  and  steadily  increasing 
patronage  among  the  citizens  of  that  district.  The 
bank  was  first  organized  as  a  private  bank,  in  1879, 
by  Hugh  Thompson  and  Frank  DeMers.  Subse- 
quently Marcus  Johnson  bought  out  the  interests  of 
the  other  stockholders  and  he  has  continued  to  main- 
tain a  prominent  and  active  interest  in  the  bank.  In 
1896  after  the  unfortunate  death  of  the  cashier,  Mar- 
tin Sanaker,  by  suicide,  the  bank  was  reorganized  as 
a  State  bank,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000.  Gunder  Kros- 
tue  was  made  president  and  Marcus  Johnson  and  S. 
Torrison  were  the  stockholders  and  directors.  The 
first  cashier  of  the  new  state  bank  was  Ed  Kingsland, 
who  served  in  that  capacity  until  his  removal  west, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Andrew  0.  Stortroen,  the 
present  occupant  of  the  position,  who  is  also  a  stock- 
holder and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  Upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Krostue  in  1912,  Marcus  Johnson 
succeeded  to  the  office  of  president  and  has  since 
capably  directed  the  administration  of  its  affairs, 
which  include  the  many  interests  accruing  to  the  $200,- 
000  of  deposits  and  loans  of  some  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  bank  occupies  the  build- 
ing which  was  erected  for  its  use  in  1879. 


138 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


FARMERS    MUTUAL    INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

The  Farmers  Mutual  Insurauee  Company,  with 
office  at  Fertile,  is  one  of  the  co-operative  enterprises 
of  this  section  which  attests  to  the  enterprise  of  its 
citizens  and  has  proved  of  benefit  to  local  interests. 
The  company  has  met  with  an  extensive  patronage 
in  Polk  and  Norman  Counties,  the  territory  cov- 
ered by  its  operations,  and  has  over  nine  hundred 
policy  holders  with  $1,677,629  insurance  in  force. 
Through  the  disinterested  service  of  the  men  who 
have  been  identified  with  the  organization  as  officers, 
the  expense  of  operation  has  always  been  small,  a 
fact  which  has  contributed  to  the  rapid  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  company.  It  was  incorporated  in 
1891  by  0.  P.  Renne,  Hans  Juelsou,  T.  II.  Nesseth  and 
Martin  G.  Peterson.  The  articles  of  incorporation 
were  drafted  by  Mr.  Peterson,  who  has  been  active 
in  the  direction  of  company 's  affairs  as  treasurer  and 
secretary. 

FIRST.  STATE  BANK   OF   BELTRAMI. 

The  First  State  Bank  of  Beltrami,  one  of  the  most 
substantial  banking  houses  in  the  county,  was  organ- 
ized in  1905,  as  the  successor  of  the  Bank  of  Beltrami, 
a  private  bank  which  had  been  in  operation  since 
1901,  when  it  was  established  by  William  Mathews, 
with  D.  E.  Fulton  as  cashier.  In  1903  C.  C.  Heath 
and  H.  H.  Reed  became  the  owners  and  continued  for 
two  years  when  it  was  organized  as  a  State  bank  with 
a  capital  of  $10,000.  J.  W.  Wheeler,  president ;  E.  M. 
Walsh,  vice  president ;  and  C.  C.  Heath,  cashier,  com- 
posed the  first  board  of  directors,  which  was  replaced 
in  1914  by  the  present  board,  with  J.  W.  Wheeler  as 
president,  C.  C.  Heath,  first  vice  president,  E.  M. 
Walsh,  second  vice  president,  and  T.  0.  Hafdahl,  cash- 


ier, with  II.  A.  Wilson  as  assistant.  This  bank  ranks 
high  among  the  financial  institutions  of  northern  Min- 
nesota and  handles  an  important  share  of  Polk  County 
business.  It  occupies  one  of  the  most  handsome  and 
finely  appointed  country  bank  buildings  in  the  county, 
a  brick  structure,  equipped  with  modern  banking  con- 
veniences, with  time-locked  vaults  and  safes,  which 
was  erected  in  1914  at  an  expenditure  of  $10,000.  The 
bank  receives  deposits  amounting  to  $160,000  and  car- 
ries a  surplus  of  $5,000  and  undivided  profits,  $4,000. 
The  man  most  thorougldy  identified  with  prosperous 
transactions  of  this  institution  is  C.  C.  Heath,  who 
has  directed  its  management  as  owner,  cashier  and 
vice  president  during  the  last  twelve  years.  Mr. 
Heath  came  to  Beltrami  in  1903,  when  he  became  an 
owner  of  the  bank  and  is  widely  known  in  financial 
circles  through  the  eminent  success  of  his  able  and 
enterprising  career  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  his  associates,  who  are  among  the  leading 
financiers  of  northern  Minnesota.  Mr.  Heath  is  that 
tj'pe  of  aggressive  and  broad-minded  citizen,  whose 
influence  and  efiforts  extend  beyond  his  private  inter- 
ests to  the  public  progress  and  the  prosperity  of  the 
commonwealth.  Another  flourishing  enterprise  of  ex- 
tensive operations  with  which  he  is  prominently  asso- 
ciated as  organizer,  president  and  manager  is  the 
Heath  Investment  Company,  a  corporation  organized 
in  1914,  with  a  capitalization  of  $50,000,  which  en- 
gages in  the  buying  and  selling  of  real  estate  and  com- 
mercial interests  and  owns  and  operates  some  three 
thousand  acres  of  farm  land  near  Beltrami.  J.  W. 
Wheeler  and  E.  M.  Walsh  are  associated  with  him  in 
this  successful  activity  also,  Mr.  Wheeler  being  vice 
president  and  Mr.  Walsh,  secretary.  Mr.  Heath  is  a 
native  of  Delaware  County,  Indiana. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  DEPARTMENT 


HON.  WILLIAM  WATTS. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  judge  of  the 
District  Court  for  the  last  seventeen  years,  having 
been  elected  to  that  position  in  1898  and  twice  since 
that  time  without  opposition.  He  ranks  among  tlie 
ablest  of  the  district  judges  in  Minnesota.  Before 
becoming  judge  he  was  county  attorney  of  Polk 
county,  city  attorney  of  Crookston,  a  member  of  its 
city  council  twelve  years,  member  of  the  school  boai-d 
and  referee  in  bankruptcy.  He  was  born  June  9, 
1850,  in  Stanley,  Huron  county,  Ontario.  His  father 
■was  Matthew  Watts,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
who  came  to  Canada  in  1842  and  his  mother,  Hannah 
(Simpson)  Watts  of  Cumberlandshire,  England,  who 
came  in  1832  at  the  age  of  six  years.  They  settled 
in  the  backwoods  near  the  shore  of  Lake  Huron  in 
1848,  enduring  the  hardships  of  pioneers  who  make 
farms  from  heavily  timbered  lands  with  their  own 
hands,  and  there  they  are  buried,  the  father  dying  in 
1854  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years  and  his  wife  in 
1912  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 

Judge  Watts  received  his  education  in  the  common 


schools  and  worked  at  farming,  lumbering  and  teach- 
ing school  in  Ontario,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Min- 
nesota until  1875  when  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  graduating  therefrom 
in  1877  with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  laws,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Michigan.  He  came  to  Crooks- 
ton  in  January,  1878,  and  has  lived  there  contin- 
uously since  that  time,  making  him  the  first  lawyer 
now  living  to  locate  in  what  is  now  the  Fourteenth 
Judicial  District  of  Minnesota.  He  soon  became  a 
good  trial  lawyer  and  had  a  fair  share  of  the  law 
business  of  the  region  tributary  to  Crookston  while 
at  the  bar  and  has  also  done  considerable  farming  in 
the  Red  River  valley. 

Judge  Watts  was  united  in  marriage  with  Edith  E. 
Webb  whose  father.  Rice  Webb  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Polk  county  and  who  is  a  descendant  of 
John  Alden  and  Priscilla,  immortalized  in  the  verse 
of  Longfellow.  They  have  four  children,  William 
A.,  lawyer,  residing  at  Duluth,  and  Mai*y  Ella,  Anna 
M.  and  Matthew    S.,  at  home. 


HUGH  THOMPSON. 


Hugh  Thompson,  of  East  Grand  Porks,  an  eminent 
citizen  of  Polk  county,  is  widely  known  as  a  pioneer, 
whose  career  has  been  significantly  associated  witli 
the  development  of  the  various  important  interests  of 
northern  Minnesota.  He  was  born  in  Huntington 
county,  Canada,  July  4,  1850,  the  son  of  John  L. 
Thompson,  a  well  known  farmer  of  that  region,  who 
continued  to  reside  in  Huntington  county  until  his 
death.  His  son,  Hugh  Thompson,  spent  his  early 
youth  on  the  Canadian  homestead  and  came  to  this 
country  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  securing  a  posi- 
tion as  a  clerk  in  a  store  owned  by  his  brothers,  at  St. 


Croix  Palls,  Wisconsin.  Two  years  later  he  left  St. 
Croix  for  Menominee,  where  he  engaged  in  similar 
employment.  In  1873  he  came  to  Crookston,  then  in 
the  earliest  days  of  its  settlement  and  has  since  been 
actively  identified  with  growth  and  progress  of  Polk 
county.  Por  a  few  years  he  was  employed  in  the 
store  operated  by  W.  D.  Bailey  but  in  October,  1875, 
he  embarked  upon  his  independent  commercial  career, 
opening  a  general  store  at  Pisher's  Landing.  This 
proved  a  successful  venture  and  in  1879  he  extended 
his  activities  to  the  milling  business,  erecting  a  flour- 
ing mill  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  some  three  years 


141 


U2 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


later.  In  1879  Mr.  Thompson  organized  the  Fisher 
bank  as  a  private  banking  house  and  as  president, 
capably  directed  its  affairs  during  the  first  years  of 
its  operations.  This  bank  became  a  State  bank  in 
1896  and  is  one  of  the  mast  substantial  and  pros- 
perous financial  institutions  of  the  county.  In  1885 
I\Ir.  Thompson  became  associated  in  his  various  busi- 
ness interests  with  Marcus  Johnson,  buying  the  mer- 
cantile business  owned  by  Andrew  D.  Stephens  and 
erecting  a  flour  mill  which  they  operated  for  nine 
years  when  it  was  merged  with  the  North  Dakota 
Milling  Association,  of  which  Mr.  Thompson  became 
president.  This  corporation  had  extensive  milling 
interests  in  North  Dakota  and  Minnesota  and  Mr. 
Thompson  remained  at  the  head  of  its  Ijoard  of  di- 
rectors for  se\eral  years.  During  these  busy  years 
of  commercial  enterprise,  he  found  time  for  active 
co-operation  in  public  affaire  and  gave  his  services 
in  public  offices,  as  county  commissioner,  and  was 
the  first  postmaster  appointed  at  Fisher.  In  1891  he 
was  appointed  registrar  of  the  United  States  land 
office  at  Crookston  and  during  the  four  years  of  his 
incumbency  of  that  position,  resided  in  Crookston. 
He  removed  to  East  Grand  Porks  in  1896  and  since 
that  time  has  given  his  attention  largely  to  the  direct 
service  of  public  interests  in  the  various  official  posi- 


tions to  which  the  confidence  and  regard  of  his  fellow 
citizens  have  called  him.  Aside  from  the  local  offices 
which  he  lias  held,  Mr.  Thompson  was  also  an  able 
member  of  the  State  board  of  Equalization  for  ten 
years,  being  first  appointed  to  the  board  in  1882.  He 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  civic  affairs  as 
mayor  and  president  of  the  town  council  and  for 
four  years  was  county  commissioner  from  the  fiftli 
district.  As  a  pioneer  citizen,  merchant  axid  banker, 
his  career  has  been  notably  marked  with  that  intelli- 
gent and  constructive  citizenship  which  lays  the  foun- 
dation for  the  steady  prosperity  and  rapid  develop- 
ment of  all  commercial  and  social  activity.  Mr. 
Thompson  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  union 
was  with  Luella  May  Thompson  in  1875.  She  was 
born  in  St.  Paul  and  was  a  teacher  in  the  first  school 
of  Polk  county,  at  Crookston.  Three  cliildren  were 
born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The 
death  of  the  mother  occurred  at  Fisher  in  1888  and 
she  was  survived  by  one  daughter,  Luella  M.,  who  is 
the  v\-ife  of  Bert  TowTisend.  Mr.  Thompson's  mar- 
riage to  Lees  McMaster,  a  native  of  Olmstead  county, 
ilinnesota,  and  a  teacher  in  the  Fisher  schools  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage  was  solemnized  in  1891  and 
they  have  two  children,  Charlotte  H.  and  June. 


REVEREND  J.  B.  A.  DALE. 


Reverend  J.  B.  A.  Dale,  pastor  of  the  United  Lu- 
theran church  at  Mcintosh,  was  born  at  Avue  Bergen, 
Stiff,  Norway,  Jiine  29,  1854.  He  remained  in  his 
native  land  i;ntil  his  seventeenth  year,  coming  to  the 
United  States  in  Jime,  1871.  For  several  months  he 
made  his  home  in  Columbus,  Wisconsin,  and  then  lo- 
cated in  Chicago,  where  he  spent  three  years  and  then 
returned  to  Wisconsin,  living  for  a  time  in  Eau  Claire. 
Being  ambitious  to  secure  an  education  and  prepare 
himself  for  the  ministry,  in  the  fall  of  1875  he  went 
to  Minneapolis  and  enrolled  in  tlie  Augsburg  Semi- 
nary. He  completed  a  four  years '  course  of  study  in 
that  institution,  meanwhile  working  during  the  vaca- 


tion mouths  and  finding  further  employment  as  a 
teacher  in  parochial  schools.  He  then  attended  the  Nor- 
mal school  at  AYinona,  ]\Iinnesota,  during  one  winter 
and  subsecjuently  entered  the  University  at  Columbus, 
Ohio.  In  1882  he  became  a  student  in  the  Red  Wing 
Seminary  and  completed  his  studies  in  the  following 
two  years,  receiving  his  degree  in  June,  1884.  He  was 
ordained  in  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and  his  first  pastorate 
was  in  Newman  Grove,  Nebraska,  remaining  with  that 
congregation  for  some  fourteen  years.  On  leaving  he 
came  to  Minnesota  to  accept  the  charge  at  Twin  Val- 
ley in  Norman  county,  where  he  sei'ved  for  six  yeare. 
In  July,  1904,  he  removed  to  Mcintosh,  as  pastor 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


143 


of  the  United  Lutheran  church,  with  eight  churches 
iu  Polk  comity  in  his  circuit,  wliieh  has  since  been 
divided  into  two  pastorates,  ilr.  Dale  has  devoted 
his  life  to  his  ministei'ial  labors  and  enjoys  the  high 
regard  of  his  many  warm  friends  through  his  faithful 
service  during  the  many  years  spent  as  a  leader  iu 
religious  interests.  He  was  married  at  Roland,  Iowa, 
in  July,  1882,  to  Julia  Olson,  who  was  born  at  Leland, 
Illinois,  November  23,  1865.    Fourteen  children  were 


born  to  this  union,  twelve  of  whom  are  living.  Mar- 
celius  A.  Dale  died  at  Mcintosh,  in  his  twentieth 
year  and  the  death  of  Melviu  Dale  occurred  when 
he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  sui-viving  children 
are,  Jeanette,  who  married  E.  G.  Schlanbusch ;  Cas- 
par, Erwin,  Christina,  the  wife  of  Reverend  A.  B. 
Hinderlie,  Clara,  Elnora,  Andora,  Ingeborg,  Bea- 
trice, Marcellus,  Marguerite  and  Jens. 


WILLIAM  J.  RASMUSSEN. 


William  J.  Rasmussen,  municipal  judge  at  East 
Grand  Porks  and  one  of  the  leading  membere  of  the 
Polk  county  bar,  was  bom  in  Duck  Creek  township, 
Taylor  county,  Wisconsin,  June  22,  1885,  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Caroline  (Olson)  Rasmussen,  who  were 
natives  of  Norway.  Jacob  Rasmussen  continues  to 
make  his  home  at  Phillips,  Wisconsin,  where  the 
death  of  his  wife  occurred  in  her  sixty-ninth  year. 
William  Rasmussen  spent  his  youth  in  Phillips  and 
there  received  his  early  education,  later  entering  the 
University  of  Wisconsin.  Subsequently  he  matricu- 
lated in  the  state  university  of  Minnesota  and  there 
prepared  himself  for  his  professional  career,  grad- 
uating from  the  law  school  of  that  institution  in  1909. 


He  immediately  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in 
East  Grand  Forks  and  rapidly  won  recognition  83 
one  of  the  able  young  attorneys  of  that  section.  In 
1911  he  was  elected  municipal  judge  and  has  since 
given  most  efficient  and  zealous  service  in  discharg- 
ing the  responsibilities  of  his  position.  As  public 
official  or  private  citizen,  Mr.  Rasmussen  is  that  type 
of  broad  minded  and  progressive  citizen,  whose  in- 
fluence is  felt  in  every  phase  of  community  develop- 
ment. His  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Republi- 
can party.  In  fraternal  orders,  he  is  a  well  known 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  a  Knight 
Templar. 


JOHN  J.  VAATVEIT. 


John  J.  Vaatveit,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Mcin- 
tosh and  well  known  citizen  of  King  township,  is  a 
native  of  Norway,  born  in  Village  of  Vass,  on  August 
13,  1856.  He  was  reared  on  a  pioneer  farm  home  in 
Dodge  county,  Minnesota,  the  family  emigrating  to  the 
United  States  in  spring  of  1857,  and  spent  his  early 
manhood  in  Dodge  county.  In  1856  he  went  to  Grand 
Forks,  North  Dakota,  and  began  his  career  in  the  com- 
mercial world  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store.  After 
spending  seven  years  in  that  employment,  he  made  his 
first  independent  venture  in  the  mercantile  business 
and  for  five  years  continued  his  successful  operations, 
establishing  a  store  at  Northland,  North  Dakota,  and 


was  appointed  the  first  postmaster  at  that  place.  la 
1895  he  sold  his  interests,  resigned  from  the  office  of 
postmaster  and  transferred  his  attention  to  farming, 
removing  to  Polk  county  and  buying  a  quarter  section 
of  land  in  King  township,  where  he  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  some  twelve  years.  In  1907  he 
resumed  his  commercial  activities,  opening  a  general 
store  at  Mcintosh,  where  he  has  since  conducted  a 
prosperous  and  steadily  growing  trade.  During  the 
many  years  of  his  residence  in  King  township,  Mr. 
Vaatveit  has  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all 
his  associates  through  his  ability  as  a  business  man 
and   his   public   spirited   citizenship.     He   has   been 


144 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


prominently  associate  with  township  affairs  and  has 
capably  discharged  the  duties  of  various  public  offices, 
as  chainnan  and  member  of  the  township  board,  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  Mcintosh  and  in  sev- 
eral minor  offices.  He  has  been  further  identified 
with  public  interests  as  the  president  of  the  Farmers 
Mutual  Insurance  Company,  serving  for  a  term  of 


nine  years.  He  was  married  in  Dodge  county,  Minne- 
sota, to  Martha  Alrick,  who  is  a  native  of  Norway  and 
they  have  reared  a  family  of  four  children,  Eng\-old, 
George,  ilinnie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Oliver  Henson, 
and  Mabel.  Mr.  Vaatveit  and  his  family  are  faithful 
supporters  of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church  and  ;ire 
actively  identified  with  all  its  interests. 


EMIL  JORGENSON. 


Emil  Jorgenson,  of  Mcintosh,  local  agent  for  the 
St.  Anthony  and  Dakota  Lumber  Company,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Polk  county,  born  in  Knute  township,  June 
15,  1885,  the  son  of  Marcus  and  Iledda  Jorgenson,  na- 
tives of  Norwaj',  who  settled  in  Polk  county  in  1884; 
the  father  becoming  a  well  known  farmer  of  the 
county,  where  they  continue  to  make  their  home.  Emil 
Jorgenson  was  reared  on  the  Knute  township  liome- 
stead  and  received  his  education  in  the  country 
schools.  He  remained  on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  and  then  entered  upon  his  comnicr- 
cial  career,  his  first  activity  being  in  the  lumber  busi- 


ness and  with  the  exception  of  two  yeai*s  spent  in  the 
employment  of  a  telephone  companj^,  has  continued 
to  devote  his  attention  to  the  lumber  interests,  where 
his  ability  and  successful  experience  have  won  him 
rapid  promotion  and  wide  recognition.  In  July,  1913, 
he  located  in  Mcintosh,  as  the  local  manager  for  the 
St.  Anthony  &  Dakota  Lumber  Co.  ilr.  Jorgenson 
is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  business 
men  and  citizens  of  the  town  in  which  he  lives  and 
is  actively  interested  in  matters  of  public  moment  and 
in  the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare  and  growth. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Johns  Lutheran  church. 


JACOB  P.  SOES. 


One  of  the  leading  merchants  and  the  capable  and 
popular  postmaster  of  tlie  village  of  Climax,  this 
county,  where  he  has  lived  and  been  well  and  favor- 
ably known  by  the  people  for  many  years,  Jacob 
P.  Soes  is  a  very  u.seful  citizen  and  is  universally 
esteemed  in  accordance  with  his  demonstrated  merits 
as  a  business  man,  public  official  and  enterpribing 
and  progressive  citizen  of  public  spirit  and  breadth 
of  view. 

Mr.  Soes  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  where  he  was 
lx)m  Feb.  14,  1871,  and  where  he  lived  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  lie  then  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  May,  1888,  and  came 
direct  to  Crookston.  During  tlie  first  two  years  of 
his  residence  in  this  county  he  was  employed  at  the 
Artesian  "Water  Works,  selling  the  water  all  over 
Crookston.     But  he  was  frugal  and  thrifty,  and  had 


ambition  for  a  higher  sphere  in  life.  So  he  saved 
his  earnings  and  applied  them  in  preparing  himself 
for  a  business  career.  He  attended  the  Crookston 
Business  college  nights,  and  when  he  had  completed  its 
couree  of  instruction  he  entered  the  employ  of  A. 
G.  Anderson  in  the  drug  business. 

Mr.  Soes  remained  Avith  Mr.  Anderson  nine  years, 
and  during  that  period  he  pursued  a  course  of  thor- 
ough training  at  the  School  of  Phannacy  in  Minne- 
apolis, thereby  becoming  a  registered  pharmacist  and 
a  complete  master  of  his  business.  After  leaving  the 
employ  of  Mr.  Anderson  Mr.  Soes  made  a  visit  of 
several  months  to  his  native  land,  and  on  his  return 
to  Minnesota  in  the  fall  of  1901  he  located  at  Climax 
and  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  also  serving  as'as- 
sistiint  postmaster  under  C.  Steenerson  for  about 
twelve  years. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


145 


At  Christmas,  1914,  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
of  Climax,  and  this  office  he  has  held  ever  since.  He 
has  also  been  president  of  the  village  and  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  a  year.  In  these  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility  he  has  been  able  to  put  into  practical 
operation  the  deep  and  intelligent  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  community  which  he  has  always  felt 
and  shoAvn  by  active  participation  in  every  under- 


taking for  the  good  of  the  people.  He  was  married 
in  Crookston  in  1904  to  Miss  Emma  Oieren,  who  is 
a  native  of  Minnesota  but  of  Norwegian  parentage. 
They  have  two  children,  their  daughters  Myrtle  and 
Evelyn.  lu  addition  to  his  business  and  other  hold- 
ings in  Climax  Mr.  Soes  owns  160  acres  of  land  near 
the  village  of  Erskine. 


GUNNER  HUSBY. 


Gunner  Husby,  a  retired  farmer  and  well  known 
citizen  of  King  township,  now  residing  at  Mcintosh, 
was  bom  in  Nor\\ay,  April  13,  1852.  He  remained 
in  his  native  land  until  thirty-one  years  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  in  the  spring  of 
1882  took  a  homestead  claim  on  section  eight  of  King 
township  in  Polk  county.  He  immediately  engaged 
in  the  developmeut  of  his  land  and  devoted  the  efforts 
and  interests  of  his  successful  farming  career  to  this 
farm,  building  up  one  of  the  most  prosperous  prop- 
erties of  the  section.  In  1914,  after  many  years  of 
business  activity,  he  sold  the  homestead  and  has  since 


made  his  home  at  Mcintosh.  As  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  township  he  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  public  affairs  and  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare.  He 
has  capably  discharged  the  duties  of  various  local 
offices  to  which  he  has  been  elected  and  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  and  township  board. 
Mr.  Husby  is  a  memljer  of  the  St.  Johns  Luthei-an 
church.  He  was  married  in  Norway,  to  Marit  Haaven 
and  they  have  seven  children,  Magnhild,  Louis,  Peter, 
John,  Ingvar,  Gertrude  and  Gottfried. 


ODD  EIDE. 


During  the  last  fourteen  years  this  prominent  and 
enterprising  young  business  man  of  Polk  eountj^  has 
been  a  resident  of  Fertile  and  actively  engaged  in 
helping  to  build  up  and  improve  the  village  and  min- 
ister to  the  enduring  welfare  and  comfort  of  its 
inhabitants.  He  is  now  only  thirty-two  years  old,  but 
he  has  alread.y  established  himself  in  the  confidence 
and  regard  of  the  community  around  him  as  a  good 
business  man  and  a  progressive,  enterprising  and  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  with  the  welfare  of  the  town  al- 
ways foremost  in  his  mind. 

Mr.  Eide  is  a  native  of  Nonvay,  where  his  life 
began  Feb.  16,  1883,  and  where  he  lived  until  1899, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States.  In  1901  he 
located  at  Fertile  and  began  his  business  career  as  a 
clerk  for  his  uncle,  Andrew  Opheim,  with  whom  he 


remained  until  death  ended  the  uncle's  labors  on 
April  5,  1915.  Mr.  Opheim  was  one  of  Fertile 's  hon- 
ored pioneers.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  Norway 
and  became  a  resident  of  the  United  States  in  1871. 
In  1882  he  located  in  Polk  county  and  opened  a  drug 
store  one  mile  east  of  Fertile,  where  he  remained 
until  1887,  then  moved  his  store  to  Fertile,  forming 
a  partnei-ship  in  the  drug  trade  and  general  mer- 
chandising with  Dr.  Arne  Nelson,  which  lasted  from 
1882  until  1893.  When  he  died  Mr.  Opheim  owned 
600  acres  of  land  in  Polk  county,  and  throughout 
his  residence  here  he  took  an  earnest  interest  and 
an  active  part  in  pushing  forward  the  growth  and 
improvement  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Eide  was  appointed  administrator  of  his  uncle 's 
estate  and  succeeded  him  in  the  management  of  the 


146 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


store  and  the  uncle's  other  business.  He  was  mar-  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Arne  Nelson.  They 
ried  in  East  Grand  Forks,  Minnesota,  Novenaber  30,  have  two  tliildren,  their  son  Kuute  Arne  and  their 
1910.  to  Jliss  Clara  Nelson,  who  was  born  in  Fertile     daughter  Anna  Bessie. 


HARVEY  CHASE  MISNER. 


Harvey  Chase  Misner,  pioneer  business  man  of  the 
state  and  for  a  number  of  yeare  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  business  interests  of  Crookston  as  vice 
president  of  the  First  National  bank  and  president 
of  the  Wheeler-Misner  Loan  company,  was  a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  Ijorn  near  Batavia.  January  9,  18.34, 
the  son  of  Ira  P.  and  Arvilla  (Chapin)  Misner.  The 
latter  was  a  native  of  Michigan.  His  father,  Ira  P. 
Misner  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  went  to  Wisconsin 
in  his  early  manlioi'd  and  there  spent  the  many  years 
of  his  active  and  useful  career  as  a  farmer  and  citizen. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  a  Wisconsin  i-egiment  and  gave 
gallant  service  in  defence  of  the  Union  throughout 
the  four  years  of  the  great  struggle  and  was  thrice 
wounded.  His  death  occurred  in  1905,  at  Fond  du 
Lac,  Wisconsin.  He  was  survived  by  the  wife  of  his 
second  marriage  and  three  sons  by  his  first  wife. 
Harvey  C.  ;\Iisner  was  reared  on  the  Wisconsin  farm 
and  attended  the  schools  at  Fond  du  Lac.  After  being 
employed  for  a  time  as  clerk  in  a  feed  store,  lie  made 
his  first  independent  business  venture  and  engaged 
in  the  tea  and  coffee  business  in  Fond  du  Lac.  In 
1879  he  came  to  Minnesota  and  located  in  Euclid 
where  he  opened  a  general  store  under  the  firm  name 
of  Misner  &  Lindsley.  This  business  was  later  I'eor- 
ganized  as  E.  Taylor  &  Company  and  was  still  later 
known  as  H.  C.  Misner  &  Company  and  was  most 
successfully  and  profitably  conducted  by  Mr.  Misner 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1904  he  removed  to  Crooks- 
ton  and  founded  one  of  the  important  business  organi- 
zations of  the  city,  the  Wheeler-^Misner  Loan  company 
and  was  actively  identified  with  the  substantial  pros- 
perity of  this  corporation  as  secretary  and  treasurer 
and  for  the  last  two  years  of  his  life,  as  president, 
having  been  elected  to  that  position  in  1912.  He  was 
also  prominentlj-  associated  with  the  financial  inter- 


ests of  the  county  as  vice  president  and  manager  of 
the  First  National  bank,  one  of  the  largest  banking 
institutions  in  this  section.  From  January,  1912,  to 
January,  1914,  he  was  extensively  interested  in  farm 
lands  and  in  the  agricultural  development  of  the 
northwest.  After  many  j^ears  of  indefatigable  effort 
and  achievement  but  with  a  future  bright  with  pros- 
pects of  larger  activities,  failing  health  necessitated 
his  witlulrawal  from  the  business  world.  This  was 
in  January,  1914,  and  his  death  occurred  on  June  1 
of  that  year.  He  had  a  long  and  successful  experi- 
ence in  his  chasen  occupations  and  in  every  phase  of 
his  bus}'  life  demonstrated  his  peculiar  adaptation 
to  business  and  his  sterling  integrity  as  a  progressive 
citizen,  and  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all 
who  knew  him.  Mr.  Misner  was  married,  June  15, 
1881,  to  Ida  Jlay  Taylor  of  Lyons,  Iowa,  who  sur- 
vives him,  retaining  her  residence  in  Crookston.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Alfred  C.  Taylor,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Iowa,  a  wortliy  pioneer  citizen  who  gave 
his  sen"ices  to  his  country  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion, 
with  an  Iowa  regiment.  Three  children  were  born  to 
]\Ir.  Misner  and  his  wife,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. Harvey  W.  Jlisner,  one  of  the  leading  young 
business  men  of  Crookston,  has  succeeded  to  his 
father's  interests  in  the  firm  of  Wheeler  &  Misner. 
^Ir.  ]Misuer  was  a  faithful  supporter  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party  and  took  an  active  part 
in  tlie  direction  of  the  political  affairs  of  the  state  as 
a  member  of  the  county  and  state  central  committees. 
In  fraternal  orders  he  was  widely  known  and  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  a  thirty- 
second  degree  JIason,  a  member  of  the  Scottish  and 
York  Rites,  and  served  in  1908  as  the  eminent 
commander  of  the  Crookston  conunandery.  He  was 
also  an  Elk  and  a  charter  member  of  the  Modern 


^.  £. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


147 


Woodmen  of  America.  Although  not  a  member  of 
any  religious  organization,  he  was  interested  in  the 
church  and  its  purpose  and  gave  his  generous  support 


and  services  as  trustee  and  treasurer  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Crookston. 


VICTOR  H.  HOGLUND. 


This  enterprising,  progressive  and  broad-minded 
business  man  of  Fertile  is  engaged  in  several  under- 
takings which  minister  to  the  service,  enjoyment  and 
improvement  of  the  people  of  his  home  community 
and  help  to  make  life  more  tolerable  and  comfortable 
for  them,  as  well  as  to  add  to  their  facilities  for 
carrying  on  their  several  occupations  and  pursuing 
their  chosen  i)athways  of  advancement  in  business 
or  social  activity. 

Mr.  Hoglund  is  a  native  and  wholly  a  product  of 
Polk  county,  having  been  born  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Garfield  township  July  23,  1885,  and  having  been 
reared  on  that  farm  and  educated  in  the  school  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  is  a  son  of  Eric  and  Christi'na 
(Johnson)  Hoglund,  natives  of  Sweden,  and 
residents  of  this  county  for  thirty-five  years. 
The  son  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  and 
worked  on  the  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one years.     He  then  turned  his  attention  to  tele- 


phone work,  in  which  he  was  employed  for  six  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  he  installed  an  electric  light 
plant  at  Fertile,  which  he  began  operating  March  15, 
1910.  He  erected  the  building  in  which  the  plant 
is  located  and  he  now  has  in  the  neighborhood  of  100 
patrons,  and  the  number  is  steadily  increasing. 

For  two  years  Mr.  Hoglund  was  superintendent 
of  the  Gordon  Valley  Telephone  company,  and  his 
expeidence  in  that  position  has  been  very  valuable 
to  him  in  his  own  business.  He  owns  160  acres  of  well 
improved  land  in  Columbia  township,  and  is  also  pro- 
prietor of  the  Picture  theater  at  Fertile.  Every 
branch  of  his  business  seems  to  be  in  direct  line  with 
his  tastes  and  mental  trend,  and  he  is  making  the 
utmost  of  his  opportunities  in  each,  using  every, 
gain  in  his  progress  as  a  step  to  something  higher 
and  more  advanced,  for  he  is  enterprising  and  far- 
seeing,  and  knows  his  business  thoroughly  to  date 
and  is  always  studious  of  its  further  possibilities. 


ANTONE  M.  GAMME. 


Having  come  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years  with  no  capital  but  his  resolute  spirit, 
strong  physique  and  well-balanced  mind,  and  having 
won  from  the  soil  of  Polk  county  a  substantial  com- 
petence, Antone  M.  Gamme,  a  prominent  farmer  now 
living  retired  from  active  work  in  the  village  of  Fer- 
tile, has  shown  that  he  chose  wisely  when  he  sought 
the  United  States  as  a  land  of  opportunity  in  which 
industry,  thrift  and  good  management  were  bound 
to  win  success  and  prosperity.  By  his  activity  in 
public  affairs  as  a  good  citizen  but  not  as  an  office 
seeker,  he  has  also  shown  that  the  country  gained  in 
sturdy  and  sterling  manhood  when  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  it. 


Mr.  Gamme  was  born  in  Norway  April  23,  1861, 
and  remained  in  his  native  land  until  1883.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  obtained  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. Late  in  tlie  spring  of  1883  he  emigrated  to 
America,  landing  at  New  York  and  coming  direct 
to  Polk  county,  Minnesota.  During  the  first  eight 
years  of  his  residence  in  this  country  he  worked  as 
a  farm  laborer.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  pre- 
empted eighty  acres  of  land  in  Godfrey  township 
which  he  proved  up  on,  owned  and  improved  for  a 
number  of  years,  then  sold  it. 

In  the  spring  of  1891  Mr.  Gamme  took  up  a  home- 
stead in  Rice  township  and  subsequentl.y  purchased 
an  additional  tract  of  160  acres.    On  this  land  he  had 


148 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


his  home  and  expended  his  labors,  improving  it  with 
good  buildings  and  bringing  the  greater  part  of  it 
to  advanced  productiveness,  and  occupying  it  until 
the  spring  of  1915,  when  he  gave  up  all  active  work 
and  moved  to  Fertile.  His  land  is  all  in  Rice  town- 
ship, and,  during  the  years  of  his  activity,  he  carried 
on  a  general  fanning  enterprise  with  vigor,  pro- 
gressiveness  and  success,  making  his  fann  one  of  the 
best  in  the  township  in  fruitfulness  and  an  attractive 
one  in  appearance. 

On  July  15,  1891,  Mr.  Gamme  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Baroline  Shefloe,  the  widow  of  Isaac  Shefloe.     Slie, 


also,  was  bom  in  Norway,  her  life  beginning  on  June 
23,  1856,  and  Mas  thirteen  years  old  when  she  came 
to  the  United  States.  In  1882  she  became  a  resident 
of  Polk  county,  and  here  her  first  husband  died,  pass- 
ing away  at  Beltrami  when  he  was  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  three  children, 
Jlortimer,  Amelia  and  Florence.  She  and  her  present 
husband  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Elmer  and 
Joseph,  twins,  and  Jessie  and  Orlie.  The  father  and 
mother  are  zealous  members  of  tlie  Lutheran  churcli 
and  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  congregation  they 
are  in. 


KNUTE  NELSON. 


When  Knute  Nelson,  the  present  capable  and  oljlig- 
ing  postmaster  at  Fertile,  this  county,  whs  appointed 
to  that  office  by  President  Wilson  on  August  25,  1914, 
he  was  well  prepared  for  the  duties  he  had  been 
selected  to  perform,  for  he  had  already  performed 
similar  duties  in  other  places  at  different  times,  had 
served  as  assistant  postmaster  at  Fertile,  and  had 
rendered  the  public  good  service  in  other  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  Moreover,  he  is  a  man 
of  extensive  general  intelligence,  good  judgment  and 
a  resourcefulness  that  makes  him  e(iual  to  any  re- 
quirement. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  in  Norway  February  28,  1857, 
the  son  of  Nels  A.  Nelson,  who  died  in  that  country 
May  16,  1915,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  His 
son  Knute  was  the  fourth  of  his  eight  children  in  the 
order  of  birth.  He  remained  in  his  native  land  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen,  then  came  to  the  United 
States,  arriving  in  1873.  In  June  of  that  year  he 
located  in  Dodge  county,  Minnesota,  and  for  two 
years  thereafter  he  devoted  himself  wholly  to  hard 
labor  as  a  farm  hand.  During  the  next  two  years 
he  worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  school,  and  in 
1877  and  1878  he  was  clerk  in  a  general  store  in 
Vernon  Dodge  county,  in  which  the  postofifice  was 
kept,  and  he  al.so  acted  as  assistant  postmaster  in 
that  town  while  clerking  in  the  store. 


On  May  1,  1879,  he  started  driving  a  "prairie 
schooner"  across  the  state  to  the  Red  river  valley 
and  reached  Crookston  on  May  15.  He  at  once  took 
up  a  homestead  in  Garfield  township,  this  county,  on 
which  he  filed  on  May  19,  and  at  that  time  he,  his 
bi'other  Ener  and  his  uncle,  Lai-s  Bolstad,  were  the 
only  white  settlers  in  that  township.  During  the 
summer  and  spring  of  1879  he  worked  on  his  home- 
stead, and  in  the  winter  of  1880  began  clerking  in  a 
store  in  Crookston,  and  after  doing  that  for  about 
five  months  he  returned  to  his  claim  and  went  on 
improving  it  and  making  it  productive. 

By  this  time  ^Ir.  Nelson's  ability  had  become 
known  to  his  neighbors,  and  they  looked  upon  him 
as  one  of  the  men  among  them  best  fitted  for  public 
office.  In  June  of  that  year  he  was  appointed  as- 
sessor for  the  townships  of  Garfield,  Gordon,  Bear 
Park  and  Sundahl,  and  in  the  fall  he  became  assistant 
grain  buyer  at  Edna  station,  a  position  which  lie 
filled  for  two  months,  after  which  he  again  turned 
his  attention  to  clerking  in  a  store  and  looked  after 
the  Edna  postoffice  until  April,  1881. 

Soon  afterward  he  opened  a  store  at  a  small  place 
named  Aldal,  and  there  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
during  President  Garfield's  administration  and  served 
until  the  office  was  discontinued  in  August,  1887.  He 
was  also  in  the  lumber  business  at  Fosston  and  in 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


149 


Columbia  towiiship,  Polk  county,  until  1889,  and  from 
then  until  1908  he  gave  his  whole  attention  to  his  farm- 
ing operations,  which  he  had  continued  at  intervals 
all  the  time.  In  1910  and  1911  he  kept  a  store  at 
RindaJ,  Polk  county,  and  during  the  next  three  years 
he  clerked  in  a  store  in  Clearwater  county.  Through- 
out a  large  part  of  this  time  his  family  was  living 
at  Fertile,  and  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
there  he  was  reunited  with  it,  and  he  also  returned 
to  an  old  job,  for  he  had  been  assistant  postmaster 
under  his  brother.  Dr.  A.  Nelson,  who  died  in  1909, 
and  also  under  Brown  Duckstad  from  May  1,  1898, 
to  January  15,  1899. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  elected  county  commissioner  in  the 
fall  of  1882.  He  has  also  been  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  filled  other  local  of3fices.  Always  enterprising  and 
progressive,  he  has  been  an  important  factor  in  build- 
ing up  and  improving  his  township  and  county,  help- 
ing to  organize  the  Farmers'  Elevator  compan}'  in 


June,  1893,  and  serving  as  its  secretary  for  eleven 
years.  In  political  affiliation  he  has  been  a  Democrat 
since  1890,  taking  an  active  part  in  all  campaigns 
and  frequently  serving  as  a  delegate  to  county  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  His  religious  connection  is 
with  the  Lutheran  Synod  church,  and  he  has  been 
zealous  and  energetic  in  its  service  also. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  Garfield  township  June 
24,  1882,  to  Miss  Martha  Brunberg,  who  was  born  in 
Wisconsin  March  2,  1863.  They  have  nine  children : 
Norman  0.,  Richard  A.,  Edd  R.,  Luella,  Leonora, 
Knute  M.,  Olga  I.,  Arthur  and  Thea  L.  The  parents 
own  a  good  farm  of  160  acres  in  Gai-field  township, 
on  which  the  father  has  expended  a  great  deal  of  labor 
to  good  advantage,  making  it  productive  and  improv- 
ing it  according  to  present  day  ideas.  The  farm  is 
located  in  Section  16,  and  was  all  wild  land  when  he 
took  possession  of  it.  It  is  wholly  the  product  of  his 
skiU  and  industrj^,  and  is  highly  creditable  to  him. 


SVEN  PHILIP  SWENSON. 


The  late  Sven  Philip  Swenson,  a  leading  farmer 
of  Vineland  township  for  many  years,  was  a  pioneer 
of  Polk  county,  having  become  a  resident  of  it  about 
1874.  He  located  on  a  homestead  in  section  20  which 
he  took  up  soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  county,  and 
on  which  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  When 
he  located  in  that  township  it  was  yet  almost  wholly 
a  wilderness,  and  his  own  land  was  virgin  to  the 
plow  and  yielding  nothing  for  his  sustenance.  But 
he  made  a  good  farm  of  it  and  added  to  it  until,  at 
the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  340  acres,  all  of  which 
he  had  under  cultivation. 

Mr.  Swenson  was  born  in  what  is  now  the  city 
of  Manitowoc,  Wisconsin,  on  November  21,  1845,  and 
came  to  Houston  county,  Minnesota,  about  1860.  A 
short  time  after  reaching  this  state  he  moved  on  up 
into  the  northwestern  part  of  it  and  for  two  years 
was  employed  on  the  Red  river.  In  1874  he  became  a 
resident  of  Polk  county,  taking  up  the  homestead  al- 
ready mentioned.     He  worked  on  his  place  when  he 


had  opportunity  and  followed  other  pursuits  for  a 
living  for  several  years,  but  always  looked  forward 
to  having  his  home  on  the  farm  which  he  was  grad- 
ually bringing  to  productiveness. 

On  July  3,  1882,  Mr.  Swenson  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Aasmork,  a  native  of  Norway,  and  they 
at  once  took  up  their  residence  on  the  Vineland  town- 
ship farm.  From  then  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  April  20,  1903,  he  continued  to  improve  and  cul- 
tivate his  land,  and  when  he  was  able  put  up  good 
buildings  on  it.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  six  children  all  of  whom  are  living.  They  are 
Knute,  Olianna,  Lena,  Annie,  Ole  and  Carl.  Olianna 
is  the  wife  of  Edward  Opsahl  and  Lena  is  the  wife 
of  Heniy  B.  Hanson.  The  father  was  well  esteemed 
as  a  sturdy  and  upright  citizen  and  an  industrious 
and  progressive  farmer.  He  took  a  good  citizen's 
helpful  part  in  local  public  affairs,  although  he  never 
sought  or  desired  prominence  or  influence  as  an  office 
holder  or  active  partisan  politician. 


150 


COMPEiNDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Kntjte  Swenson,  the  oldest  son  and  child  of  Sven  voice  in  reference  to  all  matters  connected  with  the 
P.  and  Elizabeth  (Aasmork)  Swenson,  who  is  now  government  of  the  township.  He  was  bom  and  reared 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Climax,  and  a  courteous     on  his  father's  farm  in  Vineland  township,  and  was 


and  companionable  gentleman,  has  followed  in  his 
father's  footsteps  as  an  active  force  in  the  affairs 
of  his  township,  but  in  a  more  direct  and  energetic 
way.  He  has  served  the  public  well  as  a  constable 
and  as  village  recorder,  and  has  had  an  influential 


educated  at  the  country  school  near  it.  On  July  3, 
1912,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nora 
Louisa  Poulson.  They  have  one  child,  their  son 
Earl  N. 


MARTIN  HOOGENSON. 


Martin  Hoogenson,  of  Mcintosh,  a  well  known 
farmer  and  real  estate  dealer,  has  been  a  resident  of 
King  township  since  early  infancy.  He  was  boni  in 
Otter  Tail  county,  Jlinnesota,  July  12,  1883,  the  son 
of  Lauris  and  Kjestine  (Rudshaugen)  Hoogenson,  na- 
tives of  Norway.  On  coming  to  the  United  States, 
Lauris  Hoogenson  located  in  Otter  Tail  county  and 
later  removed  to  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead 
in  King  township,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death  in  1900.  Martin  Hoogenson  was  the  eldest  of 
three  children  and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farn^  in 
King  township  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  His  interests  have  always  been 
identified  with  that  township,  where  he  is  extensively 


associated  with  the  farming  activities,  owning  two 
hundred  acres  of  land.  Since  1913  he  has  resided  at 
Mcintosh  and  has  established  a  prosperous  real  estate 
business  at  that  place.  Mr.  Hoogenson  has  always 
faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  citizenship,  taking 
an  active  interest  in  township  affairs  and  has  given 
able  service  in  official  capacity,  as  justice  of  peace 
and  assessor.  He  is  a  member  and  a  faithful  sup- 
porter of  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 
Mr.  Hoogenson  was  married  in  King  township,  March 
1,  1906  to  Anne  Tronby,  the  widow  of  Peter  Tronby, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Berthur,  Melvin  and 
Lillian. 


ANDREW  STEENERSON. 


Revered  as  a  pioneer  of  Polk  county,  successful  in 
business  and  enterprising  and  broad-minded  in  re- 
gard to  public  affairs,  the  late  Andrew  Steenerson 
of  Climax  was  esteemed  during  his  life  as  one  of  the 
county's  iiseful  and  progressive  citizens,  and  he  is 
remembered  since  his  death  with  cordial  appreciation 
as  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  steadfast  integrity  and  a 
citizenship  that  was  elevated  in  itself  and  elevating 
in  its  influence  on  others. 

Mr.  Steenerson  was  native  to  the  soil  of  Minnesota 
and  from  it  drew  the  invigorating  forces  that  gave 
him  his  stature  and  his  strength.  He  was  born  in 
Houston  county  February  9,  1855,  and  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Polk  county  in  1875,  when  he  was  about 


twenty  years  old.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  county 
he  took  up  a  homestead  of  160  acres  near  Climax, 
and  this  he  increased  by  purchases  made  later  until 
he  became  the  owner  of  480  acres,  of  which  he  was 
the  possessor  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  Climax,  at  the  attractive  home  he  had  built  there, 
on  May  18,  1908.  Mr.  Steenerson  was  a  brother  of 
Elias  Steenerson,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere 
and  in  which  a  full  history  of  the  family  is  given. 

After  living  on  his  homestead  for  a  number  of 
years  Mr.  Steenerson  moved  to  Crookston  and  became 
a  dealer  in  farm  machinery.  He  adhered  to  this 
line  of  mercantile  life  for  five  or  six  years,  then  re- 
turned to  his  farm  and  continued  to  live  on  it  until 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


151 


1901,  when  he  changed  his  residence  to  Climax,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  was  always 
public-spirited  and  progressive  in  the  affairs  of  the 
locality  of  his  home,  wherever  it  was,  and  among 
the  public  positions  he  held  was  the  office  of  sheriff 
of  Polk  county,  which  he  filled  with  gi*eat  accepta- 
bility for  two  years.  His  untimely  death  at  the  early 
age  of  fifty-three,  when  he  was  at  the  height  of  his 
vigor  and  the  full  measure  of  his  usefulness,  was 
universally  lamented. 

On  October  10,  1881,  Mr.  Steenersou  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Bertha  Flang,  who  was  born 
in  Norway  and  came  with  her  parents  to  the  United 
States  when  she  was  about  twelve  years  of  a^e.    The 


family  located  in  Ottertail  county,  Minnesota,  and 
there  Mrs.  Steenerson  lived  ten  years,  changing  her 
residence  to  Polk  county  about  1879.  She  and  her 
husband  became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living:  Steener,  M'ho  is  a  resident  of 
Crookston ;  Arne,  who  has  his  home  at  Climax ;  Nora, 
who  is  a  school  teacher,  and  Oretta,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing at  home.  The  other  three  children  died  when 
they  were  very  young.  Mi-s.  Steenerson  is  a  Lutheran 
in  religious  affiliation,  and  is  earnestly  interested  in 
church  work.  She  takes  an  active  part  in  the  activi- 
ties of  several  of  the  agencies  at  work  in  the  commun- 
ity for  the  good  of  its  people,  and  is  highly  respected 
by  all  classes  of  them. 


AUGUST  LINDBLAD. 


Beginning  life  for  himself  as  a  blacksmith  and 
working  his  way  up  by  his  native  ability,  good  busi- 
ness capacity  and  persistent  industry  and  good  man- 
agement to  the  position  of  a  leading  merchant  and 
business  man,  August  Lindblad,  one  of  the  wide- 
awake and  progressive  residents  of  Climax,  this 
county,  furnishes  in  his  successful  career  a  fine  illus- 
tration of  the  value  of  strong  personality,  determined 
perseverance  and  resolute  self-reliance  in  a  land  of 
many  exactions  and  keen  competition  in  all  the  activi- 
ties of  life,  but,  nevertheless,  abundant  in  opportuni- 
ties for  advancement. 

Mr.  Lindblad  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  where  his  life 
began  July  12,  1871,  and  where  he  lived  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty  and  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmith.  In  1891  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  at  once  came  West,  locating  at  Mar- 
quette, Michigan,  and  there  finding  employment  in 
building  bridges  for  a  railroad  company  for  two  years. 
From  Marquette  he  moved  to  Norman  county,  Minne- 
sota, and  during  the  next  two  years  worked  at  the 
forge  in  that  county.  He  became  a  resident  of  Polk 
county  in  1895,  and  for  something  over  a  year  op- 
erated a  blacksmith  shop  on  the  farm  of  Christian 
Steenerson  in  Vineland  township,  Polk  county. 


About  the  time  when  he  was  ready  to  give  up  his 
shop  on  the  farm  to  seek  a  better  opening  he  saw 
one  in  the  village  of  Climax,  and  he  at  once  opened 
a  shop  there.  This  shop  he  continued  to  conduct  until 
1905,  when  he  sold  it  and  began  handling  agricultural 
implements,  a  line  of  trade  in  which  he  is  still  engaged. 
He  is  also  manager  of  the  Climax  Shipping  associa- 
tion, which  includes  live  stock  and  farm  produce 
among  the  commodities  it  handles,  and  has  been  sec- 
retary of  the  Climax  Co-operative  Mercantile  com- 
pany from  the  beginning  of  its  activity  in  the  com- 
munity. 

The  public  affairs  of  Climax  have  always  deeply 
interested  Mr.  Lindblad,  and  he  has  taken  an  active 
and  serviceable  part  in  helping  to  administer  them 
wisely,  serving  for  many  years  as  a  member  of  the 
village  council  and  three  terms  as  mayor.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  other  pursuits  he  assists  in  superintending 
the  cultivation  of  120  acres  of  land  in  Vineland  town- 
ship, in  which  he  owns  a  one-half  interest. 

Mr.  Lindblad  was  married  December  30,  1895,  in 
Ada,  the  coimty  seat  of  Norman  county,  to  Miss  Hilda 
Kirkevold,  a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren, Esther,  Hardin,  Pearl,  Alvin,  Russell  and  Ira. 
The  parents  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  every- 


152 


CO.MPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


body  who  knows  thum,  aud  throughout  the  North-  genuine   and   well-founded  popularity   in   his   home 

west  Mr.  Lindblad  is  regarded  as  a  first  class  business  town  as  a  man,  as  a  merchant,  as  an  influential  force 

man  and  a  public-spirited  aud  progressive  citizen.    He  for  good  and  as  a  social  potency, 
is  genial,   sociable   aud   companionable,    and   enjoys 


JOHN  J.  ALRICK. 


John  J.  Alriek,  a  well  known  citizen  of  Mcintosh, 
was  born  at  Vernon,  Dodge  county,  Minnesota,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1872.  His  parents,  John  and  Mary  (Ten- 
nefos)  Alriek,  were  natives  of  Norway  and  came  to 
this  country  in  the  spring  of  1872,  settling  in  Dodge 
county,  where  they  made  their  home  until  1898,  when 
they  removed  to  Mcintosh  and  have  since  continued 
to  reside  in  that  place.  They  reared  a  family  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  John  J.  Alriek  is  next  to  the  young- 
est. He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  homestead  in  Dodge 
county  and  attended  the  common  schools.  On  remov- 
ing to  Polk  county,  he  located  in  Winger  township 
aud  spent  seven  years  in  successful  farming  activi- 
ties in  that  township.     Subsequently  he  engaged  in 


the  restaurant  business  but  since  1907,  has  given  his 
attention  chiefly  to  his  service  as  a  rural  mail  carrier, 
which  position  he  holds  at  present.  Mr.  Alriek  has 
given  able  service  to  the  public  interests  as  citizen  and 
official  and  has  ever  been  influential  in  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  the  community.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Synod  Lutheran  church  and  in  fraternal  organiza- 
tions is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Independent  Scandinavian  Workiugmen  of  America. 
Mr.  Alriek  was  married  in  Dodge  county,  Minnesota, 
]\rarch  3,  1897,  to  Marj-  Thorsness,  who  is  a  native 
of  that  county.  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union,  Landor  0.,  Milo  B.,  and  Eunice  N. 


HANS  SAMUBLSON. 


After  passing  many  years  in  active  pursuit  of  vari- 
ous kinds  in  a  number  of  different  places,  making 
each  occupation  minister  to  his  advancement  in  life 
by  his  industry,  constant  attention  to  duty  and  good 
management,  Hans  Samuelson,  formerly  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  Vineland  township,  is  now  living 
retired  from  hard  labor,  maintaining  his  residence 
in  the  village  of  Climax  but  still  exercising  active 
personal  supervision  over  the  management  and  op- 
eration of  his  fine  farm  of  160  acres,  all  of  which 
is  under  cultivation  and  yielding  good  returns  for 
the  labor  spent  upon  it. 

Mr.  Samuelson  was  born  in  Norway  November  6, 
1864,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1882.  He  landed  in  New  York  and  from  there 
came  direct  to  Minnesota,  locating  in  Grant  county 
and  there  working  at  farm  labor  for  two  years.  He 
then  went  to  North  Dakota  and  during  the  summer 


months  found  emplojnnent  on  a  large  farm  in  that 
territory.  The  following  winter  he  passed  working 
in  the  lumber  woods  of  Michigan,  and  when  spring 
came  he  took  up  a  timber  claim  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Bemidji,  on  which  he  passed  the  next  three  years. 
Early  in  the  nineties  Mr.  Samuelson  moved  to 
Polk  county  and  bought  160  acres  of  land  in  Vineland 
township.  On  this  land  he  lived  until  the  Great 
Northern  railroad  was  built  through  from  Halstad 
to  Crookston.  He  next  kept  a  hotel  and  saloon  in 
Climax  until  1905,  when  he  sold  his  business  in  the 
village  and  resumed  his  farming  operations,  but 
continued  to  live  in  Climax,  where  he  owns  an  at- 
tractive residence.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  public  affairs  of  Climax  and  Vineland 
township,  serving  as  constable  in  the  township  and 
president  of  the  council  in  the  village,  filling  the  latter 
office  three  terms.    He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 


TOM  MOREJS 


COJIPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


153 


boai'd  of  school  directors  for  some  j-ears  and  is  now 
its  chairman.  Being  a  strong  advocate  of  temperance, 
he  has  rendered  imjjortant  service  to  the  cause  as  a 
member  of  the  County  Option  League. 

On  October  20,  1890,  Mr.  Samuelsou  was  married 
in  Polk  county  to  Miss  Anne  Steenerson,  who  was 
bom  in  Houston  county,  Minnesota,  May  1,  1860.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Steener  and  Bergit  (Rohalt)  Knut- 
son,  and  lived  with  them  in  Houston  county  until 
the  fall  of  1876,  when  she  came  to  Polk  county  and 
began  a  useful  career  as  a  school  teacher,  her  first 
school  being  in  Traill  county.  North  Dakota,  which 
she  taught  dui-ing  the  winter  of  1876-7.     She  con- 


tinued to  teach  in  that  state  and  Minnesota  for  about 
five  years  and  was  then  assistant  postmistress  at 
Fisher,  this  countj-,  for  three  years.  After  that  she 
attended  the  University  of  North  Dakota  two  years 
and  then  again  taught  school  in  this  county  five 
years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuelsou  have  two  children  living, 
their  daughter  Bergit  and  their  son  Stanley.  Bergit 
is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Moor- 
head,  Minnesota,  and  Stanley  is  a  student  in  the 
Crookston  High  School.  Their  first  bom  child,  Hans 
A.,  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  another  son, 
uamed  Stanley  B.,  at  the  age  of  two  years. 


MADS  W.  JENSEN. 


Mads  W.  Jensen,  postmaster  at  Mcintosh,  has  been 
identified  with  interests  of  the  region  of  the  Thirteen 
Towns  since  1880,  when  he  settled  on  land  in  Gar- 
den township.  He  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born 
August  15,  1854,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Wau- 
paca county,  Wisconsin,  in  1863.  There  he  attended 
the  country  schools  and  made  his  home  on  the  Wis- 
consin farm  until  1879  when  he  went  to  Goodhue 
county,  Minnesota,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  follow- 
ing year,  removed  to  Polk  county  aud  took  a  home- 
stead in  Garden  township.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  that  section  and  was  prominent  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  township  and  the  early  adminis- 
tration of  its  affairs.  He  remained  on  the  farm  until 
1889  when  he  came  to  Mcintosh  and  engaged  in  the 
milling  business,  in  partnership  with  Anton  Jensen, 
J.  P.  Johnson  and  0.  P.  Johnson,  under  the  firm  name 
of  M.  W.  Jensen  &  Co.  After  several  years  of  suc- 
cessful operation  as  a  miller,  Mr.  Jensen  sold  his  in- 
terest in  the  company  and  has  since  given  his  atten- 


tion to  various  business  activities.  For  ten  years  he 
was  employed  as  a  rural  mail  carrier  and  in  1915  was 
appointed  postmaster  at  Mcintosh,  an  appointment 
which  met  the  hearty  commendation  of  the  citizens 
of  the  town.  He  has  given  able  service  in  ofiicial 
capacity  as  village  assessor  and  has  held  the  office  of 
justice  of  peace  for  sixteen  years.  As  a  public  spirited 
and  progressive  citizen,  Mr.  Jensen  has  been  actively 
influential  in  promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity and  has  put  his  interest  and  service  into  every 
project  to  advance  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
village.  He  was  married  in  1879,  at  Red  Wing, 
Minnesota,  to  Hannah  Johnson.  She  is  of  Norwegian 
parentage  and  was  bom  in  Goodhue  county,  Minne- 
sota. They  have  a  family  of  three  daughter  and 
one  son,  Marie  L.,  who  married  A.  K.  Anderson,  Wil- 
lie A.,  Florence,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Espeseth  and  Mabel. 
Mr.  Jensen  is  a  member  of  Modem  Woodmen  of 
America. 


TOM  MORRIS. 


Tom  Morris,  mayor  of  Crookston  and  a  pioneer  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  Mark  and  Ann  C.  (Stoddard) 
business  man  of  that  city,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  Morris,  the  latter  a  native  of  Scotland.  Mark  Morris 
bom  at  Goderich,  Huron  county,  Ontario,  June  22,     was  bom  in  Waltshire,  England,  and  came  to  Canada 


154 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


in  1831,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  worked  at 
his  trade  of  millwright,  erecting  many  of  the  small 
saw  mills  in  the  region  where  he  lived.  He  died  in 
1866,  the  victim  of  an  accidental  death  by  drown- 
ing. His  wife  survived  him  for  many  years,  living 
to  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  Tom  Morris  spent  the 
early  years  of  his  life  in  his  native  town  and  there 
attended  the  public  schools.  In  1873  he  came  to 
Waupun,  Wis.,  and  as  a  lad  of  twelve  began  to  tit 
himself  for  an  efficient  career  in  the  business  world, 
apprenticing  himself  to  the  jewelry  trade.  He  re- 
mained in  Waupun  for  three  years  and  then  removed 
to  Milwaukee.  Two  years  later,  in  1878,  he  came  to 
Crookston  and  in  partnership  with  Mr.  W.  W.  Hough- 
ton established  the  pioneer  jewelry  firm  of  this  city. 
The  firm  was  dissolved  the  following  year,  Mr.  Mor- 
ris having  owned  and  conducted  the  business  from 
that  time.  Aside  from  this  prosperous  enterprise 
and  his  private  interests,  he  has  been  notably  asso- 
ciated with  public  affairs  and  the  history  of  the  devel- 
opment and  rapid  expansion  of  Crookston.  As  a 
wide-awake  citizen  and  merchant  he  merits  the  re- 
spect and  popularity  which  is  his.  It  is  his  pi'ivilege 
to  compare  the  little  hamlet  surrounded  by  the  primi- 
tive forest  with  the  city  of  today  and  to  know  that 
his  zealous  services  were  freely  given  to  promote  its 


welfare  and  prosperity.  He  is  particularly  identified 
with  organization  of  the  city  fire  department.  His 
efforts  in  this  part  of  civic  service  became  state- 
wide and  he  was  made  president  of  the  state  asso- 
ciation and  has  been  elected  a  life  member  of  that 
body.  It  was  after  the  first  big  fire  in  Crookston,  in 
1880,  that  he  instigated  the  organization  of  the  first 
fire  company.  He  was  chief  of  the  department  until 
1883,  when  it  was  reorganized  into  its  present  form. 
Although  the  period  of  his  most  active  service  is  past, 
he  continues  his  connection  with  the  department. 
Several  offices  of  public  trust  have  been  conferred 
upon  Mr.  Morris  by  his  fellow  citizens.  In  1881  he 
was  elected  alderman  and  has  .served  in  the  office  of 
mayor  since  1912.  On  January  22,  1890,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Nellie  Heith,  who  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin. 
In  fraternal  orders,  Mr.  Morris  is  prominently  and 
widely  known  throughout  the  state.  He  has  been 
affiliated  with  Masonry  since  1883  and  has  filled  all 
the  chairs,  occupying  that  of  Master  for  thirteen 
years.  In  1906  he  was  elected  the  Grand  Master  of 
Minnesota  and  is  the  present  Grand  Captain  General 
of  the  Coramandery.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Elks  lodge  and  was  chosen  the  second  Exalted  Ruler. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party. 


EDDY  BOLSTAD. 


Prominent  and  successful  in  business;  a  man  of 
commanding  influence  in  local  public  affairs;  every- 
wfhere  recognized  as  an  upright,  progressive  and 
highly  serviceable  citizen,  and  a  forceful  factor  in 
all  undertakings  for  the  farther  development  and  im- 
provement of  his  home  town  and  county,  Eddy  Bol- 
stad,  the  present  mayor  of  Fertile,  has  reached  an 
elevated  place  in  the  regard  of  the  people  around 
him,  but  he  richly  desei'\'es  his  standing  and  has  won 
it  wholly  by  his  own  efforts  and  genuine  merit. 

Mr.  Bolstad  was  born  in  Dodge  county,  Minne- 
sota, May  3,  1872,  the  third  child  of  Knute  and  Inge- 
borg  (Olsen)  Bolstad,  natives  of  Norway.    The  family 


moved  to  Polk  county  in  1880,  when  the  future  mayor 
was  but  eight  years  old,  and  settled  on  a  homestead 
which  the  father  entered  in  Gai-field  township  and 
on  which  he  is  still  living.  He  and  his  wife  are 
the  parents  of  twelve  children.  They  are  industrious 
and  thrifty  farmers  and  are  held  in  esteem  by  all 
classes  of  the  people  wherever  they  are  known. 

Their  son  Eddy  grew  to  manhood  in  Polk  county 
and  obtained  his  education  in  its  schools.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  left  home  and  began  his  business  career 
as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Messrs.  Nelson  &  Opheim  at 
Fertile.  When  the  partnership  was  dissolved  two 
years  later  and  ]\Ir.  Opheim  became  the  sole  proprie- 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


155 


tor  of  the  store  Mr.  Bolstad  remaiued  in  his  employ 
aud  continued  to  clerk  for  him  seven  years  longer. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  he  became  a  clerk  in  the 
clothing  store  of  Leo  Baer,  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciated in  that  capacity  for  eight  years.  In  1907  he 
bought  the  business  of  Mr.  Baer,  and  he  has  conducted 
it  himself  ever  since. 

Throughout  his  manhood  Mr.  Bolstad  has  taken 
an  earnest  interest  and  an  active  part  in  the  civil 
affairs  of  his  community,  and  has  been  very  helpful 
to  it.  He  has  served  as  village  assessor,  and  in  that 
office  he  gave  the  people  sers'ice  so  entirely  satis- 
factory that  in  the  spring  of  1915  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  the  village.    As  the  chief  village  executive 


he  is  performing  his  duties  with  the  same  zeal,  in- 
telligence and  fidelity  that  he  exhibited  in  the  office 
of  assessor  and  has  always  shown  in  the  management 
of  his  private  business  and  personal  affaii-s. 

In  religious  affiliation  Mr.  Bolstad  is  connected 
with  the  Synod  Lutheran  church,  and  in  fraternal 
relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  On  August  31,  1895,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Tina  Westad,  the  marriage 
being  solemnized  in  Crookston,  this  county.  They 
have  one  child,  their  daughter  Edith  Thelma.  Mrs. 
Bolstad  is  a  Norwegian  by  nativity  but  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  state  and  county  for  many  years. 


LEWIS  M.  HESSELDAHL. 


While  he  has  sought  nothing  of  renown  or  spectacu- 
lar display  in  his  life  to  the  present  time,  but  has 
been  content  to  live  as  a  plain,  industrious,  frugal, 
upright  and  useful  citizen,  Lewis  M.  Hesseldahl,  a 
retired  farmer  now  residing  at  Fertile,  this  county, 
has,  nevertheless,  had  some  exciting  experiences  in 
the  service  of  his  adopted  country  and  seen  the  other 
side  of  the  world  from  here  while  rendering  that  serv- 
ice. He  was  a  United  States  soldier  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war  and  as  such  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the 
Philippines  during  that  short  but  decisive  contest. 

Mr.  Hesseldahl  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  where  his 
life  began  Februaiy  24,  1874.  When  he  was  but  one 
year  and  a  half  old  his  parents  brought  him  to  this 
country  and  took  up  their  residence  in  Kendall 
county,  Illinois.  Some  time  afterward  they  moved 
to  Minnesota  and  located  in  Faribault  county,  and 
there  their  son  Lewis  remained  until  1901,  when  he 
came  to  Polk  county  and  located  on  a  farm  near  Fer- 


tile. His  farm  is  in  Garfield  township  and  contains 
240  acres.  It  is  well  improved  and  by  his  skill  aud 
industry  in  cultivating  it  he  has  brought  it  to  a  high 
state  of  productiveness.  A  few  years  ago  he  gave  up 
active  work  on  the  farm  and  moved  to  Fertile,  where 
he  has  since  had  his  home,  but  he  has  continued  to 
superintend  the  operations  of  his  farm  industry. 

On  March  4,  1905,  Mr.  Hes.seldahl  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Anna  (Frandahl)  Underdahl,  for- 
merly the  wife  of  Reginald  Underdahl,  who  was  liorn 
in  Norway.  They  also  moved  from  Faribault  county, 
Minnesota,  to  Polk  county  in  1901,  and  settled  on  a 
faiTn  in  Garfield  township.  Mrs.  Hesseldahl  was  bom 
near  Madison,  Wisconsin,  November  28,  1856,  and  was 
married  to  Mr.  Underdahl  in  Faribault  county.  She 
has  six  children  living,  the  fruits  of  her  first  marriage. 
They  are :  John,  Julius,  Ole,  Christina,  Ada  and 
Eddie. 


JOSEPH  MELAAS. 


While  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Fertile  but  five 
years  Joseph  Melaas,  manager  of  the  Monarch  Ele- 
vator company,  has  made  his  mark  on  the  business 


activities  of  the  village  and  established  a  reputation 
for  good  judgment,  enterprise  and  determined  per- 
sistency in  whatever  he  undertakes  and  has  risen  to 


156 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


a  high  rauk  in  the  estimatiou  and  regard  of  the  people 
as  a  business  man  and  a  wide-awake  and  progressive 
citizen,  keenly  alive  to  the  general  welfare  of  the  eora- 
niunity  along  all  wholesome  lines  of  development. 

Jlr.  Melaas  was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  Win- 
neshiek county,  Iowa,  one  of  the  younger  of  the  fif- 
teen children  of  A.  John  and  Grunhild  (Blegeberg) 
Melaas,  natives  of  Norway.  He  obtained  a  good  com- 
mon school  education  iu  his  native  county,  and  after 
attaining  the  age  of  twenty-one  yeare  clerked  in  a 
store  at  Ridgeway,  in  that  county,  for  a  period  of  five 
years.  In  1902  he  went  to  North  Dakota  and  took  up 
a  homestead  on  which  he  lived  until  the  spring  of 
1906.  He  then  sold  his  claim  and  moved  to  Clearwater 
county,  Minnesota,  where  he  was  occupied  iu  the  liv- 
ery business  for  two  years,  and  also  served  as  census 
enumerator  of  four  townships  in  Clearwater  county, 
and  in  addition  lie  was  a  member  of  tlie  Shevlin  school 
board  and  the  village  council. 

In  November,  1910,  he  located  at  Fertile  and  again 
entered  the  livery  business,  which  he  followed  here 


for  one  year.  During  the  next  year  he  was  employed 
by  the  Thorpe  Elevator  company  at  Milnor,  North 
Dakota,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  was  appointed 
manager  of  the  ]\Ionarch  Elevator  company  at  Fer- 
tile, which  position  he  has  held  continuously  since, 
and  since  he  came  to  Fertile  he  has  held  the  office 
of  village  assessor  here.  His  farm  of  160  acres  in 
Godfrey  township,  this  county,  is  well  improved  and 
nearly  all  under  cultivation.  It  is  verj^  productive 
and  steadily  increasing  in  value,  for  he  gives  it  in- 
telligent attention  and  conducts  its  operations  accord- 
ing to  the  most  approved  methods  of  present-day 
farming. 

Mr.  Melaas  was  married  June  6,  1903,  in  "Wild  Rice 
church  at  Twin  Valley,  Norman  county,  Minnesota,  to 
Miss  Louise  Ask,  a  native  of  that  county.  They  have 
two  children  living,  Beatrice  J.  and  Vera  E.  The 
parents  are  members  of  Synod  Lutheran  church  and 
take  an  active  part  in  all  its  good  works  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  community,  throughout  which  they 
are  well  esteemed  as  thev  richly  deseiwe  to  be. 


STEEN  A.  HOFTO. 


Having  come  to  the  United  States  a  boy  of  thirteen 
years  of  age  and  successively  worked  as  farm  hand, 
as  a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  as  a  merchant  and 
again  as  a  farmer,  Steen  A.  Hofto,  one  of  the  best 
known  and  most  highly  esteemed  residents  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Mcintosh,  this  county,  has  had  a  varied  experi- 
ence in  life  and  borne  his  share  of  trials  and  priva- 
tions. But  through  every  part  of  his  career  he  has 
made  steady  progress  financially  and  in  the  good  will 
and  regard  of  his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Hofto  was  born  in  Vallc,  Norway,  Febiiiary  13, 
1855,  and  is  the  son  of  Arue  and  Gunnel  (Aaki-e) 
Hofto,  who  were  also  natives  of  Norway.  They  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1868  and  located  on  a 
farm  in  Waseca  county,  Minnesota,  on  which  they 
lived  about  twelve  years.  In  the  spring  of  1880  the 
family  moved  to  Grand  Forks  county.  North  Dakota, 
where  the  father  died  when  he  was  seventy-three  years 


old.  The  mother  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  Steen 
after  she  had  passed  the  age  of  eighty.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Steen  A.  was 
the  fifth  in  the  order  of  birth. 

He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  iu  1868 
and  lived  with  them  in  Waseca  county,  IMinnesota, 
until  1878.  He  then  accompanied  them  to  Grand 
Forks  county,  North  Dakota,  and  there  took  up  a 
homestead  of  160  acres  and  a  tree  claim  of  160  acres  in 
Americus  township.  He  lived  on  his  land  until  1891, 
breaking  and  cultivating  it  and  putting  up  good  build- 
ings for  the  shelter  of  his  family  and  himself  and  the 
protection  of  his  crops  and  his  live  stock. 

In  the  fall  of  1891  Mr.  Hofto  moved  to  Polk  county 
and  entered  the  hardware  business  in  Mcintosh  in 
partnei-ship  with  his  brother,  Knute  Hofto,  and  during 
the  next  five  years  they  conducted  the  business  to- 
gether under  the  firm  name  of  Ilofto  Bros.     At  the 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


157 


end  of  five  years  he  bought  his  brother's  interest  in 
the  business  and  became  its  sole  proprietor.  After- 
ward he  again  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and 
followed  that  occupation  for  about  ten  yeai-s  in  King 
township,  this  county,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that 
period  rented  his  farm  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
Mcintosh,  where  he  has  since  had  Ms  home.  He  still 
owns  his  farm  of  160  acres  just  east  of  Mcintosh, 
which  he  has  improved  with  commodious  and  comfort- 
able buildings.  He  also  erected  the  block  just  north 
of  the  West  Hotel  in  Mcintosh. 


While  living  in  North  Dakota  Mr.  Hofto  held  sev- 
eral township  offices,  among  them  that  of  township 
assessor,  of  which  he  was  the  first  incumbent,  and 
since  locating  in  Polk  county  he  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  village  council  of  Mcintosh  and  township 
assessor  of  King  township.  In  the  autumn  of  1883 
he  was  married  in  Grand  Porks  county,  North  Dakota, 
to  Miss  Gyro  S.  Jora,  who  was  born  in  Norway  August 
23,  1863.  They  have  three  children,  Ame,  Samuel 
and  Knute.  The  parents  are  active  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 


ERIC  J.  ERIKSON. 


Having  come  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Polk 
county  in  the  full  maturity  of  his  manhood  and  with 
his  ambition  for  his  own  advancement  and  the  im- 
provement of  the  land  of  his  adoption  in  full  vigor, 
and  having  devoted  all  his  time  and  energy  to  the 
aceomi)lishment  of  his  desires,  Eric  J.  Eriksou,  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  Fertile,  has  proven 
himself  to  be  a  very  useful  citizen  and  a  productive 
power  for  good  in  the  community  of  his  home. 

Mr.  Erikson  was  born  in  Sweden  June  28,  1852,  and 
was  reared  and  educated  in  that  country,  where  he 
remained  imtil  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  en- 
gaged principally  in  farming.  In  1881  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  took  up 
his  residence  in  Polk  county.  He  entered  a  claim  for 
160  acres  of  land  in  Bear  Park  township,  and  on  this 
tract  he  lived  and  made  improvements  for  about  ten 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  sold  the  home- 
stead and  bought  another  farm,  which  is  located  in 


Garfield  township,  and  also  contains  160  acres.  This 
farm  was  his  home  and  employed  his  energies  for 
five  years.  He  then  sold  it  and  moved  into  the  vil- 
lage of  Fertile. 

After  locating  in  Fertile  Mr.  Erikson  first  engaged 
in  keeping  a  restaurant,  but  soon  abandoned  this  line 
of  trade  and  became  a  dealer  in  farm  produce.  He 
is  now  also  largely  interested  in  real  estate  in  the 
village  and  the  surrounding  country.  He  has  served 
several  tei-ms  as  a  member  of  the  village  council,  and 
in  many  other  ways  has  contributed  to  the  develop- 
ment, improvement  and  growth  of  the  town,  and  has 
taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  United 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  has  long  been  a  mem- 
ber. He  was  married  in  Sweden  to  Miss  Johanna 
Anderson,  a  native  of  that  country.  They  have  six 
children,  Hannah,  Hulda,  Hjalmar,  Julia,  Lillie  and 
Eugene. 


REVEREND  L.  J.  NJUS. 


Reverend  L.  J.  Njus,  of  Mcintosh,  pastor  of  the 
Synod  Lutheran  church  at  that  place  and  a  well 
known  clergyman  of  the  county,  lias  given  able  serv- 
ices in  the  ministerial  field  of  Minnesota  for  the  past 
fourteen  years.  He  was  bom  in  Norway,  December 
6,  1870  and  there  received  his  early  education,  com- 


pleting an  academic  course  of  study  before  coming  to 
this  country  in  June,  1888,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in  farm  labor  in 
Minnehaha  county.  South  Dakota  and  was  then 
enabled  to  pursue  his  educational  ambitions  and  en- 
tered the  Lutheran  Normal  school  at  Sioux  Falls.    On 


158 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


leaving  this  school  he  secured  a  position  as  a  teacher 
iu  a  parochial  school  and  for  three  years  continued  to 
be  occupied  in  that  profession,  teaching  in  southern 
Wisconsin  and  in  other  places  and  then  enrolled  in 
the  Luther  Theological  Seminary  at  St.  Paul  where 
he  prepared  himself  for  the  clergy.  He  was  gradu- 
ated in  1901  and  received  his  first  pastorate  at  Lake- 
field,  Minnesota,  where  he  served  for  over  a  year  and 
was  then  transferred  to  Grove  City,  Minnesota.  In 
1905  he  was  appointed  to  the  Synod  Lutheran  church 
at  Mcintosh,  where  his  chai'ge  includes  four  Polk 
county  congregations.  During  the  years  of  his  pas- 
toral labors  in  that  vicinity,  Mr.  Njus  has  won  the 


respect  and  esteem  of  all  through  his  able  and  sincere 
service  to  the  community.  He  has  given  his  influence 
and  active  interest  freely  in  the  promotion  of  matters 
of  public  betterment  and,  as  a  member  for  several 
years  of  the  school  board  and  president  of  that  body, 
has  been  prominently  associated  with  the  educational 
affairs  of  the  town.  Mr.  Njus  was  married  in  Rock 
county,  "Wisconsin,  October,  1892,  to  Susan  Johnson,  a 
native  of  that  state,  whose  death  occurred  at  Mcintosh, 
iu  January,  1910.  His  second  marriage  was  solemnized 
in  June,  1912,  with  Ingeborg  Sime,  who  was  bom  in 
Norway.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
Ingemar  J.  and  Martha  Matilda. 


JOHN  0.  BUHN. 


This  gentleman,  who  has  contributed  a  great  deal 
to  the  enjoyment  of  a  large  number  of  persons  for 
nearly  twenty  years  in  a  specific  way,  and  at  the  same 
time  aided  in  building  up  and  improving  the  locality 
in  which  he  lives,  is  the  founder  and  sole  proprietor 
of  the  popular  Maple  Lake  summer  resort  in  Woodside 
township,  this  countj'^,  where  he  has  a  completely 
equipped  modern  hotel  and  otlier  facilities  for  the  en- 
tertainment of  patrons  and  pleasure  seekers  and  lias 
built  up  a  flourishing,  extensive  and  profitable  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Buhn  was  bom  in  Norwa}'  July  5,  1861,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  in  1869. 
They  were  Ole  and  Elsie  (Peter.son)  Buhn,  and  both 
of  the  same  nativity  as  himself.  When  they  reached 
this  country  in  1869  they  located  in  Jackson  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  there  the  father  died  before  the  end 
of  the  year.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  the 
mother  took  up  a  homestead  in  Jackson  county,  and 
on  this  tract  of  land,  which  she  developed  into  a  fnait- 
ful  and  valuable  farm,  she  passed  the  remainder  of 
her  days,  dying  in  1894.  Of  the  five  children  born  in 
the  family  John  0.  was  the  youngest. 

Orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father  when  the  son 
was  but  eight  years  old,  John  0.  Buhn  passed  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  hard  labor  and  under  severe  priva- 


tions. But  he  accepted  his  lot  with  a  resolute  spirit 
and  faithfully  met  the  requirements  of  his  duty  from 
the  first.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  mother  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  then  went  to 
Prescott,  Wisconsin,  where  he  lived  and  worked  two 
or  three  years.  In  December,  1881,  he  came  to  Crooks- 
ton  and  began  learning  the  blacksmith  trade  under 
the  instruction  of  his  brother  George.  He  finished 
his  apprenticeship  of  four  years  but  realized  before 
the  end  of  it  that  the  work  of  his  trade  was  too  hard 
for  him  and  when  he  completed  learning  it  he  aban- 
doned it. 

In  order  to  prepare  himself  for  a  new  career  in  life 
;\Ir.  Buhn  attended  the  Northwestern  College  of  Com- 
merce for  two  seasons,  and  in  the  fall  of  1887  he 
located  at  Mentor  and  opened  the  first  store  at  that 
place  and  also  became  its  first  postmaster.  For  six 
yeai^s  he  continued  merchandizing  at  Mentor,  then  sold 
his  business  and  began  improving  the  summer  resort 
of  which  he  is  the  proprietor.  In  connection  with  his 
enterprise  as  a  resort  keeper  he  ships  lai'ge  quantities 
of  ice  to  points  in  North  Dakota  during  the  winter 
months  and  has  been  doing  so  since  1903.  He  also 
owns  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Grove  Park  town- 
ship, which  he  has  improved  and  has  under  skillful 
cultivation.    He  takes  an  active  part  iu  public  town- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


159 


ship  affairs  aud  has  been  school  treasurer  of  Mentor 
for  a  long  time. 

On  June  24, 1888,  Mr.  Buhn  was  married  at  Mentor 
to  Miss  Ella  Anderson,  a  native  of  Saint  Ansgar,  Iowa, 
and  the  daughter  of  Thor  Anderson,  who  was  a  Polk 
county  pioneer  and  died  ou  his  farm  in  Godfrey  town- 


ship in  1905.  lie  took  up  this  farm  when  it  was  in 
the  wilderness  and  made  it  productive  and  a  valuable 
home.  Mr.  aud  Mrs.  Buhn  have  eight  children.  Lil- 
lian is  the  wife  of  George  Kitman.  Emma  is  the  wife 
of  Elmer  Knutson.  The  others  are  Raymond,  Arthur, 
Dora,  Elmer,  Elba  and  Claris. 


HENRY  ANDERSON. 


Having  come  to  this  country  fi*om  his  native  land 
of  Noi'way  when  he  was  but  eight  years  old,  and  hav- 
ing met  all  the  requirements  of  his  situation  in  various 
places  and  amid  differing  surroundings,  Henry  Ander- 
son, now  one  of  the  euterpi-ising  and  successful  farm- 
ers of  Badger  township,  this  county,  has  shown  him- 
self to  be  a  person  of  sturdy  qualities  of  head  and 
heart  and  of  sterling  worth  as  a  citizen.  He  was  bom 
August  12, 1852,  aud  in  1860  accompanied  his  parents, 
Andrew  and  Anna  Anderson,  to  the  United  States. 

They  first  located  in  Wisconsin,  where  they  lived 
for  some  years,  and  where  the  mother  died.  From 
Wisconsin  the  father  and  his  children  moved  to  Nor- 
man county,  Minnesota,  and  a  short  time  afterward 
to  Walsh  county,  North  Dakota.  In  1888  they  came 
to  Polk  county  and  settled  in  Badger  tovsmship,  and 
here  the  son  took  up  a  homestead  on  which  he  has 
ever  since  made  his  home.  The  father  died  in  that 
township  in  about  1900  when  he  was  eighty-two  years 
of  age. 

Henry  Anderson's  land  was  all  wild  aud  unbroken 
to  the  plow  when  he  took  possession  of  it,  and  all  that 
it  is  now  in  the  way  of  improvement  and  productive- 


ness he  has  made  it  by  his  enterprise  and  skillful  cul- 
tivation. The  attractive  and  comfortable  buildings 
with  which  it  is  enriched  are  also  the  products  of  his 
labor,  and  in  this  he  has  been  so  successful  and  man- 
aged so  judiciously  that  he  has  been  able  to  add  an- 
other 160  acres  to  his  holdings  aud  put  a  considerable 
quantity  of  the  new  tract  under  cultivation  also. 

On  January  19,  1886,  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in 
Walsh  county.  North  Dakota,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ameud- 
son,  whose  life  began  in  Norway  June  15,  1854.  She 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  grew  to 
womanhood  in  Wisconsin.  She  and  her  husband  are 
members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Synod  church. 
They  have  four  children.  Aimer,  Tillie  A.,  Almon  S. 
and  Ingval.  Mr.  Anderson  has  been  active  and  help- 
ful in  his  efforts  to  build  up  his  township  and  quicken 
the  development  of  its  resources.  While  he  has  never 
held  a  public  office  or  taken  a  verj^  active  part  in  party 
political  affairs,  he  has  been  earnest  and  prudent  in  his 
attention  to  the  interests  of  his  locality,  and  is  held  in 
general  esteem  as  one  of  its  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  citizens. 


HERBERT  B.  SYKBS. 


The  subject  of  this  brief  review  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  and  most  public-spirited  men  in  Park 
Grove  township,  Polk  county,  and  has  reached  his 
position  of  prominence  and  influence  solely  through 
his  own  merit  and  his  unaided,  individual  efforts. 
He  lives  on  his  fine  farm  near  the  village  of  Mentor, 
but  is  known  throughout  the  county  as  one  of  the 


substantial  and  progressive  farmers  and  most  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  his  township. 

Mr.  Sykes  was  born  in  Monticello,  Wright  county, 
Minnesota,  October  9,  1876,  the  son  of  William  E. 
and  Luzema  (Mitchell)  Sykes,  the  former  a  native 
of  Montreal,  Canada,  and  the  latter  of  Wright  county, 
where  they  were  old  settlers.    Their  son  Herbert  was 


160 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


the  first  born  of  their  seven  children,  and  remained 
at  home  with  them  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
ty-four.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  from  his 
boyhood  bore  his  part  of  the  labor  of  cultivating  it, 
which  interfered  with  the  full  use  of  his  opportunity 
to  obtain  even  the  limited  common  school  education 
that  was  available  to  him. 

On  September  20,  1898,  Mr.  Sykes  was  married 
to  Miss  Lois  Canfield,  a  native  of  Lyon  county,  Jlinne- 
sota,  and  a  daughter  of  Frank  L.  and  Flora  (Hall) 
Canfield.  The  marriage  took  place  in  "Wright  county, 
where  Miss  Canfield  was  living  at  the  time.  After 
their  marriage  they  continued  to  live  in  that  county 
for  two  years,  Mr.  Sykes  being  engaged  in  buying 
and  shipping  live  stock.  In  1890  they  moved  to  Itasca 
county,  this  state,  taking  up  a  homestead  125  miles 
distant  from  a  railroad.  On  this  tract  they  located 
and  lived  for  about  seven  years,  during  which  I^Ir. 
Sykes  worked  at  logging  during  the  winters. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  the  family  moved  to  Polk 
county.  During  the  two  years  following  his  arrival 
in  this  county  Mr.  Sykes  lived  on  land  which  he  rented 
and  farmed  in  Park  Grove  township.    He  then  liougbt 


eighty  acres,  on  whiuh  he  now  has  liis  home,  but  ho 
farms  a  much  more  extensive  tract,  directing  the 
operations  on  560  acres  in  all.  His  farming  is  of  a 
general  nature  in  the  main,  but  he  makes  a  specialty 
of  raising  potatoes  on  a  large  scale,  and  shipped  the 
first  full  carload  sent  out  from  Mentor. 

In  the  public  affaire  of  his  township  Mr.  Sykes  has 
always  taken  an  earnest  interest  and  an  active  part. 
He  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  township  board  and 
as  school  clerk.  He  is  now  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  creamery  in  Mentor  and  also  a  director  of  the 
co-operative  store  at  that  village.  No  movement  for 
the  good  of  the  township  or  the  benefit  of  its  resi- 
dents ever  goes  without  his  energetic  support,  and 
all  his  efforts  in  this  behalf  are  guided  by  good  .judg- 
ment and  public  spirit  and  governed  by  prudence 
and  enterprise.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  Park 
Fann  club  and  in  fraternal  relations  holds  mem- 
bership in  Camp  No.  5288,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  in  which  he  has  held  all  the  important  offices. 
He  and  his  wife  are  the  pai"ents  of  six  children,  Mil- 
dred E.,  Milton  F.,  Hazel  L.,  Mabel  M.,  Roy  E.  and 
Earl  H. 


OLE  T.  ROVANG. 


Now  prosperous  and  well  established  as  a  success- 
ful farmer,  with  a  progressively  cultivated  and  highly 
improved  farm  of  nearly  400  acres  in  Badger  and 
Knute  townships,  Ole  T.  Rovang  is  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  his  part  of  Polk  county,  and  enjoys  in  a 
marked  degree  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  its  people 
and  all  others  who  know  him.  He  has  made  a  good 
record  for  work  and  good  citizenship  in  several  places 
in  the  Northwest  since  he  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1876  from  his  native  land  of  Norway,  where  he 
was  born  September  4,  1854,  and  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated. 

On  his  arrival  in  this  country  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  and  one-half  years  he  located  in  Rock  county, 
Minnesota,  and  there  found  employment  for  one  sea- 
son as  a  farm  hand.     He  then  changed  his  base  of 


operations  to  Decorah,  Iowa,  and  until  early  in  tlie 
eighties  he  worked  out  on  farms  in  the  neighborhood 
of  that  city.  From  Decorah,  Iowa,  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  preempted  160  acres  of  land  on  Badger 
creek  in  Badger  township,  but  two  years  later  lie 
moved  to  Sletten  township,  where  he  lived  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

Mr.  Rovang 's  next  home  was  at  Erskine,  and  there 
he  carried  on  a  hotel  and  livery  business  for  some 
years.  "While  living  at  Erskine  he  bought  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives  and  sold  his  hotel  and  livery 
business.  He  has  improved  his  farm  with  good  build- 
ings and  has  on  it  two  flowing  wells  and  a  modern 
well  house.  These  are  of  great  advantage  to  him  in 
his  operations,  all  of  which  are  conducted  according 
to  up-to-date  methods  and  with  studious   attention 


CUAKLKS  L.  CO^'CiEK 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


161 


to  making  every  day  of  his  lalwr  and  every  element 
of  his  enterprise  and  intelligence  tell  to  his  advantage 
and  promote  his  progress. 

In  the  mercantile  and  other  business  and  public 
affaire  of  his  township  and  county  Mr.  Rovaug  has 
always  taken  an  active  part.  He  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders and  is  now  a  director  of  the  State  Bank  of 
Erskine  and  also  owns  a  one-fourth  interest  in  the 


Oslo  Trading  company  of  Oslo,  Minnesota.  He  was 
married  in  1884  in  Badger  township  to  Miss  Christina 
Espeseth,  a  sister  of  G.  K.  Espeseth  and  the  daughter 
of  Knute  Espeseth.  They  have  reared  four  adopted 
children,  Ida  O.,  Peter,  Albert  and  Lydia.  The  pa- 
rents are  zealous  and  serviceable  members  of  the 
United  Lutheran  church. 


CHARLES  L.  CONGER. 


Charles  L.  Conger,  cashier  of  the  Citizens  State 
bank  at  Mcintosh,  was  born  at  Eau  Claire,  Wis- 
consin, January  17,  1869,  the  son  of  William  and 
Susan  (Wright)  Conger.  He  is  the  descendant  of 
revolutionary  and  colonial  stock,  the  Congers  having 
been  soldiers  and  patriots  since  the  settling  of  the 
colonies  by  England,  the  residence  of  the  family 
dating  from  1640.  In  1667  a  John  Conger  located 
on  land  in  New  Jersey,  near  Woodbridge,  and  about 
a  century  later,  in  1770,  Gersham  Conger,  the  great- 
grandfather of  Charles  L.  Conger,  removed  from  that 
state  to  Vermont.  He  was  one  of  the  followers  of  the 
Quaker  faith  who  by  their  sturdy  qualities  played 
such  an  important  part  in  the  building  of  the  nation, 
but  despite  his  religious  belief  gave  valiant  service 
during  the  war  for  independence  and  died  in  Vermont 
In  1835.  His  son,  Asher  Conger,  was  born  at  Danby, 
Vermont,  in  1799  and  his  death  occurred  in  1852,  in 
his  native  town,  which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his 
son,  William  Conger,  who  was  born  November  10, 
1819.  The  latter  went  to  Wisconsin  in  1867,  two 
years  before  the  birth  of  his  son,  Charles  Conger, 
and  later  removed  to  Northwood,  Iowa,  where  he 
died  on  August  16,  1898.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
a  native  of  Utica,  New  York,  born  May  19,  1835.  She 
now  makes  her  home  with  J.  P.  Foote  of  Crookston, 
who  is  her  son  by  a  previous  marriage.  Charles  L. 
Conger  was  two  years  of  age  when  the  family  removed 
to  Northwood,  Iowa,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in 
that  place.  In  September,  1891,  he  came  to  Crooks- 
ton,  where  his  half-brother,  Mr.  Foote,  resided,  and 


in  the  same  month  secured  the  position  of  assistant 
cashier  in  the  Citizens  State  bank  at  Mcintosh,  of 
which  Mr.  Foote  is  president.  Mr.  Conger  has  since 
devoted  his  business  career  to  the  able  discharge  of 
his  duties  as  cashier,  his  successful  association  with 
this  institution  winning  him  recognition  in  the  finan- 
cial circles  of  this  section.  The  position  of  assistant 
cashier  of  the  Citizens  State  bank  has  fitted  a  num- 
ber of  the  influential  bankers  of  the  state  for  more 
important  positions;  among  the  former  occupants  of 
these  positions  are,  Alfred  Hoel,  now  vice  president 
of  the  Firet  National  bank  at  Gilbert ;  First  National 
of  Biwabik,  Minnesota,  and  State  Bank  of  Arura, 
Minnesota;  Charles  Hoel,  cashier  of  the  Miners'  Na- 
tional bank  at  Eveleth;  A.  J.  Hoel,  assistant  cashier 
of  the  First  National  bank  at  Cass  Lake;  A.  I.  Sol- 
berg,  cashier  of  the  Farmers  State  bank  at  Winger, 
and  T.  A.  Thompson,  who  was  the  first  assistant 
cashier  appointed  in  the  Mcintosh  bank  and  has  held 
the  office  of  registrar  of  deeds  of  Polk  county  for  ten 
years.  Mr.  Conger  is  further  identified  with  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  county  as  a  landowner  and 
farmer  and  is  the  proprietor  of  two  farms,  of  240 
and  160  acres,  and  several  tracts  of  land,  and  has 
also  made  investments  in  timber  land  in  St.  Louis  and 
farm  lands  in  Pennington  counties.  He  takes  great 
interest  in  the  management  and  the  direction  of  the 
work  of  improvement  of  his  farms,  which  are  occu- 
pied by  tenants.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  is  widely  known  for  his  services  in  the 
political  field  and  is  active  in  conventions  and  in  the 


162 


COMPEXDIUiM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


direction  of  party  affairs,  he  has  aever  sought  the 
honors  of  office,  but  has  served  as  mayor  for  the  past 
seven  years  and  as  treasurer  for  the  past  fourteen 
years,  and  has  also  served  on  the  school  board.  He 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Hammond  to  the  board 
of  visitors  to  the  state  institutions  but  recently  re- 
signed from  his  membership  in  that  body.  Mr!  Con- 
ger's favorite  recreation  is  a  good  game  of  the  national 
diversion  of  baseball,  which  he  enjoys  from  the  stand- 
point of  a  former  player,  and  he  has  given  his  support 
and  influence  to  the  encouragement  of  local  enthu- 
siasm and  the  home  team.  In  fraternal  circles  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  is  Past  Chancellor  and  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Lodge.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and 
a  member  of  the  Elks  lodge  at  Crookston.    Mr.  Conger 


was  married  at  Litchfield,  to  Leona  Halvorson,  and 
her  death  occurred  on  September  1-t,  1902.  His  sec- 
ond marriage  was  solemnized  with  Louise  A.  Heiser 
of  Albert  Lea,  Minnesota,  December  8,  1903.  He  has 
one  child,  William  L.  Conger,  who  was  born  in  1901 
and  is  a  student  in  the  junior  year  of  the  Mcintosh 
high  school. 

Mr.  Conger  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers 
of  the  Minnesota  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  executive  council 
of  the  State  Bankers  association  from  the  Ninth  con- 
gressional district,  and  has  served  as  president  of  the 
Ninth  district  group  of  bankers.  He  also  served  as 
vice  president  and  director  of  the  Northern  Minne- 
sota Development  association  and  as  president  of  the 
Commercial  club. 


MARTIN  BENSEN. 


Having  reached  a  position  of  substantial  wordly 
comfort  and  consequence,  good  social  standing  and 
influence  in  local  public  affairs  wholly  through  his 
own  efforts  and  by  perseverance  and  industry  and 
good  management,  although  encountering  many  diffi- 
culties and  being  called  on  to  endure  many  privations, 
Martin  Bensen,  one  of  the  successful,  progressive  and 
prosperous  farmers  of  Knute  township,  Polk  county, 
is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  his  steady  advancement 
in  every  part  of  his  career,  and  justly  enjoys  in 
full  measure  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  all  who  know 
him. 

Mr.  Bensen  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  his  life 
began  December  28,  1859.  He  is  a  son  of  Bearnt  L. 
and  Bertha  Mary  (Christianson)  Bensen,  also  Norwe- 
gians by  nativity  and  parentage.  The  father  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1867  and  located  in  Dakota 
county,  Minnesota.  In  1869  the  mother  brought  the 
children  then  living  in  the  family  over  and  the  resi- 
dence in  Dakota  county  was  maintained  until  1883. 
But  in  1882  the  father  came  to  Polk  county  and  took 
a  homestead  in  "Woodside  township,  and  the  next 
spring  the  family  moved  to  that  tract  of  laud  in  the 


wilderness.  The  parents  remained  on  it  until  old 
age  compelled  their  retirement  from  active  pursuits. 
They  then  made  their  home  with  their  children,  liv- 
ing awhile  with  their  son  Martin  and  afterward  with 
their  daughter,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Nelson,  in  Knute  township, 
where  they  died,  the  mother  on  October  11,  1909,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five  years  and  the  father  on  Sep- 
tember 9,  1912,  aged  nearly  ninety-three. 

Martin  Bensen  was  the  fifth  of  the  eight  children 
born  to  his  parents.  He  was  reared  on  the  parental 
homestead  and  obtained  a  common  school  education. 
Being  a  farmer's  sou  he  naturally  took  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  his  father,  and  to  this  he  has  ever  since  stead- 
fastly adhered.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he  took  up  a 
homestead  in  section  22,  Knute  township,  and  on  the 
160  acres  of  good  land  of  which  he  thereby  became 
possessed  he  has  passed  all  of  his  subsequent  years. 
But  he  has  added  to  his  estate  as  he  has  made  head- 
way, and  now  owns  600  acres,  improved  with  good 
buildings  and  other  necessarj^  structures  and  nearly 
all  under  systematic  and  skillful  cultivation.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  town- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


163 


ship  and  has  served  it  wisely  and  faithfully  as  con- 
stable and  supervisor. 

On  April  14,  1886,  Mr.  Bensen  was  married  iu  Da- 
kota county  to  Miss  Marj-  Sjolie,  who  was  boni  in 
that  county  December  27,  1865,  a  daughter  of  Mar- 
tin and  Engebord  Sjolie,  natives  of  Norway  who  came 
to  this  country  in  1864  or  1865  and  settled  in  Dakota 
county,  where  the  father  died  when  he  was  about  fifty- 
five  years  of  age.    The  mother  is  still  living.    Mr.  and 


Mrs.  Bensen  have  had  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom 
are  living.  They  are  Benjamin,  Ida,  Guida,  Louis, 
Malton,  Minnie,  Joseph,  Martha,  Myrtle  and  Georgia. 
The  other  child,  a  daughter  named  Lavine,  strayed 
away  from  home  in  the  early  spring  of  1892  and  was 
found  frozen  to  death  about  a  mUe  distant.  She  was 
two  years  old  at  the  time.  The  parents  are  members 
of  the  United  Lutheran  church  and  active  in  all  its 
work  for  the  improvement  of  the  community. 


EINAR  0.  MELSNESS. 


Conducting  his  farming  operations  and  other  lines 
of  business  with  enterprise,  vigor  and  judgment,  and 
rendering  the  people  excellent  service  as  clerk  of 
Badger  township,  Einar  0.  Melsness,  whose  fine  farm 
of  240  acres  near  the  village  of  Erskine  is  almost 
wholly  the  product  of  his  own  industry,  skill  and  good 
management,  is  a  highly  useful  and  esteemed  resi- 
dent of  Polk  county  and  one  of  its  representative 
citizens. 

Mr.  Melsness  is  a  native  of  Dakota  county,  Minne- 
sota, where  his  life  began  March  23,  1872.  He  lived 
there  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twelve,  and  then  passed  one  year  with  them  in  Walsh 
county,  North  Dakota.  In  1885  the  family  moved  to 
Polk  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Badger  town- 
ship. The  parents.  Christian  0.  and  Olia  (Enersdat- 
ter)  Melsness,  were  natives  of  Norway.  The  mother 
died  at  their  Badger  township  home  February  9,  1915, 
aged  seventy-five  years.    The  father  is  still  living. 

Einar  0.  Melsness  was  educated  in  the  common 


schools  and  at  a  private  college  in  Crookstou.  For 
seven  years  he  taught  school  in  Polk  county,  but  his 
principal  occupation  in  life  has  been  that  of  farming. 
During  three  seasons,  however,  lie  was  also  occupied 
in  buying  and  shipping  grain,  and  throughout  one 
summer  he  was  employed  in  the  State  Bank  at  Er- 
skine. He  has  always  taken  an  earnest  interest  and 
an  active  part  in  township  affairs  of  a  public  nature, 
and  has  rendered  his  full  share  of  service  in  their 
proper  administration,  having  served  during  the  last 
fifteen  years  as  township  clerk.  He  was  also  secretary 
and  manager  of  the  Erskine  creamery  several  years. 

On  April  10,  1912,  Mr.  Melsness  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Christine  Jorgenson,  a  native  of  Bad- 
ger township  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Jorgenson,  of 
Erskine.  They  have  one  child,  their  son  Martin  0. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melsness  stand  high  in  their  home  local- 
ity and  well  deserve  the  universal  esteem  in  which 
they  are  held. 


GILBERT  K.  ESPESETH. 


Gilbert  K.  Espeseth,  of  Erskine,  president  of  the 
State  Bank  of  Erskine  and  prominent  merchant,  has 
been  notably  identified  with  the  business  activities  of 
that  place  since  the  days  of  its  settlement.  He  was 
bom  in  Norway,  February  27,  1863,  and  was  reared 
in  his  native  land.  In  1882  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  this  country,  and  a^ter  a  short  time  spent 


in  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  removed  to  Polk 
county,  Minnesota,  where  his  father,  Knute  Espeseth, 
took  a  homestead  claim,  being  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Badger  township.  Gilbert  Espeseth  remained 
on  the  farm  until  1889,  when  he  embarked  upon  his 
commercial  career,  and  in  partnership  with  Henry  T. 
Gilbertson,  opened  a  store  on  the  town  site  of  Erskine, 


164 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


which  had  been  but  recently  platted,  and  engaged  in 
the  hardware  and  agricultural  implement  business. 
This  firm  has  enjoyed  a  prosperous  and  steadily  grow- 
ing patronage  and  is  one  of  the  leading  establishments 
of  that  region,  handling  furniture  in  addition  to 
their  original  lines.  As  a  business  man  and  citizen, 
Mr.  Espeseth  has  been  widely  identified  with  the 
gi'owth  and  success  of  the  various  interests  of  Er- 
skine  and  has  actively  promoted  every  project  which 
would  advance  its  prosperity.  Both  he  and  Mr.  Gil- 
bertson  are  shareholders  in  the  Erskine  Elevator 
company  and  have  extensive  land  interests  in  Polk 
county  and  elsewhere.  Their  commercial  activities 
include  the  Oslo  Trading  company,  at  Oslo,  Marshall 


county,  Minnesota,  in  which  they  own  a  quarter  in- 
terest each,  Mr.  Espeseth  has  been  associated  with 
the  State  Bank  of  Erskine,  one  of  the  flourishing 
financial  institutions  of  the  countj',  since  1913  and 
in  1915,  succeeded  A.  D.  Stephens  as  president  of 
the  board  of  directors.  Mr.  Espeseth  enjoys  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  associates,  his  many 
activities  indicating  his  enterprise  and  ability  in 
all  phases  of  his  successful  career.  He  is  a  member 
and  an  active  and  faithful  supporter  of  the  United 
Lutheran  church.  His  marriage  to  Annie  Ramseth 
occurred  in  1898.  She  was  born  in  Norway  and  has 
made  her  home  in  Polk  county  since  childhood.  They 
have  tliree  children,  Cora,  Phillip  and  Fritjof. 


KNUTE  RYGGEN. 


The  resolute  and  heroic  mother  and  the  filial,  serv- 
iceable and  praiseworthy  son  are  presented  woi'king 
together  in  the  life  story  of  Knute  Ryggen,  one  of  the 
enterprising,  progressive  and  successful  farmers  of 
Badger  township,  this  county.  He  was  bom  in  Nor- 
way Febriiary  3,  1869,  and  orphaned  in  his  boyhood 
by  the  death  of  his  father,  Jacob  Ryggen,  in  that 
country.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  the  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Engebord  Hagden,  brought 
her  five  children  to  the  United  States  with  the  hope 
of  bettering  conditions  for  herself  and  them  in  this 
land  of  rich  promise  and  abounding  opportunities. 
They  came  over  in  1882,  and,  after  living  one  year 
in  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  moved  to  Polk  county, 
Minnesota,  where  the  son  took  up  a  homestead  of  160 
acres  of  government  land  on  which  the  familj^  has 
since  resided.  Mr.  Ryggen  and  his  brother  Arne 
worked  hard  improving  this  new  home  in  the  wilder- 


ness, and  so  well  applied  have  been  their  labors  and  so 
wisely  have  they  managed  their  afl:'aii-s  that  they 
now  together  owti  and  have  under  cultivation  500 
acres  improved  with  good  buildings  and  equipped 
with  all  the  requisites  for  advanced  and  systematic 
fannhig  according  to  the  most  approved  present-day 
methods.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  she,  also, 
still  has  her  home  in  Badger  township,  this  county. 
Her  fidelity  to  her  children  has  been  rewarded  by 
the  realization  of  all  her  hopes  of  good  fortune  in  the 
New  World,  and  slie  furnishes  in  her  career  a  shining 
proof  that  devotion  to  duty  bi'ings  its  own  rewai'd, 
and  sometimes,  at  least,  in  a  substantial,  tangible  way 
that  is  patent  to  all  observers.  All  the  members  of  the 
family  belong  to  the  United  Lutheran  church  and  take 
an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  congi'egation  in 
which  they  are  enrolled. 


MARTIN  B.  NELSON. 


This  progressive  and  prosperous  Knute  township 
farmer  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  Polk  county,  and  for  thirty-two  years  he 
has  been  active  in  helping  to  build  up,  develop  and 


improve  it  in  a  judicious  and  commendable  way,  add- 
ing to  its  material  wealth  and  aiding  in  directing 
its  public  affairs  along  lines  of  wholesome  progress. 
He   is   a  native   of  Norway,   where  his  life   began 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


16E 


March  30,  1857,  and  where  he  lived  until  1880, 
when  he  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  New 
World.  He  landed  at  Quebec,  Canada,  but  soon 
afterward  came  over  into  "the  States"  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Wisconsin.  About  a  year  later  he 
changed  his  base  of  operations  to  Northfield,  Minne- 
sota, and  in  1883  he  moved  to  Polk  county, 
Minnesota,  and  took  up  a  homestead  in  sections  10 
and  15,  Kunte  township,  on  which  he  has  since  made 
his  home  and  expended  his  energies  to  good  purpose. 

Mr.  Nelson  now  owns  310  acres  of  choice  land 
improved  witli  good  buildings  and  furnished  with 
all  the  most  approved  appliances  for  systematic  and 
advanced  farming.  His  land  lies  partly  in  Knute 
and  partly  in  Badger  township,  and  he  has  brought 
it  all  to  a  high  state  of  prodvictiveness  and  made  his 
home  attractive  in  appearance  as  well  as  comfort- 
able in  equipment  and  a  model  in  scientific  and  up- 
to-date  tillage. 

On  December  12,  1883,  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in 
Crookston  to  Miss  Mary  Benson,  who  was  born  in 
Norway  Februaiy  25,  1865,  the  daughter  of  B.  L. 
and  Bertha  Mary  Benson,  also  natives  of  Norway. 
The  father  came  to  this  country  in  1867  and  located 
in  Dakota  county,  Minnesota,  and  in  1869  the  mother 
came  over  with  her  children  and  joined  him.     They 


lived  in  Dakota  county  until  1883.  In  1882  the 
father  came  to  Polk  county  and  took  up  a  home- 
stead in  AVoodside  township  to  which  the  family 
moved  the  next  spring.  The  parents  occupied  and 
improved  this  homestead  until  they  retired  from 
active  work,  when  they  made  their  home  with  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  Nelson.  The  mother  died  on  Mr. 
Nelson's  farm  October  11,  1909,  when  she  was  eighty- 
five  years  old,  and  the  father  September  9,  1912, 
in  his  ninety-third  year. 

These  venerable  pioneers  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children.  Anna  M.  became  the  wife  of  Nels  Lillemoe 
and  died  in  1907.  Louis  lived  in  the  village  of  Er- 
skine.  Christian  died  a  number  of  years  ago.  Martha 
is  the  wife  of  Julius  Bradley.  Martin  and  Bernt  are 
residents  of  Knute  township.  Mary  is  the  wife  of 
]\Ix'.  Nelson  and  Gida  died  when  twelve  years  of  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  ten  children,  Bernhard, 
Melvin,  Bertha  (the  wife  of  Melvin  Peterson),  Gilbert, 
Nicalie  B.,  Alfred,  Moses,  Oscar  Robert,  Martin  L. 
and  Eunice  M.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
United  Lutheran  church.  They  take  an  active  part 
in  all  its  undertakings  and  also  manifest  an  earnest 
and  serviceable  interest  in  all  good  agencies  working 
for  the  general  welfare  and  happiness  of  their  home 
community. 


OLOF     STARDIG. 


Having  come  to  Polk  county  in  the  early  days  of 
its  history,  while  a  large  part  of  it  was  still  a  wil- 
derness, sparsely  settled  and  almost  without  the  ordi- 
nary conveniences  of  life  and  destitute  of  all  the 
advantages  brought  about  by  civilization,  Olof  Star- 
dig,  now  one  of  the  prosperous  and  substantial  farm- 
ei-s  of  Knute  township,  saw  all  the  hardships  and 
privations  of  frontier  life  and  met  thetn  with  the 
heroic  courage  of  a  hardy  and  resolute  pioneer, 
daunted  by  no  danger  and  deterred  by  no  difficulty 
in  his  determination  to  win  a  home  and  a  position  of 
comfort  and  standing  in  the  New  World. 

Mr.  Stardig  was  bom  in  Sweden  May  4,  1848,  and 


remained  in  his  native  land  until  1882.  In  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  he  emigrated  to  America  and  located 
in  Douglas  county,  Minnesota.  In  August,  1883,  he 
came  to  Polk  county  and  filed  on  160  acres  of  land 
in  Knute  township,  but  returned  to  Douglas  county 
and  remained  there  until  January,  1884.  At  that 
time  he  took  up  his  residence  on  his  Polk  county  claim, 
after  building  a  log  cabin,  the  logs  for  which  he  car- 
ried on  his  shoulder  through  about  three  feet  of  snow. 
He  had  left  his  family  in  Sweden  and,  as  he  had  but 
$3  in  money,  he  was  unable  to  send  for  his  wife  and 
children  until  spring.  In  the  meantime  he  worked 
out  at  whatever  he  could  get  to  do,  and  was  thankful 


166 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


for  any  cmploymeut  tliat  was  given  liiiu.  He  saved 
his  earnings  with  scrupulous  care  and  in  the  spring 
of  1884  was  able  to  bring  his  family  to  his  new  home 
in  the  wilds. 

From  that  time  until  now  Mr.  Stardig  has  con- 
tinued to  improve  his  fann,  and  liy  his  .steady  and 
well  applied  industry  he  has  made  it  one  of  the  best 
in  his  township.  The  log  cabin  has  been  replaced  by 
a  comfortable  modern  dwelling  house  and  other  build- 
ings have  been  erected  as  need  required  and  the  finan- 
cial progress  of  the  family  permitted,  and  during  all 
the  passing  years  close  and  studious  attention  has 
been  given  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land  and  the  ap- 
plication of  new  discoveries  in  agricultural  science 


for  its  improvement  and  the  expansion  of  its  fruit- 
fulness. 

Mr.  Stardig  was  married  in  Sweden  to  ^liss  Marina 
Ostenson,  who  was  bom  in  that  countiy  October  1, 
1846.  They  have  had  nine  children,  .seven  of  whom 
are  living:  Otto,  Sebner,  Anton,  Ida,  Albert  W.,  Min- 
nie and  Emilj'.  A  daughter  named  Anna  died  when 
slie  was  eleven  yeai's  old  and  a  son  named  Mortiu 
passed  away  at  Grand  Rapids,  Minnesota,  when  he 
was  about  thirty.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  church.  The  father  has  held  the 
office  of  supei'vi.sor  in  Knute  township  for  a  number 
of  years  and  that  of  school  treasurer  for  a  much  larger 
number. 


LEVOR  A.  BJELLA. 


Levor  A.  Bjella,  a  well  knowu  contractor  and 
builder  of  Mcintosh,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  he 
was  bom  March  31,  1876.  He  gi'ew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  land  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
nineteen  years  of  age.  He  came  directly  to  Minne- 
sota and  for  two  years  was  employed  in  farm  laljor 
in  Nonnan  county.  In  1897  he  entered  the  carpenter 
business  and  during  the  three  years  of  his  operations 
in  that  trade,  became  an  efficient  and  successful  work- 
man. He  located  in  Mcintosh  in  July,  1900,  and  for 
two  years  was  employed  with  his  brother  in  black- 


smith work  and  then  engaged  in  tlie  contracting  and 
building  business  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to 
his  rapidly  gi-owiug  trade;  his  tliorough  technical 
training  and  business  ability  mai-king  him  as  the 
leading  contractor  in  Mcintosh.  Mr.  Bjella  is  a 
member  of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church.  His  mari'iage 
to  Amelia  Erickson  occun-ed  July  10,  1903,  at  Mcin- 
tosh. She  was  born  in  Freeborn  county,  Minnesota, 
and  is  of  Norwegian  parentage.  Mr.  Bjella  and  his 
wife  have  si.x  children,  Anna,  Oscar,  Laura,  Oliver, 
Kalmer,  and  Mabel. 


TALLAK  H.  AAKHUS. 


This  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and 
successful  farmers  of  King  township,  this  county, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  his  youth  in  search  of 
better  opportunities  than  he  thought  his  native 
land  of  Norway  promised.  He  has  been  successful 
in  his  quest,  having  won  a  good  estate  and  prom- 
inence among  the  people  by  his  industiy,  frugality 
and  good  management  and  his  abiding  and  service- 
able interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion, and  especially  the  .section  of  it  in  which  he  lives. 
He  was  born  October  9,  1864,  and  emigi-ated  to  Amer- 
ica in  1881. 


Landing  at  New  York  when  he  arrived  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  he  found  the  East  unattractive  to 
him  and  came  at  once  to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  lo- 
cating at  Fisher's  Landing.  He  lived  there  about  a 
year  and  a  half,  working  out  at  farm  labor.  He  then 
went  to  the  Paeitic  coast  and  passed  six  years  in  the 
states  of  Washington  and  Oregon.  Returning  to  Polk 
county  at  the  end  of  that  period,  he  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  adjacent  to  the  vilhige  of  ^Mcintosh,  and 
on  this  tract  he  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Aakhus  has  improved  his  farm  with  good  build- 
ings and  has  it  all  under  cultivation.     He  has  taken 


liILlAS  STEEXEK80X 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


167 


an  earnest  interest  and  an  active  part  in  local  public 
affairs  and  has  filled  the  offices  of  constable,  town- 
ship treasurer,  supei-visor  and  township  clerk,  holding 
the  last  named  several  years.  He  is  also  chaiinnan  of 
the  board  of  supervisors  of  King  township  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  has  long  been  one  of  the  leading 
promoters  of  educational  interests  and  activities  in 
that  township. 

Mr.  Aakhus  has  been  married  three  times.  His  first 
marriage  was  with  Miss  Anna  Torbinson  and  took 
place  in  Grand  Forks.  She  was  bom  in  Minnesota 
but  of  Norwegian  parentage.  Five  children  were  bom 
of  the  union,  Halvor,  Torbjor,  Theo,  Olaf  and  Ben- 
jamin. Torbjor  is  now  the  wife  of  N.  W.  Phillips. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  King  township 


May  11,  1904,  and  the  father  was  married  some  time 
afterward  to  Miss  Anna  Nornes,  a  native  of  King 
township,  this  county,  and  the  daughter  of  Gunsten 
Nornes,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  town- 
ship, where  he  died  upward  of  fifty  years  of  age. 

By  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Aakhus  became  the 
father  of  one  child,  his  son  Carl.  Carl's  mother  died 
Januaiy  28,  1907,  and  afterward  his  father  married 
his  present  wife,  who  was  iMiss  Engeborg  Nornes,  a 
sister  of  his  second  wife.  The  offspring  of  this  union 
numbers  five,  Andy,  Arnold,  Melvin,  Harold  and 
Thelma.  All  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to 
and  are  active  in  the  work  of  the  United  Lutheran 
church. 


IVER  JOHNSON. 


This  gentleman,  who  is  the  present  capable  and 
obliging  postmaster  of  the  thriving  village  of  Bel- 
trami, Polk  county,  has  had  a  somewhat  varied  and 
interesting  career,  through  which  he  has  worked  his 
way  by  his  own  pluck  and  ability,  making  evei'y  ad- 
vance in  his  progress  a  stepping  stone  to  something 
better.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  his  life  be- 
gan March  27,  1871,  and  where  he  lived  until  1882, 
when  he  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  the  United 
States  and  found  a  new  home  in  the  New  "World  in 
Ottertail  county,  Minnesota.  The  next  year  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Polk  county,  and  for  a  few  succeeding 
years  lived  in  Garfield  township. 

In  1892,  when  Mr.  Johnson  was  just  twenty-one 
years  old,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  village  of 
Beltrami,  and  there  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a 
store  for  about  four  years.    At  the  end  of  that  time 


he  attended  the  Grand  Forks  college  for  a  year,  and 
on  his  return  to  Beltrami  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  on  his  own  account.  In  the  spring  of  1904 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Beltrami,  and  this 
office  he  has  filled  with  acceptability  to  the  people 
ever  since.  He  has  always  taken  a  warm  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  village,  and  has  given  it  excellent 
sei'vice  as  village  recorder,  and  the  township  the  same 
in  the  capacity  of  township  clerk  and  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  addition  to  his  business  and  other  holdings 
in  Beltrami  he  owns  fifty-five  acres  of  good  land  in 
Reis  township,  which  is  close  to  the  village  and  stead- 
ily increasing  in  value.  On  February  9,  1907,  Sir. 
Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  Agneberg.  They 
have  four  children  living,  Norman  J.,  Ignatius  M., 
Constance  B.  and  Katharine  M.  The  religious  affilia- 
tion of  the  family  is  with  the  Lutheran  church. 


ELIAS  STEENERSON. 


Elia«    Steenerson   was   bom    in    Houston    county,  Rushford,    Minnesota.      In   the   spring   of   1876,   he 

Minnesota,  November  4,   1856.     He  worked   on   his  took  a  teacher's  examination,  securing  a  certificate 

father's  farm  and  attended  the  district  school  in  the  to  teach;  but  he  did  not  then  take  up  that  line  of 

town  of  Sheldon  and  a  term  in  the  graded  school  at  work,  as  different  plans  were  in  progress,  his  parents 


168 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


having  decided  to  move  to  the  Red  River  Valley,  and 
Elias  was  eager  to  follow  Greeley's  advice  to  "go 
AVest  and  grow  up  with  the  coimtiy. " 

In  September,  1876,  he  started  for  the  Red  River 
Valley  with  a  team  and  a  covered  wagon,  several 
head  of  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep,  belonging  to  his 
father,  who  had  taken  a  homestead  in  the  town  of 
Vineland  in  1875,  and  who  was  establishing  a  new 
home  in  the  west  where  all  his  sons  and  daughters 
could  become  land  owners  if  they  wished  to.  He 
arrived  at  Sand  Hill  River,  town  of  Vineland, 
November  3,  1876,  after  a  six  weeks'  journey  in  the 
then  modern  prairie  schooner.  Few  men  are  more 
intimately  identified  with  the  settlement  and  develop- 
ment of  Polk  county  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

In  the  winter  of  1876-1877  he  taught  school  in 
District  No.  5,  Polk  county,  a  territorj^  embracing 
nearly  two  townships.  The  school  was  held  at  the 
homes  of  the  scattered  settlers  along  the  Red  river, 
between  Marsh  and  Sand  Hill  rivers,  at  periods  of 
two  weeks  at  each  place,  so  as  to  get  all  children  of 
school  age  enrolled. 

He  applied  to  purchase  the  east  half  of  the  south- 
east quarter  and  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quar- 
ter, section  twenty-five,  township  one  hundred  forty- 
eight,  range  forty-nine,  fi-om  the  railroad  company, 
and  also  pre-empted  the  southeast  quarter,  section 
six,  township  one  hundred  forty-seven,  range  forty- 
eight.  He  secured  the  title  to  these  lands  by  purchase 
from  the  railroad  company  and  by  homestead  from 
the  Government.  He  still  owns  these  lands  and  takes 
pi'ide  in  the  fact  that  there  is  no  mortgage  on  them. 
He  has  added  some  to  this  acreage,  and  through  a 
renter  fanns  six  hundred  acres  near  Climax;  he 
calls  his  farm  Walhalla. 

In  1879  he  was  selling  machinery  in  Caledonia, 
North  Dakota,  and  in  1880  in  Grand  Forks.  In  1881 
he  established  himself  with  his  brother  as  the  firm  of 
Steenerson  Brothers  at  Fisher  and  Crookston,  deal- 
ing in  Walter  A.  Wood's  harvesting  and  other  ma- 
chinery. He  claims  the  distinction  of  selling  and 
delivering  the  first  twine  binder  in  Polk  county.   The 


firm  distributed  forty-two  twine  binders  from  Fisher, 
and  forty  from  Crookston  in  that  year.  The  same 
year  the  firm  opened  a  genei-al  store  at  Fisher.  He 
was  mayor  and  postmaster  of  Fisher  for  several  years. 

In  1887  the  firm  retired  from  machinery  and  mer- 
cantile business  and  our  subject  moved  to  Crookston, 
where  he  opened  a  real  estate  and  insurance  office, 
devoting  a  large  portion  of  his  time  to  farm  insur- 
ance, which  cari'ied  him  all  over  the  county  and  gave 
him  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  farmers  such 
as  few  others  enjoy. 

He  has  been  identified  with  the  farmers'  movement 
in  many  ways.  In  1892  he  instituted  the  famous 
Steenerson  Grain  Rate  Case  which  established  the 
principal  of  State  control  of  Railways.  He  has  been 
delegate  to  various  farmers'  and  marketing  conven- 
tions. He  helped  to  create  the  sentiment  which 
brought  about  legislation  for  the  Railway  and  Ware 
House  Commission;  for  grain  inspection  and  grad- 
ing ;  for  the  reclaiming  of  swamp  and  over-flow  lands 
by  a  system  of  state  drainage;  and  for  extending  the 
College  of  Agriculture  by  establishing  branch  agri- 
cultural schools  throughout  the  state  as  part  of  the 
University — in  particular  in  the  Northwest  School  of 
Agriculture,  located  at  Crookston.  He  is  an  advo- 
cate of  placing  boards  of  trade  and  chambers  of  com- 
merce under  control  of  the  state. 

In  1900  he  traveled  over  the  Northwest  as  special 
agent  for  the  Connecticut  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
lu  1901  he  was  interested  in  lumbering  near  Black- 
duek,  Beltrami  county,  and  furnished  the  lumber  that 
built  the  fii*st  houses  in  that  village.  In  1904  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  at  Crookston  by  President 
Roosevelt,  and  was  re-appointed  in  1909  and  served 
with  distinction  until  succeeded  by  a  Democrat,  in 
July,  1913.  During  his  incumbency  tlie  Crookston 
postoffiee  was  raised  to  a  high  standard  of  efficiencj' 
and  cleanliness.  The  rural  delivery  system  was  in- 
creased from  two  carriers  to  six,  giving  service  to 
within  a  mile  of  every  farmer  within  a  radius  of 
sixteen  miles  from  Crookston.  A  Federal  building 
was  built  during  his  term,  the  furnishing  of  which 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


he  well  knew  how  to  provide,  and  where  he  presided 
for  several  yeai-s  with  dignity  and  decorum. 

In  1914  he  resided  part  of  the  time  in  Minneapolis, 
and  at  the  solicitation  of  his  farmer  friends,  he  filed  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  and, 
although  scarcely  making  an  effort  worth  mentioning, 
he  made  a  run  that  threw  the  scare  into  his  opponent 
and  the  machine  politicians  who  supported  him,  re- 
ceiving a  total  vote  of  nearly  seventy-eight  thousand 
(78,000),  and  cariying  every  county  in  the  Ninth 
Congressional  District  with  big  majorities. 

In  the  spring  of  1915  he  returned  to  Crookston  to 
live  where  he  has  a  neat  and  cozy  home,  and  is  again 
to  be  found  at  his  desk  in  his  office,  on  Main  Street, 
where  he  conducts  a  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness, and  looks  after  his  farming  interests  through- 


169 

out  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Crookston 
Lodge  of  Elks  No.  342,  and  the  Native  Sons  of  Min- 
nesota. He  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  public 
enterprises. 

Mr.  Steenerson  was  married  in  1884  to  Oliama 
Iloug.  They  have  had  one  son,  Vivian,  a  promising 
young  man  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steenerson  enjoy  traveling,  and  spend 
part  of  their  time  in  that  manner,  having  visited 
nearly  all  points  of  interest  in  North  America,  in- 
cluding Mexico  and  Cuba.  Their  next  trip  will  be 
to  Europe,  and  were  it  not  for  the  great  war  they 
would  be  there  at  this  writing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steener- 
son hold  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church,  where 
Mrs.  Steenerson  takes  an  active  part. 


HOGEN  B.  HOGENSON. 


This  useful  citizen  of  Polk  county  and  resident  of 
the  village  of  Fertile  for  years  met  the  requirements 
of  duty  as  an  industrious  and  successful  home-steader 
and  farmer,  redeeming  a  tract  of  virgin  land  from 
the  wilderness  and  making  it  fruitful  with  the  prod- 
ucts of  systematic  cultivation,  and  he  is  now  engaged 
in  ministering  to  the  comfort  and  general  welfare  of 
a  large  number  of  persons  as  the  United  States  mail 
carrier  on  Rural  Route  No.  2  running  out  of  Fertile. 
He  was  bom  in  Norway  December  27,  1859,  the  sou 
of  Thorsten  and  Guro  (Hanson)  Hogenson,  and 
passed  the  first  thirteen  years  of  his  life  in  his  native 
land. 

His  mother  died  in  Norway,  and  in  1872  he  came 
with  his  father  to  the  United  States.  They  located 
in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  where  the  son  lived 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two.  He  then 
changed  his  residence  to  Polk  county  and  entered  a 
homestead  in  Garden  township.  On  this  homestead 
he  continued  to  live  and  labor,  breaking  up  and  cul- 
tivating his  land  and  making  needed  improvements 
year  after  year,  until  August,  1905,  transforming  his 
wild  claim  into  a  good  farm  and  a  comfortable  home 


in  his  twenty-two  years  of  residence  and  well  applied 
industry  on  it. 

In  August,  1905,  he  moved  to  Fertile  and  was  ap- 
pointed rural  mail  carrier  on  Route  No.  2,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  ever  since  rendered  excellent  service 
to  the  public.  His  farm  comprises  200  acres  and  is 
well  developed  and  improved.  Wliile  living  on  it 
Mr.  Hogenson  filled  several  township  offices  with 
credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  his  township.  He 
served  as  assessor,  justice  of  the  peace,  chairman  of 
the  board  of  supervisors  and  member  of  the  school 
board,  taking  an  active  part  in  all  township  affairs 
and  helping  to  develop  and  advance  the  locality  by 
all  the  means  available  to  him.  His  work  in  the  town- 
ship is  appreciated  and  the  people  there  have  high 
regard  for  him  because  of  his  genuine  worth  and  the 
service  he  rendered  them. 

In  church  connection  Mr.  Hogenson  is  a  Lutheran. 
He  was  married  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  June 
3,  1882,  to  Miss  Gunnild  Gunnufson,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  this  state.  She  died  September  8,  1914, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  leaving  eight  children : 
Anna,  Thomas,  John,  Christine,  Ida,  Clara,  Helmar 


170 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


and  Gladys.  A  sou  named  Hogen  died  when  lie  was 
five  years  old.  Anna  became  the  wife  of  All)ert  Holm 
and  died  June  20,  1908.    Christine  is  the  wife  of  Wil- 


liam Olson,  who  is  a  farmer  and  lives  in  Garden  town- 
ship. 


JOHN  A.  ERIKSON. 


Although  a  native  of  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  John 
A.  Erikson,  a  prominent  hardware  and  farmiun;  imple- 
ments merchant  of  Fertile  has  been  a  I'esident  of  Polk 
county,  Minnesota,  for  thirty-three  years  and  of  the 
village  of  Fertile  for  twenty-eight.  He  is  therefore 
fully  in  touch  with  the  people  of  this  county  and  has 
an  earnest  interest  in  all  their  a.spirations  and  under- 
takings for  advancement  and  elevation  in  their  stand- 
ards of  living,  and  he  has  contributed  his  full  portion 
of  the  effort  necessary  to  promote  their  w-elfare. 

Mr.  Erikson  is  the  son  of  Hemming  and  Elizabeth 
(Johnson)  Erikson.  They  were  both  Norwegian  by 
birth.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854 
and  took  up  his  residence  on  a  homestead  he  entered 
in  Waushara  county,  Wisconsin,  near  the  village  of 
Mount  Morris.  There  his  son  John  A.  was  born 
June  19,  1867,  and  there  the  family  lived  until  April 
26,  1882,  when  the  family  home  was  changed  to  Lib- 
erty township  in  this  county.  In  1904  the  father  sold 
his  Polk  county  farm,  and  since  then  he  has  made  his 
home  in  Minneapolis. 

John  A.  Erikson  remained  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Liberty  township  until  September  1,  1887,  when  he 
changed  his  residence  to  the  village  of  Fertile  and  took 
a  position  in  the  employ  of  George  Kronschnabel,  who 
was  then  conducting  the  leading  hardware  store  in 
the  village.    Mr.  Erikson  later  became  his  partner  in 


this  business  and  they  were  associated  in  the  manage- 
ment of  it  until  June,  1896,  when  Mr.  Kronschnabel 
sold  his  interest  in  the  firm  to  W.  L.  Vannet,  with 
whom  Mr.  Erikson  was  in  partnership  until  1906. 
Since  then  he  has  carried  on  the  business  alone,  carry- 
ing an  extensive  stock  of  hardware  and  farming  im- 
plements and  building  up  a  large  and  active  trade 
throughout  a  considerable  scope  of  country. 

By  his  activity  in  behalf  of  every  project  designed 
to  build  up  and  improve  his  home  community  Mr. 
Erikson  has  made  himself  an  important  factor  in  pro- 
moting the  progress  of  this  region  and  won  the  esteem 
of  its  residents  as  one  of  its  most  enterprising,  public- 
spirited  and  sei-viceable  citizens.  He  has  served  as 
assistant  postmaster  and  for  over  four  years  has  been 
seeretai-y  of  the  Commercial  club.  Frateraally  he  be- 
longs to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  in  religious 
affiliation  to  the  United  Lutheran  church. 

Feeling  that  his  education  was  deficient  when  neap- 
ing the  dawni  of  his  manhood,  Mr.  Erikson  attended 
the  Central  school  in  Crookston  in  the  winter  of  1886- 
87,  and  for  a  short  time  in  the  late  summer  of  1887 
he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  by  Charles  M.  Old  at  Bel- 
trami. He  was  married  in  Faribault,  Minnesota,  in 
1902,  to  Miss  Carrie  Oehler,  who  was  born  in  Iowa. 
They  have  two  children,  their  sons  Earl  and  Luther. 


HARRY  M.  HALVORSON. 


Although  he  was  bom  and  reared  on  a  farm  and 
has  himself  followed  farming,  Harry  M.  Halvorson's 
taste  and  inclination  have  always  been  toward  busi- 
ness, and  the  greater  part  of  his  life  since  reaching 
maturity  has  been  passed  in  business  operations, 
chiefly  as  a  liveryman,  which  he  is  at  present,  and 


one  of  the  leadei-s  in  his  line  in  Polk  county.  He  is 
studious  of  his  calling  and  makes  evei-y  effort  to  keep 
his  equipment  for  it  strictly  up  to  date,  and  he  also 
studies  his  trade  and  strives  vrith  all  his  resources  to 
meet  every  requirement  of  his  patrons. 

Mr.  Halvorson  is  wholly  a  product  of  Polk  county 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


171 


and  a  representative  man  among  its  people.  His  life 
began  on  his  father's  farm  in  Liberty  township  June 
23,  1891,  and  he  continued  to  live  there  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty  years,  obtaining  a  common 
school  education  at  the  school  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  home.  He  also  worked  on  the  farm  from  the  time 
when  he  was  big  and  strong  enough  to  do  it  until  he 
left  the  parental  rooftree  and  started  out  in  life  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Halvoi'son  is  a  son  of  Hans  and  Hamiah 
(Gulickson)  Halvoi'son,  the  former  a  native  of  Nor- 
way and  the  latter  of  Iowa  but  of  Norwegian  parent- 
age.    They  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Liberty 


township,  this  county,  where  the  father  entered  a 
homestead  in  the  early  days  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Seven  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  and  of  tliese  their  son  Harry  was  the  fifth  in 
the  order  of  birth.  When  he  left  home  he  rented  a 
farm  for  a  year  in  Scandia  township  and  then  took 
charge  of  one  in  Rice  township  for  a  few  months.  In 
December,  1913,  he  purchased  the  livery  business  and 
outfit  of  J.  I.  Hamre  in  Fertile,  and  to  the  manage- 
ment of  that  business  he  has  since  devoted  himself 
with  constant  industry,  good  ability  and  profitable 
results.  He  is  an  excellent  citizen  and  esteemed  as 
such  throughout  the  community. 


THORVALD  A.  BYDAL. 


Thorvald  A.  Bydal,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  a  well 
known  citizen  and  leading  merchant  of  that  place, 
was  born  in  Norway,  May  8,  1865.  He  remained  in 
his  native  land  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  for  a  year  resided  in 
Portage  county,  Wisconsin.  In  1886  he  remoA'ed  to 
Polk  county  and  became  associated  with  the  grocery 
trade  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  East  Grand  Forks  and 
continued  in  that  employment  for  a  number  of  years, 
making  his  independent  venture  in  the  commercial 
world  in  1907.  In  May  of  that  year  he  opened  a  gro- 
cery store  under  the  firm  name  of  Bydal  &  Bydal  and 
has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  the  successful  man- 
agement of  that  business.  This  store  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  attractive  in  that  locality,  furnishing 
the  town  with  excellent  trading  facilities  and  enjoys 


a  steady  prosperity  and  lucrative  patronage  which 
attests  to  the  ability  and  integi'ity  of  its  management. 
Aside  from  his  commercial  activities,  Mr.  Bydal  is 
interested  in  farm  lands,  owning  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  North  Dakota  land.  During  the  many 
years  of  his  residence  in  the  county,  he  has  given  his 
ready  support  to  every  project  which  tends  to  public 
betterment  and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  the  community.  He  is  an  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Commercial  club  and  one  of  its  directors. 
Also  vice  president  of  the  Retail  Merchants  association 
of  East  Grand  Forks  and  Grand  Forks.  Mr.  Bydal 
was  married  in  Minneapolis,  October  12,  1903,  to 
Anna  Leewy,  who,  like  her  husband,  is  a  native  of 
Norway.    They  have  one  child,  Laila. 


WILLIAM  STREET. 


Being  one  of  the  extensive,  progressive  and  success- 
ful farmera  of  Reis  township,  this  county,  William 
Street  is  a  useful  and  stimulating  force  in  the  part 
of  the  county  in  which  he  lives  and  has  done  a  gi-eat 
deal  toward  helping  it  to  progress  to  its  full  develop- 
ment and  most  advanced  improvement.  He  also  han- 
dles live  stock  extensively,  and  in  this  branch  of  his 


industry  he  is  an  additional  help  to  the  industrial 
and  commercial  activities  of  his  township  and  the 
Northwest  in  general. 

Mr.  Street  was  bom  near  the  town  of  Ringwood, 
Hampshire,  England,  November  6,  1845,  and  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  there  and  educated  at  the 
school  in  the  neighborhood.     From  his  boyhood  he 


172 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


looked  forward  to  fanning  as  his  chosen  occupation 
for  life,  and  through  all  his  subsequent  years  he  has 
largely  adliered  to  this  choice.  In  1873  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  took  up  his  residence  at 
Glyndon,  Clay  county,  Minnesota,  and  there,  for  a 
few  months,  was  employed  by  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad.  While  railroad  work  was  not  entirely  to 
his  liking  it  pleased  him  well  enough  to  hold  him  for 
the  next  five  years,  during  which  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  Great  Northern  company,  earning  fair  wages 
and  saving  them  for  future  use. 

At  the  end  of  the  period  named  he  once  more  turned 
his  attention  to  farming,  becoming  foreman  on  the 
large  W.  H.  Fisher  farm  in  Norman  county,  and  serv- 
ing there  in  that  capacity  thirteen  years.  In  1891  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself,  taking  up  a  home- 
stead in  Section  22,  Reis  township,  this  county,  which 
he  lived  on  and  improved  as  his  home  until  1897.  He 
then  took  school  land  on  Section  16  of  the  same  town- 


ship, and  on  this  he  has  ever  since  resided.  But  he 
has  added  to  his  holdings  until  he  now  owns  640  acres, 
all  of  which  he  has  improved  and  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  productiveness.  In  addition  to  his  farming 
operations,  which  are  of  a  general  character,  he  han- 
dles live  stock  in  considerable  numbers,  having  at  the 
time  of  this  writing  (Nov.  1,  1915),  some  22  head  of 
horses,  90  of  cattle  and  50  of  hogs. 

Mr.  Street  has  always  taken  an  earnest  interest  and 
an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  township 
and  county.  He  has  acceptably  filled  several  local 
offices  and  was  one  of  the  principal  men  in  organiz- 
ing the  Beltrami  Co-operative  Creamery  company,  in 
which  he  is  still  largely  interested.  In  the  spring  of 
1892  he  was  married  in  Crookston  to  Miss  Lizzie  Sav- 
age, who  is  a  native  of  Faribault,  Minnesota.  They 
have  six  children,  Emma,  William,  Walter,  JIabel, 
Clara  and  Herbert.  Emma  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Fred  Lvman. 


OLE  A.  THORESON. 


Ole  A.  Thoreson,  a  former  postmaster  at  East  Grand 
Forks  and  a  Avell  kno\^^l  citizen  of  Polk  county,  was 
bom  in  the  northern  part  of  Norway,  in  the  parish  of 
Bardo,  December  26,  1845.  The  early  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  his  native  land,  where  he  lived  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  in  the  spring  of 
1862,  his  parents  brought  their  family  to  the  United 
States,  making  St.  Croix  Falls,  Wisconsin  their  des- 
tination. Shortly  afterwards  they  took  homesteads 
north  of  St.  Croix  Falls  in  Burnett  county,  which 
was  the  home  of  Ole  Thoreson  for  a  number  of  years 
during  wliich  he  engaged  in  farming  and  was  actively 
associated  with  the  public  interests  and  political  af- 
fairs and  was  elected  to  the  oflSces  of  county  auditor 
and  county  commissioner.  After  spending  about  fif- 
teen years  in  Wisconsin  he  became  desirous  of  remov- 
ing westward  and  in  1877  visited  Polk  county,  look- 
ing for  a  new  location  for  his  agricultural  activities. 
About  one  j'ear  later  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took 
a  preemption  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixtj'  acres 


in  Sullivan  towniship.  He  devoted  his  attention  to 
the  development  and  improvement  of  the  farm  until 
1889  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  East  Grand 
Forks  by  President  Harrison  and  served  in  that  office 
for  four  years.  In  1902  he  was  again  called  to  public 
service,  being  elected  probate  judge  of  Polk  county 
and  in  1904  was  returned  to  the  office  but  resigned 
before  the  end  of  his  term  to  accept  his  second  appoint- 
ment as  postmaster  of  East  Grand  Forks,  and  con- 
tinued in  office  through  the  administrations  of  Roose- 
velt and  Taft.  Through  the  many  years  of  public 
service  which  have  marked  his  career  vdth  honor  and 
merit,  Mr.  Thoreson  has  met  all  the  demands  of  his 
position  with  an  efficiency  and  diligence  that  have 
brought  liim  the  confidence  and  unfailing  support  of 
his  constituents.  As  a  public  spirited  citizen  and 
successful  farmer,  his  influence  has  been  exerted  in 
all  phases  of  the  rapid  development  of  the  eountr>' 
which  he  entered  as  a  pioneer.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  has  always  been  a 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


173 


faithful  aud  generous  supporter  and  has  been  actively 
interested  in  the  extension  of  its  activities,  having 
been  prominently  associated  with  the  erection  of  two 
churches,  one  in  Wisconsin  and  in  the  First  Lutheran 
church  in  Grand  Forks.  Mr.  Thoreson  was  married 
at  Grantsburg,  Burnett  county,  Wisconsin,  December 
31,  1876,  to  Albertiua  Hilnian,  who  like  her  husband 
is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  at  Frederickshald,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1855.  She  came  to  the  United  States  with  her 
parents  when  ten  years  of  age  and  after  residing  for 


several  years  in  Lafayette  and  Green  counties,  the 
family  settled  in  Burnett  county,  which  remained  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Thoreson  until  shoi"tly  after  her  mar- 
riage. Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  Thoi'eson  and 
his  wife,  of  whom  five  are  now  living.  The  death  of 
a  daughter.  Alma  Thoreson,  occurred  November  11, 
1911,  in  her  thirtieth  year  and  that  of  another  daugh- 
ter in  her  infancy.  The  surviving  members  of  the 
family  are,  Ida  H.,  Theresa  E.,  Olaf  A.,  Hannah  M. 
and  Elmer  T. 


CHARLES  STREET. 


This  enterprising  and  successful  farmer  of  Reis 
township,  this  county,  is  a  younger  brother  of  William 
Street,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  in  this  volume, 
and  is  living  on  the  old  homestead  taken  up  by  his 
brother  William  in  Section  22,  which  was  the  first 
home  of  the  latter  in  Polk  county.  Charles  was  boi-n 
near  the  town  of  Ringwood,  in  Hampshire,  England, 
December  18,  1858,  and  was  reared,  like  his  brother 
William,  on  his  father's  farm,  obtaining  his  education 
at  the  country  school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  In 
August,  1884,  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and 
during  the  next  eight  years  he  lived  in  different 
places  in  this  country  and  was  employed  at  various 
occupations,  doing  with  interest  and  energy  whatever 
he  found  to  do. 

In  1893  he  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county,  and 
for  six  years  thereafter  he  was  in  the  employ  of  his 
brother  William.     He  then  bought  his  brother's  old 


homestead  of  160  acres  in  Section  22,  Reis  township, 
and  on  this  he  has  expended  his  time  and  energies  in 
a  general  farming  enterprise  ever  since.  He  is  a  pro- 
gressive and  studious  man,  and  has  brought  to  bear 
on  his  farming  operations  whatever  he  has  been  able 
to  learn  by  study  and  obsei-vation  that  has  seemed 
likely  to  improve  his  methods  and  accelerate  his  prog- 
ress. His  farm  is  an  example  of  the  good  results  of 
forethought  and  intelligence  as  applied  to  modern 
agriculture,  and  he  is,  besides,  an  excellent  citizen 
with  a  broad-minded  and  public-spirited  interest  in 
all  the  public  alfairs  of  his  township  and  county.  lie 
has  found  good  opportunities  for  his  industry  and 
enterprise  in  this  country,  and  has  profited  by  them. 
The  countiy  has  also  been  the  gainer  by  his  having 
selected  it  as  the  seat  of  his  operations,  and  he  is 
highly  respected  as  a  thi'ifty  and  upright  man  by 
all  who  know  him. 


WILBUR  G.  LYTLE. 


Having  given  up  active  pursuits  of  a  laborious  kind 
and  taken  up  his  residence  in  Crookston,  where  he 
is  living  retired,  Wilbur  G.  Lytle,  formerly  one  of 
the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers  of  Polk 
county,  is  enjoying  in  the  quiet  way  agreeable  to  him 
the  fruits  of  his  long  and  arduous  labors  during  tlie 
years  of  his  greater  activity.  He  was  born  at  Lisbon, 
St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  August  10,  1845,  the 


son  of  John  A.  and  Lucinda  (Scripture)  Lawrence; 
the  former  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  the 
latter  of  Vermont.  They  were  farmers  and  both  died 
in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  where  they  passed 
the  greater  part  of  their  lives. 

Wilbur  G.  Lytle  remained  at  home  assisting  his 
father  on  the  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eight- 
een.    He  then  came  West  and  located  at  Bronson, 


174 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COLNTY 


Branch  county,  Michigan,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing and  lumbering  for  nearly  four  j'ears.  At  the  end 
of  the  period  named  he  returned  to  his  native  county 
and  again  devoted  his  energies  to  farming  there  for 
a  number  of  years.  But  the  West  still  wore  a  winning 
Biiiiie  for  liim  iuid  he  came  to  St.  Croix  county,  "Wis- 
consin, where  he  operated  a  grain  elevator  and  also 
farmed  until  1877.  In  June  of  that  year  he  changed 
his  base  of  operations  to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and 
located  on  a  farm  in  Andover  township.  This  farm 
he  sold  in  1908,  but  has  lived  in  Crookston  since  1888, 
and  for  some  years  has  been  nearly  free  from  business 
eai'es. 

Mr.  Lytic  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs  and  has  filled  several  local  offices  in 
Andover  township  with  credit  to  himself  and  benefit 
to  the  township.  He  has  l)cen  the  owner  of  a  consider- 
able amount  of  real  estate-  in  this  county.    On  Decem- 


ber 20,  1876,  he  was  married  at  Richville,  New  York, 
to  Miss  Mary  Fisk,  a  native  of  the  same  county  as 
himself  and  born  August  10,  1855.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Edwin  R.  and  Ruth  A.  (Brown)  Fisk,  the  for- 
mer born  in  the  city  of  Rutland,  Vermont,  and  the 
latter  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York.  They  came 
to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  in  1882,  and  here  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  dying  well  ad- 
vanced in  years  and  high  in  general  esteem. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lytic  are  cordial  supporters  of  the 
Congregational  chui'ch  and  all  its  work  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  community.  Mr.  Lytic  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  in  which  he  has  reached  the 
rank  of  Knight  Tcmplai-.  He  has  served  as  warden 
of  Constantine  Commander\-  No.  20  for  more  than 
twenty  years  and  still  fills  that  office.  Has  been  a 
member  of  Blue  Tjodge  for  forty-eight  years. 


JOHN  HELDSTAB. 


Starting  in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
with  nothing  but  his  strong  arm,  clear  head  and  de- 
termined spirit  as  capital,  the  late  John  Hcldstab,  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  successful  business  men  of 
Crookston,  steadily  pursued  his  way  through  a  variety 
of  trials  and  occupations  to  consequence  in  a  worldly 
way  and  a  position  of  high  esteem  and  regard  among 
the  people  of  the  city  in  which  tlie  greater  part  of 
his  activities  were  shown. 

Mr.  Heldstab  was  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  in 
the  city  of  Davos,  December  2,  I860,  where  he  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  remained  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-one.  He  was  the  son  of  Honus  and 
Anna  (Travaner)  Heldstab.  Both  parents  died  in 
Switzerland.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he  came  to  the 
Ignited  States  in  company  with  his  brothers,  Chris- 
tian and  Martin,  and  located  at  Alma,  Buffalo  county, 
Wisconsin.  In  that  locality  he  worked  for  about  one 
year  at  farm  labor.  Early  in  1883  he  changed  his 
residence  to  Crookston,  Minnesota,  and  here  also  he 
worked  out  on  farms  for  a  few  years,  but  passed  most 


of  the  time  in  the  neighborhood  of  Warren,  in  Mar- 
shal county,  during  this  period. 

Mr.  Heldstab 's  next  move  was  to  form  a  partner- 
ship with  Matthew  Ridi  for  carrying  on  an  active 
business  in  the  ice  trade.  The  partnership  lasted 
only  a  few  years,  as  Mr.  Heldstab  saw  a  more  favor- 
able opening  for  his  energies  in  a  short  time  and  sold 
his  interest  in  the  ice  firm.  He  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  draying  industry  and  also  occupied  him- 
self to  a  considerable  extent  in  collecting  buffalo  bones 
and  shipping  them  to  markets  where  they  were  in 
demand.  He  continued  his  draying  business  for  a 
number  of  j-ears  and  then  sold  it  to  advantage.  In 
1896  he  purchased  the  ice  business  of  John  Schajitzen, 
which  he  conducted  with  increasing  trade  and  pros- 
perity until  his  death  at  his  home  in  Crookston,  420 
North  Main  street,  on  September  8,  1915.  He  was 
fifty-four  years  of  age  when  he  died,  and  twenty-two 
years  of  his  industrious  and  useful  life  were  passed  in 
Northwestern  Minnesota. 

During  the  whole  of  his  residence  in  this  country 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


175 


Mr.  Heldstab  took  an  earnest  interest  and  an  active 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  community  of  his  home  and 
contributed  essentially  to  its  progress  and  develop- 
ment. He  was  not,  however,  an  active  political  par- 
tisan and  never  sought  or  desired  a  public  ofSce  of 
any  kind.  His  work  for  the  advancement  of  his  city 
and  county  was  that  of  a  good  citizen  outside  of 
political  contentions  and  hopes  of  direct  personal 
reward  except  what  came  from  the  improvement  of 
his  locality.  He  belonged  to  the  German  Lutheran 
church  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  active 
members  of  St.  Paul's  congregation  of  that  sect  in 
Crookston. 


On  December  20,  1891,  Mr.  Heldstab  was  married 
in  Crookston  to  Miss  Lena  "Weber,  who  was  bom  in 
Oberstein,  Germany,  November  12,  1871,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1888,  when  she  was  seventeen  years 
old.  Seven  sons  were  born  of  their  union,  one  of 
whom,  Paul  Walter,  died  when  he  was  about  one  year 
old.  The  mother  and  six  of  the  sons  are  living  and 
have  their  homes  in  Polk  county.  The  living  sons 
are :  John  W.,  Gustav  M.,  Christian  R.,  Theodore  E., 
Harold  D.  and  Willard  A.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
the  father  owned  a  fine  farm  of  320  acres,  which  was 
well  improved  and  under  good  cultivation. 


HON.  GUNDER  KROSTUE. 


As  a  large  landholder,  an  enterprising  and  success- 
ful merchant,  a  member  of  the  state  legislature,  the 
postmaster  for  many  years  of  the  town  of  Fisher  and  a 
pi'ominent,  influential  and  highly  esteemed  citizen,  the 
late  Hon.  Gunder  Krostue  dignified,  adorned  and  ad- 
mirably represented  the  best  manhood  and  citizenship 
of  Polk  county  in  many  lines  of  usefulness  and  bene- 
ficial labor  and  example  to  the  locality  of  his  home. 

Mr.  Krostue  was  bom  June  10,  1851,  on  a  farm 
named  Krostue  in  Saetersdahl,  Norway,  and  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents  when  he 
Avas  but  ten  years  old.  The  familj'  located  in  Waupaca 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  the  son  grew  to  manhood 
and  obtained  a  limited  education  in  the  country 
schools.  At  an  early  age  he  began  to  work  at  farm 
labor  and  later  was  employed  as  a  lumberman,  driv- 
ing logs  down  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis.  These 
occupations,  however,  were  too  precarious  and  un- 
promising to  satisfy  his  ambition,  and  he  determined 
to  do  something  more  in  line  with  his  tastes  and  em- 
bodying better  prospects  for  him. 

In  1880  Mr.  Krostue  took  up  his  residence  in  Polk 
county,  and  here  for  a  time  he  served  as  engineer  with 
a  threshing  crew  and  then  worked  on  the  survey  of  the 
Great  Northern  railroad  between  Grand  Forks  and 
Crookston.    Later  he  proved  up  on  a  homestead  claim 


in  Grand  Porks  county.  North  Dakota,  which  he  then 
sold.  He  at  once  located  in  the  town  of  Fisher,  this 
county,  and  for  four  years  thereafter  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  the  store  kept  by  Messrs.  Thompson  & 
Johnson.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  entered  upon 
an  independent  mercantile  career,  opening  a  store  in 
Fisher  for  general  merchandise  and  farming  imple- 
ments. This  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful 
of  his  many  activities,  and  carried  him  to  a  promi- 
nent place  in  connection  with  the  business  interests 
of  the  county.  He  became  an  extensive  landholder, 
owning  some  2,100  acres  of  farm  land  near  Fisher,  and 
was  also  president  of  the  Fisher  Bank  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  until  his  death.  In  addition  he 
served  as  postmaster  of  Fisher  for  many  years  until 
the  pressure  of  other  engagements  compelled  him  to 
retire  from  the  ofiSce. 

Mr.  Krostue  continued  to  live  in  Fisher  until  his 
death  on  July  7,  1912,  when  he  was  in  his  sixty-first 
year.  He  belonged  to  the  class  of  men  who  rise  to 
success  and  influence  through  their  native  ability  and 
industry  and  win  the  regard  of  all  who  know  them 
by  their  sterling  worth  and  admirable  manhood.  He 
freely  bestowed  the  gifts  of  his  strong  personality 
in  the  service  of  his  fellow  men  and  left  the  memory 
of  many  commendable  accomplishments  as  a  citizen, 


176 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


many  noble  traits  as  a  friend  and  many  wise  and 
fruitful  achievements  through  his  enterprise  and  pub- 
lic spirit,  as  well  as  that  of  his  eminent  success  as  a 
business  maji. 

In  the  public  life  of  his  community  this  far-seeing 
gentleman  always  was  a  trusted  leader,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1902  his  fellow  citizens  selected  him  as  their 
representative  in  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legis- 
lature. In  the  session  of  1903  he  was  chairman  of  the 
House  committee  on  drainage  and  a  member  of  the 
committees  on  grain  and  warehouse  and  roads,  bridges 
and  navigable  streams.  He  was  re-elected  in  the  fall 
of  1904,  and  in  the  session  of  1905  he  was  again  chair- 
man of  the  comniittee  on  drainage  and  was  also  as- 
signed to  duly  oil  the  committees  on  binding  twine, 
public  health,  dairy  and  food  products  and  temper- 
ance legislation. 


In  his  religious  aflfiliation  Mr.  Krostue  was  connected 
with  the  United  Lutheran  church,  of  which  his  widow 
is  also  an  active  member  and  earnest  supporter,  llei- 
maiden  name  was  Christine  Benson  and  she  is  tlie 
daughter  of  Lars  Bensou.  She  was  born  in  Waupaca 
county,  Wisconsin,  and  at  an  early  age  removed  with 
her  parents  to  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  where  the 
family  resided  until  the  accidental  death  of  the  father 
by  drowning  at  Red  Wing.  After  that  sad  event  the 
mother  and  her  eight  children  changed  their  residence 
to  Pope  county,  Minnesota,  and  there  Miss  Christine 
lived  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Krostue,  which  took 
place  on  December  2,  1882.  Of  the  children  born  of 
their  man-iage  seven  are  living:  Lawrence,  who  is 
a  farmer,  and  Clara,  Lottie,  Myron,  Theresa,  Clayton 
and  Glendora.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Krostue  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Fisher. 


JULIUS  WENTZEL. 

Having  Imnie  faithfully  and  with  good  results  for  The  land  taken  up  by  Mr.  Wentzel  was  wholly  un- 
himself  and  the  localities  in  which  he  lived  the  heat  cultivated  and  unimproved,  and  he  began  to  devote 
and  burden  of  a  long  day  of  toil,  in  which  he  experi-  himself  at  once  to  transforming  it  into  a  farm  ami 
eneed  many  privations  and  hardships,  Julius  Wentzel  a  good  home  for  himself  and  his  family.  He  con- 
of  Crookston,  one  of  the  former  prosperous  and  pro-  tinned  to  live  on  it  and  develop  and  improve  it  until 
gressive  farmei-s  of  Polk  county,  has  retired  from  ac-  the  fall  of  1909,  making  it  over  into  a  highly  produc- 
tive pursuits  and  is  passing  the  evening  of  his  life  in  tive  and  valuable  rural  estate  and  an  attractive  coun- 
comfortable  leisure  and  enjoying  in  a  sensible  and  try  home.  In  the  fall  of  1909  he  decided  to  quit  farm- 
nseful  way  the  fruits  of  his  former  well-applied  in-  ing  and  all  active  work  of  a  laborious  character,  and 
dusti-y  and  good  management.  moved   to    Crookston,    where   he    has   since'  resided. 

Mr.  Wentzel  was  bom  jn  Pnissia  August  28,  1847,  After  taking  up  his  residence  in  Crookston  he  sold 

and  remained  there  until  he  reached  the  age  of  six-  his  farm. 

teen.    He  then  came  to  the  New  W^orld  and  took  up  On  December  11,   1873,  IMr.   Wentzel  was  united 

his  residence  for  a  year  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline  Radi,  who  was  born 

Canada,   where  he   was  variously  employed.     From  in  Prussia  March  19,  1858,  and  came  to  the  United 

Canada  he  moved  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  there  he  States  with  her  parents  in  1863,  when  she  was  about 

also  passed  a  year  in  work  of  different  kinds.    After  five   years   old.      The   family   located   in   Manitowoc 

that  he  lived  in  Manitowoc  county,  AVisconsin,  until  county,  Wisconsin,  wliere  Mrs.  AYentzel  was  reared 

January,  1878,  when  he  came  to  Polk  county,  Minne-  and  where  she  was  living  at  the  time  of  her  marriage, 

sota,  and  pre-empted  a  tract  of  160  acres  of  land  in  She  and  her  husband  became  the  parents  of  twelve 

Lowell  townsliip.  children,    eleven    of    whom    are    living.     They    are 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


177 


Charles,  William,  Au^st,  Julius,  Minnie,  Anna, 
Fred,  Alvina,  Ida,  Freda,  John  and  Pauline,  the 
youngest  child,  was  drowned  in  Red  Lake  river  at  the 


village  of  Fisher  July  22,  1910,  when  she  was  twelve 
years  old. 


ROBERT  ANDERSON. 


Approaching  now  the  evening  of  his  life  in  peace 
and  prosperity  after  many  years  of  arduous  labor, 
care  and  the  usual  difficulties  incident  to  the  exist- 
ence of  a  farmer  in  the  Northwest  of  this  country, 
Robert  Anderson,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  has  retired 
from  active  pursuits  with  an  unstained  record  of 
clean,  good  and  serviceable  citizenship  to  his  credit 
and  favored  with  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  every- 
body who  knows  him.  He  was  bom  in  Aberdeenshire, 
Scotland,  January  28,  1847,  and  in  June,  1874,  came 
to  the  United  States,  locating  temporarily  at  Grand 
Forks.  On  July  2,  of  the  year  last  named  he  took 
up  a  homestead  in  Grand  Forks  township,  Polk  county, 
and  on  this  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1913,  when 
he  gave  up  fai'ming  and  moved  to  the  city  of  East 
Grand  Porks.  He  has  sold  his  farm  and  is  living 
retired  and  free  from  all  business  cares. 

Mr.  Anderson  has,  however,  taken  a  very  active 
and  helpful  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  Polk  county 
in  times  past  and  has  never  lost  any  degree  of  his 
cordial  and  judicious  interest  in  the  county's  growth 
and  improvement.     He  was  the  first  township  clerk 


of  Grand  Forks,  Huntsville  and  Rhinehart  townships, 
his  jurisdiction  extending  over  the  present  city  of 
East  Grand  Forks,  and  he  held  the  office  of  clerk  of 
Grand  Forks  township  continuously  until  1918  and 
that  of  school  director  of  DLstrict  No.  2  in  that  town- 
ship for  thirty-six  yeai-s.  He  was  also  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Grand  Forks, 
and  is  now  an  elder  of  the  Mendahall  Presbyterian 
church  in  East  Grand  Forks. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  first  married  April  8,  1874,  to 
Miss  Mary  Patterson.  They  had  four  children, 
Charles  H.,  Margaret  J.,  Aaron  L.  and  John  H.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  Grand  Porks  town- 
ship August  4,  1898,  and  on  December  19,  1906,  the 
father  contracted  a  second  marriage  which  united 
him  with  Miss  Jennie  Rintoul,  a  native  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  but  long  resident  in  this  country.  Like  her 
husband,  Mrs.  Anderson  is  held  in  high  esteem  for 
her  genuine  worth  and  her  warm  and  serviceable  in- 
terest in  everj'thing  that  contributes  to  the  welfare  of 
Polk  county  and  the  Nortliwest  in  general. 


AUGUST  AKERLUND. 


Since  March  18,  1879,  August  Akerhind  has  lived 
in  Crookston  and  been  actively  and  profitably  engaged 
in  contracting  and  building  and  general  carpenter  and 
cabinetmaking  work.  He  has  done  liis  part  in  help- 
ing to  develop  and  improve  the  city  and  surrounding 
country,  and  many  of  the  substantial  buildings  now 
standing  in  this  part  of  the  state  are  monuments  to 
his  industiy  and  ability  as  a  builder.  He  was  born  in 
Sweden  August  8,  1845,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a 
cabinetmaker   in   that   country,   where   he   remained 


until  1869,  when  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  reach- 
ing New  York  November  23. 

With  his  arrival  in  this  country  began  a  new  era 
in  the  life  of  ]\Ir.  Akerlund.  The  West  attracted  him 
and  he  located  at  Whitehall,  Illinois,  and  there  worked 
at  bridge  building  for  about  three  years.  He  then 
changed  his  base  of  operations  to  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
where  he  passed  one  year  building  bridges  for  the 
railroads.  From  Dubuque  he  moved  to  Bellevue, 
Iowa,  and  in  that  locality  he  turned  his  attention  to 


178 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


factory  work  and  house  building  and  followed  these 
lines  until  he  came  to  Crookstou,  aiTiviug  March  18. 
1879. 

Mr.  Akerlund  was  married  at  Bellevue,  Iowa,  May 
4,  1874,  to  Miss  Anna  Louisa  Turneblad,  whose  life 
began  in  Sweden  July  24,  1855.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, Augusta,  Charles  and  Aimer.  Charles  is  a  mail 
carrier  in  Crookston,  and  Aimer  is  working  with  and 


under  the  instructions  of  his  father.  The  father  owns 
160  acres  of  land  in  Pennington  county,  Minnesot-a, 
and  the  building  in  which  he  carries  on  his  business 
was  erected  bj-  himself.  He  has  always  taken  a  cor- 
dial interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city  and  county  of 
his  home,  and  the  people  respect  him  highly  for  his 
upright  life,  public  spirit  and  sterling  manhood. 


MEDRIC  COLLIN. 


Through  many  trials  and  difficulties  and  a  variety 
of  occupations  Medric  Collin,  who  is  now  one  of  the 
successful  and  prosperous  merchants  of  Crookston, 
has  made  his  way  by  persistent  industry,  frugality, 
pluck  and  good  management  to  his  present  condition 
of  prominence  in  business  and  substantial  comfort  in 
a  worldly  w^ay.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  the  well 
known  and  popular  Crookston  Supply  house,  wdth 
which  he  has  been  connected  about  twenty-three  years 
and  which  he  has  owned  and  conducted  for  about 
three  years. 

Mr.  Collin  is  a  native  of  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
Canada,  where  he  was  bom  August  9,  1860,  and  where 
he  lived  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  during  the  ga'eater  part  of 
the  time.  Wlien  he  left  his  native  land  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Minneapolis,  and  there  he  lived  and  was 
variously  employed  until  the  autumn  of  1892.  In  No- 
vember of  that  vear  he  came  to  Crookston  and  entered 


into  partiiersliip  with  his  brother,  F.  X.  Collin,  and 
together  they  carried  on  an  active  mercantile  business 
for  about  twelve  years  under  the  firm  name  of  Collin 
Bros. 

At  the  end  of  the  period  named  the  partnership 
was  dissolved  and  the  brother  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness. Since  then  it  has  been  wholly  owned  and  car- 
ried on  by  Mr.  Collin  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Collin's  store  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
through  this  part  of  Minnesota  as  the  Crookston  Sup- 
ply hou.se,  and  is  especially  well  esteemed  for  the  ex- 
tensive stock  of  general  merchandise  which  it  carries, 
the  superior  quality  of  its  goods,  the  upright  and  pro- 
gressive manner  in  which  its  operations  are  conducted 
and  the  enterprise  which  keeps  it  always  up  to  date  in 
the  style,  quality  and  general  excellence  of  its  mer- 
chandise. Mr.  Collin  stands  well  in  the  community 
and  deserves  tlie  esteem  bestowed  upon  him. 


CHRISTIAN  T.  BROWN. 


The  dairy  business  has  grown  to  great  proportions 
in  the  Northwest  and  become  very  active.  It  sup- 
plies some  of  the  wants  and  meets  several  of  the 
requirements  of  a  vast  number  of  persons,  increasing 
with  the  growth  of  the  country  and  keeping  pace  with 
the  ever  expanding  demands  for  its  service.  One  of 
its  enterprising  and  progressive  representatives  in 
this  part  of  the  country  is  Christian  T.  Brown,  of 


Crookston,  who  has  been  engaged  in  it  in  that  city 
since  the  fall  of  1886. 

Mr.  Brown  was  bom  in  Non\-ay,  July  31,  1845,  and 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land,  where  he 
remained  until  1882,  following  farming  as  his  prin- 
cipal occupation.  In  August  of  the  year  last  men- 
tioned he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  landing  at 
New  York.    He  came  at  once  to  Crookston,  and  during 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


179 


the  next  thi'ee  years  he  was  employed  in  various  ways 
to  his  advantage.  In  1886  he  started  a  mercantile 
career  in  the  dairy  trade,  and  in  this  he  has  ever  since 
been  actively'  and  profitably  engaged. 

Some  years  before  leaving  his  native  laud  Mr. 
Brown  was  married  there  to  Miss  Mary  S.  Johanason, 
the  marriage  being  solemnized  in  1874  in  Christiania, 
the  capital  city  of  the  country.  Mrs.  Brown  was  also 
a  Norwegian  b}'  nativity  and  was  born  in  1851.  They 
have  had  eleven  children,  four  of  whom  have  died. 


Three  passed  away  in  infancy,  and  a  daughter  named 
Josephine  died  February  17,  1904,  when  she  was 
twenty-six  years  old.  The  children  who  are  living 
are:  Anna,  who  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Knudson,  of 
Minneapolis;  Julia,  whose  home  is  in  Montana;  Thea 
and  Carl  J.,  who  are  living -at  home;  Sophia,  who  is 
the  wife  of  James  Calverwell,  of  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington; Mary,  who  is  a  teacher  in  Polk  county,  and 
Minnie,  who  is  also  living  at  home. 


JOHN  A. 

The  city  of  Crookston,  which  is  the  home  of  John 
A.  Johnson,  one  of  the  leading  carpenters  of  Polk 
county,  and  the  country  surrounding  that  city  contain 
many  evidences  of  the  most  substantial  character  of 
the  productive  usefulness  of  his  life  and  his  skill  as  a 
mechanic.  For  he  has  erected  a  large  number  of 
houses  in  the  city  and  its  vicinity,  and  they  all  stand 
forth  visibly  and  tangibly  to  his  credit.  He  was  born 
at  Smolands,  Sweden,  December  18,  1855,  and  re- 
mained in  that  country  until  1882,  growing  to  man- 
hood on  his  father 's  farm  and  then  learning  his  trade 
as  a  carpenter  and  working  for  some  years  in  a  sash 
and  door  factor}^ 

In  the  summer  of  1882  Mr.  Johnson  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York  and  coming 
at  once  to  Polk  county.  He  took  up  his  residence 
at  Fisher's  Landing,  but  moved  to  Crookston  at  once, 
and  in  this  city  he  has  since  resided.     He  has  made 


JOHNSON. 

working  at  his  trade  and  contracting  in  the  erection 
of  buildings  his  principal  occupation  throughout  his 
residence  in  this  county,  and  he  has  reached  a  liigh 
rank  in  his  business.  He  is  also  esteemed  as  a  pro- 
gressive and  public-spirited  citizen  deeply  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  his  home  community. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  his  native  place  Sep- 
tember 27,  1875,  to  Miss  Augusta  Johnson,  who  was 
of  the  same  nativity  as  himself  and  born  April  19, 
1856.  They  have  had  twelve  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Mary,  Pauline, 
Ida,  Amelia,  Albert,  Gustav,  Louisa,  Esther,  Eliza- 
beth, Ella  and  Elmer.  The  parents  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church,  and  the  chil- 
dren have  been  reared  in  the  same  faith.  All  the 
members  of  the  family  stand  well  in  popular  esteem 
and  are  deservedly  respected. 


KNUTE  E. 
Having  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  in  his 
native  land  of  Norway,  where  his  life  began  Decem- 
ber 16,  1836,  and  in  two  counties  of  this  state  in  suc- 
cession, through  a  long  career  of  useful  and  pro- 
ductive labor,  Knute  E.  Messelt  of  Winger,  this 
county,  has  rendered  good  service  to  two  of  the  pro- 
gressive countries  of  the  world  and  has  lived  in  each 
according  to  the  requirements  of  upright  and  manly 
citizenship. 


MESSELT. 

Mr.  Messelt  remained  in  his  native  land  until  1869 
and  was  married  there  November  25,  1860,  to  Miss 
Gertrude  Halvordater  Evenstad,  also  a  native  of  Nor- 
way and  bom  May  3,  1841. 

In  1869  Mr.  Messelt  brought  his  wife  and  the  two 
children  they  then  had  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cated in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  lived 
for  about  fifteen  years.  In  November,  1883,  he  came 
to  Polk  county  and  took  up  a  homestead  in  Winger 


180 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


towiisliip.  On  this  tract  of  land  he  livi'd  and  labored, 
cultivating  and  improving  his  farm  and  erecting  good 
buildings  on  it,  until  the  fall  of  1914,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  work  and  moved  to  AVinger.  He 
and  his  wife  have  had  three  children,  Herman  K., 
Ingmar  K.  and  Carl  G.  Ingmar  died  at  Mentor,  Polk 
county,  November  26,  1902.  The  other  two  are  living. 
Carl  G.  Messelt  was  married  at  Winger  Decem- 
ber 18,  1912,  to  :\riss  Ellen  Stai,  a  native  of  Winger 


and  the  daughter  of  Engebn-t  Stai  of  Winger  town- 
ship. They  have  one  child,  their  son  Conrad  E.  Carl 
has  filled  school  and  other  offices  in  the  township,  and 
has  won  the  esteem  of  the  people  by  his  sturdy  and 
sterling  citizenship  and  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  his 
locality.  He  and  his  wife  are  zealous  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church.  A  separate 
sketch  of  Mrs.  Carl  ^Messelt  will  be  found  in  this 
volume. 


ORIN  DANIELS. 


Orin  Daniels,  of  Crookston,  ex-.sheriiif  of  Polk  county 
and  a  retired  farmer,  was  born  August  17,  1874,  in 
Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and  came  to  jMinnesota  with 
his  parents  when  eight  years  of  age.  He  is  the  sou  of 
Anun  and  Tone  (Bergland)  Daniels,  the  latter  ii 
native  of  Dane  county,  Wisconsin.  Anun  Daniels  was 
born  in  Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Wisconsin, 
where  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country  during 
the  Civil  war  and  was  an  officer  in  his  company.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  located  on  govern- 
ment land  near  Crookston,  which  he  developed  into 
a  prosperous  farm  property  and  sold  iu  1891.  He  is 
now  living,  at  the  close  of  a  useful  and  active  career, 
in  Spokane,  Wa.sliington.  Orin  Daniels  is  the  only 
one  of  the  family  of  eight  sons  and  a  daughter,  wlio 
resides  in  Minnesota.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's 
homestead  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  county  and  for  a  numlwr  of  years  de- 


voted his  attention  to  farming  activities,  his  first 
association  with  official  service  being  in  1901,  when  he 
was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  under  Mr.  Sullivan. 
He  continued  to  hold  this  po.sition  for  eight  years, 
through  the  terms  of  office  of  Mr.  Sullivan  and  his 
successor,  Mr.  Gonyea,  becoming  well  known  through 
the  county  during  these  years  of  able  service  and  in 
1908  was  elected  sheriff  and  capably  discharged  the 
responsibilities  of  this  office  for  two  terms,  being  re- 
elected in  1910.  Beside  his  official  duties  and  public 
services,  Mr.  Daniels  has  always  been  actively  in- 
terested in  agricultural  enterprises  and  gives  some 
time  to  the  successful  management  of  his  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  four  acres.  He  has  always  been  a 
loyal  supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Elk  lodge.  His  marriage  to  Sadie 
Reindahl,  of  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  occurred  in 
1903  and  they  have  one  son,  Truman. 


THORE  H.  BANG. 


The  late  Thore  H.  Bang,  whose  death  occurred  in 
Crookston  August  14,  1905,  was  an  early  settler  in  the 
city  and  helped  materially  to  build  and  develop  it 
from  its  small  beginning  to  something  near  its  present 
magnitude  and  importance  as  a  trading,  manufactur- 
ing and  commercial  center.  He  was  born  in  Valberg, 
Norway,  in  1843,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  that 
country,  where  he  followed  farming  for  some  years 
after  reaching  his  maturity. 


In  1882  Mr.  Bang  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  iu  Polk  county,  iMinnesota,  on  a  homestead 
which  he  entered  east  of  Crookston,  and  which  he 
partially  improved  and  then  sold.  After  .selling  his 
farm  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Crookston  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  city  police  force,  on  which  he 
served  five  years.  He  was  aftervvai'd  variously  em- 
jjloyed  in  Crookston  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Bang  was  married  in  his  native  land  to  Miss 


NATHAN  P.  ST(.).\K 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


181 


Anna  Larson.  Four  of  the  children  born  of  their 
union  are  living:  Gilbert  H.,  Charles  L.,  Carrie  (now 
Mrs.  Simpson,  a  widow)  and  Laura,  who  is  unmar- 
ried. The  mother  died  in  1913.  The  father  was  a 
Republican  in  political  allegiance  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  was  well  known 
throughout  Polk  county,  and  was  held  in  esteem  by 
all  classes  of  its  people. 

Gilbert  and  Charles  Bang,  the  two  sons  of  the 
household,  are  now  operating  the  Crookston  Bottling 
Works,  which  they  purchased  in  1908.  They  sell  their 
products  all  over  Northern  Minnesota  and  in  parts 
of  the  adjoining  states,  and  have  a  large  and  active 
trade.    They  are  good  business  men  and  are  enterpris- 


ing and  progressive  in  looing  after  the  needs  of  the 
territory  tributary  to  their  establishment. 

Gilbert  H.  Bang  was  married  in  1899  to  Miss 
Thora  Griebrok.  They  have  six  children,  George, 
Charles,  Edmund,  Irene,  Edna  and  Florence.  Gil- 
bert's brother  Charles  was  married  January  6,  1906, 
to  Miss  Pearl  Fox.  Their  childi-en  number  two,  Ken- 
neth and  Lillian.  The  brothers  were  both  born  in 
Norway,  but  they  were  brought  to  this  county  at 
early  ages  and  here  they  grew  to  manhood  and  were 
educated,  the  greater  part  of  their  lives  to  the  present 
time  having  been  passed  in  Crookston.  They  are  men 
of  sterling  worth  and  zealous  in  the  performance  of 
all  the  duties  of  citizenship. 


NATHAN  P.  STONE. 


A  New  Englander  by  nativity  but  having  passed 
more  than  four-fifths  of  his  life  to  the  present  time 
(1916)  in  the  northwest,  Nathan  P.  Stone,  a  retired 
business  man  of  Crookston  and  a  valued  citizen  of 
Polk  county,  has  been  able  to  acquire  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  tendencies  and  aspirations  of  two 
widely  different  sections  of  the  country  and  become 
well  acquainted  with  the  institutions  and  methods  of 
thought  of  each,  and  he  has  profited  by  this  sweep  of 
vision  and  made  it  of  advantage  to  the  locality  of  his 
present  home  in  business,  in  citizenship  and  in  social 
life. 

Mr.  Stone  was  born  in  Bristol  county,  Massachu- 
setts, January  21,  1838,  the  son  of  Mason  and  Abigail 
(Patten)  Stone,  both  of  the  same  nativity  as  himself. 
The  father  operated  a  cotton  mill  and  kept  a  general 
store  at  Norton,  in  his  native  county.  He  also  took  a 
leading  part  in  local  public  affairs,  and  was  the  colonel 
in  command  of  the  state  militia  which  escorted  Presi- 
dent Jackson  when  he  made  his  tour  through  the  New 
England  states.  The  mother  died  in  1842,  and  the 
father  afterward  married  Miss  Mary  Holman.  He 
died  in  Pierce  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1888.  He  was 
the  father  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters  who  grew 
to  maturity,  and  one  of  the  sons  is  still  living  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. 


Nathan  P.  Stone  remained  in  his  native  county  until 
1853,  when  the  family  moved  to  Pierce  county,  Wis- 
consin. There  the  father  engaged  in  farming  until 
he  was  elected  probate  judge.  He  afterward  was 
active  in  the  grain  trade  until  his  death.  The  son 
began  his  education  at  the  district  school  in  Norton 
in  his  native  county  and  completed  it  at  the  academy 
in  River  Falls,  Wisconsin.  After  leaving  school  he 
followed  farming  four  years,  then  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  Prescott,  Wisconsin,  and  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business. 

In  1879  Mr.  Stone  became  a  resident  of  Crookston 
and  a  merchant  in  the  farm  implement  trade,  which 
he  carried  on  alone  until  1900,  when  his  sons,  William 
M.  and  Walter  P.,  were  taken  into  partnership  by  him. 
Recently  the  father  has  retired  from  active  control 
of  the  business  and  it  is  now  conducted  by  the  sons 
under  the  firm  name  of  N.  P.  Stone  &  Co. 

Mr.  Stone  was  married  at  River  Falls,  Wisconsin, 
in  1873,  to  Miss  Ada  L.  Powell,  a  native  of  the  state 
of  New  York  and  a  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Lucinda 
(Taylor)  Powell,  who  were  pioneers  of  that  state, 
locating  in  it  in  1854.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  are  the 
parents  of  five  children :  William  M.  and  Walter  P., 
who  are  in  buisness  with  their  father;  Ida  P.,  who  is 
a  school  teacher  in  Helena,  Montana;  Gertrude  L., 


182 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


who  is  the  wife  of  Thayer  C.  Bailey,  of  Bemidji,  Min- 
nesota, and  Lucia,  who  is  living  at  home. 

In  the  public  affairs  of  Crookston  Mr.  Stone  has 
taken  an  active  part  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in 
the  city.  He  served  as  alderman  five  terms  and  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  and  its  official  treasur- 
er two  terms.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  charter 
commission  of  the  city.     In  political  faith  and  alle- 


giance he  is  a  Republican,  in  fraternal  relations  a 
Freemason  and  in  religious  connection  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  being  a  tru.stee  of  the  congregation  of  that 
sect.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Old  Settlers'  association 
of  Polk  county  and  is  its  official  historian.  When  he 
became  a  resident  of  Crookston  it  was  a  straggling 
hamlet,  and  he  has  witnessed  and  taken  part  in  all  the 
phases  of  its  growth  to  a  city  of  8,000  people. 


A.  M.  SIVERTSON. 


A.  M.  Sivertson,  of  Crookston,  a  pioneer  business 
man  and  prominent  citizen,  was  bom  in  Norway,  in 
1855,  the  son  of  Sivert  and  Hanna  (Halsteson)  Sivert- 
son. His  parents  spent  their  lives  in  their  native  land 
and  A.  M.  Sivertson  remained  there  until  his  twenty- 
fifth  year,  employed  in  farm  work  and  for  five  years 
was  in  the  militarj'  service,  in  the  regular  army  dur- 
ing the  fii-st  two  years  and  later  with  the  resei-ves.  In 
1880  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  at 
Crookston,  where  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and 
engaged  in  this  work  for  some  time  and  then  advanced 
to  the  larger  activities  of  the  contracting  business 
and  also  conducted  a  successful  trade  as  a  lumber 
dealer.  During  the  fifteen  years  of  his  extensive 
operations  as  building  contractor,  Mr.  Sivertson 
erected  many  of  the  best  buildings  in  Crookston  and 
has  been  actively  associated  with  the  growth  and 
progress  of  the  city  through  the  creditable  achieve- 
ments of  his  industrial  career  as  well  as  by  his  public 


spirited  support  of  eveiy  enterprise.  He  is  now 
retired  from  the  contracting  business  and  devotes 
his  attention  to  his  real  estate  interests,  in  which  he 
has  made  many  investments,  owning  the  opera  house 
block  and  a  number  of  residence  properties  and 
farms.  He  has  given  able  service  to  his  fellow  citizena 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  library  board  for  seven  years.  Mr.  Sivertson 
is  widely  known  throughout  the  State  and  county  as 
a  successful  business  man  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zen of  Polk  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  of  the  Sons  of  Norway.  He  was 
married  in  1855  to  Dora  Sockem,  who  was  a  native 
of  Norway.  She  died  in  1911,  leaving  five  children, 
Hanna,  the  wife  of  Mr.  R.  Tetley;  Sophia,  who  is  a 
teacher  in  the  Crookston  high  school ;  Herman,  Albert 
and  Margaret.  In  1914  Mr.  Sivertson  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Hillman,  who  was  a  widow.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Lutheran  church. 


JULIUS  SPOKELY. 


Although  born  and  reared  on  a  fann  and  beginning 
his  life  work  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  Julius  Spokely 
has  such  natural  adaptability  to  and  eapacitj'  for 
merchandising,  that  in  eleven  years  of  active  and 
enterprising  devotion  to  this  line  of  business  he  has 
made  himself  one  of  the  leading  merchants  in  the 
city  of  Crookston,  a  field  in  which  there  is  strong 
competition  and  rivals  of  ability  are  numerous. 

Mr.  Spokely  is  a  native  and  wholly  a  product  of 


Polk  county  whose  life  began  in  Hubbard  township 
in  1877.  His  parents,  GuUick  and  Gonvor  (Simon) 
Spokely,  were  bom  and  reared  in  Norway,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  the  sixties.  They  were  married 
in  Houston  county,  Minnesota.  They  located  in 
Houston  county,  Minnesota,  and  entered  a  tract  of 
government  land  in  Chippewa  county,  but  in  1871 
took  up  their  residence  in  Polk  county  when  it  was 
nearly  all  still  a  wilderness,  being  among  the  very 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


183 


earliest  settlers  in  that  part  of  it  where  they  live. 
The  father  took  up  homestead,  pre-emption  and  tree 
claim,  and  on  the  land  which  he  thus  acquired  he  is 
stiU  residing  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  the  mother 
being  sixty-eight.  They  made  the  trip  to  their  new 
home  through  the  wilds  in  a  "prairie  schooner," 
patiently  enduring  the  privations,  hardships  and 
dangers  of  the  journey  buoyed  up  with  the  hope  of 
obtaining  a  good  reward  for  their  enterprise  and 
daring. 

These  hardy  and  resolute  pioneers  have  four  sons 
and  two  daughters  living:  Albert,  a  farmer;  Julius 
and  Adolph,  twins;  Alexander,  a  farmer,  and  Annie 
and  Sophia,  who  are  living  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. Julius  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm 
and  obtained  his  education  at  the  school  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. After  farming  a  short  time  he  began  his 
mercantile  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Nielsville. 
In  1899  he  moved  to  Crookston,  and  during  the  next 


five  years  he  clerked  in  stores  in  this  city.  At  the 
end  of  this  period  he  opened  a  store  of  his  own,  and 
this  he  has  since  conducted  vnth  a  steadily  increas- 
ing trade  and  strengthening  hold  on  the  confidence 
and  regard  of  the  people  of  the  city  and  county.  He 
was  also  associated  with  his  brothers  in  keeping  a  store 
in  Fargo,  North  Dakota. 

Mr.  Spokely  is  a  citizen  of  public  spirit  and  pro- 
gressiveness,  and  takes  an  active  and  helpful  part  in 
the  public  affairs  of  his  community.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  school  board,  and  was  its  treasurer 
at  the  time  when  the  new  school  house  was  erected. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Freemason  and  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Elks,  the  Sons  of  Norway  and  the  Scandi- 
navian Workmen.  In  1907  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Minnie  Tisdel,  who  was  bom  in  Aus- 
tin, Minnesota.  They  have  one  child,  their  son 
Roland. 


MARK  RAUENBUEHLER. 


Having  become  a  resident  of  Crookston  in  1879, 
Mark  Rauenbuehler  is  one  of  the  pioneer  residents 
of  Polk  county;  and  having  been  the  first  harness 
maker  in  Crookston,  he  is  also  one  of  the  pioneer 
manufacturers  and  merchants  of  that  city.  More- 
over, having  borne  his  share  of  the  privations  and 
hardships  of  the  early  days,  and  helped  to  build  the 
town  to  its  present  state  of  advancement  and  import- 
ance, and  having,  at  the  same  time,  made  his  own 
advancement  in  business  and  material  gains  keep 
pace  with  the  progress  of  the  community,  he  is  en- 
titled and  prepared  to  enjoy  his  share  of  the  pleasures 
and  prosperity  of  the  present  period  and  look  with 
pride  upon  the  structure  his  hands  have  helped  to 
build  and  improve. 

Mr.  Rauenbuehler  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany, 
July  5, 1852,  a  son  of  Alois  and  Mary  A.  (Stahlberger ) 
Rauenbeuhler,  who  were  natives  of  the  same  province 
as  himself,  and  passed  their  lives  in  it,  profitably 
engaged  in  fanning.    They  were  the  parents  of  three 


sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  all  of  the  sons  and 
one  of  the  daughters  are  now  living  in  the  United 
States.  The  father  took  an  active  part  in  the  public 
affairs  of  his  native  land  and  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolution  of  1848  in  that  country. 

His  son  Mark  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen,  then,  in  1869,  came  to  this  coun- 
try and  located  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  where  he 
learned  his  trade  as  a  harness  maker.  He  next 
passed  four  years  in  Wisconsin,  and  then  moved  to 
Anoka,  Minnesota.  In  1879  he  located  at  Crookston 
and  opened  a  small  harness  shop  on  Second  street,  in 
front  of  which  he  planted  the  first  hitching  post  in 
Crookston.  During  the  first  three  days  of  his  venture 
his  cash  receipts  amounted  to  ten  cents,  but  as  the 
town  grew  his  trade  increased  until  it  reached  a  con- 
siderable magnitude,  and  for  many  years  it  has  kept 
him  busy  all  the  working  hours  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Rauenbuehler  was  mamed  in  1881  to  Miss 
Emily  J.  Martin,  a  daughter  of  Swiss  and  German 


184 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


parents,  and  wius  boni  on  the  Atlantic  ocean  while 
they  were  on  their  way  to  America.  Five  children 
were  born  of  the  union,  three  of  whom  are  living, 
Louisa,  Paulina  and  George.  Their  mother  died  in 
1889  and  in  November,  1890,  the  father  contracted  a 


second  marriage  in  which  he  was  united  with  Mrs. 
Johanna  Netzer,  a  widow.  They  have  two  children, 
JIadouna  and  Eugene.  The  parents  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church. 


HARRY  L.  MARSH. 


Harry  L.  Marsh,  vice  president  and  manager  of 
the  First  National  bank  of  Crookston,  is  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  at  Bridgewater  in  1881.  He  was 
reared  in  that  village  and  there  received  his  early 
education.  After  completing  his  preparatory  studies, 
he  entered  Oberlin  college  and  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1903.  During  the  following  year  he 
held  a  position  with  the  Citizens'  Trust  company  at 
Utica,  New  York,  and  then  came  to  Crookston,  accept- 
ing the  position  of  book  keeper  in  the  First  National 


bank.  Here  his  able  and  efiScient  services  have  won 
him  rapid  promotion  and  as  vice  president  and  man- 
ager of  the  First  National  bank,  he  is  prominently 
associated  with  the  financial  interests  of  the  North- 
west. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
of  the  Crookston  commandery.  He  was  married  to 
Annie  Miller,  the  daughter  of  A.  A.  Miller,  a  well 
known  attorney  and  financier  of  Crookston.  Mr. 
Marsh  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational church. 


CARL  RIEDESEL. 


This  pioneer  shoe  merchant  of  Crookston  has  a  fun- 
damental knowledge  of  his  business  not  possessed  by 
every  man  who  is  engaged  in  it  by  reason  of  his  hav- 
ing learned  the  trade  of  shoemaking  in  all  its  features 
and  requirements  under  competent  instructors  in  his 
native  land  of  Germany,  and  he  makes  this  knowl- 
edge tell  to  his  own  advantage  and  that  of  his  cus- 
tomers, because  he  is  able  to  distinguish  between  good 
and  poor  material  and  workmanship  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  goods  he  handles.  His  judgment  in 
this  respect  is  considered  first  rate  and  his  work  in 
reference  to  the  (|uality  of  foot  gear  always  carries 
great  weight  with  the  purchasing  public. 

Mr.  Riedesel  was  born  in  Westfallen,  Erndtebrueck, 
Germany,  in  1854,  where  his  parents,  Henry  and 
Louisa  (Wiekel)  Riedesel,  passed  the  whole  of  their 
lives.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker,  a  sturdy  and  ster- 
ling citizen,  and  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  working 
people.  He  rendered  his  country  good  service  in  the 
Revolution  of  1848  in  Germany,  through  which  many 
men  of  prominence  in  the  Fatherland  were  driven  to 


seek  safety  in  foreign  lands,  some  of  the  most  eminent 
of  them  becoming  residents  of  this  country.  Six 
sons  and  five  daughtere  were  born  to  the  parents,  but 
only  two  of  the  number  are  residents  of  the  United 
States,  Carl  and  one  of  his  sisters,  Louisa. 

Carl  Riedesel  remained  in  his  native  land  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-six  and  there  learned  his 
trade  as  a  shoemaker.  In  1880  he  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Carver  county,  Minnesota,  and  finding 
employment  on  farms  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Waconia.  On  December  29,  1882,  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Crookston,  and  here  he  worked  at  his  trade 
for  four  .years  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Sehvvark,  who 
carried  on  a  harness  and  shoe  business.  In  1889  Mr. 
Riedesel  purchased  the  shoe  department  of  the  busi- 
ness and  this  he  has  since  conducted  continuously, 
which  makes  him  one  of  the  oldest  merchants  in  the 
city  in  unbroken  connection  with  the  same  line  of 
trade. 

Mr.  Riedesel  has  given  the  city  valuable  and  ap- 
preciated service  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  and 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


185 


the  school  hoard.  He  is  a  Repuhlic-an  in  party  alle- 
giance but  not  an  active  partisan,  although  he  is 
always  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  county, 
state  and  adopted  country.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Free- 
mason, and  also  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In 
each  of  these  organizations  he  has  held  important 
offices  and  of  the  Camp  to  which  he  belongs  in  the 
Woodmen  he  has  been  secretary  for  twenty  years. 


In  1883  Mr.  Riedesel  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Margaret  Reinhardt,  like  himself  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  by  this  marriage  he  has  become  the 
father  of  seven  children,  Frederick  C,  William  E., 
Helen  (now  Mrs.  Misner),  Louisa,  who  is  a  school 
teacher,  George  M.,  Lillian  and  Anorma.  The  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 
They  are  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  Polk 
county  and  in  other  localities,  and  are  evei*ywhere 
held  in  high  esteem. 


FRANK  A.  GRADY. 


Frank  A.  Grady,  a  well  known  attorney  of  Crooks- 
ton,  was  born  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  March 
2,  1870,  the  son  of  James  and  Bridget  (Towhey) 
Grady.  The  latter  were  natives  of  Ireland.  They 
were  married  after  coming  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  Olmsted  county  about  1854,  in  the  eai'ly 
days  of  the  settlement  of  the  new  territory.  After 
living  here  for  many  years,  in  1878  they  removed 
to  Brookings  county,  South  Dakota,  where  they  con- 
tinue to  make  their  home.  Frank  Grady  received 
his  early  education  in  the  country  schools  of  Minne- 
sota and  of  Brookings  county.  He  then  entered  the 
South  Dakota  State  college  where  he  received  the 
degree  of  B.  S.  in  1889.  The  following  four  years 
he  spent  teaching  school  in  Iowa  and  Montana.  On 
returning  to  Minnesota,  he  began  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  legal  profession  in  the  law  department  of  the 


state  university.  He  graduated  in  1894,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  on  June  8  of  that  year,  began 
the  practice  of  law  at  Anoka  where  he  remained  for 
a  year  and  then  went  to  Thief  River  Falls.  In  1897 
he  located  in  Red  Lake  Falls,  where  for  fifteen  years 
he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar.  During  the 
years  of  his  able  and  successful  practice  in  Red  Lake 
Falls,  Mr.  Grady  became  widely  known  in  northern 
Minnesota  and  made  many  friends  in  Polk  county. 
He  served  as  county  attorney  for  Red  Lake  county 
for  four  years  and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
In  1912  he  came  to  Crookston  and  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing attorneys  in  that  city.  His  marriage  to  Harriet 
E.  Ryan  occurred  December  29,  1897.  Three  sons 
have  been  bom  to  this  union.  Clarion,  Willard  and 
Lowell.  Mr.  Grady  and  his  family  are  communicants 
of  the  Catholic  church. 


CHARLES  LORING. 


Charles  Loring,  a  lawyer  of  Crookston,  was 
born  in  St.  Croix  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1873. 
His  parents  were  Lyman  and  Eugenie  (Hutchinson) 
Loring,  the  former  a  native  of  Maine  and  his  wife  of 
Vermont.  Lyman  Loring  was  a  farmer,  one  of  the 
sturdy  pioneers  who  pushed  steadily  westward  as 
more  and  more  land  was  opened  for  settlement  and 
cultivation.  He  located  in  Wisconsin  in  the  fifties 
and  in  1877  came  to  Clay  county,  Minnesota,  and  re- 


sided here  until  1890.  He  then  removed  to  Missoula 
county,  Montana,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching  until 
his  death  in  1898.  His  wife  survived  him  several 
years  and  died  in  Crookston.  He  rendered  his  coun- 
try valuable  service  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in 
Company  G,  Fourth  Wisconsin  volunteer  cavalry, 
in  1861  and  serving  throughout  the  war.  This  regi- 
ment was  with  the  army  of  the  Potomac  in  its  cam- 
paign.   For  a  time  he  was  transferred  to  naval  duty 


186 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


and  later  accompanied  his  regiment  on  its  western 
maneuvers,  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  at 
the  close  of  the  war.  Charles  Loring  was  the  only 
child  and  was  reared  from  early  childhood  in  Min- 
nesota. He  was  educated  in  the  Moor  head  Nonnal 
school  and  in  the  Phillip's  Exeter  Academy.  After 
completing  his  preparatory  studies,  he  entered  the 
law  school  of  the  State  University  and  graduated  in 
1898.  In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  Montana  by  the  supreme  court  of  that  state  and 
practiced  there  for  one  year.  He  then  returned  to 
Minnesota  to  be  associated  for  a  year  with  Judge 
Nye  of  Moorhead.  In  1900  he  located  in  Crookston 
where  he  enjoys  a  large  practice.     For  several  years 


he  wa.s  associated  in  his  professional  interests  with 
Halvor  Steenerson.  This  firm  was  dissolved  in  1905 
and  he  formed  his  present  partnership  with  Mr.  G.  A. 
Youngquist.  Mr.  Loring  gives  some  attention  to  the 
management  of  his  farm  in  which  he  takes  great 
interest.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Scandinavian 
American  bank.  His  political  affiliations  are  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  never  sought  political 
prominence  nor  run  for  any  political  office.  Mr.  Lor- 
ing was  married  in  1900  to  Bertha  Darrow,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Darrow  of  Moorhead.  They  have  two 
daughters,  Helen  and  Genevieve.  Mr.  Loring  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  of  the  Elks  lodge. 


CAPTAIN  PETER  J.  EIDE. 


Diligent  and  enterprising  in  attention  to  one  of 
the  pursuits  of  peaceful  industry,  yet  ever  ready  to 
move  at  his  country's  call  in  armed  resistance  to  its 
enemies,  Capt.  Peter  J.  Eide  of  Crookston,  is  a  fine 
example  of  the  citizen  soldiery  of  the  United  States, 
and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  he  maintains  the  ster- 
ling and  elevated  manhood  of  the  military  spirit,  ex- 
emplifying in  private  life  all  the  devotion  to  the 
interests  of  his  country  that  men  exhibit  on  the 
battlefield. 

The  captain,  who  is  now  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  Crookston,  was  bom  in  this  county  in 
1878.  He  is  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Albertina  (John- 
son) Eide,  who  were  born  and  reared,  educated  and 
married,  and  began  their  career  of  domestic  life  in 
Norway,  but  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1877 
and  located  on  a  homestead  in  the  township  of  Roome, 
this  county.  They  made  their  virgin  land  over  into  a 
good  farm,  and  the  mother  died  on  it  in  1898.  The 
father  remained  on  the  farm  until  1908,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  work  and  changed  his  residence  to 
Crookston,  where  he  died  in  1913.  They  had  two 
children,  the  captain  and  his  sister,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  J.  E.  Michael  and  has  her  home  in  the  state 
of  Oregon.    The  parents  were  zealous  and  serviceable 


members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  and  took 
an  active  part  in  promoting  all  good  agencies  working 
for  the  benefit  of  the  people  around  them.  They  were 
warmly  esteemed  wherever  they  were  known. 

Captain  Eide  grew  to  manhood  in  this  county  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  public  school  in  Crooks- 
ton, a  business  college  and  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  St.  Anthony  Park  in  St.  Paul.  For  some  years 
after  leaving  school  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in 
Crookston.  In  1905  he  began  business  for  him.self 
as  a  manufacturer  of  ice  cream  and  proprietor  of  a 
confectionery  store  in  Crookston.  He  has  continued 
his  enterprise  in  these  lines  until  now,  and  his  business 
has  grown  to  considerable  magnitude.  He  ships  ice 
cream  all  over  this  section,  and  his  product  has  a  high 
rank  wherever  it  is  known,  for  it  is  made  with  intelli- 
gence and  skill  and  of  the  best  materials  for  the 
purpose  which  can  he  obtained. 

On  May  15,  1903,  Captain  Eide  became  a  private  in 
Company  I,  Third  Minnesota  National  Guard.  He 
has  been  constant  and  studious  in  attention  to  his 
duties  as  a  member  of  the  company  from  the  time  of 
his  enlistment,  and  has  risen  by  successive  promotions 
on  merit  to  his  present  rank  as  the  head  officer  of  his 
company,  having  been  elected  its  captain  on  February 


JEEOME  W.  WHEELER 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


187 


22,  1911.  He  was  the  prime  promoter  of  the  move- 
ment for  the  erection  of  an  armory  at  Crookston,  and 
by  persistent  effort  in  spite  of  many  discouragements 
and  difBculties,  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  object 
of  his  desire  in  this  respect  in  the  erection  of  a  build- 
ing that  cost  $40,000,  and  is  a  model  sti'ucture  for  the 
purpose  for  which  it  was  designed.  It  is  a  source  of 
great  pride  to  the  community  and  he  is  entitled  to  the 
credit  of  having  obtained  it. 

Captain  Eide's  company  has  never  been  called  into 
active  service,  but  on  several  occasions  it  has  been  put 


in  readiness  for  calls  to  suppress  riots  and  was  also 
prepared  for  an  order  to  the  Mexican  border  in  1914. 
The  captain  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  the 
Order  of  Elks  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
in  fraternal  relations.  His  church  affiliation  is  with 
the  English  Lutheran  sect.  He  has  lived  in  Crookston 
from  the  time  when  it  was  an  uncomely  village  of  log 
shacks  until  now,  and  has  aided  materially  in  promot- 
ing its  growth  and  improvement  to  its  present  condi- 
tion. The  people  of  Polk  coiinty  value  his  sendees 
and  esteem  him  highly  for  his  genuine  worth. 


a  A.  YOUNGQUIST. 


G.  A.  Youngquist,  of  Crookston,  county  attorney' 
and  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar  in  Polk  county, 
was  born  in  1885,  near  Gothenburg,  Sweden,  and  was 
brought  to  this  country  in  his  infancy  by  his  parents, 
Andrew  and  Margareta  (Abrahamson)  Youngquist, 
natives  of  the  same  locality  as  their  son.  Andrew 
Youngquist  brought  his  family  to  Bui-eau  county, 
Illinois,  in  1887  and  worked  at  his  trade  of  blacksmith 
in  that  place  for  two  years  and  then  removed  to  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota,  and  with  the  exception  of  several 
years  spent  in  Carver  county,  made  his  home  in  that 
city  until  his  death  in  1907.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife  and  seven  children,  of  whom  G.  A.  Youngquist 
is  the  only  one  not  residing  in  St.  Paul.  He  was 
reared  there  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
city  schools  and  in  the  schools  of  Carver  county.  He 
entered  the  St.  Paul  college  of  law  in  1906  and  com- 
pleted his  professional  studies  in  1909,  received  his 
degree  from   tliat  institution   and  was   admitted   to 


practice  before  the  supreme  and  federal  courts.  In 
the  same  year  he  opened  a  law  office  at  Thief  River 
Falls  and  in  the  following  year  located  in  Crookston 
where  he  has  since  been  associated  with  Mr.  Charles 
Loring  in  his  professional  interests.  Mr.  Yoiingquist 
is  one  of  the  younger  attorneys  of  the  county  and  has 
already  attained  a  high  reputation  as  an  able  and 
successful  barrister  and  has  earned  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  courts.  He  was  elected  county  at- 
torney in  1914.  He  is  widely  kno^vn  through  his 
active  interest  in  political  activities  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  central  committee  of  the  Republican 
party  during  the  campaign  of  1912,  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church  and  in  fraternal  cir- 
cles is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  order,  Vasa  Orden 
and  Independent  Order  of  Scandinavian  Workmen. 
Mr.  Youngquist  was  married  June  29,  1915,  to 
Scharlie  M.  Robertson,  who  is  a  native  of  Crookston. 


JEROME  WINTHROP  WHEELER. 


Long  known  as  one  of  the  most  capal}le,  enterpris- 
ing and  sagacious  bankers  of  Minnesota,  Jerome  Win- 
throp  Wheeler,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Crookston  since  1905,  has  a  record  in  his  chosen 
line  of  business  which  justly  entitles  him  to  the  rank 
he  holds  and  is  a  firm  foundation  for  his  high  and 


widespread  reputation  iu  financial  circles  in  Minne- 
sota and  all  other  parts  of  the  Northwest.  He  has 
been  a  man  of  action  and  done  things,  leaving  to 
others  the  pleasant  task  of  talking  about  achievements. 
Mr.  Wheeler  was  born  in  Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  Jan- 
uary 15,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  B.  and  Kate  (Dem- 


188 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ing)  Wheeler.  He  began  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  was  graduated  from 
JleMynn  Academy,  Racine,  "Wisconsin,  in  1880.  Ou 
leaving  the  academy  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Kenosha  Bank  and  remained  in  its  service  for  five 
years.  From  1885  to  1892  he  was  bookkeeper  and 
teller  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Crookston,  and 
during  the  next  three  years  was  cashier  of  the  Scan- 
dinavian-American Bank  of  that  citj'.  From  1895  to 
1905  he  served  as  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Crookston,  and  since  1905  he  has  been  the  president 
of  that  institution. 

In  addition  to  his  close  and  serviceable  connection 
with  banks  already  mentioned  Mr.  Wheeler  has  been 
president  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Humboldt,  also 
Beltrami,  Minnesota,  and  a  director  of  the  State  Bank 
of  Stephen,  also  in  this  state.  He  has  been  president 
of  the  Wheeler-]Misner  Loan  company  of  Crooks- 
ton, Minnesota,  and  to  each  of  these  enterprises  he  has 
given  the  same  careful  and  productive  attention  that 


has  distinguished  him  in  all  his  business  undertakings 
and  everything  else  in  which  he  takes  an  interest. 

In  1912  Mr.  Wheeler  was  chosen  president  of  the 
Capitol  Trust  company  of  St.  Paul,  and  since  taking 
his  place  at  the  head  of  that  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive institution  he  has  given  every  detail  of  its 
management  his  studious  personal  supervision,  there- 
by promoting  its  welfare  and  quickening  its  progress 
toward  the  great  development  and  impressive  financial 
influence  it  has  attained  with  an  impetus  that  keeps 
it  ever  on  the  move  for  the  accomplishment  of  still 
greater  results. 

Mr.  Wheeler  has  taken  a  sympathetic  interest  and 
an  active  part  in  the  fraternal  life  of  Minnesota  as  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Order  of  Elks,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  While  earnestly  and  loyally  devoted  to  the 
abiding  welfare  of  his  state  and  country,  political  con- 
tes-ts  have  had  no  attraction  for  him,  and  he  has  never 
sought  or  desired  a  political  office  of  any  kind.  He 
was  married  August  24,  1886,  to  Miss  Eva  J.  Hill. 


EDWIN  F.  KELLEY. 


Edwin  F.  Kelley,  sheriff  of  Polk  county,  was  born 
at  Jackson,  Michigan,  November  22,  1872,  and  was 
brought  to  Minnesota  in  his  early  infancy  by  his 
parents,  Andrew  J.  and  Ella  (Fleming)  Kelley,  na- 
tives of  Indiana  and  Michigan.  The  father  of  Andrew 
Kelley  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  served  in 
the  War  of  1812,  later  removing  to  Kelleys  Ford, 
Virginia,  and  from  there  to  Ohio.  Andrew  Kelley  is 
a  cabinet  maker  by  trade  and  w'as  employed  in  this 
work  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  defense  of  the  Union  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Michigan  volunteer  infantry  and  served  with 
distinction  during  the  great  conflict,  his  valiant  serv- 
ices being  acknowledged  by  congress  in  the  awarding 
of  a  medal.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  keeper  in  the  penitentiary  and  made  his 
home  in  Jackson,  Michigan,  for  some  time.  In  1873 
he  came  to  Minnesota  and  was  the  first  settler  in  the 
vicinity  of  Crookston,  locating  on  government  land. 


one  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  town,  and  this  home- 
stead farm  continues  to  be  the  home  of  Andrew  Kel- 
ley and  his  wife.  Edwin  Kelley 's  earliest  recollec- 
tions are  of  the  pioneer  life  of  the  county  and  he  has 
witnessed  the  rapid  growth  and  the  evolution  of  the 
wild  frontier  country  into  the  modern  agricultural 
and  civic  communities  and  the  interests  and  successes 
of  his  career  have  been  identified  with  its  iiistory. 
Among  the  first  playmates  of  his  childhood  were  the 
children  of  the  Indian  tribes,  before  the  increasing 
activities  of  civilization  left  no  room  for  their  wan- 
dering bands.  He  received  his  education  in  the  county 
schools  and  engaged  in  farming,  later  removing  to 
the  coast  where  he  owned  a  stone  and  timber  claim 
for  some  time.  In  1898  he  enlisted  in  Company  L 
of  the  Fourteenth  Minnesota  regiment  and  served  in 
the  Spanish  war  from  April  to  November  of  that 
year,  completing  the  honorable  military  record  of  the 
.services  of  three  generations.     On  returning  to  Polk 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


189 


county,  he  again  engaged  in  farming  and  for  four 
years  was  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county.  In  1911  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  sheriff  and  reelected  in 
1913  and  has  discharged  the  duties  of  his  position 
with  commendable  ability,  his  services  incurring  a 
well  merited  popularity  among  his  fellow  citizens.  He 


has  always  been  a  faithful  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  and  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
bj'terian  church.  In  fraternal  circles,  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Elk  lodge.  Mr.  Kelley  was  married  in  1910, 
to  Estella  Barlow,  of  Iowa  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Gordon  and  Dorothy. 


L.  D.  FOSKETT. 


L.  D.  Foskett,  of  Crookston,  cashier  of  the  Crooks- 
ton  State  Bank  and  prominent  citizen,  was  born  in 
Northfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1865,  the  son  of  Elmer 
C.  and  Celia  M.  (Darrin)  Foskett.  Elmer  C.  Foskett 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  his  wife  of  New 
York.  They  have  made  their  home  in  Iowa  for  a 
number  of  years  and  now  reside  at  Primghar  in  that 
state.  L.  D.  Foskett  was  educated  in  Drake  Univer- 
sity at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  upon  leaving  the  uni- 
versity in  1898,  he  located  in  JIarshall,  IMinuesota, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  abstract  and  loan  business 
for  several  years.  In  1902  he  removed  to  Crookston 
and  promoted  the  organization  of  the  Crookston  State 
Bank  and  since  that  time  has  continued  to  be  identi- 
fied with  its  successful  transactions  as  cashier.  In 
addition  to  his  banking  interests,  Mr.  Foskett  is  ex- 


tensively associated  with  the  agricultural  enterprises 
of  the  county  and  devotes  considerable  attention  to 
the  operation  of  about  two  thousand  acres  of  farm 
land.  His  career  has  been  marked  by  worthy  accom- 
plishment and  success  and,  although  he  avoids  active 
interest  in  political  matters,  as  a  public  spirited  citi- 
zen, he  is  widely  known  and  popular  in  all  circles. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  club  and  in  fra- 
ternal orders,  is  a  Mason  and  member  of  the  Com- 
mandery  and  a  member  of  the  Elks  and  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  married,  July  25, 
1905,  to  Bernice  Addison,  who  resided  in  Marshall, 
Minnesota,  and  they  have  two  children,  Florence  and 
Elmer.  Mr.  Foskett  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church. 


WELLINGTON  H.  JEWELL. 


When  Wellington  H.  Jewell,  the  oldest  employe  in 
length  of  continuous  sei'vice  in  the  Northern  Division 
of  the  Great  Northern  railroad,  first  saw  Crookston 
in  1872  it  was  a  straggling  hamlet  of  a  few  log  cabins 
and  gave  little  promise  of  becoming  a  city  of  8,000 
inhabitants,  alive  with  quickened  industrial,  mercan- 
tile and  commercial  activities  and  blessed  with  all  the 
concomitants  of  modern  municipal  progress.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  city  from  that  time  to  the  pres- 
ent, and  has  contributed  his  share  of  the  enterprise 
and  force  required  to  build  and  develop  it  to  its  pres- 
ent stature. 

Mr.  Jewell  was  bom  in  the  state  of  Maine  in  1858, 
the  son  of  Emanuel  and  Katharine  (Houston)  Jewell, 


the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of 
Scotland.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter. 
He  emigrated  from  his  native  land  to  Prince  Edward 
Island.  After  living  there  for  a  number  of  years  he 
moved  to  Maine,  but  later  he  took  his  family  back  to 
Prince  Edward  Island,  and  he  and  the  mother  died 
there.  They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children  and 
three  of  their  sons  are  now  residents  of  the  United 
States. 

Wellington  H.  Jewell  remained  on  Prince  Edward 
Island  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  then  came 
to  Crookston  with  his  uncle,  Robert  Houston,  who 
owned  a  part  of  the  townsite.  For  a  number  of  years 
the  uncle  conducted  a  popular  and  profitable  grocery 


190 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


store  in  Crookston.  He  is  now  living  in  the  city 
of  Everett,  Washington.  The  nephew  found  employ- 
ment in  a  modest  capacity  in  the  roundhouse  of  the 
Great  Northern  Railroad  in  1875,  and  in  October, 
1880,  was  given  an  engine,  and  from  that  time  until 
now  he  has  been  running  one  on  the  Northern  Di- 
vision of  the  road.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order  in  several  of  its  advanced  branches,  including 
the  Mystic  Shrine. 

JVIr.  Jewell  was  married  in  Crookston  in  1886  to 


Miss  Annie  Dreeland,  who  was  born  in  Ottawa  county, 
Province  of  Quebec,  Canada.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren: Katharine,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Bow,  of 
Crookston;  William  E.,  who  is  in  the  railroad  service, 
and  Albert  E.,  who  is  a  machinist  in  the  railroad  shoi)s 
in  St.  Paul.  The  parents  are  widely  knovim  and  held 
in  much  esteem  for  their  genuine  worth  and  the  cor- 
dial and  helpful  interest  they  manifest  in  every  un- 
dertaking for  the  good  of  their  community. 


0.  H.  BJOIN. 


0.  H.  Bjoin,  of  Crookston,  well  known  citizen  and 
pioneer  of  the  county,  was  born  in  Dane  county,  Wis- 
consin, September  19,  1852.  His  parents,  Halvor  and 
Annie  (Week)  Bjoin  were  natives  of  Falamaskau, 
Norway,  and  prominent  farmers  of  Dane  county,  Wis- 
consin, where  they  had  extensive  land  interests  ou 
Coskland  Prairie.  The  father  came  to  this  country  in 
1843  and  the  mother  in  1844  and  they  were  married 
in  Wisconsin  where  they  reared  their  family  of  six 
sons  and  three  daughters.  Two  sons,  Thomas  Bjoin 
and  0.  H.  Bjoin,  are  residents  of  Polk  county.  The 
latter  remained  in  his  native  state  until  1880  when 
he  came  to  Crookston.  For  a  year  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  then  for  some  time  operated  a  liveiy 
business,  working  for  his  brother,  Thomas  Bjoin.    In 


1883  he  filed  on  land  and  gave  some  attention  to  his 
claim,  later  serving  for  a  time  ou  the  police  force  of 
Crookston.  He  again  engaged  in  the  lively  business 
in  1885,  September  21,  and  has  continued  in  this 
occupation  during  the  past  thirty  years  and  is  widely 
known  as  the  pioneer  liveryman  of  the  county. 
Throughout  the  many  years  of  his  business  career  and 
citizenship,  Mr.  Bjoin  has  maintained  an  active  inter- 
est in  public  activities  and  in  advancing  the  ra])i(l 
development  of  the  country  and  justly  enjoys  the 
respect  accorded  tlie  worthy  settlers  of  the  city  and 
county.  He  was  married  at  Red  Wing,  in  1886  to 
Lena  Carlson,  who  was  born  in  Norway  and  they 
have  three  children,  Anna,  Cora  and  Harold. 


JOHN  R.  RASMUSSON. 


Being  one  of  the  pioneers  who  helped  to  open  the 
Red  River  valley  to  settlement  and  improvement,  and 
liaving  also  tried  his  hand  in  the  stirring  engagements 
of  the  farther  West,  John  R.  Rasmusson  of  Crookston 
has  had  an  extensive,  varied  and  valuable  experience 
among  men. 

Mr.  Rasmusson  was  bom  at  Kilbourn,  Wisconsin, 
in  1864.  His  parents,  Halvor  and  Liv  (Johnson) 
Rasmusson,  were  natives  of  Norway  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1860,  locating  in  Wisconsin,  where 
the  father  taught  school  and  clerked.     In  1866  he 


moved  to  Winona,  Minnesota,  and  in  1878  to  Moor- 
head,  this  state.  There  the  mother  died  in  March, 
1909,  and  there  the  father  still  has  his  home.  lie 
served  as  clerk  of  the  courts  in  Clay  county  sixteen 
years,  and  prior  to  that  time  liought  grain  in  various 
parts  of  Southern  Minnesota. 

Of  the  three  sons  and  two  daughters  of  his  par- 
ents who  are  living,  John  R.  Rasmusson  is  the  only 
one  living  in  Polk  county.  He  attained  his  manhood 
and  got  his  education  in  Minnesota,  and  at  the  ag* 
of  twenty-six  changed  his  residence  to  Spokane,  Wash- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


191 


ihgton,  where  he  served  as  deputy  clerk  and  city  clerk 
for  two  years.  In  1893  he  returned  to  Moorhead, 
and  in  1896  removed  to  Crookston,  where  he  has  since 
resided  and  is  now  actively  and  profitably  engaged 
in  the  hardware  trade.  He  takes  an  intei'est  in  the 
public  affairs  of  his  home  city  and  county,  but  has 
not  sought  office  or  been  an  active  political  partisan. 
In  1892  Mr.  Rasmusson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elisa  Dahl,  who  was  born  in  Norway  and 


brought  to  the  United  States  in  her  childhood.  They 
have  two  children,  Harold  D.  and  Dagna  J.,  both  of 
whom  still  abide  with  them  in  their  pleasant  home. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  English  Lutheran 
church  and  take  a  sei-viceable  part  in  its  activities, 
as  they  do  in  every  undertaking  for  the  good  of  the 
community.  They  stand  well  in  the  city  and  county, 
and  deserve  in  full  measure  the  cordial  regard  in 
which  they  are  held  by  all  classes  of  their  residents. 


AUGUST  MILLER. 


The  late  August  Miller  of  Crookston,  who  died  in 
that  city  June  8,  1913,  was  the  founder  of  the  Crooks- 
ton tannery  and  for  nearly  twenty  years  was  one  of 
the  leading  manufacturers  and  business  men  of  Polk 
county.  He  was  born  in  Sweden  in  1853  and  was 
reared  and  educated  in  that  country.  There  also  he 
learned  his  trade  as  a  tanner  and  followed  it  until 
1888.  In  that  year  he  brought  his  family  to  the 
United  States  and  Minnesota  and  located  in  St.  Paul, 
where  he  operated  a  tannery  until  1894.  He  then 
moved  to  Crookston  and  started  the  first  tannery 
operated  in  this  state  north  of  the  Twin  Cities.  He 
began  his  operations  on  a  small  scale  but  steadily  in- 
creased them  until  now  the  plant  he  founded  handles 
about  3,000  hides  a  year.  The  tannery  is  completely 
equipped  with  modern  machinery,  occupies  two  large 
buildings  and  draws  its  trade  from  a  large  part  of 
this  state,  the  two  Dakotas  and  the  province  of  Mani- 
toba, Canada. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  his  native  laud  to  Miss 
Eva  Johnson.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  have  died  except  three.  Their 
mother  is  also  still  living.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  church,  as  was  her  husband  dur- 
ing his  life.     They  were  among  the  founders  of  the 


congregation  of  their  faith  in  Crookston  and  zealous 
in  its  service  from  the  beginning  of  its  history,  being 
persons  of  sturdy  and  sterling  qualities  and  helpfully 
interested  in  all  good  works  among  the  people  around 
them. 

Herman  U.  Miller,  the  sou  of  August,  is  also  a 
native  of  Sweden,  where  his  life  began  in  1884. 
He  was  a  child  of  four  years  when  he  came  to  this 
country  with  his  parents,  and  in  Minnesota  he  grew 
to  manhood  and  learned  the  tanning  trade  under  the 
tuition  of  his  father,  and  since  the  death  of  that  es- 
timable man  he  has  managed  the  business  of  the  tan- 
nery with  enterprise  and  expanding  trade  and  grat- 
ifying success.  Though  one  of  the  younger  set  of 
Crookston 's  business  men  he  is  one  of  the  most  capable 
and  progressive  of  them  all,  and  is  generally  esteemed 
as  such. 

Mr.  Miller,  the  younger,  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  the  Crookston  Commercial  club.  In  relig- 
ious afiSliation  he  adheres  to  the  faith  of  his  parents. 
He  was  married  in  1908  to  Miss  Marie  Amundson, 
who  was  bom  and  reared  in  Polk  county.  Her  par- 
ents were  pioneers  of  the  county,  locating  and  living 
in  the  thirteen  towns.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  two 
children,  their  son  Ronald  and  their  daughter  Irene. 


JOHN  W.  O'BRIEN. 


One  of  the  few  remaining  members  of  the   fast     W.  0  'Brien,  a  retired  hardware  merchant  of  Crooks- 
fading  remnant  of  our  pioneers  in  Polk  county,  John      ton,  is  highly  respected  by  everybody  because  of  his 


192 


COiMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


early  and  later  services  in  the  Northwest,  his  sterling 
integrity  and  useful  citizenship,  and  the  fine  example 
of  business  capacity  and  enterprise  which  he  has  given 
the  people  in  this  section  of  the  state.  While  he  has 
retired  from  active  work  in  connection  with  the  hard- 
ware business  he  founded,  he  is  still  a  member  of  the 
firm  which  conducts  it  and  gives  it  the  benefit  of  his 
advice. 

Mr.  O'Brien  was  born  in  County  Mayo,  Ireland, 
July  14,  1849.  His  parents,  Michael  and  Mary 
(Tighe)  O'Brien,  were  also  County  Mayo  folks  and 
their  ancestors  lived  for  many  generations  in  that 
part  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  The  father  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1849  and  the  family  joined  him  in 
this  country  in  1852.  He  took  up  his  residence  at 
Belvidere,  Illinois,  and  there  worked  at  his  trade  of 
stonemason  and  carried  on  business  as  a  building 
contractor.  He  died  at  Belvidere  in  1867,  and  the 
mother  died  there  in  1898.  They  had  seven  sons,  six 
living,  and  two  daughters,  one  dead.  One  daughter 
and  three  of  the  sons  are  residents  of  Crookston,  and 
the  other  son  lives  at  Devil's  Lake,  North  Dakota,  and 
two  reside  in  Illinois. 

John  W.  O'Brien  came  to  Minnesota  and  located 


in  Duluth  in  1869.  He  worked  on  the  Lake  Superior 
railroad  for  a  time  and  was  then  employed  on  the 
Northern  Pacific  when  that  road  was  building  into 
Moorhead,  Minnesota,  his  position  on  each  I'oad  being 
that  of  foreman,  and  in  this  capacity  he  helped  to 
build  the  Great  Northern  into  Beltrami.  In  1873  he 
passed  a  short  time  in  Crookston  and  in  1878  located 
in  that  city  permanently.  There  he  started  in  business 
for  himself,  which  he  followed  until  1885,  when  he 
opened  a  hardware  store  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  James,  and  this  is  the  one  the  brothers  still 
own. 

Mr.  O'Brien  is  a  Catholic  in  church  affiliation  and 
has  been  a  zealous  and  serviceable  Democrat  in  politi- 
cal allegiance  from  his  youth.  In  1882  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Johanna  Donovan,  a  native  of 
Canada  but  of  Ii'ish  parentage.  She  died  in  1907 
leaving  no  children.  Throughout  her  married  life  she 
met  every  requirement  of  her  duty  with  energy  and 
a  cheerful  spirit,  and  she  stood  deservedly  high  in  the 
good  will  and  regard  of  the  whole  community  of  her 
home,  as  Jlr.  0  'Brien  does  now  and  always  has  wher- 
ever he  is  known. 


CHARLES  A.  HITCHCOCK. 


In  the  twenty-two  years  of  his  residence  in  Crooks- 
ton Charles  A.  Hitchcock,  one  of  the  city's  leading 
men,  has  built  up  an  extensive  business  and  an  excel- 
lent reputation  as  a  shrewd  and  far-seeing  business 
man  and  an  enterprising,  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  warmly  and  intelligently  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  the  community  and  willing  at  all 
times  to  do  his  part  of  the  work  necessary  to  promote 
it. 

Mr.  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1864,  a  son  of  Rollin  G.  and  Lucy  E.  (Nelson) 
Hitchcock,  natives  of  Vermont.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  in  his  native  state  and  continued  to  be  one 
after  he  came  "West.  In  1855  he  located  in  Iowa, 
where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  veild  land  which  he  con- 


verted into  a  well  improved  and  valuable  farm.  He 
and  his  wife  died  at  the  home  of  their  son  Charles  at 
the  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  their  deaths  occurring 
within  one  month  of  each  otlier.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  Charles  A. 
being  the  only  one  of  the  seven  living  in  Minnesota, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  resident  for  twenty-seven  j-ears. 
Charles  A.  Hitchcock  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
educated  in  Iowa,  and  followed  farming  until  1888. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Mcintosh,  this  county, 
and  began  auctioneering  stock,  and  this  has  been  his 
principal  occupation  from  then  until  the  present  time. 
In  1893  he  changed  his  residence  to  Crookston,  which 
has  ever  since  been  his  home.  But  his  business  takes 
him  periodically  to  Dlinois  and  Iowa,  Avhere  he  is 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


193 


as  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  as  he  is  in  Min- 
nesota, and  where  he  devotes  himself  to  his  chosen 
calling  on  an  extensive  scale  and  in  a  very  active 
way. 

Mr.  Hitchcock  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Barr,  a  native  of  Iowa,  in  which  state  the  marriage 
took  place.  They  have  one  child,  their  son  Hariy  W., 
who  is  living  at  home  with  them  and  is  connected 
with  the  Times  Printing  company.  In  the  local  pub- 
lic affairs  of  his  community  Mr.  Hitchcock  has  long 


taken  an  active  and  helpful  part.  He  served  the  city 
of  Crookston  as  mayor  from  1900  to  1903,  and  during 
his  administration  the  first  street  paving  in  the  city 
was  done  and  other  improvements  of  value  were  made. 
He  also  served  a.s  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  a 
number  of  years.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Order  of  Elks.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  United  Commercial  Travelers'  Associa- 
tion, and  his  wife  and  son  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church. 


JAMES  M.  CATHCART. 


Although  yet  a  young  man,  and  by  no  means  of  a 
wildly  roving  or  adventurous  nature,  James  M.  Cath- 
cart,  the  accomplished  and  accommodating  secretary 
of  the  Crookston  Commercial  club,  has  seen  a  great 
deal  of  this  country  and  had  an  experience  of  ex- 
tensive variety.  He  is  a  native  of  Elkhart  county, 
Indiana,  where  his  life  began  in  1884,  and  the  son 
of  John  F.  and  Florence  (Boyer)  Cathcai't,  the 
former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Their  son  James  began  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Indiana  and  completed  it  at 
the  select  school  kept  by  Rev.  Dwight  L.  Moody  at 
Mount  Hermon,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Cathcart  began  his  career  of  self-support  and 
advancement  in  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Mich- 
igan Southern  railroad,  working  in  the  engineering 
department  at  Elkhart,  Indiana.  Later  he  was  in  the 
same  service  in  New  York  state  and  the  general  offices 
of  the  company  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  1908  he  came 
to  Minnesota  and  located  in  St.  Paul,  where  he  entered 


the  employ  of  the  Great  Northern  railroad.  In  1912 
and  1913  he  was  general  manager  of  the  department 
of  hotels  and  camps  in  Glacier  National  Park,  super- 
vising the  operation  and  assisting  in  the  construction 
of  buildings,  trails  and  other  developments  there  for 
the  railroad  company. 

In  the  fall  of  1913  Mr.  Cathcart  returned  to  Indi- 
ana, and  in  March^  1914,  when  the  Crookston  Com- 
mercial club  was  reorganized,  he  was  chosen  secre- 
tary of  the  revived  organization,  and  has  served  it  in 
that  capacity  ever  since.  He  is  also  secretary  of  the 
Northwestern  Fair  Association  of  Crookston,  and  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Masonic  Order, 
in  the  latter  holding  his  Blue  Lodge  membei-ship  in 
Indiana  and  belonging  to  the  Royal  Arch  and  Com- 
mandery  of  Knights  Templar  and  the  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  October  24,  1915, 
to  Miss  Elva  Gilbert,  a  native  of  South  Dakota. 


HELVOR  HOLTE,  M.  D. 


This  pioneer  physician  and  surgeon  of  Crookston, 
who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  a  professional 
man  of  extensive  attainments  and  skill  and  a  citizen 
of  great  enterprise,  public  spirit  and  progressiveness, 
is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  where 


he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  In  1873  he  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  and  located  with 
them  on  a  farm  in  Fillmore  eoiuity,  Minnesota. 

Dr.  Holte  remained  with  his  parents  and  assi.sted 
them  on  the  farm  for  a  number  of  years.     He  then 


his  life  began  July  11,  1857,  and  where  he  lived  until     entered  St.  Olaf  college,  at  Northfield,  this  state,  and 


194 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


iu  1893  was  graduated  from  the  medical  departmeut 
of  the  University  of  Minnesota.  He  at  once  began 
practicing  his  profession  with  Crookstou  as  liis  head- 
quarters, and  he  has  since  then  been  continuously 
engaged  in  an  active  practice  with  special  attention 
to  the  surgical  branch  of  the  profession.  lie  has 
served  as  county  physician  of  Polk  county  ajid  is  now 
secretary  of  the  Tuberculosis  Sanitarium  Commission 
for  Polk  and  Norman  counties. 

In  1897  Dr.  Holte  built  the  Bethesda  Hospital  in 
Crookston,  and  for  a  number  of  years  thereafter  he 
was  in  active  control  of  it.  This  valued  institution 
is  now  owned  by  the  Bethesda  Hospital  Association 
of  Crookston  and  is  conducted  by  the  organization 
known  as  the  Lutheran  Deaconesses.  Dr.  Holte  is  a 
member  of  the  state,  county  and  Red  River  Valley 
medical  societies  and  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Public 
Health  Association,   and  director  of  the  Minnesota 


Public  Health  Association,  and  in  business  circles  is 
a  director  of  the  Scandia-Americau  Bank  of  Crocks- 
ton  and  the  Crookston  Commercial  club.  His  religious 
aliiliation  is  with  the  English  United  Lutheran 
church,  and  he  is  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  congre- 
gation in  which  he  holds  his  membership.  On  Sep- 
tember 25,  1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Henrietta  Lunde,  of  Franklin,  Minnesota.  They  have 
three  children,  Harold  Oliver,  Evelyn  Irene  and 
Junius  Augusten.  With  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury of  upright  and  serviceable  living  among  this 
people,  during  all  of  which  he  has  always  been  at 
their  command  for  high-grade  professional  work,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  Dr.  Holte  is  universally  esteemed 
throughout  the  Northwest,  and  the  fact  that  he  is 
is  creditable  alike  to  him  and  to  the  people  among 
whom  he  has  lived  and  labored  so  long  and  to  such 
good  purpose. 


HON.  R.  T.  BUCKLER. 


Carrying  on  extensive  industries  in  farming  opera- 
tions and  raising  livestock ;  taking  an  active  and  very 
serviceable  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  county  and 
the  whole  state  of  Minnesota ;  looking  to  the  best  and 
most  wholesome  progress  and  development  of  this 
part  of  the  country,  and  holding  a  high  place  in  the 
regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men,  Hon.  R.  T. 
Buckler,  at  present  (1916)  state  senator  for  the  Sixty- 
sixth  Senatorial  district,  is  an  ornament  to  the  man- 
hood of  Polk  county  and  one  of  the  county's  most 
progressive,  enterprising  and  useful  citizens. 

Mr.  Buckler  was  born  in  Coles  county,  Illinois, 
October  27,  1865,  and  gi-ew  to  manhood  and  obtained 
his  education  there.  His  father  died  when  the  son 
was  but  fourteen  years  old,  and  as  he  was  the  oldest 
boy  at  home,  the  care  of  the  family  devolved  in  a 
measure  on  him.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  rented 
a  tract  of  land  in  his  native  county  and  began  to  raise 
broomcorn  on  a  large  scale.  His  average  acreage 
devoted  to  this  production  ranged  from  120  to  160 


acres,  and  his  crops  were  the  largest  ever  raised  in 
that  part  of  Illinois.  He  prospered  in  his  venture 
and  bought  land  until  he  owned  370  acres,  all  of 
which  he  made  through  his  own  unaided  efforts.  He 
bought  his  land  at  $50  an  acre  and  sold  some  of  it  at 
$100  and  the  rest  at  $150  an  acre,  but  he  expended  a 
considerable  sum  on  improvements  also. 

The  senator  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county  in 
the  spring  of  1904,  having  purchased  the  year  before 
some  800  acres  of  land  in  Andover  township.  Later 
he  sold  a  part  of  this  but  subsequently  added  more, 
and  now  owns  1,040  acres  all  in  one  body  on  Burn- 
ham's  creek,  six  miles  west  of  Crookston.  On  this  land, 
a  part  of  which  is  the  old  Alexander  Burnham  home, 
he  raises  great  crops  of  grain  and  numbers  of  horses, 
cattle  and  sheep.  In  1915  he  had  over  16,000  bushels 
of  oats,  13,000  bushels  of  barley  and  7,000  bushels  of 
wheat.  In  his  farming  operations  he  employs  four 
men  and  thirteen  horses  all  the  time,  but  does  his 
plowing  and  threshing  with  a  gas  tractor.    His  usual 


/^ .  Y.  /3^e/<C^ 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


195 


holdings  of  livestock  run  from  1,700  to  over  4,000 
head  of  sheep,  which  run  in  the  grass  and  stubble  and 
are  fattened  for  the  markets,  a  large  herd  of  cattle 
and  a  good-sized  drove  of  horses.  His  farm,  which 
is  well  drained  and  one  of  the  choicest  in  the  county, 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  a  great  stock  farm. 

In  everything  that  has  to  do  with  the  welfare  of 
Polk  county  and  his  township  the  senator  has  always 
taken  an  active  and  very  helpful  interest.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Northwestern  Fair  asso- 
ciation, has  been  one  of  its  directors  from  the  begin- 
ning of  its  history,  frequently  one  of  its  leading 
exhibitors,  and  has  served  as  its  treasurer.  He  is 
also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Farmers'  Elevator 
company  at  Crookston,  and  has  served  as  chairman 
of  the  township  board  of  supervisors  in  his  township. 

In  the  fall  of  1914  Mr.  Buckler  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  as  a  nonpartisan  candidate,  but  he  is  a 
Democrat  in  political  faith  and  cast  his  last  vote  for 
the  presidency  for  Hon.  Woodrow  Wilson.  In  the 
senate  session  of  1915  he  served  on  the  committees  on 
railroads,  grain  and  warehouses,  roads  and  bridges, 
towns  and  counties,  and  others  of  importance.  He 
procured  the  enactment  of  a  law  compelling  railroad 
companies  to  keep  the  stock  cars  used  by  them  clean ; 
obtained  an  appropriation  of  $15,000  for  cleaning  out 


the  Sand  Hill  river  near  Beltrami,  and  was  an  earnest 
advocate  for  giving  the  farmers  more  voice  in  deter- 
mining how  the  money  appropriated  for  good  roads 
should  be  expended.  His  Sand  Hill  river  project, 
which  had  been  hung  up  in  three  former  sessions  of 
the  legislature,  was  carried  into  successful  execution 
in  1915.  It  provides  drainage  for  a  large  extent  of 
valuable  land  not  hitherto  wholly  available  for  use. 
His  views  on  the  expenditure  of  state  money  on  roads 
made  him  popular  in  his  district  and  had  a  consider- 
able degree  of  influence  in  bringing  about  his  election 
to  the  senate.  The  law  as  passed  did  not  fully  meet 
his  views,  but  it  gives  the  farmers  and  taxpayers 
advantages  of  value  which  they  did  not  have  before  it 
was  passed. 

In  fraternal  relations  Senator  Buckler  is  a  member 
of  the  Order  of  Elks.  He  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  to  Miss  Addie  Ball,  of  Coles  county,  Illi- 
nois. They  have  six  children,  Ruth,  Eva,  Jack,  La 
Feme,  Mary,  and  Maxine.  The  religious  leaning  of 
the  family  is  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  senator 
and  all  the  other  members  of  his  household  take  an 
earnest  interest  in  all  undertakings  for  the  good  of 
the  county  and  do  their  part  toward  making  them  suc- 
cessful and  serviceable  in  the  largest  possible  measure. 


CHARLES  E.  KIEWEL. 


Secretary,  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Kiewel  Brewing  company  of  Crookston,  Charles  E. 
Kiewel  holds  a  position  of  great  importance  in  the 
business  life  of  the  city  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  all 
classes  of  the  people  for  the  admirable  manner  in 
which  he  fills  it,  the  elevated  and  useful  citizenship 
he  exhibits  and  his  sterling  manhood  in  all  the  rela- 
tions of  life.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Moorhead, 
Clay  county,  Minnesota,  in  1875,  the  son  of  Jacob 
and  Rose  (Niggler)  Kiewel,  the  former  a  native  of 
Prussia  and  the  latter  of  Switzerland.  They  came  to 
this  country  in  their  childhood  and  located  in  Otter- 
tail  county,  Minnesota,  the  mother's  people  arriving 


there  in  1862.  The  father  is  president  of  the  brewing 
company  in  Crookston  of  which  the  son  is  the  secre- 
tary, treasurer  and  manager. 

Charles  E.  Kiewel  grew  to  manhood  at  Fergus  Falls, 
Minnesota,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  city.  He  learned  the  brewing  business  at  Lit- 
tle Falls  in  this  state.  In  1899  he  and  his  father 
became  interested  in  the  brewing  industry  in  Crooks- 
ton by  purchasing  a  small  brewery  owned  and  ope- 
rated by  August  "Walters.  They  soon  afterward 
enlarged  the  plant  to  its  present  capacity  of  30,000 
barrels  a  year.  Their  product  is  sold  in  many  parts 
of  the  Northwest  in  the  United  States  and  also  ex- 


196 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


teiisively  in  Canada.  They  have  an  active  trade  and 
show  the  most  commendable  enterprise  in  keeping  up 
with  its  steadily  increasing  demands  and  all  of  its 
most  exacting  requirements,  being  abreast  of  the  times 
and  the  market  at  all  times. 

In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  brewery  Mr.  Kie- 
wel  is  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
live  stock,  his  favorites  being  Holstein  and  Shorthorn 
cattle,  and  he  has  lands  devoted  exclusively  to  agri- 
culture besides  those  he  uses  for  grazing  purposes. 
He  pushes  all  departments  of  his  business  with  energy, 
giving  each  his  personal  attention,  and  studying 
everything  likely  to  aid  him  in  obtaining  the  best 


results  and  the  largest  returns  for  his  outlay  of  time, 
effort  and  money  throughout. 

Mr.  Kiewel  was  married  in  1896  to  Miss  Katharine 
Blake  of  Little  Falls.  They  have  two  children,  their 
sons  Dewey  J.  and  Charles.  The  father  of  these  chil- 
dren is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Elks  and  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  work  of  his  lodge.  He  is  also  a 
progressive  citizen  and  displays  a  highly  commend- 
able public  spirit  in  connection  with  all  undertakings 
for  the  welfare  and  improvement  of  the  city  and 
county  of  his  home.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  many  parts  of  Minnesota  and  the  adjoining 
states. 


CHARLES  E.  DAMPIER,  M.  D. 


Charles  E.  Dampier,  SI.  D.,  pioneer  physician  and 
surgeon  in  the  northwest  and  eminent  citizen  of 
Crookston,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  in  Waterloo, 
province  of  Quebec,  June  5,  1854.  Two  years  later 
his  parents,  Edward  and  Charlotte  (Parmclee)  Dam- 
pier,  came  to  Minnesota.  Edward  Dampier  was  born 
in  Paris  but  was  of  English  parentage  and  his  wife 
was  a  native  of  Vermont.  They  located  in  Steel 
county,  in  what  is  now  Lamand  township,  in  1856, 
and  were  the  second  family  of  white  settlers  in  that 
section.  Here  Edward  Dampier  took  a  claim  and 
engaged  in  the  clearing  of  the  land,  part  of  which. 
wa.s  a  timber  tract.  A  few  years  later  he  removed  to 
Meridian  township  where  he  lived  until  1862.  In  that 
year  he  went  to  Dakota  county  and  there  rented  a 
farm.  He  also  resided  for  a  time  in  Fergus  Falls 
and  Northfield.  He  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness in  the  latter  place  when  the  town  was  raided  by 
the  Younger  Bros,  and  it  was  from  a  window  of  his 
hotel  that  Dr.  Wheeler  shot  Clell  Miller.  The  gun 
used  in  this  affair  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Dr. 
Dampier,  a  memento  of  pioneer  days.  Edward  Dam- 
pier answered  the  call  of  his  adopted  eountrj'  during 
the  time  of  her  gi-eat  struggle  and  enlisted  from 
Dakota  county  in  Company  A,  Hatch's  independent 
battalion  and  served  as  first  lieutenant  of  his  com- 


pany, which  was  detailed  to  detached  duty  in  Jlin- 
nesota,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  On  receiving  his 
honorable  discharge  in  1865,  he  returned  to  Dakota 
county  and  purchased  a  farm  near  Castle  Rock.  As 
an  early  settler  of  the  state,  he  endured  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  of  that  time,  a  worthy  citizen  of  the 
new  commonwealth.  He  died,  February,  22,  1889. 
His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  her  death 
occun-ing  on  May  1,  1905.  They  had  seven  children, 
of  whom  two  sons  and  a  daughter  are  residents  of 
Minnesota.  Charles  Dampier  was  i-eared  in  Minne- 
sota and  received  his  early  education  in  the  country 
schools.  He  completed  his  preparatory  studies  in 
an  academy  at  Elgin,  Illinois,  and  attended  Carleton 
college.  He  began  his  professional  .studies  inider 
Dr.  C.  L.  Armington  in  Northfield  and  in  1876  en- 
tered the  medical  college  of  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, receiving  his  degree  in  1878.  He  located  at 
Dell  Rapids,  South  Dakota,  and  practiced  tliere  for 
about  six  months  and  then  returned  to  Minnesota 
and  to  Northfield.  In  the  following  year  he  came  to 
Crookston  where  he  enjoys  a  large  and  successful 
practice  as  the  oldest  practicing  physician  in  that 
city.  Dr.  Dampier  has  never  regarded  his  medical 
education  as  finished  but  continues  his  scientific 
studies  and  research,  keeping  in  touch  with  the  many 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


197 


developments  and  achievements  of  the  medical  world. 
He  has  taken  several  post  graduate  courses,  two  of 
them  in  Chicago.  He  has  won  much  distinction 
through  his  able  services  during  his  professional 
career.  He  served  for  five  years  as  eoiineilor  for  the 
State  Medical  society  and  is  a  n^ember  of  the  Amer- 
ican, Red  River  Valley,  and  County  medical  societies. 
He  has  received  a  number  of  important  federal  ap- 
pointments and  is  the  comity  examiner  for  the  sani- 
tarium at  Walker,  Minnesota,  the  secretjiry  of  the 
Board  of  Pension  Examiners  and  for  twenty-live 
years  has  been  the  city  health  officer.     He  has  now 


held  the  position  of  local  surgeon  for  the  Northern 
Pacific  railroad  twenty-five  years.  Aside  from  his 
professional  duties,  Dr.  Dampier  is  identified  with 
public  interests  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
school  board  and  as  treasurer  of  the  Building  and 
Loan  association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  a  Shriner  and  Past  Eminent  Commander 
of  the  Crookston  commandery  and  has  been  treasurer 
of  the  local  chapter  for  over  thirty  years.  He  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  Elks'  lodge  and  has  served  as 
treasurer  of  that  order  for  a  number  of  years. 


HARVEY  W.  MISNER. 


This  enterprising  and  pi'ogressive  young  business 
man,  who  is  a  leader  among  the  business  men  of  his 
generation  and  circle,  and  the  present  capable  and 
popular  mayor  of  Crookston,  is  a  native  of  Polk 
county  and  was  reared  among  its  people.  He  is  wholly 
a  product  of  the  county  and  all  the  credit  for  business 
capacity,  good  citizenship  and  administrative  ability 
in  office  he  enjoys  in  such  large  measure  reflects  back 
upon  the  county,  of  whose  residents  he  is  a  fair  type 
and  good  representative. 

Mr.  Misuer  was  born  at  Euclid,  this  county,  July 
10,  1883,  the  son  of  the  late  Harvey  C.  Misuer,  a 
sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  in  this  volume.  The 
son  began. his  education  in  the  district  schools,  con- 
tinued it  at  the  high  school  in  Crookston,  and  com- 
pleted it  at  Macalester  college  in  St.  Paul.  He  started 
his  basiness  career  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  general 
store  at  Euclid,  and  from  1904  to  1911  he  was  in  the 
real  estate  business  at  Pasadena,  California,  but  with 
a  continuous  longing  to  get  back  to  Minnesota. 

In  the  year  last  named  Mr.  Misner  gratified  his 
longing  by  returning  to  this  state  and  taking  up  his 


residence  in  Crookston.  He  then  became  manager 
of  the  Wheeler-Misner  Loan  company,  of  which  he  is 
also  secretarj'  and  treasurer.  In  addition  he  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Crookston  Investment  company  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Crookston  Cordage  company,  and  from 
March,  1913,  to  January,  1915,  he  was  president  of 
the  Crookston  Commercial  club,  of  which  he  is  still 
a  director,  as  he  is  of  the  Northwestei'n  Minnesota 
Fair  Association. 

In  politics  Mr.  Misner  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can, but  never  neutral  nor  indifferent  to  the  public 
welfare.  In  the  fall  of  1915  he  was  nominated  for 
mayor  of  Crookston  as  the  city's  candidate,  and  he 
was  elected  by  a  handsome  plurality  over  the  regular 
Republican  and  Socialist  nominees.  In  fraternal  re- 
lations he  is  connected  with  the  Order  of  Elks  and  is 
a  Freemason  of  the  Knights  Templar  degree.  He  is 
recognized  as  a  first-class  busin&ss  man  and  a  citizen 
of  the  best  and  most  serviceable  type.  On  June  12, 
1906,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ethel  L. 
Scott,  of  Depere,  Wisconsin. 


EDWARD  PETERSON. 


A  leader  in  business  circles  in  Crookston  and  always  Peterson,  superintendent  of  the  Crookston  Water- 
at  the  front  in  every  undertaking  for  the  improve-  works.  Power  and  Light  company,  is  a  very  useful 
ment  of  the  city  or  the  benefit  of  its  residents,  Edward     citizen  and  a  forceful  factor  in  promoting  the  prog- 


198 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ress  and  iniprovcmeiit  of  Polk  county  and  all  tlio 
country  adjacent  to  it  and  tributary  to  its  industrial, 
commercial,  mercantile  and  social  life. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  bom  in  Sweden  August  7,  1860, 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Anna  Peterson,  farmei-s  in  their 
native  land  and  also  in  this  country  after  their  arrival 
here  in  1882,  when  they  took  up  their  residence  at 
what  is  now  the  thriving  and  progres.sive  city  of 
Thief  River  Falls.  Their  son  Edward  was  twenty- 
two  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  the  United 
States.  He  had  completed  his  education  in  his  native 
place,  and  was  ready  for  any  suitable  opening  he 
might  find  in  his  new  home.  He  remained  at  Thief 
River  Falls  four  years,  then  moved  to  Crookston  in 
1886  and  accepted  a  position  in  the  employ  of  the 
waterworks  department. 

In  the  course  of  a  little  while  Mr.  Peterson  woi-ked 
his  way  up  to  the  post  of  engineer  for  the  company 
and  some  time  afterward  was  appointed  superintend- 
ent.    He  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  company  in 


1892,  and  since  then  he  has  been  practically  in  charge 
of  all  the  operations  of  the  department  in  the  dual 
capacity  of  superintendent  and  treasurer.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Crookston  Building  and 
Loan  association ;  is  a  director  and  president  of  the 
Crookston  Cordage  company,  a  director  of  the  Elec- 
trical Development  company,  and  chairman  of  the 
development  committee  of  the  Crookston  Commercial 
club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Crookston  school 
board. 

On  January  1,  1888,  Mr.  Peterson  was  united  iu 
marriage  with  Miss  Hannah  Andei"son,  the  nuptials 
being  solemnized  in  Minneapolis.  This  Mi-s.  Peter- 
son died  in  1892,  and  on  August  22,  1894,  Mr.  Peter- 
son contracted  a  second  marriage,  which  united  him 
with  Miss  Anna  Pherson,  of  Chicago.  They  have 
eight  children,  Julia,  Esther,  Agnes  Ethel,  Albert 
Edward,  Herbert  K.,  Florence,  Adeline  and  Paul, 
all  of  whom  are  still  members  of  the  parental  family 
circle. 


EDWIN  E.  LOMMEN. 


Edwin  E.  Lommen,  of  Crookston,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  coxinty,  was 
born  iu  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  February  9,  18.56, 
the  son  of  Andere  0.  and  Sigrid  (Hoyme)  Lommen, 
natives  of  Norway.  His  father  was  a  well  known 
pioneer  farmer  in  Iowa,  having  located  on  govern- 
ment land  there  in  1850,  after  living  two  years  in 
Wisconsin.  He  was  widely  identified  with  the  pub- 
lic activities  of  the  time,  was  a  member  of  the  lower 
House  of  the  Legislature  and  served  in  a  number  of 
local  offices. 

Edwin  E.  Lommen  taught  school  at  eighteen  years 
of  age  and  clerked  iu  a  hardware  store  at  Decorali, 
Iowa.  In  1878  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took  up 
a  Homestead  claim  five  miles  west  of  Crookston,  on 
which  he  lived  for  19  years,  cultivating  and  improv- 
ing his  farm.  Since  locating  iu  Polk  county  he  has 
been  actively  and  prominently  associated  with  the 
interests  which  have  contributed  to  its  progress  a)id 


welfare.  He  has  marked  tlie  rapid  evolution,  which 
has  replaced  the  log  cabin  store,  saloon,  and  tem- 
porary frame  sliacks,  which  occupied  the  site  of 
Crookston  in  1878,  with  the  thriving,  progressive 
city  of  nine  thousand  inhabitants,  with  its  brick 
blocks  and  paved  .streets.  No  les-s  remarkable  has 
been  the  development  of  the  county,  which  as  an 
agricultural  communitj^  ranks  second  to  none  in  the 
State.  In  this  development  he  feels  a  just  pride  in 
having  taken  part.  Wliile  living  on  his  farm,  he 
held  various  local  offices  and  in  1S90  was  elected  to 
the  State  Senate  and  was  a  member  of  the  legislative 
body  during  the  sessions  of  1891  and  189.3.  Among 
the  enactments  for  which  he  was  responsible,  there 
were  two  which  directlj^  afFectetl  his  home  county; 
the  law  reducing  the  salary  of  county  officials,  which 
has  saved  many  thousand  dollars  anniially  and  the 
First  Red  River  Valley  drainage  law,  which  carried 
an  appropriation  of  $100,000  from  the  state  and  pro- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


199 


vided  for  an  additional  contribution  of  $25,000  from 
the  Great  Northern  railroad.  This  law  made  possible 
the  construction  of  the  first  extensive  ditches  in  the 
valley  and  has  had  far  reaching  results,  in  increasing 
the  value  of  the  land  and  the  prosperity  of  the  region. 
In  1898  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  District  Court, 
which  office  he  held  four  years.  In  1894  he  was  can- 
didate for  lieutenant  governor  and  in  1896  was  candi- 
date for  Congi-ess  on  the  Populist  ticket,  with  the 
Democratic  endorsement;  but  was  defeated. 

Mr.  Lommen  was  cashier  of  the  State  Bank  of 
Buxton  for  7  years;  but  failing  health  caused  his 
retirement,  so  he  returned  to  Crookston  in  1914,  where 


he  has  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  de- 
voting some  attention  to  his  farming  interests.  He 
is  a  member  of  I.  O.  0.  F.  and  the  M.  W.  A.  fra- 
ternal organizations.  He  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  union  was  with  Maria  Olson  in  1881.  She 
is  survived  by  their  four  children,  Clarence  E.,  a 
physician;  Albei-t  M.,  who  resides  in  Grand  Forks; 
Alice  J.,  a  teacher  in  the  schools  at  Hatton,  North 
Dakota,  and  Sidney  N.,  a  student  at  the  N.  D.  U. 
In  1902  Mr.  Lommen  was  married  to  Addie  S.  Sana- 
ker,  who  had  been  previously  manned  and  widowed. 
They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ALEX  H.  DUNLAP,  M.  D. 


Alex  H.  Dunlap,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  leading  physi- 
cians and  surgeons  of  Crookston,  has  been  eminently 
connected  with  the  medical  profession  of  the  county 
since  1882,  when  he  first  engaged  in  practice  in  Crooks- 
ton. He  was  bom  in  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1857.  His 
father,  John  Dunlap,  was  a  native  of  Ontario  and 
his  wife,  Julia  (Ellis)  Dunlap,  was  born  in  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland.  John  Dunlap  was  a  lumber  man 
and  mill  owner  and  lived  in  Canada  throughout  his 
life.  His  death  and  that  of  his  wife,  but  a  few  houre 
later,  occurred  in  1905.  Of  their  family  of  four  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Dr.  Alex  Dunlap  is  the  only 
one  who  does  not  reside  in  Canada.  He  was  reared 
in  that  country  and  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  then  became  a  student  in 
Queena  College  at  Kingston.  After  graduating  from 
that  institution  in  1875,  he  began  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  medical  profession,  studying  for  a  few  months 
under  Dr.  Lafferty  of  Kingston  and  in  the  winter  of 
the  same  year  entered  McGill  college.     In  1882  he 


received  his  degree  and  came  to  Crookston  where  he 
has  continued  to  successfully  pursue  his  professional 
duties  and  has  received  an  extensive  patronage  as  a 
general  practitioner.  In  the  length  of  time  of  his 
services  as  a  physician,  he  now  ranks  third  among 
the  local  members  of  his  profession  and  the  many 
able  attainments  of  his  career  have  won  him  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  colleagues.  No  small 
part  of  his  success  is  due  to  years  of  keen  study  and 
a  constant  alertness  to  the  rapid  advances  made  in 
medical  discoveries.  Dr.  Dunlap  has  availed  himself 
of  the  advantages  of  post  graduate  work,  each  year, 
either  in  New  York  clinics  or  at  McGill  college.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Red  River  Valley  Medical  associa- 
tion and  of  the  American  Medical  association.  Aside 
from  his  private  practice,  Dr.  Dunlap  held  the  posi- 
tion of  local  surgeon  for  the  Great  Northern  railroad 
for  several  years.  He  was  married  in  1912  to  Annie 
Bolie,  who  is  a  native  of  Minnesota.  Dr.  Dunlap  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 


CHARLES  P.  SKOUG. 


Charles  F.  Skoug,  postmaster  of  Crookston,  is  a 
native  of  Norway,  bom  at  Frederickstadt  in  1870 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  this  country  when  ten 


years  of  age.  He  is  the  son  of  Theo.  J.  and  Caroline 
(Mathesian)  Skoug,  who  located  in  Lyon  county,  Min- 
nesota, in  1880.     Here  the  father  entered  upon  the 


200 


COMPENDIUiM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


laborious  devulopmeiit  of  uew  laud  aud  eugaged  in 
farming  in  the  State  for  a  number  of  years  and  reared 
a  family  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters.  Both  par- 
ents are  now  living  and  reside  in  Seattle,  Washington. 
Charles  Skoug  assisted  his  father  on  the  homestead 
for  several  years  aud  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  embarked 
upon  his  eommereial  career  as  a  salesman  of  farm 
machinery,  his  enterprise  and  natural  ability  winning 
him  ready  success  aud  he  continued  iu  this  occupation 
for  seventeen  years,  traveling  over  all  the  western 
states  and  building  up  a  prosperous  trade.  In  1907 
lie  located  in  Crookston,  where  he  is  one  of  the  in- 
fluential and  progressive  citizens.  He  has  become 
Avidely  known  over  the  state  through  his  prominent 
services  in  the  political  field  and  in  1896  gave  con- 
spicuous service  as  the  leader  of  the  Democratic  cam- 
paigu,   his  work   evincing   marked  executive   ability 


and  a  natural  political  sense.  lie  has  also  represented 
the  county  in  a  number  of  conventions.  In  June, 
191?,,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  has  discharged 
the  duties  of  his  position  with  competency  and  satis- 
faction to  the  patrons.  In  fraternal  circles,  he  is  a 
well  knowii  and  popular  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Elks  and  the  United  Commercial  Travelers. 
His  marriage  to  Anna  ]\I.  Nordic,  a  resident  of  Min- 
nesota, was  solemnized  June  20,  1895.  She  died  in 
Crookston,  April  19,  1914,  leaving  three  children, 
Kennth  M.,  Vivian  and  Viola  A.  Mr.  Skoug  was 
married  a  second  time  on  August  21,  1915,  to  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  (Lindsley)  Lundberg,  the  widow  of  Mag- 
nus Lundberg.  Mrs.  Skoug  was  born  in  Missouri 
but  spent  her  earl}'  life  in  St.  Paul.  They  make 
their  home  in  Crookston. 


PETER  I\I.  RINGDAL. 


Peter  M.  Ringdal,  of  Crookston,  prominent  busi- 
ness man  and  distinguished  citizen,  is  a  native  of 
Minnesota,  born  in  Goodhue  county  iu  1861.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age.  He  then  entered  the  railroad 
and  express  business  and  continued  in  this  occupa- 
tion until  1890.  During  this  time,  steady  application 
to  his  work  and  intelligent  study  of  its  different 
phases,  eminently  fitted  him  for  responsible  positions 
later  and  enabled  him  to  render  valuable  service  to 
the  state.  He  located  in  Crookston  in  1888.  In  1894 
he  entered  public  sendee  as  state  senator,  elected  on 
the  Populist  party  ticket.  Since  that  time  he  has 
continued  to  be  actively  identified  with  public  affairs 
and  has  accomplished  much  toward  securing  better 
and  more  efficient  legislation.  As  senator,  he  spent  a 
busy  term  and  his  principal  efforts  were  directed 
toward  better  control  of  common  carriers  and  the 
reduction  of  transportation  rates,  although  this  was 
some  years  before  the  attention  of  the  general  publi(! 
had  been  aroused  to  the  encroachments  of  corpor- 
ations.   He  also  originated  and  pushed  to  a  successful 


conclusion,  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishment, in  1896,  of  the  State  Experiment  station 
at  Crookston.  This  station  has  since  been  converted 
into  a  state  agricultural  school.  He  favored  more 
efficacious  methods  in  the  State  Labor  bureau  and 
was  instnimental  in  reorganizing  the  department  to 
that  purpose.  In  1898  he  received  a  unanimous 
renominatiou  for  state  senator  but  withdrew  from 
tlie  legislative  ticket  to  acept  an  unanimous  nomina- 
tion for  congress  by  the  Peoples  aud  Democratic 
parties,  but  was  defeated  in  the  election.  In  1899  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  State  Railroad  and  Ware- 
house commission  and  worked  with  this  commission 
for  two  years,  during  which  time  considerable  prog- 
ress was  made  in  i-educing  and  equalizing  railroad 
rates  and  removing  discriminations.  He  was  made  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Control  in  January, 
1907,  and  continued  to  serve  in  this  office  for  a  tenn 
of  six  years.  Mr.  Ringdal  is  the  present  register  of 
the  United  States  land  office  at  Crookston,  having 
been  appointed  to  this  position  in  January,  1914.  In 
1912  he  was  honored  by  the  Democratic  citizens  of 


GUNDEK  STEXliKSON 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


201 


the  state  with  the  nomination  for  governor.  In  public 
service  and  in  the  commercial  world,  his  integrity  and 
the  power  to  accomplish  that  which  is  based  on  his 
earnest  convictions,  have  won  the  respect  of  all  men. 
He  has  always  been  a  radical  democrat  and  faithful 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  democracy,  favoring 
all  measures  aimed  at  the  equalizing  of  opportunity 


and  the  destruction  of  monopoly  and  special  privilege. 
He  is  prominently  associated  with  the  business 
interests  of  the  city  as  pi'esident  of  the  Crookston 
Granite  company  and  of  the  Polk  County  State  bank, 
a  sketch  of  which  is  found  in  this  work.  Mr.  Ringdal 
was  married  in  1885  to  Mary  J.  Shirley. 


JAMES  P.  O'CONNELL. 


James  P.  0 'Council,  receiver  at  the  United  States 
land  office  at  Crookston.  is  a  native  of  jMinnesota, 
born  in  Wright  county,  July  18,  1873,  the  son  of 
William  and  Mary  (Haley)  O'Connell,  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  the  state.  They  were  natives  of  Ireland  and 
were  married  in  New  York,  after  coming  to  this  coun- 
try. In  1858  they  came  to  Minnesota  and  William 
O'Connell  located  on  a  government  claim  in  Wright 
county  where  he  engaged  in  the  constructive  work 
of  the  frontier  farmer,  clearing  the  wild  land  and 
continuing  the  improvement  of  it  until  his  death, 
March  13,  1874.  The  death  of  his  wife  occurred  in 
1908  and  they  are  survived  by  seven  childi-en;  the 
six  sons  of  the  family  all  residing  in  the  State. 
James  P.  O'Connell,  bom  in  the  early  days  of  the 
development  of  the  country,  has  witnessed  the  many 
stages  of  its  progress  and  has  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  the  obseiwation  of  the  forces  which  have  so  rapidly 
forced  the  evolution  of  the  primitive  wilderness  into 
a  popiilated  and  productive  agricultural  region.     He 


remained  on  the  homestead  in  Wright  county  until 
nineteen  years  of  age,  meanwhile  attending  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  then  became  a  telegraph  operator  on 
the  Great  Northern  railroad.  After  three  years  of 
able  service  in  this  position,  he  was  appointed  sta- 
tion agent  for  the  road  at  Warren,  Minnesota,  and 
continued  in  this  capacity  for  sixteen  years.  In 
1914  he  was  made  receiver  at  the  government  land 
office  at  Crookston,  a  position  for  which  his  efficient 
and  satisfactory  service  has  proven  him  eminently 
fitted.  Mr.  O'Connell  has  always  given  his  active 
interests  to  the  affairs  of  the  Democratic  party  and 
in  fraternal  circles,  is  a  well  known  member  of  the 
Elk  lodge.  His  marriage  to  Loui.se  Flannigan  was 
solemnized  at  Waverly,  in  1900.  She,  like  her  hus- 
band, is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  at  Watertown. 
They  have  three  children,  James,  Sydnie  Georgiana 
and  Paul  J.  Mr.  O'Connell  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church. 


GUNDER  STENERSON. 


Gunder  Stenerson,  of  Erskine,  a  prominent  lum- 
berman of  the  northwest,  is  identified  with  two  well- 
known  lumber  companies,  as  manager  of  the  company 
of  Stenerson  Brothers,  lumber  dealers  and  contractors, 
and  president  of  Stenerson  Lumber  corporation.  He 
is  a  native  of  Norway,  bom  August  1,  1864,  and  came 
to  this  country,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Sven 
Stenerson,  in  1886.     They  worked  during  one  winter 

in  the  pineries  of  Michigan  and  then  went  to  Dane 
13 


county,  Wisconsin,  where  they  were  employed  in  the 
lumber  camps  and  at  farm  labor.  In  1887  they  were 
joined  by  the  third  brother,  Knute  Stenerson,  and  in 
the  following  year  the  three  brothers  removed  to  Min- 
nesota. Being  acquainted  with  the  locality  of  Pelican 
Rapids  through  friends  and  relatives,  who  resided 
there,  they  bought  eighty  acres  of  timber  land  near 
that  place.  The  land  was  covered  with  hardwood 
and  with  an  expenditure  of  about  four  hundred  dol- 


202 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


lars  they  installed  a  portable  sawiaill  ami  secured 
some  pine  timber,  and  from  this  modest  start,  with 
notable  management  and  business  ability,  they  have 
built  one  of  the  important  lumber  industries  and  cor- 
porations of  northern  Minnesota.  In  1892  the  Sten- 
erson  brothei-s,  with  Evan  Olegaard,  established  the 
Olegaard  &  Stenerson  company,  with  a  lumber  yard  at 
Erskine.  In  1890  Stenerson  brothers  started  a  yard 
at  Pelican  Rapids,  and  later  bought  the  other  yards 
at  Mentor,  Felton  and  Borup.  Sven  Stenerson  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade  and  through  his  extensive  opera- 
tions as  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Pelican  Rapids 
added  this  business  to  the  company's  interests.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  company,  Gunder  Stenerson 
was  made  manager  and  put  in  charge  of  the  Erskine 
yards  and  Knute  Stenerson  retained  the  direction  of 
their  interests  at  Pelican  Rapids,  and  this  arrange- 
ment has  continued  to  the  present  time.  In  1895  ]\Ir. 
Olegaard  withdrew  from  the  firm  and  the  company  of 
Stenerson  Brothers  was  formed,  and  has  enjoyed  a 
steadily  growing  trade,  prospering  in  all  its  enter- 
prises, in  the  lumber  business  and  as  building  con- 
tractors, a  present  important  contract  being  the 
erection  of  a  United  Lutheran  church  at  Erskine  at 
an  estimated  cost  of  some  ten  thousand  dollars.  The 
yard  at  Mentor  had  been  sold  and  was  later  re- 
bought.  As  operated  at  present,  the  yards  are  located 
at  Pelican  Rapids,  Erskine  and  Mentor,  and  the  com- 
pany is  owned  by  Gunder  Stenerson  and  Knute  Sten- 
erson, Sven  Stenerson  having  sold  his  interest  in 
1913  and  returned  to  Norway,  where  he  purchased  the 
old  family  home  and  made  it  his  permanent  residence. 


The  Stenerson  Lumbt-r  company  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  of  $100,000  and  conducts  an  ex- 
tensive business  through  its  yards  at  Earhardt,  Hal- 
stad  and  various  other  places.  Gunder  Stenerson  is 
the  president  of  the  company,  Knute  Stenerson  vice 
president  and  L.  I.  Grina  secretary,  treasurer  and 
manager.  The  other  stockholders  are  Sven  Stenerson, 
Melvin  Grina,  the  manager  of  the  yard  at  Earhardt ; 
Conrad  Grina,  local  manager  at  Borup,  and  Ole 
Grina,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  branch  oiifice  at  Halstad. 
Gunder  Stenereon  is  widely  known  through  his  suc- 
cessful association  with  the  various  important  business 
interests  of  his  busy  career  and  as  business  man  and 
citizen  is  highly  esteemed  by  all,  and  aside  from  his 
active  interest  and  support  of  public  endeavor  has 
given  valuable  service  in  local  office,  as  mayor  and 
member  of  the  school  board  and  is  a  present  member 
of  the  town  council.  In  1907  he  returned  to  his  native 
land  for  a  visit,  but  has  continued  to  make  his  home 
at  Erskine  since  1892,  spending  the  summer  months 
at  his  cottage  on  Lake  Sarah,  a  few  miles  distant.  lie 
was  married  in  1894  to  Betsy  Torgeson,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Torgeson,  a  pioneer  of  the  Thirteen  Towns, 
who  opened  the  first  hotel  in  Erskine  in  1888  and  is 
now  living  on  his  farm,  one  mile  south  of  the  village. 
Five  children  were  bom  to  Mr.  Stenerson  and  his 
wife,  four  of  whom,  Ragna,  Ingeman,  Christine  and 
Gordon,  are  now  living.  A  daughter,  Corrine,  died  in 
early  childhood.  They  are  members  of  the  Synod 
Lutheran  church,  where  Mr.  Stenerson  gives  active 
service  as  treasurer. 


MARTIN  O'BRIEN. 


Martin  O'Brien,  of  Crookston,  a  prominent 
attorney  and  eminent  citizen  of  the  state,  was  boni 
in  Boone  county,  Illinois,  October  15,  1867.  He  is 
the  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Tighe)  O'Brien,  who 
were  natives  of  Ireland.  Michael  O'Brien  was  born 
in  county  Mayo  and  was  married  to  Mary  Tighe  in 
her   native    county    of    Sligo.      They    came   to    this 


country  about  1850,  locating  in  Boone  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  of  stone  mason.  They 
continued  to  make  their  home  here  until  their  death. 
Seven  children  survive  them  and  three  of  the  sons 
reside  in  Crookston.  Martin  O'Brien  was  reared  in 
his  native  state  and  received  his  early  education  in 
the  county  schools.     After  graduating  from  the  high 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


203 


school  at  Belvidere,  Illinois,  he  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Judge  R.  W.  Wright,  a  pioneer  lawyer 
of  Boone  county.  In  June,  1889,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  located  immediately  in  Crookston  and 
began  the  practice  of  law.  He  has  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  his  profession  and  from  the 
inception  of  his  career  has  met  witli  noteworthy  suc- 
cess, winning  the  regard  and  approbation  of  his  legal 
associates.  For  two  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Wilkinson,  Schmidt  &  O'Brien  in  partnership 
with  A.  C.  Wilkinson  and  P.  C.  Schmidt.  Since 
leavuig  this  firm  he  has  conducted  an  independent 
practice.  Mr.  O'Brien  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  is  extensively  identified  with  the  political 
affaii-s  of  the  state.  He  has  been  actively  interested 
in  many  of  the  important  conventions,  serving  as 
delegate  at  large  in  national  convention  of  1908  and 
district  delegate  to  the  national  convention  of  1912 
and  was  made  the  Minnesota  member  of  the  committee 
on  resolutions  in  both  national  conventions.     He  was 


elected  chairman  of  the  state  democratic  committee 
in  1912  and  served  in  this  office  until  his  professional 
duties  necessitated  his  resignation  and  forced  him  to 
decline  re-election.  Whereupon  he  was  elected  vice 
chairman  and  made  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee. He  is  at  present  city  attorney  of  Crookston, 
having  served  in  that  office  five  terms.  His  adminis- 
tration of  public  matters  has  been  characterized  by 
the  same  display  of  integrity  and  ability  that  has 
marked  his  private  legal  affairs.  He  has  also  served 
the  county  in  the  capacity  of  assistant  to  the  county 
attorney  in  important  matters  of  litigation,  in  which 
the  county  was  interested.  He  has  been  E.  R.  of  the 
Crookston  Lodge  P.  B.  0.  E.  and  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  that  order.  He  served  for  five  years 
as  member  national  board  of  Auditors,  M.  W.  of  A. 
He  was  man-ied  in  Minneapolis,  in  1904,  to  Elizabeth 
Mealia,  who  is  a  native  of  Minnesota.  They  have 
three  children,  Marion,  John  and  James. 


ARTHUR  A.  MILLER. 


Arthur  A.  Miller,  of  Crookston,  well-known  lawyer 
and  identified  with  the  banking  interests  of  the  north- 
west, was  bom  in  Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  September 
16,  1851.  His  parents,  Samuel  and  Sophia  (Reid) 
Miller,  were  natives  of  Nova  Scotia  and  came  to  Wis- 
consin in  1851.  Here  Samuel  Miller  located  on  timber 
land  and  began  the  arduous  task  of  clearing  and  cul- 
tivating this  tract.  He  devoted  the  remainder  of  his 
life  to  his  farm  and  developed  a  fine  property.  His 
death  occurred  in  1888  and  that  of  his  wife  in  1914. 
Three  children  survive  them,  a  daughter,  who  is  the 
present  owner  of  the  old  homestead;  a  son,  residing 
at  Harvard,  111.,  and  Arthur  A.  Arthur  A.  Miller 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the 
schools  at  Milton,  Wis.,  where  he  graduated.  He 
then  entered  the  educational  field  and  spent  eight 
years  teaching  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state.  But 
his  ambitions  were  centered  in  the  legal  profession 
and  in  1882,  he  began  the  study  of  law.    The  follow- 


ing year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  located  in 
Fargo,  N.  D.  After  five  years  of  successful  practice 
in  that  city,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Foote 
and  the  new  firm  of  Miller  &  Foote  was  established  at 
Crookston  in  1888,  where  they  have  enjoyed  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice.  As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Miller  has 
won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  professional 
associates.  Aside  from  his  legal  activities  he  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  growth  of  the  financial 
institutions  of  this  region.  In  these  interests,  he  is 
associated  with  his  law  partner,  Mr.  Foote.  In  1906 
they  bought  the  controlling  interest  in  the  Scandia 
American  State  bank.  Other  banks  in  which  they 
own  shares  are  the  First  National  of  Cass  Lake,  the 
Citizen  State  of  Mcintosh,  the  First  State  bank  at 
Thief  River  Falls,  the  First  National  of  Warren  and 
the  First  National  bank  of  Crookston.  Mr.  Miller  also 
has  extensive  land  interests,  owning  several  thousand 
acres  of  farm  land.    His  political  affiliations  are  with 


204 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


the  Republican  party  and  altlio  he  has  evaded 
active  participation  in  the  political  arena  he  has 
faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  good  citizenship. 
As  a  pioneer  citizen  of  Polk  county,  he  has  been 
honorably  associated  with  its  progress  and  prosperity. 
His  marriage  to  Alice  L.  Page  of  Rock  county,  Wis., 
occurred  in  1877.  Four  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union,  Albert  A.,  who  died  in  1891,  Lucius  S., 


Annie  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Harry  L.  ]Mar.sh  of 
Crookston;  and  Harold  P.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  a  Shriuer  and  member  of  the 
Commandery.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  State 
Historical  society  of  Minnesota.  Mr.  Miller  and  his 
family  are  communicants  in  the  Congregational 
church  of  Crookston. 


G.  0.  HAGE. 


G.  0.  Hage,  cashier  of  the  Polk  County  State  bank 
of  Crookston,  is  a  native  of  the  state,  bom  in  Norman 
county.  May  7,  1882.  He  is  the  son  of  Ole  R.  and 
Martha  B.  (Birkland)  Hage,  who  came  to  this 
country  from  Norway  in  1866,  settling  in  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  and  as  pioneer  farmers  of  the 
state  are  identified  with  its  early  history  and  develop- 
ment. They  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  Norman 
county  and  then  removed  to  Crookston,  which  is  their 
present  home.  G.  0.  Hage  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Norman  county  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  country  schools.  He  then  entered  Crooks- 
ton college  and  after  three  years  of  study  in  that 
institution,  spent  one  year  in  the  University  of  North 
Dakota.  After  leaving  the  university  he  engaged  for 
a  time  in  clerical  work  in  Crookston  and  then  became 
interested    in    the    real    estate    business    which    he 


operated  with  marked  success.  During  this  time  he 
also  served  as  assistant  clerk  for  the  state  legislature 
for  two  sessions.  Mr.  Hage  was  among  the  first  to 
promote  the  establishment  of  the  new  bank  and  it 
was  largely  through  his  unfailing  interest  and  efforts 
together  with  P.  M.  Ringdal  that  the  organization 
of  this  successful  enterprise  was  cidmiiiated  in  1913 
and  since  that  time  he  has  been  associated  with  its 
management  as  cashier  and  director.  As  business 
man  and  citizen,  Mr.  Hage  is  actively  interested  in 
the  advancement  of  the  general  welfare  and  pros- 
perity. He  is  a  member  of  the  Elk  lodge.  He  was 
man'ied  in  June,  1911,  to  Nellie  Christianson,  daugh- 
ter of  N.  Christianson,  a  pioneer  of  Polk  county.  They 
have  one  child  Norma.  Mr.  Hage  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Crookston. 


LOUIS  GON^EA. 


Louis  Gonyea,  of  Crookston,  well  known  business 
man  and  ex -sheriff,  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  history  of  the  county  since  its  early  settle- 
ment. He  was  born  in  Old-Town,  Penobscot  county, 
Maine,  March  10,  1845,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Flora 
(Betters)  Gonyea,  who  were  natives  of  the  province 
'  of  Quebec,  Canada.  Henry  Gonyea  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  and  for  sometime  worked  in  the 
Maine  pineries.  In  1874  he  went  to  Minneapolis  and 
ten  years  later  removed  to  Crookston,  where  the 
deaths  of  himself  and  wife  occurred  at  the  home  of 


their  son,  Louis  Gonj'ea.  The  latter  was  reared  in 
his  native  state  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age 
enlisted  in  Company  G  of  the  Second  Maine  cavalry 
and  saw  active  service  during  the  remaining  two 
years  of  the  Civil  war.  His  regiment  was  detailed  to 
the  gulf  campaign  and  was  under  the  command  of 
General  Butler.  After  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge in  1865,  IVIr.  Gonyea  returned  to  Maine  and 
four  years  later  went  to  Saginaw,  Michigan,  where 
he  remained  until  1871  when  he  continued  his  west- 
ward journey  and  located  in  Minneapolis,  entering 


COMPENDIUil  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


205 


the  employ  of  Caleb  Dorr  in  the  Mississippi  and  Rum 
River  Boom  company.  In  1878  he  came  to  Crooks- 
ton,  then  a  small  pioneer  village,  and  entei'ed  a 
claim  on  government  laud.  For  several  years  he 
engaged  in  the  development  of  his  land  and  farming 
interests,  meanwhile  working  for  a  time  with  a  mill- 
ing company  on  the  Red  river.  As  a  citizen,  Mr. 
Gonyea  has  been  notably  associated  with  the  growth 
of  public  interests  and  gave  his  first  official  service 
as  a  member  of  the  police  force  of  Crookston,  which 
was  organized  in  1884.  He  remained  on  the  force  for 
fourteen  years  and  was  chief  of  police  for  eleven 
years.  In  19G1  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff 
under  E.  J.  Sullivan  and  in  1905  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  sheriff  and  continued  to  give  efficient  service 
during  two  terms.  Subsequently  he  spent  some  time 
traveling  tlirough  the  western  states  and  returned  to 


Crookston  to  open  a  real  estate  office,  conducting  ex- 
tensive land  transactions  which  have  made  the  Gon- 
yea Land  company  one  of  the  prosperous  business 
organizations  of  the  county.  During  the  many  years 
of  his  useful  career,  as  soldier,  pioneer  citizen  and 
successful  business  man,  Mr.  Gonyea  has  earned  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  all  for  his  many  able  serv- 
ices. He  was  married  in  Minneapolis,  in  1873  to 
Olivia  Darwin,  who  was  a  native  of  Canada.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1906.  Eleven  children  were  born 
to  this  union,  five  of  whom  are  now  living,  Lillian, 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Sandberg  of  Crookston;  Louis  J.,  who 
resides  in  Washington;  Mamie,  who  married  Mr.  C. 
Langley  and  lives  in  Idaho,  Alexander  C,  and  George 
W.,  who  are  residents  of  Crookston.  LIr.  Gonyea  is 
a  meniber  of  the  Republican  party  and  of  the  Elks 
lodge. 


HON.  A.  D.  STEPHENS. 


Hon.  A.  D.  Stephens,  president  of  the  Merchants' 
National  Bank  of  Crookston,  former  mayor  of  Crooks- 
ton and  state  senator,  is  a  typical  representative  of 
its  best  and  most  serviceable  citizenship.  He  has 
lived  in  Crookston  continuously  for  more  than  thirty  . 
years,  and  has  passed  the  whole  of  his  life  in  Minne- 
sota to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Stephens  was  born  in  Carver  county,  this  state, 
in  1855,  a  son  of  Lars  and  Ilannalr  (Peterson) 
Stephens,  natives  of  Swieden,  where  they  were  reared, 
educated  and  married.  The  father  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1851  and  the  mother  in  1853.  They 
located  in  Carver  county,  Minnesota,  in  1854,  and 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  that  county,  clearing  a 
farm  there  from  the  wilderness,  and  helping  to  lay 
the  foundations  of  the  county's  industrial,  civil,  social 
and  educational  institutions.  The  father  filled  with 
credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  county  several 
different  local  offices,  and  stood  high  in  the  regard  of 
the  people.  He  died  in  Kandiyohi  county  a  number 
of  years  ago.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  is  now 
ninety-seven  years  of  age. 


A.  D.  Stephens  was  reared  and  educated  in  Carver 
county  in  part,  completing  his  academic  course  at 
Gustavus  Adolphus  College.  After  leaving  college 
he  passed  some  years  in  clerking,  as  a  salesman  on 
the  road  and  in  other  occupations,  and  in  1880  located 
at  Fisher,  Polk  county,  where  he  engaged  in  general 
merchandising.  In  1884  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Crookston  as  the  representative  of  the  Corbin  Bank- 
ing company.  In  1891  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  Merchants  National  Bank  of  Crookston,  of  which 
he  became  president  after  serving  the  bank  some  time 
as  cashier.  The  bank  has  grown  in  patronage  and 
influence  under  his  careful  management,  keeping 
progress  with  the  current  of  events  and  up  to  date 
at  all  times  in  all  departments  and  features  of  its 
business.  It  is  held  to  be  one  of  the  safest,  soundest 
and  most  satisfactory  banks  of  its  rank  in  the  North- 
west. Mr.  Stephens  is  interested  also  in  several  other 
banks  in  Polk  county  and  other  places  in  Minnesota. 
He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Scandinavian- 
American  Bank  of  Minneapolis  and  president  of  a 
bank  in  Montana. 


206 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


The  piil)lif  affairs  of  liis  city,  county,  state  and 
country  haw  always  receivetl  careful,  studious  and 
serviceable  attention  from  Mi".  Stephens,  and  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  them.  He  served  as  mayor 
of  Crookston  in  1893  and  again  in  1900.  In  1902  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  senate,  and  during 
his  service  in  that  body  he  was  the  chief  instrument 
in  obtaining  the  location  of  the  Northwestern  School 
of  Agriculture  at  Crook.ston.  This  institution  has 
done  a  great  work  in  promoting  advanced  farming  in 
the  northwestern  i)art  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Stephens  is  a  public  speaker  of  ability,  elo- 
quence and  force,  and  is  in  frequent  demand  for 
public  addresses  of  various  kind.s.  He  has  been  par- 
ticularly successful  in  political  speeches  in  many 
campaigns,  advocating  and  defending  the  principles 
and  candidates  of  the  Republican  party,  to  which  he 
has  always  belonged  and  in  which  he  has  long  been 
prominent.  He  has  been  strongly  l)rought  forward 
by  his  friends  as  the  candidate  of  that  party  for  the 
governorship  of  the  state  at  different  times  and  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Chicago  Repul)lican  National  con- 
vention of  1904  which  nominated  Theodore  Roosevelt 
for  the  Presidency,  and  in  the  campaign  which  fol- 
lowed he  urged  Mr.  Roosevelt's  el(>ction  with  great 
fei-vor  and  effect. 


Even  wlien  out  of  office  Mr.  Stephens  has  devoted 
considerable  activity  to  i)romotiiig  tlie  welfare  of  the 
state  and  its  public  institutions.  He  was  the  leading 
force  in  bringing  about  improved  methods  of  admin- 
istration at  tile  State  Reformatory  for  Boys  at  Red 
AVing.  He  preferred  charges  before  the  legislature 
against  the  management  of  that  institution,  and  the 
investigation  that  followed  resulted  in  the  abolition 
of  corporal  punishment  there  and  other  reforms  in 
the  discipline  and  government  of  the  institution. 

In  1878  Mr.  Stephens  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Christie  Cameron,  a  native  of  Canada. 
They  have  two  sons,  Marcus,  Merriam  and  one  daugh- 
ter Andrea.  The  sons  are  employed  in  the  Merchants 
National  Bank  of  Crookston  and  Miss  Andrea  is 
attending  school.  Fraternally  their  father  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Order  of  Elks  and  the 
Swedish  Order  of  Vass. 

During  his  service  in  the  senate  he  introduced  the 
bill  which  provided  for  the  payment  of  inmates  of 
state  penal  institutions  for  labor  performed.  The  first 
law  of  its  kind  in  the  world  and  on  which  the  state 
is  now  paying  from  $75,000  to  $80,000  per  annum, 
and  which  has  worked  wondrous  good  among  the 
inmates.  Is  also  a  member  of  State  Iiiiinigratioii 
board  serving  second  term. 


THOMAS  A.  HARRIS. 


Thomas  A.  Harris,  of  Crookston,  a  well  known 
citizen  and  pioneer,  has  been  a  resident  of  that  city 
since  1877  and  actively  associat-ed'  with  the  history  of 
its  growth  and  progress.  Pie  is  the  son  of  George  P. 
Harris,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  Jane  (Burns)  Harris, 
who  was  born  in  New  York  state.  George  P.  Harris 
was  a  clei'gj'man  of  tlie  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  came  to  Canada  to  undertake  inissionarj'  work. 
He  gave  eminent  service  in  this  field  and  became  the 
presiding  elder  of  the  district  of  upper  Canada.  In 
1861  he  removed  to  Waba.sha  county,  Minnesota  and 
soon  afterwards,  enlisted  in  Company  I  of  the  Fii-st 
Minnesota  mounted  rangers  and   re-enlisted  a  year 


later  in  Company  D,  Second  Minnesota  cavalry, 
serving  in  the  Indian  wars  of  the  northwest  during 
four  years  and  took  part  in  all  the  engagements  of 
the  uprising  of  1862.  His  son,  John  Harris,  was  also 
active  in  the  subjection  of  the  insurrections  of  that 
year.  George  Harris  was  one  of  those,  who  by 
integrity  of  character  and  noble  service  lay  the  foun- 
dations for  the  progress  of  civilization.  His  death 
occurred  in  California  and  that  of  his  wife  in  Wash- 
ington. Their  two  sons  .survive  them ;  John  Harris 
now  residing  in  Spokane.  Thomas  A.  Harris  was 
born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1848  and  came  to  Minne- 
sota with  his  father  when  a  lad  of  tliirteeii.     In  1877 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


207 


he  located  in  Crookston,  then  but  a  village  of  a  few 
log  cabins  and  has  pursued  a  long  and  honorable 
career  as  business  man  and  citizen  and  enjoys  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  for  his  many  worthy 
services.  He  has  conducted  an  extensive  business  as 
a  contractor  for  the  moving  of  buildings  and  also  has 
farming  interests  in  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Republican  party  and  has  been  honored  with 
several  public  offices,  giving  efficient  service  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council  for  ten  years  and  as 
deputy  sheriff.  Also  served  as  first  justice  of  the 
peace  and   assessor   of   Crookston   in    1878-79.     Mr. 


Harris  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  Company  I  of  the  First 
Minnesota  battalion  of  infantry  and  serving  with  his 
regiment  in  Virginia  during  the  last  few  months  of 
the  war.  He  was  married  in  1870  to  Adelaide  L. 
Gordon,  who  is  a  native  of  Michigan.  Five  children 
were  born  to  them,  of  whom  the  eldest  son,  Albert  G. 
Harris,  is  dead.  The  surviving  members  of  the 
family  are,  Frederick  B.,  Bruce  F.,  Arthur,  Elmer  D. 
and  Ethel  A.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  member  of  the  Elk 
fraternity. 


HENRY  0.  BALSTAD. 


Henry  0.  Balstad,  stock  farmer  and  well  known 
citizen  of  Sletten  township,  is  a  native  of  Minnesota, 
born  at  Fergus  Falls,  June  2,  1886,  the  son  of  K.  0. 
Balstad  and  Gina  (Weiby)  Balstad.  When  he  was 
nine  years  of  age  his  father  located  on  a  farm  in  Slet- 
ten township  and  here  Henry  Balstad  was  reared  and 
received  his  early  training.  He  decided  to  devote  his 
attention  to  farming  and  to  the  practical  experience 
which  he  had  already  attained,  he  added  two  years  of 
study  in  the  State  Agricultural  college  at  St.  Anthony 
Park,  in  preparation  for  his  work.  He  has  always 
lieen  associated  with  his  father  in  his  business  opera- 
tions and  transactions  and  like  his  father,  devotes  his 
farming  interests  to  the  stock  business.  His  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is  in  section  twenty-eight 
of  Sletten  township  and  he  is  using  three  hundred 


and  twenty  acres  in  his  farming  operations.  He  is 
breeding  Hereford  stock  and  grazing  and  feeding 
cattle  for  the  market.  Mr.  Balstad  is  one  of  the 
younger  farmers  who  are  capably  carrying  on  the 
development  of  the  county,  increasing  the  prosperity 
established  by  the  thrifty  pioneers.  Able  and  in- 
telligent management  and  alei'tness  to  anything 
which  will  promote  the  efficiency  of  his  work  combine 
to  render  him  successful  in  all  imdertakings.  He 
with  his  father  were  among  the  first  to  build  silos  in 
the  township.  Aside  from  his  private  interests,  Mr. 
Balstad  finds  time  to  consider  matters  of  public 
moment  and  welfare  and  serves  as  clerk  of  the  school 
board.  He  was  married  to  Olga  Olson  who  was  a 
resident  of  Sletten  township. 


H.  L.  LARSON. 


H.  L.  Larson,  a  prominent  manufacturer  and  ex- 
mayor  of  Crookston,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  near 
Bergen,  December  11,  1864,  the  son  of  Ole  M.  and 
Helen  Larson.     The   father  engaged   in   farming  in 


age,  in  company  with  a  sister  and  located  at  St.  Peter, 
where  he  worked  as  a  laborer  for  a  time  and  then 
secured  employment  with  an  uncle  in  a  factory.  He 
later  removed  to  St.  Paul,  where  his  older  brother 


his  native  land  during  his  lifetime  and  the  mother  was  living  and  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade  with 
still  resides  at  the  old  home.  Of  their  family  of  him,  for  several  years  and  then  engaged  in  the  con- 
seven  children,  four  emigrated  to  America,  H.  L.  tracting  business  at  Little  Falls,  enjoying  an  ex- 
Larson  came  to  Minnesota  when  seventeen  years  of  tensive  trade  and   erecting  many  of  the  more  sub- 


203 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


stantial  liomes  of  that  city.  Subsequently  he  removed 
liis  coutraeting  business  to  Ada,  in  Norman  county, 
where  he  remained  for  nine  years.  He  then  located 
in  Crookston  and  has  since  been  notably  associated 
with  the  business  interests  of  that  city.  During  the 
first  four  years  of  liis  residence,  he  continued  liis 
lucrative  operations  as  a  contractor  and  then  estab- 
lished a  manufacturing  plant  for  the  production  of 
sash  door  and  store  and  office  fixtures.  This  enter- 
prise has  become  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  the 
city  and  commands  a  steadily  growing  trade.  As  a 
successful  business  man  and  prominent  citizen,  ^Ir. 
Larson  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  busi- 
ness associates  and  fellow  citizens  and  was  honored 


with  public  office  in  1911,  when  lie  was  elected  mayor, 
with  the  additional  distinction  of  being  the  only 
mayor  ever  elected  on  the  socialist  ticket  in  this  part 
of  the  State,  and  won  the  approval  of  his  constituents 
for  his  competent  executive  sendee.  He  was  married 
in  1886  to  Mary  Johnson,  whose  death  occurred  in 
1900.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  union,  all  of 
whom  reside  in  Crookston,  Lilly,  who  was  married  to 
Mr.  Waade ;  John  and  Elmer.  Mr.  Lai-son  contracted 
a  second  marriage  in  1915  with  Mrs.  Lee,  who  was  a 
widow.  In  social  organizations,  he  is  affiliated  with 
the  Sons  of  Norway  and  the  order  of  Eagles  and 
Sc-andinavian  Workmen  Association. 


ANTON  JENSEN. 


Anton  Jensen,  of  Mcintosh,  proprietor  of  the  Mc- 
intosh Flour  mills  and  of  the  electric  light  plant,  is  a 
native  of  Denmark,  born  July  7,  1857,  and  came  to 
this  country  when  six  years  of  age,  with  his  parents. 
They  located  in  Waupaca,  coiinty,  Wisconsin,  and 
there  Anton  Jensen  grew  to  manhood.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead  claim  four 
miles  east  of  Fertile  and  spent  the  next  few  years 
developing  his  land  and  also  worked  as  a  harvester 
and  in  other  farm  woi'k.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  went 
to  Crookston  and  in  the  following  year  entered  upon 
his  first  venture  in  the  commercial  world,  opening  a 
general  store  at  Valley  and  operating  the  postoffice 
in  conjunction  with  it.  This  enterprise  which  was 
established  with  a  small  capital  met  with  a  marked 
success,  represented  by  an  increase  to  a  $4,000  stock 
and  under  able  management  was  soon  commanding 
an  annual  trade  of  $8,000.  In  1893,  Mr.  Jensen  sold 
the  store  and  removed  to  Mcintosh,  having  bought,  at 
some  time  previous  a  cpiarter  interest  in  the  flour 
mills  at  that  place  and  has  continued  to  be  identified 
with  this  industry  as  manager  and  as  sole  proprietor 
since  1897,  when  he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other 
shareholders.  The  mills,  one  of  the  leading  business 
institutions  of  that  region,  were  erected  in  1889  by 


the  J.  P.  Johnson  company,  with  an  investment  of 
some  twelve  thousand  dollars,  and  are  operated  by  the 
roller  process,  with  the  capacity  for  handling  seventy- 
five  barrels  per  day.  Mr.  Jensen  has  enlarged  the 
original  building  and  has  installed  machinery  for  the 
milling  of  rye  and  buckwheat;  the  plant  now  repre- 
senting a  capital  of  about  twenty  tliousand  dollars. 
He  conducts  a  custom  and  exchange  business  with  an 
extensive  patronage  in  the  surrounding  territory  and 
as  a  grain  dealer,  ships  many  car  loads  of  wheat.  In 
the  mercantile  trade,  his  I  X  L  brand  of  flour  has 
attained  a  high  reputation  among  the  retailers.  In 
1900,  he  installed  the  electric  light  plant,  using  the 
mill  power  to  operate  the  machinery,  which  required 
an  investment  of  $5,000.  This  enterprising  under- 
taking received  the  ready  approval  and  support  of 
the  citizens  of  Mcintosh  and  the  company,  which  is 
managed  by  William  Jensen,  supplies  lights  for  the 
streets  and  homes.  Aside  from  his  business  activities, 
Mr.  Jen.sen  has  given  some  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  makes  his  home  on  his  farm  which 
adjoins  the  town,  the  residence  standing  within  the 
city  limits.  He  also  owns  a  quarter  section  of  farm 
land  north  east  of  Mcintosh  and  two  hundred  acres 
of  swamp  land  wliich  he  is  reclaiming  with  drainage 


cyjy^-^ 


COMPENDIU:\I  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


209 


and  developing.  During  the  many  years  of  his  career 
in  the  county,  Mr.  Jensen  has  become  widely  known 
as  a  successful  business  man  and  public  spirited  citi- 
zen and  has  been  prominently  associated  with  the 
public  interests  of  the  community,  giving  active 
service  in  various  offices,  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  of  the  town  council  and  was  president  of 
the  latter  body  for  several  terms.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 


and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  married, 
at  Fertile,  in  1884,  to  Nicoliue  Hendricks,  of  Nicollet 
county,  Minn.  They  have  a  family  of  six  sons  and 
one  daughter,  Arthur  C,  who  is  employed  in  a  bank 
in  North  Dakota ;  Alvin  H.,  who  lives  at  Trail  and  is 
in  the  lumber  business;  George  E.,  the  manager  of 
the  home  farm  and  Clara  S.,  Eraest  C,  Ralph  W., 
and  Vernon  B.,  all  of  whom  make  their  home  with 
their  parents. 


E.  E.  HANSEN. 


E.  E.  Hansen,  superintendent  of  the  Mcintosh 
public  schools,  was  born  at  Thor,  Humboldt  county, 
Iowa,  on  November  19,  1880.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  received  his  preparatory  education  in  tlie 
country  schools,  later  matriculating  at  St.  Olaf 
coUege,  at  Northfield,  Minn.,  where  he  graduated  iu 
1909,  with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts.  He  imme- 
diately entered  the  teaching  profession  and  taught  iu 
the  graded  schools  at  Donaldson,  Minn.  In  1911,  he 
came  to  Polk  county,  to  accept  the  position  of  super- 
intendent of  the  graded  school  at  Fisher  and  con- 
tinued to  give  competent  service  there  until  19].'], 
when  he  taught  at  Henning  in  Ottertail  county 
and  in  the  next  year,  returned  to  this  county  to 
assume  the  superintendeney  of  the  schools  at  Mc- 
intosh. This  is  one  of  the  notable  educational  insti- 
tutions of  the  county,  a  record  of  its  achievements 
being  found  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  its  direction 
entails  one  of  the  most  responsible  pedagogical  posi- 


tions in  the  county,  for  which  Mr.  Hansen  has  proven 
himself  eminently  fitted.  His  rapid  promotion  in 
his  vocation  attests  to  his  ability  and  marks  him  for 
further  distinction  in  his  profession.  His  theories 
of  education  are  broad  and  peculiarly  adapted  to  the 
direction  of  an  agricultural  and  vocational  school 
and  he  considers  a  healthy  interest  in  athletics,  a 
beneficial  phase  of  school  activity.  He  is  himself  an 
out  of  door  sportsman  and  enjoys  his  favorite  recrea- 
tion of  fishing.  Mr.  Hansen  is  an  accomplished  saxo- 
phone player,  having  been  a  member  of  the  band  of 
St.  Olaf  college,  which  made  a  tour  of  the  Scandi- 
navian counties  in  1906  and  in  1909,  played  a  week's 
engagement  at  the  Alaskan  Exposition  at  Seattle.  He 
was  married  in  1915,  in  Ottertail  county,  to  Edna 
Evanson,  a  former  teacher  at  Henning.  She  is  a 
native  of  Seattle  and  was  educated  in  the  Nonnal 
school  at  Moorhead  and  before  her  marriage,  had 
been  successfully  engaged  in  the  teaching  profession. 


SUMNER  CHESLY  BAGLEY. 


Sumner  Chesly  Bagley,  prominent  lumberman  and 
well-known  farmer  of  Polk  county,  was  born  at  Ar- 
gyle,  Maine,  June  1,  1831,  and  died  at  his  home  near 
Fosston,  July  27,  1914.  Throughout  the  greater  part 
of  a  long  and  active  career  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  where  his  wide  experience  and  native  ability 
brought  him  deserved  success.  In  1860  he  left  Maine 
and  went  to  California,  where  he  remained  for  nine 


years  occupied  in  lumber  and  mining  projects.  He 
came  to  Minnesota  in  1870  and  became  associated  with 
T.  B.  Walker  of  Minneapolis  in  the  lumber  business, 
Mr.  Bagley  taking  charge  of  large  logging  contracts. 
He  operated  on  the  Clearwater  and  Mississippi  rivers, 
and  got  out  about  thirty  million  feet  of  timber  during 
each  winter  season.  During  the  summer  months  he 
took  contracts  with  the  railroads  for  grading  and  em- 


210 


COMPENDIU.M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ployed  some  two  luindred  men  the  year  aroinul,  with 
an  equipment  of  one  hundred  teams  which  he  owned. 
He  built  part  of  the  grade  on  the  Duluth  division  of 
the  Great  Northern  railroad  and  engaged  in  similar 
work  in  Montana.  Soon  after  coming  to  Jlinnesota 
he  took  a  homestead  claim  in  section  17  in  Rosebud 
township  and  made  this  farm  his  home  throughout 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  "When  failing  health  neees- 
sitated  his  retirement  from  the  contracting  business 
he  turned  his  entire  attention  to  his  farming  interests, 
which  comprised  1,000  acres.  He  later  sold  200  acres 
from  his  estate.  Mr.  Bagley  was  a  man  whose  influ- 
ence was  to  be  felt  back  of  any  cause  which  enlisted 
his  allegiance.  He  was  actively  identified  with  mat- 
ters of  public  concern  and  interested  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  Fosston.  The  naming  of  the 
village  of  Bagley  stands  as  a  memorial  to  his  citizen- 
.sliip.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
although  he  evaded  political  honors,  he  gave  his  ef- 


forts tVecly  to  promote  its  success.  lie  was  possessed 
of  great  individuality  and  was  strong  in  his  convic- 
tions; a  great  lover  of  nature  in  all  its  forms,  he 
refused  to  see  life  taken  from  animals,  saying  that 
"one  should  not  take  that  which  could  not  be  re- 
stored." He  took  the  keenest  enjoyment  in  the  life 
of  the  woods  and  lakes  and  camp  life  in  the  wilder- 
ness was  one  of  his  favorite  recreations.  He  was 
married  in  Argyle,  Maine,  to  Lydia  Fernald.  Three 
years  after  his  marriage  his  wife  died,  leaving  two 
sons,  James,  who  is  in  the  government  employ  in 
Maine,  and  Alfred,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
wooden  articles  at  Bemidji,  Minnesota.  In  1897  Mr. 
Bagley  was  married  to  Gertrude  Nelson,  a  native  of 
Norway,  who  came  with  her  parents  to  this  country 
and  located  at  Crookston.  No  children  were  born  to 
this  union  and  Mi-s.  Bagley  has  taken  her  nephew, 
Lilmer  Tygson,  into  her  home. 


ALLAN  J.  MoKINNON. 


Allan  J.  McKinnon,  a  prominent  business  man  and 
pioneer  manufacturer  of  Crookston,  was  born  near 
Montreal,  Canada,  on  May  29,  1858.  He  is  the  son 
of  Archibald  and  Jeanette  (Gillis)  McKinnon, 
natives  of  Inverness,  Scotland,  who  emigrated  to 
Canada  in  1854.  Allan  McKinnon  is  one  of  five 
brothers  who  have  been  eminently  identified  with 
history  of  Ci'ookston  since  its  early  daj's.  He  was 
reared  in  Canada,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  for  three  years  worked 
at  St.  Croix,  Wisconsin,  learning  the  trade  of  wagon 
maker.  In  1879  he  came  to  Crookston  where  his 
brother  Alexander  McKinnon  had  opened  a  wagon 
and  carriage  shop  and  in  the  following  year,  John  R. 
McKinnon  joined  them  in  their  business  operations. 
This  was  the  first  industry  of  the  kind  in  the  county 
and  they  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  a  full  line 
of  wagons,  carriages  and  sleighs,  finding  a  ready 
market  in  the  surrounding  territory  and  building  up 


an  extensive  trade  that  kept  pace  with  rapid  settle- 
ment and  development  of  the  town  and  county.  In 
1888,  Alexander  McKinnon  retired  from  the  company 
and  the  firm  was  dis.solved,  Allan  J.  McKinnon  and 
Archie  McKinnon  a.s.suming  entire  cliarge  of  the 
business,  which  has  met  with  steady  prosperity  under 
his  management.  The  selling  of  farm  implements 
was  added  to  the  manufacturing  enterprise  and  this 
has  become  the  principal  activity,  although  Mr.  Mc- 
Kinnon still  engages  in  manufacturing  to  some  extent. 
As  a  successful  business  man  and  pioneer  citizen, 
Mr.  McKinnon  is  popularly  known  throughout  the 
county  and  is  liighly  respected  by  all  his  associates. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  been 
honored  with  various  positions  of  public  trust  and 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  direction  of 
city  affairs  as  mayor  and  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  for  twelve  yeara.  He  also  served  for  three 
terms  on  the  library  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic    church.     Mr.    McKinnon    was   married    in 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


211 


1888  to  Rose  M.  Powers,  of  Canada,  and  they  have 
five  children,  Archie,  John,  Allan,  Donald  and  Annie. 
In  fraternal  organizations,  he  is  affiliated  with  the 


Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen. 


PAUL  K.  FOSSBAKKEN. 


Paul  K.  Fosshakken,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Brandsvold  township,  was  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, bom  October  20,  1860.  In  1879,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  was  married  to  Ellen  Dalen  and  soon 
afterwards  came  to  this  country  to  find  a  home  on 
western  land.  He  spent  two  years  in  Ottertail 
county,  Minn.,  where  he  had  a  farm  of  forty  acres. 
In  1885  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead 
in  Brandsvold  township,  six  miles  north  of  Fosston; 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  10.  He  later  Iwught 
another  tract  of  land,  increasing  his  farm  to  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  all  but  fifty  of  which,  he 
cleared  and  put  under  cultivation.  With  unceasing 
industry  and  skillful  effort  he  developed  this  plat 
into  one  of  the  finest  fanns  and  most  attractive 
country  homes  in  the  county.  He  devoted  his  best 
interests  to  this  work  and  took  a  just  pride  in  his 
achievements.  A  county  ditch  crosses  the  farm  and 
with  the  exception  of  the  barn  all  of  the  present 
buildings,  which  occupy  a  pleasant  situation,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  removed  from  the  public  highway, 
were  erected  bj'  him.  He  kept  a  large  herd  of  dairy 
cows  and  was  a  stockholder  in  cooperative  creamery 
at  Olga.  In  1908,  his  bam  burned  and  during  his 
heroic  efforts  to  save  the  other  buildings,  he  suffered 
injuries  which  resulted  in  his  death  on  February  25, 
1908.  He  did  his  share  toward  founding  the  agri- 
cultural prosperity  of  the  county  and  is  gratefully 


remembered  by  its  citizens  as  a  worthy  pioneer  of 
Brandsvold  township.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Republican  party  and  an  efficient  member  of  the 
school  board  for  several  years.  He  was  a  faithful 
supporter  of  the  United  Lutheran  church  at  Brands- 
void.  Mr.  Fosshakken  wa«4  twice  man-ied.  Five 
children  were  born  to  the  first  union,  MoUie,  who  is 
a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county  schools,  Cliristopher, 
Lewis,  Ida  and  Ella.  His  second  marriage  was  with 
Anna  Hansel,  who  survives  her  husband.  They  had 
four  children,  Elmer,  Ira,  Ruth  and  Esther,  all  living 
at  Dalton,  Minn.  The  five  older  children  are  the 
present  owners  and  managers  of  the  Fos.sbakken 
homestead  and  are  capably  advancing  the  interests 
of  the  estate  which  their  father  founded.  They  have 
all  attended  the  agricultural  college  at  Crookston  and 
their  farming  enterprises  are  flourishing  under  pro- 
gressive and  able  management.  The  place  is  well 
equipped  with  a  silo,  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred 
tons,  a  fine  well  and  tank,  a  gas  engine  and  windmill. 
In  1912  they  began  to  breed  Holstein  cattle  and  have 
four  head  of  registered  stock  and  a  large  herd  of 
blooded  cattle.  They  engage  in  the  dairy  business 
and  sell  their  produce  to  the  Fosston  creamery,  and 
are  further  interested  in  the  stock  business  in  the 
raising  of  pure  bred  Yorkshire  hogs.  The  Foss- 
hakken family  are  members  of  the  United  Lutheran 
church  at  Brandsvold. 


JOHN  D.  MacPHEE. 


Successful  in  all  departments  of  his  private  busi- 
ness and  displaying  commendable  energy,  progres- 
siveness  and  judgment  in  the  administration  of  public 
affairs,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  for  some  years 
in    various    capacities,    John    D.    MacPhee,    former 


mayor  of  Crookston  and  present  county  commissioner 
from  the  third  district,  is  a  typical  representative  of 
the  citizenship  of  this  section  and  creditable  alike  to 
it  and  to  American  manhood  in  general.  He  was 
bom  in  Ontario,  Canada,  May  14,  1855,  the  son  of 


212 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


John  and  Hester  (Galbraith)  MaePhee,  natives  of 
Scotland  who  emigrated  to  Canada  in  1847.  They 
were  farmers  iu  their  native  land  and  held  to  the 
oceupation  of  their  youth  in  their  new  home,  whui'e 
the  mother  died  in  1894  and  the  father  in  19((:5. 
Their  offspring  numbered  six,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  parents  were  highly  respected  where 
they  were  known  for  their  genuine  wortli. 

John  D.  MauPhee  grew  to  manhood  in  Canada  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  there  until  1879,  when  he 
came  to  the  Red  River  valley  and  took  ui>  his  resi- 
dence in  I'olk  county.  From  the  time  of  his  arrivMl 
in  this  county  he  has  been  actively  employed  in 
farming,  having  been  manager  of  the  Loekhart  farm 
of  6,000  acres  for  seventeen  years  and  since  the  end 
of  that  period  in  charge  of  several  farms  of  his  own 
in  Polk  county. 


Although  his  private  affairs  have  been  exacting  iu 
their  requirements  at  all  times,  Mr.  MacPhee  has 
always  taken  an  active  and  leading  part  in  local 
public  affairs  also.  He  served  in  the  city  council  of 
Crookstou  for  some  time,  and  was  mayor  of  the  city 
from  Sept.,  1906,  to  Jan.  1st,  1910,  being  the  first 
mayor  under  the  new  city  charter.  Since  1912  he 
has  been  a  memlier  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners. Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  Freemason  and  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Elks.  He  is  widely  known  in  this  part  of  the  country 
and  everj'where  he  is  highly  respected.  In  1888  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Susan  Cheney,  a 
native  of  Bellevue,  Jackson  county,  Iowa.  They  liave 
one  child,  their  daughter  Lucy. 


ANDREW  PETERSON. 


Andrew  Peterson,  a  well  known  business  man  of 
Mcintosh,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since 
1883,  when  he  located  on  land  in  Hill  River  town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  Sweden,  August  8,  1860,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood,  apprenticing  himself  to  the 
trade  of  cabinet  maker  and  engaged  in  that  work 
until  1881  when  he  came  to  the  Ignited  States.  He 
settled  in  North  Dakota  and  took  a  preemption  claim 
near  Grafton  but  after  two  years  removed  to  Polk 
county  and  filed  a  homestead  claim  on  the  .southwest 
quarter  of  section  seven  of  Hill  River  township,  eight 
and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Mcintosh.  Here  he 
built  a  log  cabin  and  entered  upon  tlie  task  of  clear- 
ing the  land  which  partly  covered  with  brush  and 
small  timber.  A  few  years  later  he  erected  a  larger 
log  house  and  for  several  years  devoted  his  efforts  to 
the  development  of  the  farm,  putting  about  one  hun- 
dred acres  under  cultivation.  He  continues  to  own 
the  homestead  which  is  one  of  the  good  farm  proper- 
ties of  the  region  and  in  1914  replaced  the  log  house 
with  a  modern  frame  building.  In  1901  he  withdrew 
from  his  farming  activities  and  returned  to  his  trade 
and  engaged  in  carpentering  work  in  Mcintosh  for 


a  time  and  was  then  employed  in  the  sash  and  dom- 
factory  at  Crookston  for  a  year.  He  opened  his  shop 
in  Mcintosh,  for  cabinet  and  general  wood  work,  in 
1903,  and  has  Iniilt  up  a  successful  business  and  is 
widely  known  for  the  skill  and  thoroughness  of  his 
workmanship.  He  conducts  a  prosperous  trade  in 
the  various  lines  of  his  production  and  enga|res  iu 
the  construction  of  store  fronts,  doors  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  church  fixtures,  his  handicraft  being 
represented  in  a  number  of  the  church  interiors  of 
the  county.  He  has  also  given  his  attention  to  the 
contracting  business.  Mr.  Peterson  has  ever  given 
freely  of  his  sei'V'ices  and  interests  in  the  promotion 
of  the  general  welfare  of  the  county  and  as  business 
man  and  citizen  has  won  the  respect  of  all  his  asso- 
ciates. Although  his  ready  support  is  given  any 
worthy  project  of  public  moment,  he  has  always 
avoided  official  recognition  in  local  government,  pre- 
ferring not  to  incur  any  restrictions  on  the  independ- 
ence of  his  activities.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutlieran 
church.  His  marriage  to  Olivia  Enarson  occurred  in 
1893,  in  Hill  River  townsliip.  She  was  born  in 
Sweden  and  came  to  Polk  county  when  eleven  years 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


213 


old  with  her  father,  Olaf  Eiiarson,  a  well  known 
fanner  and  land  owner.  Mr.  Euarson,  upon  his 
arrival  in  the  county,  suffered  the  loss  of  his  entire 
capital,  which  consisted  of  a  twenty  doUar  gold  piece, 
in  attempting  to  extricate  his  wagon  from  its  lodg- 
ment in  a  stream,  en  route  to  his  new  home,  and  so 
began  to  build  his  fortunes  in  this  county  with  no 
financial  assistance,  but  with  native  ability  and  un- 
ceasing labor  and  thrift  has  become  the  largest  land 


owner  in  Hill  River  township.  A  brother  of  Mr. 
Peterson,  John  Peterson,  was  also  a  homesteader  in 
Hill  River  township  and  was  well  known  in  the 
county  as  registrar  in  the  United  States  land  office 
at  Crookston,  serving  in  that  position  until  the 
appointment  of  the  present  registrar,  Mr.  Ringdal. 
John  Peterson  resides  in  Crookston  but  has  been 
compelled  to  retire  from  all  activities  because  of  fail- 
ing health. 


A.  J.  HEATH. 


A.  J.  Heath,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Mcintosh 
Times,  one  of  the  popular  newspapers  of  the  county, 
was  bom  near  Portland,  Maine,  and  came  west  in 
his  childhood.  In  his  youth  he  devoted  his  ambitions 
and  energy  to  securing  an  education  and  with  deter- 
mined effort  and  steady  application  to  his  purpose, 
after  receiving  an  academic  training  in  the  night 
schools  at  Minneapolis,  pursued  his  studies  through 
the  collegiate  course.  Since  his  early  activities  in 
the  commercial  world,  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
printing  business  and  was  employed  for  some  time 
as  a  pressman  and  later  as  a  reporter  on  a  metro- 
politan daily.  Subsequently  he  spent  three  years 
in  southern  Minnesota,  where  his  work  supplied  a 
thorough  mechanical  and  literary  training  for  the 
newspaper  business,  his  duties  ranging  from  the  job 


room  and  type  setting  to  the  editorial  chair.  Since 
August,  1914,  he  has  been  the  proprietor  of  the  Mc- 
intosh Times,  where  his  able  management  has  not 
only  advanced  the  popularity  of  the  sheet  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  business  but  has  attested  to  his 
intelligent  understanding  of  his  profession  and  his 
efficiency  and  natural  ability  as  a  newspaper  man. 
The  Mcintosh  Times  was  established  in  1887  and  is 
Democratic  in  its  editorial  policy.  The  plant  is  fully 
equipped  for  competent  operation,  with  a  good  four 
page  press  and  linotype  machine  and  commands  a 
successful  trade  in  job  work.  The  paper  is  a  weekly 
publication  and  is  a  clean,  progressive  sheet  of  eight 
pages  and  is  all  home  print,  with  a  circulation  of 
one  thousand  subscribers. 


EVERETT  A.  WEBSTER. 


Everett  A.  Webster,  of  Mcintosh,  a  leading  busi- 
ness man  of  the  county,  extensively  identified  with 
the  interests  of  the  north  west  as  a  merchant  and 
land  owner,  was  born  at  Daleville,  Lackawana  county. 
Pa.,  May  20,  1873,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Minne- 
sota since  his  early  childhood.  He  was  reared  in 
Lake  City,  and  there  attended  the  public  schools, 
graduating  from  high  school  in  1891.  For  five  years 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  Miller  &  Foote  in  Crookston 
and  subsequently  spent  a  year  in  Colorado.  In  1902 
he  located  in  Mcintosh  and  embarked  upon  an  inde- 


pendent commercial  career,  buying  a  half  interest  in 
the  Larsen  &  Carpenter  Co.,  dealers  in  hardware, 
agricultural  implements  and  furniture,  forming  a 
partnership  with  Paul  Carpenter.  The  firm  of  Car- 
penter &  Webster  have  conducted  a  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  during  the  eight  years  of  their 
operation  and  since  the  destruction  of  their  building 
by  fire  in  1909,  which  entailed  a  loss  of  about  fifteen 
thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Webster  then  became  sole 
owner  of  the  business  and  has  erected  a  large  modern 
business  block,  with  a  frontage  of  over  two  hundred 


214 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


feet.  Beside  his  commercial  activities,  Mr.  Webster 
was  also  associated  with  his  brother  iu  the  manage- 
ment of  farm  on  a  quarter  section  of  land  near 
Mcintosh,  wliere  they  engaged  in  dairy  farming  and 
the  breeding  of  Holstein  cattle.  The  success  of  this 
project  led  to  larger  ojjerations  and  they  sold  the 
farm  iind  estal)lished  a  wholesale  house  at  Virginia, 
Minn.,  as  Webster  Brothers,  with  Walter  Webster  as 
resident  manager.  This  company  engages  in  the  ship- 
ping of  stock  and  hay  and  the  buying  and  selling  of 
general  produce  and  commands  a  large  territory, 
including  such  trade  centers  as  Ilibbing,  Inter- 
national Falls,  Grand  Rapids,  Deer  River  and  is  the 
distributing  point  for  hundreds  of  miles  of  surround- 
ing agricultural  country.  They  buy  seven  or  eight 
car  loads  of  blooded  Holstein  cattle,  annually,  in 
Wisconsin,  which  they  .sell  in  Jlinncsota  and  North 
Dakota,  and  in  1914,  shipped  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  eai's  of  hay,  a  record  which  the  steady  growth 
of  the  business  will  advance  to  two  hundred,  in  1915. 
Mr.  Webster  is  that  type  of  business  man  and  citizen 
who  is  never  content  with  present  achievement  but 
who  uses  each  success  as  a  stepping  stone  to  larger 
accomplishment  and  is  possessed  of  those  positive 
qualities  which  have  led  inevitably  to  his  valuable 
services  in  the  public  interest  and  to  ramification  of 
his  business  enterprises  throughout  the  northwest. 
In  1906,  he  erected  the  first  building  in  Epping, 
North  Dakota,  establishing  a  hardware,  agricultural 
implement  and  furniture  store,  which  he  operated 
for  seven  years  in  partnership  with  C.  F.  Carpenter 
and  P.  W.  Carpenter.  Epping  has  now  grown  to  a 
population  of  100  and  is  a  thriving  village  with  four 


elevators,  two  banks  and  various  mercantile  com- 
panies and  enjoys  the  unique  distinction,  which  like- 
wise attests  to  its  prosperity,  of  owning,  in  its  twenty- 
eight  machines,  automobile  accommodation  for  its 
entire  population.  ]\Ir.  Webster's  most  recent  enter- 
prise is  the  Webster  Mercantile  company,  of  Mc- 
intosh, which  represents  an  investment  of  .$10,000. 
Mr.  Webster  is  the  sole  proprietor  and  opened  the 
store  for  general  mercantile  and  retail  trade  on 
March  1,  1915.  As  one  of  the  large  property  owners 
of  the  section,  he  has  conducted  extensive  land 
transactions  in  this  region  and  in  North  Dakota  and 
has  also  become  interested  in  tlie  lumber  business. 
His  keen  understanding  of  the  elements  of  success 
has  contributed  to  his  notable  industrial  career  and 
he  has  applied  the  .same  confident  and  foi-ceful  service 
to  the  promotion  of  the  public  welfare,  and  is  ever 
alert  to  the  w-orth  of  public  or  private  enterprise  and 
an  energetic  and  fearless  advocate  of  any  cause  which 
he  espouses.  As  a  member  of  the  town  council,  he 
was  influential  in  the  regulation  of  the  liquor  traffic 
and  the  construction  of  side  walks  and  has  also  been 
associated  with  civic  affairs  in  official  capacity  as 
president  of  the  Commercial  club.  In  political  belief 
he  is  pledged  to  no  party  organization  and  among 
fraternal  orders  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellow's.  Mr.  Webster  was  married,  in  1904,  to  Martha 
Munch,  of  Crookston.  She  was  bom  in  "Wisconsin 
and  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  William  Munch,  who 
was  for  many  j-ears  a  grain  buyer  at  Crookston. 
They  have  four  children,  Leslie,  Marie,  Tom  and 
John. 


L.  SHADDUCK. 


L.  Shadduek,  a  well  known  citizen  and  business  man 
of  Mcintosh,  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  April 
14,  1865,  and  came  to  Polk  county  in  1886.  For  a 
year  he  was  in  the  employ  of  his  cousin,  H.  C.  Misner, 
a  merchant  and  grain  dealer  at  Euclid,  whose  son  is 
now  engaged  in  the  abstract  business  at  Crookston. 


In  the  fall  of  1887,  Mr.  Shadduek  went  to  Douglas 
county  and  for  several  years  operated  an  elevator 
at  Garfield  for  the  Minneapolis  &  Northern  Ele- 
vator company.  He  returned  to  Polk  county  in  1894 
to  assume  the  management  of  the  company's  elevator 
at  Mcintosh  and  during  the  nine  years  of  his  asso- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


215 


ciation  with  that  entei-prise  conducted  a  successful 
business,  handling  some  six  hundred  thousand  bushels 
of  grain.  In  1903  he  left  this  position  to  engage  in 
an  independent  business  venture  and  became  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Mcintosh  Dray  line  and  has  since 
devoted  his  attention  to  its  management,  employing 
two  teams  in  his  prosperous  operations.  Through  his 
recognition  of  the  responsibilities  of  citizenship  and 
his  ready  services  in  the  promotion  of  the  best  in- 
terests and  progress  of  the  community,  Mr.  Shadduck 
is  widely  known  and  respected  and,  as  an  influential 
citizen  and  a  member  of  the  town  council  has  en- 
thusiastically supported  all  local  improvements,  his 
own  home,  in  its  attractiveness  and  pleasant  sur- 
roundings suggesting  the  sincerity  of  his  efforts  for 
the  best  civic  conditions.  Mr.  Shadduck  is  prom- 
inently known  in  fraternal  circles  as  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern 


Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  has  given  efficient  service  in  various  lodge  of- 
fices, having  passed  all  the  chairs  in  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  the  chief  consul  of 
the  local  camp  of  Modern  Woodmen.  He  has  also 
been  honored  with  office  of  representative  to  the 
grand  lodges  of  both  organizations.  He  was  married 
at  Alexandria,  Minn.,  to  Diana  B.  Sweet.  She  is  a 
native  of  Illinois  and  came  to  Minnesota  when  ten 
years  of  age  with  her  father,  Stephen  R.  Sweet,  who 
was  for  many  years  a  farmer  near  Alexandria  and 
whose  death  occurred  in  August,  1908,  at  his 
daughter's  home  in  Mcintosh.  Mr.  Shadduck  and 
his  wife  have  five  children,  Vera  A.  the  wife  of 
JMorris  Narverson  of  Mcintosh ;  Harold,  who  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  in  1914 ;  Hazel,  Grace  and 
Martha. 


TOLLOF   KJOLHAUG. 


Tollof  Kjolhaug,  a  successful  farmer  of  Rosebud 
township,  was  born  in  Norway,  November  7,  1873 
and  is  the  grandson  of  Tollof  Kjolhaug,  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  that  township.  The  latter  had 
been  a  farmer  in  his  native  land  and  had  also  served 
as  a  sailor  on  merchant  ships.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1881,  bringing  his  family  to  Fergus  Falls, 
Minn.,  and  in  May  1883  located  on  the  farm  in  Rose- 
bud township  which  continued  to  be  his  home  through- 
out his  life.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  a 
faithful  member  of  the  United  Lutheran  church  at 
Fosston.  He  never  acquired  the  use  of  the  English 
language  but  preferred  to  speak  his  native  tongue. 
He  was  married  to  Gurine  Berg  and  they  had  seven 
children,  Simon,  Iver,  Oliver,  Mary,  who  still  lives 
in  the  old  home;  Caroline;  Karey,  wife  of  E.  0.  Esten- 
son,  living  near  Climax,  Polk  county,  and  Trine,  who 
married  Anton  Hanson  and  resides  near  the  same 
place.  Tollof  Kjolhaug  died  March  8,  1906  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  and  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who 
is  living  on  the  homestead  farm  with  her  grandson, 


in  her  eighty-eighth  year.  Simon  Kjolhaug  took  a 
claim  in  section  fourteen  of  Rosebud  township  and 
was  a  well  known  thresherman  in  this  region.  He 
was  active  in  township  affairs  and  was  one  of  the 
oi'ganizers  of  the  township  and  held  the  office  of 
assessor  until  his  death  in  1893.  He  married  Anna 
Anderson  of  Polk  county  and  they  had  two  children, 
Martin,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Crookston  high 
school  and  county  surveyor  in  Clearwater  county. 
Minn.,  and  Selma  who  with  her  mother  makes  her 
home  in  Gonvick,  Minn.,  with  Martin  Kjolhaug,  and 
is  employed  as  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  Iver 
Kjolhaug  was  a  farmer  in  section  fifteen.  Rosebud 
township,  for  a  number  of  years  and  since  1907  has 
resided  in  British  Columbia,  which  is  also  the  home 
of  his  brother  Oliver.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  is 
the  son  of  Andrew  and  Caroline  Kjolhaug.  His 
father  died  in  Norway  and  he  was  reared  by  his 
grandfather  and  when  eight  years  of  age  accompanied 
him  to  this  country.  He  has  always  lived  on  the 
farm  which  was  his  grandfather's  homestead,  devot- 


216 


CO:^IPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ing  his  efforts  to  its  development  and  since  1895  lias 
had  the  entire  management  of  it.  The  farm  is 
equipped  with  good  barns  and  the  original  house  has 
been  remodeled  into  a  pleasant  home.  He  has  drained 
much  of  the  marsh  land  with  ditches  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  a  county  ditch,  which 
will  cross  his  land.  He  engages  in  diversified  farm- 
ing, raising  grain  and  cattle  and  is  interested  in  the 
dairy  business,  keeping  a  herd  of  cows  for  that  pur- 
pose.    He  was  an  organizer  of  the  Fosston  Coopera- 


tive creamery  company  and  has  served  as  president 
of  the  company  since  its  organization.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  party  and  is  active  in  political 
matters  and  has  been  delegate  to  a  number  of  con- 
ventions. Mr.  Kjolhaug  is  interested  in  the  public 
welfare  and  progress  ajid  has  given  able  service  in 
local  affairs  as  supervisor  and  chairman  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  and  is  the  present  treasurer  of  the 
township.     He  has  never  married. 


ALEXANDER  FYFFE. 


Alexander  Fyffe,  a  prosperous  farmer,  of  Brands- 
void  township,  is  a  native  of  Ireland.  Born  in  1864, 
he  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  a  northern  county  of  the 
old  country  and  receiving  an  opportunity  to  come  to 
the  United  States,  having  his  fare  paid  to  Boston,  he 
began  to  win  his  way  to  success  and  prosperity  in  the 
new  land.  For  about  seven  years  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Maine  and  1890  came  to  Fosston.  He 
spent  several  years  working  in  the  woods  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  and  rented  farming  land  until  he 
finally  secured  the  quarter  section,  which  is  his  pres- 
ent home,  purchasing  it  in  1896  from  the  bank  in 
Fosston.  It  contained  about  seventy  acres  of  pro- 
ducing land  and  he  has  now  twice  that  acreage  under 
cultivation.  When  he  purchased  this  land  and 
started  his  farming  enterprise,  he  possessed  a  capital 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  a  few  head  of 
stock,  and  from  this  with  capable  management  and 


steady  effort  he  has  developed  a  fine  property,  and 
has  erected  good  buildings  and  a  delightful  country 
home,  pleasantly  located  on  an  elevation  and  in  a 
grove.  The  land  is  in  section  twenty-two,  and  four 
tniles  north  of  Fo.sston.  Mr.  Fyffe  also  operates 
another  quarter  section.  He  is  devoting  particular 
attention  to  dairying  and  keeps  blooded  stock,  Guern- 
sey cattle  and  fine  strains  of  draft  horses.  Mr.  Fyffe 
is  a  self  made  man  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word  and 
as  farmer  and  citizen  enjoys  the  respect  of  all.  He 
was  married  to  Bertha  Carver  of  Maine  and  they 
have  six  children.  Angle,  who  married  Carl  Tuffte, 
a  farmer  in  Canada,  Albert,  Rose,  Mark,  Everett  and 
Vernie.  Mr.  Fyffe  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  M.  E.  church  at  Fosston.  He  takes  great  pleasure 
in  out-of-door  sports  and  is  an  enthusiastic  hunter 
and  fisherman. 


W.  A.  MARIN. 


W.  A.  Marin,  of  Crookston,  a  well-known  attorney 
and  prominent  citizen  of  the  county,  was  bom  at 
Lexington,  Sanilac  county,  Michigan,  January  13, 
1874,  the  son  of  William  and  Adelaid  (Moore)  Marin. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Canada  and  was  the  descend- 
ant of  the  English  family  of  Moore,  of  which  Sir 
John  Moore,  the  famous  Scottish  general,  was  a  mem- 
ber.   William  Marin  is  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada, 


and  of  Irish  ancestry.  He  engaged  in  the  contract- 
ing business  and  in  1879  came  to  Crookston,  then  a 
small  village,  and  opened  a  lumber  yard  and  con- 
tinued for  many  years  to  be  identified  with  the 
business  development  of  the  town  as  a  contractor 
and  lumberman.  He  now  makes  his  home  at  North 
Yakima,  Washington,  and  his  family  of  three  daugh- 
ters and  a  son  are  all  residents  of  the  state.    W.  A. 


W.  A.  MAEIN 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


217 


Jlarin  was  reared  from  early  childhood  in  Polk  county 
and  was  a  member  of  the  first  graduating  class  of  the 
Ci'ookston  high  school,  in  1891.  He  spent  some  time  as 
a  teacher  and  for  one  year  was  the  principal  of  the 
schools  at  Thief  River  Falls,  but  his  ambitions  cen- 
tered on  a  legal  career  and  he  began  his  preparatory 
studies  by  reading  law  in  the  offices  of  ]\Iiller  &  Foote. 
He  completed  his  law  course  with  two  years'  attend- 
ance at  the  Universitj'  of  Minnesota  and  in  1898 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  to  practice  in 
Crookston,  where  he  has  established  a  high  reputation 
as  a  successful  lawj'er  and  is  widely  known  in  the 
state  for  his  noteworthy  professional  attainments  and 
efficient  services  in  the  public  offices  with  which  his 
ability  has  been  recognized.  He  is  actively  asso- 
ciated with  political  matters  and  maintains  independ- 
ence in  his  opinions  and  vote,  but  is  a  forceful 
supporter  of  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Progres- 


sive party,  and  as  a  presidential  elector  in  1912  cast 
the  vote  of  his  district  for  the  candidate  of  that  party. 
In  local  affairs,  he  has  served  the  public  interests 
in  various  offices,  as  chairman  of  the  sinking  fund 
committee,  as  alderman  at  large  in  1902  and  is  at 
present  the  chairman  of  the  charter  commission.  In 
1910  Mr.  Marin  was  a  candidate  for  member.ship  in 
the  state  legislature.  He  is  i^rominently  identified 
with  the  interests  and  activities  of  the  legaf  pro- 
fession as  president  of  the  Northwestern  Lawyers 
association,  and  is  associated  with  the  business  enter- 
prises of  Crookston  as  a  stockholder  in  the  Scandia 
bank.  Among  the  fraternal  orders  he  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  Elks  lodge.  Mr. 
Marin  was  married  in  1899  to  Emma  Poelhler,  of 
Minneapolis,  and  two  daughters  have  been  born  to 
this  union,  Pauline  and  Adelaide.  Mr.  Marin  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 


ANDREW  E.  WOLD. 


Andrew  E.  Wold,  a  farmer  in  Brandsvold  town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  August  24,  1861. 
He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  came  to  the 
United  States  when  twenty  years  of  age,  locating 
in  Ottertail  county,  Minnesota,  where  his  brother, 
Lars  Wold,  had  settled  in  the  previous  year.  Here 
he  was  employed  in  farm  work  for  several  years,  his 
first  wages  being  used  to  repay  his  passage  money 
which  he  had  borrowed.  In  1887  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  bought  a  quaiter  section  of  land  in 
Brandsvold  townshijj  and  entered  upon  the  ardu- 
ous task  of  clearing  his  land  for  cidtivation.  The 
only  investment  in  stock  whicli  his  meager  resources 
allowed  him  at  that  time  was  a  Polled  Angus  calf 
which  he  bought  in  Ottertail  county  for  twenty- 
five  dollars  and  this  purchase  marked  the  standard 
for  Mr.  Wold's  farming  activities,  his  farm  has  al- 
ways been  stocked  with  finely  bred  animals.  He  de- 
voted all  his  time  to  the  clearing  off  of  the  timber 
on   the   tract   and   for   .several    months,   his  brother 

assisted  him  in  the  work.     In  the  second  year,  he 
14 


put  in  a  crop  and  had  it  destroyed  by  the  frost  and 
in  the  following  year  suffered  the  same  loss,  saving 
but  a  small  part  of  the  crop  for  harvesting.  This 
led  to  his  determination  to  dispose  of  that  place  and 
secure  a  farm  on  higher  ground  and  in  1891,  he 
bought  his  present  farm,  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  twenty-one  of  Brandsvold  township,  three 
miles  and  a  half  northwest  of  Fosston.  This  had 
been  the  former  homestead  of  Sam  Hanson,  who  had 
met  his  death  by  suicide  and  its  primitive  wildness 
had  been  practically  undisturbed,  a  few  acres  having 
been  cleared  and  a  log  shanty  built  on  the  claim. 
Mr.  Wold  was  able  to  pay  about  half  of  the  purchase 
price  of  $860  and  with  thrifty  management,  in  a 
short  time,  cleared  his  property  of  debt.  He  now 
owned  a  number  of  head  of  stock  and  the  work  of 
developing  the  farm  progressed  steadily.  The  place 
was  very  advantageously  located  and  included  no 
waste  land  and  required  very  little  artificial  drain- 
age. He  has  put  one  hundred  and  thirty  of  the 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  under  cultivation  and 


218 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


the  rest  is  utilized  for  pasturage,  Mr.  Wold  engaging 
quite  extensively  in  stock  raising  in  addition  to  his 
grain  farming.  He  raises  short  horn  and  red  poUed 
cattle,  breeding  to  secure  a  strain  best  adapted  to 
general  farm  purposes  and  keeps  a  herd  of  sixteen 
dairy  cows,  selling  cream  to  the  cooperative  creamery 
at  Fosston.  The  farm  is  well  equipped  for  eflBcient 
and  profitable  operation,  the  bam  has  modern  con- 
veniences for  the  care  of  stock  and  accommodates 
some  forty  head.  An  excellent  water  system  has 
been  installed  with  tanks  and  troughs  supplied  by 
a  gas  engine  from  two  spring  wells.  Mr.  Wold  r''- 
ealls  that  in  the  earlier  days,  in  his  Norwegian  home, 
his  fatlier  had  quite  as  convenient  a  plan  in  his  barn 
for  the  watering  of  stock.  The  house  which  he  first 
built  on  locating  on  this  place,  has  been  remodeled 
and  included  in  the  present  modern  structure  which 
is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  sightly  elevation.  I\Ir.  Wold 
is  associated  with  the  business  interests  of  the  county 


as  a  stockholder  in  three  important  cooperative  cor- 
porations, the  creamer}^.  Farmers  Elevator  and  store 
companies  at  Fosston.  He  was  actively  identified 
with  the  organization  of  the  Lutheran  Brotherhood 
church  at  Fosston,  of  which  the  Reverend  Gunhus  is 
pastor  and  continues  to  be  a  faithful  member  of  that 
congregation.  His  favorite  recreation  has  been 
hunting,  although  he  does  not  engage  in  this  sport 
as  much  as  formerly,  making  a  frequent  substitute 
for  out-of-door  pleasure  with  automobile  trips.  His 
marriage  to  Marie  Joten  occurred  in  Polk  county,  in 
1887.  She  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  had  been  a 
resident  of  Ottertail  county.  Of  the  family  born 
to  them,  eight  children  are  now  living,  Inger,  wlio 
married  Andy  Possett  and  lives  in  Enderline,  North 
Dakota;  Edwin,  Olga,  Melvin  and  Lena,  who  are 
students  in  the  high  school  at  Fosston;  Alfred,  Selma 
and  Bennie. 


OLE  MELLESMOEN. 


Ole  Mellesmoen,  a  pioneer  citizen  and  successful 
farmer  of  Brandsvold  township,  was  born  in  Norway, 
September  26,  1859,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  the  first  of  his  family 
to  seek  a  home  in  the  western  land.  He  came  to 
Minnesota  and  a  short  time  afterward  was  joined  by 
his  father,  B.  0.  Mellesmoen,  who  located  in  Wadena 
county  where  he  lived  until  1911  and  since  that  time 
has  made  his  home  with  his  son,  Ole  Mellesmoen. 
After  two  years  in  the  new  home,  the  latter  helped 
two  brothers  to  secure  their  passage  to  this  country. 
Ole  Mellesmoen  lived  for  two  years  in  Ottertail 
county  and  in  1883  removed  to  Polk  county,  taking 
a  homestead  claim  on  section  twenty-three  of  Brands- 
void  township,  the  southwest  quarter.  This  was  tim- 
ber land  and  his  first  home  was  built  of  logs  cut  from 
the  place.  To  the  development  of  this  farm  he  has 
devoted  the  able  efforts  of  many  years  and  has  been 
eminently  .successful  in  all  phases  of  his  enterprise. 
It  is  one  of  the  model  farms  of  the  region  and  one  of 


the  best  locations,  being  situated  on  the  main  road 
north  of  Fosston,  about  three  miles  from  that  place. 
He  has  put  over  one  hundred  acres  under  cultiva- 
tion, the  remainder  being  in  timber  land  and  in  pro- 
ductiveness and  equipment  the  farm  can  be  favor- 
ably compared  with  those  in  the  older  and  famed 
agricultural  districts  of  the  middle  west.  He  has 
good  buildings,  attractively  situated  in  fine  natural 
groves  and  in  1908,  erected  his  comfortable  country- 
home.  His  farming  interests  have  been  directed  to 
the  raising  of  gi-ain  and  to  daiiy  farming,  selling  his 
dairj-  produce  to  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Fo.ss- 
ton.  Mr.  Mellesmoen  has  been  identified  with  tlie 
affairs  of  the  township  since  its  organization  and  at- 
tended the  first  election  which  was  held  in  one  of  the 
pioneer  homes.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
the  Brandsvold  United  Lutheran  church,  of  which 
he  continues  to  be  a  faithful  supporter.  Mr.  Mel- 
lesmoen was  married  in  1899  to  Tnga  Sagmoen,  who 
was  born  in  Norway  and  accompanied  her  parents 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


219 


to  Polk  county  in  1881.  No  children  have  been  born 
to  them  but  they  have  taken  a  girl  and  boy  into  their 
home,  Clara,  M'ho  has  made  her  home  with  them  since 
her  fourth  year  and  is  now  sixteen  years  of  age  and 


Ole,  aged  two  and  one-half  yeai's.  Jlr.  Mellesmoeu 
is  associated  with  the  business  interests  of  the  county 
as  stockholder  in  the  Cooperative  Creamery  and  in 
the  Farmers  Elevator  companies  in  Fosston. 


E.  G.   EIvLUND. 


E.  G.  Eklund,  well  known  farmer  and  prominent 
citizen  of  Polk  county,  has  been  for  many  years 
actively  associated  with  its  development  and  progress 
as  public  official,  farmer  and  business  man.  He  was 
born  near  Folland,  Sweden,  January  21,  1865.  Here 
he  attended  school  and  as  a  young  lad  apprenticed 
himself  to  the  trade  of  shoemaker.  In  1882,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  join- 
ing an  uncle  who  was  then  living  in  Alexandria, 
Minnesota.  A  year  later  he  was  able  to  financially 
assist  his  father  on  the  journey  from  Sweden  to  a 
new  home  in  the  western  state  and  some  time  later 
they  were  joined  by  his  mother  and  half  brother  and 
sister.  E.  G.  Eklund  and  his  mother  and  half  sister 
are  the  only  members  of  the  family  now  living.  His 
first  year  was  spent  working  on  his  uncle's  farm  and 
burning  lime  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Carlos  in  Doug- 
las county.  During  this  time  he  devoted  all  the  time 
possible  to  the  study  of  English  in  the  countiy 
schools.  He  formed  a  i^artnership  with  another  boy 
who  was  ambitious  to  acquire  a  thorough  training 
in  the  language  of  their  adopted  country  and  they 
lived  in  a  sod  shack,  attending  school  and  taking 
contracts  from  the  settlers  for  grubbing  the  wild 
land.  One  of  these  contracts  involved  a  daily  wage 
of  fifty  cents.  In  1888  he  made  liis  first  trip  to  Polk 
county  and  two  years  later  located  here.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1891,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Rose- 
bud township  for  five  hundred  dollars.  This  was 
timber  and  prairie  land  and  only  a  few  acres  had 
been  broken  for  cultivation.  He  was  able  to  pay 
one  hundred  and  .seventy-five  dollars  of  the  purchase 
price  and  it  took  ten  years  of  arduous  labor  and 
thrifty  management  to  complete  the  payment.  In 
the  meantime  he  bought  another  eighty  acres,  a  mile 


and  a  half  from  the  first  tract,  and  this  is  part  of 
liis  present  farm,  three  miles  south  of  Fosston,  and 
was  all  wild  land.  After  selling  the  first  place  at  a 
profit  of  thirteen  hundred  dollars  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  partially  developed  land, 
paying  twenty-two  hundred  and  now  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  cul- 
tivation. He  has  reclaimed  the  low  land  with  open 
ditches  and  the  county  ditch  which  crosses  the  farm 
has  completed  an  excellent  drainage  system.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  devoted  his  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  grain.  He  now  keeps  thoroughbred  cattle  and 
dairy  cows,  selling  to  the  county  cooperative  eream- 
eiy  company  in  which  he  is  an  original  stockholder. 
His  pleasant  farm  home  was  erected  in  1905  and  is 
attractively  situated  in  a  large  grove  of  poplar  and 
other  native  trees.  In  1915  he  added  to  his  fann- 
ing equipment  a  fine  bam.  The  successful  manage- 
ment of  this  property  has  not  monopolized  Mr.  Ek- 
lund's  efforts  and  he  has  devoted  much  time  to  the 
larger  interests  of  the  count}',  generously  support- 
ing and  promoting  important  business  enterprises 
which  are  identified  with  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  community  and  giving  many  years  of  able  serv- 
ice in  public  offices.  He  was  active  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  creamery  company  in  1896,  an  unsuccess- 
ful venture,  and  in  its  re-organization  into  the  pres- 
ent county  cooperative  company  which  handles  the 
dairy  produce  of  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  farm- 
ers. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Farmers 
Elevator  company  at  Fosston,  a  company  that  has 
been  of  great  benefit  to  the  agricultural  district,  in- 
suring good  prices  at  home.  Mr.  Eklund  was  the  first 
president  and  has  continued  to  be  active  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  its  transactions.     Mismanagement  on 


220 


coMPEXDiu:\r  of  history  and  biography  of  polk  county 


tho  part  of  an  agent  in  cliargo,  caused  the  loss  of 
several  thousand  dollars  and  Mr.  Eklund  served  on 
the  eonnniltee  which  reorganized  and  put  the  com- 
pany on  a  substantial  basis  which  has  brought  suc- 
cess. Tliey  incorporated  witli  a  capital  of  .$10,000 
and  appointed  as  manager  an  efficient  wheat  buyer. 
In  1914,  this  companj'  handled  61,000  bushels  of 
grain.  Another  important  institution  in  which  he 
is  interested  is  the  Farmers  Cooperative  company, 
which  operates  a  general  store  in  Fosston.  He  is 
the  president  of  the  corporation.  It  has  a  capital 
stock  of  $73,000  and  receives  an  annual  trade  of 
$22,000.  Since  1894  Mr.  Eklund  has  given  continu- 
ous and  valuable  service  in  pulilic  affairs.  In  that 
year  he  was  elected  township  supervisor  on  the  Pop- 
ulist ticket  and  was  made  chairman  of  the  board  of 
supervisors.     In    190.'!   he   was   elected   county   com- 


missioner from  the  Fourth  district  and  held  this 
office  for  twelve  years,  serving  for  a  number  of  years 
as  chairman  of  board,  during  which  time  he  was 
active  in  promoting  the  construction  of  new  roads 
and  bridges.  He  is  a  member  of  the  township  board 
and  has  been  chairman  of  it  for  over  eighteen  years. 
Sir.  Eklund  is  now  a  member  of  the  Republican  party 
but  has  also  been  elected  to  office  on  the  Populist  and 
Independent  tickets.  He  is  that  type  of  progressive 
and  industrious  citizen  who  are  the  chief  factors  in 
building  up  states  aud  is  well  known  in  the  county. 
In  1890  he  was  married  to  Maria  Hammergren,  who 
was  born  near  Alexandria,  Minn.,  in  1870.  They 
have  raised  a  fine  family  of  ten  children,  Harris  Emil, 
Arnold  Theodore,  Alice  Ruth,  Raymond  Wilfred, 
Hilma  Viola,  Eilert  Jennings,  Bertha  Elvira,  Stella 
Irene,  Clarence  Waldemar  and  Doris  Evelyn. 


JOHANNES  R.  HOVE. 


Johannes  R.  Hove,  of  Queen  township,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  and  influential  citizen  of  the  county,  was 
born  in  Norway,  ]\Iarch  22,  1855.  lie  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  a  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  land.  In  1882  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  lived  during  the  first  year  in  Worth 
county,  Iowa,  and  then  removed  to  Polk  county.  Here 
he  preempted  land  on  section  seven  of  Queen  town- 
ship and  after  proving  up  on  this  land,  six  months 
later,  in  December,  1883,  he  took  a  homestead  claim 
in  section  twelve  of  Brandsvold  township,  just  across 
the  township  line  from  the  first  farm.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  marsh  tracts,  all  of  this  land  was  covered 
with  heavy  timber,  for  the  most  part,  poplar,  and 
with  thrifty  enterprise  and  unceasing  industry,  he 
has  put  practically  all  of  the  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  under  cultivation.  During  the  early 
stages  of  the  development  of  the  farm,  he  employed 
various  means  of  support,  working  during  the  har- 
vest seasons  in  Dakota  and  selling  wood  which  he 
hauled  to  Fosston,  receiving  from  one  dollar  and  a 
quarter  to  two  dollars  a  cord  for  it.     Mr.  Hove  has 


devoted  his  life  to  his  farming  interests  and  witli 
intelligent  study  of  every  phase  of  his  occupation 
and  able  management,  has  developed  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  the  county.  He  has  installed  an  adequate 
ditching  system  which  with  a  county  ditch  ha.s  re- 
claimed some  sixty-seven  acres  of  slough  land.  The 
comfortable  country  home  was  erected  eight  years  ago 
and  in  every  particular,  the  farm  demonstrates  the 
successful  application  of  modern  and  progressive  ag- 
ricultural methods.  The  large  new  barn  is  thoroughly 
equipped  with  especial  regard  for  winter  feeding: 
the  extensive  watering  s.ystem  including  troughs  in 
the  barn.  He  gives  his  attention  to  grain  and  stock 
raising,  breeding  short  horn  cattle  and  has  met  with 
unvaried  succes"S  in  every  enterprise  and  has  never 
known  a  crop  failure,  one  field  yielding,  in  1904, 
forty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  He  has  estab- 
lished equally  high  records  in  the  dairy  business,  in 
which  he  engages  extensively,  having  realized,  in  one 
month,  $173.40  from  dairy  produce,  with  a  herd  of 
fifteen  cows,  beside  what  was  required  for  family 
consumption.    He  is  the  largest  producer  in  the  Olga 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


221 


cooperative  creamery,  of  which  he  was  an  original 
stock  holder.  Mr.  Hove  has  been  prominently  as- 
sociated with  the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lives  and  was  actively 
identified  with  the  organization  of  both  Queen  and 
Brandsvold  townships.  He  has  been  a  faithful  sup- 
porter of  the  Brandsvold  United  Lutheran  church 
since  its  organization,  in  which  he  took  an  active  part 


and  has  given  efficient  service  for  many  j^ears  as  a 
church  officer.  His  marriage  to  Betsy  A.  Yerstad 
was  solemnized  in  his  home  in  Queen  township,  in 
1887,  by  the  Reverend  Rude  of  Fosston.  She  was 
born  in  Norway  in  1858  and  was  reared  in  the  same 
neighborhood  with  her  husband.  They  have  a  family 
of  six  children,  Lena,  Sonva,  Olaf,  Roy,  Hans  and 
Johanna. 


JOHN  E.  TUVENG. 


John  E.  Tuveng,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Brands- 
void  township,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  Septem- 
ber 10,  1860.  He  came  to  the  United  States  and  to 
Minnesota  in  1880  and  lived  for  a  few  years  in  Otter- 
tail  county,  employed  at  farm  work  during  the  sum- 
mer months  and  spending  the  winters  in  the  Wiscon- 
sin lumber  camps.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  came  to 
Brandsvold  township  and  filed  a  claim  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  twenty-two  and  in  the  follow- 
ing summer,  moved  on  his  land  and  began  the  ardu- 
ous task  of  developing  wild  timber  land  into  a  cul- 
tivated farm.  He  built  a  one  room,  two  story,  log 
house  with  timber  cut  from  his  land  and  devoted 
what  time  he  could  to  the  clearing  of  his  fields,  and 
meanwhile  found  employment  on  neighboring  farms. 
During  the  first  year  he  worked  without  a  team  and 
then  purchased  a  yoke  of  oxen.  A  few  years  later 
he  bought  forty  acres  of  railroad  land  in  section  four- 
teen about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant  from  his 
homestead,  paying  four  dollars  an  acre.     This  tract 


is  drained  by  a  county  ditch  and  has  all  been  put 
under  cultivation.  He  has  cleared  one  hundred  acres 
of  the  home  farm  and  engages  in  the  raising  of  grain 
and  hay  and  keeps  about  twenty  head  of  stock.  He 
erected  his  present  home  in  1910  and  has  provided  his 
place  with  good  buildings  and  an  excellent  water  sys- 
tem, with  a  well  ninety  feet  deep  which  supplies  tanks 
in  the  yards  and  barn.  Mr.  Tuveng  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  community  and 
has  voted  in  all  the  township  elections  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  firet  one.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Brandsvold  United  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  he  is  a  faithful  supporter.  Mr.  Tuveng  was 
married  in  Norway,  in  1898  to  Lena  Leiu  and  they 
have  three  children,  Edwin,  Palmer  and  Selma.  Aside 
from  his  successful  private  enterprises,  Mr.  Tuveng 
is  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  county 
as  stockholder  in  the  Cooperative  Creamery  and  Co- 
operative Elevator  companies  at  Fosston. 


HANS  0.  DUNRUD. 


Hans  0.  Dunrud,  a  farmer  in  Brandsvold  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Norway,  June  10,  1858.  He  is  one 
of  three  brothers  who  filed  on  land  in  Eden  township 
in  the  spring  of  1884,  before  that  township  was  sur- 
veyed. The  other  brothers,  Ole  Dunrud  and  Peter 
Dunrud,  still  reside  on  their  homesteads  there.  Hans 
Dunrud  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  land  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1880, 


his  parents  lending  hiin  the  money  for  his  passage. 
On  landing  in  this  country  he  went  to  Clay  county, 
Minnesota,  where  he  worked  at  various  employment 
and  managed  to  repay  his  passage  money  in  the  first 
year,  saving  from  his  meager  wages.  As  a  farm 
laborer,  he  received  twenty  dollars  a  month  and  for 
the  strenuous  work  of  clearing  laud  of  brush  and 
timber,  seventy-five  cents  a  day,  with  fourteen  work- 


222 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ing  hours  in  the  day.  In  the  second  year  he  was  able 
to  send  money  to  his  parents  and  later  they  joined 
him  in  the  western  land.  His  father,  Ole  H.  Dunrud, 
took  as  a  homestead  claim,  the  land  in  section  one 
of  Brandsvold  township  which  is  the  present  farm 
of  Ole  Dunrud  and  this  remained  the  parents'  home 
until  their  death.  Hans  Dunrud  embarked  upon  his 
farming  enterprise  in  Polk  county  with  a  capital  of 
seven  dollars,  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  cow  and  from  this 
start  with  thrift  and  industry,  he  has  steadily  made 
his  way  to  success  and  prosperity.  During  the  first 
years  he  worked  in  Dakota  and  at  Ada,  Minnesota, 
in  thfi  harvest  seasons,  meanwhile  giving  what  time 
he  could  to  the  clearing  of  the  land,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  timber  and  draining  the  marsh  land  and 
ponds  with  ditches.  The  first  home  was  a  shack 
which  was  later  replaced  with  a  good  log  house  which 


was  in  use  until  I'Jl^J  when  it  was  destroyed.  He 
erected  the  present  barn  in  1905  and  the  modern 
frame  house  which  is  his  home,  was  built  in  1913. 
He  has  put  all  of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
cultivation  except  that  reserved  for  pasturage,  and 
aside  from  his  general  farming  entei-prises  is  inter- 
ested in  dairy  farming.  Mr.  Dunrud  is  identified 
with  the  important  business  interests  of  the  section 
as  stockholder  in  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Olga 
and  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  and  cooperative  store 
at  Fosston.  As  one  of  the  organizei-s  of  the  Zion 
United  Lutheran  church  in  Eden  township,  he  has 
been  actively  identified  in  its  interests.  His  marriage 
to  Mattie  J.  Haugen,  a  native  of  Norway,  was  sol- 
emnized in  1885.  They  have  four  sons,  all  of  whom 
reside  with  their  parents,  Oscar,  who  owns  a  farm  in 
Clearwater  county,  Martin,  John  and  AVilliam. 


MARTIN  TORGESON. 


Martin  Torgeson,  a  well  known  farmer  and  thresh- 
erman  of  Brandsvold  township,  is  a  native  of  the 
state,  born  in  Houston  county,  April  10,  1860.  Bom 
in  the  pioneer  days  of  the  northwest,  his  life  has  been 
spent  in  the  constructive  work  of  the  farm  builder, 
who  lays  the  foundation  for  the  progress  of  civiliza- 
tion. From  early  childhood  he  was  familiar  with  the 
vicissitudes  and  dangers  of  frontier  life.  In  Jackson 
county,  in  1862,  the  year  of  the  Indian  outbreak,  the 
Torgeson  home  was  under  the  fire  of  the  warring 
bands  for  a  whole  day  but  owing  to  its  advantageous 
location,  the  defendants  were  able  to  withstand  the 
attacks.  But  many  of  the  neighbors  were  killed  and 
all  the  stock  destroyed  and  although  the  government 
troops  soon  quelled  the  uprising,  the  Torgeson  fam- 
ily left  the  scene  of  the  massacre  and  returned  east, 
to  Fillmore  county.  After  several  years  there,  they 
again  ventured  into  the  more  unsettled  regions  and 
in  1868  took  a  homestead  claim  in  Ottertail  county, 
near  Dalton,  and  about  eleven  miles  southeast  of  Fer- 
gus Falls.  Martin  Torgeson  was  reared  on  this  farm 
and  made  his  home  with  his  father  until  1883  when 


he  went  to  Polk  county  and  located  on  a  claim  in 
sections  twelve  and  thirteen  in  Brandsvold  township. 
He  had  been  married  three  years  previous,  to  Ingre 
Sonmor,  who  like  her  husband,  had  been  reared  in 
the  hardy  school  of  frontier  life.  She  was  born  in 
Norway  in  1858  and  liad  come  to  the  United  States 
with  her  parents,  in  early  childhood.  After  spending 
some  time  in  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  they  located  on 
land  in  Ottertail  county,  Minnesota,  in  1868,  being 
among  the  first  settlers  of  that  county.  Ingre  Tor- 
geson accompanied  her  husband  to  the  new  home  in 
the  wilderness,  cheerfully  accepting  her  share  of  the 
hard  labor  and  privations  and  during  the  first  years 
when  it  was  necessary  for  Mr.  Torgeson  to  seek  work 
in  other  places  and  to  be  absent  for  months,  she 
bravely  endured  the  loneliness  and  the  moments  of 
terror  when  even  the  solitude  of  nature  .seemed 
filled  with  threatening  dangers.  ]Mai*tin  Torgeson 
embarked  upon  liis  farming  enterprise  without  stock 
or  team  and  could  give  little  time  at  first  to  the  devel- 
opment of  his  land,  having  to  earn  his  support  at 
whatever  einplojmient  he  could  find   but   unceasing 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


223 


industry  steadily  advanced  liis  success  and  in  1886, 
he  became  the  owTier  of  an  ox  team  and  wagon,  and 
in  the  same  year  began  his  operations  as  a  thresher- 
inan.  He  had  threshed  his  first  crops  with  a  flail 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  the  thrashing 
business  in  the  county.  The  first  outfit  which  he 
operated  was  equipped  with  the  first  self  traction 
engine  used  in  the  Thirteen  Towns.  In  the  fall  of 
1886,  he  covered  seven  townships,  the  season's  crop 
being  small  and  all  the  neighbors  cooperating  in  their 
common  interests,  the  crews  eating  and  sleeping  in 
one  small  cabin.  On  Christmas  eve  of  that  year,  they 
were  still  threshing  in  Columbia  township.  For 
thirty-five  years  Mr.  Torgeson  was  employed  in  this 
business,  becoming  widely  known  throughout  the 
county  and  enjoying  an  extensive  patronage  and  has 
handled  millions  of  bushels  of  Polk  county  grain. 
He  has  been  in  charge  of  many  different  outfits,  seven 
of  which  he  has  owTied  and  has  employed  crews  of 
twenty-five  men.  For  three  seasons  he  operated  an 
outfit  in  Dakota.  Aside  from  the  requirements  of  this 
eminently  successful  enterprise,  Mr.  Torgeson  has 
devoted  every  interest  to  his  farms.  He  lived  on  his 
homestead  for  many  years,  putting  some  sixty  acres 


under  cultivation  and  in  1905,  sold  the  property  for 
thirty-three  hundred  dollars.  He  then  bought  the 
land  in  section  three  of  Brandsvold  township,  six  and 
a  half  miles  north  of  Fosston,  which  is  his  present 
home,  paying  two  thousand  dollars  for  the  land,  with 
no  buildings.  But  a  small  tract  had  been  cleared  and 
he  again  engaged  upon  the  arduous  task  of  develop- 
ing a  productive  farm.  He  now  has  seventy  acres 
in  cultivation  and  has  erected  good  modern  buildings 
and  beside  his  general  farming  activities,  is  inter- 
ested in  dairy  farming.  His  political  affiliations  are 
with  the  Republican  party  and  he  is  a  member  of 
Brandsvold  United  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Torge- 
son and  his  wife  have  a  family  of  nine  children,  the 
four  younger  children,  Nina  Pauline,  Theodore,  Hilda, 
Amanda,  Ruth  and  Reuben  William,  still  living  with 
their  parents.  A  daughter  and  two  sons  reside  in 
Canada,  Josephine  Amelia,  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Larson 
of  Saskatchewan,  and  Carl  Oscar  and  Noble  Peter 
who  are  farmers  in  the  same  region.  Otto  Torgeson 
is  employed  with  a  lumbering  and  railroad  contract- 
ing firm  and  Melvin  I.  Torgeson  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  North  Dakota. 


OLE  M^aCLEJORD. 


Ole  Myklejord,  a  farmer  of  Brandsvold  township, 
was  born  in  Norway,  January  19,  1864,  the  son  of 
Ole  Tollefson,  his  baptismal  name  being  Ole  Olson, 
but  preferring  a  less  common  surname,  he  later 
changed  it  to  Myklejord.  He  came  to  this  country' 
when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  and  located  in 
Becker  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  for  a 
year  and  then  came  to  Polk  county,  taking  a  pre- 
emption claim  on  section  ten  of  Brandsvold  township 
in  1884  and  on  coming  of  age  made  it  a  homestead 
claim.  In  the  same  year,  his  father,  Ole  Tollefson, 
joined  him  taking  land  in  section  fifteen  of  the  same 
township.  He  died  here  in  1890  and  was  survived 
by  his  wife,  his  son,  Ole  Myklejord,  and  three  daugh- 
ters.    The  former  lived  for  several  years  after  his 


death  and  made  her  home  for  some  time  with  Mr. 
Myklejord.  One  daughter  is  a  resident  of  Polk 
county,  the  wife  of  John  Lee  of  Brandsvold  township. 
Mr.  Myklejord  experienced  all  the  privations  and 
strenuous  labor  of  the  pioneer  farmer  who  starts 
with  no  capital  but  a  tract  of  wild  land.  He  built  a 
one-room  log  house  which  was  his  home  for  eight 
years  and  gave  what  time  he  could  to  the  clearing 
of  his  land,  working  at  farm  labor  and  in  the  Dakota 
harvest  fields  and  after  a  time  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen 
which  he  broke  for  driving,  himself.  In  1899  he  was 
married  at  Mcintosh  to  Anna  Norgaard,  who  was 
born  in  Norway  and  had  come  to  this  country  in 
1885,  just  a  few  years  later  than  Mr.  Myklejord.  She 
was  ten   years   of   age   when   she    accompanied   her 


224 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


mother  and  two  brothers  from  Norwaj'  to  Polk  county 
where  they  bought  the  old  Mcintosh  farm,  one  and 
a  half  miles  east  of  the  present  village  of  Mcintosh. 
This  place  continued  to  be  the  home  of  the  mother 
until  six  years  ago  when  she  removed  to  Brandsvold 
township  where  she  lives  with  her  younger  son,  Sam 
Norgaard.  Ben  Norgaard  is  a  farmer  in  Eden  town- 
ship where  he  took  a  homestead  claim.  Jlr.  Mykle- 
jord  has  developed  his  land  into  a  prosperous  and 
productive  farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  has  re- 
claimed much  low  land  with  ditching  and  a  county 
ditch  now  crosses  his  place.  He  has  eighty  acres 
under  cultivation,  devoted  niainlv  to  wheat.    He  also 


engages  in  dairy  farming,  selling  cream  to  the  co- 
operative creamei-y  at  Fosston.  A  comfortable  mod- 
ern home  has  been  erected  and  the  farm  is  pleasantly 
situated  six  miles  and  a  half  north  of  Fosston.  Aside 
from  his  farming  enterprises  ^Ir.  ]\lyklejord  is  as- 
sociated with  the  business  interests  of  the  community 
as  a  stockholder  in  the  Cooperative  Creamerj'  com- 
pany and  the  Cooperative  Elevator  company  at  Foss- 
ton. ilr.  Myklejord  and  his  wife  have  five  children, 
]\Iary,  Oscar,  Albert,  Selmer,  and  Harold.  He  and 
his  family  aie  members  of  the  Froen  Synod  Lutheran 
church  of  Brandsvold  township. 


JOHN  A.  WIDNESS. 


John  A.  "Widness,  a  successful  farmer  of  Brands- 
void  township,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  March  2, 
1865.  His  father,  Arne  J.  Widness,  has  been  a  well 
known  citizen  and  farmer  in  that  township  since  1884 
when  he  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
fourteen.  He  was  born  in  Norway  on  September 
11,  1835,  and  came  to  this  country  and  to  Rice  county, 
Minnesota  in  1880.  He  engaged  in  farming  and  spent 
the  next  few  years  here  and  in  Goodhue  and  Otter- 
tail  counties.  In  1884  he  removed  to  Polk  county 
and  bought  out  the  claim  rights  of  a  homesteader  in 
Brandsvold  township,  acquiring  the  possession  of  a 
shanty,  a  few  acres  of  cleared  laud  with  the  rest  of  the 
tract  covered  with  brush  and  timber.  The  hard  work 
and  able  efforts  of  the  next  twelve  years  were  attested 
to  by  the  rapid  development  of  the  property  and  the 
success  of  all  his  enterprises.  One  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  the  land  were  cleared  and  put  under 
cultivation  and  a  new  house  and  buildings  erected. 
A  county  ditch  which  affords  fine  drainage  for  several 
farms  was  started  by  him  and  built  across  his  farm 
in  addition  to  the  private  ditches  w-hich  he  installed ; 
the  construction  of  the  county  ditch  costing  him 
$1,400.  His  sons,  Hans  C.  Widness  and  John  A.  Wid- 
ness, had  taken  claims  and  had  joined  their  land  and 
farming  interests  with  his,  making  a  farm  of  four 


hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  were  associated  with 
him  in  the  work  of  developing  and  improving  the 
land.  He  also  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
located  one-half  mile  from  the  homestead,  and  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  grain  on  the  two  farms 
until  1896,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Widness  has  never 
acquired  the  use  of  the  language  of  his  adopted 
couutiy  but  has  always  been  interested  in  the  welfare 
and  progi-ess  of  the  community  and  gave  active  assist- 
ance in  the  building  of  the  Brandsvold  United  Luth- 
eran church,  of  which  aU  his  family  are  members. 
His  wife,  Maren  AVidness,  died  in  1910,  a  faithful 
companion  during  the  fifty-two  years  of  the  trials 
and  successes  of  their  career.  They  had  three  sons, 
Andrew,  who  is  the  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  Seattle, 
Washington ;  Hans  C,  who  lived  on  the  Brandsvold 
township  farm  for  some  time  and  is  now  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Windsor,  Minnesota ;  and 
John  A.  John  A.  Widness  was  fifteen  years  of  age 
when  the  family  removed  to  this  country  and  he  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  Polk  county  homestead.  He  took 
charge  of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  the 
original  tract  which  his  father  had  purchased  and 
remained  here  for  eleven  years,  clearing  the  land  and 
erecting  farm  buildings,  and  when  his  father  retired, 
in  1896,  he  returaed  to  the  home  farm  for  a  short 


.lOIIX    i;.   MiKl.WON 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


225 


time.  But  in  the  following  year  he  withdrew  from 
agricultural  pursuits  aud  located  at  Shevlin,  Minne- 
sota, which  was  then  enjoying  a  prospei'ous  lumber 
trade.  He  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  aud 
conducted  a  successful  trade  for  five  years,  when  the 
failure  of  a  large  lumber  company  brought  disaster 
to  the  smaller  business  enterprises  of  the  place.  After 
spending  a  part  of  the  year  1902  visiting  in  his  old 
home  in  Norway,  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  settled 
in  Warroad,  where  misfortune  again  overtook  him, 
when,  after  a  year  and  a  half  residence,  the  town  was 
destroyed  by  fire  and  his  home  and  mercantile  stock 
wiped  out,  he  and  his  family  barely  escaping  with 
their  lives.  However,  his  property  was  insured  and 
he  did  not  suffer  a  total  loss.  For  some  years  he 
lived  in  eastern  Washington,  where  he  was  employed 
in  a  hardware  store  and  later  removed  to  Seattle  and 
invested  in  property  in  that  city  which  he  still  owns. 


The  news  of  his  mother's  failing  health  brought  him 
back  to  Minnesota.  She  died  in  the  spring  following 
his  return  and  since  that  time  he  has  operated  the 
homestead  in  Brandsvold  township  which  had  been 
rented  for  a  number  of  years.  He  has  added  eighty 
acres  to  the  estate  aud  has  remodeled  the  old  home 
and  lias  all  of  the  land  under  cultivation.  He  is 
particularly  interested  in  dairy  farming  and  keeps  a 
large  herd  of  cows,  selling  his  produce  to  the  co- 
operative creamery  at  Fosston,  five  miles  distant.  Mr. 
Widness  was  married  in  Polk  county  in  1889,  to 
Anna  Hogan,  a  native  of  Norway,  from  whom  he  was 
later  divorced.  They  had  two  daughters,  Minnie  and 
Letta.  During  his  visit  to  Norway  in  1902,  he  was 
married  to  Christopha  Torgesou  and  four  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  Marvin,  Arnel,  Iva  and 
Joyce. 


JOHN  R.  McKINNON. 


John  R.  McKinnon,  retired  capitalist  and  ex-mayor 
of  Crookston,  has  been  notably  identified  with  the 
business  activities  of  that  city  for  many  years.  He 
is  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  at  Inverness,  on  Septem- 
ber 13,  1850,  and  was  brought  to  America  when  four 
years  of  age,  by  his  parents,  Archibald  and  Jeanette 
(GiUis)  McKinnon,  who  came  to  Canada  in  185J:  and 
located  in  Glengarry  county,  Ontario,  near  Montreal. 
The  father  engaged  in  farming  there  until  his  death 
in  1884,  having  survived  his  wife  twenty-one  years. 
They  reared  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters and  five  of  the  sons  became  residents  of  Crooks- 
ton.  John  R.  McKinnon  remained  in  his  Canadian 
home,  attending  the  public  schools,  until  his  seven- 
teenth year,  when  he  began  to  work  in  the  lumber 
region  of  Michigan.  He  remained  in  that  state  for 
thirteen  years,  employed  as  a  lumberman,  and  also 
mastered  the  trade  of  carriage  maker,  and  in  1880 
came  to  Crookston  and  joined  his  brothers,  Alexan- 
der McKinnon  and  A.  J.  McKinnon,  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  wagons  and  carriages.    The  firm  of  McKinnon 


Brothers  was  one  of  the  pioneer  industries  of  the 
county  and  conducted  a  thriving  business  as  manu- 
facturers and  dealers  in  farm  implements.  In  1897 
the  company  was  disorganized  and  Mr.  John  R. 
McKinnon  gave  his  attention  to  other  enterprises 
until  1905,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  pur- 
suits. His  has  been  an  eminently  successful  career, 
which  has  included  many  able  sendees  in  the  promo- 
tion of  the  best  interests  of  the  community,  and  he 
has  been  actively  associated  with  the  development  of 
Crookston  since  the  first  years  of  its  growth.  In 
1887  he  erected  the  McKinnon  block,  the  first  good 
business  building  to  mark  its  progress  from  village 
to  city.  As  a  director  of  the  First  National  bank,  he 
has  been  interested  in  the  direction  of  its  affairs  for 
thirty  years.  In  1895  Mr.  McKinnon  was  elected 
mayor  and  capably  discharged  the  executive  duties 
during  one  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
party.  His  marriage  to  Henrietta  McDonald,  a  na- 
tive of  Ontario,  Canada,  took  place  in  Michigan,  July 
22,  1874.    Her  death  occurred  in  March,  1909.    Eight 


226 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


children  were  boru  to  this  union,  two  of  whom  are     father.    Mr.  McKionon  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
now  living,  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Mr.   George  W.     church. 
Capser,  and  Henrietta,  who  makes  her  home  with  her 


JOHN  A.  HAGEN. 


John  A.  Ilageu,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Queen  town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  February  8,  1855. 
He  was  married  there  to  Olava  Guiiderson,  and  in 
1883,  in  company  with  her  father,  Ole  Gundersou, 
came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Wisconsin.  In 
the  following  year  he  was  joined  by  his  wife  and 
three  sons,  August,  Olaf  and  Julius.  In  the  spring 
of  1886  John  A.  Hagen  removed  with  his  family  to 
Polk  county,  taking  as  a  homestead  a  quarter  section 
which  lay  in  both  Queen  and  Eden  townships  and  has 
continued  to  devote  his  interests  to  this  farm.  Since 
1896  Ole  Gunderson  has  also  been  a  resident  of  the 
county  and  a  member  of  the  Hagen  household,  and  has 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Mr. 
Hagen  contended  with  the  usual  privations  and  hard 
work  of  the  pioneer  farmer,  with  no  resources  but 
native  ingenuity  and  untilled  acres.  It  had  taken 
his  small  capital  to  make  the  payment  on  his  land  and 
the  first  log  shanty  which  he  built  was  destroyed  by 
fire  before  ever  occupied  by  his  family.  The  second 
house  was  also  constructed  of  logs  and  was  used  as  the 
residence  until  1907  when  the  present  farm  home  was 
erected.  Mr.  Hagen  later  bought  an  additional  forty 
acres  and  now  has  two  hundred  acres,  one  hundred 
and  forty  of  which  he  has  put  under  cultivation.  Al- 
though the  land  was  not  naturally  adapted  for  most 


successful  farming  purposes,  either  by  location  or 
soil  conditions,  by  intelligent  study  and  able  manage- 
ment, he  has  through  his  own  efforts  developed  it  into 
one  of  the  most  productive  farms  in  that  region.  With 
an  extensive  drainage  system  he  reclaimed  some  fifty 
acres  of  marsh  for  profitable  use  and  has  steadily 
advanced  the  efifieiency  of  his  operations.  He  has 
erected  a  good  barn,  which  stands  in  Eden  township, 
but  his  home  has  always  been  on  the  Queen  township 
land.  He  is  a  shareholder  in  the  cooperative  creamerj^ 
at  Olga  and  a  member  of  the  Salem  or  Norwegian 
Synod  Lutheran  church  at  the  same  place,  and  during 
the  many  years  of  the  faithful  service  of  his  member- 
ship has  been  actively  identified  with  its  interests. 
His  wife  died  May  9,  1915,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  Hagen  and 
his  wife  after  they  came  to  this  country:  Helena, 
who  married  Andrew  Alrick  of  Clearbrook,  Minne- 
sota ;  Ingmar,  a  farmer  near  Williston,  North  Dakota ; 
and  Orgine  Josephine,  Evan  and  Otto,  who  live  with 
their  father.  Of  the  older  sons,  August  Hagen  is  a 
well  known  farmer  of  Eden  township,  a  sketch  of 
whose  life  is  included  in  this  work;  Olaf  Hagen  is 
engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  in  Crookston,  and 
Julius  Hagen  resides  in  Clearwater  county,  where 
he  is  a  farmer. 


AUGUST  HAGAN. 


August  Hagan,  a  prominent  farmer  and  influential 
citizen  of  Eden  township,  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
county  since  1886,  when  a  lad  of  eleven  years,  he 
accompanied  his  father  to  the  old  homestead  in  Queen 
township.  August  Hagan  was  bom  in  Norway,  July 
28,  1875,  the  son  of  J.  A.  and  Olava  (Gunderson) 
Hagan,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  the  family 


in  1884.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  Polk  county 
farm,  assisting  in  its  management,  and  was  associated 
with  his  father's  successful  farming  operations  until 
1908,  dividing  his  work  and  interests  between  the 
home  place  and  his  own  farm,  which  he  had  bought 
in  1898.  He  paid  $950  for  this  land,  which  was  in 
Eden  township,  and  had  been  the  homestead  claim  of 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


227 


Tilda  Ostliug.  No  buildings  had  beeu  erected  on  the 
tract  and  but  thirty-five  acres  cleared,  and -there  were 
a  number  of  acres  of  useless  slough  land.  With  an 
adequate  drainage  system  he  has  converted  this  into 
fine  meadow  land.  Mr.  Hagan  has  devoted  his  entire 
attention  to  the  operation  of  this  farm  since  his  re- 
moval here  in  1908  and  with  creditable  industry  and 
ability  has  made  rapid  progress  in  developing  its 
resources,  having  put  some  ninety-five  acres  under 
cultivation,  and  equipped  it  with  modern  buildings 
and  impi'ovements.  He  engages  in  general  farming 
pursuits  and  dairy  farming.  Aside  from  his  private 
enterprises  Mr.  Hagan  is  prominently  identified  with 
the  advancement  and  success  of  important  business 
activities  in  the  county.  He  was  one  of  the  promotors 
of  the  organization  of  the  cooperative  creamery  at 
Olga  and  has  capably  directed  its  aiifairs  as  president 
and  treasurer  of  the  company  since  its  incorporation 


in  1906  with  sixty-two  stockholders.  This  enterprise 
has  met  with  steady  and  marked  prosperity  and  dur- 
ing the  nine  years  of  its  operations  has  distributed  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  among  its  one  hundred 
and  twenty  patrons.  Mr.  Hagan  is  also  a  stockholder 
in  the  Farmers  Elevator  Company  at  Posston;  also 
president  of  Cooperative  Live  Stock  Shipping  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party  and 
is  actively  interested  in  all  questions  of  public  moment 
and  is  giving  his  efficient  services  in  the  ofiSce  of 
township  supervisor.  One  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Salem  Lutheran  church  at  Olga,  he  has  continued 
to  give  it  his  faithful  and  genei-ous  support.  Mr. 
Hagan  was  married,  June  30,  1910,  to  Mabel  Clara 
Martinson.  She  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Minnesota, 
in  1888  and  is  the  daughter  of  Carl  Martinson,  a 
farmer  of  Eden  township. 


ANDREW  M.  EATON. 


Andrew  M.  Eaton,  a  well  known  farmer  of 
Brandsvold  township  and  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  the  Thirteen  Towns,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
bom  May  6,  1852.  He  was  brought  to  this  country 
when  two  years  old  by  his  parents,  who  made  their 
first  home  in  Chicago  and  later  removed  to  Milwaukee 
and  then  to  Iowa.  In  1862,  just  before  the  Indian 
outbreak  of  that  year,  they  settled  on  land  in  Stearns 
county,  between  St.  Cloud  and  St.  Joseph.  When 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  Andrew  Eaton  left  his 
father's  farm  and  went  to  Ottertail  county,  where 
he  took  squatter's  rights  to  a  tract  of  land  but  did 
not  file  on  it.  Some  years  later  he  went  to  Becker 
county,  and  was  living  in  Frazee  in  1878  when  he 
was  visited  by  John  A.  Flesch  and  Herman  Eikens, 
who  were  enroute  from  their  home  in  Douglas  county 
to  a  new  location  in  the  section  known  as  the  Thirteen 
Towns,  which  had  just  been  opened  for  settlement. 
A  month  later  Mr.  Eaton  joined  them  in  their  new 
home,  taking  a  claim  on  section  nineteen  of  what  is 
now  Rosebud  township.     Of  the  eight  men  who  were 


the  first  settlers  of  this  district,  four  still  reside  here, 
Herman  Eikens,  John  Flesch,  Andrew  Eaton  and 
George  Herschberger.  Edward  Lebree  removed  to 
Canada,  W.  J.  HiUegoss  now  lives  in  Tacoma,  Wash- 
ington, and  Jerome  Thayer  and  Matt  Portz  are  dead. 
Several  others  who  took  claims  about  this  time  gave 
up  their  land  when  the  region  was  withdrawn  from 
the  market  by  the  government.  During  the  first  years 
these  pioneers  struggled  with  all  the  privations  and 
hard  labor  of  frontier  life.  For  a  time  they  lived  in 
the  open,  using  their  wagons  for  shelter,  and  a  clock 
belonging  to  Mr.  Flesch  and  fastened  to  a  balm  of 
Gilead  tree,  marked  the  passing  of  the  days.  Mr. 
Eaton  hired  a  few  acres  of  prairie  land  broken  for 
cultivation  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  brought  his 
family  to  the  wilderness  home.  The  first  house  was 
built  of  oak  logs,  with  the  floor  of  hewed  poplar,  and 
roofed  with  elm  bark.  In  1883  the  land  was  re- 
opened and  rapidly  settled  and  a  church  and  school 
established.  Before  that  time  a  small  store,  known 
as  the  Wild  Rice  trading  post,  was  kept  on  the  Flesch 


228 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


farm  by  a  hall'  breed,  Mon-do-ba-shika.  Trading  posts 
were  also  operated  by  Mr.  Ilillegoss  and  Mr.  Lebree. 
The  local  tribes  of  Indians  from  AVhite  Earth  and 
Red  Lake  were  frequent  and  friendly  visitors  of  the 
settlers  and  never  threatened  their  .safety.  Their 
name  for  Mr.  Eaton  was  Wiud-de-go,  signifying  in 
their  vernacular  that  his  strength  demanded  their 
respect.  ]Mr.  Flesch  was  known  as  Mo-ko-gee,  be- 
cause of  his  alert  manner  and  the  quickness  of  his 
movenieuls.  In  1883  Lewis  Foss  started  a  store  and 
the  postoffice  of  Fosston  on  the  Flesch  homestead,  on 
the  present  site  of  the  home  of  John  Newton,  a  son- 
in-law  of  John  Flesch.  The  following  year  he  removed 
to  the  present  location  of  Fosston,  and  another  store 
was  built  by  Jacob  Hansen  and  the  postoffice  of  Hans- 
ville  started.  Supplies  were  hauled  from  Detroit  City, 
and  the  nearest  wheat  markets  were  Beltrami  and 
Detroit.  During  the  first  years  Mr.  Eaton  cleared 
about  fifteen  acres  of  his  land  and  raised  some  wheat, 
and  meanwhile  industriously  employed  every  means 
of  supporting  his  family  that  the  frontier  country 
afforded.  For  two  years  he  returned  to  Becker 
countj'  during  the  harvest  season,  and  in  the  spring 
and  fall  he  trapped  for  muskrat,  mink  and  otter 
skins.  He  also  dug  snake  root,  finding  a  good  market 
for  it,  either  dried  or  green.  He  often  walked  to 
Bolieu  with  his  produce  and  packed  the  provisions 
home  on  his  back  in  primitive  fashion,  and  did  not 
buy  his  first  yoke  of  oxen  until  1883,  when  he  mort- 
gaged his  land  to  make  tlie  purchase.  His  wheat  crops 
were  thrashed  by  flailing  over  poles,  laid  over  a  cleared 
space.  With  ]Mr.  Flesch  he  once  thrashed  two  hundred 
bushel  by  this  laborious  method.  "When  T.  B.  Walker 
opened  his  lumber  operations  on  Clearwater  river 
Mr.  Eaton  worked  in  his  employ,  driving  the  teams 
in  the  winter,  and  during  one  summer  was  carrier 
for  the  camps,  carrying  mail  and  calks  for  the  lum- 
bermen's shoos  from  Detroit.  It  took  a  week's  time 
to  make  the  route,  traveling  all  day  and  camping  at 
any  place  that  darkness  overtook  him,  but  the  friend- 
liness of  the  natives  never  failed  him,  and,  although 
a  police  patrol  was  not  established  until  later,  he  was 


never  molested.  With  steady  determination  and  liard 
work  Mr.  Eaton  developed  his  farm,  putting  some 
forty  acres  under  cultivation  and  erecting  a  comfort- 
able home.  The  able  qualities  which  brought  him 
success  in  private  enterprises  prompted  his  efticicnt 
service  and  influence  in  behalf  of  the  public  welfare, 
and  as  a  worthy  pioneer  of  Rosebud  township  he  was 
identified  w'ith  every  phase  of  the  history  of  its  found- 
ing and  development.  He  was  present  at  the  first 
election  in  1883,  held  in  the  old  house  on  the  Flesch 
farm,  which  also  housed  the  first  school  in  the  town- 
.ship,  taught  by  A.  D.  Wishard,  who  later  became 
superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Red  Lake  Falls.  Mr. 
Eaton  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  many 
years  and  served  as  clerk  of  tlie  school  district,  and 
for  eight  years  was  road  supervisor.  In  political 
matters  he  maintains  independence  in  his  views  and 
is  allied  with  no  party  organization.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church  and  attended  the  first  mass, 
which  was  held  in  the  Flesch  home  by  Father  Lozier 
of  White  Earth.  The  church  at  Hansville  was  built 
about  seventeen  years  ago,  and  previous  to  that  time 
occasional  services  were  held  in  the  liomes.  In  1897 
Mr.  Eaton  removed  from  his  homestead  to  his  present 
home  on  section  eleven  of  Brandsvold  township,  six 
miles  north  of  Fosston.  Here  he  again  undertook  the 
work  of  the  farm-builder,  much  of  the  land  being 
uncultivated  and  the  only  buildings  a  log  shanty  and 
barn.  He  has  developed  a  fine  farm,  with  a  pleasant 
home  and  good  buildings,  and  with  the  exception  of 
pasture  land  has  every  acre  under  cultivation.  A 
county  ditch  crosses  the  place  and  furnishes  good 
drainage.  He  gives  some  attention  to  dairj'  farming, 
keeping  a  herd  of  twelve  cows.  He  was  married  in 
1876  at  St.  Joseph,  Becker  county,  to  Mary  Brench, 
w-ho  was  born  at  St.  Joseph  in  1858  and  is  of  German 
parentage.  They  have  seven  children :  Veronica 
Mary,  who  taught  in  the  Polk  county  schools  for 
several  years  and  married  C.  S.  Richardson  of  Roseau, 
Minnesota ;  Albert  Stephen,  a  farmer  near  Davidson, 
Minnesota ;  Joseph  Lewis,  residing  in  Montana  ;  Gert- 
rude Louisa,  living  with  her  brother,  Albert  Eaton ; 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


229 


Andrew  Matthias,  who  has  taken  a  claim  in  Montana ;      makes  her  home  with  her  parents,  and  Christopher 
Ida  Agues,  a  teacher  in  the  schools  at  Ashley;  D.,  who     William,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  home  farm. 


R.  J.  MELQUIST. 


R.  J.  Melquist,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Brands- 
void  township,  is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in  Free- 
born county,  June  10,  1872,  the  son  of  John  and 
Randa  (Jacobson)  Melquist.  John  Melquist  was 
born  in  Sweden  and  was  married  to  Randa  Jacob- 
son  in  Norway,  her  native  land.  They  came  to  the 
United  States  about  the  time  of  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war  and  located  in  Minnesota,  in  Freeborn  county. 
Here  his  death  occurred  and  she  was  later  married 
to  Ole  Runhoug  and  in  1883  the  family  removed  to 
Norman  countv  and  in  1888  came  to  Polk  countv. 


left  in  his  charge.  For  two  years  he  worked  at  the 
clearing  of  his  land  without  the  assistance  of  a  team 
and  then  became  the  owner  of  a  yoke  of  oxen  which 
he  later  exchanged  for  horses.  The  timber  which  he 
cut  from  his  land  he  sold  in  Fosston  and  Mcintosh 
as  cord  wood,  receiving  from  one  dollar  and  a  quar- 
ter to  three  dollars  a  cord.  He  has  now  seventy 
acres  under  cultivation  and  engages  in  the  raising 
of  grain,  wheat  being  his  principal  crop.  His  farm 
is  pleasantly  situated  six  miles  northwest  of  Fosston 
and  about  the  same  distance  from  Mcintosh.    During 


They  bought   a   claim   of  Ole  Trunson,  paying  five     the  years  of  his  residence  in  this  county,  Mr.  Mel- 


hundred  dollars.  A  log  house  had  been  built  on  the 
place  and  but  three  acres  of  land  had  been  cleared. 
Soon  after  settling  here,  the  departure  of  his  step- 
father loft  the  management  and  development  of  the 
homestead  to  Mr.  Melquist,  then  a  lad  of  seventeen 
years.  He  capably  shouldered  the  responsibility  and 
has  continued  to  devote  his  efforts  and  interests  to 
the  farm  which  with  careful  management  and  hard 
work,  lie  lias  built  from  the  primitive  timber  land 


quist  has  ever  taken  a  public  spirited  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  community  and  has  given  able  serAdce 
as  a  member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  takes 
keen  pleasure  in  hunting  and  en.joys  frequent  trips, 
in  pursuit  of  his  favorite  sport,  in  the  deer  country. 
Mr.  Melquist  has  never  married  and  his  mother  made 
her  home  with  him  until  her  death,  April  4,  1912,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Synod 
Lutheran  church  at  Fosston. 


C.  P.  HOLE. 


C.  P.  Hole,  the  editor  of  the  Erskine  Echo,  has  l)een 
successfully  associated  with  newspaper  interests  of 
the  county  for  some  twenty-five  years.  He  is  a  native 
of  Norway,  born  October  2,  1876,  the  son  of  B.  K. 
and  Mathea  Hole,  and  when  five  years  of  age  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  the  United  States  and  to  Fargo, 
North  Dakota.  B.  K.  Hole  was  a  graduate  of  Lille 
Hammer,  a  famous  educational  institution  of  Norway, 
and  had  taught  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  parochial 
schools  of  that  country.  After  locating  in  Fargo  he 
became  employed  in  carpenter  work,  but  also  taught 
for  several  months  in  a  school  in  the  vicinity.  In 
1883,  at  the  opening  of  the  land  of  the  Thirteen  Towns 


for  settlement,  he  took  a  homestead  in  King  township, 
a  few  miles  south  of  Mcintosh,  and  brought  his  family 
to  the  new  home  in  the  following  spring.  His  activi- 
ties as  a  pioneer  fanner  were  of  short  duration,  his 
death,  from  typhoid  fever,  occurring  in  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife  and 
three  small  children :  C.  P.  Hole,  who  was  then  eight 
years  of  age;  P.  B.  Hole,  who  is  now  a  resident  of 
Mcintosh,  at  the  age  of  six,  and  Marie,  then  in  her 
infancy.  The  latter  is  the  wife  of  C.  II.  Hendrickson 
of  Moorhead.  After  two  years  spent  on  tlie  home- 
stead the  mother  married  Charles  Johnson,  a  settler 
of  Knute  township,  whose  farm  was  three  miles  east 


230 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


of  the  present  site  of  Erskiiie.  He  liad  also  been 
previously  married,  his  wife  having  died  in  their 
pioneer  home.  The  Hole  claim  was  sold  and  the  family 
received  a  pleasant  home  with  their  step-father  on 
his  homestead.  He  has  now  retired  from  farming 
and  with  his  wife  makes  his  home  in  Melntosh.  C.  P. 
Hole  was  reared  on  the  Knute  township  farm  and 
when  fourteen  years  of  age  apprenticed  himself  to 
the  printer's  trade,  entering  the  office  of  the 
Mcintosh  Tribune  in  1890  and  continued  in  the 
employment  of  the  editor,  P.  P.  Bodine,  for  a  time, 
Icannng  the  rudiments  of  his  trade  and  then  advanced 
to  typesetting  for  Mr.  McKenzie  of  the  Crookston 
Times.  After  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  be- 
came the  foreman  of  the  Mcintosh  Times  under  C.  T. 
Lanman,  who  was  the  editor  at  that  time.  In  1903 
he  made  his  first  independent  venture  in  the  publish- 
ing business  and  established  the  Mentor  Herald,  the 
first  and  ouly  newspaper  ever  published  in  that 
village.     This  venture  became  a  successful  and  pros- 


perous enterpiise  and  Mr.  Hole  continued  the  sheet 
for  several  months  after  becoming  the  editor  of  the 
Ei-skine  Echo  and  then  consolidated  the  two  papers 
and  covers  the  combined  circulation  with  the  Echo. 
His  plant  is  fully  equipped  with  a  power  press  and 
type  setting  machine  and  is  one  of  the  competent  and 
popular  country  printing  offices  of  the  county.  Mr. 
Hole  has  devoted  every  interest  of  his  career  to  his 
paper  and  with  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  respon- 
sibilities of  his  profession  and  the  power  of  the  press 
in  public  welfare  is  ably  advancing  the  best  interests 
of  the  county.  He  is  also  identified  with  public 
activities  in  an  official  capacity  as  recorder  of  the 
village,  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  the  chief 
of  the  fire  department.  His  marriage  to  Edna  Wade- 
kamper,  of  Mentor,  occurred  May  4,  1905.  She  is  a 
native  of  Ottertail  county  and  is  of  German  and 
Norwegian  parentage.  Five  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  Earl,  Ethel,  Loren,  Ray  and  Kenneth. 


AV.  D.  HAMILTON. 


\V.  D.  Hamilton,  a  successful  merchant  of  Fisher 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hamilton  Brothers,  is 
one  of  three  brothers  who  have  been  prominently 
associated  with  the  commercial  activities  of  the  county. 
They  were  born  at  Hibbard,  Ontario,  and  the  first 
removal  to  Polk  county  was  made  by  Frank  Hamilton 
in  1878.  In  1880  he  was  joined  by  the  father,  Francis 
Hamilton,  who  resided  at  Fisher  for  two  years  and 
then  removed  to  Grand  Forks  county,  North  Dakota. 
Frank  Hamilton  engaged  in  carpenter  and  contracting 
work  for  several  years,  and  in  1886  opened  a  furniture 
store  at  Fisher,  in  which  prosperous  enterprise  his 
brothers,  W.  D.  Hamilton  and  Donald  Hamilton,  later 
became  associated  with  him.  W.  D.  Hamilton  first 
became  connected  w-ith  the  business  in  1896  as  clerk 
and  continued  in  that  position  for  two  years  and  then 
became  a  partner,  and  in  1890  Donald  Hamilton 
entered  the  firm.  The  latter  retired  from  his  mer- 
cantile relations  in  1905  and  has  since  engaged  in 


farming  near  Fisher.  The  business  met  with  marked 
success  and  a  rapidly  growing  trade  that  early 
warranted  the  addition  of  a  hardware  stock  and 
agricultural  implements  which  have  been  further  sup- 
plemented in  late  years  with  the  harness  trade.  Frank 
Hamilton  remained  at  the  head  of  the  firm  and  active 
manager  of  the  store  until  1898.  when  he  withdrew 
from  active  cooperation  in  the  business  to  devote  his 
attention  to  the  undertaking  profession,  locating  at 
Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota.  After  a  year  there  and 
in  Fargo,  in  1900  he  removed  to  Seattle,  and  haa  since 
engaged  in  the  undertaking  biisiness  at  that  place, 
retaining  his  interest  in  the  store  at  Fisher,  where 
he  was  succeeded  as  manager  bj-  W.  D.  Hamilton. 
The  present  store  building  was  erected  by  Frank 
Hamilton  in  1895  and  is  still  his  property.  The  com- 
mercial reputation  of  the  firm  has  been  capably  upheld 
by  "W.  D.  Hamilton,  and  under  his  direction  its 
interests  have  steadilj^  prospered.    From  the  original 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


231 


iuvestment  of  $2,000  the  capital  has  increased  to 
$20,000,  with  the  annual  sales  amounting  to  some 
$30,000.  Aside  from  his  business  activities  Mr. 
Hamilton  is  interested  in  fann  lauds,  both  in  Polk 
county  and  in  Dakota,  one  farm  of  one  hundred  aud 
sixty  acres  being  near  Fisher.  The  Hamilton  brothers 
are  all  members  of  the  Republican  party  and  are  well 
known  in  lodge  cii'cles,  where  W.  D.  Hamilton  is 
allied  with  the  Elks,  being  a  member  of  the  chapter 
at  Crookston,  Frank  Hamilton  with  the  Masonic  order 
and  Donald  Hamilton  with  the  Elks  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.    W.  D.  Hamilton  was  ' 


married  at  Fisher  to  Mary  Quigley,  the  daughter  of 
Patrick  Quigley,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Fisher  township, 
who  stiU  resides  on  his  old  homestead  near  the  town. 
Mr.  Quigley  located  there  in  1871  and  recounts  many 
interesting  experiences  of  that  time,  recalling  event- 
ful trips  for  provisions  to  the  trading  station  kept  by 
Bob  Ray,  at  Frog  Point  across  Red  river,  when  the 
skiff  used  as  a  ferry  ofttimes  proved  a  perilous  and 
disastrous  conveyance  for  their  goods.  Mr.  Hamilton 
and  his  wife  have  three  children,  Helen,  Douglas  and 
Catherine. 


MATT  ROSE. 


Matt  Rose,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Brandsvold 
township,  was  born  in  Norway,  January  30,  1859, 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Olena  Rose.  His  parents  came 
to  the  United  States  when  he  was  ten  years  old  and 
settled  in  Freeborn  county,  Minnesota,  where  they 
bought  forty  acres  of  land.  In  1875  Peter  Rose  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Iowa,  buying  scliool  land 
in  Winnebago  county  and  engaged  in  farming  there 
for  six  years,  during  which  time  his  crops  were  de- 
stroyed by  the  devastating  chinch  bug  and  his  mis- 
fortunes culminated  in  the  loss  of  all  his  property 
with  the  exception  of  his  stock.  He  then  returned 
to  Minnesota,  living  in  Faribault  county  for  several 
years.  In  1884  the  family  came  to  Polk  county  and 
Matt  Rose  and  his  brother,  John  Rose,  bought  the 
claim  rights  for  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  eight 
of  Brandsvold  township  from  a  homesteader,  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  parents  made  their 
home  here  until  their  deaths.  The  mother's  death 
occurred  in  1888  and  the  father  survived  her  until 
his  eighty-ninth  year.  The  homestead  land  was  un- 
developed and  a  small  log  house  with  a  sod  roof  had 
been  erected  on  it.  The  brothers  shared  in  the  ardu- 
ous labor  of  clearing  the  land  and  after  proving  up 
on  the  claim,  divided  the  tract.  They  had  put  over 
one  hundred  acres  under  cultivation  when  the  death 
of  the  older  brother,  John,  occurred  and  since  that 


time  the  farm  has  been  under  the  management  of 
Matt  Rose,  he  having  acquired  the  title  to  his  brother's 
share  after  the  latter 's  death.  On  coming  to  Polk 
county,  he  owned  a  team  of  horses  and  was  able  to 
stock  his  farm  with  several  head  of  cattle  and  during 
the  first  seasons  before  the  land  could  be  broken,  he 
worked  at  farm  labor  in  the  neighborhood.  He  en- 
dured his  share  of  the  misfortunes  and  adversities 
which  visit  the  pioneer  farmer  and  with  unfailing 
industry  has  won  his  way  to  his  present  prosperous 
position,  building  up  one  of  the  fine  farm  properties 
of  the  county.  He  has  erected  good  buildings  and 
in  1910  built  the  pleasant  country  home  which  occu- 
pies a  well  chosen  and  sightly  location.  The  place 
is  conveniently  situated  five  miles  north  of  Fosston 
and  the  same  distance  east  of  Mcintosh.  Several 
small  ponds  have  been  drained  with  ditches  and  all 
the  land  has  been  made  productive,  with  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  under  cultivation  and  the  balance 
used  for  pasturing  purposes.  Mr.  Rose  has  installed 
a  fine  water  system,  using  a  well  fifty-eight  feet  deep, 
equipped  with  an  engine  which  supplies  the  large 
water  tanks.  He  is  successfully  engaged  in  stock 
raising,  breeding  high  grade  stock,  and  keeps  a  herd 
of  dairy  cattle,  selling  cream  to  the  creamery  at  Foss- 
ton. As  a  citizen,  Mr.  Rose  has  given  able  and  effec- 
tive service  in  the  office  of  township  supervisor  for 


232 


co:mpendium  of  history  and  biography  of  polk  county 


seven  j-ears.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  United  Lutheran 
ehureh  at  Fosston,  Jlr.  Rose  was  married  in  Fari- 
liault  county,  in  1888,  to  Gertie  Giste,  who  was  born 
in  Norway   in  1862,  and  seven  children  have  been 


born  to  this  union,  Olena,  Peter,  Minnie,  Hilda,  Thor- 
wald,  Annie  and  Gina.  The  sous,  Peter  Rose  and 
Thorwald  Rose  are  now  in  charge  of  the  Rose  farm. 


PALT,  J.  HUSHAGEN. 


Paul  J.  Hushagen,  a  well  known  farmer  and  early 
settler  of  Eden  township,  was  born  in  Norway, 
August  19,  1864.  His  mother  died  in  his  early  child- 
hood and  his  father,  J.  P.  Hushagen  contracted  a 
second  marriage  and  in  1876  brought  his  family  to 
the  United  States,  settling  in  Ottertail  county,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  took  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  and  has  since  devoted  his  interests  to 
this  farm  which  is  operated  by  his  son,  John  J.  Hush- 
agen, the  father  being  now  in  his  eightieth  year. 
Paul  J.  Hushagen  was  reared  on  the  Ottertail  home- 
stead, attending  the  country  schools  during  the  few 
months  that  could  be  spared  from  the  many  duties 
and  hard  labor  on  the  frontier  farm.  He  continued 
to  make  his  home  there,  assisting  his  father  until  he 
was  twenty-four  years  of  age  and  then  embarked  upon 
an  independent  career  as  a  farmer.  He  came  to 
Polk  county  in  1887  and  located  on  land  in  Eden 
township,  filing  his  claim  in  June  of  the  following 
year  when  the  region  was  opened  for  settlement. 
The  first  house  was  built  of  logs  cut  from  the  land 
with  a  sod  roof  but  a  good  wood  floor  and  he  entered 
upon  the  responsibilities  of  a  newl_y  established  home 
and  the  laborious  task  of  developing  a  farm,  with  a 
capital  of  three  dollars  in  cash,  a  yoke  of  oxen  and 
wagon  and  a  meager  household  equipment.  From 
this  start,  with  ambitious  and  able  efforts  and  hard 
work,  he  has  gained  success  and  Imilt  up  a  fine  prop- 
erty with  one  hundred  acres  under  cultivation.  Dur- 
ing the  first  summer  on  his  claim,  he  worked  in  the 
harvest  fields  in  Red  river  valley  and  was  not  able 
to  give  much  time  to  the  clearing  of  his  own  tract 
Init  industry  and  thrifty  management  soon  put  his 
operations  on  a  profitable  basis.  He  has  engaged  in 
general  farming  activities,  making  wheat  his  princi- 


pal crop  and  is  interested  in  dairy  farming  and  the 
raising  of  thoroughbred  stock,  having  started  a  herd 
of  thoroughbred  Guernsey  cattle.  As  a  stock  farmer, 
he  also  keeps  sheep.  The  present  home  was  erected 
in  1902  and  the  place  is  well  equipped  with  good 
buildings,  the  large  barn  having  been  built  in  1914. 
Mr.  Hushagen  has  ever  taken  a  public  spirited  inter- 
est in  matters  of  public  moment  and  has  been  actively 
identified  with  the  affairs  of  the  community,  capably 
discharging  the  duties  of  citizenship  in  the  elections 
of  the  township  and  in  official  capacity,  having  given 
service  as  poor  master  and  in  charge  of  road  construc- 
tion. He  is  associated  with  local  business  interests 
as  a  stockholder  in  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Olga, 
the  Farmers  Elevator  and  Store  companies  at  Foss- 
ton and  the  Farmers  Elevator  company  at  Trail,  on 
tlie  Soo  railroad.  He  is  prominent  in  church  circles 
as  an  active  supporter  of  the  Zion  United  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  he  has  given  faithful  service  as  an 
officer  for  many  years  and  it  was  largely  through  his 
influence  that  the  initial  etforts  were  made  to  effect 
its  organization.  ^Ir.  Hushagen  was  married  in  May, 
1888  during  the  first  year  of  his  residence  in  Eden 
township  to  Anne  Anderson  of  Ottertail  county. 
She  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was  brought  to  Min- 
nesota by  her  parents  in  her  fourth  year.  A  family 
of  four  sons  and  two  daughters  have  been  born  to 
them,  Jorgen ;  Joseph ;  Anton  and  August,  who  now 
live  in  Alberta,  Canada,  where  they  have  land  in 
Peace  river  valley;  and  Inga  and  Clara,  who  reside 
with  their  parents.  Jorgen  Hushagen  was  married 
to  Petra  Flathang,  of  Hill  River  townsliip  and  was 
a  student  in  the  agricultural  college  at  Crookston  for 
two  years.  He  is  now  the  proprietor  of  a  flour  and 
feed  store  at  Trail.     Joseph  Hushagen  is  associated 


COiMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


233 


with  his  fathex'  iu  his  farming  interests  and  is  the  farm  is  located  on  section  eighteen  of  Eden  township, 
manager  of  the  home  farm.  He  was  married  to  Caro-  twelve  miles  north  of  Fosston  and  four  miles  from 
line    Swenson,    of   Pelican   Rapids.     The    Hushagen     Trail. 


HANS  C.  SORBY. 


Hans  C.  Sorby,  for  many  years  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Hill  River  township,  was  one  of  four  brothers 
who  were  associated  in  their  farming  operations  in 
that  township.  He  was  born  in  Skane,  Norway,  May 
11,  1852,  and  was  reared  in  his  native  land.  With 
his  brother,  Lewis,  he  went  to  sea,  as  a  sailor  on 
merchant  ships,  and  it  was  on  one  of  their  voyages 
that  Lewis  Sorby  received  an  injury,  while  in  the 
port  of  Quebec,  which  disabled  him  for  active  duty 
for  the  time  and  he  decided  to  visit  a  sister,  who  was 
then  living  in  Stevens  county,  Minnesota.  In  1881, 
he  located  in  Minnesota  and  in  the  following  year 
M^as  joined  by  his  brothers,  Andrew  and  Christ  Sorby. 
Hans  Sorby  came  to  Polk  county  in  1883  with  his 
parents  and  three  sistera,  Margarita,  Sophia  and 
Jacobine,  Margarita  being  now  the  only  one  living. 
She  married  Christ  Olson,  a  fanner  of  Eden  town- 
ship. Sophia  Sorby  was  married  to  B.  A.  Engebret- 
son,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  is  found  in  this  work  and 
died  at  her  home  in  Eden  township  in  1911  and  Jaco- 
bine Sorby  became  the  wife  of  Lars  Rasmusson  of 
Stevens  county,  where  her  death  occurred  in  1915. 
The  father  erected  the  house  which  is  the  present 
farm  residence  and  was  associated  with  his  sons  in 
the  management  of  the  place  until  his  death  in  1888. 
His  wife  sui-vived  him  a  number  of  years  and  died 
in  1903.  The  Sorby  brothers  continued  to  be  associ- 
!ated  in  the  management  of  the  homestead,  which  is 
situated  eleven  miles  north  of  Fosston,  and  in  all 


their  business  interests,  their  joint  enterprises  meet- 
ing with  unvaried  success  and  prosperity.  They 
made  many  profitable  land  investments,  adding  to 
the  original  tract  and  have  displayed  keen  business 
ability  in  all  their  operations.  Their  agricultural  in- 
terests have  been  devoted  to  general  farming  and 
they  have  engaged  to  some  extent  in  dairy  farming 
and  are  shareholders  in  the  cooperative  creamery. 
Hans  C.  Sorby  was  ever  prominently  identified  with 
public  interests  of  the  county  and  gave  almost  con- 
tinual sei'vice  in  official  capacity  from  the  time  of  the 
first  election  held  in  the  township  when  he  was  made 
supervisor.  He  was  later  elected  treasurer  of  the 
township  and  then  returned  to  the  office  of  township 
supervisor.  His  able  services  and  unselfish  response 
to  other  demands  than  those  of  private  interests,  to- 
gether with  his  native  geniality  won  him  many  warm 
friends  throughout  the  county.  He  was  one  of  the 
substantial  and  progressive  citizens  whose  loss  is 
deeply  regretted  by  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
He  died,  July  25,  1915,  in  his  sixty-third  year,  and 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  Moneta  (Paulson)  Sorby  and 
their  five  children,  Melvin,  Christopher,  Selmer, 
Ilelga  and  Alvina.  Hans  C.  Sorby  was  the  only  one 
of  the  brothers  who  married.  In  1914,  Andrew 
Sorby  and  Christ  Sorby  visited  their  native  land 
and  returned  to  Minnesota  well  pleased  with  the  farm 
home  which  they  have  made  for  themselres  in  their 
adopted  country. 


WILLIAM  E.  McKENZIE. 


With  a  longer  record  of  continuous  service  in  news- 
paper work  and  a  more  varied  and  spectacular  experi- 
ence in  it  than  almost  any  other  man  now  in  the 

northern  part  of  this  state,  or  perhaps  in  the  whole 
15 


Northwest,  William  E.  McKenzie,  founder  and  editor 
of  the  Crookston  Daily  Times,  has  had  excellent 
preparation  for  the  work  in  which  he  is  so  success- 
fully engaged,  and  his  career  in  it  shows  that  he  had 


234 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


made  his  traiuiiig  tell  iu  all  respects  to  his  advantage 
aud  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  for  whom  he  labors. 

Mr.  MeKenzie  was  born  in  Dunkirk,  New  York,  in 
1863,  the  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Laughlin) 
McKenzie,  the  former  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  aud 
the  latter  a  native  of  Ireland.  They  were  married  iu 
this  countiy,  however,  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and 
became  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  five  daughters, 
but  William  E.  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  now 
living  in  Minnesota.  The  parents  died  in  Crookston, 
where  they  located  in  1883.  The  father  learned  his 
trade  as  a  machinist  in  his  native  city  and  was  em- 
ployed on  boat  construction  there  and  on  the  Clyde 
until  about  1845,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  obtained  a  position  as  assistant  superintendent 
in  the  Brooks  Locomotive  Works  at  Dunkirk,  New 
York,  where  he  was  employed  for  over  a  quarter  of 
a  century. 

William  E.  McKenzie  obtained  his  education  in 
academic  lines  in  schools  in  Ontario,  where  the  family 
lived  about  four  years;  and  iu  Buffalo,  New  York, 
where  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school.  He 
then  pursued  a  course  of  special  training  at  Bryant 
&  Stratton's  College  in  that  city.  He  began  liis  news- 
paper career  with  Norman  E.  Mack,  whom  he  helped 
to  start  the  ^Morning  Times  of  Buffalo,  with  which  he 
was  connected  for  a  few  mouths  as  reporter  and  part 
owner.  When  the  Morning  Times  was  discontinued 
and  before  the  Evening  Times,  which  is  still  in  exist- 
ence, was  started,  Mr.  McKenzie  came  to  Crookston. 
This  was  in  the  ^\anter  of  1881,  and  after  a  stay  of 
a  week  or  two  went  to  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  where 
he  finished  the  winter,  returning  to  Crookston  in 
March,  1882.  He  was  at  once  engaged  as  foreman 
on  the  Weekly  Chronicle,  which  position  he  filled  until 
the  fall  of  that  year.  Then,  in  company  with  W.  R. 
Dunn,  he  founded  the  St.  Hilaire  Spectator.  The 
railroad  had  not  yet  reached  St.  Hilaire  and  the 
presses  and  other  equipment  for  the  Spectator  had 
to  be  taken  to  that  city  from  Crookston  by  ox  teams. 
One  year  later  Mr.  ]\IcKenzie  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Spectator  to  Harry  Ives,  who  until  four  years  ago 
owned  and  conducted  the  paper. 


When  he  left  St.  Hilaire  Mr.  JIcKenzie  again  took 
charge  of  the  Crookston  Chronicle,  which  he  published 
for  J.  G.  McGrew  until  1885.  But  in  that  year  he 
joined  hands  with  F.  J.  Rothpletz  iu  founding  the 
Crookston  Weekly  Times.  Mr.  Rolhpletz  soon  parted 
with  his  interest  in  this  paper  and  Mr.  McKenzie  con- 
tinued to  publish  it  only  as  a  weekly  until  1891,  when 
the  daily  edition  was  started,  and  this  is  still  in  active 
aud  increasing  circulation.  In  1905  a  stock  company 
was  formed  to  take  charge  of  the  two  papers,  and  on 
January  1,  1906,  Mr.  McKenzie  retired  from  the 
active  management  of  the  publications,  but  retained 
a  one-half  interest  in  the  business,  which  he  held  iu 
that  way  until  the  company  was  reorganized  in  its 
present  form  in  1912.  When  the  stock  company  was 
organized  Mr.  McKenzie  had  retained  as  his  own  the 
job  and  book  department  of  the  Crookston  Times,  and 
had  carried  it  on  in  partnership  with  E.  W.  Robbius 
under  the  name  of  the  McKenzie-Robbins  Printing 
company.  Mr.  Robbins  had  charge  of  the  business 
while  Mr.  McKenzie  went  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  and 
founded  a  wholesale  business  under  the  name  of  the 
McKenzie-Hunt  Paper  company,  and  he  continued  to 
carry  on  that  enterprise  until  June,  1911,  when  he 
sold  out  and  after  settling  up  his  business  affairs 
again  returned  to  Crookston  in  1912  and  bought  the 
interests  of  Mr.  Dotson  and  others  in  the  Daily  Times 
company  and  consolidated  it  with  the  McKenzie-Rob- 
bins Printing  company,  and  since  then  the  two  indus- 
tries have  been  combined  under  the  management  of  a 
stock  company  of  which  Mr.  McKenzie  is  president 
and  treasurer  and  Mr.  Robbins  is  secretary.  The 
Daily  Times  supports  the  Republican  party  in  its 
political  policy.  It  has  a  circulation  of  about  8,000, 
independent  of  the  weekly  edition,  and  is  prosperous, 
wielding  a  strong  influence  throughout  a  considerable 
scope  of  country  and  standing  well  in  newspaper  cir- 
cles in  all  parts  of  the  Northwest. 

Mr.  McKenzie,  in  addition  to  his  other  work  in  the 
newspaper  field,  founded  the  Mcintosh  Times  at  the 
town  of  Mcintosh,  in  this  county,  and  the  Michigan 
City  Times,  at  Michigan  City,  North  Dakota.  In  1893 
Mr.  McKenzie  bought  the  Grand  Forks  Plain  Dealer, 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


235 


which  was  conducted  for  many  years  by  W.  J.  ilur- 
phy,  now  of  the  Minneapolis  Tribune.  In  conducting 
the  Plain  Dealer  Mr.  McKenzie  was  associated  with 
E.  C.  Carruth,  and  they  were  in  charge  of  it  until 
1910,  when  they  sold  it.  He  is  at  present  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Merchants  National  Bank  of  Crookston 
and  a  director  of  the  Crookston  Milling  company,  the 
Crookston  Cordage  company,  and  the  Northern  Town- 
site  company,  which  founded  the  towns  of  Strathcoua, 
Middle  River  and  Greenbush  in  this  state.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Order 
of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  Freemasonry 
he  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic 


Shrine.  While  firm  in  his  loyalty  to  his  political 
party  he  has  never  sought  any  of  its  honors  or  emolu- 
ments for  himself.  In  1883  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Emma  Mason,  a  native  of  Wisconsin. 
They  have  three  sons,  Norman  W.,  Glenn  E.  and 
Donald  A.,  all  of  whom  are  associated  with  their 
father  in  conducting  his  business.  He  has  won  high 
and  widespread  regard  for  the  success  with  which  he 
has  managed  his  business  affairs  but  his  chief  title  to 
public  esteem,  aside  from  his  excellence  as  a  citizen, 
is  his  conspicuous  ability  as  an  editorial  writer,  which 
has  fixed  his  fame  at  a  high  mark  throughout  the 
Northwest. 


EVAN  A.  ENGEBRETSON. 


Evan  A.  Engebretson,  a  well  known  farmer  of  the 
county  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Eden  township, 
was  born  in  Norway,  November  26,  1868,  the  son  of 
Andrew  and  Anna  Engebretson.  He  was  brought  to 
this  country  by  his  parents  in  his  early  infancy.  In 
1869,  they  came  to  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  later 
removing  to  Faribault,  ^Minnesota,  where  they  lived 
for  eight  years.  In  1878  Andrew  Engebretson  located 
on  frontier  land  in  Ottertail  county  and  the  family 
made  their  home  on  that  fann  until  1886.  In  that 
year  they  came  to  Polk  county,  taking  claims  in  the 
old  Indian  reservation  land  which  had  been  opened 
for  settlement.  They  located  on  land  in  what  is  now 
Eden  township,  this  was  before  a  survey  of  the  land 
had  been  made  and  Peter  Dunrud,  Ole  Edevold  and 
John  Erickson  were  the  only  other  settlers  in  the 
township.  Andrew  Engebretson  continued  to  make 
his  home  on  his  homestead  in  section  thirty  until  his 
death  in  1897,  the  farm  having  since  been  sold.  His 
wife  survives  him  and  has  lived  at  Clearbrook,  in 
Clearwater  county,  ]\Iinnesota,  during  the  past  ten 
years.  E.  A.  Engebretson  and  his  sister  Anna,  who 
was  married  to  Peter  Dunrud,  are  the  only  members 
of  the  family  now  residing  in  the  county.  The  ma- 
ternal grandmother  had  accompanied  them  to  the  new 
home  in  Eden  township  and  also  took  a  homestead 


claim  in  section  nineteen  and  adjoining  that  of  her 
son-in-law.  Evan  Engebretson  made  his  home  with 
her  in  the  little  log  cabin  which  she  had  built  on  the 
tract  and  which  has  long  since  disappeared.  On  his 
coming  of  age,  she  gave  him  the  land,  which  with 
able  effort  and  industry  he  has  developed  into  his 
present  valuable  farm  property.  Mr.  Engebretson 
has  given  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  keeps 
a  herd  of  dairy  cows,  selling  his  dairy  produce  to 
the  cooperative  creamei-y  at  Olga,  in  which  he  is  in- 
terested as  a  shareholder.  He  has  met  with  success 
in  all  his  activities  and  conducts  his  agricultural  en- 
terprises with  the  most  modern  and  efficient  methods. 
He  has  converted  several  acres  of  marsh  into  valuable 
fields  by  building  ditches  to  which  a  county  ditch 
gives  outlet.  His  first  home  was  a  log  house,  in  which 
he  lived  for  eighteen  years  and  which  still  stands  on 
the  place.  He  erected  the  present  comfortable  coun- 
try home  in  1906.  Aside  from  the  management  of 
his  private  interests,  he  has  aided  in  the  promotion 
of  important  business  activities  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Farmers  Elevator  and  Cooperative  store  com- 
panies at  Fosston  and  in  the  elevator  company  at 
Trail,  located  on  the  Soo  railroad  and  about  five  miles 
north  of  his  farm  which  is  situated  ten  and  a  half 
miles   northeast   of  Fosston.     Mr.   Engebretson   has 


236 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


also  given  able  service  in  public  ofifice  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  township  board  for  many  years  and 
for  twelve  years  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  United  Lutheran  church.  He  was 
married  to  Sophia  Sorby,  the  daughter  of  a  promi. 
nent  pioneer  familj-  of  Hill  River  township  and  her 
death  occurred  February  14,  1911.    A  family  of  nine 


children  was  bom  to  this  union,  Alma,  Laura,  Clara, 
who  is  a  student  in  tlie  high  school  at  Fosston, 
Amanda,  Dagana,  Carl,  Ena.  Esther  and  Lloyd.  On 
January  10,  1912,  Mr.  Engebretson  was  married  to 
Otilda  Roas  of  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  who  had  been 
a  life  long  friend  of  the  mother  of  his  children  and 
who  has  given  them  loving  care. 


HANS  L.  HANSON. 


Hans  L.  Hanson,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Hill  River 
township,  was  born  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  June 
20,  1862.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Norway  and 
were  among  the  first  of  their  countrymen  to  emigrate 
to  the  United  States.  The  father  located  in  Wiscon- 
sin in  1848  and  a  little  later  bought  government  land 
in  Mitchell,  Iowa,  and  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  early  history  of  that  section.  The  father 
devoted  his  life  to  his  farming  interests  and  was  also 
one  of  the  promoters  of  the  organization  and  platting 
of  the  to\ni  of  St.  Ansgar.  Hans  L.  Hanson  was 
reared  in  his  native  county  and  made  his  home  there 
until  1884  when  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took 
a  homestead  claim  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion twenty-nine  of  Hill  River  township.  His  first 
home  was  a  log  shanty  in  the  woods  which  he  later 
replaced  with  a  more  comfortable  log  house.  The 
clearing  of  the  land  progressed  slowly,  as  he  owned 
no  team  and  he  had  no  crop  during  the  first  year. 
For  several  seasons,  he  worked  in  the  Dakota  hai*\'est 
fields  and  after  a  few  years  was  able  to  purchase  a 
team  and  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  development 
of  his  farm  and  has  put  the  greater  part  of  the  place 
under  cultivation,  reclaiming  some  of  the  low  land 
with  ditches.  He  has  also  invested  in  land  in  Dakota 
and  spent  one  year  on  that  farm  but  with  this  ex- 
ception has  been  a  continuous  resident  of  the  county 
since  1884.  He  has  engaged  in  diversified  farming, 
raising  grain  and  is  particularly  interested  in  clover 
culture,  for  which  his  land  has  proven  peculiarly 
adapted,  although,  as  is  genprallj-  the  case  in  this  sec- 
tion, his  experiments  with  alfalfa  have  not  been  profit- 


able. He  keeps  a  large  herd  of  dairy  cows,  sending  the 
cream  to  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Mcintosh,  about 
seven  miles  from  his  place.  The  fann  is  equipped 
Avith  good  buildings,  tlie  large  barn  having'  been 
erected  in  1895,  and  in  1902  lie  built  the  pleasant 
farm  home  which  is  delightfully  situated  on  the 
banks  of  a  small  lake.  The  Amundson  homestead 
which  adjoins  his  land  is  now  part  of  his  property, 
this  having  been  taken  as  a  preemption  claim  by  his 
wife,  Anna  (Amundson)  Hanson,  to  whom  he  was 
married  May  10,  1889.  She  was  bom  in  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  November  15,  1863,  the  daughter  of  Lewis 
and  Ann  Amundson,  who  had  come  to  the  United 
States  in  1860.  They  removed  to  Minnesota,  settling 
in  Hill  River  township.  The  death  of  Lewis  Aniund- 
son  occurred  three  years  later  and  his  daughter  Anna 
filed  on  a  claim  and  proved  up  on  it.  She  is  now  the 
only  surviving  member  of  the  family  of  Lewis  and 
Ann  Amundson,  all  of  whom  made  their  homes  in 
this  county.  The  eldest  son,  Lewis,  died  in  October, 
1912,  in  his  fifty-sixth  year  and  is  survived  by  his 
wife  wlio  lives  on  their  homestead  in  section  nineteen 
of  Hill  River  township.  Ole  Amundson  also  was 
a  farmer  in  this  vicinity  until  his  death.  Betsj- 
Amundson  became  the  wife  of  Ole  Thompson  and 
lived  during  their  lifetime  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  their  son,  Oscar  Thompson.  The  other  daughter, 
Delia  Amundson,  was  married  to  John  D.  Kuntson 
of  King  township,  who  survives  her.  Mr.  Hanson 
is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  public  affairs  through- 
out the  years  of  his  residence  in  the  county.    He  has 


compendiu:m  op  history  and  biography  op  polk  county 


237 


generously  recognized  the  responsibilities  of  efScient 
citizenship,  having  given  able  service  in  the  various 
offices  of  the  township ;  as  a  member  and  chairman 
of  the  township  board ;  as  clerk  and  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  He  was  one  of  the  promoters  and 
organizers  of  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Mcintosh 
with  which  he  continues  to  be  identified  as  a  stock- 
holder. He  was  active  in  the  organization  of  the 
Vernes  United  Lutheran  church  in  Hill  River  and  has 
given  further  service  to  its  interests  as  secretary  of 


the  church.  Five  children  are  now  living  of  the  fam- 
ily born  to  Mr.  Hanson  and  his  wife,  Clarence,  who 
is  a  farmer  in  Canada ;  George,  Edward  and  Mabel, 
students  in  the  high  school  at  Mcintosh ;  and  Edith, 
who  remains  at  home ;  Edward,  has  taken  a  course  of 
study  at  Pargo,  North  Dakota.  George  Hanson  grad- 
uated from  the  Mcintosh  high  school  in  191i  and 
subsequently  attended  the  business  college  in  Pargo. 
He  is  now  employed  in  a  real  estate  office  in  North 
Dakota. 


OLE  E.  SONSTELIE. 


Ole  B.  Sonstelie,  a  pioneer  farmer  and  prominent 
citizen  of  Sletten  township,  was  born  in  Valders, 
Norway,  December  27,  1845,  the  eldest  of  the  eight 
children  born  to  Elling  and  Maret  (Higden)  Son- 
stelie. The  Sonstelie  family  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1865  and  located  in  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  they  remained  for  about  four  years.  They  then 
removed  to  Chippewa  county,  Minnesota,  and  later  to 
Dakota  where  the  parents  died  at  an  advanced  age, 
she  in  her  eighty-fifth  year  and  he  living  to  the  age 
of  eighty.  Ole  Sonstelie  went  to  Dakota  in  1882  but 
only  remained  a  year,  being  dissatisfied  with  condi- 
tions there.  On  hearing  of  the  springs  of  "13 
Towns"  he  came  to  Sletten  township  and  although 
the  land  was  not  yet  open  for  settlement,  he  located 
on  the  creek  bottom  meadows,  making  a  squatters 
claim  to  the  land.  About  a  month  later,  July  13, 
1883,  this  district  was  declared  open  to  settlers  and 
on  August  8,  he  filed  on  his  claim.  His  start  in  his 
farming  enterprise  was  with  thirteen  head  of  stock 
and  his  first  house  was  a  sod-roofed  dug  out.  He 
has  interested  himself  particularly  in  stock  farm- 
ing, his  first  ventures  being  with  sheep  but  he  novi' 
confines  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  blooded  short 
horn  cattle.  He  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the 
stock  business,  the  rich  meadows  which  were  his 
choice  as  a  homestead,  providing  excellent  grazing 
land.  He  now  owns  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  Sletten  township,  all  of  which  he  has  made 


productive.  He  has  ei-eeted  good  farm  buildings  and 
his  comfortable  home  commands  a  delightful  view 
of  the  valley  of  Sand  Hill  river.  He  also  engages  in 
the  dairy  business  and  was  one  of  the  original  share- 
holders in  the  Sletten  cooperative  creamery  company. 
As  president  of  this  corporation,  his  capable  services 
have  done  much  to  promote  its  rapid  growth  and 
success.  The  company  was  organized  in  1902  with 
thirty-two  stockholders.  It  now  cares  for  the  dairy 
produce  of  forty-five  farmers  and  in  the  months  of 
June  and  July,  1915,  distributed  over  thirty-eight 
hundred  dollars  among  its  patrons.  As  an  early  set- 
tler of  this  region  Mr.  Sonstelie  has  been  identified 
with  every  effort  to  further  its  welfare  and  prosper- 
ity, giving  his  services  and  support  freely  to  every 
worthy  cause  and  has  earned  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  fellow  citizens,  who  have  invested  him 
with  various  offices  of  authority  in  the  local  govern- 
ment. He  was  present  at  the  meeting  of  October  10, 
1883,  at  the  home  of  Lars  Saue,  when  the  township 
was  organized  and  was  named  Sletten  in  complimen- 
tary respect  for  Paul  Sletten,  at  that  time  the  incum- 
bent of  the  land  office  at  Crookston.  He  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  first  township  board,  the  other  mem- 
bers being  Lars  Saue  and  James  Vanvert.  Aside 
from  his  private  and  public  interests,  Mr.  Sonstelie 
has  had  charge  of  several  estates  to  which  he  has 
been  appointed  administrator  or  guardian.  Wlien 
the  Sletten  postoffice  was  established,  he  received  the 


238 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


appointment  of  postmaster  and  served  in  this  capac- 
ity until  the  innovation  of  the  rural  delivery  which 
took  away  from  Sletten  township  its  only  postoffice. 
Mr.  Sonstelie  pledges  his  allegiance  to  no  political 
organization  and  maintains  the  independence  of 
political  opinion.  He  was  married  June  28,  1885,  to 
Miss  Gertrude  Sorlien,  wlioni  he  had  met  in  Dakota. 
She,  like  her  husband,  is  a  native  of  Norway.  Her 
parents,  J.  P.  Sorlien  and  his  wife  are  now  living  in 


Sletten  towTiship.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
Sonstelie  and  his  wife,  three  of  whom  died.  The 
oldest  daughter,  Ragua,  died  in  her  twenty-second 
year  and  the  four  surviving  children  are  at  home, 
Emil,  who  was  a  graduate  of  Mcintosh  high  school  in 
1912,  Maria,  Julia  and  Gerhard.  Mr.  Sonstelie  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Sand  Hill  Lutheran 
church  and  continues  in  active  membership. 


TALLEF  B.  LAXDESVERK. 


Tallef  B.  Landesverk,  well  known  farmer  and  influ- 
ential citizen  of  Sletten  township,  was  born  in  Norway. 
IMay  12,  1864.  In  1882,  Mhen  eighteen  years  of  age. 
he  came  to  this  country  and  to  Polk  county  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  George  Landesverk.  These 
brothers  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Sletten 
township,  who  through  years  of  hard  labor  and 
determined  effort  laid  the  foundation  for  present 
prosperity.  Tallef  Landesverk  and  George  Landes- 
verk, with  Edwin  McManus,  ai-e  the  only  pioneers 
in  tliis  region  who  still  reside  here.  George  Landes- 
verk, after  eleven  .years  on  his  Polk  county  homestead, 
died  in  1894.  His  wife  and  three  children,  who 
survive  him,  are  now  living  in  Canada.  On  coming 
to  Polk  county  the  two  brothers  worked  at  farm  labor 
and  in  1883  filed  on  homesteads  on  the  second  spring 
at  the  "13  Towns,"  and  Ole  Landesverk  secured 
another  tract  of  land  through  the  purchase  of  a 
relinquishment.  Tallef  B.  Landesverk  has  endured 
all  the  hardships  and  trials  which  beset  the  settler 
of  an  undeveloped  country  and  has  steadily  won  his 
Avay  to  success  and  prosperity.  For  seven  years  he 
was  compelled  to  fight  in  the  courts  for  the  title  to  his 
claim;  during  this  time  decisions  were  made  and 
reversed  and  possession  of  the  land  shifted  from  one 
contestant  to  the  other.  ^Meanwhile  all  that  he  earned 
at  farm  work  was  required  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
the  law  suit.  After  he  succeeded  in  establishing  the 
legality  of  his  title  he  sold  the  laud  and  took  another 
claim  of  timber  land  in  Beltrami  countv.     In  1803  he 


bought  the  farm  in  section  three  of  Sletten  township, 
which  is  his  present  home.  This  farm  comprises  five 
hundred  acres  and  is  well  equipped  with  good  barns 
and  a  pleasant  country  home.  He  has  paid  as  high 
as  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre  for  undeveloped  land 
and  floating  bog  which  he  has  cleared  and  drained, 
developing  valuable  farming  property.  He  installed 
a  drainage  system  in  one  marsh  tract  of  sixty  acres, 
the  reclamation  of  which  for  fine  meadow  land  was 
completed  by  a  county  ditch.  Mr.  Landesverk  himself 
took  the  contract  for  the  con.struction  of  this  ditch, 
which  included  the  straightening  of  the  course  of  Sand 
Hill  river  into  which  it  empties.  He  did  this  work 
without  the  assistance  of  mechanical  equipment,  with 
hand  labor  and  a  scraper  operated  by  a  team.  He 
engages  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock  and  is  a 
Iireeder  of  full  blooded  cattle.  He  is  interested  to 
some  extent  in  the  dairy  business  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  Sletten  Cooperative  Creamerj'  company.  Starting, 
a  lad  of  eighteen,  with  no  capital  but  the  sturdy  (|uali- 
ties  wliich  make  success,  he  has  progi'essed  to  the 
possession  of  large  land  interests,  owning  nearly  one 
thousand  acres,  six  lumdred  and  ton  of  which  are  in 
Polk  county,  his  propertj-  outside  of  Sletten  township 
being  near  Erskine.  The  other  tracts  arc  in  North 
Dakota  and  Canada,  where  he  and  his  neighlior, 
Edward  McManus,  are  the  owners  of  a  section  of 
JIanitoba  land,  located  near  Dominion  City.  Mr. 
Landesverk  is  a  shareholder  in  the  Farmers  Elevator 
Company  and  store  company  and  is  on  the  lioard  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


239 


directors  of  the  latter  enterprise.  His  political  afBlia- 
tions  are  with  the  Republican  party  and  he  has  served 
on  the  township  board  and  school  board  for  a  number 
of  years.    His  marriage  to  Anna  Dalle,  who  is  a  native 


of  Norway,  occurred  in  1892.  Five  children  have 
been  born  to  them,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Tilda, 
Emma  and  Georsre. 


EDWIN  McMANUS. 


Edwin  McManus,  well  known  grain  dealer  and  the 
superintendent  of  the  elevators  of  the  Superior  Ter- 
minal Elevator  Company,  was  born  in  Canada,  Mont- 
calm coimty,  Quebec,  November  23,  1859.  His  parents, 
Francis  and  Jane  Louisa  (Lindsay)  McManus,  were 
natives  of  Canada,  he  of  Irish  and  English  descent 
and  she  of  Scotch  parentage.  His  father  was  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  inventive  genius  but  died  in  his 
thirty-ninth  year.  As  a  lad  Edwin  McManus  appren- 
ticed himself  to  the  carpenter  trade  in  Montreal.  In 
1877,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  came  to  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  and  in  Spring  Valley  began  his 
association  Avith  the  grain  trade,  a  business  to  which 
he  has  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  with  note- 
worthy success  and  achievement.  In  1882  he  was 
employed  in  bridge  construction  work  for  the  Great 
Northern  and  Northern  Pacific  railroad.  The  follow- 
ing summei-,  accompanied  by  II.  S.  Leech,  he  spent 
six  weeks  in  the  vicinity  of  the  "13  Towns,"  which 
was  about  to  be  opened  for  settlement,  and  later  filed 
a  preemption  claim  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
fifteen  of  Hill  River  township.  His  mother,  who  had 
joined  him  in  Spring  Valley  in  1878,  now  took  up  the 
homestead  in  Sletten  township  which  is  his  present 
home.  In  the  spring  of  1884  he  erected  a  house  for 
his  mother  on  her  claim,  hauling  the  lumber  from 
Wild  Rice  river,  where  a  government  sawmill  liad 
been  installed  for  the  Indians.  This  first  home  is 
included  in  the  present  fann  house.  His  mother  lived 
here  for  several  years  and  afterwards  made  her  home 
with  her  son,  Edwin,  until  her  last  illness,  when  she 
was  removed  to  the  hospital  at  Superior,  Wisconsin, 
where  she  died  May  19,  1913,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years.  After  a  year  of  possession  he  disposed  of 
his  claim  and  in  the  fall  of  1881  again  entered  the 


grain  business  as  assistant  manager  of  an  elevator  at 
Nitche,  North  Dakota,  and  later  was  put  in  charge  of 
an  elevator  at  Devils  Lake,  North  Dakota.  He  was 
also  interested  in  a  wood  yard  at  Crookston,  where  a 
brother,  George  J.  McManus,  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business.  In  1888  Edwin 
McManus  returned  to  Polk  county  as  manager  for 
the  Red  River  Valley  company  of  their  elevator  at 
Mcintosh,  which  was  the  first  to  be  operated  there. 
A  year  later  his  efficiency  in  his  chosen  field  of  work 
was  recognized  by  his  appointment  to  the  office  of 
state  weighmaster  by  Governor  Merriman.  He  served 
in  this  office  for  four  j'cars,  ably  discharging  his 
duties,  which  included  the  management  of  the  weigh- 
ing departments  at  Duluth  and  Superior  and  the 
direction  of  twenty-five  deputies  and  some  thirty 
employees.  During  this  time  the  department  handled 
three  hundred  million  bushels  of  grain  and  installed 
numerous  weighing  equipments  in  new  mills.  He 
resigned  from  this  office  to  accept  his  present  position 
as  superintendent  of  the  elevators  of  the  Superior 
Terminal  company,  grain  receivers,  storers  and  ship- 
pers. As  superintendent  he  has  entire  management 
of  the  elevators  which  have  a  capacity  of  about  five 
million  bushels,  and  of  the  forty  to  one  hundred  men 
employed.  Thorough  application  and  steady  industry 
as  well  as  native  ability  have  had  their  share  in  this 
successful  career.  Mr.  McManus  understands  eveiy 
phase  of  the  grain  business  and  has  superintended  the 
construction  of  two  large  elevators.  His  main  office 
is  at  Superior  but  for  the  last  four  years  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Sletten  township  on  his  mother's  home- 
stead. For  many  years  he  had  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  this  place  and  after  the  death  of  his  mother 
he  became  its  owner,  purchasing  the  shares  belonging 


240 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


to  other  heirs.  This  farm  is  conveniently  located  four 
miles  west  of  Fosston  and  five  miles  and  a  half  south 
of  Mcintosh,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  ten, 
and  is  one  of  the  attractive  properties  in  this  region. 
Sand  Hill  river  crosses  tlie  land  aixl  affords  natural 
drainage,  and  in  1913  Mr.  McManus  completed  a  flow- 
ing well,  the  first  to  be  utilized  in  "13  Towns;'"  this 
well  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-si.x  feet  deep  with 
force  enough  to  carry  it  to  all  the  farm  buildings. 
He  engages  in  general  farming,  raising  grain  and 
stock  and  keeping  dairy  cows.  IMr.  McManus  recog- 
nizes readily  the  duties  of  citizenship  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  public  welfare  and  progress,  giving 
every  effort  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  agricul- 
tural interests  of  Polk  county.  He  is  identified  with 
township  affairs  and  has  served  as  township  assessor. 


He  was  married  February  3,  1892,  to  Mary  A.  Hanson 
of  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Charles  Hanson,  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  place, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  first  constitutional  convenliou 
of  the  state  of  Minnesota.  He  died  in  Duluth.  .Mr. 
McManus  has  one  son,  Charles  Bernard,  who  was  l)orn 
in  Superior.  May  26,  1894.  He  was  a  student  in  the 
agricultural  school  at  Crookston  and  is  in  charge  of  his 
father's  farm.  Mr.  McManus  is  a  member  of  the 
Crofton  lodge  of  the  I.  O.  0.  F.  at  Devils  Lake,  North 
Dakota,  and  is  a  past  noble  grand  of  that  order.  lie 
is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  club  of  Superior  and 
the  Pure  Seed  club  at  Crookston.  ^Ir.  McManus  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  of 
the  Redeemer  at  Superior,  Wi.seonsin. 


OLE  EDEVOLD. 


Ole  Edevold,  for  many  years  a  successful  farmer 
and  well  known  citizen  of  Eden  township,  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  section  and  prominently 
identified  with  the  development  of  the  agricultural 
and  social  interests  of  the  comunity.  He  was  born  in 
Norway,  April  23,  1865,  the  sou  of  Ole  and  Maret 
Edevold,  who  later  brought  their  family  to  the  United 
States  and  lived  for  a  time  at  Starbuck,  Minnesota. 
They  subsequently  took  land  in  Dakota,  where  they 
resided  until  the  region  of  the  Thirteen  Towns  was 
opened  for  settlement,  when  they  removed  to  Polk 
county  and  located  on  section  thirty-three  of  Eden 
township,  Ole  Edevold  and  his  son  Ole  each  taking 
claims  on  adjoining  quarter  sections.  None  of  the 
members  of  the  Edevold  family  are  now  living;  the 
father  died  in  1899  and  his  wife  survived  him  but  six 
years.  Of  their  children,  one  son,  Martin,  died  when 
a  lad  of  sixteen  years ;  Elnie  Maria,  who  was  married 
to  Ole  Tonten,  a  neighboring  homesteader,  later  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin,  where  her  death  occurred,  and 
the  other  daughter,  Anna  Marie,  died  in  Polk  county, 
the  wife  of  Hans  Eggen,  a  former  resident  of  Brands- 
void  township,  now  living  in  Canada.     The  greater 


part  of  the  laborious  task  of  clearing  the  half  section 
belonging  to  himself  and  father  was  accomplished  by 
Ole  Edevold,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  he 
l>ecame  the  owner  of  the  entire  tract,  which  he 
developed  into  one  of  the  finest  and  most  productive 
farm  properties  in  the  county.  During  the  first  years 
he  was  compelled  to  divide  his  attention  between  the 
cleai'ing  of  the  land  and  employment  which  would 
provide  ready  funds,  and  worked  in  the  harvest  fields 
and  in  a  sawmill,  but  with  thrift  and  hard  work  he 
was  soon  able  to  advance  his  farming  enterprises  to  a 
profitable  condition  and  continued  to  meet  with 
steadily  growing  prosperity  and  success  in  all  his 
interests.  He  engaged  in  general  farming  and  gave 
particular  attention  to  the  dairy  business,  keeping  a 
large  herd  of  dairy  cows  and  breeding  thoroughbred 
cattle.  Mr.  Edevold  was  a  man  of  broad  interests  and 
that  type  of  progressive  citizen  who  through  years  of 
active  service  in  promoting  the  public  welfare  leaves 
at  the  close  of  his  career  memorials  in  the  institutions 
of  the  community.  He  was  the  organizer  of  the  co- 
operative creamery  at  Olga,  where  his  farm  was 
located  and  was  the  first  postmaster  of  that  place. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


241 


with  the  office  in  his  home  until  the  erection  of  a  store 
a  short  distance  away  when  it  was  installed  there. 
With  his  father  he  was  influential  in  the  organization 
of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church,  one  mile  north  of  his 
farm.  He  also  sei'ved  in  township  offices,  capably 
discharging  the  duties  of  township  clerk  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Edevold  died  March  27,  1915,  in  his 
fiftieth  year.  He  was  married  to  Thea  Hoff  of  Queen 
township,  August  15,  1897.  She  was  horn  in  Otter- 
tail  county,  the  daughter  of  Thore  and  Torgen  Hoff, 


natives  of  Norway,  who  were  married  in  Ottertail. 
Thore  Hoff  is  still  living  in  Queen  township,  having 
survived  his  wife  many  years.  Seven  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  Edevold  and  his  wife:  Mabel  Estelle, 
Oscar  Theodore,  Marie  Theresa,  Martin  Hjalmar, 
Arthur  Edwin,  Elmer  Eugene  and  Lloyd  Ernest,  all 
of  whom  make  their  home  on  the  farm  with  their 
mother,  who  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Edevold  has  as- 
sumed the  management  of  the  estate  which  she  is 
conducting  with  eminent  success. 


OLE  HOVEN. 


Ole  Hoven,  a  prominent  citizen  and  successful 
farmer  of  Eden  township,  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
county  since  1891,  when  he  located  on  the  land  which 
is  his  present  home,  ten  miles  northeast  of  Fosston. 
He  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  came  to  this  country  in 
1881,  making  his  first  residence  in  Eau  Claire,  Wis- 
consin. For  a  number  of  years  he  was  employed  in 
the  lumber  woods  of  that  state,  working  on  the  river 
drives  and  also  in  railroad  construction  crews,  mean- 
while clearing  out  about  twelve  acres  of  timber  land 
for  cultivation.  During  this  time,  by  thrifty  manage- 
ment, he  saved  some  twelve  hundred  dollars  from  his 
earnings  and  with  this  capital  determined  to  embark 
upon  farming  enterprises  in  Minnesota.  After  spend- 
ing a  year  in  Norman  county  he  came  to  Polk  county, 
where  he  tiled  on  a  homestead  and  boiight  a  preemp- 
tion claim,  paying  three  hundred  dollars  for  the 
latter.  Only  two  acres  had  been  cleared  and  a  small 
shanty  was  the  only  building  upon  the  tract.  He  at 
once  erected  a  house,  which  has  since  been  incorpo- 
rated in  the  present  modem  home,  and  engaged  upon 
the  development  of  the  land.  He  continued  to  add 
steadily  to  his  property,  building  up  his  prosperous 
estate  with  careful  and  judicious  investments,  putting 
his  faith  and  money  in  the  future  agincultural  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  country.  His  second  purchase  was 
a  quarter  section  of  section  twenty-five  of  Hill  River 
township,  a  little  over  a  mile  distant  from  his  home- 
stead.    This  was  all  wild  land  for  which  he  paid  the 


same  price  as  for  his  first  land,  but  was  later  compelled 
to  buy  off  another  claim  in  order  to  clear  his  title.  He 
then  bought  two  hundred  acres  in  section  thirty-six  of 
Hill  River  township,  paying  two  thousand  dollars, 
eighty  acres  having  been  cleared.  His  land  interests 
now  include  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which 
over  foiir  hundred  are  in  cultivation,  nearl.y  all  of 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  home  place 
having  been  developed  into  fine  farm  land.  Mr. 
Hoven  also  bought  an  improved  quarter  section  which 
he  gave  to  his  son,  Carl  Hoven.  In  all  his  business 
pursuits  and  entei*prises  Mr.  Hoven  has  met  with 
unvaried  success.  He  engages  extensively  in  dairy 
farming  and  keeps  a  large  herd  of  cows,  selling  the 
produce  to  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Olga,  and  is 
a  breeder  of  short  horn  cattle.  Mr.  Hoven  is  that 
type  of  successful  man  whose  able  and  sturdy  qualities 
are  freely  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives,  and  he  has  been  largely 
influential  in  every  matter  which  would  promote  tlie 
general  progress  and  welfare.  He  is  associated  with 
the  business  activities  as  stockholder  in  the  cooperative 
creamery  at  Olga  and  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  com- 
pany at  Fosston.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party  and  a  faithful  supporter  of  the  Zion  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Hoven  was  married  in  Wisconsin  to 
Carrie  Kolden,  who  was  bom  in  Norway.  They  have 
seven  children :  Elsie,  the  wife  of  Albert  Bakken,  of 
Alberta ;  Lena,  who  married  Soren  Oistad  and  lives 


242 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AXD  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ill  the  state  of  "Washington;  Albert,  associated  with      Olga ;  Carl,  \vho  makes  his  home  with  his  parents  and 
his  father  in  the  management  of  his  farms;  Lucy,  who      is  a  farmer;  and  Elmer, 
resides   in   Jlontana.   the   wife   of  James  Shandorf; 


JOHN  A.  NEWTON. 


Joliu  A.  Newton,  of  Rosebud  township,  well  known 
farmer  and  proprietor  of  Oak  Dale  farm,  was  born  at 
Newcastle,  Penns3'lvania,  December  25,  1859.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  state.  He  taught  in  the  schools  for  a 
time  and  then  went  west  and  spent  the  next  five  years 
traveling  through  Montana  and  South  Dakota,  em- 
ployed during  part  of  the  time  in  teaching.  He  came 
to  Minnesota  in  1883  and  decided  to  locate  in  Polk 
county,  taking  a  claim  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  ten  in  Sletten  township.  In  the  fall  of  188-t 
a  school  supported  by  subscription  was  established 
in  the  i-esideuce  of  Mr.  Peterson,  and  Mr.  Newton 
was  appointed  the  teacher.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  twelve  years  of  able  and  eificient  service  in  the 
schools  of  this  vicinity.  The  settlers,  realizing  the 
importance  of  a  competent  school  system,  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  development  of  the  local  educational 
advantages  and  gave  their  earnest  support  to  the 
project.  The  attendance  of  pioneer  schools  includes  a 
variety  of  ages  among  the  scholars,  and  during  the 
first  term  taught  by  Mr.  Newton  twenty-eight  pupils, 
young  and  old,  but  all  seriously  bent  upon  securing 
the  privilege  of  the  school,  were  enrolled.  Mr.  New- 
ton also  taught  for  a  number  of  yeara  in  Rosebud 
township,  in  school  number  III,  which  had  sueeoeded 
the  first  school  in  the  township,  on  Mr.  Plesch's  farm. 
As  a  teacher  and  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
over  twenty  years  he  has  been  notably  associated  with 
the    growth    and    progressive    administration    of    the 


educational  interests  of  the  county.  He  sent  out  a 
number  of  county  teachers  from  his  class  rooms,  one 
of  whom,  Henry  "Welte,  is  the  present  county  auditor. 
Mr.  Newton  lived  for  nine  years  on  his  homestead  in 
Sletten  township,  putting  all  the  land  under  cultiva- 
tion. After  selling  this  place  he  bought  a  farm  on 
section  twenty-one  of  Rosebud  townshij),  where  he 
remained  for  eleven  years,  engaged  in  developing  the 
property,  erecting  new  buildings  and  improving 
the  land.  In  1901  he  removed  to  his  present  home,  the 
old  Flesch  homestead  of  two  hundred  acres,  five  miles 
southwest  of  Fosston.  This  place  was  settled  by  John 
Flesch,  a  sketch  of  whom  is  found  in  this  work,  in 
1878,  and  was  the  first  claim  filed  in  the  Thirteen 
Townis.  Mr.  Newton  has  successfully  conducted  the 
management  of  his  agricultural  interests  and  devotes 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  hay  and  dairy 
farming.  His  farm  is  equipped  witli  modern  build- 
ings, the  pleasant  farm  home  having  been  erected  in 
irtll  on  the  site  of  the  first  Fosston  postoffice,  later 
known  as  the  llansville  postoffice.  Mr.  Newton  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  Company  at 
Fosston.  His  favorite  recreation  is  hunting  and  he 
enjoys  an  occa-sional  deer  hunt  as  an  outing.  lie  was 
married,  in  1894,  to  IMary  Flesch,  daughter  of  John 
A.  Flesch,  pioneer  of  Rosebud  township.  They  have 
four  daughters,  Jessie,  Elizabeth,  who  is  a  teacher 
and  is  at  present  continuing  her  professional  studies 
in  a  training  school.  Pearl  and  Jennie. 


LANE  R.  FISHBECK. 


Lane  R.  Fishbeck,  well  known  and  successful  farmer 
of  Sletten  township,  was  bom  near  Oshkosh,  "Wiscon- 
sin, December  16,  1859.     His  parents  were  natives  of 


that  state.  The  death  of  his  father  occurred  in  his 
eai'ly  childhood,  and  his  mother,  Betsy  (Stokes)  Fish- 
beck,  married  Freeman  D.  Dowd.     "When  he  was  six 


L.  \V.  LARSEN 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


243 


years  of  age  he  accompanied  his  mother  and  step- 
father in  their  removal  to  Mower  county,  Minnesota. 
In  1881  Mr.  Dowd  brought  his  family  to  Polk  county, 
and  two  years  later  took  a  soldiers'  homestead  in 
section  eighteen,  Sletten  township.  This  farm  re- 
mained his  home  until  189G,  when  he  removed  to 
Bermidji,  settling  on  land  elo.se  to  the  town,  which 
has  since  included  part  of  his  property  within  its 
corporation  limits.  Since  his  death  there  in  1910,  in 
his  seventy-second  year,  his  wife  has  made  her  home 
in  Bermidji.  Lane  R.  Fishbeck  was  the  only  child 
in  his  step-father's  home  and  continued  to  make  his 
home  there  until  1883.  In  March  of  this  year  he  was 
married  at  Jane-sville,  Minnesota,  to  Julia  Seha,  the 
daughter  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Lcsueur  county, 
Minnesota.  Two  years  after  his  marriage  he  located 
on  a  preemption  claim  of  eighty  acres  in  section  thir- 
teen of  Sletten  to\\aiship  and  soon  after  he  bought  an 
adjacent  quarter  section,  with  forty  acres  of  improved 
land,  the  former  claim  of  James  E.  Vanworth.  He 
continued  to  add  to  his  farm,  buying  for  the  most  part 
improved  land.     His  present  property  includes  fi\'e 


hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  culti- 
vation with  the  exception  of  the  pasture  land.  Very 
little  ditching  has  been  necessaiy  as  he  has  required 
the  low  land  tracts  for  pasturage.  With  capable 
management  he  has  developed  a  notably  productive 
and  prosperous  farm,  raising  grain  and  hay  and  en- 
gaging extensively  in  the  cultivation  of  the  latter, 
harvesting  about  two  hundred  tons  annually.  In 
1903  he  erected  the  pleasant  farm  home,  which  is 
delightfully  situated  in  a  grove.  He  is  a  shareholder 
in  the  cooperative  creamery.  ]\Ir.  Fishbeck  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  party  and  voted  at  the  first 
township  election  in  Sletten  township.  He  has  a 
family  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters:  George, 
Lillian,  Mabel,  Alfred,  Etta,  Victor  and  Winnie,  all 
of  whom  are  at  home  with  the  exception  of  the  two 
older  daughters.  Lillian  became  the  wife  of  Peter 
Klein  and  lives  on  an  adjoining  farm,  and  Mabel  is 
the  wife  of  Wilfred  Raboin  of  Grand  Rapids,  Minne- 
sota. Mr.  Fishbeck 's  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church  at  Hansville. 


L.  W.  LARSEN. 


This  enterprising  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  the 
pioneer  merchants  of  Crookston  and  prominent  in  the 
farm  implement  trade  throughout  Polk  county,  was 
bom  on  a  farm  in  Wabasha  county,  Minnesota,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1860.  He  is  the  son  of  Jorgen  and  Annie 
M.  (Sobije)  Larsen,  the  former  born  November  19, 
1826,  on  the  Island  of  Fyen,  in  the  Great  Belt,  off  the 
coast  of  Denmark,  and  the  latter  also  a  native  of 
Denmark.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854, 
and  for  four  years  lived  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
In  1858  they  located  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  the 
next  year  moved  to  Wabasha  county,  where  the  father 
took  up  a  homestead  and  improved  it  into  a  good 
farm.  In  1880  they  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  there 
the  father  died.  The  mother  returned  to  this  state 
and  passed  the  rest  of  her  life  in  Crookston,  where 
she  died  January  22,  1901.    They  had  three  sons  and 


four  daughters,  but  only  L.  W.  and  two  of  his  sis- 
ters are  now  residents  of  Minnesota. 

L.  W.  Larsen  grew  to  the  age  of  seventeen  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Wabasha  county,  and  during  the 
next  three  years  worked  on  lumber  rafts  and  steam- 
boats on  the  Mississippi.  Life  on  the  river  then  was 
M'ild  and  daring,  and  the  adventurous  youth  had 
many  thrilling  experiences.  In  1882  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  took  up  his  residence  on  a  farm  in  Ando- 
ver  township  near  Crookston.  He  followed  fanning 
until  1886,  when  he  moved  to  the  city,  and  during 
the  next  six  years  he  was  employed  by  several  firms 
in  the  implement  trade,  serving  them  as  a  salesman. 

In  1892  he  went  into  partnership  with  George  F. 
Carpenter  in  the  same  line,  and  until  1907  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Larsen  & 
Carpenter.     In  the  year  last  named  Mr.  Larsen  be- 


244 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


fame  its  sole  owner,  ami  since  then  he  has  carried  on 
the  enterprise  himself.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Polk  County  State  Bank  and  is  now  its  vice 
president  and  one  of  its  directors,  and  he  takes  a 
serviceable  interest  in  other  business  institutions  in 
the  city  and  county.  He  also  erected  the  Larscn 
block,  one  of  the  best  business  and  office  buildings  in 
the  city. 

In  political  faith  and  allegiance  Mr.  Larsen  is  a 
Republican  and  an  energetic  and  effective  worker  for 
his  party.  He  has  served  as  alderman  at  large  in 
Crookston,  and  always  manifested  deep  and  produc- 
tive interest  in  the  growtli,  improvement  and   pros- 


perity of  the  city.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Freemason 
of  the  Knights  Templar  rank  and  also  a  member  of 
the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  work  of  the  fraternity. 

Mr.  Larsen  was  married  in  1890  to  Mrs.  Christine 
(Andereon)  Larsen,  who  was  born  at  Lillehammer, 
Norway,  and  brought  to  the  United  States  in  her 
childhood.  They  have  four  children :  Roy  W.,  who  is 
assistant  cashier  of  the  Polk  County  State  Bank; 
Clarence  M.,  who  is  a  student  at  the  University  of 
Minnesota ;  Lawrence  Howard,  who  is  living  at  home, 
and  Helen  M.,  who  is  also  still  a  member  of  the 
parental  family  circle. 


E.  M.  HAUGE. 


E.  M.  Hauge,  superintendent  of  tlie  schools  at 
Fertile  and  one  of  the  i)rogressive  educators  of  the 
county,  is  a  native  of  the  state,  born  at  AVinona,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1886,  the  son  of  Reverend  A.  Hauge,  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  clergy  in  Minnesota  for  over 
thirty-three  years.  E.  M.  Hauge  received  his  early 
education  in  the  Normal  school  at  Winona  and  then 
attended  a  private  academy,  which  is  conducted  in 
connection  with  St.  Olaf  college  at  Northfield,  Minne- 
sota. After  completing  his  preparatoiy  studies  he 
entered  St.  Olaf  college  for  a  collegiate  course  and 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1909.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  came  to  Fertile  as  principal  of 
the  high  school  during  the  superintendeney  of  H.  R. 
Tonning,  and  after  two  years'  of  effieient  service  in 
that  position  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  superin- 
tendent. During  the  four  years  under  his  direction 
the  school  has  made  rapid  advance  in  educational 
efficiency  and  has  witnessed  notable  accomplishment 
in   the  educational   field.     Mr.    Hauge   conducts   the 


school  along  the  modern  lines  of  pedagogical  theory. 
The  mea.sure  of  his  success  and  the  intere.st  accorded 
the  school  bj'  the  citizens  appears  in  the  almost  unani- 
mous vote  cast  on  the  bond  issue  for  the  new  school 
building,  which  is  being  erected  at  the  cost  of  some 
forty  thousand  dollars.  The  school  district  includes 
eight  sections  of  Garfield  township  and  has  an  enroll- 
ment of  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  pupils,  with  a 
teaching  force  of  eleven.  The  high  school  was  estab- 
lished in  1900  and  is  a  commissioned  state  high  school, 
with  an  attendance  of  forty-nine  and  a  faculty  of  five 
instructors.  The  school  graduated  eleven  students  in 
1915,  which  is  the  average  number  of  graduates  for 
the  last  four  years  and  has  ninety-nine  members  in 
its  alumni  association.  Reverend  A.  E.  Strom  is  the 
president  of  the  school  board,  with  J.  A.  Gregerson, 
clerk,  and  Norman  Hanson,  treasurer.  The  other 
members  of  the  board  are  A.  P.  Hanson  and  Rev.  J. 
il.  Sundheim. 


O.  EDWARD  BRATRUD,  M.  D. 

0.  Edward  Bratrud,  M.  D.,  of  Fertile,  an  able  November  7,  1888.  He  is  the  son  of  Hon.  0.  C. 
member  of  the  medical  profession  in  the  county,  is  Bratrud,  a  prominent  pioneer  citizen  of  the  state, 
a   native   of   Minnesota,    born    in    Fillmore    county,     who  was  among  the  first  of  his  countrj'men  to  emi- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


245 


grate  from  Norway  to  the  United  States,  he  having 
settled  in  Wisconsin  in  1848.  In  1855  he  removed 
to  Fillmore  county  where  his  death  occurred  after 
a  useful  and  notable  career.  He  was  elected  to  the 
state  legislature,  as  a  Republican,  in  1870  and  served 
as  a  member  of  that  body  for  two  years.  Dr.  Brat- 
rud  was  reared  in  Fillmore  county  and  there  re- 
ceived his  early  education.  After  completing  his 
studies  in  the  high  school,  he  entered  the  state  Uni- 
versity and  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sci- 
ence in  1910.  He  enrolled  as  a  medical  student  in 
the  same  institiition  and  graduated  from  the  medical 
college  in  1913.  He  continued  his  professional  train- 
ing after  graduation  and  became   a   resident  house 


physician  in  the  city  and  county  hospital  at  St.  Paul, 
serving  for  a  year  in  this  capacity  and  then  secured 
further  training  and  experience  in  post  graduate 
work  in  the  eastern  clinics.  He  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Fertile  in  September,  1914,  where 
his  thorough  qualification  and  efficiency  have  brought 
him  a  successful  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
District,  State  and  American  Associations  and  a  mem- 
ber of  a  medical  fraternity.  Dr.  Bratrud  is  an  en- 
thusiastic out  of  door  sportsman  and  is  allied  with 
the  Gun  club  of  Fertile.  He  was  married  at  Litch- 
field, Minnesota,  in  August,  1914,  to  Hazel  A.  Parsons, 
who  was  a  student  of  the  University  of  Minnesota. 


GILBERT  H.  HOYNE. 


Gilbert  H.  Hoyne,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Polk  county,  was  a  native  of  Minnesota, 
bom  in  Freeborn  county,  December  18,  1863.  His 
parents,  Hoven  and  Dorothy  Hoyne  were  born  in 
Noi-way  and  came  to  this  county  before  their  mar- 
riage, which  occurred  in  Iowa.  They  came  to  Min- 
nesota in  1859  and  later  spent  several  years  in 
Dakota  but  preferring  the  Minnesota  region,  re- 
turned to  Albert  Lea  and  settled  in  Hayward  town- 
ship. Subsequently  they  removed  to  a  farm  six 
miles  south  of  Albert  Lea,  which  became  the  perma- 
nent home  of  the  family  and  is  still  owned  by  one 
of  the  sons.  The  mother  of  this  pioneer  home  is  now 
living  at  Albert  Lea,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  Gilbert  H.  Hoyne  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  old  homestead  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  schools  at  Albert  Lea  and  then  pursued  his 
studies  at  Northfield  and  in  the  normal  school  at 
Mankato.  For  a  short  time  he  engaged  in  teaching 
and  then  became  apprenticed  to  the  tinners  trade 
and  was  employed  in  that  work  until  taking  charge 
of  his  father's  farm  which  he  operated  for  three 
years  and  from  that  time  continued  to  devote  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1892  he  took 
a  homestead  in  Pine  county,  fifteen  miles  from  Hink- 


ley,  Wisconsin,  and  two  years  later  suffered  serious 
losses  through  the  disastrous  fire  which  destroyed 
Hinkley  and  swept  over  that  section  of  country.  A 
brother  of  Mrs.  Hoyne,  K.  E.  Flaskerude,  was  then 
living  in  Polk  county  and  in  1895  Gilbert  Hoyne 
brought  his  family  to  this  county  and  bought  a  farm 
in  Rosebud  township,  where  he  engaged  in  success- 
ful farming  operations  for  eight  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  King  township  and  bought  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  land  four  miles  southwest  of  Mcintosh.  No 
buildings  had  been  erected  on  the  tract  and  the  land 
had  been  but  partially  improved.  Mr.  Hoyne  gave 
the  zealous  efforts  of  the  remaining  years  of  his  life 
to  the  development  of  this  place,  building  up  a  fine 
farm  property  through  his  experienced  and  able  man- 
agement. He  engaged  in  the  various  farming  activ- 
ities, raising  grain  and  stock  and  was  also  interested 
in  dairying,  meeting  with  success  in  all  his  enter- 
prises. His  death  occurred  in  his  country  home, 
April  8,  1909,  after  several  years  of  failing  health, 
and  the  interment  was  made  in  the  cemetery  of  the 
Gosen  United  Lutheran  church  in  Knute  township, 
of  which  he  was  a  member.  Mr.  Hoyne  was  that 
type  of  man  whose  influence  is  felt  in  every  phase 
of   community   life   and   his   many   worthy   services 


246 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


live  in  the  memories  of  his  frieuds  and  associates. 
As  a  farmer  and  citizen,  his  career  was  marked  by 
successful  accomplishment  and  he  was  honored  by 
his  fellow  citizens  with  various  offices  of  public  trust 
and  was  particularly  active  in  school  and  township 
affairs  in  P^rceborn,  Pino  and  Polk  counties.  In  the 
political  arena,  he  was  an  enthusiastic  and  loyal 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
His  marriage  to  Carrie  E.  Flaskerud,  was  solemnized 
at  Albert  Lea,  on  February  5,  1888.  She  was  born 
in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and  is  a  sister  of  K.  E. 
Flaskerud,  a  well  kno\ni  farmer  of  Brandsvold  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Hoyne,  like  her  husband,  enjoys  a  wide 
circle  of  friends  and  is  actively  a.ssociated  with  the 
interests  of  the  locality  in  which  she  lives,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  tile  women's  clubs  and  church  organizations 


of  Mcintosh.  Three  children  were  born  to  'Slv.  Iloyne 
and  his  wife,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  Hattie 
Ellen  and  George  Daniel,  who  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm  after  the  death  of  his  father  and  is 
now  a  student  in  the  Aakens  Business  college  at  Grand 
Forks,  Nortli  Dakota.  Hattie  E.  Hoyne  has  been  a 
teacher  in  the  schools  of  Polk  county  for  five  years 
and  has  met  with  eminent  success  in  her  profession. 
She  was  educated  in  the  high  school  at  Mcintosh 
and  in  the  normal  school  at  Moorhead  and  has  also 
been  a  student  at  summer  schools,  the  measure  of  her 
qualification  appearing  in  her  attainment  of  a  first 
grade  certificate  as  a  teacher.  In  1915,  the  Hoyne 
family  removed  from  the  farm  in  King  township  to 
Mcintosh,  where  they  have  erected  a  pleasant  home. 


A.  F.  CRONQUIST. 


A.  F.  Cronquist,  of  Erskine,  an  eminent  citizen  and 
cashier  of  the  Scandinavian  State  bank,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Knute  township  since  the  early  daj's  of 
its  settlement.  He  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  on 
March  10,  1866,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
sixteen  years  of  age.  He  lived  for  a  time  at  Minne- 
apolis and  later  at  Ellsworth,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
attended  the  public  schools.  In  1884  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  two  years  later  was  joined  by  his  mother, 
who  took  a  homestead  in  Knute  township,  two  miles 
west  of  the  present  site  of  Erskine.  This  farm  re- 
mained her  home  until  her  death  in  1913  and  then 
became  the  property  of  her  son.  When  thej'  located 
in  the  township,  it  was  in  the  early  stages  of  develop- 
ment, before  the  establishment  of  any  postofifiee  or 
business  enterprise  in  its  precincts.  Two  years  later, 
in  1888,  the  railroad  was  built  through  the  region  and 
George  Q.  Erskine,  who  was  then  president  of  the 
National  bank  at  Crookston,  purchased  the  homesteads 
of  Martin  Rathstock,  Mr.  Mitchell  and  Daniel  Cam- 
eron, a  pioneer  whose  name  is  given  to  one  of  the  local 
lakes,  and  platted  the  village  of  Erskine,  selling  the 
lots     privately.     Commercial     activity     immediately 


started  ou  the  town  site  and  one  of  the  first  projects 
was  a  general  store  opened  by  Eber  Cameron  on  what 
was  formerly  the  Cameron  land  and  is  now  the  loca- 
tion of  the  variety  store  on  the  corner  of  Vance  avenue 
and  the  railroad  right  of  way.  Other  enterprises 
were  the  hardware  store  of  Gilbertson  &  Espeseth  Co., 
where  the  first  postoffice  was  kept,  with  H.  T.  Gilbert- 
son  as  postmaster,  and  the  general  stores  operated  by 
0.  T.  Berge  and  Tollof  Torgeson.  A  hotel  was  opened 
by  G.  T.  Torgeson  and  about  a  year  later  a  second 
one  was  erected  on  the  present  site  of  the  Merchants 
hotel  by  0.  T.  Rovang.  Mr.  Cronquist  entered  upon  his 
business  career  in  early  manhood  and  .spent  eight 
years  in  Mcintosh,  employed  for  a  time  as  clerk  in  the 
J.  P.  Johnson  store  and  then  working  for  the  South- 
mayd  &  Balstad  company.  In  May,  1899,  he  re- 
turned to  Erskine  and  embarked  upon  his  successful 
career  in  the  financial  world,  establishing  a  private 
bank,  with  L.  Ellington,  of  Crook.ston,  president,  and 
Halvor  Steenerson,  vice-president.  A  bank  had  been 
started  two  years  previous  by  Frank  Drew  and  Ed 
Drew  of  Mcintosh  and  had  proved  an  unprofitable 
venture  and  had  been  closed,  but  the  Bank  of  Erskine, 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


247 


organized  by  Mr.  Cronquist,  met  with  steady  prosperity! 
and  growth  and  became  one  of  the  successful  banking 
institutions  of  the  county,    ilr.  Cronquist  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  its  management  and  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  township  as  cashier  for  thirteen 
years.     The  bank  had,  at  first,  occupied  the  building 
vacated  by  the  first  bank  and  was  later  removed  to  a 
building  erected  by  the  directors,  and  had  been  re- 
organized as  a  state  bank.     Under  the  able  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Cronquist  it  had  grown,  to  the  time  of  its 
sale  in  1912,  to  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,  with  deposits 
of  $170,000  and  loans  aggregating  $150,000.     During 
the  years  of  his  association  witli  tliat  institution  his 
able  services  as  cashier  had  won  him  a  wide  popularity 
in  the  section  and  soon  after  selling  the  bank,  upon 
the  urgency  of  his  many  fonner  patrons,  in  1913  he 
organized  the  Scandinavian  State  bank  of  Erskine, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,000  and  deposits  of  $85,000. 
Mr.  Cronquist  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier  and  has  been  largely  influential  in  its 
rapid   gro\vth  and   success.     Julius   Bradley  is   the 
president    of    the    board    of    directors,    with    Carl 
Christianson,  vice  president;  A.  F.  Cronquist,  cashier, 
and  I.   I.   Steenerson,   assistant  cashier.     The  other 
stockholders  are  D.  W.  Wheeler  of  St.  Paul  and  Carl 
Paulson.     Aside    from    his    financial    activities,    Mr. 
Cronquist  devotes  his  attention  to  the  direction  of  his 
farming    interests,    giving   the    same    keen    business 
ability  and  careful  study  to  all  phases  of  agricultural 
enterprise,  that  have  brought  him  success  in  com- 
mercial circles.     One  of  his  successful  experiments  in 
seeking  to  advance  the  efficiency  of  farming  methods 
is  known  as  the  cheap  man's  silo,  his  demonstration 
showing  that  the  stacking  of  green  corn  in  the  .same 
manner  as  in  silo  use  produces  an  ensilage  equal  to 


the  more  complicated  and  expensive  method.  The 
novelty  and  simpleness  of  this  idea  has  been  given 
much  favorable  comment  in  a  number  of  farm  pub- 
lications ajid  enthusiastically  received  on  its  presenta- 
tion at  various  conventions.  He  conducts  his  farming 
operations  on  the  old  homestead,  to  which  he  has 
added,  making  an  estate  of  three  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  which  he  has  equipped  with  good  modeim  build- 
ings. He  engages  in  diversified  farming  but  gives 
particular  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock  and  dairy- 
ing and  has  stocked  his  place  with  Red  Polled  cattle, 
Poland  China  hogs  and  Shropshire  sheep.  He  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  advancing  the  prosperity 
of  the  district  through  the  promotion  of  dairy  and 
drainage  projects  and  has  reclaimed  some  fifty  acres 
of  valuable  meadow  land  from  the  small  ponds  which 
were  on  his  land.  He  was  the  first  treasurer  of  the 
local  cooperative  creamery  and  continued  to  serve  as 
treasurer  and  director  for  twelve  years.  And  for  the 
same  length  of  time  gave  competent  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education  and  was  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  progress  of  school  organization  and  the 
erection  of  the  present  building.  He  has  been  twice 
honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  with  the  ofBce  of  mayor, 
his  election  effecting  the  elimination  of  the  liquor 
traffic  in  the  village.  Mr.  Cronquist  was  married  in 
September,  1889,  at  EllsM^orth,  Wisconsin,  to  Nellie 
Robbins,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  four  children  were 
born  to  them,  one  of  whom,  a  daughter,  died  in  her 
infancy.  The  family  are  Floyd  Clark,  Ruth  Marie, 
Vera  Irene  and  Bernice  Audria.  Mr.  Cronquist  and 
his  M'ife  are  active  supporters  and  faithful  members 
of  the  Rodness  Congregational  Lutheran  church,  five 
miles  west  of  Erskine. 


MARTIN  G.  PETERSON. 

Martin   G.   Peterson,   of  Fertile,   an  eminent  citi-  family  of  Nicolet  county.     His  parents  were  natives 

zen  and  leading  business  man  of  Polk  county,  has  of  Norway  and  crossed  the  ocean  to  this  country  on 

been  widely  identified  with  the  history  of  northern  the  Christina,  a  sailing  vessel,  that  was  thirteen  weeks 

Minnesota  and  is  a  member  of  a  well  knoAvn  pioneer  in  making  its  destination  and  it  was  during  this  voy- 


248 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


age  to  the  new  home,  on  May  17,  1854,  that  Martin 
Peterson  was  born.  A  brother  of  his  father  was  then 
living  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and  Gilbert  Peter- 
son set  out  with  his  family  for  that  place.  At  White- 
water they  reached  the  end  of  the  railroad  and  the 
father  continued  his  journey  on  foot  and  on  arriving 
in  Dane  county,  dispatched  Knute  Nelson,  now  U.  S. 
Senator,  with  a  wagon  to  convey  his  wife  and  four 
children.  This  wagon  was  of  home  manufacture, 
the  wheels  constructed  from  section  of  logs  and  was 
drawn  by  an  ox  team.  A  most  interesting  account 
of  the  trip  has  recently  been  recorded  by  Peter  Peter- 
son, the  eldest  son,  in  his  recollections  of  the  early 
days.  Peter  Peterson  and  Knute  Nelson  became  close 
companions  and  schoobnates  in  Wisconsin,  a  comrade- 
ship which  was  further  strengthened  during  the  trou- 
blous times  of  the  Civil  war,  and  has  continued 
throughout  the  various  experiences  of  their  busy 
careers.  Peter  G.  Peterson  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany H  of  the  Fourth  Minnesota  regiment  and  active 
service  in  important  campaigns  under  Grant  and 
Sherman.  In  1856  the  Peterson  family  removed  from 
Wisconsin  to  Minnesota,  making  the  trip  in  a  lum- 
ber wagon  with  oxen,  there  being  but  one  span  of 
liorses  in  the  party  which  included  seven  families. 
They  located  in  Nicollet  county,  where  Gilbert  Peter- 
son took  a  preemption  claim,  four  miles  north  of  the 
village  of  Nicollet  and  here  experienced  the  hard- 
ships and  triumphs  of  pioneer  life.  In  1862,  at  the 
time  of  the  Indian  outbreak,  all  the  settlers  in  this 
region  were  compelled  to  desert  their  homes  and 
crops  and  seek  refuge  at  St.  Peter.  Dui-ing  the  days 
of  organization  and  agricultural  development,  Gil- 
bert Peterson  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs 
and  served  in  various  offices.  His  death  occurred 
on  his  eighty-fifth  birthday,  on  the  old  homestead 
which  has  since  been  operated  by  Peter  G.  Peterson, 
who  like  his  father,  is  widely  known  in  the  public 
activities  of  the  county  and  served  as  township  clerk 
for  many  years.  IMartin  G.  Peterson  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  farm  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  countrj'  schools  and  later  spent  two  years 
studying  in  a  school  in  Illinois  and  in  Luther  col- 


lege at  Decorah,  Iowa.  His  marriage  to  Emily  Baker, 
who  was  born  in  Norway,  occurred  in  his  twenty- 
fifth  year  and  for  three  years  they  made  their  home 
on  the  Peterson  farm.  In  1882  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  took  land  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  seventeen  of  Garden  township,  eight  miles 
east  of  the  present  site  of  Fertile,  being  one  of  the 
early  homesteaders  to  settle  in  that  town.ship.  For 
the  ensuing  ten  years  he  gave  his  attention  to  the 
l)uilding  up  of  his  farm.  In  1892,  failing  health  de- 
manded the  cessation  of  such  arduous  labor  and  he 
sought  recuperation  during  the  winter  months  in 
Norway,  enjoying  the  mild  climate  of  the  west  coast. 
He  returned  to  his  farm  the  following  summer  and 
again  resumed  his  agricultural  pursuits  until  1898 
when  he  was  summoned  to  public  service  by  an  ap- 
pointment from  the  county  commissioners  to  the  of- 
fice of  county  treasurer,  filling  a  vacancy  occasioned 
by  defalcation.  Mr.  Peterson  had  previously  served 
as  township  clerk  and  chairman  of  the  township 
board  and  this  appointment  received  the  hearty  ap- 
proval of  his  fellow  citizens  as  was  evidenced  in  the 
next  two  elections  when  he  was  returned  to  the  office, 
serving  for  five  years  as  county  treasurer,  and  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  the  office  in  the  notably  capa- 
ble and  conscientious  manner  which  has  character- 
ized the  many  services  in  public  interest  of  his  busy 
career.  At  the  close  of  his  second  term,  in  January, 
1903,  he  located  in  Fertile  and  entered  the  commer- 
cial circles  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Nesseth  & 
Peterson,  dealers  in  flour  and  feed  and  agricultural 
implements  and  engaged  in  that  business  for  three 
years  when  he  returned  to  his  farm.  In  1905  he  again 
took  up  his  residence  in  Fertile  a.s  the  secretai-y  of 
the  Farmers  Mutual  Insurance  company.  This  com- 
pan.y,  which  is  one  of  the  most  thriving  co-operative 
enterprises  of  the  northwest  was  organized  in  1891 
in  the  interests  of  the  farmers  of  Polk  and  Norman 
counties,  by  O.  P.  Renne,  Hans  Nelson,  T.  H.  Nes- 
seth and  Martin  G.  Peterson  and  has  exceeded  all 
expectations  in  its  rapid  growth  and  prosperity.  It 
has  now  some  nine  hundred  policy  holders,  with  over 
one  and  a  half  millions  of  insurance  in  force.     The 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


249 


men  who  have  directed  its  affairs  so  successfully 
have  demanded  no  large  remuneration  for  their  work 
and  since  the  first  j'ear,  the  fees  on  policies  have  met 
all  the  expenses  of  operation.  I\Ir.  Peterson  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  company  since  its 
incorporation,  when  he  drafted  the  constitution  and 
by-laws  and  was  made  treasurer.  He  has  served 
almost  continuously  on  the  board  of  directors  and 
became  secretary  as  the  successor  of  Mr.  Nesseth, 
who  held  that  position  until  his  death.  Mr.  Peter- 
son retains  his  farm  interests  and  has  added  forty 
acres  to  his  original  quarter  section  in  Garden  town- 
ship and  is  further  associated  with  the  business 
activities  of  the  community  as  a  director  in  the  Farm- 
ers State  bank  at  Fertile.  His  influence  has  always 
been  a  potential  factor  in  the  broader  interests  of 
the  town  and  county  and  his  many  seiwices  have 
been  recognized  by  important  appointments  of  pub- 


lic trust  and  as  a  business  man,  public  official  or 
private  citizen,  his  career  has  been  mai'ked  by  hon- 
orable achievement  and  disinterested  enterprise.  He 
is  now  serving,  as  a  director  of  the  Batesta  Hospital 
association,  having  been  active  in  the  raising  of  funds 
for  the  erection  of  the  new  hospital  building  at 
Crookston,  and  as  vice  president  of  the  board  of  five 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  county  commission- 
ers to  build  and  operate  the  Polk  and  Norman 
counties  Tuberculosis  sanitarium,  which  is  now  under 
construction.  He  has  ever  been  a  leader  in  the 
political  arena  and  has  given  particularly  forceful 
support  to  the  temperance  cause.  As  vice  president 
of  the  Minnesota  Total  Abstainers  society  and  aa 
an  active  worker  in  the  educational  movement  fos- 
tered by  that  organization.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Liitheran  church. 


BEN  TYNDALL. 


Ben  Tyndall,  a  successful  farmer  of  Rosebud  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Wicklow,  Ireland,  May  8,  1844.  At 
twelve  years  of  age  he  went  to  sea  on  a  sailing  vessel 
that  traded  between  England  and  Guiana.  He  re- 
mained for  several  yeai-s  on  merchant  ships,  touching 
on  many  coasts  and  sailing  around  Cape  Horn.  When 
he  was  fifteen  yeai*s  old  he  enlisted  in  the  British 
navy  and  for  four  years  served  in  the  Mediterranean 
fleet.  The  years  spent  as  a  sailor  were  years  of  wide 
experience;  he  became  familiar  with  the  seaports  of 
the  world  and  acquired  the  hardy  training  and  love 
of  adventure  which  finally  sent  him  into  the  western 
world  to  win  a  home  from  the  wilderness.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1867  and  worked  in  the  lumber 
district  near  Chippewa  river  in  Wisconsin  for  a  year 
and  then  removed  to  Dodge  Center  in  Dodge  county, 
Minnesota.  Here  he  was  in  the  employ  of  T.  B. 
Walker  as  a  lumberman,  working  on  the  spring  drives 
on  Clearwater  river  and  driving  freight  from  Detroit, 
Minnesota,  to  the  Walker  camp.     After  living   for 

three  years  in  Becker  county,  near  Detroit,  he  located 
16 


in  Rosebud  township  in  1883,  filing  a  claim  on  a 
quarter  section  which  is  in  both  section  ten  and  section 
three.  The  land  was  covered  with  light  timber  and 
has  proven  exceptionally  fertile,  some  fields  having 
produced  wheat  for  twenty-seven  seasons  that  have 
been  very  rarelj^  successive.  Mr.  Tyndall  has  developed 
a  fine  farm  with  about  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
imder  cultivation  and  has  erected  good  buildings.  He 
has  taken  interest  in  providing  his  place  with  pleasant 
groves  of  box  elder  and  jack  pine  and  the  spruce 
trees  which  date  their  growth  from  the  4th  of  Novem- 
ber on  which  McKinley  was  elected  president.  The 
farm  is  conveniently  located  just  one  mile  east  of 
Fosston.  Mr.  Tyndall  has  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
grain  and  hay  and  is  now  devoting  some  attention  to 
the  breeding  of  Guernsey  cattle.  Mr.  Tyndall  is  not 
affiliated  with  any  political  organization  and  main- 
tains a  liberal  and  intelligent  outlook  on  questions  of 
public  import  and  was  one  of  the  first  voters  in  Rose- 
bud township.  Like  most  of  the  men  who  have  spent 
the  greater  part  of  their  lives  in  the  great  out  of 


250 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


doors,  he  is  a  huuter  and  fisherman.  Mr.  Tyudall 
was  married  at  Dodge  Center  to  Susan  Digby,  who 
is  a  native  of  England.  Nine  children  have  been  bom 
to  them,  six  of  whom  are  now  living:  Susan,  who 
married  William  Kent,  an  attorney  in  Chicago;  Ben, 
residing  in  Montana;  John,  living  in  Canada,  in 
Saskatchewan;  Arthur,  who  is  employed  as  an  elec- 


trician in  Alaska  by  a  big  power  company  of  British 
Columbia;  Martha,  the  wife  of  John  Dorsey,  who  is 
the  present  manager  of  Mr.  Tyndall  's  farm ;  and 
Fred,  who  is  located  in  Canada.  Throe  of  the  chil- 
dren died  at  early  ages,  one  in  infancy ;  a  son,  Wil- 
liam, at  Thief  River  Falls,  in  his  30th  year,  and 
another  son  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 


0.  T.  NELSON. 


0.  T.  Nelson,  a  well  known  business  man  of  the 
county,  has  been  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  hard- 
ware business  at  Gully  since  1910.  He  was  born  in 
Norway,  May  1,  1882,  the  son  of  Torger  and  Mary 
Nelson,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  country 
in  his  early  infancy.  Torger  Nelson  came  directly 
to  Crookston  from  his  native  land  and  in  the  same 
year,  1882,  took  a  homestead  near  Woodside,  in  Polk 
county,  and  as  a  worthy  pioneer  citizen  his  career  has 
been  identified  with  the  privations  and  failures,  the 
steady  development  and  ultimate  prosperity  of  the 
frontier  country.  On  the  claim  in  the  wilderness  he 
sturdily  encountered  all  the  hardships  of  the  times, 
with  one  particularly  harrowing  experience,  when 
his  wife  was  lost  for  two  days  in  the  surrounding 
forests,  the  sound  of  his  signaling  shots  finally  reach- 
ing her  in  her  wanderings.  After  about  six  years 
spent  on  this  tract  he  removed  to  Badger  township, 
locating  again  on  wild  land.  In  1892  he  sold  his  farm 
and  went  to  Crookston  and  invested  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness, and  in  the  following  year  suffered  the  total  loss 
of  his  property  by  a  fire,  from  which  his  young  son, 
O.  T.  Nelson,  narrowly  escaped,  being  rescued  by  a 
fireman.  For  a  time  this  disaster  brought  the  family 
to  most  straightened  circumstances,  from  which  enter- 
prise and  ambitious  efforts  .soon  rescued  them.  They 
made  their  home  in  a  shed  which  stood  at  the  rear 
of  the  former  hotel  structure,  and  Torger  Nelson 
secured  work  in  a  sawmiU,  and  his  wife  assisted  in  the 
rebuilding  of  their  resources.  With  thrifty  manage- 
ment in  a  few  years  he  accumulated  some  capital, 
and,  in  partnerehip  with  Severt  Henson,  started  a 


general  store  at  Erskine,  in  Polk  county,  meanwliile 
continuing  to  work  as  time  keeper  in  the  sawmill  at 
Crookston,  his  son,  0.  T.  Nelson,  looking  after  his 
mercantile    interests    in    Erskine.      This    enterprise 
proved  eminently  successful  and  enjoyed  an  extensive 
patronage,  dra,wing  trade  from  fifty  miles  or  more. 
Torger  Nelson  later  removed  to  Erskine,  and  through 
his  management  of  the  business  became  widely  known 
throughout  the  county.     He  remained  in  charge  of 
the  store   for  fifteen  years  and  then   retired    froju 
commercial    activities,    but    continues    to    reside    in 
Erskine,  where  he  has  been  associated  with  public 
affairs  as  township  assessor  and  member  of  the  school 
board.     Of  his  five  sons  four  are  now  living  and  two 
reside  in  Erskine;  Anton,  who  was  employed  for  a 
time  in  a  sawmill  and  is  now  rural  mail  carrier,  and 
Theodore,  who  is  cashier  of  the  First  State  bank  at 
Ei'skine.     Oscar  Nelson,  the  youngest  son,  has  held 
the  position  of  teller  in  the  Northern  National  bank 
at  Bermidji  for  several  years.     The  death  of  William 
Nelson  occurred  in  his  twenty-second  year,  September 
10,  1911,  at  Gull}'.     He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Dakota  and  was  a  student  in  the  second 
year  of  the  medical  course  at  the  state  university. 
0.   T.  Nelson  attended  the  high  school   at  Erskine^ 
meanwhile  giving  his  attention  to  his  father's  business 
interests  in  that  place  and  spending  his  vacations  at 
work  in  the  store.     He  then  became  tower  operator 
on   the   Soo  railroad   and   after   four  years  in   this 
position  made  his  first  independent  venture  in  the 
business  world,  opening  a  store  at  Pierz,  Minnesota, 
in  Morrison  county,  in  1907.     This  was  one  of  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


251 


older  towns  of  the  region  but  had  just  been  reached 
by  a  railroad  and  he  operated  the  only  exclusive 
hardware  business  in  the  town  for  three  years.  When 
the  Soo  road  was  built  to  Gully,  in  1910,  he  estab- 
lished his  present  hardware  and  furniture  business, 
being  the  first  merchant  to  sell  goods  on  the  new 
townsite.  He  was  also  the  first  to  bring  lumber  to 
the  site  and  in  September  of  that  year  began  the 
erection  of  a  warehouse  in  a  wheat  field  on  one  of  the 
streets  of  the  future  village.  All  the  previous  build- 
ing at  Gully  had  been  about  a  half  mile  distant  near 
the  location  of  the  Ohm  mills.  His  first  business 
operations  were  with  a  small  stock  and  meager  equip- 
ment, it  being  late  in  November  before  he  could  occupy 
his  atore  building.  The  I.  0.  Manger  Lumber  com- 
pany had  brought  lumber  to  the  place  and  several 
other  merchants  were  engaged  in  building.  Mr. 
Nelson  has  built  up  a  prosperous  and  steadily  growing 


trade  and  also  conducts  an  undertaking  business.  In 
his  hardware  department  he  employs  a  competent 
tinner  and  handles  contracts  for  roofing  and  cornice 
work,  beside  general  repair  work.  As  a  successful 
business  man  and  respected  citizen  Mr.  Nelson  is  and 
lias  always  been  associated  with  the  promotion  of  the 
best  interests  of  the  county  and  is  well  known  as  one 
of  the  j'ounger  and  a1)le  members  in  business  circles. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  secretary  of 
the  Commercial  club  of  Gully.  Mr.  Nelson  was  mar- 
ried January  30,  1907,  to  Margaret  Brogan,  who  was 
bom  at  EIroy,  Wisconsin.  Her  parents  died  in  her 
infancy  and  she  was  reared  by  a  sister,  receiving  her 
education  in  the  high  school  at  Ontonagon,  Michigan. 
She  entered  the  teaching  profession  and  pursued  a 
successful  career  as  a  teacher  for  some  time  and  was 
employed  in  the  schools  of  Clearwater  county, 
Minnesota. 


TOM  0.  SOLBERG. 


Tom  0.  Solberg,  a  prominent  fanner  of  Rosebud 
township,  has  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county  since 
1885.  In  1884  he  filed  on  a  homestead  claim  and  on 
July  4th  of  the  following  year  he  moved  on  this  land. 
Since  then  he  has  added  to  the  original  tract,  buying 
the  adjoining  uncultivated  land  at  a  maximum  price 
of  six  dollars  and  a  half  an  acre,  and  eighty  acres  of 
which  he  has  sold  for  twenty  dollars  an  acre.  His 
present  valuable  farm  property  of  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres  attests  to  the  thrifty  management  and 
unfailing  industry  of  Mr.  Solberg,  who  possesses  all 
the  sturdy  charactei-istics  of  the  men  who  wrestle  with 
the  wilderness  and  claim  it  for  civilization.  His  has 
been  the  laborious  task  of  clearing  this  tract  of  land 


and  developing  it  into  productive  fields.  He  has  en- 
gaged principally  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  cattle, 
breeding  blooded  stock.  He  keeps  a  number  of  dairy 
cows  and  finds  this  a  lucrative  enterprise.  Some  low 
land  has  been  reclaimed  by  ditching  and  the  farm  is 
equipped  with  good  buildings,  the  pleasant  home  being 
rendered  the  more  attractive  by  its  well  chosen  situa- 
tion. Mr.  Solberg  was  married  at  Fergus  Falls, 
Minnesota,  to  Julia  Nelson,  and  they  have  eight 
children :  Fred  and  Arthur,  who  are  farmers  near 
Max,  North  Dakota ;  Tillie,  the  wife  of  Martin  Hanson 
of  Stanley,  North  Dakota;  Bertha  A.,  who  is  a  teacher 
in  the  Polk  county  schools,  and  Elmer,  Clifford,  Mabel 
and  Walter,  who  remain  in  the  home. 


OSCAR  THOR. 


Oscar  Thor,  of  Gully,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  was  employed  in  that  work  in   Sweden  until   1900, 

Melbo  Mercantile  company,  was  born  in  Sweden,  May  when  he   came  to   Stillwater,   Minnesota,   where   an 

4,  1882.     He  was  reared  in  his  native  land  and  ap-  uncle,  J.  F.  Thoreen,  a  railroad  contractor,  resided, 

prenticed  himself  to  the  trade  of  butter-making  and  He  resided  at  that  place  for  six  months  and  then 


252 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


removed  to  Polk  county  and  continued  to  be  employed 
as  a  butter-maker  in  Polk  county,  Todd  county  and 
other  localities  for  some  years.  Wlicn  the  Soo  rail- 
road was  built  through  Gully,  J.  F.  Thoreen  handled 
the  contract  for  the  construction  of  several  miles  of 
the  road  bed  and  became  interested  with  H.  H.  Melbo, 
a  pioneer  merchant  of  that  region,  in  the  organization 
of  the  Melbo  Mercantile  company  and  persuaded  Mr. 
Thor  to  become  a  stockholder  and  to  become  active 
in  its  management  as  the  representative  of  both  their 
interests.  The  company  was  incorporated  in  1910, 
and  in  the  same  year  Mr.  Thor  located  in  Gully  and 
has  since  been  identified  with  the  extensive  and  pros- 


perous operations  of  the  corporation  as  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Though  .still  in  the  inception  of  his  busi- 
ness career,  he  has  proven  himself  eminently  fitted  for 
successful  accomplishment  as  an  enterprising  and 
progressive  merchant.  He  has  been  associated  with 
the  growth  and  general  welfare  of  the  town  in  which 
he  lives  through  able  and  public  spirited  co-operation 
in  community  interests,  and  as  clerk  of  the  school 
board  was  actively  identified  with  the  erection  of 
the  new  school  house  at  Gully.  Mr.  Thor  was  married 
February,  1906,  to  Nellie  0.  Ramstad  of  Todd  county, 
Minnesota,  and  they  have  one  son,  Clifford  Thor. 


BERT  D.  KECK. 


This  gentleman,  who  is  the  leading  architect  in 
Polk  county  and  resides  in  Crookston,  has  erected 
many  monuments  to  his  .skill  and  excellent  taste  and 
judgment  in  the  Northwest  and  is  still  carrying  on 
an  extensive  business  in  his  chosen  profession.  He 
is  a  native  of  Louisa  county,  Iowa,  where  his  life 
began  in  1876.  In  the  year  1877  his  parents  moved 
to  Mercer  county,  Illinois.  His  parents,  Frederick 
and  Susana  (Harvey)  Keck,  were  pioneers  in  Iowa, 
the  father  having  driven  from  Ohio  to  that  state  by 
ox  team  about  the  year  1850  and  entered  a  homestead 
in  the  wilderness.  He  was  born  in  Germany  and  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  pai'ents  in  1838,  his 
father  having  been  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in 
this  country.  The  mother  of  Bert  D.  Keck  was  born 
of  English  parentage.  She  and  her  hu.sband  died  in 
Illinois,  where  they  lived  for  many  years. 

Bert  D.  Keck  grew  to  manhood  in  Mercer  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  obtained  his  elementary  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  higli  school  at  Aledo,  Illi- 
nois. He  afterward  pursued  a  course  of  special  and 
more  advanced  instruction  under  the  tutorage  of 
prominent  architects  of  the  country  and  by  his 
studious  efforts  completing  his  preparation  for  his 
life  work  through  post  gi'aduate  courses  in  spe- 
cial   lines    of    architectural    teaching.      In    1902    he 


became  a  resident  of  Crookston,  where  he  at  once 
opened  an  oflSce  and  l>egan  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession.  To  this  he  has  ever  since  been  sedulou,sly 
devoted,  doing  his  work  in  a  way  to  win  general 
commendation  and  getting  plenty  of  it  to  keep  him 
steadily  occupied. 

Mr.  Keck  designed  the  Carnegie  Library,  the  new 
high  school  building,  the  Franklin  school  building, 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  and  the  new  armory, 
in  Crookston,  the  Cathedral  of  the  Emaculate  Concep- 
tion, the  parochial  school,  many  stoi'e  and  office  build- 
ings and  fine  residences  which  are  among  the  most 
modem  and  satisfactory  structures  for  their  several 
purposes  in  the  Northwest.  He  has  also  designed  and 
superintended  the  erection  of  many  school  buildings, 
lianks,  residences  and  stores  in  North  Dakota,  and 
a  number  of  school  and  other  buildings  in  parts  of 
ilinnesota  outside  of  Polk  county. 

In  fraternal  life  Mr.  Keck  is  a  member  of  the 
]\rasonie  order,  including  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and 
holds  the  rank  of  past  commander  in  the  Knights 
Templar  branch  of  the  fraternity.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Order  of  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  In  religious  affiliation  he  is 
connected  with  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
socially  he  is  president  of  the  Crookston  Automobile 


BERT  D.  KECK 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


253 


club.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  but  not  an  active 
partisan,  and  has  never  held,  sought  or  desired  a  pub- 
lic office.     He  was  married  in  1901  to  Miss  Elsa  M. 


Hansen,  of  Jamestown,  New  York.  They  have  two 
children,  their  daughter  Madeline  and  their  son  Kon- 
rad  M. 


A.  STARK. 


A.  Stark,  cashier  of  the  First  State  bank  at  Gully 
and  an  influential  citizen  of  that  place,  is  a  native  of 
Sweden,  born  September  12,  1883,  and  was  brought 
to  this  country  in  his  eai'ly  childhood  by  his  parents, 
who  located  in  Mille  Lacs  county,  Minnesota,  which 
continues  to  be  their  home.  Mr.  Stark  was  reared 
in  that  county  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  teaching  profession  and  after 
three  years  came  to  Polk  county,  accepting  a  position 
in  a  school  near  Mentor  which  he  shortly  after  resigned 
to  enter  upon  his  successful  business  career  as  assist- 
ant cashier  in  the  bank  at  Mentor,  of  which  A.  D. 
Stephens  of  Crookston  Avas  president.  Since  that 
time  Mr.  Stark  has  continued  to  be  associated  with 
the  banking  institutions  of  the  county,  his  able 
achievements  in  this  field  earning  him  rapid  promo- 
tion and  recognition.  After  two  and  a  half  years 
in  the  bank  at  Mentor  he  was  employed  in  banks  at 
Hallock,  Minnesota,  and  in  Bottineau  county,  North 
Dakota,  spending  a  year  in  each  place  and  in  Sep- 


tember, 1910,  came  to  Gully.  The  First  State  bank 
was  incorporated  in  that  year,  with  L.  C.  Simons  as 
president  and  Mr.  Stark  was  made  cashier,  and  in 
this  capacity  has  been  identified  with  its  notable 
progress  and  prosperous  activities  and  has  devoted 
every  effort  and  interest  to  the  promotion  of  its 
enterprise.  He  is  now  the  only  one  of  the  original 
stockholders  actively  associated  with  the  bank.  A.  D. 
Stephens  is  president  of  the  insrt;itution.  Aside  from 
his  business  operations  Mr.  Stark  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  every  matter  of  public  import  and  is  an  enthusi- 
astic promoter  of  the  general  welfare  and  growth  of 
the  town  in  which  he  lives.  As  a  member  of  the  school 
board  he  has  given  valuable  service  and  was  largely 
influential  in  securing  the  new  school  building,  in 
which  two  teachers  are  employed  with  eighty  pupils 
in  attendance.  Mr.  Stark  was  married  at  Middle 
River,  Minnesota,  on  September  21,  1910,  to  Elvina 
Olson. 


JAMES  E.  CAMPBELL. 


James  E.  Campbell,  a  successful  business  man  of 
Fosston  and  senior  member  of  the  livery  firm  of 
Campbell  &  Son,  was  bom  in  Portage  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, November  10,  1855.  His  father,  James  V.  Camp- 
bell, was  for  many  years  a  well  known  citizen  of  Ada, 
Minnesota,  where  he  was  a  dealer  in  agricultural  im- 
plements. He  was  actively  interested  in  political 
affairs  as  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  and 
served  as  postmaster  during  the  presidential  teimis  of 
Harrison  and  Roosevelt.  He  retired  from  the  office 
in  1906  and  removed  to  Crookston,  and  in  March  of 
the  following  year  his  death  occurred  in  Ada.  James 
E.  Campbell  came  to  Minnesota  in  1878  and  engaged 


in  the  livery  business  in  Ada  for  a  number  of  years. 
For  thirty-seven  years  he  has  been  extensively  iden- 
tified with  the  lively  and  horse  trade  of  northern 
Minnesota,  shipping  many  carloads  of  horses  annually 
and  doing  his  buying  for  the  most  part  in  South 
Dakota.  In  1889  he  located  in  Fosston,  where  he  has 
operated  a  profitable  livery  business,  to  which  he 
added,  in  1909,  a  garage  and  automobile  service.  In 
1915  he  erected  the  present  garage,  which  is  con- 
structed to  accommodate  every  modern  improvement 
and  ample  equipment.  It  is  a  large  cement  building 
with  a  pressed  brick  and  plate  glass  front  and  a  tru.ss 
roof  which  leaves  the  interior  free  of  impeding  sup- 


254 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ports.  He  transacts  a  large  business  and  canies  a 
full  line  of  automobile  supplies  and  is  local  agent  for 
the  Ford  and  Buick  companies.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a 
member  of  the  Republican  party  and  a  zealous 
supporter  of  its  interests.  He  has  been  actively  asso- 
ciated with  public  affairs  in  official  capacity,  serving 
as  deputy  sheriff  of  Norman  county  for  twelve  years ; 
four  years  under  E.  T.  Salverson,  who  was  a  county 
commissioner  in  Polk  county  before  the  organization 
of  Norman  county,  and  for  two  terms  under  Knut 
Lee.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the  city  council 
and  has  been  elected  to  the  office  of  mayor  a  number 
of  times.  As  mayor  he  rendered  the  city  valuable 
service  in  promoting  and  capably  managing  the  in- 


stallation of  the  city  water  works  and  electric  light 
plant.  His  marriage  to  Helen  M.  Richmond  occurred 
in  Portage  county,  Wisconsin,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Frank  Raymond,  who  has  been  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  livery  and  garage  business  for  eight 
yeai-s.  Frank  R.  Campbell  was  born  at  Ada,  Minne- 
sota, in  December,  1886,  and  reared  in  Fosston,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools.  After  graduating 
from  high  school  he  entered  the  business  college  at 
Fargo,  North  Dakota.  He  was  married  to  Alice  Cor- 
son of  Ada,  Minnesota,  and  they  have  two  children, 
James  and  Helen  Elva.  He  is  one  of  the  popular 
young  business  men  of  Fosston  and  unlike  his  father 
is  an  ardent  sportsman  and  hunter. 


JOHN  A.  FLESCH. 


John  A.  Flesch,  a  pioneer  farmer  and  eminent  citi- 
zen of  Rosebud  township,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  the  Thirteen  Towns  in  1878,  and  has  been  promi- 
nently and  actively  identified  with  the  history  of  the 
development  of  this  section  of  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  Germany,  December  12,  1838,  and  when 
twelve  years  of  age  accompanied  his  parents  to  the 
United  States.  After  a  number  of  years  .spent  on 
their  farm  near  Fond  du  Lac,  "Wisconsin,  he  came  to 
Steams  county,  Minnesota,  shortly  before  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  Company  G 
of  the  Ninth  Minnesota  regiment  and  gave  valiant 
service  during  three  years  of  the  great  struggle.  He 
was  made  a  corporal  in  his  company  and  received 
his  honorable  discharge  in  1865.  When  the  Thirteen 
Towns  was  first  opened  for  settlement  in  1878  he  was 
one  of  the  eight  men  who  took  claims  at  that  time. 
For  several  years  previous  he  had  been  living  in 
Douglas  county  and  he  was  accompanied  from  there 
to  Polk  county  by  Herman  Eikens  and  Edward  La 
Bree,  who  located  on  land  adjoining  his.  Mr.  Eikens 
is  still  living  on  his  homestead,  which  is  separated 
from  the  Flesch  farm  by  a  small  lake,  small  enough' 
to  carry  across  the  sounds  of  friendly  voices  in  the 
pioneer   days   of  wilderness  and   few  settlers.     Mr. 


Flesch  located  on  sections  nineteen  and  twenty  of  what 
is  now  Rosebud  township,  five  miles  southwest  of 
Fosston,  and  was  the  first  homesteader  to  file  his  claim 
at  Detroit  City,  which  was  over  fifty  miles  distant 
and  was  the  nearest  trading  place  for  this  region.  In 
the  same  year  the  land  was  withdrawn  from  the 
market  and  was  not  reopened  until  188.3,  when  it  was 
rapidly  settled.  Although  it  was  uncertain  that  the 
land  would  again  be  opened,  Mr.  Flesch  set  about  the 
clearing  and  improving  of  his  farm  and  forsaking 
the  temporary  shelter  of  the  pioneers  in  tents  and 
wagons,  erected  the  first  house  in  the  Thirteen  Towns, 
on  section  nineteen.  This  house  played  an  important 
part  in  the  early  histoiy  of  the  township,  sheltering 
the  first  store,  the  first  school  house  and  first  post- 
office  in  the  Thirteen  Towns.  A  small  store  was 
started  here  by  a  half  breed  and  he  was  succeeded 
by  Mr.  Foss,  who  operated  a  store  and  the  postoffice 
of  Fosston  until  1884,  when  he  removed  to  a  location 
on  the  railroad,  the  present  site  of  Fosston.  Mr. 
Hansen  then  had  the  store  on  the  Flesch  farm,  and 
the  postoffice  of  Hansville.  With  the  high  ideals  and 
native  culture  of  the  men  who  founded  our  western 
civilization,  Mr.  Flesch  gave  every  effort  to  the  early 
establishment  of  educational  and  religious  activities. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


255 


In  1883  a  school  was  organized  and  housed  on  his 
land  with  A.  D.  Wishard  as  teacher.  John  Newton 
next  presided  over  the  school  and  it  was  later  made  a 
district  school  and  a  log  school  house  built  two  miles 
distant.  Mr.  Flesch  did  not  allow  the  laxity  of 
frontier  life  to  affect  the  strictness  of  his  religious 
observances,  and  he  was  instrumental  in  the  building 
of  the  Catholic  church  at  Hansville,  where  Father 
Simon  officiated  for  a  number  of  years,  the  settlers 
bringing  him  for  the  services,  in  the  early  days,  from 
his  mission  church  on  Rice  river.  He  is  now  in 
Cloquet  and  since  1908  the  church  at  Hansville  has 
been  served  from  Crookston.  Mr.  Flesch  has  devoted 
the  best  part  of  his  life  to  the  building  up  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  and  has  given  his  faith- 
ful  and  generous  support  to  the  advancement  of  its 
welfare.  At  the  time  of  the  second  opening  of  the 
land  he  located  a  number  of  the  permanent  settlers 
and  has  always  been  active  in  the  administration  of 
township  affairs  and  a  member  of  the  township  and 
school  boards,  although  he  has  avoided  county  offices 
and  political  honors,  preferring  the  unobtrusive 
service  of  responsible  and  intelligent  citizenship.  At 
the  organization  of  the  township  it  was  he  who  gave 
it  the  name  of  ' '  Rosebud, ' '  prompted  by  the  thought 


of  the  wild  flowers  which  had  adorned  the  native 
wilderness  and  by  the  name  of  the  first  child  born 
in  the  township.  Rose  Eikens.  In  1897  he  retired 
from  his  farm,  and  it  is  now  owned  by  John  A. 
Newton,  who  married  his  daughter,  Mary.  Mr.  Flesch 
was  married  in  Stearns  county,  at  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war,  to  Susanna  Rodstine,  who,  like  her  husband, 
was  a  native  of  Germany.  Her  death  occurred  in 
January,  1910.  A  family  of  one  son  and  five  daughters 
were  born  to  this  union:  Barney;  Lena,  the  wife 
of  Matt  Brink,  of  Frazee,  Minnesota;  Mary,  who 
married  John  Newton  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead ; 
Kate,  who  now  resides  at  Funkley,  Minnesota ;  Libbie, 
the  wife  of  Dick  "Walker,  of  Floodwood,  Minnesota; 
and  Laura,  the  wife  of  Pete  Stotrun,  of  Funkley, 
Minnesota.  Despite  the  restricted  advantages  of 
pioneer  life  Mr.  Flesch  reared  a  family  of  charm  and 
culture  and  marked  intellectual  ability.  Mr.  Flesch 
is  that  type  of  man  and  citizen  whose  influence  and 
efforts  are  largely  interwoven  into  the  life  of  a  com- 
munity. Possessed  of  great  natural  ability  and  strong 
personality,  alert  and  progressive  in  all  his  views,  he 
enjoys  the  high  esteem  and  regard  of  all  and  still 
exerts  the  attractive  companionability  which  made  his 
home  the  social  gathering  place  of  the  district. 


EMANUEL  PEDERSON. 


Emanuel  Pederson,  a  successful  farmer  of  Brands- 
void  township,  was  born  in  Norway,  May  20,  1855. 
When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  sea  on  a 
ship  carrying  a  cargo  of  coal  and  grain  from  Holland 
to  England.  He  was  seven  months  on  his  first  voyage, 
sailing  into  the  Baltic  before  returning  to  Holland. 
He  next  served  on  a  Norwegian  vessel  engaged  in  the 
Baltic  lumber  trade,  loading  lumber  from  Scandinavia 
for  Russia.  For  ten  years  he  worked  as  a  sailor, 
sailing  on  a  number  of  different  ships  and  visiting 
many  ports,  crossing  the  ocean  several  times  to  New 
York  and  Baltimore.  During  these  years  of  hard  and 
continuous  labor  he  did  not  share  in  the  improvident, 
adventuring  spirit  of  the  average  sailor  but  saved  his 


earnings  and  centered  his  ambitious  upon  acquiring 
land  of  his  own  in  some  good  agricultural  region.  He 
came  to  Minnesota  to  join  an  uncle  living  in  Otter- 
tail  county,  who  had  sent  for  him,  offering  to  make 
him  his  heir.  After  two  years  in  Ottertail  county 
he  went  to  Polk  county,  and  in  the  fall  of  1883  filed 
his  claim  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  eighteen 
in  Brandsvold  township.  In  the  following  year  he 
began  to  develop  his  farm ;  his  first  house  was  a  small 
shanty,  but  was  soon  replaced  by  a  comfortable 
dwelUng  place.  He  has  built  up  a  good  farm  by 
thrifty  and  able  management,  with  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  under  cultivation,  and  engages  in  diver- 
sified farming.     His  farm  is  well  stocked  and  he  keeps 


256 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


a  herd  of  dairy  cows,  selling  cream  to  the  cooperative 
creamery  at  Mcintosh.  The  Pederson  place  is  con- 
veniently located  four  miles  west  of  ilclntosh  and  a 
little  over  six  miles  northwest  of  Fosston.  Mr.  Peder- 
son spent  three  years  in  Canada,  leaving  his  farm  in 
charge  of  his  sons,  and  took  a  claim  there,  which  he 
now  owns.  He  also  assisted  his  sons,  Ingewald 
Pederson  and  Edward  Pederson,  to  secure  Canadian 
land.  Since  the  first  election  held  in  Brandsvold 
to\vnship  he  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
public  interests  and  gave  efficient  service  in  the  oftice 
of  supervisor  for  twelve  j-ears.  His  marriage  to  Maria 
Wick  took  place  in  Ottertail  county  in  1885.     She 


is  a  native  of  Norwaj',  born  in  1867,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  the  same  year  that  her  hu.sband  did.  They 
have  nine  children :  Cecilia,  wife  of  Ben  Norgaard, 
of  Eden  township;  Ingewald  and  Edward,  who  are 
farmers  in  Sa.skatchewan,  and  also  in  charge  of  their 
father's  land  there;  luga,  who  keeps  house  for  her 
brother  Edward ;  Conrad  and  Melvin,  who  assist  their 
father  in  the  management  of  the  home  place;  Elmer, 
living  with  his  brothers  in  Canada ;  Hjalmar  and 
Hilda.  Mr.  Pederson  is  a  faithful  supporter  and  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  the  Kingu  Lutheran  church 
at  Fosston. 


RICHARD  OHM. 


Richard  Ohm,  of  Gull}',  a  well  known  miller  and 
citizen  of  that  township,  is  one  of  the  pioneer  business 
men  of  the  county,  having  been  employed  in  milling 
operations  here  since  1881.  He  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  in  Brandenburg,  December  3,  1861.  He 
was  apprenticed  to  the  miller's  trade  and  lived  in  tlie 
fatherland  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  Crookston, 
Minnesota,  August  15,  1881.  His  first  position  was 
with  his  uncle.  Otto  Kankel,  in  the  construction  and 
equipment  of  a  buhrstone  mill  at  Fertile,  which  Mr. 
Ohm  operated  after  its  completion.  After  about  a 
year  and  a  half  there  he  went  to  Norman  count}'  and 
operated  a  mill  for  Mr.  Sohler  and  Mr.  Kankel,  and 
after  running  it  for  a  time  rented  it  until  1885,  when 
he  bought  it,  paying  $6,000  for  the  plant.  During 
the  five  years  of  his  able  management  of  this  invest- 
ment he  cleared  the  property  of  the  debt  incurred  by 
the  purchase  and  then  returned  to  Polk  county,  bouglit 
a  mill  at  Thief  River  Falls,  in  partnership  with  R.  R. 
Jacklin ;  this  was  a  small  steam  mill.  The  railroad 
had  not  yet  reached  the  town  and  the  business  por- 
tion consisted  of  a  hotel  and  a  few  stores,  and  after 
two  years  here  Mr.  Ohm  moved  his  machinery  to 
Terreboime,  also  in  the  first  days  of  its  development. 
He  had  previously  dissolved  partnership   with   Mr. 


Jacklin  and  was  associated  in  the  new  project  with 
two  cousins,  conducting  a  profitable  business  here 
until  1899.  Meanwhile,  on  a  trip  over  the  county, 
he  liad  passed  through  the  old  reservation  land  opened 
for  settlement  in  1896  and  had  noted  the  prospective 
agi'icultural  activity  as  contributing  to  an  advanta- 
geous location  for  a  mill,  and  in  1899  sold  his  former 
interests  and  located  in  Gully  township.  He  had  a 
capital  of  $6,700  to  promote  the  new  enterprise,  but 
expended  $9,500  in  the  ei-ection  and  equipment  of 
his  mills,  a  custom  and  merchant  mill,  with  full  roller 
process  and  a  capacity  of  seventy-five  barrels.  His 
excellent  modern  equipment  and  marked  business 
ability  have  won  the  Gully  Flour  Mills  a  large 
patronage  and  steadily  growing  prosperity.  He 
handles  only  home  grown  wheat.  When  the  Soo  rail- 
road was  built  through  this  section  he  gave  his  support 
to  the  organization  of  a  town  and  sold  forty  acres  of 
land  to  the  town  site  company  and  has  continued  to 
be  interested  in  the  growth  of  Gully,  although  ho  does 
not  live  in  the  village,  his  home  being  near  the  mills, 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  village.  He  has 
cleared  some  thirty  acres  of  his  land.  Mr.  Ohm  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs  since  his  resi- 
dence in  the  township  and  gave  valuable  service  as 
treasurer  for  a  number  of  years,  and  for  eight  years 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


257 


was  the  clerk  of  the  school  board.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  fraternal  order  of  Modern  Woodmen  at 
Red  Lake  Falls.  He  takes  his  occasional  recreation 
in  his  favorite  out-of-door  sports,  enjoying  fishing  and 
hunting.  Mr.  Ohm  was  married  in  1883  to  Lena 
Norby  of  Faith,  Norman  county,  Minnesota,  and 
eleven  children  have  been  bom  to  them :     Pauline, 


M'ho  married  Elmer  Goodrich  and  lives  in  Canada ; 
Otto;  Walter,  associated  with  his  father  in  the  mill; 
Clara,  now  residing  in  Canada ;  Hattie,  who  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Central  Telephone  company  for 
several  years  and  is  now  at  the  home  in  Gully;  and 
Richard,  Ruth,  Charley,  Roy  Eveline  and  Florence, 
all  of  whom  are  living  with  their  parents. 


A.  P.  HANSON. 


A.  P.  Hanson,  of  Fertile,  cashier  of  the  Citizens 
State  bank  of  that  place,  was  born  in  Denmark,  March 
31,  1855,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869  with 
his  parents,  who  were  pioneer  farmers  in  Ottertail 
county,  Minnesota,  where  their  homestead  was  located 
near  Fergus  Falls.  Mr.  Hanson  remained  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  secured 
a  clerking  position  in  St.  Paul  and  was  employed  in 
that  work  for  several  years,  in  St.  Paul  and  later  in 
Fergus  Falls.  In  1878  he  came  to  Polk  county,  and  as 
one  of  the  substantial  and  influential  pioneer  citizens 
of  the  county  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
development  of  its  resources  and  the  notable  progress 
made  within  its  borders.  His  first  activity  in  the 
financial  field  was  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Merchants 
National  bank  at  Crookston.  His  ability  has  been 
recognized  by  steady  promotion  through  the  many 
successful  accomplishments  of  his  career,  and  after 
six  years  spent  in  the  position  of  bookeeper  he  became 
the  assistant  cashier  of  the  Scandinavian  American 


bank  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  sixteen  years. 
He  removed  to  Fertile  in  May,  1904,  and  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Citizens  State  bank,  in  December 
of  the  same  year  becoming  its  cashier.  As  business 
man  and  citizen  Mi\  Hanson  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  associates,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  has  been  actively  influential  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  new  high  school  building.  He  is  further 
identified  with  the  interests  of  the  section  as  the 
owner  of  farm  lands  near  Fertile.  In  fraternal  cir- 
cles he  is  allied  with  the  Masonic  chapter  at  Crooks- 
ton  and  is  a  member  of  the  IMinnesota  Bankers' 
association.  Mr.  Hanson  was,  in  1869,  married  to 
Miss  Christine  Charlotte  Jacobson  of  St.  Paul  and 
they  have  four  daughters :  Elene  C,  who  is  engaged 
in  teaching  in  the  schools  at  Sanger,  California;  Cora 
E.,  the  wife  of  L.  R.  Clements,  of  Ormond,  Florida; 
Mabel  G.,  who  is  studying  music  in  Northwestern 
University,  and  Gertrude  F.,  at  home. 


HANS  PAULSRUD. 


Hans  Paulsrud,  cashier  of  the  Farmers  State  bank 
at  Fertile,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  bora  July  8,  1866. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  land,  making 
his  home  there  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  Sweden  and  for  three  years  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  a  store.  He  then  returned  to  Norway 
and  remained  there  until  1889,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  joined  his  brother,  Anton  Paulsrud, 
in  Crookston,  where  the  latter  had  settled  about  a  year 


previously.  For  a  time  Hans  Paulsrud  worked  on  the 
farm  which  was  owned  at  that  time  by  Sheriff  Pauls- 
rud, meanwhile  attending  the  schools  at  Crookston 
and  fitting  himself  for  wider  activities  in  his  adopted 
country.  In  the  spring  of  1890  he  came  to  Fertile 
and  secured  a  clerical  position  with  the  banking  firm 
of  Mathews  &  Company  and  has  since  devoted  his 
career  to  the  banking  business,  attaining  noteworthy 
siiccess  in  all  his  operations  and  meriting  the  eonfi- 


258 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


dence  and  esteem  of  all  bis  associates.  When  the  First 
State  bank  was  organized  as  the  successor  of  the  old 
company  Mr.  Paulsrud  was  made  the  assistant  cashier 
and  continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  through  the 
subsequent  change  in  the  organization  to  the  First 
National.  In  1912  he  assisted  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Farmers  State  bank  and  was  appointed  cashier. 
He  has  since  devoted  every  effort  to  the  interests 
of  this  bank,  which  has  enjoyed  marked  success  and 
prosperity.  The  bank  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
of  $25,000  and  occupies  a  fine  modern  building  which 
not  only  affords  every  accommodation  for  its  business 


interests  but  is  a  notable  addition  to  the  superior 
architectural  possessions  of  Fertile  "s  business  sec- 
tion, occupying  a  prominent  site  on  the  main  street 
of  the  town.  Mr.  Paulsrud  is  actively  associated  with 
affairs  of  public  moment  and  has  given  able  service 
as  village  treasurer.  His  marriage  to  Gerda  John- 
son occurred  in  Fertile.  She  is  a  native  of  Sweden, 
the  daughter  of  John  Mattson,  who  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Polk  county  until  his  death.  Mr.  Paulsrud  and 
his  wife  have  a  family  of  three  daughters  and  one  son, 
Anna,  John,  Hilda  and  Agnes. 


ALBERT  0.  GULLICKSON. 


Albert  0.  GuUickson,  of  Fertile,  vice  president  of 
the  Farmers  State  bank  and  a  prominent  business 
man  of  the  county,  was  bom  in  Allamakee  county, 
Iowa,  March  24,  1875,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Gar- 
field township  since  his  early  childhood.  His  father, 
Hans  A.  GuUickson,  was  bom  in  Norway  and  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents  when  five 
years  of  age,  the  family  being  among  the  first  of  their 
countrymen  to  emigrate  to  this  country.  Hans  Gul- 
lickson  was  married  in  Iowa  to  Mary  Christianson, 
who  like  her  husband  was  a  native  of  Norway,  and  in 
1880  they  came  to  Polk  county  and  were  pioneer  set- 
tlers in  Garfield  township,  where  Hans  Gullicksou 
took  a  homestead  claim  in  sections  eleven  and  four- 
teen, some  three  miles  east  of  the  present  site  of  Fer- 
tile. Here  he  experienced  all  the  arduous  labor  and 
privations  of  the  farmer  in  a  new  country.  His  en- 
tire capital  was  represented  in  a  team  of  oxen  and  a 
few  head  of  stock  and  the  tract,  being  covered  with 
timber,  required  some  time  in  preparing  it  for  culti- 
vation. During  the  first  seasons  he  worked  in  the 
harvest  fields  and  then  devoted  his  attention  to  his 
prospering  farming  operations  and  put  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  his  two  hundred  and  forty 
acre  farm  under  cultivation.  He  became  a  well 
known  citizen  of  that  section  and  was  active  in  all 
public  interests,  serving  on  the  township  board  and 


was  prominently  associated  with  the  organization  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  which  was  erected  on  the  home- 
stead of  the  father  of  his  wife,  Ole  Christianson,  in 
section  fourteen  of  Garfield  township.  Mr.  Chris- 
tianson lived  on  his  homestead  until  his  death  in  1909, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His  son,  Ole  Chris- 
tiansen, is  now  a  resident  of  Crookston.  The  GuUick- 
son home  was  on  the  land  in  section  fourteen,  on  the 
banks  of  Sand  Hill  river  and  here  the  death  of  Hans 
GuUickson  occurred  in  his  fifty-eighth  year,  in  June, 
1907.  His  wife  survives  him  and  continues  to  make 
her  home  on  the  farm  with  her  daughter,  Viola  Gul- 
licksou, and  the  three  sons,  Carl  GuUickson,  Orton 
GuUickson  and  Melvin  GuUickson,  who  operate  the 
estate.  The  other  members  of  the  family  of  nine 
children  are  Albert  0.,  Martin,  a  former  Polk  county 
teacher,  who  has  held  positions  in  a  number  of  Min- 
nesota schools  and  is  now  principal  of  the  schools  at 
Atwater,  Minnesota;  John,  who  taught  for  a  time  in 
Polk  county  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  at  Great  Falls,  Minnesota ;  Otto,  associated  with 
Albert  0.  GuUickson  in  the  mercantile  business,  and 
Robert,  a  farmer  in  Garfield  township.  Albert  0. 
GuUickson  grew  to  manhood  on  the  homestead,  en- 
gaging in  farming  until  1904  when  he  began  his 
commercial  activities,  forming  a  partnership  with 
T.  H.  Nesseth  and  buying  the  interests  of  Martin  G. 


ED.  ilOSSEFIN 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


259 


Peterson  in  the  agricultural  implemeut  business. 
After  ten  years  of  successful  business  operations,  the 
firm  was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Nesseth,  Mr. 
Gullickson  buying  his  interests  of  the  heirs  and  be- 
coming sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  He  conducts 
an  extensive  trade  in  all  lines  of  farm  machinery  and 
implements,  handling  silos,  windmills  and  engines 
and  also  engages  in  the  flour  and  feed  business.  His 
store  is  equipped  with  an  attractive  show  room  and 
large  storage  capacity  and  is  justly  popular  among 
its  many  patrons.  Mr.  Gullickson  is  prominently  as- 
sociated with  the  various  interests  of  that  region, 
l^ing  well  known  in  financial  circles  as  one  of  the 
organizers  and  the  vice  president  of  the  Farmers 
State  bank,  at  Fertile,  and  in  public  affairs  has  given 


capable  service  as  a  member  of  the  village  council 
and  is  the  present  recorder.  He  has  ever  recognized 
the  duties  of  good  citizenship  and  has  exercised  a 
potential  influence  in  promoting  the  general  welfare 
of  the  community,  giving  effective  and  notable  as- 
sistance in  the  direction  of  the  campaign  against  the 
saloons.  In  political  belief,  he  is  allied  with  the  Re- 
publican party  and  an  active  supporter  of  its  cause. 
Mr.  Gullickson  was  married  in  1906  to  Sophia  Sletto, 
the  daughter  of  Sven  and  Jorand  Sletto,  who  settled 
on  a  homestead  in  Garden  township  in  1882.  Two 
sons  have  been  born  to  them,  Solon  and  MUes.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  United  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  Mr.  Gullickson  holds  the  office  of  trustee. 


ED  MOSSEFIN. 


Ed  Mossefin,  of  Fertile,  president  of  the  Citizens 
Stat€  bank  and  a  successful  business  man  of  the 
county,  is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  at  Wilmar, 
June  5,  1878.  His  parents.  Mads  A.  and  Joran  Mos- 
sefin, came  to  the  United  States  from  Norway  in  1872 
and  located  in  Chicago,  where  Mads  Mossefin  worked 
at  his  trade  of  tailoring  for  several  years,  and  in  1876 
removed  to  Wilmar,  Minnesota.  In  1879  he  brought 
his  family  to  Crookston  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  that  place  until  his  death  in  April,  1914, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  his  son,  Norman 
Mossefin,  succeeding  him  in  his  business  interests. 
His  wife  siirvives  him  and  continues  to  make  her  home 
in  Crookston.  Mads  Mossefin  was  well  known  in  the 
church  circles  of  Crookston  as  a  trustee  and  influential 
member  of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church  and  is  remem- 
bered as  a  worthy  and  substantial  citizen  of  that 
community.  Ed  Mossefin  was  reared  in  Crookston 
and  has  been  identified  in  all  his  interests  and  activi- 
ties with  the  growth  and  development  of  Polk  county. 
He  attended  the  common  schools  and  after  one  year 
of  study  in  the  high  school  entered  the  business  world 
as  a  clerk  for  Fountaine  &  Anglin  and  was  employed 
by  that  firm  for  four  years.    He  then  took  a  position 


aa  bookkeeper  in  the  hardware  store  of  J.  E.  0  'Brien 
Co.,  where  he  remained  until  1901  and  then  made  an 
independent  venture  in  the  mercantile  world,  open- 
ing a  general  store  in  Crookston,  which  he  operated 
for  five  years,  conducting  a  prosperous  and  steadily 
growing  trade,  which  attested  to  his  ability  and 
enterprise  in  business  activities.  In  1905  he  removed 
to  Fertile,  having  been  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Citizens  State  bank  in  that  place  in  the  preceding 
December.  He  was  appointed  assistant  cashier  of  the 
bank  and  has  since  been  prominently  identified  with 
its  notable  success  and  rapid  growth,  devoting  his 
entire  attention  to  its  management.  In  1907  he  was 
made  vice  president  and  assumed  active  direction  of 
all  the  bank  affairs,  the  president,  K.  J.  Taralseth, 
residing  at  Warren,  and  in  1911  became  president. 
The  Citzens  State  bank  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
banking  houses  in  this  region,  and  as  president  Mr. 
Mossefin  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  able  financiers 
of  the  county.  Mr.  Mossefin  is  also  interested  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  owns  two  farms  near  Fertile. 
He  takes  great  pleasure  in  out  of  door  sports  and  is 
an  enthusiastic  huntsman,  enjoying  frequent  outings 
in  quest  of  game  in  the  northeni  woods  as  well  as  the 


260 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


sports  in  his  home  locality.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Gun 
club  and  an  active  aud  interested  participant  in  all 
shooting  contests  and  has  given  his  influence  to  the 
encouragement  of  the  athletic  spirit  of  the  community, 
faithfully  supporting  the  baseball  and  other  teams 
in  all  their  interests.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Elks 
lodge.  Mr.  Mo.s.sefin  is  that  type  of  bu.siness  man 
and  citizen  whose  interest  touches  every  phase  of  the 


life  of  a  community  and  whose  services  are  given 
freely  in  any  project  which  tends  to  the  progress  and 
general  welfare.  He  was  married  in  1901,  at  War- 
ren, Minnesota,  to  Lena  Taralseth,  the  daughter  of  K. 
L.  Taralseth,  who  was  bom  at  Minneapolis  and  is  a 
graduate  of  Carleton  college  at  Northfield,  Minnesota. 
;Mr.  Mossefin  and  his  wife  are  memlxTs  of  the  Synod 
Lutheran  church. 


HON.  JOHN  HOLTEN. 


Hon.  John  Holten,  of  Fertile,  an  eminent  citizen, 
business  man  and  statesman  of  Polk  county,  was  born 
at  Sundahl,  Norway,  September  18,  1849,  and  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  land.  In  1872  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  "Winneshiek  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  spent  seven  years  before  coming  to 
Minnesota  and  taking  a  homestead  claim  in  Norman 
county.  There  he  was  active  in  public  affairs  and  in 
the  organization  of  Sundahl  township,  which  upon  his 
petition,  received  its  name  from  his  old  home  in  Nor- 
way and  he  also  served  as  the  first  township  clerk  and 
assessor.  His  father,  John  J.  Holten,  had  come  to 
Iowa  in  1873  and  joined  his  son  in  Norman  county, 
jnakiiig  his  liome  on  an  adjoining  homestead  where 
he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  February  16, 
1910,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Tlie  death  of 
his  W'ife  occurred  some  two  years  earlier,  in  her 
ninety -first  year.  Mr.  Holten 's  career  as  a  merchant 
dates  from  the  start  of  the  village  of  Fertile,  when  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Carlson  he  engaged  in  the 
agricultural  machinery  business.  The  usual  success 
and  extensive  operations  of  this  firm  has  set  a  worthy 
pace  for  the  rapid  growth  of  the  town ;  from  a  busi- 
ness started  with  but  capital  sufficient  for  the  freight 
charges  on  a  carload  of  machinery,  it  has  advanced 
to  a  twenty  thousand  dollar  stock  and  totals  the  an- 
nual sales  at  forty  thousand.  In  1886  Mr.  Holten  had 
become  a  wheat  buyer  at  Twin  Valley  and  in  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  transferred  his  operations  to  Fer- 
tile and  this  enterprise  continued  to  receive  his  atten- 
tion for  a  number  of  years,  the  majiagement  of  the 


store  being  left  to  his  partner,  Mr.  Carlson.  In  1892 
the  latter  removed  to  Tennessee  and  Mr.  Holten  be- 
came sole  owner  of  the  business,  two  years  later  add- 
ing a  stock  of  general  merchandise.  Mr.  Carlson 
returned  to  Fertile  in  1897  and  the  old  relation  was 
again  resumed  and  the  firm  has  since  continued  as 
Holten  &  Carlson.  They  are  the  owners  of  the  at- 
tractive business  block  which  they  occupy,  one  of  the 
largest  in  Fertile,  and  the  adjoining  building  which 
was  formerly  utilized  for  farm  machinery,  a  depart- 
ment which  was  discontinued  in  1915,  the  firm  inter- 
ests now  being  directed  solely  to  a  general  mercantile 
trade.  Mr.  Holten  is  still  the  owner  of  his  Norman 
county  homestead  which  comprises  220  acres  and,  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Carlson,  owns  a  quarter  section 
of  land  four  miles  north  of  Fertile.  Mr.  Holten 's 
achievements  have  not  been  confined  to  the  private 
interests  of  the  business  world  but  his  talent  and 
attention  has  been  given  freely  for  the  benefit  of  the 
public  welfare  and  progress  where  the  worth  of  his 
service  has  marked  him  as  a  leader  in  the  activities 
of  the  commonwealth.  His  influence  has  been  prom- 
inent in  the  furthering  of  all  civic  improvements  and 
as  president  of  the  Fair  association,  he  has  assisted 
in  putting  the  Fertile  fair  on  equally  notable  basis 
with  the  County  fair  at  Crookston.  In  local  offices 
he  has  filled  the  positions  of  village  treasurer,  village 
recorder,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  for 
fourteen  years,  the  last  six  of  which  he  was  president 
of  the  board  and  for  three  terms  has  been  president 
of  the  town  council.    In  1907  his  field  of  service  was 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


261 


widened  through  his  election  to  the  lower  house  of 
the  State  Legislature  as  representative  from  the  sixty- 
second  district.  An  issue  of  that  election  was  the 
county  option  law  and  he  made  his  stand  as  a  staunch 
defender  of  temperance,  in  which  cause  he  has  always 
been  a  valiant  fighter.  He  was  re-elected  for  a  second 
term  and  in  1911  without  making  a  personal  cam- 
paign for  favor,  and  was  again  returned  to  office,  re- 
ceiving a  larger  majority  from  his  fellow  voters  than 
in  previous  elections.  His  activity  and  ability  as  a 
legislator  brought  him  a  wide  reputation  and  the  con- 
fidence and  high  regard  of  his  constituents.  During 
his  membership  in  the  House  he  sei-ved  on  numerous 
important  committees,  on  the  State  Prison  and  Re- 
form committee,  the  several  committees  regulating 
commerce  and  retail  trade,  public  lands  and  the  state 
fair  and  in  1911  was  chairman  of  the  drainage  com- 
mittee and  was  appropriation  commissioner  for  roads 


and  bridges.  He  also  sat  in  the  special  session  of  1912. 
He  was  not  a  candidate  for  re-election  in  1913  and  has 
given  his  attention  to  his  business  interests.  Mr.  Hol- 
ten  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Norway  and  of  the 
United  Lutheran  church  and  has  given  faithful  service 
as  a  trustee  in  that  congregation  for  many  years.  His 
favorite  recreation  is  found  in  out  of  door  life  and  he 
has  collected  many  trophies  which  attest  to  his  skill 
as  a  hunter  and  fisherman.  Mr.  Holten  was  married 
in  1892,  to  Elina  Hofif,  of  Battle  Lake,  Ottertail 
county,  and  they  have  a  family  of  two  sons  and  five 
daughters,  John  Chester,  who  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  mercantile  business;  Melvin  Stanley, 
employed  in  the  Citizens  State  bank ;  Frances,  who  is 
a  student  in  the  Normal  school  at  St.  Cloud;  Esther 
and  Agnes,  members  of  the  high  school  classes  of 
1916  and  1917,  and  Lillian  and  Ena. 


B.  E.  BEARSON. 


B.  E.  Bearson,  of  Fertile,  well  known  i-eal  estate 
man  and  proprietor  of  the  Bearson  &  Son  garage, 
has  been  actively  associated  off  and  on  with  the  busi- 
ness activities  of  that  place  for  some  twenty-five 
years.  He  is  a  native  of  the  state,  bom  in  Fillmore 
county,  November  20,  1864,  and  grew  to  manhood  in 
a  pioneer  farm  home.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  embarked  upon  his  commercial  career  as  a  dealer 
in  horses,  meeting  with  steady  success  in  his  venture 
and  within  a  few  years  began  to  ship  into  the  north- 
ei'n  pai't  of  the  state.  He  came  to  Polk  county  in 
1890,  locating  at  Fertile  and  continued  as  a  horse 
dealer  for  several  years,  buying  in  southern  Minne- 
sota and  shipping  to  Fertile  and  Fargo,  North 
Dakota,  and  the  adjacent  agricidtural  districts.  Sub- 
sequently he  made  Britton,  South  Dakota,  his  ship- 
ping point  for  several  years  and  then  returned  to 
Polk  county  and  opened  a  general  store  at  Mentor  in 
1903  and  during  the  three  years  of  mercantile  opera- 
tions began  his  activity  as  a  real  estate  dealer,  having 
previously  invested  in  farm  lands  near  Fertile  and 


Mentor.  In  1904  he  removed  to  Fertile  and  bought 
land  adjoining  the  town,  where  he  has  made  a  spa- 
cious and  attractive  country  home,  situated  on  a  forty 
acre  tract.  He  began  his  business  operations  in  the 
county  with  a  capital  of  $2,000,  and  the  success  to 
which  he  has  attained  and  the  steady  prosperity  of 
his  efforts,  attests  to  his  marked  ability  as  a  business 
man  and  to  his  worth  as  a  citizen.  He  continues  to 
engage  in  the  shipping  of  horses  in  Polk  county  but 
devotes  the  most  of  his  attention  to  the  real  estate 
business  and  now  owns  some  twelve  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  the  Dakotas  and 
is  interested  in  town  property  and  business  buildings 
in  Fertile  and  other  places.  His  land  includes  both 
wild  and  cultivated  tracts  and  through  his  policy  of 
improving  every  piece  of  property  in  which  he  in- 
vests, he  has  signally  contributed  to  the  progress  and 
development  of  the  country.  He  has  recently  ex- 
tended his  interests  to  the  automobile  business  and 
has  erected  a  modern  garage  in  Fertile  and  operates 
a  repair  shop  and  automobile  agency;  his  son,  Edwin 


262 


compendiu:m  of  history  and  biography  op  polk  county 


Bearson,  being  in  charge  of  this  business.  Mr.  Bear- 
son  has  ever  given  his  active  co-operation  in  affairs 
of  public  moment  and  has  given  able  service  as  a 
progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen  but  has  always 
avoided  political  activity.  He  enjoys  the  hunting 
and  fishing  in  which  his  native  state  abounds  and 
makes  these  out  of  door  sports  his  favorite  form  of 
recreation.  Mr.  Bearson  was  married  at  Bi-itton, 
South  Dakota,  August  7,  1893,  to  Eli7>a  Bundrock, 
who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1874  and  accompanied 
her  parents  to  Dakota  in  her  early  childhood.     Two 


children  were  bom  to  them,  Edwin,  the  manager  of 
the  garage  of  Bearson  &  Son;  and  Gertrude,  who 
graduated  from  the  Fertile  high  school  in  191.5  and 
is  now  engaged  in  the  study  of  music.  Mr.  Bearson 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  United  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Bearson 's  parents  were  Engebret  and 
Guneld  (Cresthaug)  Bearson.  They  were  natives  of 
Norway  and  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Fillmore 
county.  The  father  died  in  that  county  and  mother 
in  North  Dakota.  They  were  farmers.  They  have 
five  sons  and  three  daughters  living. 


HOGEN  MERRILL  HOGENSON. 


Hogen  Merrill  Hogenson,  of  Fertile,  rural  mail  car- 
rier and  well  known  citizen,  was  bom  in  Rock  county, 
Wisconsin,  November  29,  1857,  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Sonva  Hogenson,  who  had  made  the  long  trip  across 
the  waters  from  their  native  land  of  Norway  to  this 
country  in  a  sailing  vessel,  taking  several  months  to 
make  the  voyage.  In  1863,  when  Hogen  Hogenson 
was  a  lad  of  six  years,  the  family  removed  to  01m- 
stead  county,  where  Peter  Hogenson  located  on  laud 
and  devoted  his  attention  to  the  development  of  a 
fann.  The  parents  made  their  home  on  the  home- 
stead during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  H.  ]M. 
Hogenson  resided  there  until  1880,  when  he  took  a 
homestead  claim  in  Clay  county,  Minnesota,  and 
proved  up  on  the  tract,  acquiring  the  title  within  two 
years,  with  a  cash  payment  for  the  land.  In  1886  he 
came  to  Polk  county  to  secure  more  land  and  pre- 
empted a  claim  in  Garden  towiiship,  filing  one  of  the 
last  preemptions  permitted  under  the  law.  Here  he 
engaged  in  the  arduous  labor  of  clearing  and  culti- 
vating the  wild  land,  working  during  the  first  years 
wnthout  a  team  and  then  became  the  owner  of  a  yoke 
of  oxen.  For  seventeen  years  he  gave  his  attention 
to  agi-icultural  pursuits  and  built  up  a  prosperous 
farm  property  which  he  left  in  1903  to  remove  to  Fer- 
tile, where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  For  a  time 
he  was  employed  in  draying  and  other  occupations 
and  in   October,   1905,   secured   his  appointment   as 


rural  mail  carrier  and  for  ten  years  he  has  continued 
to  capably  discharge  the  duties  of  this  position,  which 
entails  the  responsibilities  of  a  twenty-eight  mile 
route,  through  Garfield,  Woodside  and  Godfrey  town- 
ships, with  some  eighty  patrons,  the  number  of  de- 
liveries each  month  passing  the  six  thousand  mark. 
Jlr.  Hogenson  is  still  interested  in  farm  land  near 
his  old  place  in  Garden  township  and  on  coming  to 
Fertile,  bought  his  present  home  which  is  one  of  the 
attractive  residences  of  the  town.  As  a  progressive 
and  public  spirited  citizen,  Mr.  Hogenson  has  always 
been  identified  with  public  activities  and  has  earned 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  his  associates  for  his 
integrity  and  ability  in  all  phases  of  his  career.  He 
is  widely  known  through  his  service  in  official  capac- 
ity, having  filled  the  various  offices  in  Garden  town- 
ship, and  the  office  of  constable  in  Fertile,  from  which 
he  resigned  to  accept  his  position  as  mail  carrier.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  order  of  the  Sons  of  Norway. 
Mr.  Hogenson  has  been  three  times  married.  His 
first  union  was  with  Christine  J.  Grimsrud,  who  is 
survived  by  three  children,  Peter  E.,  employed  as  a 
motorman  on  the  railway  in  St.  Paul ;  Serena,  who 
married  Kittle  Moen  and  resides  in  Dodge  county, 
Minnesota;  and  Anna,  who  is  married  and  resides  at 
Turtle  Lake,  North  Dakota.  Mr.  Hogenson 's  second 
marriage  was  with  Martha  Johnson.  His  present  wife, 
Bertha  Souders  Hogenson,  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and 


^-^.^^^^/-^^^-^^e,J^^^^-uAti/^r^ 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


263 


of  German  pajentage.    She  is  prominently  associated  Mrs.  Hogenson  is  the  bonded  substitute  for  her  hus- 

witii  the  social  life  of  the  community  and  takes  an  band  on  the  mail  route  and  has  ably  served  as  such 

active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  church  and  club  for  the  past  two  years. 
circlea    They  have  one  son,  Max,  aged  eleven  years. 


HON.  HALVOR  STBENERSON. 


A  strong  man,  verily,  is  Halvor  Steenerson — strong 
in  physique,  strong  in  mental  power,  strong  in  moral 
force  and  strong  in  the  influence  he  wields  in  public 
life.  For  a  member  of  the  National  Congress  is  he, 
and,  as  such,  has  rendered  such  valiant  service  that 
he  has  been  re-elected  by  his  constituents  no  less  than 
six  consecutive  times,  having  thus  been  a  member  of 
the  58th,  59th,  60th,  61st,  62nd,  63rd  and  64th  Con- 
gresses. 

As  his  name  would  indicate,  the  Honorable  Halvor 
Steenerson  is  of  sturdy  Norwegian  stock.  His  father, 
Stener  Knudson,  was  an  educator  of  no  mean  ability. 
A  biographical  sketch  of  him  appeal's  elsewhere  in  the 
volume. 

Halvor,  when  about  seventeen  .years  of  age,  was 
entered  as  a  student  at  Rushford  High  school,  and 
after  attending  that  institution  for  two  j-ears  was 
licensed  to  teach.  By  teaching  and  doing  farm  work 
he  was  enabled  to  pay  his  way  at  school  for  another 
year,  and  he  then  entered  a  law  office  as  a  clerk  and 
law  student.  In  1878  he  went  to  Chicago  and  entered 
the  Union  College  of  Law  where  he  pursued  his  legal 
studies  for  two  terms.  He  then  essayed  the  bar  exam- 
ination, passed  with  distinction  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  in  June,  1878. 
Returning  to  Minnesota,  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
there,  opened  an  office  at  Lanesboro,  Minnesota,  in 
which  city  he  remained  till  spring,  1880,  when  he 
moved  to  Crookston,  Minnesota,  which  is  still  his 
home. 

Such  was  the  native  ability  and  thoroughness  of 
the  work  of  Mr.  Steenerson  that,  within  six  mouths 
after  locating  in  Crookston,  he  was  elected  County 
Attorney.    As  a  prosecutor  he  was  markedly  success- 


ful and  he  began  to  be  at  once  recognized  as  a  rising 
lawyer  of  ability.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected 
State  Senator,  being  the  youngest  member  of  that 
body.  He  served  on  the  Judiciary  Committee  and 
helped  to  frame  the  law  creating  the  Board  of  Rail- 
road and  Warehouse  Commissioners  of  1885.  This 
was  the  first  attempt  at  railroad  and  warehouse  regu- 
lation in  Minnesota,  and  was  two  years  before  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  passed  the  Interstate 
Commerce  Act.  He  served  four  years,  his  term  end- 
ing in  January,  1887.  He  then,  for  fifteen  years, 
devoted  himself  to  general  practice,  his  reputation 
extended  throughout  the  Northwest,  and  he  took  part 
in  some  of  the  most  noted  trials  of  those  days.  Before 
his  election  to  Congress  he  was  twice  sent  as  a  Dele- 
gate to  the  Republican  National  Conventions  (1884- 
1888).  His  success  as  a  lawyer  may  be  said  to  be  due 
to  natural  talent  and  great  industry,  his  tact  and  skill 
in  the  management  of  his  case,  and  his  ability  to  com- 
mand the  respect  and  confidence  of  court  and  jury. 
Though  not  unskilled  in  the  arts  of  advocacy,  he  rarely 
resorted  to  appeals  to  the  emotions,  but  mainly  relied 
on  the  logic  and  reason  of  his  position.  These  traits 
have  also  marked  him  as  a  political  speaker  and  de- 
bater. 

In  1893,  Mr.  Steenerson  brought  a  proceeding  under 
the  laws  of  the  state  of  Minnesota  to  force  a  reduction 
in  the  transportation  rates  on  grain.  This  important 
litigation  he  conducted,  refusing  all  compensation 
therefor,  and,  through  his  masterly  presentation  of 
the  facts  carried  to  a  successful  conclusion,  the ' '  Steen- 
erson Grain  Rate  Case,"  as  it  is  known,  which  has 
since  been  cited  in  nearly  every  important  case  in- 
volving the  regulation  of  the  cliarges  of  pubUc  utilities. 


264 


COxMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


The  state  of  Minnesota  in  1901  adopted  a  direct 
priniai-y  law  for  the  nomination  of  Representatives 
in  Congress,  and  Mr.  Steenersou  was  nominated  and 
elected  by  a  large  majority.  As  already  stated,  he  is 
now  serving  his  seventh  consecutive  term,  and  is  the 
ranking  Republican  member  of  the  Committee  on  Post 
Office  and  Post  Roads,  one  of  the  most  important  Com- 
mittees in  Congress. 

During  the  sixtieth  and  sixty-first  Congresses  he 
was  also  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  ]Militia, 
and  was  largely  responsible  for  the  enactment  of  the 
"Dick-Steener.son  Militia  Law,"  an  act,  "To  promote 
the  efficiency  of  the  Militia,"  approved  May  27,  1908. 
The  merit  of  this  law  is  being  more  and  more  recog- 
nized as  tlie  years  go  by. 

Mr.  Steenerson  has  favored  the  Hepburn  Law,  and 
all  legislation  for  the  effective  control  of  interstate 
railroads  and  utilities,  the  conservation  of  natural 
resources,  and  progressive  legislation  generally.  He 
has  aided  in  opening  large  areas  of  the  public  domain 
to  settlement  and  development,  and,  being  familiar 
with  pioneer  conditions,  and  appreciating  the  courage, 
fortitude,  and  sufferings  of  the  pioneer  settlers  every- 
where, has  favored  liberal  laws  and  administration  in 
public  land  matters  so  far  as  the  settler  is  concerned. 
He  has  frequently  secured  the  passage  of  acts  for  the 
relief  of  settlers  on  the  public  domain,  where  the 
harshness  of  general  rules  or  administration  has  justi- 
fied such  action.  In  northern  Minnesota  were  large 
tracts  of  land  ceded  by  Indians,  which  were  subject 
to  homestead  entry  only  upon  pa>nnent  of  from  $1.2.^ 
to  !|;4  per  acre,  the  price  at  which  the  Indians  had  sold 
the  land  to  the  United  States.  This  land  was  so  wet 
and  swampy  as  to  be  unfit  for  occupancy  until  drained. 
He  secured  the  enactment  of  the  Act  of  -lune  21,  1906, 
providing  for  a  drainage  survey  of  ceded  Indian  lands 
and  free  public  lauds,  which  was  executed  by  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  and  the  report 
thereon  demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  the  proposal. 
Later  Congress  passed  the  Act  of  May  20,  1908,  which 
made  public,  as  well  as  these  ceded,  unsold  Indian 


lands,  and  entered  lands  not  yet  proved  up, — all  sub- 
ject to  the  assessment  for  drainage  improvements 
under  the  State  law,  the  same  as  privately  owned 
lands,  and  directed,  in  default  of  payment  of  such 
drainage  assessment,  the  sale  of  the  land  to  any  qual- 
ified homesteader  and  the  issuance  of  a  patent  to  such 
purchaser  upon  his  payment  of  the  drainage  assess- 
ment and  the  price,  if  any,  due  to  the  Indians.  The 
effect  of  these  laws  has  been  the  reclamation  of  more 
than  two  millions  of  acres  of  land  and  the  construc- 
tion of  three  or  four  thousand  miles  of  main  and 
lateral  ditches  without  a  single  dollar  having  been 
expended  from  the  United  States  Treasury-.  The  proj- 
ects are  initiated  and  carried  out  under  state  laws, 
and  financed  by  the  issuing  of  county  bonds. 

A  son  of  a  veteran,  himself,  Mr.  Steenerson  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  legislation  and 
administration  aft'eeting  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  War. 
He  has  gladly  devoted  his  legal  ability  sind  his  time 
to  the  prosecution  of  their  claims,  both  before  the 
Department,  and  before  Congress. 

His  most  important  service  to  the  public,  however, 
has  been  rendered  as  a  member  of  the  Post  Office  and 
Post  Roads  Committee  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. He  has  aided  in  perfecting  the  laws  against 
fraudulent  use  of  the  mails,  he  has  favored  the  im- 
provement of  the  postal  semee  in  every  branch,  and 
has  worked  especially  to  better  the  wages  and  work- 
ing conditions  of  the  thousands  of  faithful  and  hard- 
working employees  in  the  humbler  and  lower  grades 
of  the  service.  He  was  active  in  the  establishment  and 
development  of  the  Rural  Free  Deliveiy  Service,  and 
the  establishment  of  parcels  post  and  postal  savings 
lianks.  He  is  a  friend  of  civil  service,  and  lead  the 
opposition  in  the  Sixty-third  Congress  to  the  proposi- 
tion to  abolish  the  position  of  "Assistant  Postmaster," 
in  first  and  second  class  offices,  and  to  put  rural  de- 
livery on  a  contract  basis,  as  an  attack  on  the  merit 
system  and  civil  service.  Although  these  propositions 
were  supported  by  the  administration  and  a  majority 
of  the  Democratic  members  of  the  House,  they  were 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


265 


defeated,  largely  through  the  skillful  leadership  of 
Mr.  Steenerson,  acting  as  ranking  member  of  the  Post 
Office  Committee,  and  in  charge  on  the  Republican 
side. 

Though  a  believer  in  reasonable  military  prepara- 
tion, he  has  also  been  active  in  the  cause  of  interna- 
tional arbitration  and  the  peace  movement.  He  is  a 
member  and  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Amer- 
ican Group  of  the  Interparliamentary  Union  for  Inter- 
national Arbitration,  and  was  chosen  a  Delegate  to 
represent  this  country  at  the  last  meeting  appointed  to 
be  held  at  Stockholm,  Sweden,  in  August,  1914,  but 
which,  on  account  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Euro- 
pean War,  had  to  be  abandoned.  He,  together  with 
other  delegates,  started  to  attend  the  meeting,  but  on 
arrival  in  England,  had  to  return  home. 

Personally  Mr.  Steenerson  is  of  athletic  build, 
stands  6  feet,  3  inches  in  his  stocking  feet,  weighs  225 
pounds,  and  is  fond  of  out-door  life,  camping  and 
fishing. 

A  study  of  the  career  of  Mr.  Steenerson — the  noted, 
progressive  Republican  leader  of  Minnesota  as  nar- 
rated in  the  preceding  pages,  gives  rise  to  the  observa- 
tion that  rather  remarkable  is  the  likeness  in  his  life 
with  that  of  the  eminent  Democratic  leader.  Speaker 
Champ  Clark,  of  Missouri.  Steenerson 's  father  was 
a  teacher,  Clark 's  father  was  an  educator  also.  Steen- 
erson was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Wisconsin,  Clark  was 
born  a  few  months  sooner,  on  a  farm  in  Kentucky. 
Work  on  the  farm  in  Minnesota  developed  Steenerson 
into  one  of  the  biggest  and  strongest  men  physically 
now  in  public  life ;  one  of  the  two  largest  men  of  the 
Republican  side  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
the  Congress  of  this  great  republic.  Work  on  the 
farm  in  Kentucky  developed  Clark  into  a  physical 
giant.  He  towers  above  all  of  the  men  on  the  Demo- 
cratic side  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  he 
is  easily  the  heavy  weight  of  his  party  in  Congress. 

Steenerson  and  Clark,  hundreds  of  miles  apart,  and 

unknown  to  each  other,  were  much  alike  mentally,  in 

their   purposes   and    ambitions,    although   of   course 
17 


wholly  unknown  to  each  other.  Each  of  these  eminent 
and  worthy  statesmen  worked  hard  when  young  and 
earned  their  education,  and  each  entertained  a  laud- 
able ambition  to  accomplish  results  really  worth  while 
in  the  higher  walks  of  life.  Clark  went  to  Cincinnati, 
studied  in  one  of  the  best  law  schools  of  that  city,  and 
then  settled  in  the  temperate  climate  of  Missouri  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Steener.son  went 
to  Chicago,  studied  in  a  college  of  high  reputation 
there  and  then  returned  to  the  severe  climate  of  Min- 
nesota and  began  practicing  the  same  profession,  imme- 
diately achieving  success.  Unknown  to  each  other,  the 
orbits  of  these  patriotic  statesmen  were  widening,  and 
approaching  each  other.  Finally,  because  of  their 
worth,  merit,  dignitj^,  honor  and  uniform  courtesy, 
the  number  of  their  friends  so  increased  that  they 
were  elected  to  Congress,  and  there  each  recognized 
in  the  other  a  man  of  merit.  They  have  become  great 
personal  friends.  Each  one  of  them  is  recognized  as 
a  leader.  No  man  on  the  Republican  side  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  can  secure  recognition  of  the 
Speaker  sooner  than  Steenerson ;  and,  if  the  people 
only  knew  it,  such  recognition  makes  a  man  exception- 
ally valuable  to  his  constituents  and  to  his  State. 

As  all  who  are  versed  in  parliamentary  procedure 
and  customs  know,  no  member  of  Congress  can  obtain 
an  important  chairmanship  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives unless  his  people  elect  and  re-elect  him  con- 
tinuously for  several  years.  Mr.  Steenerson 's  constitu- 
ents have  done  wisely  and  well  by  returning  him 
again  and  again  for  seven  terms.    Mark  the  result. 

Because  of  seniority  of  faithful  service  Mr.  Steener- 
son is  now  the  ranking  Republican  member  of  the 
powerful  and  important  Committee  on  Post-offices  and 
Post-roads.  That  means  much  more  than  can  be  told 
in  writing  or  in  print.  When  the  Republicans  next 
have  a  majority  in  the  House  of  Representatives  Mr. 
Steenerson  will  be  in  all  probability  Chairman  of  that 
Committee;  a  position  of  great  influence  and  power 
over  the  postal  affairs  of  this  vast  Republic,  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  from  the  great  lakes  to  the  gulf,  and  over 


266 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


our  National  possessions  in  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Oceans. 

Possessed  of  the  genius  of  labor,  Representative 
Steenerson  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  arduous  and 
tremendous  workers  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
In  laying  the  foundation  for  a  superstructure  of  a 
worthy  and  busy  life,  he,  like  Champ  Clark,  taught  a 
country  school  while  in  his  teens. 

It  is  apparent  that,  early  in  life,  Mr.  Steenerson 
realized  that  in  this  woi-ld  of  strife  and  endeavor,  to 
work  strenuously  and  intelligently  means  to  attain. 
His  aim  was  high.  He  desired  to  achieve,  and  he  has 
amply  succeeded. 

Work,  faithful  and  disinterested,  forms  the  keynote 
of  the  character  of  this  man  who  is  looked  up  to  by 
his  colleagues  in  Congress ;  whose  advice  is  sought  by 
men  from  other  states  on  almost  all  topics  which  call 
for  consideration  by  the  Congress.  In  the  caucuses 
of  his  party,  when  considering  questions  affecting  the 
prosperity  and  honor  of  this  gi-eat  nation,  his  col- 
leagues always  want  to  hear  from  Ilalvor  Steenerson. 
They  are  usually  glad  to  follow  his  counsel,  because 
they  know  it  will  be  sound  and  wise. 

Halvor  Steenerson  is  a  man  of  deep  religious  con- 
victions, and  his  faith  and  hope  has  never  wavered, 
even  in  many  afHictions. 

Those    who    know    liim    best,    comprehending    his 


inherent  force,  expect  Ilalvor  Steenei-son  to  go  ou 
achieving  still  greater  things,  as  the  days  and  yeai-s 
of  his  public  life  give  further  opportunity  for  nobler 
effort. 

Mr.  Steenerson  is  a  member  of  several  fraternal 
orders,  among  them  the  Free  Masons,  the  Elks  and  the 
^lodern  Woodmen  of  America. 

He  married  at  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  in  November, 
1878,  ^laria  Fjaugesund,  born  on  Fjangesuud  estate, 
Thclemarken,  Norway,  daughter  of  Christoffer 
Fjaugesund  and  Maria,  his  wife.  Mr.  Steenerson  and 
his  wife  had  issue  as  follows :  One  boy,  died  in  infancy. 
Clara  N.,  born  June  3,  1881,  graduated  from  Crooks- 
ton  High  School  1900,  died  1901.  Edwin,  born  1882, 
died  1885.  Benjamin  Gilbert,  born  Feb.  21,  1884, 
graduated  from  George  Washington  University  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  1906,  drowned  at  Narragansett 
Bay,  Rhode  Island,  Feb.  16,  1908,  while  serving  in 
United  States  Marine  Corps,  in  an  attempt  to  rescue 
a  comrade  who  had  fallen  overboard. 

Thus,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  parents,  none  of  their 
children  survive.  The  earnest  sympathy  of  every 
American  citizen  is  theirs  in  their  repeated  bereave- 
ments but  especially  in  the  loss  of  their  beloved  son 
who  died  a  hero  and  gave  his  life  while  trying  to  save 
that  of  another. 


H.  S.  AASEN. 


H.  S.  Aasen,  the  well  known  hardware  merchant  of 
Winger,  was  boni  at  Telemarken,  Norway,  January 
20,  1874,  and  came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Fill- 
more county,  Minnesota,  when  seventeen  years  of  age. 
He  removed  to  Polk  county  ahout  a  year  and  a  half 
later  and  was  employed  for  a  time  in  farm  work.  In 
1896  he  embarked  upon  his  commercial  career  as  the 
proprietor  of  a  store  at  Gosseu  in  Winger  township, 
in  a  building  which  had  been  erected  and  used  for 
business  purposes,  by  a  Mr.  Hughes.  Mr.  Aasen  con- 
ducted a  general  store  here  for  some  eight  years,  starts 


ing  with  an  investment  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
dollars  and  building  up  a  profitable  business.  He  also 
discharged  the  duties  of  postmaster  until  the  office  was 
discontinued.  He  located  in  Winger  in  1906,  after 
giving  his  attention  to  fanning  interests  for  two  years, 
and  bought  the  hardware  store  which  had  been  estab- 
lislied  by  A.  K.  Ingebo.  Under  the  management  of 
ilr.  Aasen,  this  enterprise  has  met  with  marked  pros- 
perity and  a  steadily  growing  trade.  He  has  added  a 
warehouse  to  the  original  building  and  handles  a  gen- 
eral line  of  hardware  and  agricultural  implements. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


267 


the  success  of  his  operations  readily  appearing  in  the 
rapid  increase  in  the  capital  invested  from  $2,000  to 
$11,000  and  in  the  receipts  of  $32,000  in  1914  as  com- 
pared with  the  eight  thousand  dollar  trade  of  the  first 
year.  In  1913  he  opened  a  hardware  store  at  New 
Folden,  in  Marshall  county,  which  has  also  enjoyed  a 
large  patronage.  Aside  from  his  mercantile  interests, 
Mr.  Aasen  has  conducted  a  successful  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  is  extensively  identified  with  the  various 
business  activities  of  Winger,  being  a  stockholder  in 
the  Farmers  State  bank  and  elevator  and  in  other 
local  enterprises.     He  also  gives  his  attention  to  the 


management  of  his  farm  property,  owning  two  hun- 
dred acres  in  Polk  county  and  is  especially  interested 
in  the  cultivation  of  clover.  His  substantial  standing 
in  the  community  and  the  notable  success  which  he  has 
won  through  his  individual  efforts,  bespeaks  his  ability 
and  worth  as  a  business  man  and  citizen.  He  has  been 
active  in  all  matters  of  public  moment  and  has  served 
as  township  clerk  and  justice  of  peace,  occupying  the 
former  office  for  some  seven  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Free  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Aasen  was  married 
in  1901,  to  Lena  Carlson  of  Winger  and  they  have 
three  children,  Harold,  Anna  and  Noi-^'al. 


A.  I.  SOLBERG. 


A.  I.  Solberg,  cashier  of  the  Farmers  State  bank  at 
Winger,  was  born  in  Norway,  July  23,  1863,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  when  a  lad  of  seventeen. 
On  landing  he  came  direct  to  Wabasha  county,  Min- 
nesota, and  for  six  years  worked  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  employed  on  steamboats  and  in  rafting  logs. 
During  the  winter  season  he  devoted  his  time  to  fitting 
himself  for  more  efficient  activity  in  the  business 
world  by  attending  the  business  college  at  La  Crosse. 
He  came  to  Crookston  in  January,  1887,  as  a  sales- 
man and  bookkeeper  in  the  store  of  Joseph  and 
Andrew  Locken,  the  latter  being  the  captain  of  the 
steamboat  on  which  he  had  been  employed,  and  re- 
mained in  that  position  for  three  years.  The  store 
being  sold  in  1890,  Mr.  Solberg  and  Andy  Locken,  a 
fellow  clerk,  made  an  independent  commercial  ven- 
ture in  Crookston,  opening  a  clothing  store  which 
proved  to  be  an  unsuccessful  enterprise.  Subse- 
quently he  worked  in  the  office  of  John  Amundson 
the  registrar  of  deeds  and  in  1895  again  entered  the 
mercantile  business,  investing  a  small  capital  in  the 
grocery  trade  and  conducted  a  prosperous  business 
during  the  next  three  years.  In  1899,  selling  his 
interests,  he  bought  a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
farm  in  Knute  township,  five  miles  south  of  Erskine. 
Very  little  of  the  land  had  been  developed  and  for 
the  ensuing  eight  years  he  devoted  his  attention  to 


its  improvement,  placing  fifty  acres  into  cultivation 
and  equipping  it  for  successful  operation.  In  1908 
he  became  assistant  cashier  in  the  Citizens  State  bank 
at  Mcintosh  so  serving  for  several  years,  in  associa- 
tion with  Mr.  Charles  L.  Conger,  the  cashier.  In 
1912,  he  returned  to  his  farm  but  soon  becoming  in- 
terested in  the  re-organization  of  the  Farmers  State 
bank  at  Winger,  as  one  of  the  new  stockholders,  was 
made  its  cashier  June  1,  1912.  He  made  his  home  on 
the  farm  until  1914,  when  he  sold  and  removed  to 
Winger,  where  he  platted  a  twelve  acre  addition, 
part  of  which  he  still  owns.  Aside  from  his  private 
interests  Mr.  Solberg  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  public  activity  and  enjoys  the  esteem  and 
regard  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  He  has  been  hon- 
ored with  various  offices,  serving  while  in  Knute 
township  as  township  clerk,  justice  of  peace  and 
member  of  the  school  board ;  and,  was  elected  probate 
judge  for  Columbia  county,  the  action  of  the  supreme 
court  in  dissolving  its  organization,  annulling  his 
office.  Mr.  Solberg  is  a  Democrat  and  in  1910  was 
candidate  for  Clerk  of  Court,  being  the  only  member 
of  his  party  on  the  county  ticket  in  that  election. 
Mr.  Solberg  was  married  January  1,  1892,  to  Mary 
E.  Johnson,  of  Crookston,  the  daughter  of  Mrs.  Annie 
Johnson,  who  had  been  a  homesteader  in  Knute  town- 
ship in  1884.     Five  children  have  been  born  to  this 


268 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


union,  Agnes,  who  was  a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county 
schools  for  a  time;  Hilma,  Phillip,  Ralph  and  Arthur. 
Mr.   Solberg  is  a  member  of  the  United   Lutheran 


church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America. 


JOSEPH  TAGLEY. 


Joseph  Tagley,  cashier  of  the  First  State  bank  of 
Mentor  and  vice  president  of  the  State  bank  of  Gully, 
has  been  associated  for  many  years  with  the  business 
interests  of  this  section.  He  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
bom  in  St.  Croix  county,  October  26,  1867,  the  young- 
est of  five  brothers  and  one  sister,  children  of  John  J. 
and  Bertha  Tagley.  The  family,  after  fourteen  years 
residence  in  Jackson  county,  Minnesota,  came  to  Polk 
county  in  1883  and  John  J.  Tagley  became  a  home- 
steader in  Woodside  township  about  four  miles  south- 
east of  the  present  village  of  Mentor.  In  the  same 
year,  in  partnership  with  his  father,  Joseph  Tagley 
engaged  upon  his  initial  venture  in  the  business  world 
with  a  small  store  at  Rothsay,  Minnesota,  and  three 
years  later  transferred  his  operations  to  Polk  county, 
opening  a  store  at  the  location  of  the  Woodside  post- 
office,  in  section  twenty-two,  the  first  store  and  for  a 
few  years  the  only  one  in  Woodside  township.  Under 
the  able  direction  of  the  young  merchant,  this  proved 
a  most  successful  enterprise,  he  bought  out  his 
father's  interest  and  rapidly  advanced  from  his 
modest  .start  with  a  three  hundred  dollar  capital  to  a 
two  thousand  dollar  stock  of  genei*al  merchandise. 
In  1892  he  sold  the  building  and  removed  his  goods 
to  Mentor,  seven  miles  distant,  where  he  opened  a 
general  store  with  a  marked  increase  on  his  former 
activities,  putting  in  a  six  thousand  dollar  stock. 
Although  he  was  not  able  to  entirely  finance  his  opera- 
tions during  the  first  few  months,  this  ambitious 
endeavor  was  made  possible  through  the  confident 
cooperation  of  the  wholesale  firms  and  one  of  the 
flourishing  mercantile  enterprises  of  the  county  was 
auspiciously  started  on  its  career.  Mr.  Tagley  con- 
tinued his  prosperous  relations  with  this  business 
until  1900  and  in  the  later  years  was  conducting  an 
annual  business  of  $30,000.     He  then  sold  the  store 


to  0.  Moreau  &  Son  but  continues  to  be  the  owner  of 
the  building  in  which  it  is  located.  Upon  retiring 
from  the  mercantile  field,  his  interest  turned  to  other 
financial  activities  and  in  1901,  in  company  with  A.  D. 
Stephens,  he  opened  the  Bank  of  ^lentor  and  has 
since  given  his  attention  to  the  direction  of  its  af- 
fairs. In  1908  it  was  incorporated  as  the  First  State 
bank  of  Mentor,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000.  Mr. 
Stephens  became  president;  Mrs.  Tagley,  vice  presi- 
dent; and  Mr.  Taglej',  cashier;  in  which  capacity 
he  has  become  well  known  in  financial  circles  through 
the  substantial  results  of  his  management.  A  more 
exhaustive  comment  on  the  merit  and  activity  of 
this  institution  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr. 
Tagley  also  has  extensive  land  interests  in  the  state, 
owning  some  two  sections  in  Polk,  Clearwater,  and 
Rosseau  counties,  over  one-half  of  which  is  in  Polk 
county.  All  of  his  Polk  county  land  is  being  operated 
by  Mr.  Tagley  through  tenants.  His  agricultural 
interests  have  been  mainly  centered  on  grain  and 
stock  farming  and  he  has  given  much  attention  to 
the  improvement  of  stock,  keeping  a  high  grade 
and  breeding  Holsteiu  cattle.  He  has  further  been 
identified  with  the  business  interest  of  the  community 
in  his  association  with  A.  D.  Stephens,  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  creamery  in  1900.  LTnder  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  E.  Axelson,  this  proved  a  valuable 
enterprise  to  the  farmers  of  the  territory.  This  led 
to  the  organization  of  a  new  company  upon  a  co- 
operative basis  which  has  now  ninety  stockholders, 
of  whom  Mr.  Tagley  is  one.  The  importance  and 
success  of  Mr.  Tagley 's  interests  have  inevitably  con- 
tributed with  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow 
citizens  to  make  him  a  forceful  factor  in  public  af- 
fairs. In  official  capacity  he  has  served  as  township 
clerk,  village  president,  and  in  other  local  positions 


JOSEPH  TAGLEY 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


269 


and  was  postmaster  under  the  Cleveland  adminis- 
tration. He  is  a  member  of  tlie  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  having  served  as  Venerable  Council  for 
fifteen  years.  I\Ir.  Tagley  has  recently  made  a  notable 
addition  to  the  residence  district  of  Mentor  in  the 
fine  modern  home  which  he  has  erected,  which  in 
addition  to  its  architectural  attractions,  is  provided 
with  all  the  modem  conveniences  with  which  the  vil- 


lage has  not  yet  supplied  its  citizens,  including  an 
electric  light  and  watering  plant,  power  laundry,  and 
hot  water  heating  system.  Mr.  Tagley  was  married 
in  1895  to  Milla  Olson,  of  Pislier,  Polk  county,  the 
daughter  of  Evan  Olson,  a  retired  business  man  of 
that  place.  They  have  one  child,  Elmer  J.  Tagley. 
]\Ir.  Tagley  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church. 


RICHARD  MULCAHEY. 


Having  been  engaged  in  productive,  jDrogressive 
and  profitable  fai*ming,  live  stock  raising  and  dairy- 
ing for  sixteen  years  in  Polk  county,  and  having  also 
taken  a  helpful  part  in  promoting  the  development 
and  improvement  of  the  county  in  general  and  the 
township  of  Fairfax  in  particular,  Richard  Mulcahey, 
who  is  now  living  retired  in  Crookstou,  has  rendered 
this  part  of  Minnesota  good  service  and  justly  earned 
universal  esteem  and  good  will.  His  home  farm  com- 
prises the  west  half  of  Section  17,  in  Pairfax  town- 
ship, and  is  just  two  miles  southeast  of  the  corpora- 
tion limits  of  Crookston. 

Mr.  Mulcahey  was  born  about  seventy-five  years 
ago  and  reared  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
and  followed  farming  in  a  general  way  there  until 
1897,  when  he  came  to  Polk  county.  He  bought  480 
acres  of  wild  prairie,  paying  !|!l6  au  acre  for  320 
acres  and  $23  au  acre  for  the  other  160  acres,  and 
going  in  debt  for  nearly  all  the  purchase  price,  as 
his  capital,  consisted  of  three  horses,  two  cows  and 
less  than  $100  in  cash.  He  broke  up  the  land  and 
began  raising  grain  and  keeping  horses  and  cows. 
In  time  he  put  up  comfortable  buildings,  and  by  in- 
dustry and  good  management  has  made  it  worth  at 
least  $100  an  acre.  He  also  bought  a  quarter  section 
of  land  north  of  the  city,  for  which  he  paid  $7  an 
acre.  This  he  broke  up  and  improved,  sunk  an  arte- 
sian well,  and  then  sold  at  $23  an  acre. 

The  stock-raising  industry  which  Mr.  Mulcahey 
carried  on  was  rendered  very  successful  and  profit- 
able by   his  excellent   system   of  operating  also   an 


active  dairying  busLuess  in  connection.  Keeping 
fourteen  milch  cows  and  makes  butter  for  private  cus- 
tomers. His  daughters  became  expert  butter  makers, 
and  one  of  them  took  many  prizes  at  the  county  fair 
for  the  best  butter.  The  father  made  a  specialty  of 
having  live  stock  of  a  high  grade,  and  he  also  made 
exhibits  of  prodiicts  at  the  fairs.  A  deep  artesian 
well  furnishes  an  abundant  supply  of  excellent  water 
for  stock  and  other  pui-poses.  He  has  experienced, 
however,  some  mishaps.  One  season  being  so  wet 
that  he  was  unable  to  cut  his  grain  and  another  was 
so  that  he  could  do  no  plowing  at  the  proper  time. 
Two  crops  were  also  destroyed  by  hail. 

In  1913,  he  gave  up  active  work  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Crookston,  where  he  owns  a  pleasant 
home  and  other  valuable  property.  While  he  has 
always  manifested  a  deep  and  serviceable  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  township  and  the  county,  he  has 
had  no  taste  for  public  affairs  and  has  never  dabbled 
in  politics  or  sought  or  desired  a  political  office.  His 
private  affairs  have  so  absorbed  him  that  he  has  de- 
voted his  time  and  energies  to  them.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Cathedral  congregation  of  the  Catholic  church. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six  Mr.  Mulcahey  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Jordan,  who  was,  like 
liimself,  a  native  of  Canada.  She  died  on  the  farm 
•Januaiy  13,  1910.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living  in  Canada  and  four 
in  Polk  county.  A  daughtei*,  Agnes,  died  in  this 
county  while  still  in  her  teens.  The  living  children 
in  Polk  county  are:     Prancis,  who  is  managing  the 


270 


COilPExXDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


fanu;  Andrew,  who  is  living  with  his  father;  Eliza, 
■who  is  the  widow  of  John  Larsen  aud  is  also  living 


at  home,  aud  Miunie,  who  is  the  housekeeper  lor  the 
famil}'. 


IGNATIUS  KINGMAN. 


Ignatius  Kiugmau,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  proprie- 
tor of  the  Kingman  Pharmacy  and  one  of  the  prom- 
inent and  progressive  business  men  of  the  county, 
is  a  native  of  Holland,  born  at  Bakhuizcn,  in  the 
Province  of  Friesland,  July  3,  1865.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land  and  remained  there  until 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  St.  Paul  aud  there  fitted  him- 
self for  his  .subsequent  successful  career  as  druggist. 
In  1896  he  left  St.  Paul  for  Grand  Forks  and  .spent 
a  number  of  yeare  there,  employed  as  a  prescription 
druggist  and  in  1903  removed  to  East  Grand  Forks 
and  engaged  in  his  present  prosperous  enterprise, 
which  as  tlic  only  pharmacy  in  that  town  and  as  one 
of  the  best  equipped  and  most  efficient  in  the  north- 
west, enjoys  a  wide  reputation  and  patronage  which 
notably  attests  to  the  competence  and  ability  of  Mr. 
Kingman  as  a  druggist  and  business  man.  Mr.  King- 
man  is   a   registered  pharmacist   in   Minnesota   and 


North  Dakota  and  has  proven  himself  amply  fitted 
to  conduct  his  business  interests  in  a  manner  that 
insures  a  lasting  prosperity  and  redounds  to  the  sub- 
stantial accomplishments  in  the  community.  The 
Kingman  Pharmacy  occupies  a  fine  brick  block  and 
handles  a  complete  line  of  drugs  and  the  usual  acces- 
sory lines  of  the  drug  store,  to  which  has  recently 
been  added  an  attractive  stock  of  victrolas  and  sup- 
plies. Mr.  Kingman  is  the  secretary  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Catholic  church  of  which  he  is  a  prominent 
and  influential  member.  His  influence  is  readily  of- 
fered in  every  activity  affecting  the  general  welfare 
of  the  community  and  he  is  a  well  known  member  in 
club  and  fraternal  circles,  being  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Elk  lodge  and  the  Commer- 
cial club.  His  marriage  to  Johanna  Ribbentrop,  of 
St.  Paul,  occurred  February  17,  1897,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Gerhart,  Josephine,  wlio  are  memlwrs 
of  the  high  school  classes  of  1916  and  1918,  and  Henry. 


JOHN  PERRY. 


Although  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
lives  as  an  investment,  with  no  intention  at  the  time 
of  locating  on  it  himself,  John  Perry,  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal farmers  and  leading  citizens  of  Andover  town- 
ship, soon  afterward  became  a  permanent  resident 
of  the  county,  and  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret 
the  circumstances  which  induced  him  to  do  so.  His 
fine  and  highly  improved  farm  is  Section  15,  Andover 
township,  five  miles  southwest  of  the  Crookston  court- 
house, and  near  the  Girard  elevator,  embi'aces  632 
acres,  the  whole  of  the  section  except  the  railroad 
right  of  way,  and  is  one  of  the  most  d('sii"il)le  in  the 
county. 

Mr.  Perry  was  born  in  Polk  county,  Missouri, 
November  26,  1873,  and  reared  on  farms  in  Boone 


and  Story  counties,  Iowa.  In  1902  he  came  to  Polk 
county,  Minnesota,  and  bought  tlie  farm  on  which  he 
now  lives.  It  had  been  a  grain  farm  and  posses.sed 
only  a  small  house  and  other  inconsiderable  build- 
ings in  the  way  of  improvements.  He  intended  to 
operate  it  as  a  tenant  farm,  but  not  being  able  to 
rent  it  satisfactorily  he  located  on  it  himself  in  the 
spring  of  1903.  The  land  was  in  a  foul  condition, 
with  many  varieties  of  weeds  greatly  injuring  the 
grain  it  produced.  He  paid  $35  an  acre  for  it,  and 
he  now  determined  to  himself  develop  his  purchase 
into  a  first-rate  investment. 

For  four  or  five  years  he  devoted  his  energies  to 
raising  wheat,  then  began  the  raising  of  live  stock, 
corn  and  potatoes.     He  put  fifty  acres  in  corn  and 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


271 


more  in  hay,  timothy,  clover  and  alfalfa,  these  being 
now  among  his  principal  crops.  He  also  handles  a 
great  deal  of  yoniig  live  stock  and  milks  ten  cows 
to  supply  an  active  dairy  trade.  In  1912  he  erected 
a  new  eleven-room  dwelling  house,  with  full  base- 
ment and  installed  an  acetylene  gas  lighting  plant. 
He  has  two  barns  having  stabling  for  all  stock.  One 
of  these  was  built  in  1915,  being  erected  as  a  special 
horse  barn. 

The  difiSculties  which  confronted  Mr.  Perry  at  the 
beginning  have  been  removed  by  enterprise  and  de- 
termined industry.  He  has  eliminated  tlie  noxious 
weeds  and  now  raises  excellent  crops.  In  1914  the 
yield  per  acre  was  50  bushels  of  com,  20  bushels  of 
wheat,  45  of  oats  and  20  of  flax,  and  in  1915  his 
grain  crops  aggi'egated  some  15,000  bushels. 

Mr.  Perry  has  spared  no  effort  to  make  his  farm 
productive  and  valuable.     He  has  dug  open  ditches 


through  the  fields  and  arranged  to  drain  all  pond 
holes.  He  has  excellent  facilities  for  tiling  and  a 
good  outlet.  He  has  also  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  affaire  of  the  township,  and  during  the  last  ten 
years  has  been  either  supervisor  or  township  clerk. 
He  was  first  married  in  Story  county,  Iowa,  to  Miss 
Laura  Woodruff,  who  died  in  1907,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren, Clifford,  Hazel,  Clarence,  Charles  and  Laura. 
His  second  marriage  was  with  Miss  Lena  Grodal,  a 
native  of  Norway.  They  have  no  children.  Mr. 
Perry  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
The  present  Mrs.  Perry  belongs  to  the  Andover- 
Fairfax  Ladies'  club.  The  latter  is  a  social  organ- 
ization which  does  a  great  deal  to  mitigate  the  lone- 
liness of  farm  life  and  furnish  entertainment  for  its 
members,  who  are  some  twenty-five  of  the  leading 
ladies  of  the  two  townships  whose  names  it  bears. 


REVEREND  WILLIAM  KLINKHAMMER. 


Reverend  William  Klinkhammer,  pastor  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  Catholic  church  at  East  Grand  Forks,  is 
a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in  Le  Sueur  county,  April 
21,  1879,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Louise  (Wilt)  Klink- 
hammer, who  were  natives  of  Germany.  Peter  Klink- 
hammer came  to  the  United  States  as  a  child  and  to 
Minnesota  in  1852  and  as  a  pioneer  settler  of  Le  Sueur 
county,  was  identified  with  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions of  the  early  days  and  all  the  activities  attending 
the  organization  and  development  of  the  prosperous 
farming  community.  In  the  troublous  times  of  1S62 
the  mother  suffered  the  loss  of  friends  and  relatives 
in  the  Sioux  massacre  and  he  gave  sei-viee  himself,  in 
a  Minnesota  regiment,  in  the  quelling  of  the  uprising 
and  was  a  member  of  the  guard  in  charge  of  the  thirty- 
eight  Sioux  braves  at  Mankato.  His  influence  was 
prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  St.  Johns  Cath- 
olic church  in  his  home  county  and  in  all  matters  of 
public  welfare.  He  was  elected  to  various  offices  of 
local  importance  and  gave  able  seiwice  as  a  county 
commissioner.    He  is  still  living  on  tiie  old  homestead. 


William  Klinkhammer  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  educated  in  St.  Johns  University,  the  leading 
Catholic  school  of  Minnesota,  where  he  was  ordained 
in  June,  1908,  by  Bishop  Trobec  of  St.  Cloud.  His 
first  pastorate  was  at  Park  Rapids,  Minnesota,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years,  during  which  time  the 
present  church  building  was  erected,  and  the  parish 
well  organized  for  efficient  service.  In  July,  1911,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Sacred  Heart  Parish  where  his 
admirable  ministrations  have  proven  him  amply  quali- 
fied to  advance  the  work  of  tliat  ah'eady  splendidly 
equipped  organization.  The  Sacred  Heart  Parish  was 
organized  in  1893  by  the  Catholics  of  East  Grand 
Forks  and  the  surrounding  territory  and  from  its  first 
establishment  evidenced  the  vital  and  worthy  activity 
which  has  marked  its  rapid  growth.  The  loss  of  the 
newly  finished  church  building,  which  was  erected 
through  the  zealous  efforts  of  the  members,  by  fire  in 
1895  only  resulted  in  a  renewed  strength  of  purpose 
and  from  the  ashes  of  the  first  structure,  rose  a  larger 
and  finer  building.    The  first  pastor  was  Father  Hend- 


272 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ricks,  who  was  succeeded  in  1900  by  Father  J.  F. 
Greene,  who  served  the  parish  until  his  death  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1909.  It  was  during  this  periotl  that  the  pres- 
ent pai-soiiage  was  built  at  an  expenditure  of  $8,000 
and  the  furnishing  of  the  chui'ch  completed.  After 
the  death  of  Father  Green,  Father  J.  Hogan  was  put 
in  charge  and  under  his  administration  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  various  interests  of  the  church  advanced 
notably,  Father  Kliiikhammer  succeeded  Father 
Hogan  after  the  return  of  the  latter  to  his  former 
diocese  of  Duluth  which  had  been  divided  in  1910  for 
the  establishment  of  the  see  in  Crookston.  Father 
Klinkhammer  combines  a  rarely  genial  and  compan- 


ionable personality  with  a  marked  executive  ability 
which  has  happily  forwarded  and  consecrated  labors 
of  his  life  and  resulted  in  the  increased  efficiency  of 
the  parish  through  the  splendid  parochial  school  which 
he  instituted  under  the  encouragement  of  Biahop  Cor- 
bett  of  Crookston.  The  finely  equipped  school  building 
was  finished  in  September,  1912,  and  put  in  charge  of 
seven  teachers  who  are  Sisters  of  St.  Benedict  from 
Villa  Sancta  Scholastica,  Duluth.  The  school  now 
enrolls  two  hundred  pupils  and  furnishes  an  excellent 
curriculum  of  preparatory  studies  for  the  high  school. 
The  membership  of  the  Sacred  Heart  church  numbers 
some  fourteen  hundred  souls. 


HON.  TIMOTHY  A.  SULLIVAN. 


Hon.  Timothy  A.  Sullivan,  well  known  real  estate 
man  of  East  Grand  Forks  and  eminent  citizen  of 
Polk  county  has  been  most  prominently  identified 
^yith  the  progress  and  development  of  northern  Min- 
nesota in  the  many  interests  of  his  career  as  business 
man  and  public  spirited  citizen  and  official.  He  was 
bom  at  Ferguson  Falls,  Ontario,  August  18,  1864, 
the  son  of  Timothy  and  Honoria  (Enright)  Sullivan, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Canada.  The  former  was 
born  in  County  Lanark,  Ontario,  in  1829  and  is  one 
of  the  honored  pioneers  of  Polk  county,  having  been 
a  leader  among  that  notable  band  of  men  who  by 
stalwart  industry  and  enterprise  laid  the  foundation 
for  present  prosperity.  He  came  to  Polk  county  in 
the  fall  of  1877  and  located  on  land,  two  and  a  half 
miles  northeast  of  East  Grand  Forks  and  also  secured 
claims  for  four  of  his  children,  James  T.,  who  still 
resides  on  his  farm;  Michael,  now  living  in  East 
Grand  Forks;  Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  James 
Mclh-ath  and  whose  death  occurred  some  years  ago, 
and  Catherine,  who  married  Edwai-d  Kennedy  and 
lives  at  Houston,  Texas.  All  of  this  land  was  located 
in  the  district,  which  upon  its  orgnization  as  a  town- 
ship, received  the  name  of  Sullivan  in  recognition  of 
the  worthy  services  of  its  pioneer.  His  influence  was 
ever  directed  to  advancement  of  the  countrv  and  he 


was  the  first  to  insist  upon  the  urgency  of  good  roads, 
buying  a  road  grader  and  making  the  first  graded 
roads  in  Polk  county.  He  was  elected  to  various 
local  offices  and  as  chairman  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  gave  able  service  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  The  business  interests  of  his  career 
were  devoted  to  his  farm  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  which  he  developed  into  one  of  the  fine 
properties  of  the  county  and  part  of  which  he  later 
gave  to  his  sons,  Timothy  A.  Sullivan  and  Edward 
J.  Sullivan.  In  1889  he  retired  and  removed  to  East 
Grand  Forks,  where  he  is  now  residing,  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year.  The  death  of  his  wife  occun-ed  in 
1906,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  ilr.  Sullivan  has 
always  been  an  active  woi'ker  in  the  political  field 
and  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  was  a 
communicant  in  St.  Michaels  church  at  Grand  Forks 
until  1893  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  congre- 
gation of  the  Sacred  Heart  parisli  at  East  Grand 
Forks.  Of  his  family  of  seven  children,  all  reside  in 
Polk  county,  with  the  exception  of  Catherine,  and 
Anna,  who  married  C.  L.  Cumings  and  lives  at  Great 
Falls,  Montana.  Timothy  A.  Sullivan  was  a  lad  of 
thirteen  years  when  he  accompanied  the  family  in 
their  removal  to  Jliunesota  and  since  that  he  has  been 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


273 


allied  in  all  the  attainments  and  ambitious  accom- 
plishments of  his  successful  career  with  the  activities 
of  this  section,  worthily  discharging  the  responsi- 
bilities of  citizenship  as  exampled  in  the  life  of  his 
senior.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  East  Grand  Forks  and  later  matriculated  in  the 
State  University  of  North  Dakota.  In  1891  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Edward  J.  Sullivan,  he 
entered  the  real  estate  and  loan  business  in  East 
Grand  Forks.  The  active  management  of  the  business 
has  always  been  directed  by  T.  A.  Sullivan  and  the 
firm  of  Sullivan  Brothers  is  widely  known  as  one  of 
the  most  important  and  extensive  operators  in  this 
field  in  northern  Minnesota,  their  loans  in  the  Red 
River  valley  having  aggregated  some  two  millions  of 
dollsirs.  They  are  also  writers  of  insurance.  Mr. 
Sullivan's  real  estate  investments  include  farming 
lands  in  the  far  famed  Red  River  valley  and  large 
interests  in  East  Grand  Forks,  including  several  busi- 
ness buildings  and  a  forty  acre  tract,  known  as  the 
Lake  Park  addition,  located  in  the  most  desirable 
residence  part  of  the  city  and  about  half  of  which 
has   already   been    transferred    to   private   property 


owners.  The  same  competent  management  and  honest 
dealing  that  have  marked  his  business  enterprises  have 
combined  with  an  aggressive  zeal  for  the  public  wel- 
fare and  progress,  to  render  his  sei'vices  in  public 
affairs  of  signal  foi-ce  and  prominence.  In  1893  he 
was  called  to  ofiScial  position  by  the  election  to  the 
office  of  mayor,  on  the  reform  ticket.  After  holding 
this  position  for  two  terms,  in  1895,  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Clough  judge  of  the  municipal  court 
and  was  retained  in  that  capacity  by  the  voters  for 
seventeen  years.  He  has  also  held  many  other  offices, 
his  effective  services  marking  him  as  a  leader  in  aU 
matters  of  public  progress  and  in  the  political  arena, 
where  he  is  a  staunch  upholder  of  the  I^epublican 
party,  being  an  active  worker  in  conventions  as  a 
member  of  the  County  Republican  committee.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  State  Central  committee,  during 
the  candidacy  of  Hans  Jacobson  for  the  gubernatorial 
election.  Mr.  Sullivan  was  married  at  Hastings, 
Minnesota,  September,  1894,  to  Maiy  A.  Shilling  and 
they  have  five  children,  Linus,  who  is  a  student  in 
the  high  school  of  East  Grand  Forks,  Louis,  Mary, 
Angela  and  i\Iadonna. 


JAMES  MULLALLY. 


James  Mullally,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  a  retired 
railroad  man  and  pioneer  citizen,  was  actively  asso- 
ciated with  the  development  of  Polk  county,  in  the 
early  days  of  railroad  construction  and  was  emploj^ed 
on  the  Great  Northern  road,  in  the  vicinity  of  Grand 
Forks  for  almost  twenty-six  years.  He  is  a  native  of 
Ireland,  bom  in  County  Tipperary,  July  22,  1836, 
and  when  four  years  of  age  was  brought  to  Lanark 
county,  Ontario.  After  reaching  manhood  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  railroad  woi'k  and  had 
spent  some  nine  years  in  tlie  latter  employment 
before  coming  to  Polk  county.  On  May  15,  1879, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  their  family  of  nine 
children,  he  removed  to  Grand  Forks,  where  he  made 
his  home  for  a  year,  meanwhile  buying  a  farm  and 
taking  a  homestead  claim  in  Nesbit  township,  about 


eight  miles  east  of  East  Grand  Forks.  In  January, 
1880,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Great  Northern 
railroad  and.  for  a  short  time  worked  on  the  con- 
struction of  the  side  tracks  at  Grand  Forks,  his 
experience  and  ability  soon  winning  him  the  position 
of  foreman  over  a  crew  of  twenty  men  and  in  the 
following  year  lie  removed  to  East  Grand  Forks. 
The  tracks  from  Fisher  to  the  Red  river  had  been 
completed  and  in  February,  1881,  after  the  erection 
of  a  temporary  bridge,  the  first  engine  crossed  the 
river.  The  crew  on  this  historical  trip  were,  John 
Burton,  engineer,  Peter  Engles,  fireman,  Tom  Stahl, 
conductor,  with  John  Burnett  and  Peter  Nolan, 
brakemen.  After  the  completion  of  the  main  road 
to  the  river,  Mr.  Mullally  was  made  foreman  of  a 
section  running  east  of  Grand  Forks  for  six  miles 


274 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


and  often  during  the  first  years,  personally  dis- 
charged all  the  work  on  his  section,  which  until  the 
laying  of  new  iron,  required  much  cutting  and  patch- 
ing of  the  track.  During  the  summer  months  he  was 
in  charge  of  extra  gangs  of  workmen,  constructing 
the  side  tracks  at  various  stations.  He  retired  Sep- 
tember 9,  1897,  after  twenty-six  years  as  a  successful 
workman  and  efficient  employee  of  Jas.  J.  Hill,  the 
empire  builder  of  the  northwest.  During  these  years 
he  had  thriftily  availed  himself  of  the  privileges  of 
the  Employees  Investment  Company,  Limited,  which 
received  monthly  payments  from  the  road's  employees 
until  a  total  deposit  of  $5,000  had  been  made  and 
paid  seven  percent  interest  on  the  savings,  and  had 
also  erected  a  pleasant  home  in  East  Grand  Forks, 
where  he  is  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  citizen. 
He  was  married  to  Euphemia  May,  on  June  2,  1859, 
and  thirteen  children  were  boni  to  them,  of  whom 
ten  are  now  living.  Thomas  MuUally,  a  railroad 
bridge  carpenter,  died  in  Van  Couver  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Mary,  died  in  her  eleventh  year  in  Ontario.    The 


surviving  children  are,  Sai'ah,  the  wife  of  George 
Shannon,  of  Grand  Forks;  Daniel  and  Isabel,  who 
ai"e  twins,  the  fonner,  a  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
Great  Northern  road,  residing  at  Grafton,  North 
Dakota ;  and  his  sister,  the  wife  of  Morgan  Curran, 
of  Grand  Forks,  also  an  engineer  on  the  Great 
Northern ;  John,  of  Grand  Forks,  and  James,  of 
Staples,  Minnesota,  both  railroad  engineers,  the  latter 
on  the  Northern  Pacific  route;  Alice,  the  wife  of 
Hany  McNichol,  the  Northern  Pacific  station  agent 
at  Grand  Forks,  and  a  fonner  teacher  in  the  I'olk 
county  schools  as  is  also  her  sister.  Alberta,  who 
married  Gute  Purcell,  associated  with  Timothy  Sulli- 
van in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business;  William  and 
Edward,  residents  of  East  Grand  Forks,  and  Lillie, 
wlio  lives  at  Mandan,  North  Dakota,  the  wife  of  Otto 
Wurdemau,  an  employee  of  the  Northeni  Pacific  rail- 
road. ]Mr.  Mullally  was  one  of  the  original  membere 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  Catholic  church  and  is  devoted 
to  all  its  interests. 


EDWARD  A.  BUCKLEY. 


Edward  A.  Buckley,  postmaster  at  East  Grand 
Forks  and  well  known  citizen,  is  a  native  of  Minne- 
sota, born  at  Compton,  Ottertail  county,  July  5, 
1886.  His  father,  Hugh  Buckley,  w^as  born  at 
Chatham,  New  Brunswick,  and  was  married  in  Maine 
to  Catherine  Moore,  a  native  of  Ireland.  In  1870 
they  came  to  Minnesota  and  settled  on  a  homestead 
in  Ottertail  couut.y,  where  as  a  pioneer  citizen, 
Mr.  Buckley  became  prominently  associated  with 
public  interests  and  was  active  in  the  organization  of 
the  township  in  which  he  lived.  His  death  occurred 
on  the  old  homestead  in  his  sixty-third  year.  His 
wife  survives  him,  making  her  home  in  East  Grand 
Forks,  where  several  of  her  children  reside.  Edward 
A.  Buckley  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  was  seventeen 
years  of  age  when  the  family  removed  to  East  Grand 
Forks,  soon  after  the  death  of  the  father.  He 
engaged  in  various  employments,  working  in  a  mill 


and  with  his  brother,  William  J.  Buckley,  until  1906 
when  he  secured  the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the 
First  State  bank  and  for  some  six  years,  maintained 
most  propitious  relations  with  that  institution,  his 
ability  being  recognized  with  the  promotion  to  the 
position  of  teller.  During  this  period  he  spent 
.several  months  in  California,  again  taking  up  his 
work  in  the  bank  upon  his  return.  In  1914  he 
received  the  commission  to  his  present  ofRce,  an 
appointment  w-hich  received  the  hearty  commenda- 
tion of  his  fellow  citizens  and  which  has  been  justified 
by  the  splendid  efficiency  of  his  services.  Mr.  Buck- 
ley is  a  Democrat  in  political  allegiance  but  party 
lines  do  not  define  his  many  friends  and  supporters 
in  his  home  town.  He  is  a  communicant  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  Catholic  cluirch  and  in  fraternal  orders 
is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the 
Modern   Woodmen    of    America.      He    was    married 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


275 


August  15,  1914,  to  Anna  Butler  of  Fargo,  North 
Dakota.  Mr.  Buckley  is  a  follower  of  the  pleasures 
of  the  out-of-door  sports  and  devotes  his  vacations  to 
hunting,  the  sport  so  naturally  favored  by  the  sons 
of  Minnesota.  The  postoffice  at  East  Grand  Forks 
reflects  the  prosperity  of  the  region  and  was 
advanced  a  few  years  ago  to  a  second  class  office.  Its 
rapidly  increasing  business  requires  the  services  of 
three  clerks  and  an  assistant  postmaster,  which  later 
position  is  capably  filled  by  Miss  Theresa  Thoreson, 
who  held  the  same  office  for  eight  years  under  her 


father,  0.  A.  Thoreson,  the  immediate  predecessor  of 
Mr.  Buckley.  The  office  maintains  four  rural  routes, 
serving  the  localities  of  Northland,  Davidson,  Byg- 
land,  and  Key  West,  where  all  local  offices  have  been 
discontinued.  Other  well  known  citizens  who  have 
been  identified  with  interests  of  the  office  as  post- 
master, previous  to  the  administration  of  Mr.  Buck- 
ley, are,  W.  C.  Nash,  J.  R.  Johnson,  who  served  for 
eight  years  and  0.  A.  Thoreson,  whose  re-appoint- 
ments to  the  position  total  twelve  years  of  occupancy. 


AARON  BROWN. 


Aaron  Brown,  city  treasurer  of  East  Grand  Forks 
and  formerly  a  prominent  building  contractor  of  that 
place,  has  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county  since  1881, 
when  he  located  in  Fisher,  then  in  the  first  days  of 
its  settlement.  He  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  in 
County  Dundass,  Ontario,  September  8,  1830,  and 
until  his  removal  to  Polk  county,  made  his  home  in 
his  native  land,  employed  as  a  stone  cutter  and  brick 
layer.  In  1881,  the  business  district  of  Fisher  con- 
sisted of  a  store  and  postoffice  and  two  or  three 
saloons,  but  other  enterprises  were  under  way  and 
Mr.  Brown  engaged  in  the  construction  of  an  engine 
house  for  the  elevator,  which  was  being  erected  by 
Thompson  and  DeMere.  He  left  Fisher  after  two 
years  for  East  Grand  Forks,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  In  the  same  year  of  his  removal,  1883,  he 
spent  some  time  on  the  Indian  reservation  at  Fort 
Totten,  Devils  Lake,  North  Dakota,  employed  by 
Major  Cranby,  the  agent,  in  the  building  of  the 
mission  schools.  In  East  Grand  Forks,  one  of  his 
first  contracts  was  with  Budge  &  Eshelman  for  the 
erection  of  the  Syndicate  block,  one  of  the  first  brick 
edifices  in  the  town  and  which  is  still  standing.  Sub- 
sequently, in  his  capacity  as  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful eontractoi-s  of  that  region,  he  was  identified  with 
all  the  important  building  enterprises  of  the  locality 
and  continued  his  business  operations  for  a  number 
of  years,   retiring  in   1905.     Aside   from  his  many 


private  interests,  he  has  ever  acknowledged  the 
responsibilities  of  good  citizenship  and  has  devoted 
his  talent  and  ability  to  the  promotion  of  the  general 
welfare  and  has  been  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens 
with  various  offices  of  public  trust.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Republican  party  but  in  local  politics,  places 
the  best  interests  of  the  community  above  the  restrict- 
ing bounds  of  party  lines.  He  has  given  capable 
service  as  mayor  for  three  years  and  has  also  served 
as  alderman  and  justice  of  peace.  In  1913  he  was 
elected  city  treasurer  and  in  this  office,  is  in  charge 
of  the  city  funds  of  $32,000  annually.  Mr.  Brown  is 
devoted  to  his  home  and  enjoys  all  the  interests  of 
his  own  fireside  and  garden  plot  with  the  keen  zest  of 
the  man  who  finds  his  greatest  recreation  in  the 
cultivation  of  those  interests.  Of  a  personality,  quiet 
but  forceful,  with  his  career  marked  by  able  accom- 
plishment as  business  man  and  citizen,  he  enjoys  the 
esteem  of  his  many  associates,  most  particularly 
among  the  substantial  pioneer  citizens,  and  has  entex'- 
tained  a  friendship  of  many  years  with  Judge  Watts. 
He  was  married  in  Canada,  in  1862,  January  1st,  to 
Helen  M.  Henry,  who  is  a  native  of  Scotland  and 
several  years  have  passed  since  the  celebration  of  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  union.  Twelve  children 
were  born  to  them,  three  of  whom  are  dead.  The 
surviving  membere  of  the  family  are,  Ellen,  who 
married    William    Benson,    of    East    Grand    Forks; 


276 


COMPExXDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


George,  living  at  tlie  same  place;  Agnes ;  the  wife  of 
George  Coulter,  of  Bemidji,  Minnesota;  James,  who 
is  a  piano  dealer;  Libbie,  the  wife  of  Freeman  L. 
Corliss,  a  contractor  in  East  Grand  Forks;  Christie 
and  Mai-y  who  are  both  married  and  at  present  resid- 
ing on  homesteads  in  Canada ;  ]\Iargaret,  who  married 


Arthur  Yickeiy  and  lives  in  East  Grand  Forks,  and 
Robert  J.,  who  resides  in  East  Grand  Forks.  Mr. 
Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  iu 
the  organization  of  which  he  was  influential  and  has 
continued  to  loyally  sen'e  its  interests  as  an  elder. 


SAM  T.  EVANSON. 


Sam  T.  Evanson,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  King 
township,  came  to  Polk  county  in  1894  and  has  since 
devoted  his  interests  to  the  affairs  of  this  community 
as  citizen  and  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  June  25,  1858,  and  in  early  diildhood 
accompanied  his  family  to  Goodhue  county,  Minne- 
sota, where  his  father  took  a  preemption  claim  and 
resided  until  his  death.  Sam  Evanson  remained  in 
the  parental  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age  and 
then  availed  himself  of  the  homesteader's  privilege 
in  Trail  county.  North  Dakota.  Here  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  pioneer  com- 
munity, faithfully  performing  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship in  the  establishment  of  township  and  county. 
During  the  years  of  his  residence  there,  he  gave  his 
attention  to  his  agricultural  interests  and  developed 
his  land  into  a  productive  farming  property,  which 
he  later  sold  for  $25  an  acre.  On  removing  to  Polk 
county,  he  bought  the  former  homestead  of  Ole  Quale, 
in  section  twenty-four  of  King  township,  two  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Mcintosh,  and  this  has  since 
been  his  home.  He  also  was  the  owner  of  another 
quarter  section  of  Polk  county  land  which,  after 
improving  it  for  cultivation,  he  sold  in  1914.  His 
home  farm  has  developed  under  his  able  management 
into  one   of   the   prosperous   estates   of   the   section. 


Upon  coming  into  his  possession,  but  thirty-five  acres 
had  been  cleared  and  the  usual  log  buildings  of  the 
settlers,  occupied  the  place.  The  clearing  of  the 
remainder  of  the  land  which  was  covered  with  brush 
presented  years  of  arduous  labor.  He  has  now  one 
liundred  acres  under  cultivation  and  has  equipped 
his  property  witli  buildings  of  modern  convenience 
and  appearance.  In  his  agricultural  operations,  he 
has  given  his  efforts  to  the  various  farming  enter- 
prises and  is  a  patron  of  the  co-operative  creamery, 
keeping  a  herd  of  twelve  cows.  Mr.  Evanson  was 
married,  in  Polk  county,  in  1895,  to  Lena  Bagstad,  of 
North  Dakota.  She  was  a  native  of  Norway  and  had 
come  with  her  pai'cnts,  as  a  young  eirl,  to  her  home 
in  North  Dakota.  Her  death  occurred  April  11,  1912. 
Their  only  child,  Ilenrj^  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
Mr.  Evan.son  survives  with  the  two  nieces  of  his  wife, 
Clara  Brovold  and  Sena  Brovold,  who  since  their 
entrance  into  the  Evanson  household  in  their  child- 
hood, have  been  reared  as  daughters  of  the  home. 
Clara  Brovold  is  the  home  maker  for  Mr.  Evanson 
and  Sena  Brovold  is  the  wife  of  Odwin  Johnson, 
residing  on  a  farm  two  miles  distant,  in  Brandsvold 
township.  Mr.  Evanson  is  a  trustee  in  the  Synod 
Lutheran  church,  where  he  and  his  family  have 
always  been  devoted  members. 


HANS  OLUS  ROSAAEN. 

Extensively  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  and  bank-  important  factor  in  the  mercantile  and  financial  life 

ing  for  a  number  of  years,  with  centers  of  business  of  Polk  coiinty  and  one  of  its  most  useful  and  enter- 

at    several    different    places,    the    late    Hans    Olus  prising  citizens  in  connection  witli  its  public  affairs 

Rosaaen,  whose  life  ended  on  July  9,  1904,  was  an  and  governmental   activities   in   a   variety   of   ways. 


-rT^^^S^^^^a 

": 

^^^^^^■B^B^j^T^^^^I 

J 

1 

Jd^(D^a,yL<:c^<y^..^^ry^ 


r        ' 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


277 


He  was  born  at  Stavanger,  Norway,  February  19, 
1860,  which  was  also  the  native  place  of  his  parents, 
Ole  and  Gunhild  (Sebby)  Rosaaen,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1861  and  settled  near  Sheldon,  in 
Houston  county,  Minnesota. 

The  father  took  up  a  homestead,  and  in  his  time 
improved  480  acres  of  wild  land.  He  died  in  1871. 
The  mother  was  89  when  her  death  occurred  in  191-1. 
They  wei'e  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. During  the  Indian  uprising  of  1862  they  had 
some  very  exciting  experiences  and  narrow  escapes 
from  the  brutality  of  the  savages.  Their  son  Hans 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  19  in  Houston  county,  and  in 
1879,  accompanied  by  his  broMier  James,  came  to  Polk 
county  and  found  employment  in  a  lumber  yard  at 
Hillsboro,  where  he  worked  for  one  year.  Afterward 
he  bought  a  lumber  yard  at  Pisher,  making  the  pur- 
chase of  a  Mr.  Mallery,  and  later  owned  other  yards 
at  Halstad,  Shelly,  Nielsville,  Climax  and  Crookston, 
to  all  of  which  he  gave  close  personal  attention. 

After  confining  his  energies  to  the  management  of 
his  lumber  business  for  a  number  of  years  he  and 
his  brother  James  founded  the  Citizens'  Bank  at 
Fisher,  of  which  he  was  president  until  his  death.  In 
addition  he  carried  on  a  general  loan  and  real  estate 


business.  He  was  married  on  May  8,  1889,  to  Miss 
Maggie  Hansen,  a  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Marion 
(Hansen)  Hansen,  who  came  to  Polk  county  in  1874 
and  took  up  their  residence  three  miles  west  of  Crooks- 
ton,  journeying  to  this  county  direct  from  their  native 
land  of  Norway.  The  father  served  as  county  com- 
missioner and  also  as  township  clerk,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  died  here. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosaaen  became  the  parents  of  five 
children,  Clarence,  Mabel  (now  Mrs.  W.  E.  Peter- 
son), Orrin  R.,  Hugh  and  Arnold.  The  father  was  a 
Republican  in  political  faith  and  allegiance  and  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  re- 
ligious connection.  His  widow  and  children  now  live 
in  Crookston,  where  they  are  universally  esteemed. 
Mrs.  Rosaaen 's  parents  were  pioneers,  and  she  and 
her  mother  were  left  alone  on  the  homestead,  which 
was  in  the  wilderness  and  among  the  Indians,  while 
the  father  worked  at  Grand  Forks,  30  miles  distant, 
to  support  them,  and  made  his  trips  to  and  from  that 
place  on  foot.  Indians  often  came  to  the  cabin  and 
ate  all  the  food  in  it,  and  sometimes  remained  over 
night,  harming  nothing,  however,  but  the  larder  and 
the  garden,  which  they  always  left  empty. 


CHARLES  Mccarty. 


Charles  McCarty,  a  prominent  farmer  of  King 
township  and  well  known  citizen  of  the  county,  has 
given  able  service  as  township  clerk  for  twenty  years 
and  has  ever  maintained  an  active  cooperation  with 
the  public  affairs  of  this  section.  He  was  bom  in 
Vermont,  at  Northfield,  June  4,  1856,  but  has  been  a 
resident  of  Minnesota  since  infancy,  the  family 
having  located  in  Scott  county  in  1857.  His  father, 
F.  McCarty,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  became  a 
homesteader  in  Scott  county,  where  he  lived  some 
fifteen  years  and  then  removed  to  Stearns  county. 
Here  he  again  took  up  the  labors  of  the  pioneer 
fanner  and  gave  his  attention  to  the  development 
and   cultivation  of  his  land  until  his  death  in  his 


seventieth  year.  Charles  McCarty  left  the  paternal 
home  as  a  lad  of  sixteen  to  seek  his  own  fortunes  and 
found  employment  as  a  farm  laborer.  In  1882  he 
came  to  Red  Lake  Falls,  then  in  Polk  county  and 
worked  there  until  the  reopening  of  the  Thirteen 
Towns  for  settlement,  in  1883,  when  he  filed  a  claim 
and  secured  the  land  which  has  since  been  his  home, 
two  miles  west  of  Mcintosh,  in  .section  twenty-three 
of  King  township.  He  erected  a  claim  shanty  and 
the  first  years  witnessed  the  slow  progress  and 
laborious  task  of  clearing  the  land,  during  which 
time  he  worked  in  the  harvest  field  to  finance  his 
enterprise.  The  present  prosperous  farm  attests  to 
the    capable    management    and    ambitious    industry 


278 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


which  have  marked  his  career.  Beside  the  original 
homestead  he  also  operates  an  eighty  acre  tract  about 
one  mile  distant.  All  phases  of  his  farming  activities 
have  been  brought  to  a  high  standard  of  efficiency 
and  he  engages  extensively  in  dairy  and  stock  farm- 
ing, breeding  Short  Horn  cattle,  which  he  regards  as 
the  most  profitable  double  purpose  stock.  He  has  put 
all  the  land  under  cultivation  and  has  erected  good 
barns  and  a  pleasant  home,  which  is  surrounded  by 
the  equally  attractive  and  protective  grove  which  he 
set  out  over  twenty-five  years  ago.  His  improvements 
on  the  farm  have  included  some  drainage.  Since  the 
first  meeting  held  for  organization  of  the  township, 
Mr.  McCarty  has  displayed  an  active  interest  in  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  the  community.  On  that 
historic  occasion,  Ephriam  King,  an  honored  pioneer 
was  elected  township  clerk  and  the  township  became 
formally  known  by  his  name.  Mr.  King  and  his  four 
sons,  Ephriam,  John,  Paul  and  Peter,  had  been  early 
settlers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township  and 
were  prominent  in  early  affairs.  Mr.  McCarty  has 
been  honored  with  a  number  of  offices  of  public  trust, 
the  commendation  of  his  worthy  services  having  kept 
him  in  the  office  of  township  clerk  for  twenty'  yeara. 
He  has  also  served  as  assessor  and  chairman  of  the 


township  board.  In  1896  he  was  elected  county  com- 
missioner and  continued  in  that  capacity  for  eight 
years.  He  was  prominently  associated  with  the  short 
history  of  Columbia  county,  being  appointed  auditor 
for  tlie  new  county  by  the  commissioners  and  serving 
during  the  five  months  of  its  existence,  when  lie 
resumed  his  interrupted  duties  as  commissioner  of 
Polk  county.  Of  later  years  he  has  not  been  a 
candidate  for  county  office,  preferring  to  give  his 
attention  to  local  responsibilities.  Aside  from  his 
official  service,  he  has  ever  given  his  influence  and 
support  in  all  matters  of  public  enterprise  and  is  a 
stockholder  in  all  the  cooperative  business  activities 
of  tlie  community,  including  the  creamery,  elevator 
and  stock  shipping  association.  His  marriage  to 
Georgia  Halvorson,  a  native  of  Meeker  county,  Minne- 
sota, occurred  in  1885,  in  Ci'ookston  and  they  have 
the  following  children,  Fred,  Mae,  Frank,  Ruby,  Flor- 
ence Leona.  Mr.  ilcCarty  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Mcintosh.  In  frater- 
nal circles,  Mr.  McCarty  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for  many  years, 
during  which  he  has  occupied  all  the  chairs  and  has 
been  a  representative  to  Grand  Lodge. 


ANDERSON  BROTHERS. 


Succeeding  to  a  farming  and  .stock  raising  industry 
which  their  father  started  and  conducted  with  enter- 
prise and  profit,  Andrew  and  Arnold  W.  Anderson, 
live  on  and  cultivate  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
33,  in  Andover  township,  this  county. 

Andrew  was  born  in  Wabasha  county,  Minnesota, 
on  February  21,  1872,  and  Arnold  W.  in  Wabasha 
connty,  Minnesota,  on  April  18,  1880.  They  are  the 
sons  of  Andrew  and  Sarah  (Bordahl)  Anderson, 
natives  of  Norway.  The  father  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1863  and  located  at  Reed's  Landing 
on  the  Mississippi  river,  in  Wabasha  county,  Minne- 
sota. He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  built  boats 
for  use   on  the   river  and  also  put  up  houses  for 


dwellings  and  other  purposes,  many  of  which  are  still 
standing.  He  was  married  in  Wabasha  county  to 
Miss  Sarah  Bordahl,  and  in  1881  they  came  to  Polk 
county,  where  the  father  purchased  of  the  railroad 
company  the  land  on  which  the  sons  now  live,  paying 
$6  an  acre  for  it  with  a  rebate. 

In  1881  the  family  settled  on  the  farm  and  the 
father  began  to  clear  and  cultivate  it.  He  also  worked 
at  his  trade,  building  houses  and  doing  other  carpen- 
ter work  for  his  neighbors.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  public  affairs  of  his  township,  serving  on  the  board 
of  supervisors  for  a  number  of  years.  His  death 
occurred  on  his  farm  in  1903,  March  17,  when  he  was 
about  sixty-seven  years  old,  and  the  mother  died  there 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


279 


on  November  13,  1909.  He  put  up  good  buildings  on 
the  farm,  but  the  house  burned  down  later,  and  the 
present  dwelling  was  erected  by  the  sons  soon  after- 
ward. 

When  the  parents  took  up  their  residence  on  this 
land  in  1881  they  were  farther  out  on  the  prairie  than 
any  other  residents.    There  were  no  roads  to  the  place 


and  for  several  years  the  crops  were  light.  But  the 
father  persevered,  got  all  his  tract  under  cultivation 
and  then  bought  another  quarter  section  in  Section  32. 
This  was  an  old  homestead  and  he  paid  $1,200  for  it. 
Of  the  children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  three  are 
living:  Julia,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ole  Volland,  of 
Andover  township,  and  the  two  sons. 


CARL  A.  GRONBERG. 


Taking  an  earnest  and  intelligent  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  locality,  in  mercantile,  governmental  and 
agricultural  circles,  and  exhibiting  progressiveness 
and  public  spirit  of  a  very  commendable  character  in 
connection  with  them  all,  Cai'l  A.  Gronberg,  one  of 
the  enterprising  and  successful  farmere  of  Vineland 
township,  this  county,  is  proving  himself  to  be  a  very 
forceful  factor  in  the  life  of  his  township  and  a  useful 
and  estimable  citizen  of  the  county  in  every  particular. 

Mr.  Gronberg  is  a  native  of  Vineland  township  and 
has  passed  his  life  to  the  present  time  (1916)  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  residing.  His  life  began 
May  20,  1882,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary 
Gronberg,  who  were  bom  in  Norway  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  the  early  summer  of  1882.  Three 
years  later  they  located  on  Section  32,  Vineland  town- 
ship, where  the  father  came  into  possession  of  160 


acres  of  land.  He  passed  the  remainder  of  his  years 
on  this  land,  dying  on  the  farm  in  the  spring  of  1904, 
when  he  was  fifty-four  years  old.  The  mother  is  still 
living.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  John, 
Carl,  Olaf,  Marten,  Inga  and  Emma,  all  of  whom  are 
living.    Inga  is  now  the  wife  of  Andrew  Dale. 

Carl  A.  Gronberg  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  lives,  and  on  which  he  has  labored  from  his 
boyhood.  He  obtained  a  common  school  education, 
and  since  leaving  school  has  been  continuously 
engaged  in  farming,  and  cultivating  now  200  acres  of 
fruitful  and  valuable  land.  He  has  been  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  a  number  of  years  and  has  also  rendered 
the  public  good  service  as  road  overseer  for  Vineland 
township.  In  addition  he  is  president  of  the  Climax 
Co-operative  Mercantile  company. 


HON.  REUBEN  REYNOLDS. 


The  Honorable  Reuben  Reynolds  formerly  a  judge 
in  this  Court  died  at  his  home  in  the  City  of  Crookston 
on  the  eighth  day  of  March,  A.  D.,  1889.  Judge 
Reynolds  was  bom  at  Covington,  Genesee  county. 
New  York,  on  the  25th  day  of  April  A.  D.,  1821.  He 
early  removed  to  Michigan  and  came  to  the  Territory 
of  Minnesota  in  the  year  1835,  since  which  time  he  has 
held  the  offices  of  Judge  of  Probate  Court,  Clerk  of 
District  Court,  Receiver  of  United  States  Land  Office 
and  Judge  of  District  Court  in  this  State. 

On  the  23rd  day  of  March,  1889,  at  a  fully  attended 
meeting  of  the   bar   of  Polk  county,   Minnesota,   a 


Memorial  Resolution  was  adopted  and  William  Watts 
was  instructed  to  present  the  Memorial  to  this  District 
Court. 

MEMORIAL. 

We,  the  Members  of  the  Bar  of  Polk  County  in  the 
State  of  Minnesota  deem  it  appropriate  that  we  should 
place  upon  the  record  an  expression  of  our  sense  of 
the  great  loss  to  our  State  and  to  our  profession  caused 
by  the  death  of  Hon.  Reuben  Reynolds,  a  former 
Judge  of  this  Court  which  occurred  on  the  eighth  day 
of  this  month  after  a  long  and  painful  illness. 

He  practiced  his  profession  in  our  midst  from  the 


280 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


time  Court  was  first  established  in  this  County  until 
his  elevation  to  the  Bench  in  March,  1885.  He  was 
really  a  remarkable  man,  endowed  with  great  strength 
and  clearness  of  judgment,  close  application,  and  a 
fluent,  earnest  and  forcible  speech.  Though  he  did 
not  begin  legal  study  until  past  the  meridian  of  life, 
he  excelled  in  all  branches  of  the  profession  of  the 
Law  and  stood  foremost  at  the  Bar  in  this  part  of  the 
State. 

The  same  qualities  made  him  one  of  the  most 
effective  public  speakers,  and  he  was  ever  ready  to 
give  his  time  and  talents  to  the  promotion  of  morality 
and  temperance  and  the  advancement  of  projects  and 
principles  that  he  deemed  to  be  for  the  public  weal. 

By  his  natural  endowments  and  attainments  he  was 
peculiarly  fi.tted  for  judicial  life.  His  learning  and 
ability  were  quickened  by  strong  sense  of  justice  and 


a  deep  love  for  the  equity  of  the  Law,  and  his  essen- 
tially kind  nature  made  him  courteous  to  all. 

In  his  death  our  profession  has  lost  one  of  its 
brightest  ornaments,  the  community  a  useful  and  up- 
right citizen  and  his  family  a  devoted  husband  and 
father.  We  deeply  mourn  his  loss  and  extend  our 
.sincere  sympathy  to  his  family  in  their  bereavement. 

We  respectfully  request  the  Court  to  direct  that 
this  expression  of  our  respect  for  our  departed  brother 
be  entered  upon  its  records  with  such  other  proceed- 
ings as  may  be  had  in  connection  therewith,  and  that 
a  copy  thereof  be  transmitted  to  his  family. 

Addresses  were  then  made  by  Wm.  Watts,  H. 
Steenerson,  and  P.  C.  Schmidt  of  the  bar  and  by  Hon. 
Judge  Mills.  By  Order  of  the  Court  the  memorial 
was  entered  upon  its  records  and  out  of  respect  for 
tlie  memory  of  Judge  Reynolds,  Court  was  adjourned. 


W.  S.  BREKKE. 


One  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers, 
extensive  and  successful  potato  growers  and  accom- 
plished musicians  of  Polk  county,  W.  S.  Brekke,  whose 
attractive  farm  is  located  in  Section  30,  Hubbard 
township,  is  a  useful  resident  of  the  northwest  in 
many  ways,  and  is  esteemed  in  accordance  with  his 
usefulness  and  genuine  merit  as  a  farmer,  a  man  and 
a  citizen.  He  takes  an  earnest  interest  and  a  helpful 
part  in  everything  that  seems  likely  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  his  township  and  the  county  generally,  and 
can  always  be  depended  on  for  assistance  in  any 
worthy  undertaking  in  this  line. 

Mr.  Brekke  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  his  life 
began  April  3,  1873,  but  he  has  lived  in  this  county 
since  he  was  nine  years  old.  He  is  a  son  of  Saave  and 
Gunield  (Gunhild)  Brekke,  also  Norwegians  by 
nativity,  and  the  first  bom  of  their  ten  children.  In 
1882  the  parents  brought  their  family  to  the  United 
States  and  found  a  new  home  in  Hubbard  township, 
this  county,  where  the  father  bought  160  acres  of  land. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  but  continued  to  reside  on  his 
fann  and  cultivate  it  until  his  death  on  March  17, 


1912,  at  the  age  of  nearly  sixty-seven  years.  The 
mother  passed  away  November  21,  1915,  aged  seventy 
years. 

From  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  the  county  until 
now  W.  S.  Brekke  has  had  his  home  on  the  fann 
purchased  by  his  father  in  1882,  and  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1905,  but  he  has  enlarged  it  to  280  acres  and 
greatly  improved  it  with  good  buildings,  abundant 
fences  and  other  necessaries,  and  made  it  highly  pro- 
ductive by  skilful  farming.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
raising  potatoes  on  an  extensive  scale,  his  crop  in  1914 
aggregating  18,600  bushels,  which  he  raised  on  about 
125  acres  of  land.  Since  January,  1907,  he  has  also 
been  one  of  the  rural  mail  carries  in  this  section  and 
covers  in  his  route  about  twenty-four  miles  a  day  with 
a  machine. 

Mr.  Brekke  has  given  a  great  deal  of  attention  to 
the  cultivation  of  his  natural  talent  for  music,  having 
been  a  close  student  and  an  industrious  practitioner  of 
musical  science  and  having  pursued  a  course  of  special 
training  at  the  Northwestern  Conservatory  of  Music 
in  Minneapolis.     After  leaving  the  conservatory  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


281 


music  at  Minneapolis  he  has  been  a  pupil  a  long  time 
of  the  world's  famous  violinist  and  teacher,  Maximil- 
lian  Deck.  He  was  married  in  Hubbard  township, 
this  county,  February  3,  1904,  to  Miss  Clara  Hanson, 


a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Tilda  Hanson.  They 
have  four  children,  Viola,  Eleanore,  Cardiff  and 
Spencer. 


BRNT  M.  BENNES. 


The  whole  of  the  life  of  this  estimable  citizen  of 
Polk  county  to  the  present  time  has  been  passed  iu 
cultivating  the  soil  and  raising  live  stock,  and  l)y  strict 
attention  to  his  business  and  industry  and  good  judg- 
ment in  conducting  it  he  has  been  very  successful  iu 
it,  making  substantial  gains  for  himself  and  con- 
tributing essentially  to  the  improvement  of  the 
country  around  him.  He  has  taken  an  earnest  interest 
and  an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  township 
and  illustrated  the  ))est  qualities  of  its  citizenship  in 
his  own  record  of  success  in  his  business  and  useful 
service. 

Mr.  Bennes  was  born  in  Norway  October  18,  1859, 
and  lived  in  that  country  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nearly  twenty  years,  working  on  his  father's  farm 
and  obtaining  his  education  there.  In  July,  1879,  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  Philadel- 
phia and  coming  at  once  to  Brown  county,  Minnesota. 
In  that  county  he  worked  out  at  farm  labor  until 
June,  1880,  then  came  to  Polk  county  and  took  up  a 
claim  of  160  acres  in  Garden  township,  where  he  lived 
until  1900.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Section  11,  Gar- 
field township,  iu  which  he  owns  166  acres,  well 
improved  with  good  buildings  and  iu  an  advanced 
state  of  cultivation,  on  which  he  has  made  his  home 


ever  since,  having  sold  his  Garden  township  farm.  He 
also  owns  145  acres  in  Clearwater  county. 

Mr.  Bennes  was  married  October  13,  1900,  to  Mrs. 
Margaret  H.  (Messeth)  Solheim,  who  was  boi'n  in 
Norway  February  7,  1867,  and  was  the  widow  of 
Andrus  0.  Solheim,  who  died  in  1897.  The  late 
Thomas  Messeth  was  her  brother.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  two  children,  Selma 
and  Aleda.  She  and  her  present  husband  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
Melvin,  Henry,  Edwin  and  Ivel.  Their  only  daughter, 
Ida,  died  when  she  was  five  years  old.  The  parents 
are  members  of  the  United  Lutheran  church  and 
actively  interested  in  all  the  undertakings  of  the 
congregation  in  which  they  hold  their  membership. 

Mr.  Bennes'  business  has  been  general  farming  in 
the  main,  but  he  lias  for  some  years  given  a  good  deal 
of  attention  to  raising  sheep  of  superior  strains,  the 
Shropshire  breed  being  his  favorite  product.  In  this 
department  of  his  industry,  as  well  as  in  his  general 
farming  operations,  he  is  studious  and  careful  and  his 
success  is  pronounced.  By  means  of  it  he  has  also 
contributed  essentially  to  the  improvement  of  the 
standard  of  live  stock  in  his  own  township  and  others. 


HANS  H.  BANGEN. 


For  nearly  half  a  century  a  resident  of  Minnesota 

and  for  over  forty  years  a  forceful  factor  in  the  life 

of  Polk  county  in  several  lines  of  serviceable  activity, 

Hans  H.  Bangen,  one  of  the  zealous  and  successful 

farmers  and  energetic  spirits  of  Vineland  township, 

who  is  now,  however,  living  retired  from  active  labor, 

has  been  a  very  useful  citizen  of  his  adopted  land. 
18 


repaying  it  with  interest  in  his  elevated  manhood  and 
good  work  for  liLs  community  for  the  opportunities 
for  advancement  to  consequence  it  has  given  him. 

Mr.  Bangen  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  his  life 
began  December  24,  1838,  and  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated.  In  1866  he  emigrated  to  this  country 
and  took  up  his  residence  in  Freeborn  county,  Minne- 


282 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


sota,  where  he  lived  seven  years  industriously  and 
profitably  engaged  in  farming.  In  July,  1873,  he 
brought  all  the  family  he  then  had  to  Polk  county,  and 
in  1874  settled  on  the  farm  in  Section  11,  Vineland 
township,  this  county,  on  which  he  has  lived  contin- 
uously since  that  time.  He  first  bought  160  acres,  and 
to  this  he  has  added  100  acres  by  a  subsequent  pur- 
chase. He  has  also  erected  good  buildings  on  the  place 
and  lias  all  of  his  land  under  cultivation. 

On  May  30,  1870,  Mr.  Bangen  was  manned  in  Free- 
born county,  Minnesota,  to  Miss  Eline  Thompson,  who 
is  also  a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  had  nine  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  are  living,  a  daughter  named 
Laura  having  died  in  infancy.  The  living  children 
are :  Mina  S.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Saugstad ; 
Anton,  who  is  now  farming  the  home  place;  Marie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Hauske;  Clara,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Helmer  Estenson ;  Thea,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  Stubson;  Laura,  who  is  the  wife  of  Olaf 
Stromsmo ;  Theo,  who  married  Miss  Emma  Berg,  and 
Hebner,  who  is  still  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Bangen  has  been  chairman  of  the  township 
board  for  a  number  of  years,  and  has  always  taken  an 


active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Free  Lutheran  church,  and  he  has  led 
the  singing  in  its  religious  services  and  been  one  of  its 
most  liberal  and  faithful  supporters  from  the  time 
when  the  church  edifice  was  built.  The  members  of 
his  family  also  attend  and  support  this  church. 

Anton  Bangen,  the  oldest  son  and  second  child  of 
the  household,  is  a  resident  of  Vineland  township  and 
conducts  the  operations  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was 
bom  in  Freeborn  county,  Minnesota,  March  22,  1873, 
and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Polk  county  when 
he  was  about  four  months  old.  All  of  his  subsequent 
life  has  been  passed  in  this  county  and  in  Vineland 
township  and  the  daughter  of  Hans  II.  Berg.  They 
principal  occupation.  On  December  27,  1913,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Berg,  a  native  of  Vineland 
township,  and  he  has  always  followed  farming  as  his 
have  one  child,  their  daughter  Harriet  E.  Like  his 
father,  Mr.  Bangen  takes  an  earnest  interest  and  an 
active  part  in  the  affairs  of  his  township,  and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  its  most  useful  and  representative 
citizens. 


LEWIS  E.  FLINT. 


This  gentleman,  who  is  a  resident  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  and  who  is  passing  his  days  and  nights  in  use- 
ful service  to  mankind  as  a  passenger  conductor  on 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  is  exemplifying  now 
the  spirit  of  industry  and  abiding  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  fellow  men  that  has  characterized  him  in 
all  previous  periods  of  his  manhood  and  every  occupa- 
tion he  has  engaged  in  from  his  youth.  He  is  a  native 
of  West  Randolph,  Vermont,  where  his  life  began  May 
25,  1872,  and  a  son  of  Joseph  J.  and  Clara  L.  (Ford) 
Flint,  also  natives  of  Vermont. 

The  parents  came  west  in  1879  and  located  at 
Jamestown,  North  Dakota,  whei-e  the  mother  is  still 
living  and  where  the  father  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  which  ended  November  11,  1888.  He  was  a 
contractor  of  prominence  and  success,  and  was  well 


known  and  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  northwest. 
Two  children  were  born  in  the  family,  Lewis  E.  and 
his  older  brother  Harry  C,  both  of  whom  came  with 
their  parents  to  this  part  of  the  country.  Harry  is 
still  a  resident  of  Jamestown,  North  Dakota. 

Lewis  E.  Flint  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Jamestown  and  for  about  three  years  after  leaving 
school  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  that  city. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  company  as  a  brake- 
man,  and  three  j'ears  later  he  was  raised  to  the  posi- 
tion of  conductor,  in  which  capacity  he  has  been 
rendering  the  railroad  company  and  the  general  public 
good  service  ever  since. 

Mr.  Flint  was  married  December  30,  1899,  to  Miss 
]\Iaude  A.  Bradford,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  Michi- 


<1 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


283 


gan,  March  16,  1880,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  G.  and 
Matilda  (Zemlin)  Bradford,  the  former  a  native  of 
London,  England,  and  the  latter  of  Berlin,  Germany. 
Mrs.  Flint's  father  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  company  since  prior  to 
1875,  and  is  now  its  station  agent  at  Staples,  Minne- 


sota. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flint  have  three  children,  all  sons, 
Hari-y  L.,  Jerome  E.  and  Charles  B.  The  parents 
stand  well  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  of  East 
Grand  Forks  and  richly  deserve  the  regard  that  is 
bestowed  upon  them  wherever  they  are  known. 


CHRIS  EICKHOF. 


Having  passed  all  the  years  of  his  mature  life  to  the 
present  time  in  carpenter  work,  contracting  and  build- 
ing, and  thereby  contributed  to  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  several  communities  in  which  he 
has  lived,  Chris  Eickliof,  one  of  the  esteemed  resi- 
dents of  Crookston,  has  been  a  useful  citizen,  making 
his  time  and  energy  tell  to  the  advantage  of  the  people 
around  him  as  well  as  to  his  own  benefit.  He  was  bom 
near  the  great  commercial  city  of  Hamburg,  German}', 
September  25,  1849,  and  lived  in  that  country  until 

1881,  learning  and  working  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter 
and  builder. 

When  he  landed  in  New  York  in  April,  1881,  he 
came  west  at  once  and  located  at  Red  Wing,  Minne- 
sota, where  he  remained  about  one  year.     In  May, 

1882,  he  changed  his  residence  to  Crookston,  and  here 
he  has  ever  since  made  his  home  and  followed  his 
chosen  line  of  constructive  work,  building  many  houses 
of  various  kinds  and  for  different  purposes,  all  of 


which  have  aided  in  the  expansion  and  improvement 
of  the  city  and  contributed  in  a  substantial  and  endur- 
ing way  to  the  comfort  and  general  welfare  of  its 
residents. 

Mr.  Eiekhof  was  married  in  Gei-many  May  9,  1875, 
to  Miss  Johanna  Dammaun,  who  was  bora  near  Ham- 
burg, Germany,  November  19,  1854.  They  have  nine 
children  living:  Bertha  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  W. 
Risch ;  Hannah  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Gustaf  Som- 
mers;  Dora  B.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Arthur  Zaiser; 
Flora  W.,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  Arthur  Williams ;  Otto 
J.,  who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Eiekhof  &  Son;  Anna  S.,  who  is  a 
school  teacher;  Nettie  G.,  who  is  living  at  home; 
Frances  E.,  who  also  is  teaching  school,  and  William 
C,  who  is  stiU  under  the  parental  roof  tree.  All  the 
membera  of  the  family  are  persons  of  worth  and  are 
esteemed  as  such. 


JOSEPH  0.  SARGENT. 


Joseph  O.  Sargent,  of  Crookston,  a  well-kno-wn  pio- 
neer of  the  State,  was  born  May  26,  1846,  in  Rock 
county,  Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Zeblin  L.  and  Louisa 
(Young)  Sargent,  and  is  a  member  of  a  family  that 
has  been  identified  with  the  history  of  the  building  of 
the  nation  as  sturdy  pioneers  and  in  notable  military 
service  and  is  himself  one  in  the  fast  dwindling  ranks 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  that  so  valiantly 
defended  the  Union  in  its  great  crisis.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Simon  Young,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812  and  was  wounded  and  became  a  pensioner 


of  that  war.  Zeblin  Sargent  was  a  native  of  Penob- 
scot county,  Maine,  born  at  Exeter  in  1818,  and  in 
1839  began  his  journey  into  the  western  frontier 
countiy,  living  for  several  years  in  Illinois,  and  in 
1844  removed  to  the  territory  of  Wisconsin,  where  he 
spent  ten  yeare.  In  1854  he  went  to  Cannon  Falls, 
Minnesota,  and  continued  to  reside  in  this  state  until 
his  death  at  Crookston,  in  1904.  His  wife  survived 
him  eight  years,  living  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
three  years.  Of  their  family  of  twelve  children  nine 
are  now  living.    Three  of  the  sons  and  the  father  were 


284 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


soldiers  iu  the  war  of  tlie  i-cht-Uioii.  The  latter  was 
made  a  sergeant  in  his  eonipany  and  for  three  years 
was  detailed  to  detached  service  in  the  western  cam- 
paigns under  General  Grant.  He  also  took  part  in 
the  Indian  war  of  1862.  Joseph  0.  Sargent  was 
reared  in  the  pioneer  home  and  was  familiar  from 
earliest  childhood  with  the  privations  and  hardy  influ- 
ences of  frontier  life.  He  secured  what  educational 
advantages  the  country  afforded  and  the  favorite 
recreations  of  his  boyhood  were  fishing  and  hunting 
trips  in  which  the  native  Indians  were  his  frequent 
companions.  He  was  nine  years  of  age  when  the 
family  settled  in  Minnesota,  in  territorial  days,  and 
from  the  experiences  of  a  long  and  eventful  career, 
recalls  many  interesting  and  significant  incidents. 
He  enlisted  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  February  IS), 
1864,  in  Company  C  of  the  Sixth  Minnesota  volun- 
teer infantry,  and  was  in  active  service  during  the 
remainder  of  the  war,  in  the  compaigns  of  the  IMiss- 
is.sippi  river,  the  Red  river  and  the  gulf  coast,  taking 
])art  in  tlie  l)attles  of  ^Io))ile,  Fort  Blakeley  and 
Arkansas  Post  and  in  a  number  of  minor  maneuvers 
against  the  forces  under  General  Price.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  located 
on  a  farm  iu  Rice  county   and   spent   several   years 


farming  and  oi)eratiug  a  wagon  and  blacksmith  shop 
at  Dundas,  near  Northfield,  and  at  tlie  lime  of  the 
raiding  of  that  town  by  the  -James  and  Yonngers,  was 
one  of  the  posse  who  trailed  and  cai)tured  the  noto- 
rious band.  In  1879  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took 
a  homestead  claim  in  Hamlin  townshij),  where  he 
was  the  first  settler.  His  first  home  was  a  frame 
shanty  and  he  again  lived  among  primitive  surround- 
ings, engaging  in  the  task  of  clearing  wild  land  for 
cultivation.  He  developed  a  fine  farm  and  remained 
on  the  place  for  fourteen  years  and  then  disposed  of 
his  farming  interests  and  removed  to  Crook.ston  and 
became  a  building  contractor.  He  conducted  a  pros- 
perous business  for  a  number  of  years,  erecting  many 
of  the  public  buildings  and  homes  in  that  city,  and 
is  one  of  its  most  highly  respected  citizens.  Mr.  Sar- 
gent has  always  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican ])artv  and  has  given  valuable  service  in  offices 
of  public  trust,  in  township  affairs,  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  Handin  township,  and  also  super- 
visor and  assessor,  and  for  six  years  served  on  the 
city  council  of  Crookston.  He  was  married  in  1870 
to  Lucinda  Kingsbury,  who  was  born  in  Iowa  county, 
Wisconsin.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  them  but 
neither  are  now  living. 


ANDREW  N.  HOFFE. 


Having  come  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  and  having  made  good  use  of  every 
opportunity  tliat  lias  presented  itself  to  him  to  im- 
prove his  condition  and  advance  his  interests,  Andrew 
N.  IToffe,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Liberty  town- 
ship, this  county,  has  made  steady  progi'ess  to  a  con- 
dition of  liberal  and  substantial  comfort  in  a  worldly 
way,  and  has,  in  liis  useful  and  progressive  career, 
given  a  fine  illustration  of  the  possibilities  open  to 
industry,  frugality,  upright  living  and  good  business 
management  in  this  land  of  almost  boundless  wealth 
and  opportunity. 

Mr.  Hoffe  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  his  life 
began  January  3,  1856,  and  where  he  was  reared  to 


the  age  of  twenty  and  obtained  his  education.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm,  and  throughout  his  subsef|uent  years 
he  has  adhered  to  the  occupation  with  which  he  began 
his  industrial  record.  In  the  spring  of  1876  he 
emigrated  to  this  country,  landing  at  Philadelphia 
and  coming  at  once  to  Houston  county,  ^Minnesota, 
and  there  working  out  as  a  farm  laborer  for  two  or 
three  years.  His  wages  were  small  and  the  work  was 
hard,  but  his  spirit  and  determination  kept  him  at  it, 
and  he  was  careful  in  saving  what  he  could  of  his 
earnings. 

From  Houston  county  Mr.  Hoffe  moved  to  Goodhue 
county,  this  state,  and  there  he  continued  to  work  as 
a  farm  lal>orer  for  four  vears.     In  1883  he  came  to 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


285 


Polk  county  and  purchased  160  acres  of  land  south- 
east of  the  village  of  Fertile,  paying  $800  for  the  tract. 
He  improved  his  land  as  much  as  he  could,  but  as 
he  was  still  compelled  to  earn  his  living  by  working 
for  other  farmers,  his  efforts  in  this  direction  for 
some  time  were  limited.  But  he  continued  them  until 
the  spring  of  1899,  when  he  moved  to  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  lives,  and  he  has  kept  them  up  ever 
since,  both  on  that  farm  and  on  all  his  other  tracts. 
He  now  owns  1,240  acres  of  fii'st-rate  land  improved 
with  good  buildings  and  constituting  one  of  the  most 
desirable  and  valuable  homes  in  his  township,  all  of 


which  has  been  acquired  by  his  own  industry  and 
thrift. 

Mr.  Hoffe  was  married  in  Grand  Foi*ks,  North 
Dakota,  in  the  spring  of  1888  to  Miss  Sarah  Dall,  who, 
also,  is  a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  two  children, 
their  sons  Nels  and  Peder  0.  The  head  of  the  house 
has  served  for  some  years  on  the  township  board  and 
also  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  he  is  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  Farmers'  State  Bank  of  Fertile. 
He  and  his  wile  are  members  of  the  Synod  Lutheran 
church. 


WILLIAM  HOLLEY. 


William  Holley  was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century 
actively  engaged  in  farming  in  Polk  county,  but  since 
1905  lived  retired  from  active  pursuits  and  making  his 
home  in  East  Grand  Forks,  until  his  death  December 
9,  1915.  William  Ilolley  contributed  a  liberal  share 
of  enterprise  and  assistance  in  building  up  and  devel- 
oping this  county,  and  won  the  lasting  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  him  by  the  uprightness  of  his  life,  his  suc- 
cessful management  of  his  own  affairs  and  his  cordial 
and  helpful  interest  in  the  progress  and  enduring 
welfare  of  his  locality. 

Mr.  Holley  was  born  near  Toronto,  Canada,  August 
1,  1842,  and  remained  there  until  1880  progressively 
engaged  in  farming  after  leaving  school.  In  March, 
1880,  he  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county,  locating  in 
Grand  Forks  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
nearly  eighty  acres.  He  developed  and  improved  this 
farm  and  made  his  home  on  it  until  the  autumn  of 


1905,  when  he  retired  from  business  and  changed  his 
residence  to  East  Grand  Forks.  His  farm  now  com- 
prises 240  acres  and  is  all  under  cultivation  and  well 
improved  with  good  buildings  and  all  necessary 
equipment  for  its  vigorous  and  systematic  tillage 
according  to  the  most  approved  present-day  methods. 
On  February  6,  1877,  Mr.  Holley  was  married  in 
Canada  to  Miss  Margaret  Wallace,  of  the  same 
nativity  as  himself  and  born  March  4,  1859.  They 
had  one  child,  their  son  William  Henry  Wallace 
Holley,  who  was  born  in  Grand  Forks  township,  this 
county,  August  31,  1890.  The  parents  were  zealous 
and  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
the  father  always  took  a  good  citizen's  part  in  the 
work  of  pushing  the  progress  of  Polk  county  forward 
along  all  lines  of  wholesome  development  and  seeing 
that  its  public  affairs  were  wisely,  honestly  and 
economically  managed. 


OLE  F.  BRUUN. 


Coming  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
with  no  capital  but  his  resolute  spirit,  active  mind, 
habitus  of  industry  and  frugality  and  quick  perception 
of  opportunities  for  advancement,  and  using  all  his 
chances  to  better  his  condition  to  good  advantage,  Ole 
F.  Bruun,  one  of  the  leading  and  successful  farmers 


of  Vineland  township,  this  county,  has  accumulated  a 
well-earned  competency  for  life  and  raised  himself  to 
influence  and  general  esteem  among  his  fellow  men 
by  his  sterling  citizenship  and  useful  services  to  his 
community.  His  career  furnishes  a  striking  illustra- 
tion of  the  value  of  pluck,  energy  and  persistency, 


286 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


coupled  with  determination  to  win,  especially  in  a 
land  of  such  abundant  opportunity  as  this  one  dis- 
plays. 

Mr.  Bruun  is  a  native  of  Norway,  bom  October  27, 
1862.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  located  first  in  Ottertail  county, 
Minnesota,  where  he  arrived  May  24  and  worked  at 
farm  labor  until  October.  He  then  came  to  Polk 
county,  and  here  he  continued  to  work  out  as  a  farm 
hand  until  the  spring  of  1888.  On  June  4,  of  that 
year,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Gea  Thore- 
son,  who  was  born  in  Filhnore  county,  Minnesota, 
September  8,  1868. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Bruun  took  up  his  residence 
on  a  farm  in  Section  24,  Tynsid  township,  Polk 
county,  buying  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  he  still 
owns  and  which  he  has  improved  with  good  buildings 


and  made  highly  productive.  In  1901  he  bought  363 
acres  in  Section  2,  Vineland  township,  and  changed 
his  residence  to  that  tract,  on  which  he  also  erected  a 
fine  set  of  buildings.  He  now  owns  683  acres  in  all, 
and  has  the  whole  extent  under  cultivation  and  yield- 
ing excellent  crops  under  his  judicious  and  progressive 
tillage.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  township 
board  of  supervisors,  township  treasurer,  assessor  and 
treasurer  of  his  school  district.  For  some  years  he 
has  also  been  the  treasurer  of  the  Lutheran  Free 
church,  of  which  he  and  his  family  are  members. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruun  have  twelve  children :  Clara, 
Julia,  Helga,  Freda,  Thelma,  Frederick,  Ida,  Harold, 
Georga,  Olinda,  Norman  and  Alpha.  Clara  is  the  wife 
of  Ole  Dahlen,  and  has  her  home  in  Crookston.  The 
other  children  are  living  at  or  near  the  home  of  their 
parents. 


OLE  N.  OLSLUND. 


Neither  the  favors  of  fortune  nor  adventitious  cir- 
cumstances, except  as  he  found  or  made  them,  have 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  progressive  and  successful 
career  of  Ole  N.  Olslund,  one  of  the  enterprising  and 
prosperous  farmers  of  Polk  county,  whose  comfortable 
and  attractive  country  home  is  located  in  Section  24, 
Reis  township.  Every  step  of  his  advancement  in 
life  has  been  hewed  out  by  himself,  and  all  his  acquisi- 
tions and  possessions  are  the  fruits  of  his  own 
diligence,  thrift,  good  management  and  fine  business 
capacity. 

Mr.  Olslund  was  born  in  Norway  December  3,  1856, 
and  when  he  was  betwen  eight  and  nine  yeai*s  of  age 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  father  and  brother 
John.  They  located  first  at  Rockford,  Illinois,  and 
two  years  later  moved  to  Allamakee  county,  Iowa. 
The  father  died  in  that  county  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  and  Mr.  Olslund 's  brother  John  also  died  there 
when  he  was  about  twelve.  Mr.  Olslund  himself  con- 
tinued to  live  in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  then  made  his  home 
at  different  places  until  1881.    In  April  of  that  year 


he  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  taking 
up  a  homestead  of  160  acres  in  Section  14,  Reis  town- 
ship. He  improved  his  land  and  lived  on  it  for  some 
years,  then  sold  it  and  bought  the  fine  farm  of  200 
acres  in  Section  24,  Reis  towaiship,  on  which  he  now 
has  his  home,  and  on  which  he  ei'ected  the  buildings. 

The  public  affairs  of  the  county,  especially  those  of 
his  own  township,  have  always  deeply  and  practically 
interested  Mr.  Olslund,  and  he  has  been  of  great  serv- 
ice to  the  people  in  helping  to  administer  them  wisely, 
having  filled  every  local  office  except  that  of  township 
clerk,  and  winning  high  approval  by  the  excellent 
record  he  made  in  each.  As  a  private  citizen,  too,  he 
has  been  very  useful  by  the  force  of  his  example,  his 
enterprise,  progressiveness  and  breadth  of  view  in  all 
undertakings  for  the  general  welfare,  and  his  un- 
hesitating readiness  to  assist  in  promoting  them. 

Mr.  Olslund  was  married  March  13,  1884,  to  Miss 
Hannah  Johnson,  a  native  of  Allamakee  county,  Iowa, 
and  the  daughter  of  John  G.  Johnson,  who  settled  in 
Reis  township  in  1879,  and  was  one  of  its  revered 
pioneers.    He  died  in  that  township  in  the  autumn  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


287 


1914,  when  he  was  about  seventy-six  years  old.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Olsluud  are  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
Elmer,  Grace,  Milton,  Orley,  Harrietta,  Myrtle, 
Reuben,  Ethelyn,  Curtis  and  Lewis.    Grace  is  now  the 


wife  of  Earnest  Dennison.  The  parents  are  active 
and  zealous  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Beltrami. 


ERICK  0.  STORTROEM. 


This  progressive  and  successful  farmer  of  Vineland 
township,  Polk  county,  is  one  of  the  foreign  born  men 
of  sturdy  and  sterling  worth  who  have  come  to  this 
country  for  better  opportunities  for  advancement  than 
their  native  lands  seemed  to  offer  and  have  not  only 
helped  themselves  but  have  also  aided  vastly  in  the 
development  and  improvement  of  the  country  by 
tloing  so.  He  is  a  good  representative  of  the  reliable 
manhood  of  Norway,  where  he  was  born  September  1, 
1855,  and  where  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  and  obtained  a  common  school  education. 

In  June,  1877,  Mr.  Stortroem  emigrated  to  this 
country  and  located  first  in  Pierce  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1878,  then  came 
to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  pre-empted  160  acres 
of  land  in  Section  20,  Vineland  township.  Two  and 
a  half  years  later  he  turned  in  that  160  acres  as  part 
of  a  homestead  in  the  same  section,  and  on  that  he 
lived  until  the  fall  of  1883,  when  he  moved  to  Section 
19,  on  which  he  has  since  had  his  home.  He  now  owns 
200  acres,  all  of  which  tract  is  improved  and  under 
advanced  cultivation  according  to  the  most  approved 


methods  of  present-day  farming  and  yielding  excellent 
crops. 

Mr.  Stortroem  has  taken  a  cordial  and  helpful 
interest  in  all  the  public  and  business  affairs  of  his 
township  and  rendered  the  people  good  service  in  con- 
nection with  many  of  them.  He  has  held  the  ofiSce  of 
secretary  of  the  Vineland  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  com- 
pany for  ten  years  and  now  held  the  same  position 
again,  and  has  been  township  treasurer,  township 
assessor  and  for  a  long  time  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors,  of  which  he  has  been  chairman  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Sand 
Hill  Norwegian  Lutheran  church,  to  which  he  and  the 
members  of  his  family  belong. 

On  June  1,  1883,  Mr.  Stortroem  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  B'angen,  who  is,  like  himself,  a 
native  of  Norway.  They  have  seven  children,  Serena, 
Ole,  Jennie,  Walberg,  Stella,  Mabel  and  Ernest. 
Serena  has  become  the  wife  of  Thomas  Gilbertson.  The 
rest  of  the  children  are  still  members  of  the  parental 
family  circle. 


OLE  H.  DALE. 


Since  the  age  of  twelve  years  Ole  H.  Dale,  one  of 
the  successful  and  progressive  farmers  of  Knute  town- 
ship, Polk  county,  and  at  the  time  of  this  writing 
(1915)  chairman  of  the  township  board,  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  United  States  and  the  northwest.  He 
is,  therefore,  fully  in  touch  with  the  residents  of  this 
section  of  the  country  and  heartily  in  sympathy  with 
all  their  proper  aspiration  and  undertakings.  The 
people  of  his  township  regard  him  as  one  of  their  most 
useful  and  enterprising  men  and  a  representative  citi- 


zen among  them,  sterling,  sturdy,  public-spirited  and 
reliable. 

Mr.  Dale  was  bom  in  Norway  July  3,  1850,  the  son 
of  Halvor  T.  and  Anna  (Jacobson)  Dale,  who 
belonged  to  families  long  domesticated  in  that  country. 
In  1862  they  emigrated  to  America  and  took  up  their 
residence  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  where  they 
remained  about  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
they  moved  to  Faribault  county,  Minnesota,  and  on  a 
homestead  in  that  county,  which  he  took  up  soon  after 


288 


COJIPEXDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


his  arrival  there,  the  father  died  in  1871  aged  nearly 
eighty-three  years.  The  mother  also  died  in  that 
county  in  1891  at  an  advanced  age  and  well  esteemed, 
as  was  the  father  wherever  he  was  known. 

Their  son  Ole  reached  manhood  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Faribault  county  and  completed  his  education  in 
the  State  Normal  School  at  ilankato.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  taught  school  in  Waseca  county,  Minne- 
sota, and  in  the  spring  of  1883  came  to  Polk  county 
and  filed  on  160  acres  of  land  in  section  27,  Knute 
township.  For  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  residence 
in  this  county  he  again  taught  school  while  improving 
his  farm  and  bringing  it  to  productiveness,  but  since 
the  expiration  of  the  period  named  he  has  devoted  his 
energies  wholly  to  his  farming  operations  except  what 
have  been  i-equired  in  the  performance  of  public  duties 
to  which  the  people  have  chosen   him.     lie  has  the 


greater  part  of  his  land  under  cultivation  and  the 
farm  is  well  improved  with  good  buildings  suitable  to 
its  needs  for  every  purpose. 

Mr.  Dale  has  always  taken  an  active  and  serviceable 
part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  township.  He  has 
served  as  assessor  three  years,  town  clerk  six  years, 
justice  of  the  peace  fourteen  years.  During  the  last 
thirteen  years  he  has  been  chairman  of  the  town  board. 

In  1886  Mr.  Dale  was  married  in  Knute  township 
to  Miss  Anna  Levorsoii,  a  native  of  Waseca  county, 
this  state,  and  tlic  daughter  of  Ilalvor  Levorsou,  who 
was  one  of  Waseca  county's  pioneei-s.  Jlr.  and  Mrs. 
Dale  have  had  five  children.  Hilda,  Agnes,  Henry 
and  Ella  are  living.  Emma  died  September  16,  1913, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  four  months  and  two  days. 
The  parents  are  active  members  of  the  United 
Lutheran  church. 


CYRUS  H.  HOLMES. 


Born  and  reared  in  the  west,  and  with  the  whole  of 
his  Life  to  the  present  time  (1915)  passed  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  part  of  it  amid  the  privations  and  hard- 
ships of  the  frontier,  Cyrus  H.  Holmes,  one  of  the 
prominent  farmers  and  public-spirited  citizens  of 
Onstad  township,  this  county,  is  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  this  section  of  the  country  and  fitly 
represents  its  stalwart,  sturdy  manhood  and  elevated, 
progressive  citizenship. 

Mr.  Holmes  is  a  native  of  Pike  county,  Illinois, 
VFhere  his  life  began  January  19,  1857,  on  a  farm 
located  about  four  miles  from  Pittsfield,  the  seat  of 
the  county  government.  When  he  was  about  twelve 
years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Champaign  county,  in 
the  same  state,  and  there  the  son  remained  until 
October,  1880,  when  he  went  to  Kansas  and  located  on 
a  farm  near  Wellington,  Sunmer  county,  on  which  he 
lived  about  two  years  and  a  half.  In  the  spring  of 
1883  he  became  a  resident  of  this  county,  and  the 
next  year  he  settled  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
lives,  in  Section  21,  near  the  village  of  ]\lelviii,  in 
Onstad  township,  the  tract  being  160  acres  which  he 


bought   of  the   railroad   company,   and   on   which   he 
lived  until  1897. 

In  the  year  last  named  Mr.  Holmes  moved  his  family 
to  Litchfield  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  better  edu- 
cational facilities  for  his  ciiildreu,  and  in  that  city  he 
remained  six  years,  his  fann  being  operated  by  a 
tenant  during  that  period.  In  1903  he  returned  to 
the  farm  and  lived  on  it  three  years  longer,  and  in 
1906  went  back  to  Kansas,  locating  at  Moran,  in  Allen 
county,  and  engaging  in  the  oil  business  during  the 
next  three  years.  He  retumied  to  his  farm  in  lf)10, 
and  since  then  he  has  made  it  his  home  continuously. 
He  has  added  forty  acres  to  his  original  purchase  and 
now  owns  200.  In  1909  the  railroad  companj'  opened 
a  gravel  pit  on  his  farm,  and  this  has  proven  very 
profitable  to  him.  He  has  erected  good  buildings  on 
the  farm,  set  out  a  fine  grove  and  added  other  features 
which  have  greatly  increased  its  value  and  attractive- 
ness as  a  rural  home,  and  he  has  carried  on  a  general 
farming  industry  with  studious  attention  to  the 
qualities  of  the  soil  and  aecording  to  the  most 
approved  methods  of  present-day  farming. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


289 


On  February  23,  1881,  Mr.  Holmes  was  married  in 
Sumner  county,  Kansas,  to  Miss  Addie  Dillon,  who 
was  born  near  Danville,  Illinois,  July  28,  1862,  and 
reared  to  womanhood  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
Champaign.  They  have  three  children,  Mabel  E., 
Melvin  D.  and  Roland  W.  Mabel  is  the  wife  of  Rein- 
hold  Lohi.  Melvin  married  Miss  Jessie  Cunningham 
and  lives  at  Melvin.    Roland  is  a  student  at  the  high 


school  in  Fertile.  Mr.  Holmes  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  township  affairs  and  has  filled  with  credit  to 
himself  and  benefit  to  the  people  several  township 
offices.  He  has  been  assessor,  treasurer  and  supervisor 
in  Onstad  township,  and  has  served  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  many  years.  He  and  his  wafe  and  chil- 
dren are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


J.  H.  McNICOL. 


J.  H.  ^IcNicol,  station  agent  for  the  Northern 
Pacific  at  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  and  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Ea.st  Grand  Forks,  is  a  native  of 
Canada,  born  at  Renfrew,  Ontario,  June  10,  1877, 
the  son  of  Duncan  A.  and  Lucy  (Wright)  McNicol, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Ontario.  Duncan  ilcNicol 
came  to  Grand  Forks  in  1880  and  in  the  following 
year  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  family.  He  was 
a  millwright  by  trade  and  previous  to  his  removal  to 
Polk  county,  had  engaged  in  the  contracting  busi- 
ness. On  settling  in  Grand  Forks  he  entered  the 
lumber  trade  on  the  Red  river,  buying  and  shipping 
logs  and  later  returned  to  the  contracting  business  in 
which  he  engaged  for  many  years,  until  1901,  when 
he  removed  to  Anaconda,  Montana,  and  is  employed 
in  the  construction  work  on  the  Butte,  Anaconda  & 
Pacific  railroad.  J.  H.  McNicol  was  the  eldest  of  five 
children  and  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county  at  six 
years  of  age,  when  after  two  years  in  Grand  Forks, 
the  family  settled  in  East  Grand  Forks.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  at  fifteen  years  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  company  as  a 
call  boy  and  received  steady  advancement,  working  as 


car  tracker  and  night  clerk  and  was  then  made  ticket 
clerk  at  Grand  Forks.  Subsequently  he  was  employed 
as  assistant  ti'ainmaster  and  traveling  freight  agent 
and  after  serving  as  assistant  agent  at  East  Grand 
Forks,  in  1901  was  appointed  agent.  His  rapid  pro- 
motion and  efficient  services  for  many  years  as  an 
official  attest  to  the  marked  success  of  his  career  as  a 
railroad  man  and  in  public  affairs,  he  has  been 
prominently  associated  with  all  projects  for  the 
advancement  of  the  general  welfare.  As  a  member  of 
an  important  committee  he  was  particularly  influential 
in  securing  the  present  valuable  water  works  and 
sewerage  system  and  also  served  for  five  years  as 
secretary  of  the  Commercial  club.  His  marriage  to 
Alice  Mullally  occurred  in  East  Grand  Forks,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1898.  She  was  bom  in  Ontario,  the  daughter 
of  James  and  Euphemia  (May)  ilullally,  who  settled 
in  East  Grand  Forks  in  1879.  A  sketch  of  the  former, 
a  pioneer  railroad  man  of  Polk  county  is  included  in 
this  work.  Two  children  have  been  bom  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Nicol and  his  wife,  Lucy  Geraldine  and  Ruth  Isabelle. 
Mr.  McNicol  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


PETER  J.  PAULSRUD. 


Bom  and  reared  to  the  age  of  seventeen  in  a  land 
far  distant  from  this  and  with  institutions,  scenes  and 
associations  very  different  from  ours;  coming  to  this 
country  alone  in  his  youth  with  no  capital  but  his 


pluck;  making  his  own  way  in  the  world  to  a  con- 
dition of  substantial  comfort  and  independence,  Peter 
J.  Paulsrud,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  citizens 
of  Hubbard  township,  Polk  county,  has  been  a  hard 


wise  head,  strong  arms,  willing  hands  and  unyielding     worker  and  a  good  manager,  and  is  entitled  to  full 


290 


COMPENDimi  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


credit  for  the  excellent  use  he  has  made  of  his  oppor- 
tunities, as  he  is  also  for  the  general  esteem  he  enjoys 
for  his  sterling  citizenship  and  usefulness. 

Mr.  Paulsrud  was  born  in  Norway  May  22,  1865, 
and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of 
1882.  He  landed  at  New  York  and  came  direct  to 
Ada,  Norman  county,  Minnesota,  and  from  there 
worked  his  way  across  the  country  to  the  farm  of  the 
late  Nels  Paulsrud,  who  was  distantly  related  to  him. 
He  worked  for  his  relative  two  years,  receiving  $150 
and  his  board  and  lodging  for  his  first  year's  labor 
and  $20  a  month  and  board  and  lodging  for  the 
second.  He  then  went  to  North  Dakota  and  worked 
out  as  a  farm  hand  for  three  years  in  that  state,  or 
territory  as  it  was  then. 

In  the  spring  of  1887  Mr.  Paulsrud  was  married  to 
]Miss  Lena  Gillebo,  who  was,  like  himself,  bom  in 
Norway.  Returning  to  Polk  county  after  his  mar- 
riage, he  took  charge  of  his  relative's  farm  for  four 
years  while  the  latter  served  as  sheriff  of  the  county. 
At  the  conclusion  of  this  period  he  rented  another 


farm  in  Hubbard  township,  which  he  occupied  for  six 
years,  then  bought  one  of  200  acres  which  he  after- 
ward sold  in  order  to  buy  the  tract  of  200  acres  in 
Section  32,  Hubbard  township,  on  which  he  now  lives. 
He  has  improved  his  farm  with  good  buildings, 
arranged  it  according  to  a  good  system  and  made  it 
attractive  as  a  rural  home.  His  farming  is  of  a 
general  character  and  he  is  very  successful  in  the 
management  of  it. 

Mr.  Paulsrud  has  served  as  assessor  of  Hubbard 
township  during  the  last  ten  years,  and  has  also  been 
a  constable  and  town  supervisor.  He  is  an  active 
member  and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  at  Nielsville,  of  which  his  wife  is 
also  a  member.  They  have  one  child,  their  son  Julius, 
who  was  born  in  1890  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  School 
of  Agriculture  at  Crookston.  He  is  now  a  resident 
of  the  state  of  North  Dakota.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paulsrud 
have  also  taken  into  their  household  a-s  a  member  of 
their  family  Ida  J.  Olson,  who  bears  to  them  the 
relation  of  foster  daughter. 


EDWARD  W.  JOHNSON. 


Edward  W.  Johnson  is  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants of  Beltrami,  this  county,  and  also  a  land- 
owner of  substance  and  prominence,  and  stands  well 
in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  the  people  of  the 
whole  county  because  of  his  enterprise  and  upright- 
ness in  all  business  transactions,  his  progressiveness 
and  public  spirit  as  a  citizen  and  his  genuine  worth 
as  a  man  in  every  respect.  He  has  lived  in  the 
county  thirty-six  years,  and  during  the  greater  part 
of  that  period  has  been  active  in  contributing  to  the 
advancement  and  general  welfare  of  this  section  and 
the  service  of  its  residents. 

Mr.  Jolinson  is  a  native  of  Lansing,  Allamakee 
county,  Iowa,  where  his  life  began  February  4,  1867, 
and  where  he  passed  the  first  twelve  years  of  it.  His 
parents,  John  G.  and  Gunhild  0.  (Dahl)  Johnson,  were 
bom  and  reared  in  Norway  and  became  residents  of 
Polk  county,  Minnesota,  ia  1879,  settling  on  a  farm 


in  section  12,  Rice  township.  They  lived  on  their 
farm  until  1913,  when  they  moved  to  the  village  of 
Beltrami,  where  the  father  died  September  26,  1914, 
and  the  mother  is  now  living. 

Edward  W.  Johnson  came  to  Polk  county  in  1879 
with  his  parents  and  lived  with  them  until  1887,  when 
he  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  general 
merchandising  store  in  Beltrami.  He  worked  as  a 
clerk  seven  years,  then  bought  the  business  of  C.  E. 
Ford,  of  which  he  has  since  been  the  proprietor  and 
manager.  He  carries  a  general  stock  of  goods  of 
all  kinds,  including  agricultural  implements,  and 
has  an  extensive  trade.  In  conducting  his  business 
he  is  enterprising  and  progressive,  studying  the  wants 
of  the  community  and  doing  everything  in  his  power 
to  meet  and  fully  provide  for  them. 

The  public  affairs  of  his  village  and  township  have 
always  interested  Mr.  Johnson  and  he  has  taken  an 


EDWAKD  W.  JOHNSON 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


291 


active  part  iu  them,  serving  as  treasurer  of  Rice 
township  and  filling  other  local  ofBces  with  ability 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people.  He  is  also 
deeply  interested  in  the  farming  interests  of  the 
county  as  the  owner  of  500  acres  of  land,  the  culti- 
vation of  which  he  superintends  personally.  His 
brother,  Herman  Johnson,  is  associated  with  him  in 
the  mercantile  line  of  his  activity,   the  firm  name 


being  E.  W.  Johnson  &  Company.  E.  W.  was  mar- 
ried in  1891  to  Miss  Caroline  Halvorson,  a  native  of 
Norway.  They  have  had  six  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  Edwin,  Myron,  Otto,  Elmira  and  Thelma. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  a  leading  man  in  Beltrami  and  rep- 
resentative of  the  best  attributes  of  its  citizenship, 
and  he  is  universally  respected  for  his  sterling  quali- 
ties of  manhood. 


ALBERT  SPOKELY. 


Whatever  there  is  of  credit  in  the  career  of  Albert 
Spokely,  one  of  the  extensive  and  successful  farmers 
of  Hubbard  township,  this  county,  and  there  is  a  great 
deal  that  is  entitled  to  warm  commendation,  reflects 
in  large  measure  back  upon  the  township  and  county 
of  his  present  home,  for  he  is  a  native  of  that  town- 
ship and  has  passed  almost  the  whole  of  his  life  to 
this  time  (1915)  within  its  borders.  He  was  also 
educated  iu  that  township  and  married  there,  and, 
therefore,  all  his  interests  center  in  it. 

Mr.  Spokely 's  life  began  in  Hubbard  township, 
Polk  county,  Minnesota,  April  21,  1874.  He  is  a  son 
of  Gunleik  and  Gunvor  (Hagen)  Spokely,  natives  of 
Norway,  and  a  brother  of  Alexander  G.  Spokely, 
sketches  of  whom  will  be  found  in  this  work.  The 
parents  became  residents  of  Polk  county  in  1871,  but 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  several  years  earlier. 
They  were  pioneers  in  this  county,  and  when  they 
ai-rived  here  the  father  took  up  a  homestead  in  Hub- 


bard township,  which  was  then  largely  a  wilderness, 
and  on  that  farm,  as  by  his  industry  and  skill  he  has 
made  it,  the  parents  still  have  it  as  their  home. 

Of  the  twelve  children  born  in  the  family  Albert 
was  the  third  in  the  order  of  birth,  and  he  is  now 
the  oldest  of  those  who  are  living.  He  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  and  educated  at  the  school  iu  the 
neighborhood.  For  a  short  time  after  reaching  his 
manhood  he  conducted  a  saloon  at  Climax,  but,  with 
the  exception  of  this  venture  in  mercantile  life,  he 
has  devoted  his  time  and  energies  wholly  to  farming. 
He  owns  440  acres  in  Hubbard  township,  on  which 
he  has  put  up  good  buildings  and  developed  a  large 
industry  in  raising  potatoes  and  wheat,  of  which  he 
makes  specialties.  On  October  9,  1897,  he  was  united 
in  mariage  with  Miss  Johanna  Myrland,  a  native  of 
North  Dakota.  They  have  four  children,  Guy,  Earl, 
Delight  and  Syla. 


R.  T.  WEBSTER. 


Conducting  with  enterprise,  skill  and  success  the 
farming  operations  on  about  800  acres  of  land,  which 
he  has  greatly  improved  and  made  increasingly  fruit- 
ful since  taking  charge  of  it,  and  taking  an  active  and 
sei'viceable  part  in  all  the  public  affairs  of  his  section 
of  Polk  county,  R.  T.  Webster,  whose  home  is  on 
Section  15,  is  necessarily  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
useful  citizens  of  Reis  township,  and  is  respected  by 
the  people  according  to  his  rank. 


Mr.  Webster  was  born  near  the  city  of  Rock  Island, 
Illinois,  October  18,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  C.  U.  and 
Mary  (Caruthers)  Webster,  who  are  also  residents  of 
Polk  coiinty  and  now  far  advanced  in  age.  The  family 
moved  to  Buffalo  county,  Wisconsin,  while  R.  T.  was 
in  his  childliood,  and  lived  there  until  he  was  about 
seventeen  years  of  age.  The  parents  then  changed  the 
family  residence  to  St.  Croix  county,  Wisconsin,  and 
the  son  remained  in  that  county  until  1878,   when 


292 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


they  all  became  resideuts  of  Polk  county,  ^Minnesota. 
They  located  in  Fisher  township,  where  they  were 
pioneers,  and  wliere  the  fatlier  took  a  leading  part  in 
all  public  affairs,  filling  numerous  local  offices  and 
that  of  county  auditor,  which  he  held  for  four  years. 
Of  the  eight  children  born  in  the  parental  house- 
hold R.  T.  was  the  second  in  thi'  order  of  birth.  He 
lived  in  Fisher  township,  this  county,  until  the  spring 
of  1913,  and,  with  the  exception  of  si.\  years,  he  has 


been  engaged  in  farming  since  his  boyhood.  He  was 
assessor  of  Fisher  township  for  several  terms,  and  in 
other  ways  has  shown  his  interest  in  tlie  abiding  wel- 
fare and  improvement  of  Polk  county,  in  the  fall  of 
1890  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret 
Kane,  of  Buffalo  county,  Wisconsin.  They  have  five 
children,  Ray,  ZueUa,  Clifford,  Mary  C.  and  Allen  II. 
Mr.  Webster's  farm  is  one  of  the  best  in  Reis  town- 
ship, and  his  .skill  and  enterprise  have  made  it  tliis. 


JACOB  BJONTEGARD. 


Jacob  Bjontegard,  a  successful  farmer  and  dredge 
contractor,  of  Queen  township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  county  since  1886.  He  was  born  in  Norway,  March 
6,  1860,  and  was  educated  iu  the  under  officers  school 
at  Christiania.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  enlisted 
in  the  regular  arm.v  as  corporal  and  within  a  year 
was  promoted  to  the  office  of  sergeant  and  detailed  to 
service  as  a  drill  master  for  recruits  and  made  an 
excellent  i-ecord  in  military  training.  He  received 
his  honorable  discharge  after  five  years  service  and 
in  1886  came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Minnesota. 
For  a  time  he  rented  a  farm  near  Fisher,  Polk  county, 
and  then  bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  of 
which  eighty  acres  were  wild  land.  This  was  prairie 
land  and  after  six  years  of  successful  operations  in 
that  region,  he  decided  to  move  to  a  timber  country 
witli  a  milder  climate  and  sold  the  farm  with  the  inten- 
tion of  investing  in  Oregon  property  but  on  visiting 
the  eastern  timber  section  of  Polk  county,  concluded 
to  locate  there.  He  bought  the  homestead  claim  of 
Halkinrud  in  section  twenty-eight  of  Queen  township, 
seven  miles  northeast  of  Fosston,  paying  $2,500  for 
the  property  with  a  small  frame  house  and  sixty  acres 
of  cleared  land.  The  greater  part  of  the  land  was 
covered  with  large  timber,  for  the  most  part,  oak, 
spruce  and  ash  and  Mr.  Bjontegard  has  sold  a  great 
deal  of  first  class  lumber  cut  from  his  place  and  has 
now  all  the  land  in  use  in  his  various  agricultural 
activities.  This  region,  being  a  tine  grass  country  and 
naturally  adapted  to  the  raising  of  clover,  has  proven 


peculiarly  advantageous  to  dairy  farming  and  Mr. 
Bjontegard  has  given  some  attention  to  this  enter- 
prise. During  the  fifteen  years  which  he  has  spent 
on  this  place,  he  has  built  up  a  fine,  modern  farm, 
erecting  good  buildings  and  has  advanced  the  effi- 
ciency of  his  operations  with  the  improvements  and 
conveniences  of  progressive  farm  equipment  and  has 
a  good  watering  .system  with  a  drilled  well.  Aside 
from  his  farming  activities  he  has  engaged  in  the 
ditch  contracting  business  and  has  constructed  some 
eighteen  miles  of  the  county  drainage  in  three  dif- 
ferent ditches  and  has  at  times  employed  a  force  of 
twelve  men  in  this  work.  Previously  he  was  selected 
as  the  viewer  and  assessor  for  a  number  of  the  county 
ditches.  On  his  own  farm,  which  is  named  "Meadow 
Brook  Farm,"  lie  has  reclaimed  thirty  acres  of  val- 
uable meadow  land.  Mr.  Bjontegard  is  a  member  of 
the  Republican  party  and  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  public  affairs  and  has  been  honored  with 
numerous  local  offices,  his  able  services  beginning  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  to  which  he  w-as  elected 
a  few  days  after  locating  in  Queen  township  and  he 
has  filled  the  offices  of  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, treasurer  and  justice  of  peace  and  has  served 
continuously  on  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Norwegian  Free  church,  one  mile  east  of  his  home, 
and  is  associated  with  the  business  interests  of  the 
community  as  a  stockholder  in  the  cooperative  cream- 
ery and  Farmers  elevator  at  Fosston.  He  has  also 
for  a  number  of  years  been  director  and  agent  for  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


293 


Local  Farmers  Fire  Insurance  company,  a  most  suc- 
cessful organization.  Mr.  Bjontegard  has  been  twice 
married.  His  first  union  was  solemnized  at  Grand 
Forks  in  1887,  with  Minnie  Moe,  who  was  a  native  of 
Norway  and  died  in  1893,  leaving  two  children,  Thor- 


wald  and  Mary.  In  1896,  Mr.  Bjontegai'd  was  mar- 
ried to  Carrie  Berg  of  Red  River,  Polk  county,  and 
they  have  four  children,  Ingmar,  Mamie,  Clara  and 
Arthur. 


MICHAEL  L.  ENRIGHT. 


Michael  L.  Enright,  proprietor  of  the  Edenvale 
farm  and  one  of  Polk  county's  leading  agriculturists, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Huntsville  township  since  1878, 
when  his  father  located  on  tlie  land  which  is  his  pres- 
ent home.  Michael  Enright  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
born  in  Plyinpton  county,  Ontario,  February  4,  1869, 
the  son  of  Dennis  and  Catherine  (O'Neil)  Enright, 
of  whose  family  of  nine  boys  and  two  girls,  but  four 
sons  are  now  living  in  Polk  county,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Richard,  Edward  F.  and  Thomas,  all  of  East 
Grand  Forks.  Michael  Enright  has  devoted  his  life  to 
the  farm.  After  receiving  a  common  school  education 
and  after  the  death  of  his  father  in  1884  he  assisted 
his  mother  in  operating  the  homestead  and  upon  the 
death  of  the  latter  in  1906,  became  the  owner  of  the 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Edenvale  farm  now 
includes  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  is  one  of 
the  model  stock  and  dairy  farms  of  the  region,  located 
two  miles  east  of  East  Graud  Forks,  on  the  Red  Lake 
river.  This  farm  with  its  products,  is  one  on  which 
Polk  county  bases  its  high  standard  of  agricultural 
prosperity  and  attests  notaVily  to  the  enterprise  and 
ability  of  its  owner.  As  a  stock  farmer,  Mr.  Enright 
has  captured  many  high  honors  at  the  state  and  local 
fairs,  with  his  thoroughbred  Holstein  cattle  and  as  a 
business  man,  is  operating  a  stock  and  dairy  enter- 
prise of  a  net  earning  capacity  of  five  thousand  dol- 


lars. His  milk  and  cream  shipments  are  made  to  the 
Sanitai-y  Milk  company  of  Grand  Forks.  He  has 
notably  promoted  the  efficiency  and  grade  of  local 
stock  in  the  fine  specimens  of  cattle  which  have  been 
l)red  on  his  estate.  He  keeps  some  eighty  head  of 
registered  Holsteins  and  a  large  herd  of  dairy  cows 
and  also  is  intei-ested  in  the  raising  of  farm  horses. 
Aside  from  his  extensive  grain  operations,  he  culti- 
vates coi-n  for  ensilage  use  and  was  one  of  the  first  to 
demonstrate  the  value  and  successful  culture  of  alfalfa 
and  has  steadily  increased  his  acreage  for  this  crop 
and  now  has  eighty  acres  devoted  to  it.  As  a  pro- 
gressive farmer  and  citizen,  Mr.  Enright  is  interested 
in  the  advancement  of  public  welfare.  In  political 
relations,  he  recognizes  no  distinction  of  party  preju- 
dice in  his  selection  of  candidates  and  policies.  He  is 
a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Mutual  Insurance  com- 
pany and  president  of  the  Sanitary  Slilk  company  of 
Grand  Forks.  In  1903  he  was  married  to  Annie 
O'Connor,  who  was  boni  near  Grand  Forks,  in  North 
Dakota,  the  daughter  of  Ed  O'Connoi-,  a  successful 
farmer  and  well  known  pioneer  of  that  region.  Mr. 
Enright  and  his  wife  have  seven  children,  Josephine, 
Jerome,  Frances,  Helen,  Michael,  Margaret  and  Mary. 
Ml'.  Enright  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  with  his  family,  is  a  communicant  in  the  Sacred 
Heart  church  of  East  Grand  Forks. 


ANDERS  0.  MORVIG. 


For  more  than  forty-two  years  Anders  0.  Morvig, 
one  of  the  prosperous  and  progressive  farmers  and 
leading  citizens  of  Garfield  township,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Minnesota,  and  during  over  thirty-six  years 


of  the  period  he  has  lived  in  and  helped  to  develop 
and  improve  Polk  county.  He  came  to  this  county  in 
1879,  before  Garfield  township  was  organized,  and  was 
one  of  the  early  sellers  in  that  part  of  the  county, 


294 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


and,  as  he  was  a  raau  of  intelligence  and  force  of 
character,  he  had  an  important  part  in  starting  the 
new  township  on  its  course  of  progress  and  develop- 
ment when  it  was  organized. 

Mr.  Morvig  was  bona  in  Norway  December  29,  1848, 
and  grew  to  the  age  of  twenty-five  in  his  native  land, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  after  completing 
his  education.  In  1873  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  came  direct  to  Freeborn  county,  Minnesota, 
and  there  he  was  employed  at  farm  labor  until  the 
fall  of  1877,  when  he  revisited  Norway  and  remained 
until  spring.  On  his  return  to  Minnesota  he  again 
took  up  his  residence  in  Freeborn  county  and  renewed 
his  farming  operations,  which  he  carried  on  until  the 
spring  of  1879  in  that  county,  then  moved  to  Polk 
county,  making  the  journey  from  Freeborn  with  teams, 
and  through  the  veritable  wilderness  part  of  the  way. 

On  his  arrival  in  this  county  Jlr.  Moi'V'ig  took  up 
160  acres  of  land  in  Section  15,  in  what  is  now  Gai'- 
field  township,  and  on  this  land,  with  a  large  addi- 
tional acreage  which  he  has  since  purchased,  he  has 
lived  and  expended  his  energies  ever  since,  greatly  to 
his  own  advantage  and  the  benefit  of  the  town.ship 
and  all  its  interests.  He  now  owns  a  whole  section  of 
land  and  some  beyond  that,  his  holdings  being  partly 
in  Garfield  and  partly  in  Garden  township,  and  nearly 
all  under  fruitful  cultivation.     Soon  after  lie  located 


here  the  new  township  of  Garfield  was  organized,  and 
the  county  commissioners  appointed  Mr.  Morvig  its 
first  judge.  He  has  also  held  the  oflSces  of  constable 
and  township  supen'isor,  and  has  at  all  times  taken 
an  earnest  interest  and  an  active  part  in  all  township 
affairs,  serving  for  a  time  as  township  treasurer  and 
frequently  in  some  ofiice  in  connection  with  the  admin- 
istration of  the  public  school  system.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Fanners  State  Bank  of  Fertile  and  of  the  Co- 
operative Creamery  company  and  the  Elevator  com- 
pany of  that  village. 

On  December  28,  1883,  Mr.  Morvig  was  married  in 
Garfield  township  to  Mrs.  Ingre  (Vidder)  Nelson,  the 
widow  of  Ole  Nelson,  who  died  in  that  township.  Siio 
also  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  her  life  began  July 
18,  1859.  By  her  first  mariage  she  became  the  mother 
of  one  child,  her  daughter  Olava,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  G.  G.  Haugen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morvig  have  had 
eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  Clara, 
Matilda,  Alfred,  Olaf,  Ida,  Ivar,  Lloyd,  Melvin  and 
Edwin.  Their  son  Carl  T.  died  January  1, 1915,  when 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  their  daughter  Anna 
Maria  in  childhood.  The  parents  are  zealous  members 
of  Little  Norway  church  in  Garfield  township,  which 
the  father  helped  to  organize  and  in  which  he  has  ever 
been  an  earnest  worker. 


HAFTOR  B.  HAFTORSON. 


Although  not  a  native  of  this  country  Haftor  B. 
Haftorson,  one  of  the  enterprising,  progressive  and 
successful  farmers  of  Polk  county,  is  thoroughly 
imbued  with  tlie  spirit  of  its  people  and  loyal  and 
devoted  to  all  its  public  institutions.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  when  he  was  but  five  years  old,  and  all 
of  his  subsequent  years  have  been  passed  in  the  north- 
west and  more  than  half  of  them  in  Onstad  township, 
this  county,  in  the  progress  and  improvement  of 
which  he  has  been  a  potent  factor  in  private  and 
public  life. 

Mr.  Haftorson  was  bom  in  Norway  March  24,  1860, 


the  son  of  Berssvend  and  Anna  (Balstad)  Haftorson, 
with  whom  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Alla- 
makee county,  Iowa,  iu  1865.  There  the  family  lived 
until  1883,  and  there  the  son  grew  to  manhood  and 
obtained  his  education.  In  the  fall  of  1883  they  all 
moved  to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  took  up  their 
residence  in  Liberty  township,  where  the  parents 
resided  for  many  years.  Late  iu  life  they  moved  to 
the  state  of  Washington,  but  four  years  afterward 
returned  to  this  county  and  made  their  home  with 
their  son  Haftor.  The  father  died  June  24,  1912,  in 
the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  mother 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


295 


March  17,  1913,  when  she  was  eighty -five.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity.  They  were  Haftor,  his  sister  Mary,  and 
his  brothers  Eleseus,  Albert  and  Louis.  Mary  is  now 
the  wife  of  G.  K.  GuUickson.  Eleseus  died  in  the 
state  of  Washington.  Albert  is  a  resident  of  Idaho 
and  Louis  has  had  his  home  in  Oregon  for  many  years. 
Haftor  B.  Haftorson  has  lived  in  Polk  county  con- 
tinuously since  1883,  except  for  two  years  and  a  half, 
during  which  he  was  engaged  in  publishing  the  Evan- 
geli  Basun,  a  Norwegian  religious  paper.  Throughout 
the  rest  of  his  life  here  he  has  been  engaged  in  general 
farming  principally.  About  1885  he  purchased  the 
fann  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and  this  he  has 
greatly  improved  with  good  buildings  and  systematic 
cultivation  until  he  has  made  it  one  of  the  choice 
farms  in  his  township.  He  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  all  township  affairs  and  has  held  and  ably  filled 


the  offices  of  chairman  of  the  township  board  and 
township  assessor  in  Onstad  township. 

In  December,  1883,  Mr.  Haftorson  was  married  in 
Liberty  to^vnship,  this  county,  to  Miss  Sarah  Olson, 
who  died  in  Onstad  township  February  23,  1893. 
They  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  only  two 
of  whom  are  living:  Carola,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ole 
Leiran,  and  Hannah.  Bennie  and  Alton  died  near 
together  of  diphtheria,  the  former  in  his  seventeenth 
and  the  latter  in  his  fifteenth  year.  Fifth  child  was 
bom  dead  and  buried  with  its  mother. 

On  October  1,  1894,  Mr.  Haftorson  contracted  a 
second  mariage,  which  united  him  with  Miss  Belle 
Olson,  who  was  born  in  Norway  August  28,  1868.  Of 
the  eight  children  born  of  this  union  three  died  in 
childhood.  The  five  who  are  living  are  Harry,  Willie, 
Oluf,  Ruth  and  Irene. 


SEVER  QUARBERG. 


During  all  of  the  last  forty  years  this  progressive 
and  prosperous  farmer  and  enterprising,  public- 
spirited  citizen  of  Fairfax  township,  this  county,  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  northwest  and  at  two  periods 
of  the  time  has  manfully  braved  the  hardships,  priva- 
tions and  dangers  of  the  frontier.  Through  all  diffi- 
culties, however,  he  has  made  his  way  with  steady 
pi'ogrcss,  relying  whoUy  on  his  own  industry,  ability 
and  good  management  to  advance  his  interests,  and 
forcing  every  step  of  his  advancement  to  tell  to  his 
benefit. 

Mr.  Quarberg  was  born  in  the  city  of  Ringsaker, 
Norway,  May  20,  1861,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  about  fourteen  years 
old.  The  family  located  in  Buffalo  county,  Wisconsin, 
on  arriving  in  this  country,  and  there  Sever  grew  to 
manhood,  obtained  what  education  was  within  his 
reach  and  helped  to  make  a  tract  of  wild  timber  land 
over  into  a  productive  farm.  He  remained  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
five,  then  came  to  Polk  county  in  1885  and  bought  a 


prairie  homestead  claim  in  Onstad  township  some 
miles  east  of  his  present  home.  The  homestead  had 
been  proved  up  on,  and  Mr.  Quarberg  paid  $800  for 
it,  although  he  had  only  $600  in  cash  at  the  time  when 
he  made  the  purchase. 

On  that  farm  Mr.  Quarberg  lived  twenty-eight 
years,  making  good  improvements,  adding  another 
for  which  he  paid  $1,000,  and  raising  good  crops  of 
wheat,  oats,  flax  and  barley,  and  also  raising  and  feed- 
ing live  stock  for  his  own  use  and  for  the  markets. 
In  1910  he  sold  his  land  at  a  good  advance  over  the 
original  cost  and  bought  the  old  Ilimmelsbach  farm 
of  400  acres,  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  on  which  he 
has  erected  new  buildings  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000 
to  take  the  place  of  the  old  shacks  the  farm  contained 
when  he  bought  it.  He  has  also  sunk  a  deep  artesian 
well  on  the  place,  and  this  furnishes  him  an  abundant 
supply  of  excellent  water  for  every  purpose. 

Mr.  Quarberg  paid  $29  an  acre  for  his  new  farm 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  and  energy  to  mixed 
farming  and  his  dairy  business  and  live  stock  industrj'. 


296 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRxVPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


In  1915  he  raised  about  8,500  bushels  of  grain,  3,700 
bushels  of  which  were  wheat.  He  also  keeps  regularly 
some  forty  head  of  cattle  and  milks  fifteen  cows,  sell- 
ing cream  to  the  Ci'ookston  creamery.  The  sire  of  his 
herd  is  a  thoroughbred  Shorthorn,  and  his  stock  is 
always  in  good  condition.  He  does  not  confine  him- 
self to  cattle,  however,  but  also  raises  good  draft 
horses  and  uses  them  in  his  plowing. 

While  this  good  citizen  is  wholly  devoted  to  his 
farm  and  its  interests,  he  never  neglects  the  affairs  of 
his  township  or  the  public  welfare  in  any  way.  He 
helped  to  organize  Onstad  township,  which  was  named 
for  a  pioneer  who  is  now  living  at  j\laple  Bay  in  God- 
frey township,  and  has  served  on  the  township  board 
in  both  Onstad  and  Fairfax  townships.  He  also 
helped  to  build  Ilafslo  church,  now  in  Russia  town- 


ship, and  is  still  a  member  of  it  and  one  of  its  trustees, 
anil  he  has  served  for  years  on  tlic  school  board 
wherever  he  has  lived  and  taken  an  active  interest  in 
educational  matters. 

Mr.  Quarberg  was  married  while  he  was  living  in 
Wisconsin  to  Miss  Anna  Sylverstereon,  also  a  native 
of  Norway.  Tiicy  have  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
The  daughter  is  JMay  Matilda,  now  the  wife  of  Sever 
Lee,  a  butter  manufacturer  in  Crookston.  The  sons 
are :  Alfred  Selmer,  who  is  living  on  the  home  farm ; 
Oscar  Melvin.  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Agricul- 
tural School  at  Crookston,  and  Arthur  Oliver,  who 
juirsucd  a  course  of  special  training  at  Crookston 
college  and  is  now  a  salesman  and  })ookkeeper  in 
Crookston. 


DANIEL  ANDERSON. 


Daniel  Anderson,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Kuute 
township,  was  bom  in  Sweden,  July  26,  1848,  and 
spent  his  early  manhood  in  his  native  land.  He  was 
a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  after  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1879  worked  at  his  trade  for  some  years  in 
Douglas  county,  Minnesota.  He  came  to  Polk  county 
in  1883  and  filed  on  a  preemption  claim  September  3 
of  that  year  but  did  not  make  his  home  on  the  land 
until  four  years  later.  From  the  first  years  of  hard 
toil  and  privations  of  the  pioneer  farm  life  with  a 
meager  income,  he  has  risen  through  native  ability 
and  thrift  to  his  present  success  and  now  owns  a  half 
section  of  Polk  county  land  which  he  has  put  in  the 
front  ranks  of  its  notably  prosperous  farming  section. 
Seventy-five  acres  of  the  home  farm,  in  section 
fourteen  of  Knute  township,  and  sixty  acres  in  the 
second  quarter  section  are  under  cultivation  and  his 
enterprises  also  include  stock  farming  and  dairying. 
He  keeps  a  herd  of  twelve  dairy  cows  and  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Melntosh,  four 
miles  east  of  his  farm.  His  natural  aptitude  and 
liking  for  mechanics  led  to  his  operation  of  a  private 
work  shop  on  his  place  for  many  years,   where  he 


worked  at  his  old  trade  aud  at  wood  work  for  his  own 
benefit  and  occupation,  lu  his  farming  activities, 
ilr.  Anderson  has  displayed  the  results  of  enterprise 
and  careful  study  and  has  triumphed  with  notable 
success  over  the  old  belief  that  apple  culture  was 
impossible  for  this  .section,  and  has  had  some  splendid 
crops  of  fine  grade  apples.  Willwater  lake,  of  some 
sixty  acres  in  extent  lies  entirely  within  the  boundaries 
of  his  farm  and  provides  excellent  fishing  sport  beside 
adding  to  the  natural  attractions  of  the  home.  The 
first  log  farm  house  was  replaced  in  1002  hy  a  eomfort- 
iil)le  modern  home  wliirh  occupies  a  7nost  happily 
cliosen  site  on  the  banks  of  the  lake.  Mr.  Anderson 
has  given  his  influence  in  all  affairs  of  public  welfare 
and  has  given  able  service  as  a  memlK>r  of  the  town- 
.ship  board.  He  has  always  been  an  enthusia.stic  hunts- 
man, having  enjoyed  elk  hunts  as  a  young  man  in 
Sweden  and  is  still  a  devotee  to  the  hearty  out  of  door 
sports.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  mar- 
riage was  in  Sweden  to  Johanna  Larsen,  who  died  in 
Douglas  county,  and  was  survived  by  five  children, 
John,  owns  a  farm  in  Knute  town.ship ;  Erick,  now 
farming  in  Canada;  Willie,  who  is  in  the  livery  busi- 


MK.  AND  MES.  JOHN  EEMICK 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


297 


ness  at  Erskine  and  owns  a  farm  in  Knute  township ; 
Daniel,  who  operates  a  threshing  machine  outfit,  and 
Andrew,  who  has  a  claim  in  Montana.  Mr.  Ander- 
son's second  union  was  with  Christina  Peterson,  of 
Douglas  county,  and  they  have  five  children,  Arthur, 


Selma,  who  like  her  brothers  owns  a  Montana  claim ; 
Minnie,  Albin  and  Esther  is  at  home.  Arthur  Tlnder- 
son  has  secured  a  claim  in  Montana.  John  and  Arthur 
operate  a  threshing  outfit. 


J.  F.  KING. 


J.  F.  King,  of  Euclid,  proprietor  of  a  full  line  of 
agricultural  implements  and  a  hardware  store  and  well 
known  citizen  of  the  county,  is  a  native  of  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county  since 
1890,  when  he  was  appointed  station  agent  for  the 
Great  Northern  railroad,  at  Mallery.  Until  recent 
years,  his  career  has  been  devoted  to  railroad  work, 
having  been  employed  by  the  Great  Northern  road  as 
station  agent  in  Polk  county  for  twenty-two  years  and 
previous  to  that  time  he  had  spent  several  years  in 
the  same  occupation  in  North  Dakota.  In  1904  he 
was  transferred  from  Mallery  to  Euclid  and  here  he 
retired  from  his  former  interests  after  the  many  years 
of  his  able  and  competent  service  as  a  railroad  man. 
He  entered  upon  his  present  mercantile  enterprise  in 
1915,  establishing  a  hardware  and  agricultural  imple- 
ment business  and  erecting  a  modern  and  well 
equipped  building.    During  the  years  of  his  residence 


in  the  county,  Mr.  King  has  earned  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  its  citizens  and  has  been  given  a  pros- 
perous welcome  in  his  commei'cial  activities.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  0.  Hunter,  in  1891.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  Hunter,  who  for  twenty  years, 
was  section  foreman  at  Mallery,  for  the  Great 
Northern  railroad  and  now  makes  his  home  in  Alberta, 
Canada.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  King 
and  his  wife,  Catherine,  Nellie,  Clara,  "William,  who  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  hardware  business, 
John,  Mary,  Hazel,  Edward  and  Estelle.  The  two 
oldest  daughters,  Catherine  King  and  Nellie  King  are 
graduates  of  the  high  school  at  Warren  and  of  the 
State  Normal  school  and  are  both  employed  as  teachers 
in  the  schools  of  Polk  county,  the  latter  being  the 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  Euclid.  The  third 
daughter  Clara  is  bookkeeper  and  secretary  of  the 
firm 's  accounts. 


JOHN  REMICK. 


Jolm  Remick,  one  of  the  progressive  and  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  Grove  Park  township,  this  county, 
is  practically  a  self-made  man  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  term,  as  he  has  made  his  advancement  in  life 
wholly  by  his  own  efforts,  unaided  by  the  favors  of 
fortune  or  propitious  circimistances.  Every  step  of 
his  progress  has  been  planned  and  worked  out  by 
himself,  and  none  that  he  has  taken  has  ever  been 
retraced  because  he  was  unable  to  hold  his  ground. 

Mr.  Remick  was  born  in  Rice  county,  Minnesota, 

November  15,   1871,   the  son  of  Joseph   and  Lizzie 

(Ault)    Remick,  natives  of  Germany.     He  was  the 

sixth  horn  of  their  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four 
19 


daughters.  He  grew  to  the  age  of  nineteen  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Rice  county  and  obtained  his  edu- 
cation at  the  country  school  in  the  neighborhood.  In 
1890  he  came  to  Polk  county,  and  here  he  has  ever 
since  resided.  For  a  while  after  his  arrival  in  this 
county  he  lived  with  his  sister  Mary,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  Damann,  and  worked  out  on  farms  in  the 
vicinity.  He  then  rented  land  and  farmed  on  his 
own  account  as  a  tenant  until  1894,  when  he  bought 
160  acres  of  land  in  section  3,  Grove  Park  township, 
on  which  he  has  since  maintained  his  home. 

By  subsequent  purchases  Mr.  Remick  has  doubled 
the  size  of  his  farm,  and  his  whole  tract  of  320  acres 


298 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


is  in  an  improved  condition,  under  systematic  culti- 
vation and  yielding  excellent  returns  for  the  labor 
and  skill  he  expends  upon  it.  He  has  erected  attrac- 
tive and  comfortable  buildings,  making  his  place  one 
of  the  desirable  rural  homes  in  his  township,  lie 
follows  general  farming  and  does  it  in  an  intelligent 
and  progressive  way,  making  all  of  his  industry  tell 
to  his  advantage,  and  add,  also,  to  the  attractiveness 
and  prosperity  of  the  township. 

On  October  23,  1894,  Mr.  Remick  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Quesnel,  who  was  born  in 


Canada,  October  12,  1875,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Elizabeth  Christine  (Charien)  Quesnel,  also  natives 
of  Canada.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Remick  was  the  fourth  in  the  order  of 
birth.  She  and  her  husband  have  five  children,  Viola, 
Lloyd,  Herbert,  Robert  and  Roy.  ilr.  Remick  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  town- 
ship and  filled  several  of  its  important  public  ofiSces, 
as  a  member  of  the  township  board,  with  credit 
to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  township.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


JOHN  E.  TICE. 


John  B.  Tiee,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Grove  Park 
township,  was  born  near  Niagara  Falls,  Ontario, 
December  23,  1856,  and  came  to  the  United  States  and 
to  St.  Paul  October  29,  1878.  For  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  farm  labor  in  Ottertail  county  and  in 
April,  1880,  filed  on  his  Polk  county  homestead,  in 
section  twenty-eight  of  Grove  Park  township.  In  the 
following  spring  he  suffered  the  loss  of  his  farm  house, 
the  erection  of  which  had  required  the  investment  of 
his  entire  capital  and  he  was  compelled  to  build  up 
his  finances  in  other  occupation  for  a  time.  He 
worked  in  the  harvest  fields  and  became  foreman  in 
the  brickyard  at  Crookston,  1881,  where  he  directed 
the  manufacture  of  the  material  used  in  the  First 
National  bank  building.  In  1882  he  went  to  Fergus 
Falls  and  for  two  years  was  foi-eman  of  the  brickyard 
there,  some  of  the  output  being  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Grand  Hotel.  Since  then  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  his  farm  which  in  the  original  tract 
consisted  of  px-airie  and  timber  laud.  lie  has  now 
added  sixty  acres  to  his  homestead  and  lias  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  cultivation.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  estates  of  the  community  and  a 
notable  example  of  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  tlie 
farming  population  of  Polk  county  who  have  advanced 
the  general  welfare  of  the  r^on  to  its  present  high 
standard  of  development.  Mr.  Tice  engages  in  grain 
and  stock  farming  and  as  a  dairy  farmer  is  a  patron 


of  the  cooperative  creamery  at  Mentor.  Although  he 
was  not  present  at  the  first  election  held  in  the  town- 
ship, being  employed  at  brick  making  in  its  season, 
he  has  always  been  prominently  associated  with  the 
direction  and  promotion  of  public  interests  and  a 
foi'ceful  supporter  of  any  project  which  tended  to 
the  welfare  of  the  community.  As  a  pioneer  of  the 
section  he  recalls  the  significance  and  associations  of 
the  naming  of  the  township  and  town,  the  first  receiv- 
ing its  name  from  the  many  groves  which  dotted  its 
territory  and  the  postoffice  town  having  been  named 
Mentor  by  Mrs.  E.  E.  Abbott  in  honor  of  President 
Garfield 's  home.  Mr.  Tice  is  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  has  ever  been  interested  in  political 
activities  and  was  allied  with  the  Farmers  Alliance 
and  Peoples  party  of  earlier  days.  His  official  serv- 
ice has  been  almost  continuous,  in  the  various  offices, 
as  treasurer  for  19  years,  justice  of  peace  2  yeare,. 
and  as  a  member  of  the  township  board,  being  chair- 
man of  that  body  for  seven  years,  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  He  is  now  president  of 
the  school  board  of  Mentor.  In  business  enterprise, 
he  is  associated  with  the  cooperative  elevator  creamery 
and  store  as  a  shareholder.  Mr.  Tiee  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  for  many 
years  and  wa-s  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Episcopal 
church  at  Mentor  and  has  since  served  its  interests. 
He  was  married  in  Fergus  Falls,  July  3,  1883,  to 


COMPENDIUIiI  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


299 


Louise  Kenline,  a  native  of  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Eight 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  Essica,  for- 
merly a  teacher  in  Polk  county  schools  and  now  the 
wife  of  Albert  Strand,  of  Staples,  Minnesota ;  Frankie ; 
Elwood,  associated  with  the  mercantile  interests  of 
Reed's  Store  at  Black  Duck,  Minnesota,  for  six  years; 
Dorothy ;  Anna,  a  student  in  the  Mentor  high  school ; 
Joyce,  who  is  attending  high  school  at  Crookston ;  Rob- 
ert and  Elaine,  attending  the  Mentor  school.    Frankie 


Tice  and  Dorothy  Tice  have  both  been  employed  in 
the  Polk  county  schools.  The  former  who  has  taught 
ten  yeai's  continues  to  teach  near  East  Grand  Forks, 
while  the  latter,  a  teacher  of  four  years,  is  a  student 
in  the  business  college  at  Crookston.  The  Tice  home 
is  an  attractive  residence  and  is  situated  but  a  short 
distance  from  Mentor,  as  the  farm  is  partly  within 
the  village  boundaries. 


LEWIS  E.  LARSON. 


Lewis  E.  Larson,  a  well  known  farmer  and  early 
settler  of  Esther  township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Minnesota  since  he  was  a  lad  of  ten  years,  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Vemon  county.  He  was 
born  in  Norway,  in  November,  1852,  the  son  of  Erick 
and  Caroline  Larson,  who  after  living  for  several 
years  in  Vemon  county,  settled  in  Chippewa  county, 
where  the  latter  is  still  living,  having  survived  the 
death  of  her  husband  some  fourteen  years.  Lewis 
Larson  grew  to  manhood  in  Chippewa  county,  work- 
ing at  farm  work  and  in  the  winters  was  employed 
in  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin  and  during  the  years 
spent  as  a  lumber  man  made  a  number  of  log  drives 
down  the  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  Hanni- 
bal, Missouri,  St.  Louis  and  other  river  ports.  In  the 
spring  of  1877,  in  company  with  James  Peterson,  he 
traveled  through  Dakota  with  the  intention  of  securing 
farm  land  but  Minnesota  became  their  choice  and  they 
secured  land  in  Polk  county  where  they  have  since 
remained  neighbors.  Mr.  Larson's  homestead  was  in 
section  thirty  of  Northland  township,  along  the  JIarais 
river  and  he  made  his  home  in  a  log  house  ou  that 
tract  for  several  years  meanwhile  purchasing  eighty 
acres  of  school  land,  bordering  the  river  and  a  quarter 
section  of  railroad  land  in  section  thii-ty-one  of  North- 
land township.  After  six  years  he  moved  on  the  school 
land  and  this  place  has  since  been  his  home.  On 
coming  to  Polk  county,  he  possessed  a  small  capital 
and  a  team  of  horses  and  during  the  first  season  put 
some  fifteen  acres  under  cultivation  which  yielded  him 


a  good  crop  and  that  fall,  in  company  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  James  Peterson,  with  whom  he  had  formerly 
been  tissociated  in  the  threshing  business,  he  journeyed 
back  to  Chippewa  county,  where  they  invested  in  a 
threshing  machine,  which  they  operated  that  season 
near  Climax,  in  Polk  county.  In  the  following  fall 
they  transferred  their  activities  to  the  Marais  river 
and  to  ten-itory  in  Dakota.  Their  machine  was  the 
first  to  be  brought  north  of  Grand  Forks  and  after 
selling  this,  some  years  later  they  bought  a  steam 
thresher  and  continued  in  partnership  for  some  time. 
Mr.  Larson  has  met  with  success  in  his  agricultural 
interests  and  has  built  up  a  fine  farm  property  which 
he  devotes  mainly  to  the  raising  of  gi'ain.  He  also  is 
interested  in  stock  and  dairy  farming  and  breeds  a 
fine  grade  of  Short  Horn  cattle.  Ajs  a  pioneer  citizen 
he  was  identified  with  the  early  organization  of  Esther 
and  Higdem  townships  and  was  a  member  of  the  first 
township  board  and  has  continued  to  give  efflcient 
service  as  a  member  of  that  body  ever  since,  serving 
for  many  years  as  chairman.  His  influence  has  ever 
been  prominent  in  matters  of  public  betterment  and 
he  has  been  especially  active  in  the  interests  of  educa- 
tional movements  and  the  public  school  system.  He 
has  always  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  Grand  Marais 
Lutheran  church  and  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  that  organization.  Of  his  family,  two  sisters  lived 
in  Polk  county  and  a  brother,  Andrew  Larson  resides 
at  Oslo,  Minnesota.  The  sisters  were  Carrie  Larson, 
the  wife  of  Erick  Peterson  of  Northland  township  and 


300 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


Severina  Larson  who  married  Ole  Bosgai'd  and  lived 
iu  Esther  township.  Both  are  now  dead.  Lewis 
Larson  was  married  in  Chippewa  county,  to  Agnes 
Peterson,  a  sister  of  James  Peterson,  and  a  native  of 
Sweden.  Five  children  were  boi'n  to  this  union, 
Adolph,  of  East  Grand  Forks;  Annie,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  a  few  months  after  her  marriage  to 
Peter  Baker  of  Goodhue  county;  Aretrander,  who 
lives  on  the  home  place;  Julius,  who  resides  iu  East 
Grand  Forks,  and  Amanda,  the  wife  of  Oscar  Steele, 


a  mail  carrier  on  an  East  Grand  Forks  route.  The 
death  of  Mrs.  Larson  occurred  eleven  yeara  after  their 
marriage  and  in  1889,  Mr.  Larson  contracted  a  second 
union  with  Anna  Dalberg,  who  is  a  native  of  Sweden 
and  they  have  four  children,  Elmer,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  Aaker's  business  college  at  Grand  Forks,  Wilhelm, 
Elvin  and  Rudolph.  After  twenty-six  years  union, 
the  latter  Mrs.  Larson  died  on  December  6,  1915.  Mr. 
Larson  is  still  on  the  farm. 


CHARLES  W.  WILDER. 


Since  March  15, 1899,  Charles  W.  Wilder,  of  Crooks- 
ton  township,  has  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county,  and 
during  nearly  all  of  the  time  has  been  engaged  iu 
market  gardening  on  a  large  scale  and  the  leader  in 
that  industiy  in  this  part  of  Minnesota.  He  has  also 
been  carrying  on  general  farming  operations  for  a 
number  of  years  on  three  diiferent  farms  which  he 
owns  and  has  cultivated  under  his  direct  personal 
supervision  and  control.  He  was  not  the  pioneer  in 
the  market  gardening  line  but  has  been  very  successful 
in  it,  having  the  best  years  of  the  trade  at  his  com- 
mand during  the  activity  of  the  big  lumbering  mill  iu 
Crookston,  which  is  now  dismantled.  His  success  in 
the  business  has  led  to  active  competition,  but  he  is 
still  the  leader  in  the  particular  line  which  he  started 
in  this  locality. 

Mr.  Wilder  was  born  and  reared  in  the  province  of 
Ontario,  Canada,  and  in  1883  went  to  Dickey  county, 
North  Dakota,  and  took  up  a  pre-emption  and  a  tree 
claim.  He  lived  on  these  claims  sixteen  years  and 
was  engaged  in  raising  grain.  When  he  went  to  North 
Dakota  he  had  no  capital,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  on  the  prairie  in  what  is  now  Dickey  county. 
The  prairie  was  then  covered  with  buffalo  in  that 
region,  and  the  soil  is  strewn  with  their  bones,  for  thoy 
were  slaughtered  with  relentless  extravagance. 

On  his  arrival  in  this  county,  with  $2,500  in  cash  as 
his  capital,  Mr.  Wilder  began  operations  as  a  market 
gardener  on  34  acres  of  land.    He  raised  vegetables 


and  small  fruits  for  sale  and  disposed  of  them  at 
houses  and  stores  in  Crookston.  He  put  up  a  hothouse 
of  fair  proportions  to  which  he  added  others  as  his 
trade  increased.  From  time  to  time  he  bought  addi- 
tional land,  and  he  now  owns  and  cultivates  his  home 
farm  of  164  acres  in  Section  32,  Crookston  township, 
and  another  river  farm  of  160  acres  and  one  of  40 
acres  on  the  prairie  in  Section  33,  Fairfax  township. 
For  some  of  this  land  he  paid  $50  an  acre,  but  he  has 
made  good  use  of  it  and  rendered  it  far  more  valuable. 
He  also  erected  all  the  buildings  on  liis  farms,  expend- 
ing in  doing  so  upwards  of  $5,000. 

In  his  truck  gardening  Mr.  Wilder  has  about  40 
acres  devoted  to  raising  potatoes  and  15  in  tomatoes 
and  sweet  corn,  onions,  cabbage,  etc.,  regularly  with 
other  products  in  proportion.  He  employs  several  per- 
sons in  carrying  on  his  woi'k  and  uses  modern  machin- 
ery of  the  most  approved  models.  He  also  conducts  a 
general  farming  industry  principally  devoted  to  rais- 
ing grain,  and  lias  averaged  38  bushels  of  wheat  to  the 
acre  on  a  tract  of  15  acres,  and  reached  averages  almost 
as  high  on  other  tracts  from  year  to  j^ear. 

Mr.  Wilder  was  married  while  living  in  Dickey 
county.  North  Dakota,  to  Miss  Lillian  Coddington,  a 
native  of  the  state  of  New  York.  They  have  four 
children :  Florence  Elizabeth,  who  was  graduated 
from  the  Crookston  high  school  and  taught  school  in 
Polk  county  three  years,  one  of  them  in  the  town  of 
Beltrami,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  D.  Dewar,  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


301 


Hammond  township ;  Jessie  H.,  who  is  also  a  graduate 
of  the  Crookston  high  school  and  was  a  Polk  county 
teacher,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  F.  R.  Hedley,  of  Faii"- 
fax  township ;  Jay  E.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Agri- 
cultural College  at  Crookston,  and  Harvey  A.  Mrs. 
Wilder  is  a  member  of  the  Andover-Fairfax  Social 
club  and  takes  an  active  part  in  its  proceedings  and 


is  zealous  in  promoting  its  welfare.  Mr.  Wilder  has 
sei-ved  as  treasurer  of  the  township  board  and  also  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  while  living  in  North 
Dakota.  His  home  farm  is  located  just  one  mile  east 
of  the  center  of  Crookston  and  is  one  of  the  best  in 
Crookston  township. 


ANTHON  LINDEM. 


Anthon  Lindem,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Bygland 
township  and  an  ex-county  commissioner,  came  to  Polk 
countj^  in  1878,  from  Buffalo  county,  Wisconsin.  He 
was  born  in  Noi'way,  September  11,  1855,  the  son  of 
Arund  and  Maren  Christine  Lindem,  who  located  in 
Buffalo  county  in  1868,  and  there  Anthon  Lindem 
grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  count}'.  He  assisted  in  the 
development  of  the  pioneer  farm,  working  for  his 
parents  and  then  thriftily  extending  his  operations  to 
those  of  a  labor  contractor,  hiring  men  to  clear  and 
break  tracts  of  farm  land  and  also  handling  town  con- 
tracts for  road  building.  This  proved  a  profitable 
venture  and  in  1878  he  came  to  Polk  county,  where  a 
friend  Peter  Anderson  had  settled  some  years  pre- 
vious. Mr.  Lindem  secured  a  tree  claim  in  Russia 
township  and  resumed  his  former  occupation  of  break- 
ing new  land  and  during  the  first  summer  experienced 
the  inconveniences  of  frontier  life,  securing  feed  for 
his  two  teams  with  great  difficulty  and  at  the  expense 
of  a  troublesome  and  tedious  journey.  In  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  he  disposed  of  his  land  and  removed  to 
Bygland  township,  taking  a  homestead  of  eighty  acres 
in  section  twenty-two  which  he  later  increased  to  a 
quarter  section,  and  later  by  purchase  increased  to 
241  acres.  His  first  house  was  a  frame  shaclv  and  he 
later  moved  to  the  log  house  which  occupied  the  second 
tract  of  land,  which  remained  his  home  until  the 
erection  of  the  present  structure  in  1890.  He  con- 
tinued to  invest  in  land  and  has  owned  various  tracts 
and  has  made  many  h^crative  transactions  in  timber 
lands.     He  also  owns  a  tract  of  fruit  land  in  the 


Sacramento  Valley,  California.  Although  he  lias 
devoted  his  attention  principally  to  his  farm,  he  was, 
in  company  with  Peter  Wardner,  also  interested  for  a 
time  in  a  store  at  Big  Fork,  Itasca  county.  His  son, 
Martin  Lindem,  was  in  charge  of  this  store  and  both 
he  and  his  sister,  Anna  Lindem,  are  owners  of  land  in 
that  county.  For  many  years,  Mr.  Lindem  confined 
his  agi-icultural  activities  to  the  raising  of  grain  but 
has  latterly  turned  more  attention  to  stock  farming, 
breeding  Short  Horn  cattle  for  dairying  and  )narket- 
iug  purposes.  Botli  from  natural  location  and 
impi-oved  equipment  his  farm  ranks  among  the  finest 
of  this  region  and  attests  to  its  owner's  progressive 
methods  and  business  ability.  As  a  public  spirited 
citizen  and  public  servant,  Mr.  Lindem  has  given 
efficient  service  in  various  township  offices  and  has 
been  actively  associated  with  educational  matters  as 
clerk  of  the  school  board  for  man_y  years.  In  1891  he 
was  elected  county  commissioner  and  held  this  office 
for  eight  years,  during  which  time,  in  company  with 
his  associates,  M.  E.  Kirsch,  of  Crookston,  and  A.  C. 
Reinhart,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  he  was  identified  with 
the  erection  of  the  county  jail  building  and  other 
important  public  improvements.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Republican  party  but  does  not  pledge  himself  to 
any  political  powers,  pi'eferring  to  maintain  the  inde- 
pendence of  his  opinions.  He  was  married  in  1882, 
in  Buffalo  count}',  Wisconsin,  to  Christine  Thompson, 
who  is  a  native  of  that  state.  They  have  a  family  of 
five  children,  Anna,  who  was  educated  in  the 
University  of  North  Dakota  and  is  a  Polk  county 
teacher;  Martin,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  store  in 


302 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Itasca  count}'  for  some  years  and  is  now  fitting 
himself  for  the  medical  profession,  in  the  University 
of  North  Dakota;  Alfred,  who  was  also  a  student  at 
Grand  Forks  and  is  now  managing  liis  father's  farm; 


graduating  from  Concordia  college,  at  Jloorhead, 
Minnesota,  and  Selma,  a  member  of  the  sophmore  class 
of  the  Grand  Forks  high  school.  Mr.  Lindem  and  his 
family  are  all  active  members  of  the  United  Lutheran 


Oscar,  who   has  entered   the  same   University   after     church. 


JAMES  DRISCOLL. 


James  DriscoU,  successful  farmer  of  Huntsville 
township  and  a  county  commissioner,  was  born  in 
County  Lanark,  Ontario,  May  1,  1860,  the  sou  of 
James  and  Johannah  (O'Hearn)  Driscoll,  natives  of 
Ireland,  the  former  from  County  Cork  and  his  wife 
from  County  Kerry.  They  came  to  Polk  county  from 
Canada  in  1879  and  the  father  bought  railroad  land 
in  Sullivan  township,  four  mile  and  a  lialf  from  East 
Grand  Forks,  on  the  Grand  Marais.  Two  sons,  Michael 
Driscoll  and  John  Driscoll,  had  preceded  him  the  year 
previous  and  had  secured  homestead  claims.  The 
father  became  a  prosperous  farmer  of  that  region, 
operating  an  estate  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 
He  lived  to  an  advanced  age  and  died  March  9,  1894, 
his  wife  surviving  him  until  1912.  Of  the  family  of 
five  sons,  all  were  farmers  in  Polk  county.  The  death 
of  the  eldest,  John  Driscoll,  a  resident  of  Sullivan 
township  occurred  September  24,  1907.  Michael 
Driscoll,  Jerry  Driscoll  and  Thomas  Driscoll  are 
farmers  in  the  same  township,  the  latter  being  the 
present  owner  of  his  father's  farm.  James  Driscoll 
and  the  members  of  his  family  were  all  eonununicants 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  church  at  East  Grand  Forks.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  has  resided  in  this  county  since 
his  youth  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  associated 
with  two  of  his  brothers  in  the  operation  of  the  home 
farm.  In  1891  he  purchased  tlie  south  lialf  of  section 
nine  of  Huntsville  lownslii])  and  entered  upon  bis 
independent  career.  This  tract  has  continued  to  be 
his  home,  although  he  has  extended  its  boundaries  to 
include  five  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  also  owns  a 
quarter  section  on  the  Grand  Marias,  some  two  miles 
distant.  The  home  farm  is  located  four  miles  south- 
east of  East  Grand  Forks  and  includes  the  former 


homestead  of  Z.  M.  Hunt,  in  whose  honor  the  township 
was  named.  Mr.  Driscoll  is  one  of  the  progressive 
and  enterprising  agriculturists  of  the  county  and  has 
l)uilt  up  a  prosperous  model  estate  in  a  justly  famed 
farming  community.  Aside  from  his  large  operations 
as  a  grain  farmer  he  is  extensivel.y  interested  in  stock 
raising  and  also  keeps  a  herd  of  dair,y  cattle.  His 
place  is  stocked  with  Ilolstein  and  Short  Horn  cattle 
and  he  devotes  a  quarter  section  to  pasturage  use. 
His  farm  is  equipped  with  good  building  and  modern 
facilities  for  efficient  farming.  Not  only  in  his  private 
interests  but  as  a  citizen,  Mr.  Driscoll  stands  for 
progress  and  the  best  interests.  He  has  given  able 
.services  in  public  office  and  has  been  honored  with 
various  local  offices  of  the  township,  serving  as  super- 
visor and  chairman  of  the  township  board  and  has 
ever  exercised  his  influence  for  tlie  development  of  the 
country's  resources  through  drainage  and  good  roads 
projects.  He  was  appointed  county  commissioner  as 
tlie  successor  of  his  brother,  John  Driscoll,  whose 
death  occurred  during  the  third  year  of  his  term  and 
at  tlie  next  election,  his  appointment  was  endorsed  at 
the  polls  and  he  was  again  returned  to  office  in  1912. 
Mr.  Driscoll  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party. 
His  marriage  to  Anna  Sullivan  was  solemnized 
November  23,  1891.  She  is  a  native  of  County 
Lanark,  Ontario,  the  daughter  of  Maurice  and  Anna 
(Cunningham)  Sullivan,  of  East  Grand  Forks. 
i\Iaurice  Sullivan  is  a  brother  of  Tim  Sullivan,  an 
eminent  citizen  of  this  county,  and  came  to  Minnesota 
when  his  daughter,  Anna,  was  a  small  child.  Mr. 
Driscoll  and  his  wife  have  nine  children :  James, 
Lillian,  Alda,  a  graduate  of  the  normal  school  at  East 
Grand  Forka  and  a  teacher  in  the  school  at  Melville; 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


303 


Edna,  a  student  in  St.  Marys  Academj'  at  Milwaukee ; 
Louise,  who  is  attending  high  school  at  East  Grand 
Forks;  Leonard,   Charles,  Mary  and  Ruth  Frances. 


They  are  all  members  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Catholic 
church. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  BAILEY. 


William  Henry  Bailey,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Knute  township,  was  born  in  Winnabago  county,  Wis- 
consin, July  5,  1855.  His  parents  were  of  English 
nativity  and  were  married  in  Wisconsin.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  his  mother  became  the  wife  of 
William  Rostron  and  was  a  resident  of  Crookston  in 
the  early  eighties.  William  H.  Bailey  came  to  Crook- 
ston in  1880  and  has  shared  in  tlie  activities  incident 
to  the  rapidly  developing  prosperity  of  Polk  county, 
as  a  public  spirited  citizen  and  successful  farmer.  In 
his  youth  he  was  appi-entieed  to  the  mason  trade  and 
when  twenty  years  of  age,  went  to  Michigan,  where  he 
was  employed  for  a  time  and  later  removed  to  Iowa. 
He  made  the  trip  to  Crookston  in  an  open  buggy  and 
made  his  home  there  for  years,  having  secured  a  posi- 
tion with  the  Great  Northern  railroad  as  fireman  and 
brakeman.  Being  temporarily  disabled  for  railroad 
work  through  an  injury  received  in  coupling  cars,  he 
decided  to  turn  his  attention  to  fanning  and  without 
inspecting  the  land  which  was  to  be  his  future  home, 
filed  on  a  homestead  on  Section  19  in  Knute  township. 
He  continued  his  employment  with  the  railroad  for  a 
few  years  and  then  devoted  his  efforts  to  his  farming 
enterprise  and  has  resided  on  his  place  since  January 
8,  1884.  During  the  first  years,  limited  financial 
resources  and  the  inconveniences  of  the  sparsely 
settled  and  undeveloped  frontier  country  added  their 
share  to  the  hardships  which  confront  the  pioneer 
farmer.  Crookston,  thirty-five  miles  distant  acro.ss 
countrj',  was  the  nearest  railway  station  and  the  most 
accessible  trading  point  was  at  Maple  Bay,  and  this 
ten  mile  trip  could  not  be  made  with  a  wagon,  making 
it  necessary  to  pack  provisions  on  foot.  For  several 
years  he  worked  at  harvesting  and  at  the  various 
employment  presented  by  local  conditions,  assisting  in 
clearing  land  and  digging  wells  and  cellars  and  found 


a  further  source  of  revenue  in  dealing  in  cord  wood, 
buying  the  wood  for  one  dollar  a  cord  and  selling  it 
in  Erskine  at  a  profitable  increase.  His  first  house 
was  built  of  lumber  which  he  hauled  from  Crookston. 
After  three  years  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  team 
of  oxen  and  to  make  rapid  progress  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  own  farm,  clearing  the  land  of  the  heavy 
timber  and  building  up  his  present  fine  property.  He 
has  put  sixty  acres  of  the  homestead  under  cultivation 
and  has  purchased  eighty  additional  acres,  all  of 
which  is  devoted  to  grain  and  stock  purposes.  Like 
all  progressive  farmers,  he  is  interested  in  raising  the 
standard  of  farm  stock  and  raises  blooded  animals  and 
also  keeps  dairy  cattle,  being  a  patron  of  the  co-opera- 
tive creamery  at  Erskine,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder. 
Mr.  Bailey  has  never  been  an  active  worker  in  political 
circles  but  in  the  interests  of  the  community  has  senred 
as  justice  of  peace  and  on  the  school  board  and  has 
ever  been  influential  in  behalf  of  the  general  welfare 
and  progress.  In  all  activities  of  life,  he  has  displayed 
the  capable  and  intelligent  management  and  enter- 
prise, which  have  marked  his  highly  efficient  accom- 
plishments as  farmer  and  citizen.  His  estate  is 
equipped  with  modern  buildings,  the  house  having 
been  erected  in  1911  and  commands  a  fine  panorama 
of  Lake  Sarah,  one  of  Polk  county's  most  beautifully 
wooded  lakes  and  popular  resorts.  In  1915  Mr. 
Bailey  made  a  valuable  addition  to  his  attractive 
residence  in  the  installation  of  a  carbide  lighting 
plant,  a  material  advance  in  the  conveniences  of  the 
modem  country  home  and  the  first  innovation  of  the 
sort  to  be  made  in  the  Thirteen  Towns.  The  plant  is 
also  utilized  in  lighting  the  bam.  Mr.  Bailey  enjoys 
hunting  and  recalls  the  experiences  of  the  earlier 
days  when  the  large  game  visited  this  section  and  he 
shot  bear  and  deer  upon  his  own  land.    He  was  mar- 


304 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ried  in  1879  to  Elizabeth  Bradt,  of  Mankato,  wlio  was  Robert  0.    William  R.  Bailey  aud  Thomas  L.  Bailey 

born  in  "Wisconsin.    Foui*  children  were  boni  to  this  are  residents  of  Crookston,  William  R.  Bailey  being 

union,  AVilliam  R.,  Thomas  L.,  Celia  A.,  the  wife  of  an  engineer  on  the  Great  Northern  railroad  and  the 

Herman    Newman    of    Everett,    Washington,    and  latter  being  emploj-ed  in  the  postoffiee. 


HANS  P.  SOLSTAD. 


Hans  P.  Solstad,  one  of  the  pioneer  Norwegian 
Lutheran  pastors  of  the  Red  River  valley,  was  the 
first  preacher  of  the  Norwegian  Synod  church  to 
minister  to  congregations  of  that  denomination  in 
Polk  county.  After  about  seven  years  work  in  the 
ministry  he  was  compelled  by  failing  health  to  retire 
from  active  pastoral  labor  and  has  since  resided  on 
his  homestead  in  Bygland  township. 

Reverend  Solstad  was  born  in  Hapedalen,  near 
Christiania,  Norway,  August  15, 1843,  he  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  gi'ew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  land.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the 
military  service  of  Norway  and  served  for  five  years 
in  the  artillery  corps  stationed  at  Christiania.  At  the 
end  of  his  military  service  he  decided  to  emigrate  to 
the  United  States.  In  July,  1866,  he  arrived  at  Albert 
Lea,  Minnesota.  He  at  once  secured  work.  From 
1866  to  1869,  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer,  on  railroad 
work,  and  in  a  machine  shop,  all  the  time  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  state. 

In  1869  he  entered  Luther  College  at  Decorah,  Iowa, 
as  a  student  in  the  normal  course,  graduating  from 
that  course  three  years  later.  He  then  taught 
parochial  school  for  one  year  in  congregations  near 
Albert  Lea.  Several  of  his  friends  working  as 
ministers  had  for  several  years  been  encouraging  him 
to  take  up  the  study  of  theology  preparatory  to  enter- 
ing the  field  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  his  Nor- 
wegian American  countrymen.  This  also  became  his 
choice  for  a  calling  and  accordingly  in  1873  he  en- 
rolled as  a  student  in  the  Concordia  Theological 
Seminary  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  This  institution  had 
at  that  time  the  great  German  Lutheran  theologian 
Dr.  C.  F.  Walther  as  its  president.  After  two  years 
of  study  at  St.  Louis  i\Ir.  Solstad  was  transferred  to 


the  Seminary  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  Here  he  was 
graduated  in  the  spnng  of  1876. 

After  his  graduation  he  received  through  tlie 
Church  Council  of  the  Norwegian  Synod  a  call  from 
three  recently  organized  frontier  congregations  in 
Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  one  in  Grand  Forks, 
North  Dakota.. 

In  July,  1876,  he  was  ordained  with  five  other  young 
men  for  the  ministry  by  President,  Rt.  Rev.  H.  A. 
Preus  in  the  Washington  Prairie  church,  near 
Decorah,  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  came  west  to 
take  charge  of  his  call:  The  Bygland,  congregation 
in  Bygland  township ;  Our  Saviours,  at  Crookston ; 
St.  Peters,  on  the  Sand  Hill  river  and  Walle,  in  Grand 
Forks  county.  North  Dakota.  These  congregations 
were  organized  about  two  years  previous  by  Rev.  B. 
Harstad,  of  Mayville,  North  Dakota,  who  had  tem- 
porarily under  great  difficulties  and  hardships  minis- 
tered to  their  spiritual  needs.  The  Bygland  congre- 
gation had  begun  the  erection  of  a  log  church  in  1876. 
The  other  congregations  had  no  .special  building  for 
worship.  Services  were  held  in  the  sod  houses  and 
log  cabins  of  the  early  settlers.  In  some  of  the  congre- 
gations served  by  Rev.  Solstad  the  beautiful  custom 
prevailed  that  the  family  at  whose  house  sei*vices  were 
held  very  hospitably  entertained  the  whole  gathering 
for  dinner. 

Rev.  Solstad  made  his  home  in  Bj'gland  township. 
He  received  no  definite  salaiy  from  his  congregations. 
In  those  early  days  of  struggle  and  hardships  no  one 
had  much  to  give.  What  the  members  of  his  congre- 
gations had  to  give,  they  gave  gladly  and  generously 
towards  the  support  of  the  pastor  and  his  family. 

In  1877  in  order  to  get  a  home  he  filed  on  the  piece 
of  land  that  since  has  been  his  homestead.    The  same 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


305 


summer  members  of  the  Bygland  church  hauled  oak 
logs  to  the  claim  and  the  minister  got  the  house  built 
with  the  aid  of  the  congregation  and  moved  his  family 
into  it.  In  those  early  years  what  he  could  raise  on 
the  farm  was  a  necessai*y  supplement  to  the  financial 
assistance  his  parishioners  were  able  to  make  towards 
his  living  expenses. 

Rev.  Solstad  cheerfully  cast  his  fortune  with  his 
people,  dedicating  himself  to  the  advancement  of  his 
blaster's  work  and  laboring  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
the  settlers  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  best  in  com- 
munity life.  Besides  his  congregations  he  was  assigned 
to  minister  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  scattered 
Norwegian  settlers  on  both  sides  of  the  Red  river 
extending  north  to  the  Canadian  boundary. 

In  performing  his  pastoral  duties  he  endured  all 
the  hardships  of  the  early  days,  of  no  roads  and 
bridges  and  the  settlers  few  and  far  between.  Ilis 
mission  field  included  aboiit  one  hundred  miles  of 
territory.  The  first  year  he  traveled  on  horseback,  in 
summer  crossing  streams  in  a  canoe  and  swimming 
his  horse  across.  Rev.  Solstad  organized  four  new 
congregations  and  did  the  first  church  work  at  many 
other  places  where  since  flourishing  churches  of  his 
faith  have  grown  up.  But  the  many  arduous  demands 
and  strenuous  exertions  of  the  work  told  upon  his 
strength  and  after  seven  years  of  ministration  failing 


health  required  his  retirement.  Since  that  time  he 
has  engaged  in  farming  on  his  homestead  which  is 
located  on  section  twenty-two,  Bygland  township.  A 
son,  Alfred  Solstad,  is  associated  with  him  in  working 
the  farm. 

Mr.  Solstad  was  married  in  Freeborn  count}', 
Minnesota,  in  1876,  to  Annie  Marie  Hanson,  who  was 
educated  at  St.  Olaf  College  at  Northfield.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them :  Joseph,  Peter,  Martin, 
Alfred,  Tiedmand  and  Albertina.  The  latter  died  in 
infancy  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solstad  adopted  a  daughter 
Elena,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Joel  Ohnstad  of  Montfort, 
Wisconsin.  Joseph,  Peter  and  Martin  were  employed 
for  several  years  as  teachers  in  public  schools  in 
Minnesota  and  North  Dakota.  Martin  and  Tiedmand 
are  now  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Lang, 
Saskatchewan,  while  Joseph  is  superintendent  of 
Rheinhardt's  Sheet  Metal  Works  at  Grand  Forks. 
Peter  has  also  followed  a  mercantile  career  and  is 
located  at  Eld  red,  Minnesota. 

Rev.  Solstad  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  of 
the  valley.  He  has  many  memories  of  the  early  years 
— of  their  struggles,  disappointments  and  hardships, 
and  treasured,  deai'ly — memories  of  the  friendships, 
joys  and  prosperity  the  yeare  brought  him ;  and  he  is 
deeply  grateful  that  his  life  was  cast  among  the  people 
in  this  of  the-Lord-richly-blessed,  Red  River  valley. 


FRANCIS  MARION  SLYTER. 


If  he  who  makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one 
grew  before  is  a  public  benefactor,  much  more  is  the 
man  who  starts  a  new  enterprise  in  a  community,  the 
development  of  which  leads  to  increased  prosperity 
and  comfort  for  hundreds  and  greatly  augments  tlie 
industrial  and  commercial  importance  of  the  com- 
munity, entitled  to  this  distincion  and  large  credit  for 
fruitful  enterprise.  Francis  Marion  Slyter,  an  exten- 
sive and  progressive  farmer  of  Andover  township,  has 
earned  the  right  to  such  consideration.  Wlien  in  1912 
he  located  on  the  farm  which  he  still  occupies  there 
were  not  twenty-five  dairy  cows  within  six  miles.    Now 


there  are  nearly  ten  hundred  in  the  same  territory, 
and  the  business  is  a  source  of  great  wealth  and 
progress.  Mr.  Slyter  brought  ten  cows  and  began 
making  butter  for  sale,  others  having  since  followed 
his  example  with  excellent  results. 

Francis  M.  Slyter  was  born  in  Grundy  county, 
Illinois,  January  16,  1853.  He  moved  to  Benton 
county,  Indiana,  in  1872,  and  lived  there  nineteen 
yeai*s.  In  1894  he  changed  his  residence  to  Kossuth 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  240  acres, 
which  he  sold  in  1901  for  more  than  double  its  cost. 
His  two  sons,  L.  E.  and  D.  S.  Slyter,  had  bought  160 


306 


compendiu:m  of  history  and  biography  of  polk  county 


acres  of  Polk  county  land  in  Fairfax  township,  four 
miles  southeast  of  Crookston,  and  their  father  came  to 
visit  them  and  take  a  look  at  their  purchase,  hut  with 
no  intention  to  make  one  himself.  The  county  proved 
so  attractive,  however,  that  he  soon  made  a  selection 
of  his  present  farm  purchasing  at  a  cost  of  $27.50  an 
acre.  It  comprises  320  acres  and  was  then  almost 
wholly  unimproved.  He  has  expended  about  $5,000 
in  substantial  and  lasting  improvements,  and  has  the 
land  well  drained  and  all  under  cultivation  and  yield- 
ing excellent  crops. 

Mr.  Slyter's  place  is  the  north  half  of  section  25, 
Andover  township,  and  lies  four  miles  south  of  Crooks- 
ton.  It  is  devoted  principally  to  raising  oats  and 
barley  and  raising  and  feeding  cattle,  the  strain  pre- 
fei-red  being  the  Shorthorn  breed.  He  has  an  artesian 
well  227  feet  deep,  which  furnishes  an  abundant 
supply  of  excellent  soft  water  for  all  purposes.  His 
grain  crop  in  1915  amounted  to  some  7,000  bushels, 
and  the  yield  per  acre  has  been  fair  for  years.  He 
feeds  regularly  about  20  head  of  cattle  and  milks  seven 
cows.  Almost  immediately  after  coming  he  began  to 
set  out  some  fruit  trees  and  practically  all  tlie  small 
fruits,  including  gi'apes,  his  success  with  them  having 
been  very  gratifying. 


Mr.  Slyter  had  $6,000  in  cash,  live  stock  and  some 
portions  of  a  farm  equipment.  These  combined  with 
iudustiy,  good  management  and  up-to-date  farming 
methods  he  has  wrought  out  results  that  are  in  the 
highest  degree  satisfactory.  His  land  was  at  first  over- 
run with  wild  growths  destructive  of  regular  crops, 
lie  follows  a  judicious  system  of  crop  rotation,  thus 
keeping  the  land  in  prime  condition.  In  1913  his 
profits  totaled  $3,300  and  in  1915  they  reached  $3,700. 
He  has  refused  offers  of  nearly  $75  an  acre  for  his 
fann  and  discouraged  all  attempts  to  get  him  to  sell. 

Mr.  Slyter  was  married  in  Grundy  county,  Illinois, 
in  1870,  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Steep,  a  native  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  They  have  five  children ;  Lewis  Edward,  who 
lives  at  Red  Lake  Falls,  Minnesota;  Derwin  Sheri- 
dan, a  farmer  near  Akron,  Colorado;  Ada  Helen,  the 
wife  of  J.  F.  McAdams,  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa;  Clai'a 
Belle,  the  wife  of  Ray  Murphy,  of  Chariton,  Iowa, 
and  Irene  Winifred,  the  wife  of  Walter  Mergan,  of 
Andover  township.  During  the  last  few  years  Mr. 
Slyter  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  he 
is  now  also  supervisor  of  the  township.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  political  alliance  and  a  Presbyterian  in 
j-eligious  affiliation,  membership  being  in  Crookston. 


HEURICK  JOHANSON. 


This  progressive  and  prosperous  farmer  of  Higdem 
township,  this  county,  proprietor  of  the  Valley  Home 
farm,  fifteen  miles  north  and  one  west  of  Grand  Forks 
and  seven  miles  southeast  of  Oslo,  has  demonstrated 
iu  his  career  in  this  locality  the  value  of  persistency 
and  determination  when  conditions  are  discouraging. 
He  was  born  in  Sweden  May  3,  1856,  and  came  to  tlie 
United  States  in  June,  1879,  locating  in  Renville 
county,  Minnesota,  where  one  of  his  sisters  was  then 
living.  He  still  o^ved  for  his  transportation  from  his 
native  land  when  he  arrived  in  this  state,  but  he 
worked  at  his  trade  of  shoemaking  in  the  different 
homes  around  him,  making  shoes  for  whole  families, 
also  did  farm  work  and  was  employed  one  Avinter  in 


a  shoe  shop  at  Sacred  Heart  in  Renville  county,  and 
so  got  a  start  after  having  devoted  all  his  earnings  to 
helping  his  parents  before  leaving  home. 

On  May  8,  1880,  Mr.  Johanson  filed  on  his  first 
quarter  section  of  land,  Carl  Krinersberg  having  come 
to  this  county  with  him.  His  location  was  in  Section 
24,  Higdem  township,  and  the  next  fall  he  built  a 
dwelling  on  it,  borrowing  some  of  the  money  needed 
for  the  purpose  as  he  had  paid  part  of  the  passage 
nioney  for  one  of  his  parents  and  a  brother.  His 
dwelling  was  a  little  log  house  the  logs  for  which  he 
had  to  bring  from  Snake  river  four  miles  cast  of  his 
home.  For  some  time  he  cut  cord  wood  in  the  winter 
and  worked  on  railroad  grading  in  tlie  summer,  hiring 


u  Koiui  1-;  K  Kc).\ isi '1 1 N A l;i;l 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


307 


a  mau  to  break  and  cultivate  his  land.  lu  the  spring 
of  1883  he  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  rented  a  piece 
of  land  in  order  to  get  a  crop.  The  laud  was  wet  and 
tlie  crop  was  poor,  and  the  next  year  the  frost  injm-ed 
his  graiu  and  it  brought  a  low  price.  Many  settlers 
left  the  neighborhood  at  this  time  but  he  determined 
to  remain,  and  in  a  short  time  he  began  to  prosper. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  he  bought  forty  acres  of 
railroad  land  at  $6  an  acre,  and  a  little  later  another 
tract  of  forty  acres  at  $10  an  acre  and  still  later  forty 
acres  more  for  which  he  paid  $32.50  an  acre.  He  also 
began  to  buy  young  cattle,  but  butter  was  only  six 
cents  a  pound  and  eggs  six  cents  a  dozen,  so  he  could 
not  make  much  of  his  venture  in  this  direction.  His 
farm  now  comprises  280  acres  and  is  registered  on  the 
county  records  as  "Valley  Home  Farm"  in  English, 
"Dalhem"  in  Swedish.  It  has  a  fine  grove  or  wind- 
break planted  by  Mr.  Johanson  in  1896,  and  the  .judi- 
cial ditch,  No.  1,  through  Polk  and  Marshall  and  into 
Pennington  and  Red  Lake  counties,  forming  an  outlet 
from   Snake  to  Red  river,   passes  his  farm  on  the 


section  line,  although  he  had  good  drainage  without 
this  aid.  He  also  owns  ten  acres  of  timber  land  on 
Red  river. 

Mr.  Johanson  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Eliu 
Johanson,  whom  he  knew  in  Sweden,  her  native  land, 
and  who  came  to  this  country  to  become  his  wife. 
They  have  four  children :  Elin,  who  is  a  senior  in  the 
Duluth  Normal  school  and  has  been  a  teacher  in  Polk 
and  Marshall  counties;  Hjalmar,  Hilma  and  David, 
who  are  living  at  home.  The  members  of  the  family 
hold  membership  in  the  Swedish  Mission  church.  In 
relation  to  public  affairs  Mr.  Johanson  is  independent, 
striving  always  to  give  his  support  to  the  candidates 
best  qualified  for  the  offices  they  seek.  He  is  now  in 
his  twenty-fifth  year  of  continuous  service  as  town- 
ship assessor,  an  office  he  does  not  desire  but  continues 
to  fill  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  has  been  chairman 
of  the  school  board  for  nineteen  or  twenty  successive 
years,  also  one  year  town  supervisor,  one  year  road 
overseer  and  three  years  justice  of  the  peace. 


GEORGE  KRONSCHNABEL. 


Having  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county  for  thirty- 
five  years,  with  the  exception  of  about  eighteen 
months,  during  which  he  lived  in  Winona,  Minne- 
sota, and  having  been  in  business  in  Fertile  since 
1886,  and  all  the  time  zealous  and  enterprising  in 
the  service  of  the  community  in  various  ways,  George 
Kronschnabel,  president  of  the  Fertile  Brick  and 
Tile  company,  has  proven  himself  to  be  a  valuable 
citizen  and  a  stimulating  force  for  progi'ess  among 
the  people  of  this  section,  and  he  is  esteemed  by 
them  in  accordance  with  the  services  he  has  rendered 
and  is  still  rendering  them  and  his  sterling  integrity 
as  a  man  and  fidelity  and  ability  as  a  public  official. 

Mr.  Kronschnabel  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
June  14,  1857,  the  son  of  George  and  Mary  (Kling- 
hom)  Kronschnabel,  who  moved  to  Minnesota  in 
1862  and  located  in  Carver  county.  The  father  died 
in  San  Antonio,  Texas,  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 


six  years.  He  operated  a  sawmill  for  a  number  of 
years  in  Carver  county,  and  his  son  George  assisted 
him  in  the  work.  He  was  educated  and  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Carver  county  and  there  learned  the  trade 
of  tinsmith.  This  trade  was  his  regular  occupation 
for  about  sixteen  years,  but  other  and  better  oppor- 
tunities opened  before  him  and  he  was  prompt  in 
embracing  them  and  making  them  serviceable  to  his 
advancement. 

In  January,  1880,  Mr.  Kronschnabel  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Polk  county,  and  in  1886  he  opened  a  hard- 
ware store  at  Fertile.  He  continued  in  this  line  of 
trade  until  1898,  since  which  time  he  has  given  his 
attention  wholly  to  the  manufacture  of  brick  and 
tile  and  the  management  of  his  farm  of  160  acres  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fertile,  except  what  has  been  required 
by  his  position  as  director  of  the  First  State  Bank 
of  Fertile  and  as  president  of  the  village  council, 


308 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


which  lie  also  served  for  a  time  as  treasurer.  He 
was  the  first  president  of  the  eouncil  and  has  oeeu- 
pied  that  office  altogether  seven  years,  filling  it  with 
ahility  and  studious  attention  to  the  welfare  of  the 
community  and  to  its  entire  satisfaction. 

In  1897  Mr.  Kronsehnabel  started  what  is  now  the 
tile  factory  as  a  sand  mold  brick  plant.  In  1900  the 
business  was  incorporated  with  him  as  president  of 
the  company,  which  he  has  been  ever  since,  and  in 
1903  the  manufacture  of  tile  and  hollow  blocks  was 
added  to  the  operations  of  the  factor}-.  It  has  a 
capacity  of  40,000  brick  a  day,  or  4,000,000  a  year. 
Mr.  Kronsehnabel  is  the  manager  of  the  business  as 
well  as  president  of  the  company.  Brown  Duckstad 
is  vice  president  of  the  company  and  E.  B.  Hanson 
is  secretary  and  treasurer.     The  industry  is  a  leader 


in  this  part  of  the  state  and  has  an  extensive  and 
steadily  expanding  trade.  It  is  admirably  managed 
and  enjoys  hearty  and  widespread  popularity,  which 
is  based  wholly  on  the  excellence  of  its  products  and 
the  strict  intejn'ity  which  governs  the  business. 

Mr.  Kronsehnabel  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Workmen  of  the  World.  He  has 
been  a  director  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Fertile 
from  its  organization,  and  has  taken  an  earnest  and 
serviceable  interest  in  every  worthy  undertaking  for 
the  good  of  his  home  community.  On  June  27, 1882,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sophia  Oehler,  a 
native  of  Rice  county,  Minnesota.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  two  living  are  Alma  O.  and  George  C. 


JULIUS  BRADLEY. 


Julius  Bradley,  jiresideut  of  the  Scandia  Bank  of 
Erskine  and  a  well  known  farmer  in  Knute  township, 
was  born  in  Norway,  February  15,  1859.  He  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  land  and  came  to  the  L^nited 
States  in  1881  to  seek  his  fortunes  amid  the  oppor- 
tunities of  the  northwest.  He  possessed  no  capital 
but  sturdy  ambition  and  iiidustriousness  and  paid 
for  his  passage  from  his  first  earnings  in  the  new 
coimtiy.  During  the  first  years  he  worked  in  the 
harvest  fields  and  at  other  farm  labor,  in  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota,  coming  to  Northfield,  Minnesota,  in 
1882.  In  the  following  year  he  secured  a  homestead 
in  the  newly  opened  Thirteen  Towns.  The  payment 
on  his  claim  demanded  all  his  savings  and  for  a  few 
years  he  continued  to  work  as  a  harvester  and  in 
other  employment.  During  tlie  winter  months  he 
was  employed  in  the  lumber  woods  and  also  worked 
on  the  log  drives  on  tlie  Clearwater  and  ^Mississippi 
rivers.  Able  and  thrifty  management  soon  brought 
success  to  his  farming  operations,  which  have  stead- 
ily increased.  Mr.  Bradley  now  owns  six  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Knute  township,  which  is  included  in 
three  different  farms  and  loerted  in  sections  tliirtv- 


two,  twenty-eight,  twenty-one,  twenty-two  and 
twenty-seven.  This  land  is  all  operated  under  the 
direct  management  of  Mr.  Bradley  and  he  has  put 
under  cultivation  some  three  hundred  acres  of  wild 
land.  Aside  from  grain  farming  he  engages  in  the 
raising  of  high  grade  short  horn  stock  and  keeps  a 
herd  of  ten  dairy  cows.  Mr.  Bi'adley  lias  always 
been  active  in  township  affairs  and  has  ably  served 
his  fellow  citizens  as  township  treasurer  and  as 
treasurer  of  the  school  district,  having  held  the  latter 
office  for  many  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  but  has  never  allowed  party  lines  to 
influence  his  personal  convictions  in  political  ques- 
tions. Mr.  Bradley  is  further  identified  with  those 
who  have  established  the  agricultural  and  financial 
prosperity  of  Polk  county  as  one  of  the  organizers 
and  the  largest  stock  holder  in  the  Scandia  Bank  at 
Erskine.  He  has  been  most  prominently  associated 
with  the  direction  of  this  successful  institution, 
having  been  president,  since  its  incorporation.  Mr. 
Bradley  was  married  in  1886  to  Martha  Bensen,  who 
came  to  Minnesota  as  a  child  and  to  Polk  county  in 
1883.     They  have  a  family  of  seven  daughters  and 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


309 


two  sons:  Gust;  Gina;  Bertha;  Julia;  Ida,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  millinery  business  at  Fergus  Falls; 
Anna,  a  trained  nurse  and  employed  in  the  same 
town ;  Gyda,  Joseph  and  Martha.    The  Bradley  home 


is  four  miles  south  of  Erskine,  in  section  twenty- 
eight  of  Knute  township  and  occupies  a  delightful 
location  on  the  shore  of  a  beautiful  lake. 


ANDREW  THORESON. 


Andrew  Thoreson,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Lessor 
township,  is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in  Dakota 
county,  March  3,  1861,  and  has  devoted  all  of  his 
career  to  the  agricultural  activities  of  the  northwest, 
tleveloping  wild  land  and  advancing  the  growth  of 
prosperous  farming  enterprises.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  took  a  pre-emption  claim  near  Grafton, 
North  Dakota,  and  lived  on  that  place  until  1892,  when 
he  came  to  Polk  county,  having  heard  of  the  merits  of 
this  section  through  relatives  who  were  then  living 
there,  and  bought  the  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
laud  in  section  twelve  of  Lessor  township,  which  is  his 
present  home,  paying  about  thirteen  hundred  dollars 
for  the  tract,  which  had  no  improvements  and  but  a 
few  acres  cleared.  -  He  has  put  some  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  under  cultivation  and  also  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  section  thirty-six  of  Lambert 
township,  in  Red  Lake  county,  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  home  farm.  This  latter  place  is  crossed 
by  Hill  river  and  is  unusually  rich  bottom  land  and 


devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain.  All  of  this  land  has 
been  developed  by  Mr.  Thoreson,  who  has  also  been 
instrumental  in  securing  good  roads  through  that 
section  and  a  substantial  steel  bridge  on  the  river. 
His  home  farm  provides  much  good  pasturage  and 
he  engages  in  stock  and  dairy  farming,  raising 
thoroughbred  Short  Horn  cattle,  and  is  a  patron  of 
the  Clover  Leaf  creamery,  manufacturers  of  cheese, 
a  local  enterprise  operating  to  the  profit  and  advan- 
tage of  the  farmers  of  that  region.  Mr.  Thoreson 
has  ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  any  project 
tending  to  the  general  welfare  and  progress  and  has 
given  able  service  as  a  member  of  the  township  board 
and  school  board.  Like  many  of  the  settlers  of 
northern  Minnesota  he  is  a  great  enjoyer  of  out  of 
door  sports  and  participated  in  the  deer  hunts  which 
formerly  afforded  great  sport  in  this  country.  He 
was  married  in  1893  to  Julia  Sunstahl  of  Polk 
county,  and  they  have  seven  children :  Tena,  Salma, 
Bertha,  Len,  Alpha,  Lillie  and  Alphonso. 


PEDER  K.  ESPESETH. 


Peder  K.  Espeseth,  of  Badger  township,  is  one  of 
the  successful  farmers  of  this  region  who  have 
notably  demonstrated  the  latent  riches  of  Polk 
county  soil  and  advanced  it  to  its  present  prosperous 
standard  as  an  agricultural  community.  He  was 
born  in  Norway,  December  27,  1868,  and  is  the  son 
of  a  well-known  pioneer  of  Badger  township,  Knute 
Espeseth.  His  brother,  G.  K.  Espeseth,  president  of 
the  State  bank  of  Erskine,  is  prominently  allied  with 
the  commercial  activities  of  the  county.  The 
Espeseth  family  came  to  the  United  States  in  1882, 
when  Peder  Espeseth  was  a  lad  of  fourteen,  and  after 


spending  a  short  time  in  Chippewa  county,  Minne- 
sota, Knute  Espeseth  squatted  on  land  in  the  Thir- 
teen Towns,  awaiting  its  re-opening  for  settlement. 
A  nephew,  Gilbert  Espeseth,  and  Mr.  Evanson  accom- 
panied him  to  Polk  county  and  also  chose  locations. 
On  the  opening  of  the  land  in  1883  he  filed  on  his 
homestead,  which  is  the  present  home  of  Peder 
Espeseth,  in  section  three  of  Badger  township.  Knute 
Espeseth  devoted  his  life  to  the  development  of  his 
land  and  died  there  in  1906,  the  death  of  his  wife 
occurring  in  the  same  year.  Peder  Espeseth 's  life 
has  been  spent  on  this  homestead,  which,  in  his  youth, 


310 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


he  assisted  his  father  to  elear  of  timber  and  break 
for  farming.  During  the  later  years  of  his  father's 
life  he  assumed  entire  direction  of  the  place  and 
since  his  death  has  become  the  owner  of  the  three 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  includes  the  home- 
stead and  part  of  a  half  section,  which  they  pur- 
chased iu  partnership  as  partially  improved  land. 
The  first  home,  a  long  house,  was  replaced  by  Knute 
Espeseth  with  a  modern  structure,  and  he  also 
erected  the  good  barns  which  now  occupy  the  estate. 
Peder  Espeseth  applies  the  most  progressive  and 
enterprising  methods  to  his  farming  interests  and 
has  met  with  marked  success  in  all  his  activities. 
He  has  two  hundred  acres  in  cultivation  for  grain 
and  harvests  an  annual  crop  of  some  3,500  bushels, 
but  does  not  give  his  entire  attention  to  this  phase, 
utilizing  the  balance  of  his  fertile  acres  for  his 
extensive  operations  as  a  stock  man.  He  keeps  a 
large  herd  of  Short  Horn  cattle,   is  a  breeder  of 


Percherou  horses,  and  raises  sheep  and  hogs,  selling 
two  carloads  of  stock  each  year.  He  also  has  fifteen 
dairy  cows  and  is  a  patroa  and  stockholder  in  the 
co-operative  creamery  at  Erskiue.  Mr.  Espeseth 's 
prosperous  and  busy  farm  exhibits  the  results  of 
careful  management  and  intelligent  study  of  the 
farm  business,  in  its  adequate  equipment  and  effi- 
ciency and  profitable  operations.  In  his  barn  is  to 
be  found  modern  improvements  for  the  feeding  and 
watering  of  stock,  and  to  facilitate  the  routine  farm 
work.  Mr.  Espeseth  is  a  stockholder  in  the  First 
State  bank  at  Erskine.  He  was  niaD'ied  in  IIUO  to 
Gina  Rud,  who  is  the  daughter  of  Jorgen  Rud,  a 
farmer  in  Garden  township,  near  Fertile.  They  have 
two  children,  Mildred  and  Clarence.  Mr.  Espeseth 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Saron  United  Luth- 
eran church,  of  which  his  parents  were  original 
members. 


FRANK  0.  JOHNSON. 


Frank  0.  Johnson,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Lessor 
township,  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  December  29, 
1861.  Since  coming  to  Polk  county  he  has  been 
engaged  in  successful  farming  operations  and  has 
been  actively  associated  with  all  phases  of  public 
development.  Mr.  Johnson  came  to  the  United 
States,  as  a  young  man,  in  1880  and  spent  four  years 
working  on  a  stock  farm  in  Yellow  Medicine  county, 
Minnesota.  Industry  and  ambition  led  to  successful 
retrenchment  of  his  wages  and  he  was  enabled  to 
send  pa.ssage  money  to  his  parents,  that  they,  with 
the  other  members  of  the  family,  might  join  him  in 
his  new  life.  In  1883  his  father,  J.  H.  Johnson, 
secured  a  homestead  claim  in  section  six  of  King 
township,  and  in  the  following  year  Frank  Johnson 
purchased  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  conveyed  his  mother 
and  family  to  the  Polk  county  home.  The  purchase 
of  the  oxen  and  the  outfitting  of  the  family  in  their 
new  quarters  exhausted  his  funds,  and  before  em- 
barking upon   his  own   farming  enterprise  he   was 


compelled  to  return  to  his  former  employment  that 
he  might  accumulate  the  necessary  capital.  In  a 
year  or  so  his  thrifty  endeavors  provided  him  funds 
to  attain  his  ambition,  and  in  1885  he  returned  to 
Polk  county  and  filed  on  a  homestead  in  section 
twenty-seven  of  Lessor  township,  about  three  and 
one-half  miles  north  of  Mcintosh.  His  parents  re- 
mained on  their  farm  for  several  years  and  now 
reside  in  Mcintosh.  Frank  Johnson  erected  a  small 
log  shack  and  barn  and  entered  upon  laborious  tasks 
of  the  pioneer  farmer.  The  years  of  labor  and  able 
management  have  developed  a  prosperous  farming 
property  and  some  eighty  acres  have  been  cleared 
of  timber  and  put  under  cultivation.  The  present 
house  was  erected  in  1900  of  spruce  and  tamarack 
logs  which  were  hauled  from  Gully,  twenty  miles 
distant,  and  in  the  following  year  a  good  barn  was 
built.  The  house  has  since  been  converted  in  out- 
ward appearance  to  a  modem  ft-ame  home.  Mr. 
Johnson  also  owns  a  quarter  section  in  section  nine- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


311 


teen,  Lessor  township,  four  miles  from  the  home 
farm,  which  he  utilizes  as  hay  and  pasture  land, 
engaging  quite  extensively  in  stock  farming  and 
raising  Short  Horn  and  Red  Polled  cattle.  Through- 
out the  many  years  of  his  citizenship  Mr.  Johnson 
has  been  identified  with  the  public  activities  of  the 
community  and  has  been  honored  with  the  various 
local  offices  of  public  trust,  serving  for  many  years 
on  the  township  board  and  for  twenty  years  as 
treasurer  of  the  school  board,  but  perhaps  his  most 
notable  service  to  public  progress  has  been  as  road 
boss  and  supervisor,  an  office  which  he  has  held 
off  and  on  since  1885  and  in  which  capacity  he  has 
directed  the  construction  of  many  roads  in  the 
township.  He  was  identified  with  the  movement 
which  instigated  the  building  of  the  first  church  by 


a  Swedish  congregation.  This  edifice  was  erected 
of  logs  and  stood  until  1915,  although  the  congre- 
gation had  been  for  some  time  disbanded.  Mr. 
Johnson  has  spent  two  years  in  Canada,  where  he 
held  a  claim  for  his  son  and  also  invested  in  a  half 
section  of  land  near  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  Mr. 
Johnson  has  been  twice  married ;  his  first  wife,  Bena 
Hanson,  of  Chippewa  county,  Minnesota,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1886,  died  in  the  following  year. 
In  1889  he  was  married  to  Hannah  Sjoden,  like  her 
husband,  a  native  of  Sweden,  who  came  to  Winnipeg 
as  a  young  girl  and  later  visited  her  sister,  Mrs. 
J.  E.  Carlson.  To  his  second  union  were  bom  seven 
children :  Henry,  Bannard,  Fred  E.  and  Arthur,  who 
are  located  on  land  at  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  Can- 
ada; William,  Hilmer  and  Olive. 


JAMES  I.  PETERSON. 


James  I.  Peterson,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Grand 
Forks  township,  was  born  in  Sweden,  July  24,  1853, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  in 
1869,  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  After  locating  for 
a  short  time  at  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  they  removed 
to  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  and  later  to  Renville 
coxinty,  where  James  Peterson  secured  a  homestead 
of  eighty  acres.  After  several  years  there,  in  com- 
pany with  Louis  Larson,  with  whom  he  had  been 
associated  in  the  operation  of  a  threshing  machine, 
he  traveled  farther  west  looking  for  land  and  after 
driving  through  Dakota,  located  on  a  pre-emption 
claim  in  Polk  county.  In  May,  1877,  he  was  married 
to  Hannah  Larson,  born  in  Christiania,  Norway, 
June  26,  1858,  at  the  same  time  his  two  sisters  were 
united  in  marriage,  Agnes  Peterson  to  Louis  Larson 
and  Emma  Peterson  to  Andrew  Norleen,  and  the 
three  couples  immediately  set  out  to  find  homes  in 
the  western  part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Peterson  and  Mr. 
Larson  located  in  Polk  county  and  there  Mr.  Norleen 
joined  them  later  and  for  a  number  of  years  has 
made  his  home  at  Winger.  Mr.  Peterson  settled  on 
his  land  in  Grand  Forks  township  in  June,  1877,  and 


with  a  few  dollars  and  the  thrifty  ambition  which 
Avas  the  usual  capital  of  the  pioneer  entered  upon 
the  arduous  and  often  discouraging  task  of  develop- 
ing a  profitable  farming  enterprise.  Buying  out  the 
right  of  a  settler  on  a  tree  claim,  he  filed  on  the 
claim  himself  and  here  set  out  six  acres  of  box 
elders,  which  now  presents  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive sights  in  the  county  and  is  one  of  the  finest 
groves  in  the  northwest.  During  the  first  summer 
he  broke  some  eight  acres  of  land  and  in  the  winter 
was  compelled  to  seek  employment  in  the  lumber 
woods  near  Brainerd,  Minnesota,  but  this  proved  an 
unfortunate  year  for  lumber  work  and  his  months 
of  labor  brought  him  little  financial  advance.  There- 
after he  devoted  his  efforts  to  his  land  which  has 
since  brought  him  steadily  increasing  prosperity 
with  the  exception  of  two  years  when  the  crops  were 
destroyed  by  hail  stonns.  He  resumed  his  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Larson  in  a  threshing  outfit  and  they 
enjoyed  a  large  patronage  among  neighboring  farm- 
ers for  a  number  of  years.  His  first  agricultural 
activities  were  devoted  entirely  to  the  raising  of 
grain,  but  of  recent  years  his  interest  has  included 


312 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


stock  and  daii-y  farming.  His  first  home  was  a  log 
cabin  on  the  pre-emption  claim,  where  he  also 
erected  his  second  house.  In  1897  he  built  his  pres- 
ent home  on  the  tract  secured  as  a  tree  claim.  This 
is  in  section  two  of  Grand  Forks  township  and  five 
miles  north  of  East  Grand  Forks.  Mr.  Peterson  has 
ever  been  actively  identified  with  the  best  interests 
and  local  development  and  has  served  as  township 
supervisor  and  as  one  of  the  first  directors  on  the 
school  board,  ably  jiromoted  the  establishment  of 


the  present  eflScient  school  system.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Marais  Lutheran  church,  which  was 
erected  on  his  land  which  he  donated  for  the  pur- 
I)ose  and  of  which  he  continues  to  be  a  faithful  sup- 
porter. Mr.  Peterson  and  his  wife  have  five  chil- 
dren, Emma,  the  wife  of  Thorjus  Morken,  of  Thief 
River  Falls ;  Arthur,  who  also  resides  in  Thief  River 
Falls;  AValter,  Clarence  and  Oscar,  who  reside  at 
home. 


BERNT  J.  HAGEN. 


This  now  prosperous  and  well  conditioned  farmer 
has  reached  his  estate  of  worldly  comfort  and  inde- 
pendence through  much  tribulation,  but  he  has  never 
lost  his  nerve  or  spared  his  efforts  to  advance  his 
interests,  and  in  spite  of  his  adversities  and  serious 
losses  he  has  made  steady  progress  by  reason  of  his 
persistent  and  wisely  directed  industry  and  good 
management.  He  was  bom  in  Norway,  November 
17,  1851,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1871, 
locating  at  Spring  Grove,  Houston  county,  Minne- 
sota. He  did  grading  work  on  the  railroads  and 
followed  farming  for  a  few  years,  but  lost  his  crops 
by  the  ravages  of  chinch  bugs.  In  spite  of  this  dis- 
aster, however,  he  managed  to  save  $200,  and  then 
made  jaunts  about  the  country  looking  it  over  with 
a  view  to  selecting  a  permanent  location. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  his  money  was  all  gone,  and 
he  came  to  Polk  county.  One  year  later,  1877,  his 
sister,  Mrs.  0.  0.  Hoff,  came  and  homesteaded  a 
quarter  section  joining  Mr.  Ilagen.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  in  this  county  he  pre-empted  eighty  acres  of 
his  present  home  and  took  up  eighty  more  as  a  home- 
stead. He  located  on  that  land  in  the  spring  of  1876, 
being  the  first  man  to  settle  on  the  prairie  in  what  is 
now  Grand  Forks  township,  his  farm  being  in 
section  twenty-four,  two  miles  north  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  and  his  dwelling  house  on  this  farm  being  one 
of  the  best  in  the  county  of  its  class  and  size.  His 
first  house  was  a  little  log  shack  twelve  feet  square, 
with  a  straw  and  sod  roof.    Yet  poor  as  this  was  its 


destruction  by  fire  was  a  serious  embarrassment  to 
him. 

After  the  loss  of  the  little  shack  ilr.  Ilagen  built 
a  larger  and  more  pretentious  log  house,  which  was 
about  the  best  one  in  that  part  of  the  county  for 
years.  It  was  long  used  as  a  church  alternately  with 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  A.  D.  Steele,  there  being  at 
that  time  no  real  church  edifice  within  many  miles 
of  this  section. 

In  the  course  of  a  little  while  Jlr.  Ilagen  obtained 
a  yoke  of  steers.  He  bought  them  wild  and  then 
broke  them  so  that  he  could  drive  them  anywhere. 
He  used  the  opportunities  available  to  him  to  break 
up  as  much  of  his  land  as  possible,  and  in  the  mean- 
time obtained  some  work  on  barges  on  the  Red  river, 
which  helped  to  provide  him  with  the  necessaries  of 
life.  For  a  number  of  years  he  either  kept  a  bach- 
elor establishment  or  had  a  sister  keeping  house  for 
him,  but  in  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Dorothy 
ilidtmoen,  a  daughter  of  Ole  and  Ella  Midtmoen, 
and  born  in  Norway,  but  brought  to  this  country 
when  she  was  eight  years  old.  She  is  a  sister  of 
Peter  Olson,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  in  this 
work. 

The  first  five  years  of  Mrs.  Ilagen 's  life  in  this 
country  were  passed  in  Iowa  county,  "Wisconsin,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  period  she  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  this  county.  Her  father  had  settled  on  land 
close  to  Mr.  Hagen's  and  built  a  house  on  it.  Then, 
in  1878,  his  wife,  Dorothy,  and  her  brother  Peter, 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


313 


came  to  the  farm  where  he  was.  Mr.  Hagen  met  the 
wife,  son  and  daughter  at  Fisher's  Landing  with  his 
ox  team  and  hauled  them  to  the  farm.  Ilis  marriage 
with  Miss  Dorothy  occurred  when  she  was  but  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  She  was  resolute  in  spirit,  always 
ready  to  take  what  came  in  the  way  of  duty,  and 
for  one  summer  worked  out  in  the  employ  of  Robert 
Anderson's  family.  Her  father's  old  homestead  is 
now  owned  by  Andrew  Peterson. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hagen  were  mari'ied  by  I.  Thorelson, 
of  Grand  Foi'ks,  a  minister  there.  By  this  time  he 
owned  horses,  and  he  was  more  prosperous  and 
making  better  progress  than  he  had  been,  but  he  still 
lost  crops  by  hail,  one  storm  being  so  violent  that  it 
killed    everything    he    had    growing,    scattered    his 


stock  and  forced  him  to  protect  his  head  with  his 
boots,  and  the  hail  stones  lay  in  heaps  on  the  ground 
for  hours  after  falling.  Frost  also  injured  his  crops 
frequently.  He  was  early  in  the  field  in  this  section 
with  a  threshing  outfit,  but  he  was  obliged  to  steer 
his  first  engine  with  teams. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  Grand  Marais  Lutheran 
church  and  one  of  its  prominent  workers  ever  since 
he  settled  here.  He  and  his  wife  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living:  Olof, 
Thoi-val,  Emma,  Ode,  Bennett,  Julia,  Ida,  Nina  and 
Arthur.  They  are  all  at  home  with  their  parents 
yet,  the  only  break  in  the  family  circle  occurring  by 
the  death  of  a  son  named  Adolph,  who  died  when  he 
was  five  years  old. 


ANDREW  L.  STEELE. 


Andrew  L.  Steele,  a  successful  farmer  of  Gi'and 
Forks  township,  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  came  to 
Polk  county  in  1879.  He  was  born  IMarch  5,  1855, 
and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  land,  where  he 
was  employed  in  an  iron  mine.  In  1877  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  for  a  time  worked  in  the  lum- 
ber yards  at  Minneapolis.  Subsequently  he  spent  a 
number  of  years  as  a  lumber  man  and  railroad 
laborer,  spending  the  winters  in  the  lumber  woods 
and  the  summer  season  in  railroad  grading.  It  was 
in  the  pursuit  of  the  latter  occupation  that  he  came 
to  Polk  county,  Avorking  on  the  eonstniction  of  the 
road  bed  between  Fi-shers  Landing  and  Grand  Forks. 
Ambitious  to  secure  an  education,  he  availed  himself 
of  every  opportunity  to  advance  himself,  using  his 
carefully  saved  capital  for  this  purpose.  After 
gaining  the  use  of  the  English  language  through  his 
own  studies,  he  spent  two  years  in  the  public  schools 
at  Red  Wing,  Minnesota,  and  later  studied  for  a 
year  in  the  Gustavus  Adolphus  college,  at  St.  Peter. 
In  1879  lie  took  a  homestead  in  section  eight  of 
Northland  township  and  since  that  time  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming,  living  on  his  homestead 

until  1887,  when  he  was  married  to  Caroline  Eriek- 
20 


son.  She  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  came  to  Brain- 
erd,  Minnesota,  1877,  as  a  young  girl,  to  join  her 
brother,  Peter  M.  Lagerquist.  In  1880,  she  came  to 
Polk  county,  immediately  after  her  marriage  to  Ole 
Eriekson,  who  had  located  in  Grand  Forks  township 
two  years  previous.  She  has  since  continued  to 
make  her  home  on  this  farm,  where  the  death  of  Mr. 
Eriekson  occuiTed  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five. 
He  was  a  well  known  farmer  of  that  section  and  was 
prominent  in  township  affaii'S.  There  were  four 
children  bom  to  this  marriage,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living,  Edith  Caroline,  the  wife  of  Adolph  Lar- 
son, of  East  Grand  Forks;  Minnie  Amanda,  who 
married  her  cousin,  Andrew  Eriekson,  and  lived  on 
the  farm  which  they  bought  of  P.  M.  Lagerquist, 
until  her  death  three  years  after ;  and  Oscar  Herbert, 
who  is  a  rural  mail  carrier,  located  at  East  Grand 
Forks.  Upon  his  marriage,  Mr.  Steele  assumed  the 
management  of  his  wife's  farm,  which  he  operated 
with  his  own  land  until  some  ten  years  ago,  when  he 
sold  his  homestead  in  Northland  township  and  has 
since  added  to  the  home  farm  in  section  two,  Grand 
Forks  township,  making  an  estate  of  two  hundred 
and  ten  acres.    In  1898  he  erected  the  present  pleas- 


314 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ant  farm  home  and  has  steadily  added  to  the  im- 
provement of  the  property,  prospering  in  his  various 
agricultural  enterprises.  As  a  member  of  the  school 
board  he  has  given  able  service  to  the  advancement 
of  the  best  interests  of  the  community.    Mr.  Steele 


and  his  wife  have  two  children,  Carrie  Mabel  Eloise, 
Avho  married  James  Power  and  lives  in  East  Grand 
Forks,  and  "Walter  Andre.  Mr.  Steele  and  his 
family  are  faithful  supporters  of  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  church. 


DAVID  WILL. 


David  Will,  a  successful  farmer  of  Huntsville 
township,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  came  to  Polk 
county  in  1882.  He  was  born  in  Waukesha  county, 
Wisconsin,  July  29,  1862,  and  at  an  early  age  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Blue  Earth  county,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  grew  to  manhood.  On  coming  to 
Polk  county,  he  worked  at  whatever  livelihood  the 
country  afforded,  at  Fisher  for  a  time  and  for  sev- 
eral years  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Gilmour  in  Nesbit 
township.  After  six  years  of  steady  labor  he  had 
accumulated  a  small  capital  which  enabled  him  to 
finance  a  farming  enterprise  on  rented  land,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years  and  then  bought  the 
([uarter  section  in  section  two  of  Huntsville  town- 
ship, which  is  his  present  home.  This  tract  con- 
tained no  buildings  and  but  a  few  acres  of  cultivated 
land  and  Mr.  Will  entered  upon  his  operations  under 
the  handicap  of  debt.  He  erected  buildings  and 
began   the    development   of   his   property   and   has 


worked  his  way  lo  success  through  determination 
and  unfailing  industry,  energetically  overcoming 
failure  and  discouragement.  In  the  first  year  he 
suffered  the  loss  of  his  crops  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  able  to  make  but  little  progress  toward 
prosperity  but  able  management  and  hard  work 
have  brought  him  to  the  goal  of  the  successful  agri- 
culturist. He  later  bought  eighty  acres  of  railroad 
land  and  for  many  years  has  rented  laud  and 
operates  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  aside  from  the 
home  quarter.  lie  engages  principally  in  grain 
farming,  harvesting  some  8,500  bushels  in  191.5 
and  also  is  interested  in  stock  and  dairy  farming, 
and  selling  dairy  products  to  private  customers  in 
Grand  Forks.  I\Ir.  Will  is  interested  in  all  matters 
of  public  moment  and  community  welfare  and  is  a 
township  supervisor.  His  marriage  to  Mary  Fergu- 
son occurred  in  1892.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Donald 
Ferguson,  a  farmer  in  Winona  county,  Minnesota. 


LUDWIG  LARSON. 


With  a  farm  of  306  acres  in  Esther  township, 
fourteen  miles  north  of  Grand  Forks,  in  section  ten, 
which  is  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  Red  River  val- 
ley, and  owning  in  addition  a  well  improved  home- 
stead, which  is  occupied  and  cultivated  by  his  son, 
Ludwig  Larson  is  well  fixed  in  a  worldly  way  and 
in  a  position  to  almost  bid  defiance  to  adversitj\ 
He  was  born  in  Nor^vay,  June  12,  1862,  the  son  of 
Johannes  and  Maren  Larson,  and  came  with  them  to 
the  United  States  in  1872.  The  family  at  first  located 
in  Renville  county,  Minnesota,  and  lived  there  until 
1877,  when  its  residence  was  changed  to  Polk  county. 


On  his  arrival  in  this  county  the  father  took  up  a 
homestead,  which  is  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion ten,  and  is  a  part  of  the  farm  on  which  his  son 
Ludwig  now  lives.  The  father  built  a  log  house 
which  is  still  standing,  but  which  he  was  not  allowed 
to  occupy  long,  for  he  died  about  two  years  later 
at  the  age  of  forty-seven.  His  widow  afterward 
maiTied  Martin  Ilillard  and  passed  the  remainder 
of  her  days  on  the  adjoining  farm,  where  she  died 
in  1892,  and  where  Mr.  Hillard  also  died. 

The  Larson  famil.y  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in 
this  locality.    Its  nearest  neighbor  was  Mr.  Hanson, 


) 


KELS  YA8E.\DEX 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


315 


whose  farm  was  north  of  the  Larson  home.  All  the 
rest  of  the  surrounding  country  for  many  miles  was 
prairie  in  its  wild  condition.  The  father  was  a 
carpenter,  but  after  his  arrival  in  this  county  de- 
voted himself  to  fanning,  but  worked  incidentally 
at  his  trade.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Those  be- 
sides Ludwig  are :  Gena,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
H.  H.  Flatten;  Martin  Juel,  who  is  now  a  city  coun- 
cilman in  Southern  Minnesota,  and  Carl,  who  is  in 
business  at  Thief  River  Palls.  Anton  died  at  the 
age  of  ten  j'cars. 

Ludwig  Larson  was  seventeen  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death  and  had  to  take  charge  of 
the  farm  as  all  the  other  sons  were  still  young. 
When  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  took  up  a 
homestead  for  himself,  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  tAvelve,  Esther  township,  on  which  he  erected 
some  buildings  and  lived  until  after  his  mother's 
death.  He  then  bought  out  the  other  heirs  of  the  old 
place  and  to  this  he  has  since  added  200  acres,  so 
that  his  home  farm  now  contains  306  acres,  about 
eighty  acres  of  which  is  timber  laud  but  none  of  it 
touches  the  Red  river.  He  paid  $30  an  acre  for  the 
additional  200  acres.    He  has  erected  a  new  dwelling 


house  on  the  farm  and  some  three  years  ago  he 
built  a  new  barn  and  other  outbuildings.  Grain  is 
his  principal  production  and  in  191.5  liis  crop  was 
2,060  bushels  of  wheat  and  1,400  bushels  of  other 
cereals.  He  also  keeps  thirty  head  of  cattle,  Red 
Polled  stock  being  his  favorite  brand,  and  raises  a 
number  every  year,  keeping  the  steers  until  they 
reach  maturity. 

Mr.  Larson  has  taken  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs  in  his  township,  having  served  on  the  town- 
ship board  almost  ever  since  he  came  of  age.  He  is 
a  republican  in  politics  and  a  Lutheran  in  religious 
affiliation,  belonging  to  the  United  Lutheran  church 
at  Grand  Marais.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Annie  Erickson,  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, who  came  to  Polk  county  about  two  years 
prior  to  her  marriage.  They  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  living:  John,  who  is 
operating  the  homestead  taken  up  by  his  father; 
Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  Arthur  Peterson,  of  Pen- 
nington county,  Minnesota;  Gena  Matilda,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Henry  Bang,  of  Higdem  township,  and 
Regna,  Carl  Ludwig,  Alma  Christine  and  Mabel 
Sophia,  who  are  living  at  home.  A  son  named  Emil 
Albert  died  when  he  was  about  twenty  years  old. 


NELS  VASENDEN. 


During  the  thirteen  years  of  his  residence  in  Polk 
county  Nels  Vasenden,  a  prominent  business  man  of 
Fertile  and  secretary  of  the  Polk  County  Agricul- 
tural Pair  association,  has  contributed  in  many  ways 
to  the  progress  and  development  of  the  county,  hav- 
ing taken  an  active  and  serviceable  part  in  its  busi- 
ness activities,  social  life  and  public  affairs.  While 
he  is  still  a  young  man,  he  is  very  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive, with  extensive  intelligence,  good  judgment 
and  a  spirit  of  enterprise  that  overcomes  obstacles 
and  meets  every  I'cquirement  of  dutj^  witli  courage 
and  resourcefulness. 

Mr.  Vasenden  was  born  in  Norway,  February  2-5, 
1881,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land, 


where  he  remained  until  he  attained  his  majority.  In 
December,  1902,  he  came  to  the  LTnited  States  and 
located  at  Fertile,  where  he  was  employed  for  a  time 
by  his  uncle,  Dr.  Arne  Nelson,  then  the  leading  phy- 
sician and  druggist  of  this  part  of  the  county.  After 
a  time  he  left  the  employ  of  his  uncle  and  pass'^d 
about  eight  months  working  on  a  farm,  but  at  the  end 
of  that  period  he  returned  to  Fertile,  and  thereafter 
he  lived  with  the  doctor  until  the  death  of  the  latter, 
which  occurred  in  May,  1908. 

This  event  opened  a  new  chapter  with  enlarged  op- 
portunities in  the  life  of  Mr.  Vasenden.  He  was 
appointed  administrator  of  his  uncle's  estate,  and  in 
October,  1909,  he  took  over  the  drug  business  which 


316 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


that  estimable  geutlemau  had  started  and  which  ho 
owned  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  has  always  taken 
an  earnest  interest  in  the  affairs  of  Fertile  and  has 
served  as  village  recorder.  He  is  now  secretarj^  of 
the  Polk  County  Agricultural  Fair  association,  and 
in  this  position  he  has  wide  scope  for  his  ability  and 
enterprise  and  is  employing  them  igreatly  to  the 
advantage  of  the  association  and  the  general  benefit 
of  the  people  of  the  county.    He  is  also  a  director  of 


the  First  State  Bank  of  Fertile,  and  is  interested  in 
farm  lauds  to  the  extent  of  274  acres  in  association 
with  E.  B.  Hanson.  In  church  activities  he  also  takes 
an  active  part  as  a  member  of  the  Synod  Lutheran 
congregation.  In  fact,  there  is  no  line  of  endeavor 
for  tlie  good  of  the  community  in  which  he  is  back- 
ward, and  all  his  efforts  are  guided  by  breadth  of 
view  and  governed  by  prudence. 


OLE  0.  HOFF. 


This  gentleman,  Avho  was  formerly  known  as  Mr. 
Olson,  and  whose  fine  farm  lies  two  miles  and  a  half 
north  of  East  Grand  Forks,  adjoining  that  of  Bernt 
J.  Ilagen,  was  born  in  Solor,  Norway,  February  4, 
1854,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1882,  with 
no  capital  but  his  strong  arm,  clear  head  and  cour- 
ageous spirit,  his  pas.sage  across  the  ocean  not  having 
been  paid,  and  he  being  l>ound  under  a  strong  obli- 
gation to  work  even  that  out  before  he  could  lay  up 
anything  for  himself  or  with  a  view  to  starting  any 
pro.iect  of  his  own. 

On  his  arrival  in  this  country-  Jlr.  Hoff  came  direct 
to  Polk  county,  ■where  his  brother,  Bernt  Olson,  was 
already  established  on  a  homestead  which  he  had 
taken  up  in  1877.  Ole's  first  year  in  this  county  was 
passed  in  the  employ  of  Samuel  Ormeson  as  a  farm 
hand,  doing  work  to  which  he  iiad  been  reared. 
When  his  brother  Bernt  took  up  bis  homestead  he  also 
took  uj)  a  ti-ee  claim,  and  that  is  the  land  which  Ole 
now  owns.  Bernt  was  killed  by  accident  on  the  rail- 
road on  his  way  home  from  Crookston,  and  at  his 
death  left  a  widow  and  a  son  named  Bernhardt.  A 
daughter  named  Teolina  was  born  after  her  father's 
death.    Both  of  these  children  died  early  of  diphtheria. 

Bernt   Olson's   widow,   whose    nuiiden    name   was 


Olena  Johnson,  took  over  the  homestead  after  her 
husband's  death,  and  for  one  year  Ole  worked  on 
it.  He  then  moved  to  the  place  he  now  owns  and 
occupies,  and  he  has  since  bought  an  additional  160 
acres  in  Roseau  county.  The  widow  liad  only  a  log 
house  on  the  land  when  he  took  hold  of  it,  and  he  has 
since  built  the  present  buildings.  He  raises  princi- 
pally wheat,  oats  and  barley,  and  for  thirty-three 
years  he  has  been  devoting  all  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  this  farm,  of 
which  only  thirty  acres  were  broken  when  he  located 
on  it  and  began  to  develop  it.  Three  years  after  set- 
tling here  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  his  brother 
Bernt 's  widow.  They  have  three  children,  Olof, 
Emma  and  John,  all  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Hoff  has  been  a  member  of  the  township  board 
for  the  last  si.K  years,  and  has  also  been  a  trustee  of 
Grand  Marais  Lutheran  church.  He  was  for  many 
years  a  Republican  in  political  faith  and  allegiance, 
but  of  late  j'ears  he  has  been  independent  of  party 
control  and  uses  his  judgment  of  men  in  disposing  of 
his  vote,  and  in  connection  with  his  activity  in  public 
affairs.  He  is  entei-prising  and  progressive,  and  is 
universally  esteemed  as  an  upright  man  and  a  very 
u.seful  citizen. 


ROBERT  KERR. 


Robert  Kerr,  of  Grand  Forks  township,  has  been 
a  resident  of  Polk  county  since  1879,  and  during 


these  years  has  been  identified  with  the  development 
of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  county.    He  is  a 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTOKY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


317 


native  of  Scotland,  born  in  Roxburgshire,  March  2, 
1859,  and  came  to  America  when  a  lad  of  fourteen 
years,  his  parents  settling  near  Newcastle,  county 
Durham,  Ontario.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
Canadian  homestead  and  in  the  spring  of  1879,  came 
to  Polk  county,  ambitious  to  secure  a  tract  of  land. 
He  reached  Grand  Forks,  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land  and  without  sufficient  funds  to  engage  immedi- 
ately upon  his  project.  During  the  summer  he 
worked  for  John  Ireland,  a  Polk  county  farmer,  and 
after  several  months  secured  a  homestead  in  Grand 
Forks  county.  North  Dakota,  but  ill  health  com- 
pelled him  to  relinquish  his  claim  after  a  year's  resi- 
dence and  in  1880  he  returned  to  Polk  county  and 
for  a  few  years  rented  land  along  the  river.  He  then 
purchased  a  part  of  his  present  farm  in  Grand  Forks 
township,  from  the  Culver  estate,  paying  $25  an  acre 
for  the  tract  which  was  wild  prairie.  For  some 
years  he  gave  his  attention  to  his  farming  interests, 
which  also  included  a  quarter  section  of  land  which 
he  rented.  In  January,  1891,  he  was  married  to 
Annie  Gagnon,  who  was  then  residing  on  her 
father's  homestead,  which  had  come  into  her  posses- 
sion at  his  death.  The  former  Gagnon  homestead 
has  since  been  the  home  of  Mr.  Kerr  and  his  family. 
Mr.  Kerr  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  this 


region  and  devotes  the  greater  part  of  his  half  sec- 
tion farm  to  the  raising  of  grain,  harvesting  some 
seven  thousand  bushels  of  small  grain  in  1915.  He  is 
also  interested  in  dairying  and  keeps  a  herd  of  Short 
Horn  cattle.  His  record  of  public  service  in  local 
interests  has  been  a  long  and  worthy  one  and  dates 
from  the  time  when  the  country  was  sparsely  settled 
and  the  important  projects  of  road  and  ditch  build- 
ing were  promoted  by  a  few  citizens  and  officials. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  township  board  for 
twenty-seven  years  and  has  served  as  chairman  for 
a  number  of  terms.  In  political  affairs,  he  is  a  non- 
partisan, preferring  to  fonn  his  opinion  and  allegi- 
ance independent  of  party  decision.  His  wife  is  a 
native  of  St.  Paul  and  the  daughter  of  Leander 
Gagnon,  who  was  born  in  Canada  and  was  of  French 
lineage.  The  latter  was  employed  as  a  car  repairer 
in  Minneapolis  for  some  years  and  in  1879  secured  a 
homestead  in  section  twenty-three  of  Grand  Porks 
township,  Polk  county,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death  in  1889  when  the  farm  became  the  property 
of  his  daughter.  Mr.  Kerr  and  his  wife  have  four 
children,  Evelyn,  Ella,  Walter  and  Hazel.  Mr.  Kerr 
was  reared  as  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  his  wife  and  family  are  communicants  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  Catholic  church  at  East  Grand  Forks, 


RICHARD  BARRETT. 


Richard  Barrett,  a  pioneer  of  the  county  and  well 
known  farmer  of  Huntsville  township,  was  born  in 
Jefferson  county,  "Wisconsin,  July  26,  1846.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Ireland  and  removed  to  Wis- 
consin from  Rutland,  Vermont,  in  1830.  Their 
Wisconsin  homestead  still  remains  in  the  possession 
of  the  Barrett  family.  Richard  Barrett  has  been  a 
resident  of  Huntsville  township  since  1878.  In  the 
year  previous  he  had  visited  Polk  county  with 
Thomas  Nesbit  and  returned  to  Wisconsin  for  a  short 
time  before  locating  and  drove  from  Milwaukee  to 
his  new  home,  taking  twenty-two  days  for  the  jour- 
ney.   His  homestead  claim  was  the  southeast  quarter 


of  section  four  and  he  later  purchased  the  northern 
quarter  and  continued  adding  to  his  estate  to  the 
extent  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  of 
which  was  under  his  management  until  recent  years. 
One  quarter  section  lies  in  Sullivan  township  and 
other  tracts  in  sections  one  and  nine  of  Huntsville 
township,  his  home  having  been  on  the  latter  place 
for  the  past  thirteen  years,  it  having  formerly  been 
the  homestead  of  W.  C.  Sproat,  who  piirchased  it  as 
railroad  land.  Mr.  Barrett's  first  home  on  his  claim 
was  a  log  house  which  a  few  years  later  he  replaced 
with  the  farm  house  which  now  occupies  it.  On  his 
home  place  he  has  erected  good  modern  buildings 


■318 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


and  has  brought  all  his  property  to  a  high  standard 
of  development  and  ranks  notably  among  the  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Polk 
county.  He  has  given  his  attention  principally  to 
the  raising  of  grain  and  in  1915  harvested  13,000 
bushels,  of  which  oats  was  his  principal  crop.  Al- 
though not  a  stock  farmer,  he  recognizes  the  import- 
ant feature  of  this  phase  and  his  farm  has  always 
been  stocked  with  high  grade  animals  and  he  has 
also  successfully  experimented  with  the  culture  of 
alfalfa  and  now  devotes  some  forty  acres  to  it.  Mr. 
Barrett  has  ever  given  his  earnest  support  to  the 
promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  the  community 
and  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  has  rendered  able 
service  in  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  eountrj'. 
He  actively  seconded  the  opening  up  of  the  county's 


resources  by  railroads,  giving  the  right  of  way  for 
one-quarter  of  a  mile  through  his  farm,  to  the  North- 
ern Pacific  road.  He  has  been  called  to  services  by 
his  fellow  citizens  in  official  capacity  and  has 
capably  discharged  the  duties  of  chairman  of  the 
township  board  for  twenty  years  and  was  the  first 
treasurer  of  the  school  board,  continuing  in  that 
office  for  twenty-five  years.  Ilis  marriage  to  Mary 
E.  Salisbury  occurred  in  1878,  in  Winona,  Minne- 
sota. She  is  a  native  of  Columbia  county,  Wiscon- 
sin. Four  children  were  born  to  this  union,  Allen 
W.,  who  has  assumed  charge  of  home  farm;  Fred, 
also  operating  a  part  of  his  father's  estate;  Grace, 
a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county  schools,  and  Elsie,  who 
married  James  Chaplin  and  lives  in  East  Grand 
Forks. 


SIMON  P.  PEDERSON. 


This  energetic  and  progressive  fanner  of  Higdem 
township,  whose  residence  is  on  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  26,  and  who  formerly  owned  all  of 
the  south  half  of  section  25  but  has  given  his  son 
160  acres  of  this  tract,  was  born  in  Noinvay,  March 
1,  1856,  with  the  family  name  of  Perhus,  which  his 
ancestors  bore  for  generations,  but  which  he  has 
changed  to  the  one  he  now  bears  since  coming  to 
the  United  States  and  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Polk  county.  He  was  24  years  old  when  he  came 
to  this  country  and  located  in  Renville  county,  Min- 
nesota, in  1880,  and  still  had  his  passage  across  the 
ocean  and  to  this  state  to  pay  for.  After  doing  this 
out  of  his  fir.st  year's  labor  in  Renville  county, 
where  he  worked  on  farms  and  at  railroad  grading, 
he  had  only  $30  left,  but  he  felt  independent  and 
full  of  enterprise. 

In  1884  he  moved  to  Polk  county  and  took  uj)  a 
homestead  on  which  he  built  a  small  shed  as  a 
shelter.  As  he  had  no  money  then  he  was  obliged 
to  work  out  for  other  farmers,  and  this  he  continued 
for  ten  years  before  he  did  much  on  his  own  land. 
His  first  team  was  a  yoke  of  oxen,  which  he  used 


seven  or  eight  years.  As  his  property  increased  he 
bought  additional  laud,  purchasing  a  railroad  tract 
of  eighty  acres  in  section  25  at  $7  an  acre,  another 
tract  of  eighty  acres  at  $13  an  acre,  and  a  quarter 
of  a  section  of  A.  D.  Stephens  at  $20  an  acre.  About 
twenty  years  ago  he  bought  120  acres  of  the  railroad 
at  $10  an  acre,  but  this  tract  he  has  since  sold. 

Mr.  Pederson  has  devoted  his  energies  mainly  to 
raising  wheat  and  other  cereals  and  flax.  In  1915 
his  crops  were  4,000  bushels  of  wheat,  3,000  bushels 
of  oats,  1,300  bushels  of  barley  and  a  large  quantity 
of  flax.  He  also  keeps  seven  or  eight  milk  cows  and 
raises  some  other  live  stock.  In  the  public  affairs 
of  his  township  he  has  long  taken  an  active  part, 
giving  special  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the 
roads  and  doing  for  their  betterment  a  great  deal 
more  than  the  law  required  of  him  in  the  way  of 
a  road  tax.  He  has  also  rendered  the  township  val- 
uable and  appreciated  service  as  supervisor.  He  is 
a  man  of  advanced  and  progressive  ideas  and  does 
all  he  can  to  put  them  in  practice  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  township  government  and  all  matters 
connected  with  or  growing  out  of  it. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


319 


About  twenty-eight  years  ago,  that  is,  in  or  about 
1888,  Mr.  Peterson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Anna  S.  Pederson,  who  was  a  native  of  Sweden.  She 
died  in  1907  leaving  eight  children:  Peter  S.,  who 
married  Miss  Lena  Nelson  and  lives  on  a  farm  of 
160  acres  in  Section  25,  Higdem  township,  given 
him  by  his  father;  Oscar,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years;  Hans,  who  married  Miss  Lydia  Wal- 


berg  and  lives  on  part  of  his  father's  fann;  Ragna, 
who  is  her  father's  housekeeper,  and  Albin,  Harold, 
Joseph  and  Amanda,  the  last  named  being  reared  by 
another  family.  The  father  is  a  member  and  one 
of  the  trustees  of  Kongsvenger  Lutheran  church,  two 
and  one-half  miles  distant  from  his  home.  He  is 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  in  all  parts  of 
the  township  of  his  home. 


THOMAS  HENDRICKSON. 


The  late  Thomas  Hendriekson,  who  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Western  Polk 
county,  and  who  died  on  his  little  farm  in  Sandsville 
township  June  30,  1912,  was  a  native  of  Sweden, 
province  of  Vermland,  where  his  life  began  December 
22,  1855.  He  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
father,  Hendriek  Leeden,  and  located  with  him  in 
Renville  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  lived  until  1878, 
when  he  moved  to  Polk  county  and  bought  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  28,  in  Higdem  township,  to 
which  he  afterward  added  eighty  acres  which  he  pur- 
chased from  the  railroad  company,  and  still  later  he 
also  took  up  a  homestead,  which  was  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  26,  Higdem  township.  On  these 
tracts  of  land  he  lived  until  he  retired  from  large 
operations  and  removed  to  a  small  farm  in  section  17, 
Sandsville  township,  on  which  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life. 

Owing  to  a  rule  long  in  use  rather  generally  in 
Scandinavian  countries  the  children  of  a  man  take 
as  their  surname  the  father's  given  name  with  the 
suffix  "son"  added.  Thus  this  gentleman  as  the  son 
of  Hendriek  Leeden  became  Thomas  Hendriekson,  and 
his  children  received  the  patronymic  ' '  Thompson ' '  as 
their  designation,  and  this  all  his  sons  and  unmarried 
daughters  still  bear.  They  are  alluded  to  in  this 
sketch  under  that  name. 

Mr.  Henderson  developed  his  homestead  and 
other  land  into  good  farming  ground  and  improved 
his  several  tracts  with  good  buildings,  especially  the 
homestead,  on  which  he  made  his  headquarters  for 


many  years.  He  had  400  acres  in  all  in  Higdem 
township,  and  when  he  moved  to  the  Sandsville  town- 
ship farm,  five  and  a  half  miles  east,  he  turned  the 
Higdem  farm  in  section  28  over  to  his  son,  Henry 
Thompson,  and  the  old  homestead  over  to  his  son, 
Nels  A.  Thompson,  whose  sister,  Miss  Christine 
Thompson,  keeps  house  for  him  as  he  is  unmarried, 
although  warmly  interested  in  every  phase  of  his 
township's  welfare  and  everything  that  ministers  to 
its  progress  and  further  development. 

The  principal  industry  of  the  father  on  the  farms 
was  raising  grain.  He  was  also  the  first  man  to 
operate  a  threshing  outfit  in  this  section  of  the 
county,  beginning  his  work  in  this  line  with  horse 
power  and  continuing  it  with  steam  power  for  many 
years  after  that  became  feasible.  For  many  years 
he  was  in  partnership  in  the  thrashing  business  with 
H.  H.  Oberg,  of  Sandsville  township,  and  they  were 
also  owners  of  imported  Percheron  stallions  and  gave 
a  great  deal  of  attention  to  improving  the  grade  of 
horses  in  their  part  of  Polk  county  and  the  adjoin- 
ing country.  In  his  later  threshing  activities  he  had 
Ole  Lind  as  a  partner. 

Mr.  Hendriekson  covered  a  wide  area  as  a  thresh- 
erman  and  was  best  known  to  the  people  of  the  North- 
west in  that  capacity.  He  served  as  treasurer  of 
Higdem  township  for  some  time,  and  for  a  long  period 
was  one  of  the  members  of  Kongsvenger  Lutheran 
church,  which  stands  one  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
his  old  home.  When  he  located  in  this  county  he 
had  no  capital  and  his  experience  during  his  first  few 


320 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


years  here  was  very  discouraging.  His  land  was  so 
wet  that  he  could  not  get  his  team  over  it,  and  hia 
crops  were  more  frequently  less  than  half  of  what 
they  should  have  been.  But  he  was  a  man  of  resolute 
spirit  and  adhered  to  liis  industries  until  success  at- 
tended his  efforts  and  prosperity  followed  thcni. 

Soon  after  he  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county 
Mr.  Hendrick-son  was  married  at  Cokato  to  Miss  Anna 
Nelson,  also  a  native  of  Sweden  but  brought  to  this 
country  and  state  in  her  childhood.  She  died  in  1898 
leaving  a  family  of  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now 
living  (1916).  They  are:  Christine,  who  is  keeping 
house  for  her  brother  Nels  on  the  family  homestead, 
as  has  been  stated;  Henrj',  who  married  Miss  Chris- 
tine Nequist  and  lives  in  section  28,  Higdem  town- 
ship; Matilda,  who  is  a  trained  nurse  in  Grand  Forks; 
Nels  A.,  who  owns  and  cultivates  the  homestead;  Al- 
ma, who  is  the  wife  of  John  Lind  and  lives  near  her 
old  home;  Esther,  who  is  a  student  in  the  University 
of  Minnesota  and  has  lier  home  at  her  brother's  Nils 
Thompson,  and  Annie,  who  has  had  her  home  in  the 
family  of  Axel  Mathisen,  of  Sandsville  township, 
since  the  death  of  her  mother,  which  occurred  in  giv- 


ing lier  birth.  I\Ir.  Ilendrickson  contracted  a  second 
marriage,  which  united  him  with  Miss  Mina  Hend- 
rickson.  They  had  one  child,  their  daughter  Ruth, 
who  is  with  Iier  mother  on  the  Sandsville  township 
farm. 

Nels  A.  Thompson,  the  second  .sou  of  Thomas 
Ilendrickson,  was  born  June  20,  1889,  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  is  now  living,  and  has  passed  almost  the 
whole  of  his  subsequent  life  on  it.  His  education, 
which  was  begun  in  the  district  school  near  his  home, 
was  continued  at  the  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Crookston,  which  he  attended  when  it  was  only  an 
experiment  station  and  later  for  some  terms,  being 
one  of  its  first  students.  He  raises  wheat,  oats  and 
barley,  principally,  and  breeds  Duroc-Jersey  hogs. 
For  some  years  he  worked  with  his  father  on  the 
threshing  outfit,  but  latterly  he  has  devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  his  farm.  He  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing, highly  respected  and  influential  young  men  of 
the  westei'n  section  of  the  county  and  a  very  force- 
ful agency  for  good  in  his  immediate  neighborhood, 
with  a  firm  hold  on  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  tho 
people  in  all  other  parts  of  Polk  county. 


WALTER  LATTA. 


Now  living  in  comfort  on  his  fine  farm  of  1 20  acres 
on  the  edge  of  Crookston,  two  miles  east  of  the  county 
courthouse  and  on  the  south  bank  of  Red  Lake  river, 
Walter  Latta,  one  of  the  progressive  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  Crookston  township,  this  county,  has  not 
reached  his  present  condition  of  independence  with- 
out a  struggle  and  some  very  discouraging  mishaps. 
Yet  he  never  lost  courage  or  slackened  his  industry, 
and  has  long  been  triumphant  over  every  obstacle 
and  difficulty  that  once  impeded  his  progress. 

Mr.  Latta  was  born  in  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  in 
1856,  and  reared  on  a  farm  on  the  Grand  Prairie  in 
that  state  on  which  his  parents  settled  about  1848, 
moving  to  it  from  Niagara  county.  New  York.  They 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  Grand  Prairie 
and  lived  on  their  farm  there  over  sixty  years.   Their 


son  Walter  remained  at  home  with  them  until  he 
reached  man's  estate  and  then  pas.sed  two  years 
working  on  a  farm  in  Wisconsin.  In  1879  he  came 
to  Crookston  to  get  land  of  his  own.  He  took  up  a 
homestead  in  Fanny  township  on  the  prairie,  ten 
miles  and  a  half  from  Crookston.  There  were  tlien 
only  two  other  buildings  in  the  township,  one  being 
at  a  gravel  pit  on  the  road  leading  from  Crookston. 
Having  no  capital,  Mr.  Latta  had  to  begin  opera- 
tions on  a  very  limited  scale.  He  put  up  a  frame 
house  18  by  14  feet  in  dimensions,  and  for  two  years 
worked  out  to  make  a  living,  hiring  help  to  plow  his 
land  and  put  his  crop  in.  He  lost  his  first  crop  by 
hail  and  two  or  three  times  later  suffered  the  same 
disaster,  one  year  having  140  acres  of  wheat  destroyed. 
At  the  end  of  twelve  years  of  only  partial  success  on 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


321 


this  farm  he  decided  to  sell  it  and  seek  a  more  favor- 
able location.  Before  doing  this,  however,  he  served 
on  the  township  board  and  in  other  local  oflSces,  doing 
his  part  to  aid  in  the  development  and  improvement 
of  the  township. 

In  1900  Mr.  Latta  bought  his  present  farm,  which 
is  known  as  the  "Christ  Sathre  farm."  It  contains 
120  acres,  is  bordered  by  the  river  on  the  east  and  is 
in  the  Crookston  school  district  and  formerly  touched 
the  city  limits.  He  carries  on  a  general  farming  in- 
dustry, raising  grain  and  live  stock  and  keeping  a 
small  number  of  cows  for  milk.  Six  years  ago,  in 
1909,  he  put  up  a  new  dwelling  house  to  take  the 
place  of  the  old  log  cabin  in  which  he  lived  until 
then,  and  which  was  one  of  the  first  houses  built  in 
the  township.  The  new  dwelling  is  modern  in  every 
particular  and  attractive  in  appearance  as  well  as 
convenient  in  arrangement. 


On  December  23,  1880,  Mr.  Latta  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mis.s  Mina  Jones,  a  resident  of  Polk 
county  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  but  a  native  of 
Wisconsin.  They  have  four  children:  Lois,  who  is 
the  wife  of  H.  C.  Mcllbraith,  a  druggist  in  James- 
town, North  Dakota;  Edith,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ed- 
ward Carlson,  proprietor  of  a  lively  business  in 
Crookston;  Harlow,  who  is  farming  near  Fosston  in 
this  county,  and  Elmer,  who  is  living  at  home.  Both 
daughters  are  high  school  graduates  and  were  school 
teachers  in  Polk  county.  Mr.  Latta  belongs  to  the 
Order  of  Woodmen.  He  is  too  busily  occupied  in 
managing  his  farm  and  other  business  to  take  an  active 
part  in  political  affairs,  but  is,  none  the  less,  deeply 
and  serviceably  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  home 
county. 


ROBERT  E.  SMITH. 


Profitably  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  live 
stock  in  this  county  since  the  spring  of  1883,  and 
having  improved  large  tracts  of  wild  land,  helped  to 
raise  the  standard  of  cattle  and  hogs  in  his  town- 
ship, served  the  people  faithfully  and  wisely  in  sev- 
eral township  offices,  and  generally  performed  the 
duties  of  citizenship  in  a  highly  commendable  man- 
ner, Robert  E.  Smith,  whose  home  is  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  19,  in  Fairfax  township,  has  been  a 
very  useful  man  in  his  locality  and  won  on  merit  the 
universal  esteem  which  he  enjoys  among  its  residents. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  and  reared  at  Shelburne,  Frank- 
lin county,  Massachusetts,  and  belongs  to  old  New  Eng- 
land families.  In  1880  he  came  west  and  located  in 
Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  passed  two  years  and 
a  half,  then  changed  his  residence  to  Polk  county,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  has  ever  since  had  his  home.  He 
bought  the  nucleus  of  his  present  farm  of  the  railroad 
company  in  1882,  almost  immediately  after  his  arrival 
in  the  county,  paying  $10  an  acre  for  his  purchase. 
On  this  land  he  built  a  house  14  by  20  feet  in  size,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1883  began  to  break  up  and  cultivate 


his  tract.  He  broke  up  about  one-fourth  of  it  and 
thereby  obtained  the  rebate  on  his  purchase  money  so 
conditioned  in  the  deal.  He  had  less  than  $400  which 
he  had  saved  from  his  earnings  at  farm  labor  in  Illi- 
nois and  other  places  when  he  bought  his  land,  and  his 
early  years  here  were  years  of  struggle  and  privation. 

In  the  spring  of  1883  Mr.  Smith  was  joined  by  his 
brother,  Frank  R.  Smith,  and  they  worked  the  land 
in  partnership,  afterward  purchasing  the  Northeast 
quarter  of  section  30  in  the  same  township,  cornering 
with  the  quarter  section  they  already  owned.  The  new 
purchase  was  a  part  of  the  homestead  of  Jacob  Francis 
and  the  only  improvement  on  it  was  a  claim  shanty. 
The  Smith  brothers  paid  $2,000  for  the  land,  and  they 
worked  the  two  tracts  together  until  1896,  getting  them 
both  under  cultivation  and  in  good  farming  condition. 
In  the  year  last  mentioned  they  divided  their  land, 
the  farm  in  section  30  going  to  Frank.  He  continued 
to  farm  it  until  1902,  then  moved  to  Ohio  after  a  resi- 
dence of  over  twenty  years  in  Polk  county. 

In  1896  Robert  E.  Smith  bought  an  additional  tract 
of  eighty  acres  not  far  from  his  home  but  in  Andover 


322 


COilPEXDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


township.  This  was  an  improved  farm  and  he  paid 
$20  an  acre  for  it,  although  there  were  no  buildings  on 
it.  He  has  since  cultivated  all  of  his  223  acres  with 
excellent  results.  The  railroad  runs  diagonally 
through  his  home  fai-m.  He  raises  large  quantities  of 
grain,  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs,  and 
also  carries  on  an  active  dairy  business,  milking  17  to 
20  cows  and  selling  cream  in  Crookston.  He  usually 
has  about  40  head  of  cattle  and  100  of  hogs  fattening 
for  the  markets,  and  puts  about  50  acres  of  land  in 
corn  for  ensilage  and  field  food  for  his  stock.  He  has 
about  five  acres  in  alfalfa  every  year,  and  he  has  very 
little  trouble  with  his  crops,  as  his  land  is  well  drained 
with  open  ditches  leading  into  a  county  ditch  run- 
ning along  the  northern  line  of  his  land,  and  there  is 
no  loss,  his  excellent  silo  enabling  him  to  preserve 
everything  not  devoted  to  immediate  use. 

Mr.  Smith  has  served  several  times  on  the  township 
board  and  is  now  a  member  of  it.  He  and  all  the 
members  of  his  family  belong  to  the  First  Baptist 
church  in  Crookston.    He  was  married  in  the  spring 


of  1883  to  Miss  Lizzie  Roese,  of  Pierce  county,  Wis- 
consin. Their  second  child,  Roy  E.,  died  when  almost 
two  years  old,  but  they  have  two  living,  Louise  and 
George  R.  The  daughter  is  a  graduate  of  the  class 
of  1904  of  the  Crookston  high  school  and  lived  at 
home  until  her  marriage  with  Charles  Musselman,  and 
they  now  have  their  home  with  Mr.  Musselman 's 
parents.  Tliey  have  three  children,  Mariam,  Robert 
and  Donald.  Mrs.  Musselman  and  her  mother  are 
members  of  the  Fairfax-Andover  Ladies  Social  Circle, 
a  very  useful  organization  formed  by  the  ladies  of 
the  two  townships.  George  R.  Smith,  the  son  of 
Robert  E.,  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Crookston  high 
school  class  of  1909  and  was  for  a  short  time  a  stu- 
dent at  the  University  of  Minnesota  but  finished  his 
education  at  the  Stout  Institute  in  Menomonie,  Wis- 
consin, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  December, 
1911.  For  two  and  one-half  years  he  taught  manual 
training  at  the  high  school  in  Aberdeen,  South 
Dakota,  and  is  now  teaching  the  same  thing  at  the 
high  school  in  Globe,  Arizona. 


TORKEL  DANIELSON. 


Torkel  Danielson,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Bygland 
township,  settled  in  Polk  County  in  1877  and  is  a 
member  of  a  well  known  pioneer  family  of  this  region. 
He  was  born  in  Norway,  at  Ose,  Satersdahl,  February 
20,  1849,  the  son  of  Daniel  E.  and  Anna  (Torkelson) 
Ose.  Daniel  Ose  was  the  first  of  his  countrymen  to 
settle  in  this  district  and  his  name  is  revered  by  all 
those  familiar  with  his  many  worthy  services  in  be- 
half of  the  commonwealth  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer. 
In  his  native  land,  he  had  been  a  farmer,  but  turning 
over  his  farm  to  his  eldest  son,  Eivend  Danielson,  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  that  amid  larger  opportuni- 
ties, he  might  secure  a  patrimony  for  his  other  chil- 
dren. He  came  direct  to  Polk  county  in  1872,  and 
located  on  the  northern  half  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  thirty-four  of  what  later  became  Bygland 
township.  Mr.  Ose  entered  upon  his  farming  enter- 
prise  in  a  new  land   with   but   a   small    capital   but 


arrived  at  success  and  prosperity  through  years  of 
industry  and  able  management.  His  influence  and 
his  cabin  home  were  the  center  around  which  clus- 
tered the  various  interests  of  the  growing  community 
and  through  him  many  of  his  countrj-mcn  came  from 
Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Norway  and  were  assisted  by 
him  in  securing  a  home.  His  ready  services  were 
abetted  by  his  wife  whose  friendly  assistance  was 
a  cheerful  element  in  the  lives  of  the  neighboring 
families.  They  shared  the  experiences  incident  to 
the  time  and  locality  and  at  one  time  were  warned  to 
leave  their  home  because  of  an  approaching  Indian 
raid,  but  this  alarm  proved  to  be  without  founda- 
tion. At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  town- 
ship it  was  thought  to  be  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  worth 
and  services  of  its  pioneer  to  confer  upon  it  his  name 
but  this  honor  he  firmly  declined  and  refused  a 
similar    recognition    upon    the    organization    of    the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


323 


Lutheran  church  in  which  he  was  active  as  an  or- 
gaJiizer  and  faithful  member.  Upon  his  suggestion 
both  township  and  church  received  the  name  of 
Bygland,  because  of  the  prevalence  among  the  citi- 
zens of  natives  of  that  town  in  Norway.  Mr.  Ose 
continued  to  reside  on  his  homestead  until  his  death, 
December  28,  1885,  in  his  seventy-ninth  year.  His 
wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  spending  the 
last  few  years  of  her  life  with  her  son,  Toi-kel  Daniel- 
son,  and  died  December  14,  1913,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine.  Of  their  family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  but  Eivend  Danielson,  who  has  always  made  his 
home  on  the  Norway  farm,  live  in  Polk  county.  The 
fourth  son,  Ole  Danielson,  Junior,  is  a  farmer  in 
Huntsville  township.  Ole  Danielson,  Senior,  sold  liis 
farm  of  180  acres  some  twenty  years  ago  and  returned 
to  Bygland  fjord,  Norway  where  he  now  lives  re- 
tired. Ingeborg,  the  younger  daughter,  is  the  wife 
of  E.  Proirak,  of  Mcintosh  and  Gro,  oldest,  married 
E.  Aakhus,  who  resides  in  Grand  Forks.  Torkel 
Danielson  is  second  oldest  son  and  spent  several  years 
in  Stearns  county,  Minnesota,  before  coming  to  Polk 
county,  where  during  the  many  years  of  his  residence, 
he  has  not  only  prospered  his  farming  interests  but 
has  ably  upheld  the  worthy  record  of  his  father  in 
community  affairs  as  a  highly  respected  and  progres- 
sive citizen.     His  first  home  was  built  of  logs.     This 


was  destroyed  by  fire  and  lie  then  erected  his  present 
house  which  has  since  been  remodeled.  During  the 
years  of  active  traffic  on  Red  river,  Mr.  Danielson 
operated  a  grain  warehouse  and  since  has  devoted  his 
attention  entirely  to  his  farm,  engaging  in  both  grain 
and  stock  farming.  His  place  includes  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  section  thirty-five,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Red  river  and  he  formerly  owned  a 
one  hundred  and  eighty  tract  which  he  sold  to  his 
son.  He  has  given  able  service  on  the  township  board 
and  school  board  and  is  a  trustee  in  the  Bygland 
Lutheran  church.  He  was  married  in  Stearns  county, 
in  1872,  to  Sigrid  Bjornson,  who  some  ten  years 
earUer  had  come  with  her  parents  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  his  home  in  the  old  country.  To  this  union, 
four  daughters  and  two  sons  were  born,  Anna,  Jose- 
phine, a  talented  musician;  Daniel,  who  married 
Matilda  Thompson  and  is  a  farmer  in  Huntsville 
township;  Thora,  the  wife  of  L.  Larson,  a  commer- 
cial salesman,  residing  at  Grand  Forks ;  Bennie,  who 
was  married  to  Bessie  Kjelleberg  and  is  on  a  farm 
near  the  old  home  and  Regina.  The  latter  was  a 
musical  instructor  in  the  schools  at  Minot,  North 
Dakota,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Anderson,  the 
present  superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Janesville, 
Minnesota. 


DUNCAN  B.  FERGUSON. 


Duncan  B.  Ferguson,  prominent  farmer  of  Hunts- 
ville township,  was  born  at  Fremont,  Winona  county, 
Minnesota,  April  23,  1861,  the  son  of  Duncan  and 
Elizabeth  (Roberton)  Ferguson,  pioneers  of  the  state. 
The  former  was  a  native  of  County  Lanark,  Ontario, 
and  his  wife  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  died 
December  17,  1915.  Her  bi'other,  Joseph  Roberton, 
was  a  pioneer  of  Huntsville  township,  where  he  lo- 
cated in  1875  and  lived  for  many  years,  his  death 
occurring  in  1891.  The  senior,  Duncan  Ferguson, 
came  to  Minnesota  in  1854  and  built  the  first  house  on 
the   prairie   in   Fremont  township,  on   his  claim   in 


Winona  county.  He  was  an  influential  citizen  of  the 
frontier  community  and  sei-ved  in  various  local  of- 
fices and  died  there  at  the  age  of  forty-nine.  His 
son,  Duncan  B.  Ferguson,  was  reared  on  the  home- 
stead and  after  receiving  a  rural  school  education 
and  course  of  study  in  a  business  school  at  Winona, 
came  to  Polk  county  in  March,  1882,  and  worked  for 
an  uncle,  Thomas  Nisbet,  a  prominent  pioneer.  After 
several  months,  Mr.  Ferguson  returned  to  Winona 
county  but  in  the  following  spring,  1883,  he  became  a 
permanent  resident  of  Polk  county,  buying  a  tract  of 
school   land,   which   is   his   present   farm   in   section 


^ 


324 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


thirty-six,  Huntsville  township,  and  is  located  near 
Mallory  and  nine  miles  southeast  of  East  Grand  Forks. 
From  a  modest  beginning,  Mr.  Ferguson  has  built 
up  a  fine  farm  property,  s-toadily  increasing  his  opera- 
tions and  improving  the  ecpiipment  of  his  farm.  His 
first  house  was  a  one  room  frame  building  which 
upon  his  marriage  he  replaced  with  a  more  preten- 
tious structure  and  the  present  modern  farm  home 
was  erected  in  1910.  The  barn  was  built  in  1891. 
His  estate  now  includes  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
and  is  crossed  by  the  Great  Northern  railroad.  Mr. 
Ferguson  is  that  type  of  progressive  and  enterpris- 
ing farmer  and  citizen  whose  activities  are  largely 
evident  in  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of  agri- 
cultural interests.  With  intelligent  and  able  manage- 
ment, he  has  successfully  demonstrated  various  prof- 
itable phases  of  farming  operations,  raising  prize 
corn,  which  has  brought  many  trophies  from  fairs 
and  experimenting  along  original  lines  with  alfalfa. 
He  has  given  particular  attention  to  stock  and  dairy 
farming,  raising  thoroughbred  Short  Horn  cattle  and 
Percheron  horses,  being  a  frequent  exhibitor  at  stock 
shows.  His  dairy  produce  he  markets  to  private  cus- 
tomers in  Grand  Forks.  Aside  from  his  Polk  county 
land  he  was  also  the  owner  of  timberland,  near  Black 
Duck,  Beltrami  county,  which  he  secured  aa  a  claim, 
in  1900,  but  later  sold.     He  has  ever  maintained  an 


active  interest  in  all  matters  of  public  activity  and 
has  discharged  the  duties  of  oflSce  as  a  member  of  the 
township  board  and  of  the  school  board  for  many 
years  and  has  been  active  in  promoting  the  develop- 
ment of  soil  utility  through  county  ditches.  In  fra- 
ternal orders  he  is  a  well  known  member  of  Masonic 
lodges  at  Grand  Forks  and  Crookston,  and  is  also 
affiliated  with  the  Modem  Woodmen  of  America. 
Mr.  Ferguson  finds  his  favorite  recreation  as  a  fisher- 
man and  enjoys  frequent  outings  in  pursuit  of  that 
sport.  He  was  married  in  1886,  to  Margaret  Gun- 
ness,  who  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  the  daughter 
of  Christopher  and  Catherine  Gunness.  who  were  of 
Irish  and  English  descent  and  .settled  in  Kcy.stone 
township,  Polk  county,  in  1880.  Seven  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  Ferguson  and  his  wife,  all  of  whom  make 
their  home  with  their  parents :  Effie,  who  was  for- 
merly employed  as  bookkeeper  in  a  store  at  Barnes- 
ville ;  Arthur,  who  attended  a  business  college  at 
Grand  Forks;  Royal,  who  was  a  student  in  the  agri- 
cultural school,  at  Crookston ;  Mollie,  who  attended 
the  Grand  Forks  high  school ;  Earl,  a  student  in  the 
high  school  at  East  Grand  Forks;  Lawrence,  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years,  and  Lois  still  attends  the  rural 
school  at  Mallory.  The  Ferguson  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Bethel  Presbyterian  church. 


T.  N.  J.  REESE. 


T.  N.  J.  Reese,  of  Mcintosh,  druggist  and  piano 
dealer,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  in  Vernon 
county,  on  July  13,  1871.  The  death  of  his  father 
occurred  in  his  early  childhood  and  he  remained  with 
his  mother  until  entering  college.  He  pursued  a 
classical  course  at  the  college  at  Decorah,  Iowa,  and 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1891.  When 
the  Red  Lake  Indian  reservation  was  opened  for  set- 
tlement in  1896  he  came  to  Polk  county  with  the 
intention  of  securing  a  claim,  but  Mcintosh  seeming 
to  present  a  propitious  location  for  a  drug  business, 
he  decided  to  embark  in  that  trade.     He  established 


the  business  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Nerall  and  liad 
a  very  small  capital  to  invest,  but  the  success  which 
attended  the  enterprise  soon  enabled  him  to  buy  out 
other  interests  and  he  has  continued  to  conduct  the 
store  with  a  steadily  growing  patronage  and  owns  the 
building  in  which  he  opened  operations.  The  store, 
under  able  and  progressive  management,  with  mod- 
ern equipment  and  a  fine  soda  fountain  and 
refreshment  dispensary,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
and  popular  business  establishments  in  that  section. 
Mr.  Reese  is  a  graduate  of  Dr.  Drew's  celebrated 
College  of  Pharmacy  at  Minneapolis  and  is  ranked  as 


T.  X.  J.  EEESE 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


325 


oue  of  the  most  efficient  pharmacists  in  the  county. 
He  has  always  been  actively  identified  with  the  pro- 
motion of  the  general  welfare  and  progress  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  and  enjoys  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  and 
business  man.  He  has  added  the  sale  of  pianos  and 
musical  instruments  to  his  commercial  activities  and 


employs  several  salesmen  in  this  department,  cover- 
ing an  extensive  territory.  Mr.  Reese  was  married 
in  1899  to  Caroline  Matson,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Christ  Matson,  of  Hill  River  township.  They  have 
five  children,  Nytar,  Harto,  Kermit,  Entrup  and 
Gunilda. 


OLOF  M.  SANDIN. 


Olof  M.  Sandin,  a  well  known  pioneer  and  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Esther  township,  was  born  in  Sweden, 
July  7,  1843,  and  came  to  St.  Paul  in  1872.  Previous 
to  that  time  he  had  lived  in  his  native  land,  where 
lie  had  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  mines  of  Nor- 
way and  had  also  given  two  seasons  of  service  in  the 
military  training  camp.  He  reached  his  destination 
in  the  new  country  without  any  financial  resources 
and  secured  his  first  employment  on  a  farm  at  Men- 
dota,  wielding  a  scythe  in  the  hay  fields.  He  was  at 
first  refused  full  wages  but  with  his  great  prowess 
and  expert  skill,  he  soon  proved  himself  the  most  com- 
petent among  the  Avorkmen.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  entered  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  shops 
at  Brainerd,  Minnesota,  and  continued  as  a  railroad 
employee  for  several  years,  starting  as  a  laborer  in  the 
yards  and  steadily  advancing  until  he  was  offered  the 
position  of  an  engineer,  but  he  did  not  care  to  devote 
his  attention  to  that  career  as  his  ambition  was  fixed 
on  the  free  life  of  out  of  doors  on  the  farm.  In  the 
spring  of  1877  he  worked  at  well  digging  along  the 
company's  line  from  Fargo  to  Bismark  and  with  his 
fellow  workmen  experienced  the  dangers  of  the  fron- 
tier, their  lives  being  seriously  threatened  by  armed 
desperadoes.  On  returning  to  Fargo,  in  company 
with  two  of  his  companions,  one  of  whom  was  his 
brother,  John  Sandin,  he  worked  his  passage  on  the 
river  to  Grand  Forks,  by  driving  a  small  raft  of 
90,000  feet  of  lumber.  This  proved  a  tedious  and 
laborious  journey,  the  crookedness  of  the  stream  re- 
quiring the  attention  of  the  drivers  night  and  day  for 
two  weeks.    Grand  Forks  then  comprised  a  few  dwell- 


ings and  a  Hudson  Bay  Company  store  and  no  settle- 
ment had  been  started  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river. 
Mr.  Sandin  immediately  began  his  search  for  land 
on  which  he  might  achieve  his  farming  ambitions  and 
in  partnership  with  his  brother,  John  Sandin,  settled 
on  the  land,  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home,  in 
Section  36  of  Esther  to\vnship,  seven  miles  north  of 
Grand  Forks,  on  the  Marais  river.  His  brother  con- 
tinued to  be  allied  with  him  in  all  his  interests  until 
his  death.  They  settled  on  their  land  in  August,  1877, 
and  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  that  region,  their 
neighbors  of  the  early  day  being  "William  Jackson, 
James  Pederson  and  Louis  Larson,  and  two  years 
after  their  coming,  Mr.  Dangerfield  located  on  the 
tract  across  the  Marais  from  their  place.  The  land 
chosen  by  the  brothers  was  school  land  and  was  not 
put  upon  the  market  until  the  following  year,  when 
Mr.  Sandin  secured  possession  at  the  auction  held  at 
Crookston,  for  $7.25  an  acre,  a  neighbor  bidding 
against  him  for  the  title  to  the  eighty  acres  which  bad 
been  Mr.  Sandin 's  home  for  several  months.  He  later 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land 
adjoining  his  farm,  and  in  the  next  section.  It  is  not 
only  as  a  successful  and  prosperous  farmer  that  Mr. 
Sandin  is  known  through  the  county;  undoubtedly 
his  largest  claim  among  the  people  of  Polk  county  is 
as  a  pioneer  and  a  public  spirited  citizen.  A  man  of 
genial  nature,  wide  capabilities  and  commanding 
physique,  he  is  one  of  those  unique  personalities  who 
are  ever  largely  identified  with  life  and  development 
of  any  new  country;  their  worth  and  ready  service 
laying  the  foundations  for  civilization's  progi-ess.   He 


326 


COJIPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


was  one  of  tlie  organizers  of  the  township,  named  for 
the  daughter  of  ex-President  Cleveland,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  fisrt  township  board.  In  educational 
and  religious  affairs  his  influence  was  prominent  and 
it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  Betheseda  Swedisli 
Lutheran  church  was  established,  Mr.  Sandin  donat- 
ing some  of  his  land  for  the  site  of  the  church  and 
cemetery.  He  has  ever  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  was  married  December  31, 
1888,  to  Ursilla  Larson,  of  Grand  Forks,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Miranda,  who  attended  North  Star  col- 
lege at  Warren,  Minnesota,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
teaching;  Lillie  and  Oscar.  Mr.  Sandin  and  his  family 
are  all  faithful  and  active  workers  in  the  interests  of 
the  church  of  which  they  are  members.  From  the 
wealth  of  his  experiences  in  the  days  when  western 


Minnesota  was  frontier  countrj-,  ilr.  Sandin  recalls 
many  entertaining  tales.  He  was  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  Indians  who  passed  through  the  territory 
and  they  often  encamped  on  his  land.  One  party,  in 
1878,  had  in  their  possession  a  white  horse  which  had 
belonged  to  General  Custer  and  had  been  given  them 
at  Devil's  Lake.  A  blood  hound  which  had  also 
belonged  to  Custer,  became  so  savage  while  in  this 
neighborhood  that  Mr.  Sandin  was  asked  to  shoot  it. 
As  a  sportsman  he  possessed  no  little  skill  and  at 
Brainerd  brought  the  noted  deer  "Stub  Toes"  to 
ground,  after  the  latter  had  been  the  coveted  prey  of 
the  local  hunters  for  many  seasons.  He  has  also 
killed  deer  on  his  own  laud  and  during  the  first  few 
years,  engaged  quite  extensively  in  trapping  small 
fur  animals. 


KNUTE  F.  UG6EN. 


Knute  F.  Uggen,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Knute 
township,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  July  15,  1863, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  Minnesota  since  childhood, 
having  come  to  Rice  county  in  1871  with  his  parents, 
F.  A.  and  Anne  Uggen,  who  made  their  home  in  that 
county  during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  When  he 
was  fifteen  years  of  age,  Knute  Uggen  found  employ- 
ment at  farm  labor  and  thriftily  saved  his  earnings 
that  he  might  embark  upon  an  independent  career 
as  a  farmer.  In  five  years  he  has  accumulated  two 
hundred  dollars  and  with  this  and  an  unfailing  capital 
of  ambitious  industiy,  he  bought  wild  land  in  Otter- 
tail  county.  He  remained  on  this  place  for  several 
years  during  which  he  cleared  some  fifty  acres  of 
timber  land  and  put  it  into  cultivation.  In  1888, 
he  removed  to  Polk  county  and  bought  a  claim  and 
filed  on  a  homestead  in  King  township.  At  this  time 
he  had  advanced  his  financial  prosperity  to  two 
thousand  dollars  axid  during  the  ensuing  years  he 
steadily  increased  the  value  of  his  property,  through 
unceasing  labor  and  capable  management.  He  was  a 
resident  of  King  township  thirteen  years  and  broke 
one  hundred  acres  on  his  tract  for  cultivation.     In 


1901  he  sold  the  homestead  for  $3,200  and  bought  his 
present  farm  at  an  additional  thousand.  This  is  in 
section  twelve  of  Knute  township,  a  little  over  two 
miles  east  of  Erskine  and  not  far  from  Mcintosh  and 
is  one  of  the  most  attractive  country  estates  in  Polk 
county,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  the 
highest  condition  of  productiveness,  and  a  pleasant 
farm  house,  delightfully  situated  on  the  shore  of  Oak 
lake.  The  Great  Northern  railroad  crosses  the  farm 
not  far  from  the  house.  The  tract  comprises  two 
hundred  and  thirteen  acres  by  government  survey 
and  upon  coming  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Uggen, 
had  ninety  acres  in  cultivation,  with  a  log  house  and 
small  barn.  He  has  built  it  up  to  its  present  pros- 
perous condition,  erecting  the  home  and  a  good  barn. 
He  gives  his  attention  for  the  gi-eater  part  to  grain 
raising  and  in  1915  harvested  some  thirty-seven  hun- 
dred bushels  of  wheat,  oats  and  bai-ley.  his  wheat 
crop  averaging  thirty-four  bushels  to  the  acre.  He 
also  engages  in  stock  and  dairy  farming.  During  the 
busy  years  of  his  successful  career,  Mr.  Uggen  has 
been  actively  interested  in  the  promotion  of  the  best 
interests  of  the  community  and  has  served  in  local 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


327 


offices  both  in  King  and  Knute  townships,  and  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  asso- 
ciated with  business  enterprise  as  a  stockholder  in 
the  cooperative  creameries  in  Erskine  and  Mcintosh 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  from  King  township 
of  the  Farmers  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  a  flour- 
ishing corporation  of  Polk  county,  of  which  he  was 
president  at  one  time  and  is  now  treasurer.  His  mar- 
riage with  Agnes  Hoffard,  a  native  of  Norway,  was 
solemnized   December   30,    1889,    in   Dakota   county. 


Minnesota.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them  of 
whom  six  are  living:  Frithjof  and  Christ,  who  are 
twins;  Gunda,  staying  at  home;  Julia  and  Agnes, 
students  in  the  high  school  at  Mcintosh,  and  Emma. 
A  daughter,  Ingeborg,  died  in  her  fifteenth  year. 
Frithjof  Uggen  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
management  of  the  home  farm  and  Christ  Uggen  is 
living  on  a  Montana  claim,  Dawson  county.  Mr. 
Uggen  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Synod 
Lutheran  church. 


H.  H.  FLATTEN. 


With  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  in  Section  24,  Esther 
towDsliip,  eight  and  a  half  miles  north  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  and  on  the  boundary  line  between  Esther  and 
Northland  townships,  which  is  improved  with  good 
buildings  and  in  a  condition  of  high  productiveness, 
H.  H.  Flatten  is  one  of  the  most  comfortably  fixed 
farmers  in  his  part  of  Polk  county,  especially  as  he 
owns  an  eighty-acre  tract  of  hay  land  in  Sandsville 
township  in  addition  to  his  home  farm.  And  the  best 
part  of  it  all  is  that  everything  Mr.  Flatten  has  he  has 
accumulated  by  his  own  industry,  thrift  and  good 
management.  He  was  bom  in  Norway  July  2,  1850, 
and  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  that  couu- 
tiy.  In  the  spring  of  1875  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota.  He 
had  only  a  few  dollars  in  money,  and  so  for  thi-ee 
years  he  worked  out  at  farm  labor  for  a  compensation 
of  $20  a  month  and  his  board  in  summer  and  for  his 
board  alone  in  winter.  He  was  very  frugal  and  .saving 
with  his  earnings,  and  at  the  end  of  three  years  he  had 
$350  laid  by. 

About  this  time  Jens  I.  Peterson,  who  had  come  over 
a  year  before  and  located  in  this  county,  wrote  to  his 
friend  C.  M.  Lindgren  in  Goodhue  county  to  join  him 
in  Polk  county,  and  Mr.  Flatten  accompanied  Mr. 
Lindgren  to  this  part  of  the  state,  arriving  in  March, 
1878.  He  took  up  his  home  place  as  a  homestead  by 
the  side  of  one  selected  by  Mr.  Lindgren,  and  built  on 
it  a  one-room  log  house,  with  a  sawed  roof  and  floor, 


which  made  him  a  comfortable  dwelling  for  the  time 
and  his  circumstances.  He  procured  a  team  of  oxen 
and  broke  up  fifteen  acres  of  his  land,  which  he  put  in 
wheat  the  next  season. 

The  first  year  he  worked  out  at  hai-vesting  and 
threshing  but  also  put  up  some  hay  for  his  own  oxen 
and  cows.  He  and  Mr.  Lindgi'eu  each  had  a  yoke  of 
oxen  and  they  joined  forces  and  made  crops  in  1879, 
Mr.  Flatten 's  yield  being  about  300  bushels.  He  then 
broke  up  more  of  his  land  and  put  in  more  wheat. 
After  two  or  three  years  hail  storms  wasted  his  crops 
and  caused  him  serious  loss,  but  he  persevered  and 
kept  on  making  progress,  and  he  was  soon  able  to 
buy  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  railroad  land  in  Sands- 
ville township,  four  miles  northeast  of  his  home,  for 
which  he  paid  $7  an  acre.  This  is  excellent  hay  land, 
and  it  is  nearly  all  devoted  to  that  product. 

Mr.  Flatten  lived  in  his  little  log  house  nine  years, 
then  erected  his  present  dwelling.  This  was  an  am- 
bitious structure  for  the  section  twenty-eight  years 
ago,  and  many  persons  thought  it  was  too  large.  But 
the  owner  felt  confident  he  could  pay  for  it,  and  he 
accomplished  that  duty  years  ago.  "Wheat,  oats  and 
barley  have  been  his  main  crops,  with  wheat  leading. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town- 
ship, serving  on  the  township  board  in  Higdem  town- 
ship before  the  division,  then  helping  to  organize 
Esther  township  and  serving  on  its  township  board. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  school  boai'd  in 


328 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COL'NTY 


each,  but  lie  has  never  held  or  sought  a  county  office. 
For  two  years  after  settling  on  his  farm  Mr.  Flat- 
ten lived  in  the  barl)aric  splendor  of  a  bachelor's  hall, 
but  in  1882  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Gina 
Larson,  a  sister  of  Ludwig  Larson,  and  a  Polk  county 
arrival  of  1877,  coining  here  with  her  father,  Johanes 
Larson,  who  took  up  a  homestead  that  year  in  Section 
10.  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Flatten  have  two  daughters,  Hilma 
and  Julia.    Hilma  is  now  the  wife  of  Carl  Thompson 


of  Esther  township  and  has  one  child,  their  daughter 
Genevieve.  Julia  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Rice  and  is 
living  at  home  with  her  parents.  She  attended  the 
high  school  in  Grand  Forks  and  the  State  Normal  in 
Moorhead,  and  for  four  years  was  a  teacher  in  the 
Polk  county  public  schools.  All  the  members  of  the 
family  belong  to  the  North  Lutheran  church  at  Grand 
Marais,  of  which  the  head  of  the  hou.se  has  been 
treasurer  for  fifteen  years. 


JAMES  ADAIR. 


The  late  James  Adair,  of  Esther  township,  who  died 
February  17,  1909,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years 
and  eight  months,  and  who  was  for  over  twenty 
years  one  of  the  wide-awake  and  energetic  farmers 
and  live  stock  men  of  Polk  county,  was  Iwrn  in  Sim- 
coe  county,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  the  son  of 
an  Irish  father  and  Irish  mother.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  married  there  Miss  Margaret  Patterson, 
whose  father  was  Irish  and  mother  Scotch,  both  born 
in  Ireland  but  married  in  Canada,  where  her  life 
began  in  the  same  county  as  her  husband's. 

In  the  spring  of  1878  Mr.  and  Mi's.  Adair  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  this  county.  Mrs. 
Adair's  brother,  Thomas  Patterson,  had  come  across 
the  line  four  years  before  and  settled  on  the  Red 
river  five  miles  north  of  Grand  Forks.  He  lived 
there  several  years,  then  moved  to  Grantsdale,  Mon- 
tana, where  he  now  has  his  home.  Mrs.  Adair  also 
had  a  sister  in  this  county,  Mrs.  Robert  Anderson, 
who  is  now  deceased,  and  whose  life  storj'  is  briefly 
told  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

On  their  arrival  in  this  county  the  Adairs  bought 
railroad  land  in  Esther  township  at  $10  an  acre,  the 
same  being  part  of  the  farm  in  Section  35  of  that 
township  on  which  Mrs.  Adair  is  still  living.  They 
bought  cows,  oxen  and  other  necessary  things  for  the 
farm,  and  built  a  small  log  house  with  a  floor  and 
shingle  roof  but  no  chimney,  the  smoke  being  allowed 
to  escape  throtigh  a  hole  in  the  roof.     When  they 


settled  in  their  new  home  they  had  just  enough  means 
to  supply  them  with  the  absolutely  necessary  things 
for  their  living  for  a  year.  They  had  a  stove  and 
made  benches  and  a  table,  but  were  without  dishes. 
In  a  little  while  Mr.  Adair  had  sixteen  acres  ready 
for  a  crop,  and  after  that  matured  they  were  able  to 
live  in  some  degi'ce  of  comfort. 

When  his  progress  enabled  him  to  do  it  Mr.  Adair 
bought  an  additional  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  land  at 
$25  an  acre,  and  still  later  160  acres  more,  paying 
$5,000  for  the  last  tract,  which  is  half  a  mile  distant 
from  the  home  farm.  He  raised  grain  and  cattle, 
milked  8  to  10  cows  and  made  butter  for  private  cus- 
tomers, and  worked  as  hard  as  anj-  man  in  the  county, 
keeping  up  his  industry  without  abatement  until  seven 
years  before  his  death  and  retaining  the  care  of  his 
cows  to  the  last.  In  1886  he  built  the  dwelling 
house  which  is  now  on  the  fariu  and  the  home  of  the 
family. 

Mr.  Adair  had  no  taste  for  public  life  and  never 
sought  office  or  took  an  active  part  in  political  con- 
tests, although  he  was  an  unwavering  Democrat  and 
loyal  always  to  his  party.  But  he  always  manifested 
a  deep  and  helpful  interest  in  the  building  of  roads 
and  other  public  improvements.  In  religious  faith 
he  was  a  Presbyterian  and  at  first  belonged  to  church 
of  his  sect  in  Grand  Forks,  but  later  he  helped  to 
start  the  Presbyterian  church  in  East  Grand  Forks 
and  was  a  member  of  that  until  he  died. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adair  number  three. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


329 


Edward  Alexander,  William  Jolm  and  Annie  Belle. 
Edward  is  now  living  on  the  home  farm.  He  has 
operated  a  threshing  outfit  for  nine  years,  threshing 
in  1915  nearly  80,000  bnshels  of  grain.  William 
owns  the  farm  of  160  acres  half  a  mile  from  the  home 
farm.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Runa  Belle  Peters,  who 
left  two  children  when  she  died,  William  Roscoe  and 


James  Monroe.  After  her  death  the  husband  married 
Miss  Iva  Beulah  Haas.  They  have  five  children,  John 
Edward,  Walter  Earl,  Clarence  Millen,  Emmet  and 
Karl.  Annie  Belle  is  the  wife  of  Hugh  Blue.  They 
cultivate  the  home  farm  and  have  three  children, 
Annie  Luella,  Edward  Donald  and  Leonard.  Mrs. 
Adair  has  her  home  with  them. 


PETER  OLSON. 


Passing  through  severe  trials  to  enduring  triumph, 
and  winning  a  comfortable  estate  by  his  own  perse- 
vering and  wisely  applied  industry,  Peter  Olson,  one 
of  the  substantial  and  progressive  farmers  of  Higdem 
township,  has  well  illustrated  in  hi.s  career  the  sturdy 
hardihood  and  determination  of  the  pioneer  and  the 
strong  fiber  and  resolute  self-reliance  of  the  sterling 
citizenship  of  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  the  North- 
west in  general. 

Mr.  Olson  was  born  in  Norway  October  22,  1860, 
the  son  of  Ole  and  Ella  (Midtmoen),  and  with  them 
came  to  this  country  and  located  in  Iowa  county, 
Wisconsin,  when  he  was  twelve  and  a  half  years  of 
age.  In  the  spring  of  1878  the  family  moved  to  Polk 
county,  Minnesota,  and  Peter  located  on  eighty  acres 
of  railroad  land  two  miles  north  of  East  Grand  Forks. 
Later  he  changed  this  land  for  a  homestead  in  Sec- 
tion 24,  Grand  Forks  township.  During  his  first 
winter  in  this  county  he  had  only  two  pounds  of  but- 
ter and  ten  bushels  of  potatoes  from  October  21  to 
spring,  and  would  frequently  walk  three  miles  through 
the  snow  to  cut  cord  wood  at  50  cents  a  cord  and 
dine  on  frozen  pork  and  bread. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  this  county  the 

father  took  up  railroad  land  in  Section  25,  Grand 

Forks  township.     He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son 

Peter  December  30,  1893,  having  passed  his  last  year 

there.    While  living  in  Wisconsin  Peter  worked  out 

on  farms  and  he  did  the  same  after  coming  to  this 

county,  doing  anything  he  could  get  to  do  to  make  a 

living.     The  first  ox  team  belonging  to  the  family 

here  was  bought  jointly  by  him,  his  father  and  his 
21 


brother  Andrew,  who  all  went  in  debt  for  the  purchase 
price,  $90.  They  all  lived  together  until  Peter  took 
up  his  homestead. 

Peter  Olson's  homestead  was  improved  with  a  little 
log  shanty  with  a  sod  roof  and  other  accommodations 
in  keeping  with  this.  He  lived  in  that  one  winter, 
but  after  that  made  his  home  with  his  brother  Andrew 
until  the  latter  married.  In  1903  Andrew  moved  to 
the  state  of  Washington,  where  he  is  now  living. 
Peter  improved  his  homestead  and  sold  it.  In  1898 
he  bought  his  present  farm  in  Higdem  township, 
which  is  in  Section  32,  bordering  Red  river,  and 
seventeen  miles  by  road  from  East  Grand  Forks.  The 
farm  comprises  2'42  acres,  eighty  of  the  acres  being 
in  timber,  the  balance  on  the  prairie.  Lars  Ericksen 
was  the  original  homesteader  on  this  land,  but  he 
returned  to  Sweden. 

When  Mr.  Olson  bought  this  land  he  paid  $6,100  for 
it,  including  the  live  stock  and  machinerj'  on  it.  He 
has  enlarged  and  improved  the  dwelling  house  and 
put  up  a  good  barn  and  other  structures  needed  for 
his  purpases.  Raising  grain  has  been  his  main  de- 
pendence, but  he  lost  on  crop  by  hail,  the  first  one 
destroyed  on  this  farm  in  thirty-seven  years.  He 
milks  nine  or  ten  cows  regularly  and  raises  some  other 
live  stock  but  does  not  make  this  a  specialty. 

Mr.  Olson  is  at  this  time  (1916)  chairman  of  the 
township  board  and  has  been  for  seven  years,  and  for 
twelve  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  and 
taken  an  active  part  in  all  township  affairs.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  a  Lutheran  in  religious 
faith,  holding  membership  in  Grand  Marais  church. 


330 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


On  December  31st,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Anderson  of  Grand  Forks,  who  was  born  in  Sweden. 
She  died  April  9,  1906,  leaving  four  small  childrun 
to  the  care  of  her  husband.    They  are  still  living  with 


him  and  helping  him  with  the  duties  of  the  farm  and 
household.  They  are  Esther  Alice,  Alma  Ovelia, 
Mabel  Helen  and  Dagmar  Rosetta. 


WILLIAM  CAMERON. 


William  Cameron,  prominent  citizen  and  business 
man  of  Fosston,  is  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  born 
November  22,  1848.  In  1878  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  joining  a  brother-in-law  who  had  previously 
located  in  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota.  After  a  short 
time  spent  in  that  city,  Mr.  Cameron  took  a  homestead 
claim,  ten  miles  from  Grand  Forks  in  Nesbit  town- 
ship, Polk  county.  He  later  purchased  anotlier 
quarter  section  of  land  and  for  a  number  of  years 
devoted  everj'  attention  to  the  development  of  his 
farm,  putting  it  under  cultivation  and  engaging 
principally  in  the  raising  of  wheat.  He  erected  good 
buildings  and  built  up  a  valuable  farm  property 
which  continues  in  his  possession.  In  1894,  after  six- 
teen years  spent  in  Nesbit  township,  he  came  to  Foss- 
ton and  engaged  in  the  livery  business.  At  that  time 
Fosston  presented  an  unusually  advantageous  location 
for  this  enterprise ;  situated  at  the  end  of  the  i-ailroad 
and  the  Soo  line  to  the  north  not  yot  built  and  ho 
conducted  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business.  He 
was  the  owner  of  several  lots  on  Main  street  and  for 
ten  years  his  stable  occupied  the  present  location  of 
the  Campbell  garage.  On  removing  from  here  he 
erected  the  present  livery  building.  His  stables  were 
widely  known  among  the  horsemen  and  were  always 
the  center  of  the  horse  trade  in  this  region.  After 
almost  twenty  years  of  successful   activity   in   this 


business  he  retired  from  the  livery  trade.  During 
this  time  he  had  also  engaged  in  the  hay  trade,  being 
the  first  dealer  in  hay  in  Fosston  which  is  the  market 
for  many  small  towns,  and  since  1913  he  has  given  his 
attention  exclusively  to  this  business.  He  employs 
a  number  of  men  and  bales  from  two  to  three  hundred 
tons  of  liay  and  ships  as  much  more  for  patrons.  The 
same  qualities  which  have  brought  him  success  in 
the  business  world  are  disclosed  in  his  citizenship.  He 
is  ever  alert  to  that  which  will  promote  the  public 
welfare  and  a  faithful  suppoi-ter  of  its  best  interests. 
He  has  given  able  services  on  the  village  council  and 
served  in  office  in  Nesbit  township.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  has  always  taken  a  keen 
interest  in  athletics  and  has  been  instrumental  in  pro- 
moting local  endeavor  in  this  line.  ]\Ir.  Cameron  was 
married  in  Ontario,  Canada,  to  Anna  Campbell  and 
they  have  three  children,  Laura,  who  with  her  son, 
Harold,  has  made  her  home  with  her  parents  since 
the  death  of  her  husband,  John  Cumyn ;  William, 
living  in  St.  Paul,  where  he  operates  a  garage,  and 
Waltei",  who  has  taken  over  his  father's  livery 
interests.  Mr.  Cameron  is  an  enthusiastic  hunter 
and  has  enjoyed  much  good  sport  in  early  days  hunt- 
ing elk  and  moose  near  Thief  lake,  and  never  failed 
to  pull  down  his  limit  of  game  each  season. 


OLE  H.  FLATTEN. 


This  good  citizen  of  Polk  county  and  progressive 
farmer  of  Esther  township,  whose  choice  farm  is 
located  in  Section  23,  ten  miles  north  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  and  adjoins  that  of  Ole  S.  Basgaard,  is  a 
brother  of  H.  H.  Flatten,  a  sketch  of  whom  is  to  be 


found  in  this  work,  and  like  him  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, where  his  life  began  January  19,  1858.  He 
came  to  Polk  county  and  joined  his  brother  H.  H. 
here  in  1880,  two  years  after  the  arrival  of  the 
brother.     Wlien  he  reached  tliis  county  he  had  no 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


331 


money  left,  and  during  the  first  summer  of  his  resi- 
dence here  he  worked  out  at  farm  labor  and  railroad 
construction.  In  the  winter  following  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  lumber  woods  near  Brainerd  and  in 
looking  after  drives  of  ties  to  Little  Falls  on  the 
Little  Elk  river,  spending  forty  days  in  each  of  two 
or  three  seasons  in  such  labor  as  the  drives  of  ties 
required. 

Having  made  a  little  stake  by  his  industry  and 
frugality,  Mr.  Flatten  purchased  a  yoke  of  oxen  and 
during  the  next  eight  or  ten  years  he  rented  land  and 
followed  farming  as  a  tenant.  In  1895  he  bought  160 
acres  of  his  present  farm,  which  now  comprises  260 
acres  in  one  body,  and  he  also  owns  120  acres  in 
Northland  township  three  miles  distant  from  his 
home  farm.  In  addition  to  spending  $400  for  im- 
provements on  his  home  farm,  Mr.  Flatten  paid 
about  $13  an  acre  for  it.  The  original  price  was  $10 
an  acre,  but  it  was  railroad  land,  and  by  the  time  cer- 
tain disputes  over  it  \\ere  settled  the  improvements 
made  by  him  raised  its  value  to  $13  an  acre.  For 
the  additional  tract  of  100  acres,  Avhich  is  crossed  by 
the  Grand  Marais  river,  he  paid  an  average  of  $12  an 
acre,  but  none  of  the  land  was  above  a  reasonable 
price. 

Mr.  Flatten 's  attention  has  been  given  mainly  to 
raising  grain.     He  has  fine  facilities  for  raising  live 


stock  but  has  never  done  much  in  that  line  as  yet. 
He  built  a  part  of  his  present  dwelling  house  in 
1895  and  the  rest  of  it  since.  It  is  in  a  commanding 
location  on  the  bank  of  the  Grand  Marais  overlook- 
ing a  large  extent  of  the  surrounding  country.  He 
also  has  a  good  bam  and  other  buildings  and  improve- 
ments in  keeping  with  these.  The  farm  is  one  of  the 
most  desirable  in  this  part  of  Polk  county,  his  land 
being  now  worth  $100  an  acre,  its  value  havmg  been 
greatly  increased  by  what  he  has  done  to  it  in  the 
way  of  development,  improvements  and  advanced 
cultivation. 

The  affairs  of  his  township  have  always  deeply 
interested  Mr.  Flatten,  and  he  has  take  an  active  part 
in  the  management  of  them,  having  served  on  the 
township  board,  of  which  he  is  now  a  member,  most 
of  the  time  since  he  located  here,  and  for  many  years 
having  been  also  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He 
was  married  in  1893  to  Miss  Mary  Fjeld,  who  is  like 
himself  a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  had  eight 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living  and  all  of  them 
still  at  home  with  their  parents.  They  are  Henry, 
Christine,  Mabel,  Clara,  Clarence,  Olga  and  Melvin. 
A  son  named  Carl  died  at  the  age  of  seven  yeai-s. 
All  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  church  at  Grand  Marais,  of  which  Mr. 
Flatten  is  a  deacon  and  a  trastee. 


NICK  WELTER. 


This  wide-awake,  enterprising  and  progi'essive  Polk 
county  farmer  and  live  stock  breeder,  who  owns  and 
lives  on  the  East  half  of  Section  27,  Fairfax  town- 
ship, eight  miles  southeast  of  Crookston  and  one  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  Harold  station  on  the  Northern 
Pacific  railroad,  came  to  his  present  condition  of 
independence  and  comfort  in  a  worldly  way  through 
many  diflfieulties  and  discouragements  but  with  a 
spirit  of  determination,  industry  and  perseverance 
that  triumphed  over  all  obstacles.  He  is  a  cousin  of 
Frederick  Baatz,  who  lives  two  miles  south  of  him 
on  Section  4,  Russia  town.ship,  a  brief  account  of 
whose  life  will  be  found  on  this  work. 


Mr.  Welter  was  born  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Lux- 
emburg, Germany,  September  20,  1858,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1888,  joining  an  uncle  in 
Wabasha  county,  Minnesota,  with  whom  he  remained 
a  few  months  and  then  came  to  Argj'le  in  Marshall 
county,  where  his  uncle  owned  a  large  tract  of  land. 
For  six  years  he  lived  on  one  of  his  uncle's  farms 
and  during  the  next  three  on  another  belonging  to 
him.  He  improved  200  acres  of  his  uncle's  land, 
having  some  good  years  in  Marshall  county  but  losing 
his  first  three  crops  by  frost.  As  he  had  only 
$150  in  money  when  he  came  to  this  country  the  loss 
of  his  crops  was  a  serious  setback  for  him.    But  his 


332 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


I 


uncle  carried  him  along  at  a  high  rate  of  interest  on 
loans  and  deferred  payments,  and  in  the  end  he  won 
his  way  out  of  all  embarrassments  and  through  all 
difficulties. 

"While  farming  his  uncle's  land  Mr.  Welter  was  in 
partnership  with  his  own  brother  Frederick  until 
1894.  On  April  16  of  that  year  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Susan  Clemen,  then  a  resident  of  Wabasha  county, 
Minnesota,  but  born  in  Luxemburg,  Germany,  August 
3,  1867,  and  brought  to  America  in  her  infancy. 
Two  years  later,  in  1896,  Mr.  Welter  came  to  Polk 
county,  and  until  April,  1914,  he  rented  land  in  Fair- 
fax township,  320  acres  of  which  he  now  owns,  liaving 
paid  $50  an  acre  for  it  in  the  spring  of  1914.  Four 
years  before  buying  this  land,  however,  which  he  had 
farmed  for  twelve  years  as  a  tenant,  he  bought  160 
acres  partially  improved  in  another  section,  paying 
$25  an  acre  for  it.  He  has  since  built  a  good  barn 
at  a  cost  of  $1,000  and  made  other  improvements  of 
value. 

Mr.  Welter  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Fairfax 


township,  and  it  is  very  productive.  But  what  it  is 
his  industry,  good  judgment  and  skilful  farming 
have  made  it.  He  raises  wheat  and  other  grain,  and 
in  1915  his  crops  reached  a  total  of  about  4,000 
bushels  of  wheat  and  the  same  amount  of  oata  and 
barley.  He  also  keeps  18  to  20  head  of  cattle  and  10 
horses  and  always  has  a  few  cows  for  milking  pur- 
poses. His  success  in  his  farming  operations  in  this 
county  is  very  gratifying  to  him,  especially  as  it  is 
all  the  result  of  his  own  unaided  efforts  and  good 
management. 

Five  children  have  blessed  and  brightened  the 
Welter  household,  all  of  whom  are  still  living  at  home 
with  their  parents.  They  are:  Fredei'ick  Peter, 
aged  twenty -one;  Peter  Aloysius,  aged  nineteen; 
Andrew  Nicholas,  aged  seventeen;  Theodore  Johann, 
aged  fifteen,  and  George  William,  aged  five.  The 
members  of  the  family  have  all  been  reared  in  the 
Catholic  faith  and  belong  to  the  Cathedral  parish  in 
Crookston. 


ERICK  NELSON. 


One  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  and  there- 
fore successful  farmers  of  Higdem  township,  Erick 
Nelson,  who  lives  on  Section  20,  sixteen  miles  north 
of  Grand  Forks,  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world 
from  nothing  to  his  present  condition  of  worldly 
comfort  and  independence,  and  has  taken  pride  and 
pleasure  in  the  struggles  by  which  he  has  advanced. 
He  was  born  in  Norway  August  22,  1839,  and  in  1861 
came  with  his  father  to  this  country  and  located  at 
Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin.  From  there  he  worked  iu 
the  lumber  woods  and  in  saw  mills  for  eleven  years, 
living  frugally  and  saving  his  earnings. 

In  the  fall  of  1880  he  came  to  Polk  county  with  a 
cash  capital  of  $250  and  more  due  him  in  Wisconsin, 
which,  however,  he  never  got.  He  bought  seventy- 
eight  acres  of  his  present  farm  as  script  land,  paying 
$6  an  acre  for  it.  The  tract  lies  along  the  Red  river 
and  about  eighteen  acres  of  it  is  in  timber.    He  has 


since  bought  eighty  acres  additional,  forty  of  which 
adjoins  his  fii*st  purchase  and  forty  lies  about  two 
miles  and  a  half  east  of  that  on  the  prairie.  For  the 
prairie  land  he  paid  $300  and  for  the  other  forty 
acres  $600. 

When  he  settled  on  his  land  Mr.  Nelson  first  built 
a  little  log  house,  which  is  still  standing,  but  it  is  no 
longer  his  residence,  as  he  built  the  dwelling  he  now 
occupies  in  1902.  For  the  first  two  years  all  his  labor 
was  in  vain.  His  crops  were  drowned  out  and  he 
was  driven  to  other  resources  to  make  his  venture  pay. 
lie  began  keeping  cows,  starting  with  four  or  five  and 
gradually  increasing  the  number  as  his  butter  trade 
increased.  This  is  no  longer  extensive,  and  he  now 
depends  on  his  general  farming  operations  for  his 
profits  and  they  have  been  so  successful  that  they 
have  fully  satisfied  him. 

Mr.  Nelson  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest 


KD.MUXU  L.  STOWE 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


333 


iu  the  affairs  of  his  township.  He  has  served  as  super- 
visor and  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  member  of  the 
township  board.  His  political  allegiance  and  service 
have  always  been  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and 
he  has  at  times  been  very  active  in  behalf  of  its  can- 
didates. In  religious  affiliation  he  is  a  Lutheran  and 
a  member  of  Kongsvinger  church  of  that  denomina- 
tion, which  is  about  four  miles  distant  from  his  home. 
For  .ten  years  or  longer  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  its  treasurer,  finally  growing  tired 
of  the  office  and  giving  it  up. 

In  1881,  one  year  after  his  arrival  in  Polk  county, 
Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  Grand  Forks  to  Miss 
Oleauna  Farder,  a  sister  of  Ole  S.  Parder.  She  was 
bom  in  Norway  and  died  at  her  Polk  county  home 


on  January  11,  11)12,  leaving  six  children  living. 
Anna  Dorothy  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  N.  Anderson,  a 
merchant  at  Birkholz,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
in  this  volume.  Sigward  N.  conducts  his  father's 
home  farm.  He  married  Miss  Ada  Finseth.  They 
have  no  children.  ^lary  Sophia  is  living  at  home 
with  her  father.  Emma  Olena,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Albert  Anvinson,  died  in  February,  1913,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three.  Agnes  is  married  to  Carl  L.  Larson. 
Oscar  Edwin  is  still  living  at  home.  Another  son, 
also  named  Oscar  Edwin,  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Nel- 
son was  something  of  a  hunter  in  his  youth  and  young 
manhood,  and  while  living  in  AVisconsin  killed  many 
a  deer. 


EDMUND  L.  STOWE. 


Edmund  L.  Stowe,  of  Mcintosh,  a  successful  busi- 
ness man  and  well-known  citizen,  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  interests  of  the  county  since 
the  early  settlement  of  the  eastern  townships.  He 
was  born  in  Saline  county,  Missouri,  May  5,  1859,  and 
is  the  son  of  Dr.  L.  S.  Stowe,  an  eminent  pioneer  of 
Polk  county,  where  the  memory  of  his  hospitable  and 
generous  character  and  able  services  still  linger  in 
the  reminiscences  of  the  earlier  days.  Dr.  Stowe  had 
removed  from  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1857  to 
Missouri,  but  in  the  storm  center  of  those  troublous 
times  his  native  frankness  and  fearless  championing 
of  his  convictions  soon  incurred  the  disapproval  of 
the  prevailing  local  sentiment  and  he  was  given  no- 
tice to  leave  and  he  returned  to  Wisconsin  to  enlist 
in  the  Sixteenth  AVisconsin  regiment  and  to  serve 
throughout  the  four  years  of  war  in  defense  of  those 
convictions.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  medicine  near  Bloomiugton,  Illinois, 
and  later  went  to  Sangamon  county  in  that  state, 
where  he  remained  until  1881,  wlieu  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  took  a  claim  some  thirteen  miles  south- 
east of  Crookston.  This  pioneer  home  was  open  to 
everyone  and  the   cordial  welcome   and   good  cheer 


made  it  a  popular  stopping  place  for  travelers  en 
route  to  Fertile  or  the  Sand  Hill  river  country.  Dr. 
Stowe  made  his  home  in  the  county  for  about  ten 
years,  devoting  his  time  to  his  professional  duties  and 
farming,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Hawley,  Clay 
county,  Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in  a  successful 
practice  until  his  death  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  His  wife  died  in  the  early  childhood  of 
his  son,  Edmund  Stowe,  and  the  latter,  at  an  early 
age,  assumed  all  responsil)ility  for  the  securing  of 
an  education  and  the  direction  of  his  carreer.  Willi 
ambitious  determination,  he  managed  to  attain  suf- 
ficient training  to  fit  him  for  the  teaching  profession 
and  taught  in  1879  and  1880  in  Sangamon  county, 
Illinois,  and  in  1881,  after  coming  to  Polk  county, 
taught  his  third  school,  which  was  near  Crookston, 
and  for  the  next  few  years  continued  in  this  occupa- 
tion, devoting  the  vacation  periods  to  his  land.  On 
coming  to  the  county  he  had  filed  on  a  homestead, 
near  his  father's  tract,  and  the  law  of  that  time 
permitting  him  to  prove  up  on  the  claim  in  a  few 
months,  he  secured  a  tree  claim  near  the  present 
station  of  Melvin,  on  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad, 
and  there  set  out  ten  acres  of  ash,  box  elder  and  cot- 


334 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


touwood,  whiL-h  lias  siiK-e  grown  into  the  finest  grove 
in  the  country  and  is  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  pioneer 
labors  of  ^Ir.  Stowe.  The  years  spent  as  a  teacher 
were  the  years  of  the  settlement  of  the  Thirteen 
Towns  and  he  is  associated  with  the  activities  of  the 
period  as  the  first  teacher  in  an  organized  school  dis- 
trict, in  Polk  county,  east  of  Crookston,  and  he  re- 
calls many  experiences  of  that  interesting  day.  At 
the  close  of  the  fall  term  of  the  Ilafterson  school, 
No.  68,  in  1883,  he  first  learned  of  the  organization 
of  two  school  districts  in  the  Thirteen  Towns,  No. 
120  and  No.  122,  which  had  not  been  supplied  with 
instructors,  and  having  been  previously  acquainted 
with  John  Flesch,  an  influential  settler  of  Rosebud 
township,  determined  to  apply  for  the  latter  posi- 
tion, which  was  the  Fosstou  school.  The  Fosston  post- 
office  and  store  were  then  located  on  the  Flesch  farm, 
five  miles  southwest  of  the  pi-esent  site  of  the  town, 
and  with  no  definite  direction  for  reaching  his  desti- 
nation, Mr.  Stowe  began  his  cross-country  journey 
on  foot  anil  after  many  miles  of  weary  travel  throiigh 
the  January  snow,  he  met  the  Indian,  Bolieu,  mail 
carrier  to  the  postoffices  of  King  and  Fosston  and 
obtained  the  first  intelligible  explanation  in  English 
of  his  route.  He  was  directed  to  the  home  of  John 
D.  Knudson,  the  clerk  of  District  No.  120,  and  as 
Fosston  was  some  miles  further,  he  decided  to  end 
his  journey  here  and  made  his  application  for  this 
school,  and  his  services  were  accepted  by  the  director, 
K.  N.  Newton,  with  a  monthly  salary  of  thirty  dol- 
lars. He  taught  in  this  school  for  two  j'ears,  mean- 
while boarding  in  the  Newton  home,  where  his  ac- 
quaintance with  a  daughter  of  the  house  soon  cul- 
minated into  a  happy  union.  The  first  term  was  of 
but  six  weeks'  duration  and  had  an  enrollment  of 
over  thirty  pupils,  who  ranged  from  children  of  five 
years  to  studious  men  of  thirty-seven.  Ole  Hoven,  a 
well-known  farmer  of  King  township,  and  Fred  Han- 
son were  among  the  older  students.  During  the 
winter  term  of  the  next  year  C.  K.  Hofi'ard,  the  vice 
president  of  the  First  National  bank,  was  one  of 
his  pupils.    In  this  year  John  A.  Newton  taught  the 


school  at  Fosston  and  much  interest  centered  about 
the  educational  intei'ests  of  the  neighboring  communi- 
ties. Mr.  Stowe  organized  a  spelling  school  which 
proved  a  most  popular  form  of  entertainment,  and 
closed  the  term  with  a  school  exhibition  which  was 
attended  b^-  a  large  and  appreciative  audience.  lie 
was  married  March  17,  1885,  to  Anna  Newton.  They 
immediately  made  their  home  on  the  claim  near 
Melvin  and  for  the  ensuing  seventeen  years  Mr. 
Stowe  devoted  his  attention  to  the  development  of 
his  farm.  After  selling  that  property,  he  purchased 
a  farm  on  section  31  of  Hill  River  township,  five 
miles  northeast  of  ilclntosh.  This  land  had  been 
improved  and  put  under  cultivation  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  Bennie  Newton,  and  Mr.  Stowe  successfully 
conducted  his  farming  operations  here  for  several 
years.  On  being  appointed  deputy  sheriff  under 
Louis  Gonyea,  he  removed  to  Crookston,  but  in  Jlr. 
Gonyea's  second  term  resigned  to  become  the  buyer 
at  Mcintosh  for  the  Minneapolis  &  Northern  Eleva- 
tor company.  During  the  five  years  of  his  association 
with  this  company  he  handled  some  two  hundred 
thousand  bushels  of  Polk  county  grain.  He  left  that 
position  to  establish  an  independent  trade  as  a  dealer 
in  grain  and  hay  and  has  been  prosperously  identified 
with  this  business.  He  makes  extensive  shipments  of 
hay,  buying  the  greater  part  of  the  large  crops  of 
the  prairie  section  of  the  county  and  shipping  to  the 
Iron  Range  towns.  Throughout  the  many  years  of 
his  activities  as  farmer,  business  man  and  citizen  Mr. 
Stowe  has  won  the  esteem  of  all  his  associates  for  his 
able  attainments  and  many  services  and  has  been 
elected  to  various  offices  of  public  trust  in  the  locali- 
ties in  which  he  has  resided,  serving  as  assessor  in 
King  and  Hill  River  townships  and  as  census  enu- 
mei-ator  in  1900  for  the  latter  and  in  1910  for  King 
towmship  and  the  town  of  Mcintosh.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Modern  Brotherhood  of  America.  Mr.  Stowe  and 
wife  are  faithful  and  active  supporters  of  tlie  Con- 
gregational church,  in  which  he  is  a  trustee.  Mrs. 
Stowe  is  a  native  of  Waseca  county,  Minnesota,  and 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


335 


accompanied  her  father,  K.  N.  Newton,  in  his  removal 
to  Polk  county  in  1883.  She,  like  her  husband,  is 
popularly  known  in  the  social  life  of  the  community 
and  is  a  member  of  the  various  local  organizations. 
They  have  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  New- 
ton, living  at  Grand  Forks,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
the  auto  livery  business;  Grant,  a  ditch  contractoi'. 


operating  in  Iowa  and  southern  Minnesota;  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  Barney  Davis,  vi^ho  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
hotel  at  Kellog,  Idaho;  Nobel,  who  is  a  teacher  in 
the  schools  at  Trail;  Charles,  who  is  associated  with 
Grant  Stowe  in  the  contracting  business,  and  Dewey, 
Joyce,  Nellie,  Eunice,  Laura,  Phyllis  and  an  infant. 


ADOLPH  N.  ANDERSON. 


Actively  and  profitably  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising at  Birkholz,  in  this  county,  twelve  miles 
north  of  Grand  Forks,  during  the  last  eleven  years, 
and  for  fifteen  rendering  the  township  of  Higdem 
good  service  as  a  public  official,  first  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  two  years  and  since  then  as  township 
clerk  for  thirteen,  Adolph  N.  Anderson  has  well 
earned  the  cordial  regard  and  good  will  of  the  people 
around  him  which  he  enjoys  in  such  full  measure  as 
a  merchant,  as  a  progressive  citizen  and  as  an  upright 
man. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  bom  in  Chippewa  county,  Wis- 
consin, February  11,  1871,  and  became  a  resident  of 
Minnesota  in  August,  1893.  He  is  a  son  of  Jens  and 
Dorothy  (Nelson)  Anderson,  natives  of  Norway.  The 
father  came  to  the  United  States  prior  to  the  Civil 
war  and  settled  in  Wisconsin.  During  that  war  he 
served  in  the  Fifteenth  Wisconsin  Infantrj-,  and  felt 
the  effects  of  the  hardships  and  privations  he  was 
obliged  to  undergo  in  the  army  to  the  end  of  his  life, 
which  came  on  his  Wisconsin  farm  in  1877. 

Adolph  N.  Anderson  left  the  farm  in  1891,  when  he 
was  twenty  years  old,  and  during  the  next  two  years 
worked  as  a  hired  man  on  other  farms.  In  1894, 
having  relatives  in  Polk  county,  he  came  here  in 
search  of  employment  and  soon  obtained  an  engage- 
ment on  a  threshing  outfit,  on  which  he  worked  as 
a  hand  one  season  and  was  then  given  full  charge 
of  it.  During  the  next  six  seasons  he  operated  this 
outfit  for  the  Eliason  brothers  and  during  the  next 
six  seasons  he  operated  one  for  Ole  H.  Bang.  The 
business  was  extensive  and  gave  him  plenty  to  do. 


the  aggregate  of  his  threshing  in  1895  being  about 
60,000  bushels  of  grain,  with  other  seasons  in  pro- 
portion. 

Wlien  Mr.  Anderson  first  came  to  Minnesota  he 
located  at  Hinckley,  in  Pine  county,  and  was  there 
on  September  1,  1894,  when  the  great  fire  in  which 
380  lives  were  lost  and  the  town  was  entirely  de- 
stroyed occurred.  He  lost  all  his  possessions  by  the 
fire  and  escaped  out  of  the  burning  town  on  the  ill- 
fated  train  which  was  destroyed  by  the  same  fire  at 
Skunk  Lake.  At  Skunk  Lake,  six  miles  north  of 
Hinkley,  it  was  discovered  that  the  fire  was  getting 
ahead  of  the  train  and  it  was  stopped  on  the  bridge 
to  give  the  passengers  a  chance  to  save  themselves  by 
getting  into  the  water,  which  many  of  them  did.  The 
train  was  entirely  destroyed  by  the  fire  where  they 
left  it  on  the  bridge. 

In  1904  Mr.  Anderson  bought  the  store  he  is  now 
keeping.  It  had  been  opened  three  years  before  by 
M.  0.  Kleven.  The  stock  and  buildings  at  that  time 
amounted  to  $1,500.  Now  the  investment  in  the  busi- 
ness, including  the  real  estate  used  for  it,  aggregates 
several  thousands  of  dollars  and  the  trade  is  growing 
all  the  time.  On  January  1,  1915,  the  store  and  its 
contents  were  destroyed  by  fire  at  a  loss  of  about 
$2,000  above  the  insurance.  Mr.  Anderson  imme- 
diately rebuilt  his  store  and  opened  up  on  a  larger 
scale  than  before.  He  handles  farm  produce,  butter 
and  eggs  as  specialties  and  a  regular  stock  in  general, 
and  his  business  has  more  than  doubled  within  the 
last  few  years. 

In  1900  Mr.  Anderson  was  elected  a  justice  of  the 


336 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


peace.    He  held  this  office  two  years,  and  at  the  cud  was  but  seventeen  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.     She 

of  his  term   was  elected   township   clerk,   in   which  and  lier  husband  belong  to  the  Kongsvinger  Lutheran 

capacity  he  has  been  serving  ever  since.    He  was  mar-  church  near  their  home.     They  have  four  children, 

ried  on  June  17,  1899,  to  Miss  Annie  Nelson,  a  daugli-  Elmer  Johnsie,  Oscar  Daniel,  Alice  Doris  and  Mary 

ter  of  Erick  and  Oleanna   (Farder)   Nelson,  a  brief  Eldora  Adeline, 
sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  work.    Mrs.  Anderson 


0.  T.  WOLD. 


O.  T.  Wold,  a  successful  farmer  of  Badger  town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  Norway,  bom  June  9,  1858,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1877,  in  his  early  man- 
hood. He  had  been  trained  in  the  carpentering  trade 
in  his  own  country  and  worked  for  a  few  years  at  his 
trade  in  Wabasha  county,  IMinnesota.  After  some 
three  years,  in  1881,  he  returned  to  Norway,  remained 
but  a  few  months  and  in  1882  again  resumed  his  resi- 
dence in  this  country,  locating  in  Grand  Forks,  North 
Dakota,  where  he  was  employed  in  carpenter  work 
until  1889,  when  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity 
to  become  a  land  owner  and  filed  on  a  homestead  in 
section  eight  of  Badger  township  in  1883.  He  entered 
upon  his  farming  enterprise  with  but  a  few  dollars 
and  a  few  head  of  stock  and  with  unfailing  industry 
and  able  management  has  advanced  his  fortunes  to 
his  present  prosperous  standard.  To  the  original 
quarter,  he  added  an  adjacent  eighty  acres  and  now 
has  two  hundred  acres  of  his  farm  under  cultivation, 
some  ninety  acres  of  which  was  devoted  to  gi'ain  in 
1915.    He  is  also  extensively  interested  in  stock  farm- 


ing, raising  cattle  for  the  market  and  keeping  dairy 
cows.  He  has  recently  added  alfalfa  to  his  crops.  The 
first  house,  a  log  cabin,  was  replaced  in  1900  by  a  com- 
fortable modern  home  and  in  1912  i\Ir.  Wold  erected 
a  fine  large  bam.  Aside  from  his  agricultural  activi- 
ties, he  has  been  associated  with  local  enterprise  as 
a  director  and  stockholder  in  the  cooperative  cream- 
ery at  Erskine  and  in  various  offices  of  public  re- 
sponsibility, having  sei'ved  for  a  number  of  years  as 
township  supervisor  and  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  The  sport  of  the  hunter  has  never  made  its 
appeal  to  Mr.  Wold  and  he  has  never  owned  a  gun. 
He  was  married  in  1889  in  Grand  Forks,  to  Anna  T. 
Sather,  who  was  born  in  Nonvay  and  four  children 
were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in  early  eliild- 
hood.  Talmer  Wold  resides  on  the  home  farm  and 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  State  Bank  of  Erskine.  Magna 
Wold  has  been  a  student  in  the  Ei-skine  high  school. 
Mr.  Wold  and  his  family  are  communicants  in  the 
United  Lutheran  church. 


JOHN  LETNES. 


Mr.  Letnes  is  one  of  the  wide  awake  and  progres- 
sive farmers  of  Andover  township,  this  county  and 
therefore  one  of  the  successful  ones.  He  was  born  in 
Norway  October  30,  1867,  of  well-to-do  parents  and 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  1888,  located  in  North 
Dakota  and  in  1891  he  became  a  resident  of  Polk 
county,  Minnesota.  When  Mr.  Letnes  came  to  this 
county  he  was  a  single  man.  He  worked  on  farms 
in  the  vicinity  of  Climax  for  several  years  until  la- 


was  married.  He  was  prudent  and  thrifty  and  luid 
saved  up  some  money.  When  the  railroad  came 
through  that  part  of  the  county  he  bought  a  lot  and 
put  up  a  dwelling  in  the  new  village  of  Climax. 
While  living  in  Climax,  in  company  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Levi  Steenerson,  he  traded  in  wheat  for  a 
while. 

During  the  railroad   land  boom   he   bought  land, 
which  was  the  start  of  farming  for  liimself.    First  he 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


337 


bought  land  in  Vineland  township.  He  put  up  build- 
ings on  this  farm  and  farmed  there  two  years.  In 
1900  he  sold  this  farm  for  a  good  price  and  bought 
an  improved  farm  in  Andover  township.  This  he 
sold  in  1902  and  then  bought  his  present  home  farm. 
He  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  more  four 
years  ago,  making  it  one-half  section  of  well  im- 
proved land  he  owns  to  date.  Mr.  Letnes  has  all  his 
land  under  cultivation,  and  devoted  to  raising  grain. 
His  crops  in  1915  amounted  to  8,000  bushels  of  oats, 
wheat  and  barley,  oats  being  the  leader.  He  keeps 
Ills  farm  well  stocked  with  graded  stock.  The  build- 
ings on  his  farm  are  of  good  dimensions,  most  of 
them  being  erected  by  himself,  and  the  land  is  of 
superior  fertility  and  fibre  and  very  productive.  It 
is  well  drained  and  skillfully  cultivated.  His  methods 
of  farming  are  altogether  modern  and  progressive. 


He  plows  with  a  gas  tractor,  and  all  his  other  ap- 
pliances for  his  work  are  strictly  up-to-date,  and  in 
addition  to  carrying  on  with  vigor  and  energy  the 
cultivation  of  the  land,  he  oijerates  his  own  threshing 
outfit.  The  public  affairs  of  the  township  have  always 
enlisted  the  active  interest  of  this  progressive  citizen, 
and  he  has  taken  a  helpful  part  in  administering 
them.  He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  board  of 
township  supervisors  and  its  chairman.  In  1894  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Oustby  of  Climax,  but 
a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  nine  children, 
Lawrence,  Thomas,  Pauline,  Anna,  Lars,  John,  Mag- 
nus, Daniel  and  Isabelle.  Lawrence  is  a  gas  engineer, 
Thomas  is  a  student  at  the  Crookston  Business  Col- 
lege and  Pauline  is  a  student  at  the  Northwest  School 
of  Agriculture  at  Crookston. 


FRED  HANSON. 


Fred  Hanson,  a  farmer  of  King  township,  has  been 
a  resident  of  Polk  county  since  the  opening  of  the 
section  of  the  Thirteen  Towns  in  1883.  He  was  born  in 
Norway,  April  16, 1857,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
at  seventeen  years  of  age,  with  his  parents  and  three 
sisters.  A  brother,  J.  B.  Hanson,  had  preceded  them 
to  this  country  and  the  family  joined  him  in  Vernon 
county,  Wisconsin.  For  seven  years,  Fred  Hanson 
was  employed  in  farm  work  at  that  place  and  then 
spent  some  time  in  Dakota.  In  the  spring  of  1883, 
accompanied  by  his  brother,  J.  B.  Hanson,  he  came 
to  Polk  county  and  located  in  the  Thirteen  Towns 
some  months  previous  to  its  opening  for  settlement  in 
August,  when  he  filed  his  preemption  claim  on  the 
land  in  section  five,  King  township,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  The  death  of  his  father  had  occurred 
in  Wisconsin  and  his  mother  lived  with  him  in  the 
house  which  he  erected  on  the  claim.  J.  B.  Hanson 
also  settled  in  King  township  and  lived  here  for  some 
twelve  years  before  removing  to  a  homestead  near 
Bermidji,  Minnesota.  He  was  the  pioneer  blacksmith 
in  the  Thirteen  Towns  and  the  shop  which  he  operated 


on  his  farm  received  the  patronage  of  a  wide  teri'itory. 
The  two  brothers  shared  in  the  ownership  of  their 
first  yoke  of  oxen  and  during  the  first  years  worked 
at  the  clearing  of  the  land  under  this  partnership 
before  securing  teams,  individually.  At  that  time 
work  horses  were  rarely  used  in  that  section  and- 
Mr.  Hanson  accomplished  the  greater  part  of  the 
labor  of  clearing  and  breaking  his  land,  which  was 
covered  with  small  timber,  with  the  oxen,  which  were 
his  only  farm  team  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
addition  to  the  usual  tasks  of  the  settlers,  he  installed 
ditches  which  have  developed  some  fine  meadow  land. 
During  the  years  of  his  residence  he  has  ably  con- 
tributed his  share  to  the  industry  and  enterprise 
which  has  brought  the  conveniences  and  prosperity 
of  the  modern  farming  community,  rapidly  advancing 
the  country 's  development  from  the  days  when  Crook- 
ston, forty  miles  distant  and  a  four  days  journey  in 
an  ox  cart  was  the  trading  point  and  the  nearest 
wheat  depot  was  thirty  miles  away.  He  was  active  in 
the  first  township  election  in  which  the  name  of  the 
well  knowTi  pioneer,  Mr.  King,  became  permanently 


•S38 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


associated  with  the  distritt.  Jlr.  Ilausoii  served  as 
township  supervisor  and  elerk  of  the  school  board, 
liolding  the  latter  office  for  four  years.  Mi\  Hanson 
was  one  of  the  men,  who  ambitious  to  receive  training 
in  the  language  and  customs  of  the  adopted  country, 
eui'oUed  as  pupils  in  the  first  school  organized  in  that 
region,  of  which  Ed  Stowe  was  teacher.  In  1888, 
Mr.  Hanson  was  married  to  Augusta  M.  Johnson  and 
the  ceremony  was  solemnized  in  a  neighboring  school 
house.  She  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  wlio  came  from 
Waseca  to  Polk  county  with  her  father,  Andrew  John- 
son, who  settled  on  a  homestead  in  Lessor  township, 
which  since  his  death  has  continued  in  the  possession 
of  his  family.    Mr  Hanson  and  his  wife  have  a  family 


of  two  sons  and  five  daughters,  Regina,  Uilma,  Selma, 
Julia,  Henry,  Alfred,  and  Anna.  The  oldest  daugh- 
ter, Regina,  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  Norman  and 
Clearwater  counties  before  her  marriage  to  Harold 
Cas-selmau,  a  farmer  near  Ada.  Ililma  taught  paro- 
chial school  in  Dakota  and  Minnesota,  is  the  wife  of 
John  Ilegge  of  Williston,  North  Dakota.  Mr.  Hanson 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  United  Lutheran 
church  of  Mcintosh,  in  which  church  he  is  an  active 
worker  and  trustee.  He  takes  great  enjoyment  in  the 
good  sport  afforded  the  lover  of  the  hunt,  by  his  state 
and  often  devotes  his  vacation  to  hunting  trips  after 
big  game. 


JOHN  A.  ORVOLD. 


John  A.  Orvold.  of  Gully  township,  is  a  prominent 
citizen  and  well  known  farmer  of  the  county  and  was 
actively  associated  with  the  founding  of  the  village 
of  Trail  on  the  Soo  railroad.  He  was  bom  in  Norway 
on  Februaiy  7,  1853,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  land,  coming  to  the  United  States  when  eighteen 
j'eare  of  age  and  joining  an  uncle  who  resided  in  "Wis- 
consin. In  1874,  he  went  to  Goodhue  eoiuity,  Minne- 
sota, and  spent  the  next  five  years  in  various  employ- 
ments, working  as  a  farm  laborer  and  for  two  seasons 
in  the  lumber  regions  of  Wisconsin  and  then  made 
his  permanent  location  in  Minnesota  in  1879,  when  he 
bought  raib'oad  land  in  Stevens  county.  He  developed 
this  farm  and  remained  in  that  county  for  fourteen 
years,  engaging  in  farming  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  residence  in  Hancock.  In  1892  he  removed  to 
Clay  county  and  rented  a  large  farm  of  a  Minneapolis 
land  company,  which  he  operated  until  1899  when  he 
took  a  homestead  claim  in  tlie  Red  Lake  Indian 
reservation,  which  is  part  of  his  present  farm  in 
section  twenty-nine  of  Gully  township,  three  miles 
west  of  Gully  and  sixteen  miles  north  of  Fosston.  He 
has  since  added  more  land  to  his  estate  and  owns  a 
quarter  section  in  Chester  township.  He  has  devoted 
all  his  business  activitv  to  his  aericultnral  interests 


and  has  met  with  unvaried  success  in  all  his  pursuits, 
developing  a  fine  farm.  He  raises  blooded  stock  and 
devotes  some  attention  to  dairy  farming.  Mr.  Orvold 
has  ever  lived  that  progi-essive  and  broad  citizenship 
which  has  earned  him  the  respect  of  all  and  is  widely 
known  in  that  section  for  his  many  worthy  services  in 
the  public  interests.  He  was  present  at  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  township  and  has  served  continuously  in 
tlie  various  offices  and  is  a  justice  of  peace  and  a 
member  of  the  school  board  at  present.  When  the 
Soo  railroad  was  liuilt  through  the  township,  he  sold 
eighty  acres  of  his  homestead  for  the  site  of  Trail 
which  is  one-half  mile  west  of  his  home  and  has  been 
identified  with  its  growth  and  is  a  shareholder  in  the 
co-operative  creamery  there  and  was  largely  influen- 
tial in  the  organization  of  the  Synod  Lutlieran  church. 
This  village  has  grown  to  a  goodh^  population  and 
has  proved  of  great  convenience  and  benefit  to  the 
surrounding  agricultural  district  and  the  low  plains 
immediately  to  the  north  of  the  town  are  being  rapidly 
developed  by  di'ainage  into  valuable  farming  land. 
Mr.  Orvold  was  married  in  Stevens  coimty  to  Thurine 
Olson,  who  was  bom  in  Norway  and  eleven  children 
were  bom  to  them,  of  whom  nine  are  now  living.  Ida, 
the  eldest  daughter,  died  July  26.  1914,  in  her  twenty- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


330 


ninth  yeai-  and  the  youngest  member  of  the  family, 
Myrtle  died  in  early  childhood.  The  surviving  chil- 
dren are,  Amos  and  Tomine,  who  are  both  living  on 
homesteads  in  North  Dakota,  the  latter  in  McKenzie 
county ;  Josephine,  who  is  a  trained  nurse  and  resides 
with  her  parents;  Lillie,  the  wife  of  Ed  Carlson,  of 
Clay    county,    Minnesota;    Clarence,    who    lives    in 


Dakota ;  Mabel,  a  student  in  the  high  school  at  Fosston 
and  member  of  the  graduating  class  of  1917 ;  Johnnie, 
Ole,  and  Hazel.  Mr.  Orvold  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Gully  for  a  number  of  years,  until 
the  establishment  of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church,  in 
Trail  of  which  he  has  since  been  a  faithful  supporter. 


JAMES  T.  SULLIVAN. 


Having  had  a  large  share  of  difficulties  and  losses  in 
his  career  as  a  Polk  county  farmer,  and  yet  having  won 
a  substantial  and  impressive  success  through  his  oper- 
ations as  sucli  by  his  good  management  and  pereisteut 
industry,  James  T.  Sullivan,  proprietor  of  the 
Sullivan  farm,  which  comprises  the  North  half  of 
Section  30,  Sullivan  township  and  is  four  miles  and  a 
half  northeast  of  East  Grand  Forks,  has  shown  that 
he  possesses  the  qualities  which  always  count  well  in 
the  struggle  for  advancement  among  men.  He  was 
born  in  Lanark  county,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
December  10,  1853.  He  was  prepared  for  the  work  of 
teaching  school  but  did  not  enter  the  profession.  His 
first  money  was  earned  as  a  timekeeper  in  a  lumber 
camp  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He  passed 
eleven  months  in  the  camp  and  on  the  river,  and 
received  a  check  for  .$270  for  his  services.  The  next 
season  he  returned  to  his  father's  farm  in  Canada. 
His  father  came  to  Minnesota  and  Polk  county  in  1877 
and  the  next  year  James  T.  and  the  rest  of  the  family 
joined  him  here.  The  children  all  remained  with  tlieir 
parents  until  1881. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  this  county  iu  1878 
the  father  filed  on  claims  for  his  sons,  that  of  James  T. 
being  the  Noi'theast  quarter  of  Section  30,  on  whirh 
he  now  lives.  Before  he  took  posses.sion  of  his  claim 
it  was  jumped,  but  the  man  who  jumped  it  afterward 
abandoned  it  and  Mr.  Sullivan  retained  the  ownership 
of  it  without  a  contest.  In  1882  he  returned  to  his 
native  county  and  there  married  Miss  Elizabetli  Hol- 
linger  whom  he  at  once  brought  to  the  new  dwelling 
he  had  built  on  his  land  in  1881.    He  also  bought  the 


Northwest  quarter  of  Section  30,  and  thus  became  the 
owner  of  the  whole  North  half  of  that  section,  his 
new  purchase  having  been  improved  by  its  former 
owner,  0.  E.  Thoresen.  For  many  years  Mr.  Sullivan 
devoted  his  attention  to  raising  grain  and  did  well  at 
it.  But  during  the  last  six  years  he  has  been  keeping 
cows  on  a  large  scale  and  breeding  high  gi-ade  Hol- 
stein  cattle.  His  herd  consists  of  at  least  fifty  head 
as  a  rule,  and  he  milks  twenty-five  cows  regularly,  and 
to  be  supplied  with  feed  for  his  cattle  he  uses  two 
silos  of  generous  proportions. 

Mr.  Sullivan  has  been  township  clerk  ten  years, 
township  assessor  fifteen  years  and  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  its  clerk  and  treasurer  from  the 
time  when  the  school  district  was  organized.  His  wife 
died  in  1908  after  they  had  lived  together  twenty-six 
years.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children  one  of 
whom,  a  daughter  named  Stella,  died  in  1898,  aged 
eight.  The  four  who  are  living  are  Charles  and  Well- 
ington, who  are  living  at  home,  and  Elizabeth  and 
Wilfred,  who  are  married.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
Ralph  Van  Voores,  who  is  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  at  East  Grand  Forks, 
and  Wilfred  married  Miss  Emily  Jacobson,  a  resident 
of  that  city  also. 

On  November  8,  1911,  Mr.  Sullivan  contracted  a 
second  marriage,  which  united  him  with  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Ryan.  She  was  a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county 
public  schools  for  fourteen  years,  teaching  her  fii*st 
school  at  Mallory  when  she  was  but  seventeen  years 
old.  She  was  also  a  stenographer  in  a  law  office  in 
Grand  Porks  three  years,  and  cared  for  her  parents 


340 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


to  the  end  of  their  lives.  .She  belongs  to  all  the  elubs 
and  other  useful  organizations  in  her  neighborhood 
and  is  an  active  worker  in  them  and  the  ehureh 
societies  and  a  very  forceful  and  effective  occasional 
speaker.  She  and  her  hasband  are  active  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  Hail  and 
other  storms  have  seriously  injured  Mr.  Sullivan's 


crops  at  times,  and  in  1887  a  cyclone  destroyed  a  new 
horse  barn  which  he  had  just  built  and  injured  his 
house,  causing  a  loss  of  several  hundred  dollars.  In 
1884,  when  his  whole  crop  was  destroyed  by  hail  he 
was  appointed  deputy  county  auditor  under  P.  J. 
McGuire,  who  was  the  auditor  for  years  but  is  now  a 
resident  of  St.  Paul. 


OLE  S.  TiASGAARD. 


In  his  thirty-seven  years  of  residence  in  this  county 
Ole  S.  Basgaard,  who  is  now  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  prosperous  farmers  of  Esther  township,  has 
shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of  progressiveness  and 
energy,  wise  in  the  management  of  his  aifairs  and 
judicious  in  his  support  of  undertakings  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  county  and  especially  his  home  township, 
turning  down  none  of  merit  aaid  assisting  none  of 
doubtful  propriety.  He  is  an  excellent  citizen  and 
is  esteemed  as  such  wherever  he  is  known. 

Mr.  Basgaard  was  born  in  Norway,  March  25,  1847, 
and  was  brought  to  this  country  by  his  parents  when 
he  was  about  one  year  old.  The  parents  located  at 
Noskes,  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  about  fourteen 
miles  east  of  the  city  of  Madison.  After  living  there 
six  years  they  moved  to  Coon  Valley,  Vernon  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  there  they  died.  Their  son  Ole 
remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  but  when  he  was  nineteen  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Sevrena  Theresa  Vigesaa,  also  a  native  of  Nor- 
way and  brought  to  this  country  by  her  parents  when 
she  was  young. 

When  Mr.  Basgaard  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  moved  into  this  state  and  took  up  an  80  acre  home- 
stead in  Chippewa  county,  where  he  continued  to  live 
seven  years,  but  he  did  not  come  to  Polk  county  to 
live  until  May,  1878.  He  then  took  up  a  homestead 
of  eighty  acres  on  the  prairie,  but  he  did  not  prove  up 
on  this,  aa  he  sold  it  before  the  proving  up  time  came. 
His  brother-in-law,  Ole  E.  Larson,  came  to  this  county 
in  1878,  and  had  acquired  the  ownership  of  160  acres 
of  the  land  Mr.  Basgaard  now  owns,  and  the  latter 


traded  his  interest  in  his  prairie  homestead  to  Mr. 
Larson  for  this  quarter  section.  A  few  acres  of  it 
were  broken  up  but  there  were  no  buildings  on  the 
place.  It  was  railroad  land  and  in  dispute,  but  he 
proceeded  to  farm  and  improve  it.  When  the  dispute 
over  it  was  settled  he  received  the  sum  of  $350  as  a 
rebate  for  the  buildings  he  had  erected  and  the  work 
he  had  done  on  the  place.  The  Grand  Marais  river 
winds  across  the  land,  and  for  some  time  a  great  deal 
of  it  was  overflowed  and  swampy.  But  it  is  all  well 
drained  now  and  produces  excellent  hay. 

The  first  dwelling  Mr.  Basgaard  had  on  this  land 
was  made  of  bark  and  sod.  In  a  little  while  this  gave 
way  to  a  little  log  house,  and  in  this  he  made  his  home 
until  he  put  up  his  present  residence,  Mhich  was  one 
of  the  best  in  its  locality  when  it  was  built.  Grain 
and  hay  have  been  his  principal  products  on  this  farm 
until  recently,  when  he  has  given  a  portion  of  his 
attention  to  raising  live  stock,  preferring  the  Short- 
horn strain  in  cattle.  In  addition  to  his  home  farm 
he  owns  120  acres  of  prairie  land  in  Northland  town- 
ship, three  miles  and  a  half  distant  from  his  home, 
but  this  is  farmed  by  a  tenant  and  is  also  devoted  to 
grain,  principally  wheat. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Basgaard  were  members  of  the  Grand 
Marais  Lutheran  church.  Mrs.  Basgaard  died 
March  1,  1897.  They  had  nine  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living.  Hilda  is  now  the  wife  of  John  Rule  of 
Bellingham,  Washington.  Laura  is  the  wife  of  A.  C. 
Corliss,  a  street  car  conductor  in  Fargo,  North  Dakota. 
Stephen  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Beltrami  county, 
Minnesota.     Eddie   and  Mandus  are  still   living  at 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


341 


home.  Hendry  married  Miss  Ida  Johnson  and  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty-four.  His  widow  and  two  chil- 
dren, Clarence  and  Walter,  are  living  with  his  father- 
in-law.    Sigvart  was  killed  by  lightning  at  the  age  of 


twenty-six.  Carl  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five. 
Emma,  who  was  the  wife  of  Peter  Mattson,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty. 


JAMES  0.  HOVLAND. 


This  esteemed  citizen  of  Polk  county,  who  has  been 
a  prominent  farmer  in  Northwestern  Minnesota  for 
many  years  and  is  now  president  of  the  Farmers' 
State  Bank  of  Winger,  was  born  iu  Rock  county,  Wis  • 
consin.  May  25,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Lars  J.  and 
Ingeborg  Hovland,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  Nor- 
way and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1857,  locating 
in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  and  remaining  there 
until  1882,  when  they  moved  to  Norman  county,  where 
the  father  took  up  a  soldier's  homestead.  He  had 
served  nine  months  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  private  iu 
Compau}^  M,  First  Regiment,  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Artillery,  and  after  his  location  in  Norman  county  he 
continued  to  live  there  until  his  death  in  1908.  He 
was  a  faithful  and  consistent  member  of  Faaberg 
Lutheran  church. 

James  0.  Hovlaud  got  his  academic  education  at 
St.  Olaf 's  school  at  Northfield  and  afterward  pursued 
a  course  of  special  instruction  in  a  business  college  in 
Rochester.  In  1884  he  moved  to  Rindal,  in  this 
county,  where  he  opened  a  general  store  in  partnerehip 
with  Martin  Anderson.  As  the  firm  had  only  $2,000 
capital  the  store  was  a  small  one,  but  the  sales  were 
large,  and  the  venture  was  profitable.  Mr.  Hovlaad 
sold  his  interest  in  the  biisiness  at  a  profit  at  the  end 
of  three  years,  and  then  opened  a  store  at  the  old 
Winger  postoffice  one  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  site 
of  the  present  village  of  Winger.    The  goods  for  this 


stoi-e  had  to  be  hauled  from  Beltrami,  a  distance  of 
37  miles,  and  the  freeze  of  1888  injured  the  farmers' 
crops  to  such  an  extent  that  they  were  unable  to  pay 
their  bills.  Iu  consequence  of  these  difficulties  the 
store  was  closed. 

Mr.  Hovland 's  next  move  was  the  purchase  of  his 
father's  fanu  in  Norman  county,  which  he  still  owns 
and  has  enlarged  to  400  acres.  He  operated  this  farm 
until  1908,  and  since  then  it  has  been  cultivated  by  a 
tenant,  but  Mr.  Hovland  made  his  home  on  it  until 
1914,  when  he  changed  his  residence  to  Winger.  In 
connection  with  his  farming  industry  he  bred  graded 
cattle  for  dairy  purposes  and  also  raised  numbers  of 
0.  I.  C.  hogs,  of  which  he  still  owns  a  fine  drove.  He 
also  erected  substantial  and  commodious  buildings  on 
the  farm  and  equipped  it  with  every  modern  machine 
needed  for  its  advanced  and  progressive  cultivation. 

In  1912  Mr.  Hovland  conceived  the  project  of 
reorganizing  the  old  state  bank  at  Winger  and  induced 
many  farmers  to  take  stock  in  the  enterprise.  The 
reorganization  was  efi'ected  under  the  name  of  the 
Farmers'  State  Bank  of  Winger  with  Mr.  Hovland  as 
its  president.  He  has  since  devoted  a  part  of  his  time 
and  energy  to  the  affairs  of  this  institution,  and  it  is 
flourishing  vigorously  under  his  prudent  and  energetic 
management,  taking  rank  as  one  of  the  strongest  and 
best  managed  fiscal  institutions  of  its  class  in  this 
part  of  the  state  of  Minnesota. 


HANS  0.  LEE. 


Hans  0.  Lee,  of  Badger  township,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  the  county  and  proprietor  of  the  Badger 
"Valley  Farm,  is  a  pioneer  of  this  region,  having 
located  in  Wisconsin  in  the  early  seventies.     He  was 


born  in  Norway,  April  30,  1858,  and  came  with  his 
parents,  Ole  and  Martha  Lee  to  Grant  County,  Wis- 
consin, when  ten  years  of  age.  There  the  father  died. 
He  assisted  in  the  clearing  of  the  timber  land  in  Wis- 


342 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGR:\PHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


consiu.  Wheu  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  left 
home  to  seek  employment  as  a  farm  laborer  and  for 
ten  years  worked  on  a  Fillmore  and  Norman  county 
farm.  During  this  time  he  helped  defray  expenses  on 
the  home  place  in  Wisconsin,  and  thus  was  not  able 
to  advance  his  own  interests  by  saving  from  his  wages. 
Upon  the  opening  of  the  Thirteen  Towns,  in  1883,  he 
filed  on  land  in  section  seven.  Badger  township,  and 
entered  upon  his  farming  career  with  a  capital  of 
seven  dollars.  During  the  first  years  he  worked  in  the 
hai-vest  fields  in  Norman  county  and  had  but  little 
time  to  give  to  the  improvement  of  his  tract.  In  1886 
he  was  married  to  Lena  Weger  of  Fillmore  county, 
Mincsota,  and  his  finances  permitting  but  a  small  pay- 
ment, he  purchased  a  team  of  horses  and  wagon  from 
her  father,  on  credit,  and  brought  his  wife  to  the  new 
home  in  the  wilderness.  Their  first  home  was  in  the 
sod  claim  shanty  with  the  humble  surroundings  of 
pioneer  life.  The  thrift  and  competent  management 
which  marked  the  years  that  followed  appear  in  the 
model  farm  and  prosperous  interests  of  Mr.  Lee.  He 
has  steadily  added  to  his  property  and  owned  five 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  but  has  given  two  hundred 
and  forty  to  his  sons,  Ole  Lee  and  Herman  Lee. 
Badger  Valley  Farm  now  comprises  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land,  which  in  natural  advantages  of 


fertility  of  soil,  as  well  as  in  its  great  productiveness 
under  the  direction  of  its  owner,  ranks  as  one  of  the 
most  desirable  farms  in  the  county.  The  extent  of 
his  operations  may  be  seen  in  his  harvest  of  5,000 
bushels  of  grain  in  1915  and  in  his  successful  enter- 
prise in  stock  farming.  He  keeps  a  large  herd  of 
cattle,  raising  for  the  market  and  dairying  purposes 
and  is  breeding  Short  Horn  stock.  In  1903  he  erected 
the  present  country  home,  which  replaced  the  log 
house  which  was  the  second  home  of  the  family.  Jilr. 
Lee  has  always  manifested  an  active  interest  in  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  the  community  and  has  given 
able  service  to  public  interests  as  a  member  of  the 
township  board  and  of  the  school  board.  He  has  also 
been  associated  for  five  yeai-s  with  the  co-operative 
creamery  at  Ei-skine  as  stockholder  and  director,  and 
is  a  shareholder  in  the  Scandia  Bank  at  Erskine.  He 
is  a  member  of  Sorum  Lutheran  Clmreh  and  is  prom- 
inently identified  with  church  affairs  as  trustee. 
Mr.  Lee  has  a  family  of  five  children,  Ole,  Herman, 
Nels,  Carl,  and  Martha,  who  married  0.  T.  Fretta, 
and  lives  about  three  miles  east  of  her  old  home.  Ole 
Lee  is  the  owner  of  a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
farm,  and  Herman  Lee  of  eighty  acres,  given  them  by 
their  father,  and  they  are  associated  with  him  in  his 
agricultural  interests. 


C.  M.  BERG. 


C.  M.  Berg,  president  of  the  First  National  bank 
at  Mcintosh,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since 
early  childhood.  He  was  born  in  Norway,  at  Grue 
Prestegjeld  Solor,  April  10,  1873.  In  1888  his  par- 
ents came,  with  their  son  and  two  daughters,  from 
Norway  to  Minnesota,  where  the  father,  Martin  T. 
Berg,  settled  on  land  in  King  township,  Polk  county, 
and  became  a  well-known  pioneer  of  that  section.  He 
is  now  a  retired  farmer  and  resides  in  Mcintosh.  C. 
M.  Berg  was  reared  on  the  Polk  county  homestead 
and  attended  the  public  schools.  "When  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  entered  upon  his  business  career 
and   for  some  years  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a 


general  store  at  Mcintosh  and  later  sold  agi'ieultural 
implements  on  the  road.  His  association  with  the 
banking  interests  of  the  county  began  in  1901,  when  he 
secured  the  position  of  bookkeeper  and  later  wa.s  made 
assistant  cashier  of  the  State  bank  at  Mcintosh,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  identified  with  the  successful 
operations  of  that  institution.  In  1901  "W.  S.  Short 
was  the  president  of  the  corporation  and  S.  H.  Drew 
was  the  cashier.  Two  years  later  the  bank  was  con- 
verted into  a  national  bank  and  continued  to  be  eon- 
ducted  by  the  same  officials  until  1911,  when  Mr. 
Berg  became  president,  having  serv'ed  as  cashier  from 
1905  until  1911,  and  in  that  position  and  as  activo 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


343 


manager  has  displayed  able  executive  ability  and 
financial  genius  in  directing  its  activities  to  a  steadily 
increasing  prosperity.  In  1913  the  present  bank 
building  was  erected  at  the  cost  of  $11,300  and  was 
adequately  equipped  with  interior  furnishings  and 
safety  deposit  vaults.  Aside  from  his  financial  enter- 
prises, Mr.  Berg  has  interested  himself  in  quite  ex- 
tensive investments  in  farm  lands.  As  a  public-spir- 
ited and  progressive  citizen,  he  has  freely  contributed 
his  services  and  influence  in  behalf  of  the  develop- 
ment and  general  welfare  of  the  town  and  count}' 
and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  asso- 
ciates in  every  field  of  activity.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Minnesota  and  American  Bankers  associations  and 


of  the  Independent  Scandinavian  Workingmen's  as- 
.soeiation.  Mr.  Berg  was  married  November  18,  1896, 
to  Bertha  Bjorgo.  Mrs.  Berg's  parents  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  the  Thirteen  Towns.  Mr.  Berg 
has  served  on  the  school  board  for  nine  years,  one 
year  of  which  he  was  jiresident  (in  1914),  and  was 
appointed  mayor  of  Mcintosh  in  1906,  serving  as  such 
until  April,  1907.  In  church  affiliations  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  John's  church  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church,  serving  as  treasurer  for  the  past  twenty-three 
yeai-s.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  treasurer  of  the  North 
Star  Dairy  association,  of  Mcintosh,  and  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  Mcintosh  Commercial  club. 


OLE  LIND. 


This  progressive  and  prosperous  farmer,  who  owns 
the  Southwest  quarter  of  Section  22,  Higdem  town- 
ship, this  county,  and  has  his  residence  but  one- 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  that  of  his  father  and  brother 
John,  who  live  on  the  adjoining  tract,  is  a  native  of 
Sweden,  where  his  life  began  June  7,  1875.  In  1888 
he  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents, 
Nels  and  Carrie  Lind,  who  located  for  a  few  months 
at  Warren,  in  Marshall  county,  Minnesota,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  took  up  their  residence  on  the 
farm  on  which  the  father  stiU  lives,  and  which  he 
then  purchased.  The  farm  had  30  acres  of  its  land 
plowed  and  contained  a  small  log  house  which  the 
family  used  as  a  dwelling  until  the  father  erected  the 
present  larger  and  more  convenient  residence. 

During  the  first  summer  the  father  worked  out  but 
did  not  save  much,  as  the  living  of  the  family  took 
nearly  all  his  earnings.  He  went  in  debt  for  his  land, 
but  soon  after  locating  on  it  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen 
and  began  to  make  it  yield  something  in  the  way  of 
cropa  To  keep  the  family,  however,  during  the 
winter  he  cut  cord  wood  and  hauled  it  eighteen  miles 
to  Warren,  where  he  received  about  $3  a  cord  for  it. 
The  father  has  added  forty  acres  to  the  farm  and 
made  all  the  improvements  there  are  on  it.  He  has 
recently  sold  it  to  his  son  John  but  continues  to  make 


his  home  on  it.     The  mother  died  January  28,  1914. 
The  father  has  served  as  road  overseer. 

The  four  sons  in  the  family,  Peter,  Ole,  Johann  and 
John,  aU  worked  at  home  during  their  minority. 
When  they  left  home  Peter,  Ole  and  Johann  bought 
240  acres  of  land  which  the  three  worked  together 
until  the  death  of  Johann  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
One  year  later  Peter  and  Ole  divided  the  land,  Peter 
taking  160  acres  and  Ole  eighty  acres.  Each  has  since 
bought  an  additional  tract  of  160  acres,  the  two 
purchases  constituting  the  South  half  of  Section  22. 
The  boys  all  made  their  home  with  their  father  until 
1911  except  Johann,  who  died  prior  to  that  year. 

Ole  Lind's  farm  was  originally  the  tree  claim  of 
Robert  Olson,  and  that  gentleman  set  out  ten  or  eleven 
acres  in  trees  which  have  already  yielded  a  profitable 
supply  of  sawlogs,  the  trees  being  principally  cotton- 
wood  and  box-elder.  Mr.  Lind  has  set  out  500  or  600 
additional  trees  mainly  to  sei"ve  as  windbreaks.  He 
has  built  a  good  dwelling  house  and  made  other 
improvements  on  his  land  and  is  engaged  principally 
in  raising  grain,  but  he  also  keeps  five  or  six  milk 
cows  regularly.  He  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  township  and  served  it  as 
supervisor. 

On  July  16,  1908,  Mr.  Lind  was  married  to  Miss 


344 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Clara  Olson,  a  daughter  of  Ole  E.  Olson,  of  Higdem 
township,  who  came  to  Polk  county  in  his  young  man- 
hood. ]Mrs.  Lind  was  born  in  Marshall  county  but 
not  far  from  her  present  home.  Two  children  have 
been   born   of  the   marriage,   Matilda   Caroline   and 


belong  to  the  Kongsvinger  Lutheran  church,  of  which 
Ole  Lind  is  now  one  of  the  trustees,  and  in  which  his 
father  has  been  active  during  the  whole  of  his  resi- 
dence in  this  county.  During  seven  years  of  the  life 
of  the  late  Thomas  Hendrickson  Mr.  Lind  was  his 


Nicholas   Oliver.     All   the    members   of   the   family     partner  in  operating  a  threshing  outfit. 


STEENER  KNUTSON. 


Steener  Kuutson,  father  to  the  Steenerson  family 
who  have  been  prominent  in  the  history  and  develop- 
ment of  Polk  county,  was  born  in  Telemarken,  Nor- 
way, June  30,  1819,  and  was  the  only  son  of  Knut  and 
Annie  Steenerson,  of  Berge,  in  Margedal,  Norway. 

He  was  educated  in  the  common  school  of  that 
Parish  and  graduated  as  teacher  from  the  Kvitseid 
Seminary,  and  taught  school  for  several  years  in 
neighboring  parishes.  In  1844  he  married  Birgit 
Liefson  Roholt,  who  was  bom  jMarch  30,  1821.  They 
bought  a  farm  named  Roumdal,  but  sold  it  iu  a  short 
time  and  removed  to  another  farm  named  Moaas, 
which  they  owned  and  operated  for  several  years,  and 
finally  sold  out  in  1851  and  sailed  for  America. 

At  this  time  three  sons  had  been  born  to  them, 
Knute,  Leif,  and  Christopher.  He  used  to  say  his 
resolution  to  leave  his  native  land  was  based  upon 
economic  conditions.  His  earthly  possessions  were 
small  and  there  was  little  prospect  of  any  increase  in 
them,  except  in  the  item  of  children,  in  which  line  he 
had  already  made  a  good  start.  Reading  about  the 
opportunities  in  America  and  its  free  institutions,  he 
desired  to  get  there  before  his  family  would  be  so 
large  and  his  purse  so  small  that  he  would  be  unable 
to  get  away.  This  calculation  proved  quite  correct, 
for  when  he  arrived  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  he 
had  just  enough  mone.y  left  to  buy  a  cow  and  a  couple 
of  two  year  old  steers.  Here  he  rented  forty  acres 
of  land,  and  taught  school  in  the  neighborhood  for  a 
time.  Finally,  hearing  of  Minnesota  Territory  and 
its  cheap  lands,  he  decided  to  go  there  and  locate  a 
home.  Leaving  his  family  in  Dane  county,  he  reached 
LaCrosse  and  was  told  by  Mons  Anderson,  a  merchant 


there,  that  he  could  get  a  homestead  north  of  what  is 
now  LaCrosse,  and  he  went  out  to  look  at  it,  but 
thought  the  soil  was  too  sandy;  so  he  went  on  across 
the  Mississippi  into  Houston  county,  Minnesota,  and 
selected  a  homestead  at  Luna  VaUey.  Here  he  hired 
out  to  cut  cord-wood  for  some  one  at  LaCrosse,  and 
was  cheated  out  of  his  pay. 

One  day,  towards  spring,  he  was  walking  across  the 
Mississippi  on  the  ice  with  an  ax  on  his  shoulder.  The 
ice,  being  weak,  broke  under  him  and  he  fell  in  and  in 
the  struggle  to  get  out  the  ax  fell  on  his  left  hand  and 
cut  the  middle  finger  clean  off.  This  laid  him  up  for 
the  balance  of  the  winter.  When  spring  opened  he 
was  so  far  recovered  that  he  was  able  to  go  to  work 
and  hired  out  to  go  on  a  raft  from  LaCrosse  to  St. 
Louis,  which  trip  netted  him  fifteen  dollars. 

In  1853  the  family  joined  him  at  LaCrosse  and  they 
settled  down  on  their  claim  at  Luna  Valley.  Bj'  this 
time  the  family  had  increased  to  four,  another  boy 
having  been  born  and  named  Halvoi".  They  came 
riding  behind  a  yoke  of  oxen  on  a  wagon,  with  wheels 
made  of  blocks  sawed  from  a  log.  The  names  of  the 
oxen  were  "Duke"  and  "Dime."  The  cow  was  also 
along,  her  name  was  Jevrei,  meaning  precious  and  she 
proved  herself  to  be  precious  in  fact  as  well  as  in 
name;  she  was  the  mainstay  of  the  family  for  years, 
and  was  famous  far  and  wide  for  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  her  milk,  and  the  fine  calves  she  raised. 

On  the  trip  on  the  raft  to  St.  Louis  he  contracted 
the  fever  and  ague  and  was  laid  up  with  the  disease 
for  nearly  a  year.  When  his  wife  told  of  these  times 
and  of  the  hardship  endured  it  was  enough  to  moisten 
the  eyes  of  the  most  stolid.    The  countrv  was  full  of 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


34E 


Indians,  wliieh  constantly  engendered  fear,  as  the 
county  was  sparsely  settled,  the  buildings  poor,  pro- 
visions low,  want  and  starvation  staring  them  in  the 
face,  and  she  the  only  provider  and  protector  to  the 
sick  husband  and  the  four  small  childi'en.  The  yoke 
of  oxen  had  to  be  mortgaged  to  get  flour  and  pro- 
visions. A  year  and  a  half  passed  before  Steener  got 
his  health  back,  and  a  chance  to  sell  his  claim  for 
enough  to  get  out  of  debt  and  to  make  a  new  start. 
They  then  moved  to  the  town  of  Sheldon,  Houston 
county,  and  took  up  a  claim  in  Section  30,  where  they 
resided  for  over  twenty  years  and  raised  a  big  family ; 
the  children,  in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned, 
being  Andrew,  Ellas,  Ellen,  Anne,  and  John. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  the  parents  had  a 
nucleus  for  a  small  army,  which  taxed  their  ability  to 
the  utmost  to  keep  in  proper  discipline ;  but  under  the 
stern  orders  of  their  superiors  the  younger  ones  soon 
became  efficient  in  planting,  hoeing,  and  husking  corn, 
and  other  duties  on  the  farm,  and  chafing  under  the 
situation  that  all  were  too  young  to  partake  in  the 
defense  of  their  country.  Mr.  Knutson  finally,  in 
1864,  volunteered  in  Company  K  of  the  Eleventh  Min- 
nesota, and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  1871  the  two  older  boj's  took  land  in  Polk 
county,  Minnesota,  and  selected  a  claim  for  the  father 
in  Section  30,  town  of  Vineland,  to  where  he  went  in 
1875,  and  the  rest  of  the  family  followed  in  1876. 
Here  he  lived  until  he  passed  to  the  other  life,  in  1881. 
He  served  as  Town  Supervisor  of  Vineland  for  several 
years.  He  was  also  active  in  church  work,  and  one  of 
the    organizers    of    the    first    Lutheran    Church    in 


Houston  county.  Mother  Steenerson  died  twelve 
years  later,  or  in  1893,  and  both  are  buried  in  the 
Climax  Cemetery,  where  appropriate  monuments  mark 
their  last  resting  place. 

Few  have  been  more  closely  identified  with  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  State  than  they  were ; 
and  few  have  reared  as  large  a  familj'  of  boys  and 
girls,  under  adverse  conditions,  all  of  whom  grew  to 
manhood  and  became  prominent  citizens  of  Polk 
county,  and  elsewhere. 

The  following  is  a  chronology  of  the  offices  held  in 
the  County  and  State  by  the  Steeuersons:  Knute, 
sheriff  of  Chippewa  county  in  1876 ;  Levi,  county  com- 
missioner of  Polk  county  for  several  years;  Christo- 
pher, the  first  superintendent  of  schools  of  Polk 
county,  in  1876,  and  later  clerk  of  court  for  many 
years;  Halvor,  county  attorney  of  Polk  county,  state 
senator,  and  member  of  Congi-ess ;  Andrew,  sheriff  of 
Polk  county ;  Elias,  postmaster  of  Crookston  for  nine 
years,  and  mayor  of  Fisher  in  the  early  eighties ;  John, 
mayor  of  Esmond,  North  Dakota ;  Anne,  teacher  and 
member  of  the  school  board  at  Climax ;  Ellen,  teacher. 

No  doubt  but  that  the  old  folks  longed  to  go  back  to 
their  native  land  during  the  times  of  distress,  when 
pioneering  in  Houston  county,  and  possibly  felt  they 
had  made  a  mistake,  yet  that  thought  never  found  an 
utterance.  Their  faith  in  their  adopted  country  and 
its  institutions  seemed  to  be  implicit,  and  their  hope 
for  final  success  seemed  to  be  instinctive.  They  be- 
came part  of  their  adopted  country,  and  that  they  had 
made  no  mistake  they  were  well  satisfied  during  their 
declining  years. 


JAMES  NISBET. 


James  Nisbet,  an  early  citizen  and  for  many  years  a 

prominent  farmer  of  Huntsville  township,  was  born 

in  county  Lanark,  Ontario,  June  7,  1846,  and  died  in 

Polk  county,  November  27,  1910.    He  was  the  son  of 

"William  and  Cristena    (Lindsay)    Nisbet,  who  were 

natives  of  Scotland.     James  Nisbet  was  one  of  four 

brothers  who  located   in  Polk  county   in   the   earlv 
22 


seventies  and  were  widely  identified  with  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  the  western  part  of  the 
county.  David  Nisbet  died  a  number  of  years  ago; 
Robert  Nisbet  was  a  resident  of  Nisbet  township, 
which  was  named  in  his  honor  and  Thomas  Nisbet  was 
for  many  years  a  farmer  in  Huntsville  township  and 
was  living  in  Grand  Forks  at  the  time  of  his  death  in 


346 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGR,\PHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


1914.  James  Nisbet  remained  in  Canada  until  his 
early  manhood  when  he  went  to  AVisconsin  and  for 
nine  years  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  on  the  Chip- 
pewa river,  employed  in  the  camps  in  winter  and 
during  the  summer  season,  driving  logs  on  the  river. 
In  1875  he  came  to  Polk  county,  where  his  brother, 
David  Nisbet  had  already  located,  and  secured  a 
homestead.  For  several  years  in  company  with  Joel 
Robertson,  he  lived  at  the  bachelor  home  of  David 
Nisbet,  each  member  of  the  household  owning  and 
operating  his  own  farm.  In  1880  lie  returned  to 
Canada  and  was  married  in  February  of  that  year  to 
Cristena  Morrow,  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret 
(Geddes)  Morrow.  David  Morrow,  a  brother  and 
Mary,  a  sister,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Welch  were  already 
residents  of  Polk  county  and  another  sister  Janet, 
who  married  Robert  Bain,  later  located  at  Fisher, 
where  she  now  lives.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Nisbet 
erected  a  house  of  hewed  logs,  cut  from  the  timber 
along  the  Marais  river,  which  crossed  his  fann.  This 
house  which  is  still  standing,  with  a  few  simple  fur- 
nishings was  the  finst  home  of  the  family  and  they 
continued  to  live  there  until  1883  when  the  present 
modern  house  was  built.     Mr.  Nisbet  steadily  pros- 


pered in  his  farming  enterprises  and  built  up  a  fine 
property,  setting  out  groves  and  equipping  the  place 
with  large  barns.  He  was  ever  actively  interested  in 
behalf  of  the  general  welfare  of  the  community  and 
gave  able  service  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In 
fraternal  circles,  he  was  a  well  known  member  of  the 
Masonic  chapter  at  Ci'ookstou.  His  death  occurred  on 
his  homestead,  in  his  sixty-fourth  year.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife  and  two  children,  Margaret 
Evelyn,  who  married  William  Porter,  a  grain  dealer 
at  Grand  Forks;  and  William  James.  Myrtle  Chris- 
tina, the  youngest  daughter,  died  in  childhood.  Wil- 
liam J.  Nisbet  was  married  to  Eva,  the  daughter  of 
James  McDonald,  of  Nisbet  township,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Herbert  James.  Mr.  Nisbet  is  a  farmer, 
owning  a  part  of  his  father's  estate  of  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres.  Mrs.  Nisbet  has  continued  to 
make  her  home  on  the  farm  since  her  Inisbaud's  death 
and  is  interested  in  its  management.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Farmers  club  at  Mallorj'.  Although  reared  as  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  Mrs.  Nisbet  has 
always  been  a  loyal  supporter  and  active  worker  in  the 
Bethel  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  her  husband 
was  a  member. 


PATRICK  QUIGLEY. 


Patrick  Quigley,  a  pioneer  of  Polk  county  and  well 
known  citizen,  has  been  a  resident  of  Tynsid  township 
since  1871.  He  came  to  the  United  States  from  Ire- 
land and  for  a  number  of  years  was  employed  in  rail- 
road construction  work  and  during  the  time  that  he 
was  employed  on  the  Union  Pacific  road,  witnessed 
the  driving  of  the  Golden  Spike  at  the  union  of  the 
east  and  west  branches.  He  gradually  worked  west- 
ward, visiting  Chicago  before  its  historic  fire,  and 
came  to  Minnesota  to  work  on  the  Great  Northern 
road,  which  was  being  extended  west  from  Brainerd. 
In  September,  1871,  he  took  a  preemption  claim  in 
Tynsid  township.  He  was  accompanied  by  Matthew 
Martin,  Michael  Quirk  and  Barney  Haggerty,  who 
located  on  adjoining  tracts  of  land.    This  was  before 


any  survey  had  been  made  in  that  region  and  when 
choice  of  location  permitted  them  to  settle  on  the 
timber  land  along  the  river.  Mr.  Quigley  erected  a 
log  house  and  engaged  upon  his  task  of  farm  build- 
ing, subsequently  purchasing  railroad  land  for  whiih 
he  paid  from  five  to  eight  dollars  an  acre.  He  con- 
tinued his  farming  operations  for  some  sixteen  years, 
developing  a  fine  farm  of  six  hundred  acres,  equipped 
with  modem  buildings,  his  farming  enterprise  for  the 
most  part  being  devoted  entirely  to  the  raising  of 
gi'ain.  Of  late  years  he  has  divided  his  land  among 
his  children  and  retained  seventy-five  acres  for  his 
own  use.  This  is  in  section  fifteen  of  Tynsid  tovvn.sliip. 
Mr.  Quigley  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known 
citizens  of  the  county,  where  the  many  yeare  of  his 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


347 


residence  have  been  enriched  by  the  kindly  service  and 
genial  friendsliip  which  have  characterized  his  career. 
Like  many  of  his  gifted  country  men,  a  native  humor 
and  genius  for  relating  tales,  enlivened  his  rich  store 
of  interesting  anecdotes  of  pioneer  days;  his  memory 
retaining  many  amusing  incidents  which  made  for  a 
good  laugh  in  that  period  of  privations  and  hard  work. 
He  has  always  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  influential  in  public  affairs  and  has 
given  able  service  in  the  various  local  offices  of  public 
responsibility.  Mr.  Quigley  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Cookman,  whose  death  occurred  in  1911.    Nine  chil- 


dren were  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  seven  survive, 
Mary,  the  wife  of  W.  B.  Hamilton,  of  Fisher,  Nicholas, 
Fred,  Tom,  who  is  living  in  Seattle,  Washington, 
Patrick,  Frank,  and  Nellie.  The  latter  has  kept  the 
home  for  Mr.  Quigley  since  the  death  of  the  mother. 
A  son  and  daughter,  Willie  and  Laura,  died  in  their 
yoiith.  Fred  Quigley,  Patrick  Quigley  and  Frank 
Quigley  are  all  Polk  county  farmers,  operating  the 
land  given  ihem  by  their  father.  Mr.  Quigley  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at 
Fisher. 


CARL  QUERN. 


The  scion  of  a  family  that  has  played  an  important 
part  in  the  affairs  of  Polk  county  from  the  early  days 
of  its  history,  Carl  Quern,  one  of  the  progressive  and 
prosperous  farmere  of  Higdem  township  has  well 
sustained  the  record  and  traditions  of  the  family  in 
his  own  career.  He  is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born 
in  Renville  county,  July  2,  1871.  In  1895,  when  his 
father,  C.  C.  Quern,  bought  480  acres  of  land  in  Sec- 
tion 21,  Higdem  township,  Carl  and  his  brother-in- 
law.  Gust  Nelson,  rented  the  tract  together  and  occu- 
pied it  as  tenants  for  six  years.  The  next  five  yeai's 
were  passed  by  Carl  in  Roseau  county,  Minnesota, 
where  he  had  taken  up  a  homestead.  He  proved  up 
on  this  and  then  sold  it  for  $1,600,  having  put  fully 
one-half  of  it  under  cultivation. 

In  1905  he  returned  to  the  Higdem  township  farm 
of  480  acres  in  this  county,  of  which  he  was  given 
charge,  and  the  next  year  he  w  as  placed  in  control  of 
the  whole  section,  his  father  having  bought  the  remain- 
ing East  quarter  for  $5,600,  although  the  whole  of 
the  other  three-quarters  had  cost  him  only  $<3,000. 
The  son  managed  the  whole  section  until  two  years 
ago,  when  Mr.  Nelson  returned  from  Roseau  county, 
where  he  also  had  taken  up  a  homestead.  Since  then 
each  of  them  has  operated  one-half  of  the  section,  but 
Mr.  Quern  farms  80  acres  lying  near  by  that  is  owned 
by  his  wife. 


The  dwelling  house  on  the  land  occupied  by  Mr. 
Quern  was  there  when  his  father  bought  the  tract,  but 
the  son  has  done  some  building  almost  eveiy  year,  and 
among  his  works  of  construction  are  commodious  and 
convenient  barns.  He  keeps  over  fifty  head  of  cattle 
and  has  a  fine  herd  of  Shorthorns  started.  In  1915 
he  raised  8,000  bushels  of  wheat,  oats  and  barley, 
the  crops  to  which  he  has  given  his  attention  princi- 
pally, but  he  also  plants  regularly  about  forty  acres  in 
com,  of  which  his  crops  are  also  quite  large. 

The  public  affairs  of  his  township  have  received 
Mr.  Quern 's  interested  and  servieable  attention  at  all 
times.  He  has  served  on  the  township  board  and  is 
now  the  township  supei-visor.  While  living  in  Roseau 
county  he  helped  to  organize  a  new  township  there. 
He  is  independent  in  politics  and  a  Lutheran  in  relig- 
ion with  membership  in  Granville  church,  of  which 
he  is  also  one  of  the  trustees.  On  January  17,  1901 , 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  Syrstad,  wlio 
was  born  on  the  farm  of  eighty  acres  which  she  now 
owns.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Ellen  (Rek- 
stad)  Syrstad,  who  settled  on  that  farm  in  1878,  after 
having  lived  eight  years  in  Wisconsin,  where  they 
were  married.  Both  were  born  in  Norway  and  both 
died  on  the  farm  in  Higdem  township,  the  mother 
passing  away  when  her  daughter  and  only  child,  Ella, 
was  in  her  infancy,  and  the  father  in  1911. 


348 


COMPEXDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AXD  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Mrs.  Quern's  father  married  as  liis  second  wife  Miss 
Marit  Solstad.  They  had  four  cliildren  who  reached 
maturity :  Mrs.  JIary  Seines  and  her  brother  Ole 
Syrstad,  who  live  on  parts  of  the  old  homestead; 
Martin  Syrstad,  who  has  been  reared  from  his  child- 


hood by  ilrs.  C.  C.  Quern,  and  their  sister  Annie,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Dahl,  of  Xashwauk,  Jliunesota. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  Quern  are  Arthur, 
Evelyn,  Oscar,  Jlildred  and  Iner. 


JOHN  AMUNDSON. 


Being  the  onlj-  one  left  of  the  I'csolute  and  self- 
reliant  men  who  broke  into  the  wilderness  of  Fairfax 
township,  this  county,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  its 
civil  institutions  and  started  it  on  its  career  of  prog- 
ress, development  and  service  to  mankind,  John 
Amuudson,  whose  fine  farm  is  located  in  Section  22 
seven  miles  southeast  of  Crookston,  is  entitled  to 
special  consideration  as  a  type  of  hardihood  and 
endurance  that  is  fast  fading  from  view,  and  also  for 
the  service  he  has  rendered  to  the  localitj-  in  which  he 
lives  and  the  people  of  Polk  county  in  general. 

Mr.  Amundson  was  bom  in  Norway,  August  24, 
1848,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1867,  when  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age,  joining  his  two  sisters  and 
one  brother,  who  had  come  over  a  year  before  and 
were  located  in  Dunn  county,  Wisconsin.  He  passed 
eleven  years  in  that  state,  working  as  a  cook  in  lumber 
camps,  a  cutter  in  saw  mills  and  a  clerk  in  stores.  In 
1878  he  came  to  this  county,  and  during  the  next  three 
years  clerked  in  the  .store  of  W,  D.  Baile,y,  then  ren- 
dered the  same  service  for  three  years  in  the  large 
general  store  of  Fontaine  &  Anglim,  and  during  the 
two  years  following  in  otlier  stores.  When  he  arrived 
in  this  county,  however,  he  took  up  a  lioniestead,  which 
is  part  of  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives. 

It  was  necessary  that  the  new  homesteader  should 
make  his  living  at  some  other  occupation  until  his 
land  could  be  put  into  condition  to  yield  one,  so  he 
kept  on  clerking  and  hired  others  to  break  up  his 
farm  and  make  improvements  on  it.  He  proved  up  on 
it  in  due  time  at  $1.25  an  acre  and  lived  on  it  during 
the  year  1881.  He  then  returned  to  Crookston  to  live, 
and  since  then  has  dwelt  in  the  cit3'  at  several  different 
times.    He  was  an  excellent  writer,  very  skillful  with 


his  pen,  and  a  good  accountant  in  those  days,  and  his 
services  were  frequently  required  in  different  county 
offices.  In  1884  and  1885  he  served  as  deputy  register 
of  deeds  under  John  Patterson,  and  in  1890  and  1891 
filled  the  same  position  under  John  Loeken.  In  1892 
he  was  himself  elected  register  of  deeds  as  the  candi- 
date of  the  People's  party,  for  a  term  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Amundson  also  rendered  the  federal  govern- 
ment valued  service  for  some  eight  months,  taking  the 
census  of  three  townships  in  1890  and  afterward  doing 
abstract  work  in  the  court  house  for  the  United  States 
census  bureau.  He  was  a  potent  force  in  helping  to 
organize  Fairfax  township  and  was  its  first  clerk, 
serving  it  afterward  in  various  other  positions.  The 
first  township  election  was  held  at  his  residence,  and 
that  has  since  been  the  township  meeting  place  for  all 
pulilic  duties.  For  many  years  in  succession  he  was 
school  clerk  for  his  district. 

In  addition  to  his  original  homestead  Mr.  Amund- 
son now  owns  400  acres  of  good  land,  his  farm  being 
all  in  one  body,  and  all  well  improved  and  mostly 
under  cultivation.  He  raises  grain  and  live  stock, 
keeping  generally  about  35  head  of  Shorthorn  cattle 
and  a  large  number  of  hogs.  He  also  milks  25  cows 
to  furnish  cream  for  an  extensive  wholesale  trade  he 
has  built  up.  During  the  last  three  years  he  has  had 
20  to  25  acres  in  corn,  and  the  yield  has  been  abun- 
dant as  his  land  is  well  ditched  and  drained.  There 
is  a  county  ditch  half  a  mile  south  of  the  farm  which 
his  influence  and  enterprise  were  most  forceful  in 
procuring. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  Mr.  Amundson  was  mar- 
ried in  Wisconsin  to  Miss  Hilda  Jensen,  also  a  native 
of  Norway.     They  have  six  children:   Alfred,  who  is 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


349 


living  ou  the  farm;  Arthur,  who  is  employed  in  the 
Crookston  office  of  the  Great  Northern  railroad ;  Josie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Simpson,  of  Crookston; 
Olive  Giua,  who  is  the  wife  of  Gust.  Barnass,  of  Crook- 


ston; and  Sophia  and  "Olive,"  who  are  living  at 
home.  All  the  children  have  attended  the  Crookston 
high  school,  and  all  the  members  of  the  family  belong 
to  the  United  Lutheran  church  in  Crookston. 


ARNE  J.  HAUGEN. 


Arne  J.  Haugen,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Badger 
township  and  a  director  in  the  State  Bank  of  Erskine, 
was  born  in  Norway,  March  3,  1867,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  as  a  lad  of  eighteen  years,  borrowing  the 
money  for  his  passage  from  his  brother.  For  a  few 
months  he  worked  on  a  farm  in  Ottertail  county  and 
in  November,  1885,  joined  his  father  iu  Polk  county, 
where  they  located  on  the  land,  in  section  twenty-six 
of  Badger  township  which  is  Mi*.  Haugen 's  present 
home.  They  continued  to  work  iu  partnership  and 
his  father  lived  there  until  his  death  in  May,  1911,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two.  His  wife's  death  pre- 
ceded his  by  eight  years.  Arne  J.  Haugen  has  never 
married  and  with  his  sister,  Gustava  Haugen,  is  the 
only  surviving  member  of  the  family.  The  latter 
makes  her  home  with  her  brother  as  housekeeper.  The 
Haugen  farm  was  formerly  the  homestead  of  Julius 
Bradley  and  upon  coming  into  Mr.  Haugen 's  posses- 


sion was  for  the  most  part  wild  land  and  occupied 
only  by  a  claim  shack.  He  has  put  eighty  acres  in 
cultivation  and  has  reclaimed  some  low  land  with 
ditching.  The  remaining  tract  is  retained  as  pasture 
land,  Mr.  Haugen  being  interested  in  raising  high- 
grade  stock.  He  also  engages  in  dairying.  Through 
his  able  efforts  and  farming  ability  he  has  built  up  a 
prosperous  estate  of  two  hundred  acres  and  has  also 
given  his  service  and  attention  in  other  fields  of  local 
activity,  being  identified  with  two  notable  enterprises 
of  that  region,  as  vice  president  of  the  co-operative 
creamery  at  Erskine  and  stockholder  and  director  iu 
the  Erskine  State  bank.  He  has  been  frequently 
called  to  public  service  by  his  fellow  citizens  and 
has  held  the  ofSces  of  township  assessor  and  township 
treasurer,  chairman  of  the  board  and  for  fifteen  years 
was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 


PETER  J.  HEDLUND. 


This  highly  esteemed  and  truly  representative 
farmer  of  Higdem  township,  who,  in  compauj'  with 
and  assisted  by  his  sons,  eiiltivates  410  acres  of  land 
that  is  highly  improved  and  very  productive,  was 
born  in  the  province  of  Vermland,  Sweden,  May  15, 
1846,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1888,  coming 
direct  to  Polk  county  on  his  an-ival  in  this  country 
as  he  had  relatives  living  here.  He  had  been  a  farmer 
in  his  native  land  but  had  no  capital,  as  all  his  early 
manhood  had  been  devoted  to  the  service  of  his 
parents.  He  had,  however,  increased  and  intensified 
his  self-reliance  through  service  in  the  Swedish  army, 
and  felt  equal  to  any  requirement  his  new  home  might 
make  of  him. 


Soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  couuty  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  of  the  railroad  company  at  $7  an 
acre,  going  in  debt  for  the  purchase  money  and  work- 
ing out  at  farm  labor  to  provide  for  his  living  and 
pay  the  debt.  In  1888  he  put  up  a  little  log  house 
as  a  home  for  his  family,  and  this  was  occupied  by  it 
until  1915,  when  he  erected  an  eight-room  modern 
farmhouse  with  every  present-day  convenience,  includ- 
ing a  hot  water  heating  plant,  the  cost  of  the  structure 
being  more  than  $4,000. 

Mr.  Hedlund  and  his  sons  are  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  raising  live  stock,  and  they  have  pros- 
pered at  the  business  on  a  large  scale.  The  parents 
of  the  household  were  married  in  Sweden  and  had  six 


350 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


children  before  comiug  to  this  countri^,  the  youngest 
of  their  seven  being  bora  in  Polk  coimty.  The 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Johnson,  and  the 
children  are  Peter  X.,  John,  Annie,  Johannes,  Emil, 
Maria  and  AVilliam.  Auuie  is  the  wife  of  John  Strong 
and  lives  in  Marshall  county  four  miles  from  her 
father's  home.  Maria  is  the  wife  of  Lars  Kleven  and 
they  are  engaged  in  farming  in  North  Dakota. 

Emil,  the  fourth  son  of  the  family,  has  a  homestead 
in  Beltrami  county,  but  he  still  lives  at  home  with 
his  parents  and  his  brothers,  all  of  whom  are,  like 
himself,  unmarried.     Peter,  John  and  Johannes  own 


290  acres  of  laud  near  the  family  homestead  and  they 
all  work  together,  farming  their  own  and  their 
father's  land  to  the  best  advantage.  Being  progres- 
sive and  studious  young  men,  they  apply  to  their 
farming  operations  the  results  of  their  study  and 
observation  and  conduct  them  according  to  the  most 
approved  methods  of  the  present  day.  They  and  their 
father  usually  vote  with  the  Republican  party  in  gen- 
eral elections,  and  they  all  take  an  active  and  service- 
able part  in  the  affairs  of  their  township,  being  keenly 
alive  to  everything  that  is  likelj-  to  improve  conditions 
for  it  and  its  residents. 


OLE  n.  BANG. 


This  enterprising,  progressive  and  very  successful 
farmer  is  probably  the  best  known  man  in  North- 
western Polk  county,  and  his  fine  home  on  the  bank  of 
the  Red  River  of  the  North,  Section  17  and  adjoining 
sections,  Higdem  township,  is  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive and  valuable  in  the  county,  and  one  of  the  most 
hospitable  and  popular  rural  resorts  in  this  part  of 
the  countrJ^  It  is  one  mile  south  of  the  county  line, 
three  miles  south  of  Oslo  and  about  twenty  miles  north 
of  Grand  Porks. 

Mr.  Bang  was  born  in  Valges,  Norway,  October  17, 
1847,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of 
1869,  locating  at  Madison,  Wisconsin.  He  had  lived 
in  Christiania,  the  capital  of  his  native  land,  and  had 
there  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  tailor  until  he  saved 
enough  money  to  bring  him  to  this  country  and  give 
him  a  start  here.  He  had  relatives  at  Madison,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  in  and  about  that  city  three  yeare, 
saving  his  earnings  and  getting  ready  for  future 
undertakings  of  greater  magnitude. 

In  1872  Mr.  Bang  moved  to  Taylors  Palls,  Minne- 
sota, and  there  during  the  next  five  years  he  carried 
on  a  prosperous  merchant  tailoring  business.  At  the 
end  of  the  period  named  he  moved  up  the  St.  Croix 
valley  to  Grantsburg,  Burnett  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  opened  a  general  store  on  the  $3,000  capital 
he  had  saved  in  his  eight  years'  work  in  this  eountrj-. 


While  conducting  his  store  he  also  bought  tax  titles 
in  timber  lands  about  thirty  miles  up  the  St.  Croix 
river  until  he  had  acquired  title  to  about  two  sections. 
The  sale  of  such  titles  then  being  over,  he  began  to 
cut  the  timber  on  his  holdings,  which  he  continued  to 
do  for  three  years.  The  land  had  been  cut  over  but 
there  was  still  timber  standing  on  it  amounting  to 
about  one  million  and  a  half  feet,  and  ^Ir.  Bang 
found  cutting  this  very  profitable.  At  the  end  of  six 
years  of  storekeeping  and  timber  cutting  he  found  he 
had  accumulated  a  capital  of  $15,000,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  change  his  base  of  operations. 

In  1883  Mr.  Bang  came  to  Crookston  and  ])ought 
the  Scandinavian  Hotel  and  saloon,  then  owned  by 
Evan  Overland,  and  in  these  he  conducted  a  profitable 
business  for  six  years.  He  then  invested  in  160  acres 
of  his  present  farm  on  Red  river,  and  located  on  it 
and  began  the  improvements  which  have  made  his 
place  so  productive  and  valuable.  He  kept  on  buying 
land  at  low  rates  until  he  owned  2,000  acres,  pui*- 
chasing  a  whole  section  of  school  land  at  $6. .50  an  acre, 
railroad  land  at  $9  to  $18  and  other  land  at  $10  an 
acre.  He  has  since  sold  all  but  900  acres.  He  im- 
proved the  whole  body  and  made  it  productive,  how- 
ever, while  he  owned  it,  giving  his  whole  time  and 
attention  to  it  and  seeking  no  other  occupation  except 
for  four  years,  during  which  he  was  associated  in  the 


p 


COMPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POIaK  COUNTY 


351 


hardware  trade  with  John  Brant  at  East  Grand  Forks, 
and  of  late  years  being  a  stockholder  in  the  Arneson 
Mercantile  company  of  East  Grand  Forks. 

Half  of  Mr.  Bang's  900-acre  farm  is  in  timber, 
making  a  fine  pasturage.  Still  he  raised  in  1915 
some  10,000  bushels  of  wheat,  barley,  oats  and  flax. 
He  keeps  forty  head  of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  thirty  of 
horses,  and  milks  fifteen  cows  to  make  butter  for 
private  customers  in  Grand  Forks.  He  has  shown 
fruit  can  be  raised  to  advantage  here,  having  300 
bearing  apple  trees  whose  products  have  taken  pre- 
miums in  exhibits  at  Crookston.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican   and   in   religion   a   Lutheran,   being   an 


active  member  and  foreman  of  the  governing  board  in 
the  Mesopotamia  United  church. 

Mr.  Bang  was  married  at  Blue  Earth,  Minnesota,  in 
1876,  to  Miss  Jennie  Olson,  who  was  born  on  the 
ocean.  They  have  six  children  living:  Emma,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Victor  Peterson  of  Grand  Porks ;  Annie, 
Henry,  Rose,  and  Elida,  who  are  living  at  home ;  and 
Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ole  Quern,  as  indicated  in  a 
sketch  of  C.  C.  Quern,  to  be  found  in  this  work.  Mr. 
Bang  is  a  fisherman  of  some  devotion  to  the  sport  and 
frequently  visits  the  trout  streams  of  Wisconsin  to 
gratify  his  taste  in  this  direction. 


K.  E.  FLASKERUD. 


K.  E.  Plaskerud,  of  Brandsvold  township,  a  well- 
known  farmer  and  the  clerk  of  that  township,  is  a 
native  of  Iowa,  born  in  Winneshiek  county,  in  1861. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Norway  and  were  among 
the  first  of  their  countrymen  to  emigrate  to  the  United 
States.  In  1864  they  removed  to  Freeborn  county. 
Minnesota,  from  Iowa,  and  there  K.  E.  Plaskerud 
was  reared.  When  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age 
he  went  to  North  Dakota  and  bought  land  in  Grand 
Forks  county  and  lived  there  until  1891,  when  ho 
came  to  Polk  county  and  purchased  the  160  acres  on 
section  17  of  Brandsvold  township,  which  is  his  pres- 
ent home.  This  place  had  been  the  homestead  of 
Andrew  Thronson,  who  had  settled  on  it  in  1883.  He 
had  cleared  about  twenty  acres  and  built  a  one-room 
log  house  and  received  $1,300  from  Mr.  Plaskerud 
for  the  property.  The  latter  has  put  120  acres  under 
cultivation,  reclaiming  some  twenty-five  acres  of  low- 
land with  ditches  and  has  every  acre  in  use.  With 
capable  management  and  progressive  farming  meth- 
ods he  has  increased  the  value  of  his  land  to  seventy- 
five  dollars  an  acre  and  has  equipped  his  farm  with 
good  buildings.  He  engages  successfully  in  dairy 
farming  and  stockraising,  breeding  Red  Polled  cattle, 
and  sells  his  dairy  produce  to  the  creamery  at  Poss- 
ton,  four  miles  northwest  of  his  place.    Mr.  Plaskerud 


is  a  carpenter  and  aside  from  his  farming  occupa- 
tions has  been  busily  employed  at  that  trade.  He 
has  ever  taken  a  public  spirited  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community  and  has  given  his  services  and 
influence  freely  in  support  of  the  best  interests  of 
the  county  and  has  capably  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  various  township  offices  to  which  he  has  been 
elected.  He  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  township 
board,  treasurer  of  the  township,  justice  of  the  peace 
and  eleven  years  as  township  clerk,  which  office  he 
now  holds.  As  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
nineteen  years,  he  has  given  his  particular  interest  to 
the  development  of  the  educational  system  of  the  dis- 
trict, and  school  No.  282  stands  on  land  which  he 
donated  for  school  purposes.  Mr.  Plaskerud  is  not 
pledged  to  any  political  faith,  but  reserves  the  right 
to  vote  for  his  own  views  and  the  man  of  his  choice. 
He  is  a  shareholder  and  secretary  and  former  director 
of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  store  at  Posston,  a  pros- 
perous enterprise  which  has  proved  of  great  benefit  to 
the  agricultural  district.  The  company  has  over 
seventy  stockholders,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $73,000, 
and  conducts  an  annual  business  of  about  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Plaskerud  was  married  in 
North  Dakota  to  Gunueld  Milfald,  who  was  bom  in 
Norway  in  1868.    Ten  children  have  been  born  to  this 


352 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


union.  The  two  oldest  sons,  Edwin  and  Clarenee,  and  Melvin,  are  all  living  with  their  parents.  Jlr. 
have  taken  claims  in  Montana  and  the  other  children,  Flaskerud  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Synod 
Gilbert,  Selmer,  Clara,  Olga,  Mabel,  Henry,  Autou     Liztheran  church  at  Fosston. 


ANDREW  HEIERSTAD. 


This  wide-awake  and  progressive  farmer,  who  is 
prosperous  at  his  business  because  he  knows  how  to 
manage  it  to  good  advantage  and  make  every  hour  of 
his  time  and  cvei'y  ounce  of  his  energy  profitable,  has 
a  large  and  fertile  farm  in  section  thirty-four,  Ilig- 
dem  township,  fifteen  miles  northwest  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  which  he  has  acquired  wholly  by  his  own  in- 
dustry, thrift  and  good  business  capacity,  and  which 
by  his  skill  as  a  farmer  he  has  made  one  of  the  attrac- 
tive and  valuable  rural  homes  in  the  township  of  its 
location. 

Mr.  Heierstad  was  bom  in  Norway,  January  22, 
1843,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869,  locating 
for  a  time  in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa.  There  he  was 
employed  as  a  farm  laborer  at  $16  a  month,  and  he 
lost  even  that  meager  pay.  He  worked  at  harvesting 
and  threshing  and  loaned  out  his  money  and  never  got 
some  of  it  back.  In  the  spring  of  1878  he  came  to 
Polk  county  with  $1,000  in  cash  and  took  up  a  home- 
stead and  a  tree  claim,  and  on  these  he  has  passed 
his  time  and  expended  his  energies  ever  since.  He 
planted  five  acres  of  his  homestead  and  ten  acres  of 
his  tree  claim  in  timber,  and  he  now  has  fifteen  acres 
of  fine  wood  land  which  he  has  kept  clean  and  culti- 
vated and  developed  into  one  of  the  best  tracts  of 
artificial  timber  in  the  county.  It  consists  of  ash, 
box  elder  and  cotton  wood  trees  and  is  very  flourish- 
ing. 

Mr.  Heierstad 's  first  dwelling  on  his  land  was  a 
small  log  house  which  has  been  built  in  as  a  part  of 


the  more  modern  and  commodious  residence  he  has 
since  erected.  For  breaking  the  first  ten  acres  of  his 
land  he  was  obliged  to  hire  the  service,  as  he  had  no 
oxen  of  his  own,  but  since  then  he  has  depended  on 
himself  and  has  made  progress  nearly  all  the  time, 
although  he  has  several  times  had  the  greater  part  of 
his  crops  destroyed  by  hail,  sometimes  scarcely  saving 
enough  for  seed,  and  had  three  horses  and  two  cows 
killed  in  his  barn  by  lightning  in  one  storm,  but  saved 
the  barn.  His  principal  attention  has  been  given  to 
raising  grain,  and  in  1915  he  produced  2,000  bushels 
of  wheat,  1,200  bushels  of  oats  and  500  bushels  of 
barlej'.  He  has  recently  purchased  twenty  acres  of 
timber  land  on  the  Red  river  two  miles  distant  from 
his  farm,  but  which  he  uses  in  connection  with  the 
farm. 

After  living  in  dreary  loneliness  as  a  bachelor  for 
twelve  years  on  this  farm  in  Higdem  township,  Mr. 
Heierstad  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Christine 
Torgeson,  who  died  six  months  later.  Then,  on  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1891,  he  contracted  a  second  marriage, 
which  united  him  with  Miss  JIaret  Sletteu.  They 
have  three  children :  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Hanson  and  has  one  child,  their  son  Arthur,  but  who, 
with  her  husband  and  child,  is  still  living  with  her 
parents;  and  Gina  and  Hilda,  who  are  also  living  at 
home.  All  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to  the 
Synod  Lutheran  church  and  take  a  very  cordial  and 
helpful  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  congregation  in 
which  they  hold  their  membership. 


ARNT  OLSON. 


Owning  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  northern  part 
of  Polk  county,  which  he  has  redeemed  from  the  waste 
and  made  what  it  is,  and  which  he  has  improved  with 


a  fine  large  dwelling  house,  commodious  barns  and 
other  necessary  structures,  Arnt  Olson,  whose  land  is 
the  Northwest  quarter  of  Section  10  and  the  Northeast 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


353 


quarter  of  Section  9,  in  Higdem  township,  is  well 
fixed  in  worldly  possessions,  and  he  has  the  satisfac- 
tion of  knowing  that  all  he  has  he  has  acquired  by  his 
own  persistent  industry,  his  careful  frugality  and  his 
good  judgment  in  the  management  of  his  affairs. 

Mr.  Olson  was  born  in  Norway  about  eighty  years 
ago,  and  when  he  first  came  to  the  United  States 
passed  about  six  j-ears  and  a  half  in  Wisconsin  work- 
ing in  tlie  pineries,  at  sawmills  and  on  river  drives. 
He  then  returned  to  his  native  land,  where  he 
remained  two  years  and  a  half.  On  his  return  to  this 
country  in  1879  he  located  in  Polk  county,  Minnesota, 
and  took  up  a  homestead  which  is  pai't  of  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  lives.  He  had  only  $200  in  money,  but 
settled  down  determined  to  win  his  way  in  spite  of 
all  difBculties  that  might  arise  in  his  progress.  He 
built  a  little  log  house  with  no  floor  in  it,  but  this  he 
occupied  only  a  few  months.  He  then  built  a  better 
dwelling  with  a  floor  and  turned  the  first  structure 
into  a  stable. 

The  second  quarter  section  of  land  Mr.  OLson 
acquired  was  railroad  land  for  which  he  paid  $8  an 
acre.  This  was  flat  and  wet,  as  was  a  large  part  of 
his  other  land,  and  he  was  not  able  for  some  time  to 
raise  any  crops  of  value.    The  new  section  was  devoted 


largely  to  raising  hay,  but  this  was  often  spoiled  by 
the  water  on  the  land  and  his  other  crops  were  injured 
by  early  frosts.  But  he  persisted  in  his  efforts,  grad- 
ually getting  his  farm  drained  and  improved,  and 
then  it  began  to  respond  to  the  persuasive  hand  of 
the  husbandman  in  a  very  fruitful  manner,  which  it 
has  done  in  an  increasing  volume  steadily  ever  since. 
In  addition  to  this  farm  he  owns  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  half  a  mile  distant  in  Marshall  county,  the  farm 
being  on  the  line  between  that  county  and  Polk,  two 
miles  east  of  the  Red  river,  three  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  Oslo,  five  and  one-half  miles  southwest 
of  Alvardo  and  twenty  miles  north  of  Grand  Forks. 
He  raises  wheat,  oats  and  barley,  and  produces  large 
quantities  of  each. 

Two  years  ago,  that  is  in  1913,  Mr.  Olson  built  his 
present  large  dwelling  house  and  fine  new  bams.  He 
has  had  three  sons.  One  of  them  died  in  childhood. 
Another  is  now  a  resident  of  Seattle.  Carl,  the  third 
son,  is  still  living  with  him  and  now  has  charge  of  the 
home  farm.  The  father  has  long  been  one  of  the  active 
members  of  the  church  at  Granville.  He  has  taken 
none  but  a  good  citizen's  part  in  public  affairs  and 
never  held  or  desired  a  political  office  of  any  kind, 
either  by  election  or  appointment. 


THOMAS  SANDBM. 


The  life  of  this  enterprising  and  useful  citizen  of 
Scandia  township,  this  county,  has  been  the  unevent- 
ful one  of  a  quiet  and  unostentatious  farmer,  and  he 
has  sought  no  place  in  the  limelight  of  public  esteem 
or  prominence  among  men.  He  has,  nevertheless,  ex- 
hibited the  qualities  of  sturdy  and  sterling  manhood 
and  the  public-spirit  and  progressiveness  of  wide- 
awake, initiative  and  productive  American  citizenship 
of  a  serviceable   character. 

Mr.  Sandem  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  he  was 
born  February  21,  1863,  and  where  he  lived  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty  years.  In  1883  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Minnesota. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  residence  here  he  worked 


at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do  in  this  state  and 
Canada,  and  after  that  confined  his  operations  to 
Minnesota,  but  continued  to  work  for  other  men  until 
1887.  In  that  year  he  took  up  a  homestead  of  160 
acres  on  Section  26,  Scandia  township,  on  which  he 
settled  in  1889,  and  on  which  he  has  since  resided. 

To  make  a  tract  of  wild  land  over  into  a  productive 
and  profitable  farm,  and  to  build  a  comfortable  and 
attractive  home  in  a  new  locality  on  the  frontier,  is  a 
work  of  magnitude  and  requires  constant  and  well- 
directed  industry,  along  with  the  endurance  of  much 
privation,  a  considerable  degree  of  hardship  and  some 
danger.  Mr.  Sandem  has  achieved  this  great  work 
because  he  had  the  qualities  needed  for  its  accomplish- 


354 


COMPENDIUxM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ment,  and  he  is  uow  enjoyiug  the  fruits  of  his  long 
j'ears  of  toil  and  endurance  in  a  comfortable  home  of 
280  acres  of  good  land  enriched  with  buildings  suited 
to  his  needs  erected  by  himself.  He  has  also  given 
good  service  to  his  fellow  citizens  and  the  general 
public  around  him  as  township  treasurer  and  treas- 
urer of  School  District  No.  211. 

On  April  12,  1893,  in  the  city  of  Crookston,  Mr. 


Sandem  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Selma  M. 
Johnson,  who  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  came  to  this 
fountry  in  May,  1892.  Five  children  have  blessed 
tlieir  domestic  shrine  and  brightened  their  home. 
They  are  Marie,  Thorine,  Esther,  Soffus  and  Eveline, 
all  of  whom  are  still  members  of  the  parental  family 
circle. 


ED  SALVERSON. 


Ed  Salversou,  for  many  years  a  successful  farmer 
of  By  gland  township,  was  born  in  Norway,  January  2, 
1842,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Polk  county,  Febniary 
15,  1912.  When  Ed  Salverson  died  he  was  the  owner 
of  104  acres  of  land.  He  was  brought  to  the  United 
States  by  his  parents  when  four  years  of  age  and  was 
reared  in  Wisconsin  and  lived  until  1890  in  Waupaca 
county  in  that  state.  He  owned  also  160  acres  at 
Waupaca  and  a  big  building.  His  life  was  devoted  to 
farming  interests  and  the  years  of  industry  attended 
by  marked  business  ability  brought  the  noteworthy 
success  attested  to  in  the  large  and  prosperous  estate 
which  he  built  up.  For  twenty-five  years  his  activities 
were  confined  to  Polk  county  and  he  was  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  Bygland  township  where  he  owned 
and  operated  two  farms.  The  home  farm  is  a  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acre  tract  in  sections  one  and 
twelve,  located  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Red  Lake 
river,  six  miles  west  of  Fisher  and  the  other  farm  lies 
but  one  mile  distant  and  comprises  two  hundred  acres. 
Mr.  Salverson  was  three  times  married.  Two  children 
were  born  to  the  first  union,  who  are  both  dead,  the 
son,  Oscar  Salverson  having  died  in  1911,  in  Washing- 


ton, and  Thea  Caroline,  who  was  married  to  Elias 
Erickson  and  died  one  year  after.  His  second  mar- 
riage was  contracted  after  coming  to  Polk  county,  with 
Seger  Krostue,  a  sister  of  Gunder  Krostue  and  a  son, 
Sherman,  survived  the  death  of  the  mother.  On 
March  15,  1896,  Mr.  Salverson  was  married  to  Berget 
Stallemo  and  five  children  were  born  to  them,  Annie, 
Gertie,  Julia,  Josephine  and  Norman.  They  also  took 
in  their  home,  in  her  infancy,  a  little  girl,  Alice,  who 
is  now  four  years  of  age.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Sal- 
verson, the  direction  of  the  estate  has  been  most 
capably  assumed  by  his  wife  who  is  ably  forwarding 
the  prosperous  interests.  She  was  born  in  Norwa.y, 
the  daughter  of  Nels  Stallemo  and  was  brought  at  an 
early  age  to  Wisconsin  where  the  family  remained 
until  1879  when  Nels  Stallemo  removed  to  Polk  county 
and  took  a  homestead,  five  miles  west  of  Fisher,  in 
Bygland  township.  Both  he  and  his  wife  spent  the 
last  years  of  their  life  in  the  Salverson  home,  where 
he  died  in  September,  1912.  Her  deatli  occurred  one 
year  later.  Their  son,  John  Stallemo,  is  a  farmer  in 
Polk  county,  operating  the  160  acre  farm  in  Bygland 
township,  for  his  sister,  Mi-s.  Salvei-son. 


OLE  G.  OLSON. 


Ole  G.  Olson,  a  pioneer  of  Polk  county  and  prom- 
inent farmer  of  Huntsville  township,  was  born  in 
Norway  and  died  at  Grand  Forks,  February  26,  1909. 
His  sons,  Gustav  Olson  and  Andrew  Olson  have  oper- 
ated the  Olson  homestead  for  a  number  of  years  and 


have  extensive  farming  interests  in  Polk  county.  Ole 
G.  Olson  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  the  United  States.  This  was  in 
the  early  forties,  during  the  first  movement  of  emigra- 
tion  from   Numdalh,   Norway.     Wisconsin   was   the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


355 


destination  of  the  family  but  tlieir  funds  giving  out 
at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  they  were  compelled  to  i-emain 
there  a  year  before  completing  their  journey.  From 
Milwaukee,  they  traveled  with  ox  teams  to  Rock 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  they  located  and  were 
among  the  first  Norwegian  settlers  in  tliat  country. 
In  1852,  Ole  Olson  heard  the  call  of  the  west  and 
sailing  around  Cape  Horn,  joined  the  prospectors  in 
California.  Here  he  remained  for  six  years  and  then 
returned  to  Wisconsin,  having  saved  sufficient  capital 
from  his  Californian  sojourn  to  finance  a  mercantile 
enterprise.  For  a  few  years  he  engaged  in  business 
at  Edgerton,  Wisconsin,  and  then  removed  his  in- 
terests to  Deeorah,  Iowa,  where  after  several  years, 
in  1865,  he  sold  his  store  and  invested  his  capital 
in  a  woolen  mill,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers. 
This  venture  proved  a  failure  but  during  the  j^ears  of 
its  operations  he  visited  the  Red  River  valley  several 
times,  selling  the  products  of  the  mill  and  in  1878, 
when  the  end  of  the  milling  enterprise  left  him  prac- 
tically penniless,  he  decided  to  secure  land  in  that 
region  and  rebuild  his  fortunes,  and  took  a  homestead 
claim  and  a  tree  claim  in  Sullivan  township,  three 
miles  east  of  East  Grand  Forks.  With  a  few  hundred 
dollars  and  a  team  of  horses,  he  entered  upon  his  farm- 
ing activities  in  the  frontier  country,  working  his  way 
to  success  and  prosperous  accomplishment  during  the 
fourteen  years  of  his  farming  operations.  His  first 
buildings  were  a  small  shanty  for  a  home  and  a  sod 
stable  which  he  was  soon  able  to  replace  with  good 
modern  buildings.  The  tree  claim,  he  turned  over  to 
his  son  Gustav  Olson,  who  filed  upon  it,  and  secured 
the  title.  In  1892,  Ole  Olson  retired  from  the  farm, 
renting  his  property  to  his  sons  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Grand  Forks  where  he  opened  a  feed  store 
and  continued  active  in  the  business  circles  of  that 


city  for  several  years.  His  death  came  at  the  end  of* 
a  long  and  useful  career,  marked  by  successful  busi- 
ness attainment  and  worthy  service  as  a  pioneer  citi- 
zen. He  is  survived  by  his  wife  and  three  children, 
Gustav,  Andrew  and  Ellen,  who  married  G.  L.  Holton, 
a  retired  farmer,  living  at  Grand  Forks.  Mr.  Olson 
was  married  in  1861,  at  Deeorah,  Iowa,  to  Betsy 
Amundson,  who  like  her  husband  was  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, coming  to  the  United  States  in  early  childhood. 
She  was  reared  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and  since 
the  death  of  her  husband  has  made  her  home  with  her 
daughter.  Gustav  Olson  and  Andrew  Olson  have  suc- 
ceeded to  their  father's  farming  interests  and  since 
assuming  management  of  the  estate  in  1892,  have 
steadily  added  to  the  property  and  now  own  eight 
hundred  acres  of  Polk  county  land,  which  includes 
four  farms,  all  of  which  are  devoted  to  their  extensive 
operations  as  dairy  farmers.  Although  they  harvest 
large  crops  of  grain  their  principal  interest  has  been 
given  to  dairying  and  stock  farming,  in  which  they 
have  been  eminently  successful  and  they  operate  a 
milk  route  in  Grand  Forks.  Their  farm  is  stocked 
with  blooded  stock,  cattle  and  horses,  among  the  latter 
being  many  fine  specimens  of  Percherons.  The  Olson 
brothers  are  both  that  type  of  citizen  whose  earnest 
co-operation  is  freely  given  to  the  broader  interests  of 
the  community  and  whose  ability  is  devoted  not  only 
to  the  advancement  of  their  private  interests  but  for 
the  development  of  the  commonwealth.  They  have 
each  served  as  a  school  director  and  actively  promoted 
good  roads  and  drainage  projects.  Andrew  Olson  was 
married  to  Bertha  Olson  of  Postville,  Iowa,  and  they 
have  four  children,  Oscar,  who  is  a  student  in  the 
North  Dakota  Agricultural  college  at  Fargo ;  Anna, 
Theodore  and  Bertina. 


CHARLES  J.  BYE. 


Endowed  by  nature  with  a  keen  insight  into  the 
purposes  and  motives  of  men,  which  has  been  intensi- 
fied by  extensive  contact  with  his  fellows,  and  possess- 


ing clearness  and  quickness  of  vision  in  seeing  and 
alertness  in  seizing  opportunities  and  using  them  for 
his  advancement,  Charles  J.  Bye,  one  of  the  leading 


356 


COxMPENDlUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


and  successful  mercbauts  of  Niclsville,  this  county,  is 
justly  regarded  as  an  excellent  business  man,  and  bis 
abiding  and  serviceable  interest  in  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  bis  community  has  given  bim  a  high  rank 
in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  around  him 
as  ail  enterprising,  far-seeing  and  productively  useful 
citizen. 

Mr.  Bye  is  a  native  Minnesotan  and  devoted  to  the 
enduring  good  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Houston 
county,  March  28,  1867.  In  1871,  bis  parents,  John 
0.  and  Matbea  (Jacobson)  Bye,  natives  of  Norway, 
moved  to  Cass  county.  North  Dakota,  and  there  tbeir 
son  Charles  remained  until  the  fall  of  1884.  For  five 
years  he  was  assistant  in  the  oiSce  of  the  county 
trea-surer  of  Cass  county.  North  Dakota,  and  during 
that  same  period  of  five  years  and  until  1891  be  was 
manager  of  a  musical  organization  at  Fargo,  North 
Dakota. 

In  1891  Jlr.  Bye  again  became  a  resident  of  Minne- 
sota, locating  at  Comstock,  Clay  county,  where  he  was 
employed  as  a  bookkeeper  for  about  four  years.     In 


the  fall  of  189-1  be  moved  to  Niclsville,  this  county, 
and  started  the  mercantile  business  in  which  be  is  still 
engaged.  He  carries  a  general  stock  of  merchandise 
and  conducts  his  business  with  enterprise  and  breadth 
of  view,  studying  the  needs  of  his  community  and 
taking  every  necessary  step  to  provide  for  them  com- 
pletely in  every  particular. 

Since  taking  up  bis  residence  in  Polk  county,  Mr. 
Bye  has  been  active  and  stimulating  in  connection 
with  every  project  for  the  good  of  the  community  in 
which  he  has  lived  and  zealous  and  discriminating  in 
promoting  all  that  be  has  considered  wise  and  worthy. 
He  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Nielsville  in  May, 
1897,  and  he  has  held  the  office  continuously  since 
that  time.  His  services  in  it  have  been  very  acceptable 
to  the  patrons  of  the  office  and  there  has  been  no  dis- 
position to  disturb  him  in  tlie  occupancy  of  it. 

In  January,  1895,  Mr.  Bye  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Gertie  Kittleson,  who  was  born  in  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota. 


HENRY  G.  MITCHELL. 


Henry  G.  Mitcbell,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Wood- 
side  township,  is  one  of  the  pioneer  citizens  of  Polk 
county.  He  is  a  native  of  New  England,  born  in  1845 
and  as  a  youth,  saw  much  valiant  service  in  defense 
of  the  Union.  He  enlisted  in  the  Second  Connecticut, 
Heavy  Artillery  and  participated  in  the  campaign  of 
the  army  of  the  Potomac.  In  the  engagement  of  Cold 
Harbor  be  was  wounded  by  a  minnie  ball  and  was 
forced  to  spend  several  inactive  montbs  and  returned 
to  his  regiment,  where  he  was  detailed  to  special  duty 
and  continued  to  give  honorable  sei-vice  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  Upon  his  return  to  the  occupations  of  peace, 
in  1865,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  opportunities 
presented  in  the  increasing  activities  of  the  northwest 
and  for  several  year.s  resided  in  St.  Paul,  working  at 
his  trade  of  carpentering  and  in  other  employment 
and  upon  the  completion  of  the  Great  Northern  road 
into  Polk  county  in  1878,  came  to  Crookston,  where  he 


continued  in  the  carpenter  work.  In  1881  he  took  a 
preemption  claim  on  section  eleven,  of  Woodside  town- 
ship, five  miles  southeast  of  the  present  village  of 
Mentor,  and  this  has  continued  to  be  his  home.  The 
land  was  covered  with  large  timber  which  he  sold  as 
eordwood  at  Mentor.  During  the  first  years  the  work 
of  clearing  advanced  slowly  as  most  of  bis  attention 
was  devoted  to  building  work,  he  being  engaged  in  the 
erection  of  the  elevators  for  the  Red  River  Valley 
Grain  Company  and  in  construction  contracts  in 
Crookston.  In  1893  he  retired  from  bis  trade  and  has 
since  devoted  his  efforts  to  his  agi-icultural  interests 
and  cleared  some  sixty  acres  for  cultivation  and  de- 
veloped a  prosperous  farm.  Mr.  ]\Iitchell  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  remodeling  and  improving  of  his  home 
which  occupies  a  most  sightly  and  pleasant  location, 
but  a  short  distance  from  Maple  Lake,  a  popular  re- 
sort lake,  and  has  a  delightful  view  overlooking  a 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


357 


smaller  body  of  water.  Mr.  Mitchell  has  given  active 
cooperation  in  all  matters  of  public  moment ;  has  given 
able  service  in  official  capacity  as  township  super- 
visor and  clerk  and  has  been  prominent  in  the  busi- 
ness progress  of  the  farming  community  as  organizer 
and  president  of  the  Mentor  Co-operative  Creamery 
Association,  which  was  organized  in  1914  and  has 
some  eighty  shareholders.  He  is  also  a  member  and  a 
director  in  the  coopei-ative  store.  He  was  married  in 
1874,  in  Rush  City,  Minnesota,  to  Melvinia  Hicker- 
son,  who  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  removed  in  her 


early  childhood  to  Chisago  county,  Minnesota.  They 
have  a  family  of  eight  children,  Guy,  living  on  a  home- 
stead at  Dora  Lake,  Itasca  county,  Minnesota ;  Ruf us, 
a  farmer  near  Big  Forks,  Minnesota;  Laura,  the  wife 
of  A.  G.  Cayler,  of  Ci-ookston ;  Ida,  who  married 
Walter  F.  McLaughlin  of  Mentor;  Roy,  on  the  home 
farm;  Etta,  a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county  schools; 
Grace,  also  a  teacher  in  the  local  schools  and  Ruth. 
Roy  Mitchell  is  the  present  township  clerk,  being  his 
father's  successor  after  the  twenty  years  of  able  serv- 
ice by  the   latter. 


ALEXANDER  G.  SPOKELY. 


A  brief  account  of  the  history  of  the  Spokely  family 
will  be  found  in  a  sketch  of  the  parents  of  this  enter- 
prising, progressive  and  successful  farmer  of  Hixb- 
bard  township,  Polk  county.  They  are  Gunleik  and 
Gunvor  (Hagen)  Spokely,  also  residents  of  Hubbard 
township,  whei'e  they  settled  in  1871,  among  the 
pioneers  of  the  township.  Their  son  Alexander  was 
born  on  the  parental  homestead  in  that  township 
August  30,  1879,  and  remained  at  home  assisting  his 
father  on  the  fann  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  He  then  joined  his  brother  Adolph  in  keeping 
a  saloon  at  Climax,  with  which  he  was  connected  about 
five  years. 

Farming  presented  more  attractions  to  Mr.  Spokely 
as  an  occupation  for  life  than  merchandising  of  any 
kind,  and  at  the  end  of  the  period  mentioned  above 
he  returned  to  it.  In  the  fall  of  1910  he  took  up  his 
residence  on  the  tract  of  160  acres  which  he  now  owns 
and  occupies  in  Section  28.     Hubbard  township,  on 


which  he  has  good  buildings  and  other  improvements, 
making  it  one  of  the  comfortable  and  attractive  homes 
in  the  township,  and  which  he  has  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  productiveness  by  his  industry  and  intelli- 
gence as  a  farmer.  He  is  wide-awake  and  progres- 
sive, and  makes  his  attributes  in  these  respects  tell  to 
his  advantage  in  conducting  his  business.  He  is  also 
an  active  participant  in  local  public  affairs,  aiding  in 
promoting  the  welfare  of  his  township  by  his  public 
spirit  and  breadth  of  view. 

On  October  30,  1900,  Mr.  Spokely  was  married  in 
North  Dakota  to  Miss  Nellie  Myrland,  a  native  of 
that  state.  They  have  three  children,  their  daughter 
Grace  B.  and  their  sons  Glenn  E.  and  Lowell  D.  A. 
The  parents  are  held  in  high  esteem  for  their  sturdy 
and  sterling  citizenship  and  the  helpful  interest  they 
take  in  everything  designed  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
the  township. 


AVLE  P.  BRANDVOLD. 


Avle  P.  Brandvold,  a  farmer  of  Knute  township,  is 
a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in  Goodhue  county,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1869.  A  cousin  of  Mr.  Brandvold  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  eastern  Polk  county  and  in  his  honor 
the  family  name  was  conferred  upon  one  of  the  towii- 
ships  in  the  Thirteen  Towns.    The  parents  of  Avle  P. 


Brandvold  came  to  Minnesota  prior  to  the  Civil  war 
and  located  in  Goodhue  county.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Nonvay  and  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  in 
Wisconsin  for  some  years  after  coming  to  America. 
He  became  a  prominent  farmer  in  Goodhue  county, 
where  he  owned  a  half  section  of  land  and  also  owned 


358 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


a  quarter  sectiou  iu  I'olk  county,  south  of  Mcintosh. 
Avle  Brandvold  was  reared  on  his  father's  home- 
stead and  on  reaching  manhood  became  the  owner  of 
a  Goodhue  county  farm  wliich  lie  operated  unlil 
1899  when  he  traded  his  property  for  his  present  farm 
in  section  twenty  of  Knut«  township,  which  had  bcfu 
owned  by  Martin  I.  Haugen,  who  lived  near  Fertile. 
The  tract  was  partially  improved,  with  forty  acres  of 
cleared  land  and  a  log  barn  and  Mr.  Brandvold 
erected  the  hoiise  which  is  the  present  home.  From 
this  start  and  with  a  few  head  of  stock  he  has  ad- 
vanced to  his  present  extensive  agricultural  interests. 
Beside  the  home  quarter,  he  now  owns  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  improved  land  one  mile  north  and 


another  quarter  section  in  Rosscau  county.  Mr. 
Brandvold  has  developed  one  of  the  model  estates  of 
this  section  and  applies  the  most  efficient  and  progres- 
sive methods  in  his  farming  enterprises,  having 
equipped  his  barn  with  improved  facilities  for  the 
care  of  stock.  He  has  put  one  hundi'ed  acres  of  the 
home  fann  imder  cultivation  and  is  also  interested  in 
stock  farming,  raising  Short  Horn  cattle.  He  was 
married  in  1894;  to  Gurine  Haugen,  a  sister  of  Martin 
Haugen,  of  whom  previous  mention  has  been  made. 
Of  the  family  born  to  this  union,  eight  children  are 
now  living,  Peter,  Agnes,  Mabel,  Ilelmer,  Carl,  Ida, 
Gladys  and  Arley.  Mr.  Brandvold  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  United  Lutheran  church  at  Rodness. 


HANS  H.  MELBO. 


Hans  H.  i\Iclbo,  of  Gully,  president  of  Ihe  ilelbo 
Mercantile  company  and  postmaster  of  that  place,  was 
born  in  Norway,  October  2,  1872,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  as  a  lad  of  sixteen,  locating  at  Wilmar. 
Minnesota,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  laborur. 
After  two  years  there,  he  removed  to  Lyon  county, 
working  on  the  farms  in  that  county  until  1896,  when 
he  went  to  the  Red  Lake  reservation,  which  had  just 
been  opened  for  settlement,  and  took  a  claim  in  sec- 
tion 11  of  Eden  township,  near  the  present  site  of 
Gully  and  about  sixteen  miles  northeast  of  Fosstou. 
lie  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  region  and  has 
continued  to  be  notably  identified,  as  an  influenlial 
and  public  spirited  citizen  and  progressive  business 
man,  with  its  growth  and  development.  He  embarked 
upon  his  farming  enterprise  with  a  capital  of  siiTOO, 
which  he  had  thriftily  accumulated,  and  this  enabled 
him  to  advance  the  laborious  work  of  clearing  the 
land  for  profitable  operation,  and  for  some  years  he 
spent  several  months  of  each  year  working  near  Ben- 
son, Minnesota.  His  first  home  on  this  farm  was  a 
pioneer  log  cabin  built  of  timber  cut  from  the  land, 
and  he  later  erected  a  larger  log  house.  He  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  management  of  this  farm  for 
seven  years,  putting  fifty  acres  under  cultivation.    In 


1903  he  entered  upon  his  successful  career  in  the  com- 
mercial field,  and  in  partnership  with  Nels  M.  Bol- 
stad,  opened  a  general  store  at  Gully,  about  four  years 
before  the  Soo  railroad  was  built  to  that  place.  Mi". 
Bolstad,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kronschnabel  & 
Bolstad,  had  operated  the  first  store  established  at 
Gully,  in  a  building  which  stood  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Gully  flour  mills,  which  were  erected  in 
1899.  The  firm  of  Bolstad  &  Melbo  succeeded  the  first 
company,  which  had  disposed  of  the  old  stock  upon 
dissolving.  Two  years  later,  after  the  death  of  his 
partner,  Mr.  Melbo  became  the  sole  owner  of  the 
business,  and  when  the  railroad  reached  the  town  h(.' 
organized  the  Melbo  IMercantile  company,  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  and  popular  stores  in  this  section. 
This  was  the  third  store  to  open  in  the  new  village, 
the  others  being  operated  by  Hans  Pladsen  and  Gust 
Watnebiyn.  The  companj'  was  incorporated  in  De- 
cember, 1910,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000.  Mr.  Melbo  is 
the  president,  with  Oscar  Thor,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, and  John  F.  Thoreen,  of  Stillwater,  vice  presi- 
dent. A  fine  commodious  building,  constructed  to 
give  front-age  on  two  streets,  was  erected  at  the  cost 
of  $6,000,  and  is  owned  by  the  company.  Its  rapidly 
growing  trade  justified  the  addition  of  a  department 


HANS  H.  MELBO 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


359 


for  farm  machinery  which  was  iustalled,  with  sales- 
room in  the  rear  of  the  huilding.  The  enterprise  has 
met  with  steadily  increasing  prosperity  and  now 
transacts  an  annual  business  of  about  thirty-five  thou- 
sand dollars.  Mr.  Melbo  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  has  ever  given  capable  service  to  the 
public  interests  in  official  capacity.  He  was  super- 
visor and  also  clerk  of  Eden  township  for  several 
years  and  in  1900  was  the  census  enumerator  for  that 
townsliip  and  Queen  township ;  the  population  of  the 
two,  totaling  1,212  in  that  year.  In  1907  he  was 
appointed  postmaster   at   Gully   and   has   continued 


to  serve  in  that  position.  The  office  now  supports  one 
rural  route  and  its  transactions  command  a  quarterly 
salary  of  $275.  JMr.  Melbo  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  lodge  and  was  active  in  its  organization. 
He  enjoyed  frequent  hunting  trips  in  the  days  when 
game  was  abundant  in  this  section,  and  recalls  the 
hunting  and  killing  of  deer  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
present  site  of  Gully.  His  marriage  to  Hilda  Berg- 
dahe,  of  Fosston,  occurred  September  4,  1907,  and 
they  have  three  childi'en,  Ervin,  Alplia  and  Rolf.  IMr. 
Melbo  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church  at  Gully. 


MICHAEL  DRISCOLL. 


Although  he  is  one  of  the  largest  landholders  in 
Polk  county,  and  one  of  its  most  successful  and  pros- 
perous residents,  Michael  DriscoU,  who  lives  on  the 
East  half  of  Section  28,  Sullivan  township,  five  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  East  Grand  Porks,  has  accunui- 
lated  all  his  property  by  his  own  industry,  thrift  and 
good  management,  which  qualities  he  has  also  employed 
in  the  service  of  his  township  greatly  to  its  advantage. 
He  was  born  in  County  Lanark,  province  of  Ontario, 
Canada,  June  26,  1856,  and  came  to  Polk  county,  Min- 
nesota, in  company  with  his  brother  John  in  1878. 

When  they  arrived  in  this  county  each  of  the  two 
brothers  took  up  a  homestead,  Michael  getting  the 
Northeast  quarter  and  John  the  Northwest  quarter  of 
Section  28,  in  what  is  now  Sullivan  township.  Ed- 
ward Sullivan  took  up  the  Southeast  quarter  of  this 
section  and  Michael  bought  it  of  him  after  he  proved 
up  on  it,  paying  him  $20  an  acre  for  it.  Mr.  Sullivan 
had  also  taken  up  the  Southwest  quarter  of  the  same 
section,  and  later  John  bought  this  of  him.  The  Dris- 
coU brothers  then  had  a  half-section  apiece.  When 
they  reached  this  county  they  had  about  $50  each  in 
money,  which  they  had  saved  from  their  earnings 
while  working  in  the  lumber  woods. 

Mr.  Sullivan  had  located  here  the  fall  before,  and 
when  the  Driscolls  left  home  they  intended  to  locate 
either  in  the  Red  river  valley  or  the  valley  of  Forest 


river  in  North  Dakota,  where  they  also  had  a  friend. 
When  they  inspected  the  North  Dakota  region  they 
found  that  only  two  filings  had  been  made  in  it,  and 
they  concluded  to  locate  in  Polk  county,  Minnesota. 
In  1879  John  returned  to  his  old  Ontario  home  and 
the  next  spring  he  brought  the  other  members  of 
the  family  to  Minnesota.  Each  of  the  boys  had  broken 
up  twenty  acres  of  his  land,  giving  their  work  for 
the  use  of  oxen  to  do  it  with,  and  together  they  liMd 
built  a  claim  shanty  in  the  spring  of  1878. 

In  the  winter  Michael  cut  cord  wood  on  the  Dakota 
side  of  the  Red  river  at  75  cents  a  cord,  paying  $4.50 
a  week  for  board,  and  he  and  a  man  he  had  with  him 
each  cleared  $150  on  the  winter's  work.  Michael  had 
bought  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  the  next  spring  he  bought 
another  yoke.  He  then  i-emained  with  his  father  and 
brothers,  and  worked  for  his  father  for  ten  years.  His 
brother  John  married  in  1882,  but  Michael  remained 
single  until  February  14,  1887,  when  be  was  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  O'Neill,  the  daughter  of  a  neighbor 
of  the  family  and  eighteen  years  old  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage. 

In  1888  he  built  part  of  his  present  dwelling  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  it.  By  that  time  he  had  his 
land  all  broken  up,  and  in  1891  he  set  out  trees  for  a 
windbreak.  He  has  since  bought  the  Northeast 
quarter  of  Section  16,  the  Northeast  quarter  of  Sec- 


360 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


tion  22,  the  Southwest  (luarter  of  Section  15  aud 
ciglity  acres  of  the  Northwest  quarter  of  Section  15, 
enlarging  his  holdings  here  to  880  acres,  and  in  addi- 
tion he  owns  some  timber  land  on  the  Red  river, 
and  he  and  his  brother  John  together  own  800  acres 
in  Manitoba,  none  of  which  has  yet  been  invaded  by 
the  plOAV.  Recently  he  has  given  ICO  acres  in  Seel  ion 
15  to  his  son,  John  James  Driseoll. 

Mr.  Driseoll  operates  his  farm  with  the  aid  of  his 
sons.  He  raises  corn  for  feed  for  his  live  stock  and 
other  grain  for  market.  In  1915  he  produced  20,000 
bushels,  using  twenty  horses  in  the  work  of  cultivat- 
ing his  land.  He  also  keeps  fifty  head  of  cattle  and 
milks  fifteen  or  sixteen  cows.  In  addition  he  has  bred 
Pereheron  horses  of  a  high  grade,  his  exhibits  in  this 
line  taking  first  honors  at  the  North  Dakota  state 
fair. 


From  the  beginning  of  his  residence  in  this  county 
Mr.  Driseoll  has  been  active  and  serviceable  in  local 
public  affairs.  He  helped  to  organize  his  township, 
the  meeting  for  the  purpose  being  held  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Timothy  Sullivan,  and  the  township  being 
named  in  honor  of  that  gentleman,  who  is  now  living 
in  East  Grand  Forks  retired  from  active  pursuits. 
jMr.  Driseoll  is  now  and  for  twenty  years  has  been 
chairman  of  the  township  board,  and  he  was  a  member 
of  it  before  his  chairmanship  began.  He  has  also  long 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board.  His  children 
number  ten,  and  all  of  them  except  one  of  his  two 
daughters  are  still  living  at  home.  The  children  are 
John  James,  Cecilia,  Michael,  Francis,  Josephine, 
Ernest,  Leslie,  Lawrence,  Earl  and  Clarence.  Cecilia 
is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Hanrehan,  a  farmer  in  Montana. 


LOUIS  FONTAINE. 


One  of  the  most  forceful  and  fruitful  influences  for 
good  in  the  early  history  of  Polk  county,  particularly 
in  the  direction  of  peopling  the  wilderness  and  re- 
deeming it  to  usefulness  and  the  service  of  mankind, 
was  embodied  in  the  work  of  the  late  Louis  Fontaine, 
for  a  long  time  the  inspiring  and  controlling  spirit  of 
the  most  extensive  and  active  mercantile  business  in 
this  part  of  the  state  of  Minnesota.  His  efforts  were 
devoted,  however,  not  to  Polk  county  alone,  but  a 
large  part  of  the  whole  Red  River  Valley.  As  early 
as  1872  he  passed  through  a  part  of  this  valley,  and  he 
repeated  his  visit  to  and  study  of  it  several  times 
during  the  few  years  following.  His  familiarity  with 
the  valley  enabled  him  to  speak  and  write  with 
authority  on  its  possibilities,  which  he  very  diligently 
did,  and  in  1878  he  came  to  Crookston  to  reside,  and 
within  the  same  year  his  efforts,  in  connection  with 
thase  of  Pierre  Bottineau,  the  noted  scout  and  guide, 
who  moved  here  from  Minneapolis,  and  Isaiah  Gervais, 
who  came  from  near  St.  Paul,  were  instrumental  in 
directing  large  numbers  of  French-Canadians  to  this 
section.  What  followed  is  histoiy,  and  the  results  of 
the  foresight  and  enterprise  of  these  resolute  pioneers 


are  seen  in  the  present  state  of  development  aud 
progressiveness  of  the  region. 

Mr.  Fontaine  was  born  at  St.  Hyacinthe,  in  the 
province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  January  11,  1840.  He 
was  a  son  of  Louis  and  Justine  (Martel)  Fontaine, 
who  were  devoted  to  his  welfare.  But  his  adventurous 
disposition  led  him  to  quit  the  shelter  of  their  roof 
and  fireside  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  go  forth  to 
hew  out  his  own  career  in  the  world.  He  came  to 
Minnesota  and  found  employment  on  a  farm  near  St. 
Paul  until  1858.  He  then  moved  to  McLeod  county, 
which  was  just  opening  to  settlement,  took  up  a  claim 
and  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  continuing  to 
be  so  engaged  until  the  Civil  war  began. 

In  November,  1861,  ^Ir.  Fontaine  enlisted  for  the 
defense  of  the  Union  in  Company  E,  Fourth  Minne- 
sota Infantry.  This  regiment  helped  to  bear  the  brunt 
of  the  mighty  sectional  strife,  and  Mr.  Fontaine  was 
with  it  in  all  its  engagements.  He  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  luka,  Corinth,  Fort  Pemberton.  Champion 
Hill,  Jackson,  Duval's  Bluff  and  others,  and  the  long 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  He  was  also  in  the  engagements 
at  Altoona  and  Missionary  Ridge,  and  with  Sherman 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


361 


iu  the  historic  "Marcli  to  the  Sea";  aud  when  the 
momentous  conflict  was  ended  he  participated  in  the 
grand  review  of  the  Federal  armies  iu  Washington, 
D.  C,  being  discharged  from  military  service  in  July, 
1865. 

Immediately  after  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr. 
Fontaine  returned  to  Minnesota.  He  arrived  at  St. 
Paul  at  9  o'clock  one  morning,  purchased  a  restaurant, 
saloon  and  fixtures  before  noon,  aud  began  business 
in  his  new  place  before  nightfall.  At  the  end  of 
three  years,  during  which  his  business  was  very  prof- 
itable, he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  general  merchandis- 
ing, in  which  he  was  occupied  for  ten  years  in  St. 
Paul.  In  the  meantime  he  took  up  a  soldier's  home- 
stead near  Mapleton,  North  Dakota,  which  he  sold  a 
year  later.  His  visits  to  his  homestead  brought  him 
to  Crookston,  whose  location  and  seeming  possibilities 
impressed  him  so  favorably  that  he  determined  to 
locate  here. 

In  the  summer  of  1878,  in  association  with  William 
Anglim,  he  purchased  the  stock  and  business  of  W. 
D.  Bailey,  a  general  merchant  at  Crookston,  hurried 
back  to  St.  Paul  to  close  his  business  there,  and  in 
September  returned  to  Crookston  to  remain.  Timber 
then  covered  the  site  of  the  town,  there  was  not  a 
street  opened,  and  there  were  very  few  improvements 
of  any  kind.  The  settlement,  however,  contained  two 
stores  in  addition  to  that  of  Messrs.  Fontaine  & 
Anglim,  but  all  three  were  in  primitive  log  buildings. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  these  gentlemen  erected  a 
brick  building,  in  which  they  conducted  their  grocery 
department  when  later  they  put  up  two  additional 


rooms,  which  gave  them  three  fronts.  They  carried 
a  stock  of  $75,000  and  employed  ten  clerks  after  their 
business  reached  its  development,  and  had  the  most 
extensive  as  well  as  the  most  profitable  trade  in  this 
whole  section  of  the  Northwest.  In  1882  they  put  in 
a  large  stock  of  farm  machinery,  but  they  were  so 
busily  occupied  with  their  numerous  other  lines  of 
trade  that  they  soon  abandoned  this  one.  Mr.  Fon- 
taine, however,  had  an  interest  in  a  general  store  at 
Argyle,  in  Marshall  county,  which  also  did  a  very  ex- 
tensive business. 

Mr.  Fontaine  held  a  high  place  in  the  regard  of  the 
people  of  this  part  of  the  state  and  wherever  else  he 
was  known.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  business  capacity, 
great  force  of  character  and  sterling  integrity.  He 
was  also  public-spirited  and  progressive  to  the  last  de- 
gree, and  was  universally  esteemed  as  one  of  the  truly 
representative  men  of  Polk  county.  He  was  a  Cath- 
olic in  religious  faith  and  a  devout  and  serviceable 
member  of  his  church.  On  September,  19,  1866,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rosie  Trombley, 
a  native  of  Kankakee,  Illinois,  and  the  daughter  of 
Mitchelle  Trombley.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children  :  Lizzie,  Cora,  Albert,  George,  Ermine,  Victor, 
Albert,  Blanche  and  Alma,  six  of  whom  are  living. 

The  useful  and  stimulating  life  herein  briefly 
chronicled  ended  in  St.  Paul,  November  7,  1914.  The 
mother  of  the  household  is  still  living  and  now  has  her 
home  in  St.  Paul,  where,  although  she  lives  retired 
aud  in  an  unostentatious  way,  she  is  well  known  in 
many  parts  of  the  city  and  most  highly  respected  by 
all  classes  of  the  people. 


H.  C.  H.  WIK. 


H.  C.  H.  Wik,  a  farmer  of  Woodside  township,  has 

been  a  resident  of  the  county  since  1881  and  has  been 

actively  associated  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 

the   community.     He   is  a  native  of  Norway,   born 

August  8,  1845,  and  came  to  this  country  immediately 

after  his  marriage  to  Caroline  Olson  in  1871  and  after 

spending  a  year  with  a  brother  who  was  living  in  St. 
23 


Paul,  then  located  in  Dakota  county,  Minnesota,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  development  of  a  small  farm.  In 
1881  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead 
claim  in  section  seven  of  Woodside  township  on  the 
.shore  of  Maple  lake,  about  six  miles  southwest  of 
Mentor.  This  land  he  has  developed  into  his  present 
productive  farm  and  has  cleared  and  cultivated  fifty 


362 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


acres  of  the  tract,  which  was  covered  with  timber.  He 
gives  his  attention  fo  both  grain  and  dairy  farming. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  adopted  countrj'  and  has  capably  discharged  the 
duties  of  good  citizenship.  In  local  activities  and 
progress,  he  has  been  influential  as  assessor  and  mem- 
ber of  the  township  board,  serving  as  supervisor  for 
ten  years.  In  political  opinion  and  allegiance  he  is 
independent.  He  is  allied  with  the  business  intei-ests 
of  the  community  as  a  stockholder  in  the  cooperative 
creamery  and  cooperative  store  at  Mentor.  Mr.  Wik 
and  his  wife  have  reared  a  family  of  five  children, 


Hans  Oscar,  who  now  lives  in  Bottineau  coimty,  North 
Dakota;  Marj^  the  wife  of  D.  E.  Clark,  of  the  same 
state;  Bertina,  who  married  Christ  Fulstaid  and  whose 
death  occurred  at  Melvin,  Minnesota,  in  1905 ;  Carrie 
A.,  a  teacher,  who  after  seven  years  employment  in 
Polk  county  schools,  is  now  teaching  in  Bottineau 
county,  North  Dakota,  and  Olof,  in  charge  of  the 
home  farm  and  who  was  married  to  Sophia  Iverton. 
Mr.  Wik  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  United 
Lutheran  church  at  Maple  lake  and  has  continued  to- 
be  a  faithful  supporter  of  its  interests. 


KNUTE  KNUDSON. 


Knute  Knudson,  a  well  known  pioneer  of  western 
Polk  county  and  prominent  farmer  of  Bygland  town- 
ship, came  to  tliis  county  in  1873  from  Wisconsin. 
He  was  born  in  Norway,  in  November,  18-17,  and 
was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  parents  brougiit 
their  family  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Wapaca  county,  Wisconsin,  where  Knute  Knud.son  be- 
came familiar  with  the  labor  and  vicissitudes  of 
pioneer  life,  assisting  in  the  work  of  clearing  the 
timber  land  for  cultivation  and  working  in  the  lumber 
woods.  During  his  first  winter  in  Minnesota,  he 
hauled  logs  to  the  Red  river  for  the  Hudson  Bay  com- 
pany and  in  the  spring  took  his  homestead  in  what 
became  section  four  of  Bygland  township  and  was 
joined  in  his  new  location  by  Aspen  Olson,  his  brother- 
in-law  and  Osman  Isaacson,  whose  sister.  Bertha  Isaac- 
son, later  became  his  wife.  He  assisted  Mr.  Olson  to 
erect  a  home  and  later  replaced  the  loss  of  his  own 
shack,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  a  prairie  fire, 
with  a  more  substantial  structure,  which  is  now  in- 
eluded  in  his  present  home.  With  thrifty  manage- 
ment he  had  saved  several  hundred  dollars  and  he 
continued  his  lumber  work  along  the  river,  and  this 
enabled  him  to  purchase  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  imme- 
diately engage  in  the  breaking  of  his  land.  He  en- 
dured discouragements  and  misfortunes  and  suffered 
the  loss  of  one  of  his  first  crops  through  the  devasta- 


tions of  grasshoppers.  Some  years  later  he  bought 
two  hundred  acres  of  railroad  land  and  continued 
adding  to  his  property  until  it  comprised  an  estate  of 
four  hundred  and  fortj'  acres.  His  principal  agricul- 
tural interest  has  been  the  raising  of  grain,  to  which 
lie  devotes  a  quarter  section  of  his  land  and  he  has 
an  annual  crop  of  several  thousand  bushels.  He  also 
keeps  a  herd  of  Short  Horn  and  Polled  Angus  cattle 
and  dairy  cows  but  has  never  engaged  in  stock  farm- 
ing. As  one  of  the  first  settlers  and  a  man  of  progres- 
sive interests,  he  has  ever  been  associated  with  public 
affairs  and  the  general  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  present  at  the  first  election  held 
when  the  township  received  its  name  from  those 
present  who  were  natives  of  Bygland,  Norway.  He 
was  elected  the  first  township  treasurer  and  has  given 
almost  continuous  service  since  on  the  township  board, 
in  various  capacities.  His  interests  were  always  ac- 
tive in  church  and  school  affairs  and  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Bygland  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Republican  party  but  maintains  the 
independence  of  his  political  judgment  from  the 
strictures  of  partisan  views.  His  marriage  to  Bertha 
Isaacson,  whom  he  had  known  in  his  Wisconsin  home, 
occurred  in  1876.  Ten  children  were  born  to  this 
union,  of  whom  two  are  dead,  Isaac,  whose  death  came 
in  his  eighteenth  j-ear  and  Neal,  who  died   on  his 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


363 


Canadian  homestead.  Margaret  is  the  wife  of  Ole 
Torkelson,  of  Red  Lake  county ;  Martin  is  now  living 
on  the  western  coast;  Toney  married  Lars  T.  Larson 
and  lives  in  Canada;  Birget  is  the  wife  of  Osmau 
Sannes,  of  Grand  Forks  and  Osman  Salve  and  Ole  re- 
main with  their  parents.  Theodore  Knudson,  the 
eldest  son  of  the  family  took  a  homestead  in  Pen- 


nington county,  near  Thief  River  Falls  and  after  ac- 
quiring the  title  to  his  land,  sold  and  returned  to 
Polk  county,  purchasing  a  portion  of  his  father's 
homestead  and  has  since  combined  the  operation  of 
his  farming  interests  with  those  of  his  father.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Socialist  party. 


BERNT  L.  BJUGSTAD. 


Reared  to  manhood  and  strength  in  his  native  laud 
of  Norway  and  inheriting  the  hardiness  and  resolute 
spirit  of  his  Norwegian  ancestry,  Bernt  L.  Bjugstad, 
one  of  the  progressive  and  wide-awake  farmers  of 
King  township,  this  county,  has  succeeded  in  winning 
his  way  to  a  comfortable  prosperity  in  the  New  World, 
as  all  who  knew  him  in  youth  and  observed  his  in- 
dustry, determination  and  perseverance,  expected  him 
to  do,  wherever  he  might  be.  He  was  born  December 
14,  1860,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1880, 
landing  at  Boston  and  from  there  coming  at  once  to 
Minnesota  and  locating  in  Ottertail  county,  where  he 
remained  about  two  years. 

The  next  year  was  passed  by  Mr.  Bjugstad  near 
Fargo,  North  Dakota,  on  the  Buffalo  river,  and  in 
1883  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  took  up  160  acres 
of  land  in  section  11,  King  township.  On  this  tract 
he  has  since  lived,   and  by  his  industry  and  good 


management  he  has  converted  its  wild  expanse  into 
a  good  farm  and  enriched  it  with  good  buildings,  mak- 
ing it  an  attractive  and  valuable  country  home.  He 
has  also  taken  an  earnest  and  helpful  interest  in  the 
public  affairs  of  his  township  and  has  given  his  dis- 
trict valuable  and  appreciated  service  as  school 
director. 

On  February  4,  1891,  Mr.  Bjugstad  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  G.  Moy,  who  was  born  in  Norway  May  9, 
1872,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents 
in  1881.  Her  father  was  Guuder  Moy,  who  lived  in 
Polk  county  until  1894,  then  sold  his  farm  and  moved 
to  Bemidji,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  life.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bjugstad  are  members  of  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church.  They  have  two  children,  Nettie 
and  Gunda.  The  genuine  worth  of  the  parents  has 
won  them  the  lasting  esteem  of  all  who  know  them. 


FREDERICK  BAATZ. 


The  interesting  subject  of  this  brief  review  has  been 
one  of  Polk  county's  most  progressive  and  esteemed 
citizens.  His  industry  and  thrift,  which  are  char- 
acteristic of  the  German  people,  and  his  persistent 
and  devoted  attention  to  his  own  affairs,  have  been 
potent  factors  in  his  success  and  have  also  won  him 
the  respect  and  good  will  of  his  whole  township, 
which  is  largely  populated  by  persons  of  a  totally  dis- 
tinct nationality. 

Mr.  Baatz  was  born  in  the  grand  duchy  of  Luxem- 
burg, Germany,  December  7,  1854,  and  came  to  the 


United  States  in  1871,  joining  ar  uncle  who  lived  in 
Wabasha  county,  Minnesota,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1878.  He  then  came  to  Polk 
county  and  took  up  the  first  homestead  in  what  is  now 
Russia  township,  which  later  he  helped  to  organize. 
He  came  to  this  county  to  get  a  home,  and  he  has  not 
only  had  a  good  one  for  himself  ever  since  but  has 
helped  very  largely  to  make  the  region  habitable  for 
other  persons. 

The  land  on  which  Mr.  Baatz  lives,  and  which  he 
has  made  over  into  an  excellent  farm,  is  the  Northwest 


364 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


quarter  of  Section  4,  in  Russia  township,  and  is  ten 
miles  southeast  of  Crookston.  When  he  settled  on  it 
there  was  no  other  resident  for  many  miles  south  or 
east  of  him  and  there  were  but  few  north  of  him  in 
the  direction  of  Crookston.  He  now  owns  three 
quarter  sections,  480  acres  in  all,  one  quarter  in  Sec- 
tion 5,  Russia  township,  and  one  in  Section  34,  Fair- 
fax township,  but  all  contiguous  so  that  they  make 
one  farm.  For  one  quarter  he  paid  $800  and  the  rest 
of  liis  land  he  paid  $26  an  acre.  When  he  located 
in  Polk  county  he  had  only  $200  with  which  to  buy 
teams  and  get  a  start,  but  he  has  now  a  competence 
for  life,  all  due  to  his  own  efforts. 

Live  stock  and  grain  are  the  staples  of  Mr.  Baatz' 
productions.  He  keeps  30  to  60  head  of  cattle  every 
year,  mostly  Holsteins,  and  milks  10  to  12  cows  the 
year  round,  selling  cream  to  the  creameries.  In  1915 
he  raised  4,000  bushels  of  wheat  and  2,000  bushels  of 
oats  and  barley,  and  he  has  in  the  neighborhood  of 
40  acres  in  com  on  his  land  every  year.  His  farming 
operations  are  conducted  on  a  large  scale  and  with 
decided  enterprise  and  energy,  and  they  are  very 
profitable  on  that  account. 


It  is  easy  to  see  that  Mr.  Baatz'  own  affairs  are  very 
compreliensive  and  exacting,  but  they  have  never  kept 
him  from  taking  an  earnest  and  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  his  township.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the 
township  board  nine  years  and  its  chairman  fifteen 
years,  being  a  member  of  it  almost  from  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  township,  and  has  served  for  thirty  years 
on  the  local  school  board.  In  fact,  he  has  scarcely 
been  out  of  office  a  day  since  Russia  township's  cor- 
porate existence  began,  and  his  services  in  every  offi- 
cial position  liave  been  highly  satisfactory  to  the  resi- 
dents of  the  township. 

Mr.  Baatz  was  married  in  Wabaslia  county,  Minne- 
sota, in  1882,  to  iliss  Emma  Schwirtz,  a  German  by 
birth.  They  have  had  five  childi-eu,  all  but  one  of 
whom  are  still  living  and  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Their  son  Frank  died  when  he  was  twenty  years  old. 
The  living  children  are  Rosa,  Mary,  Annie  and  John. 
The  last  named  attended  the  State  Agricultural  School 
at  Crookston  for  a  special  course  of  instruction.  All 
the  members  of  the  family  are  Catholics  and  belong  to 
the  Cathedral  parish  in  Crookston. 


HON.  KNUTE  S.  AKER. 


Two  things  are  plainly  demonstrated  in  the  public 
life  and  services  of  Hon.  Knute  S.  Aker,  a  leading 
citizen  of  Hubbard  township,  this  county,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Minnesota  House  of  Representatives  in  1911 
and  1912,  and  the  highly  approved  incumbent  of  sev- 
eral other  offices  from  time  to  time.  These  two  facts 
are  that  he  fully  imderstands  the  needs  of  the  people 
around  him  and  is  both  wise  and  industrious  in  his 
efforts  to  provide  for  them.  In  every  official  position 
to  which  the  people  have  elected  him  he  has  seemed 
to  catch  the  exact  drift  of  public  sentiment  as  to  the 
performance  of  his  duties  and  to  hit  upon  the  most 
effective  and  satisfactory  manner  of  discharging  them 
so  as  to  obtain  the  best  results. 

Mr.  Aker  lives  on  Section  9,  Hubbard  township,  and 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  June  12,  1878. 
He  was  born  in  Norway  September  19,   1853,   and 


when  he  was  but  seveu  years  old  was  brought  to  this 
country  by  his  parents,  Sondre  and  Ingebor  Aker.  On 
arriving  in  the  L^nited  States  the  parents  located  in 
Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and  there  they  lived  until 
the  spring  of  1881,  when  the  family  moved  to  a  home- 
stead in  Golden  township,  Walsh  county,  North 
Dakota,  which  was  taken  up  by  the  subject  of  this 
review.  He  l)uilt  a  dwelling  for  his  parents  and  broke 
up  forty  acres  of  the  land  for  them,  and  they  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  days  on  the  homestead,  the 
motlier  dying  on  it  when  she  was  seventy  years  old 
and  the  father  when  he  was  seventy-three. 

Knute  S.  Aker  reached  the  age  of  nineteen  and 
obtained  his  education  in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa. 
He  worked  out  at  farm  labor  until  he  was  about 
twenty-five,  then  came  to  Polk  county,  arriving  on 
June  12,  1878,  and  bought  160  acres  of  railroad  land, 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


365 


wliifli  is  still  a  part  of  his  home  farm.  Wheu  he 
made  his  first  purchase  he  incurred  an  iudebteduess 
of  $1,250.  Now  he  owns  about  1,200  acres  of  good 
land,  all  of  which  is  paid  for,  well  improved  and  prac- 
tically under  cultivation.  By  his  industry,  thrift,  wise 
business  management  and  good  judgment  he  has 
added  about  1,100  acres  to  his  original  purchase  and 
won  for  himself  a  substantial  competence  for  life. 

Mr.  Aker  has  also  risen  to  a  position  of  consequence 
and  influence  in  connection  with  public  affairs  in  his 
township  and  county,  and  at  every  step  of  his  progress 
in  this  line  of  advancement  has  fully  justified  his 
title  to  the  continued  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
people.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  local  school 
board  for  twenty-two  years,  a  justice  of  the  peace  for 
seventeen  years  and  supervisor  and  assessor  of  Hub- 
bard township  for  five  or  six  j'ears.  In  1885  he  took 
the  state  census  in  Hubbard  township  and  he  has  also 
taken  the  government  census  three  times.  Through- 
out his  residence  in  Polk  county  he  has  been  very 
active  in  the  service  of  his  townsliip,  neglecting  no 
public  interest  and  allowing  none  to  go  without  his 
zealous  support  and  assistance.  He  has  long  been  one 
of  the  directors  of  Bethesda  hospital  in  Crookston,  and 
it  has  profited  by  his  systematic  attention  to  its  affairs. 

In  the  fall  of  1910  Mr.  Aker  was  elected  to  the  state 


House  of  Representatives.  He  served  in  the  regular 
session  of  1911  and  the  special  session  of  1912  with 
credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  state.  He  was  a 
member  of  several  important  committees  in  the  House 
and  was  constant  in  his  attention  to  his  legislative 
duties  both  in  committee  rooms  and  on  the  floor,  giv- 
ing careful  study  to  all  bills  introduced  and  keeping 
himself  well  posted  in  reference  to  every  need  of  the 
state  and  every  danger  that  threatened  its  welfare. 

Mr.  Aker  was  married  in  Bygland  township,  Polk 
countj',  on  June  3,  1880,  to  Miss  Ales  Thompson,  who 
was  born  in  Howard  comity,  Iowa,  of  Norwegian  par- 
entage. Nine  children  have  been  born  of  the  union, 
seven  of  whom  are  living,  the  first  and  second  in  the 
order  of  birth  having  died  in  infancy.  Those  wlio  are 
living  are  Ole,  Bella,  Sander,  Gurie,  Carl,  Annie  and 
Mabel.  Bella  is  now  the  wife  of  John  Tofsley ;  Gurie 
is  the  wife  of  Ole  Bramseth,  and  Annie  is  the  wife  of 
Harry  Larson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aker  are  very  genial 
and  companionable  persons,  with  a  cordial  and  help- 
ful interest  in  all  their  fellow  beings.  Their  agreeable 
home  is  a  center  of  bounteous  and  gracious  hospitality 
and  a  popular  resort  for  their  friends,  who  are  num- 
bered by  the  host,  and  who  find  it  the  seat  of  refined 
and  illuminating  social  culture. 


CHRISTIAN  C.  QUERN. 


Christian  C.  Quern,  an  early  settler  of  Esther  town- 
ship and  for  many  years  a  prominent  farmer  of  Polk 
county,  was  born  in  Norway,  April  20,  1838  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Esther  township,  February  14,  1911. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  as  a  young  man  and 
located  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  in  1861  and 
later  lived  for  a  time  in  Renville  county,  where  he 
was  married  in  1866  to  Olia  Manrud,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Norway  and  had  come  to  Minnesota 
some  years  previous  to  her  marriage.  In  1877  Mr. 
Quern  removed  to  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead 
on  the  north  west  quarter  of  section  fourteen  of 
Esther  township,  being  the  first  settler  to  locate  north 


of  the  Marais  river.  With  a  small  capital  and  a  few 
head  of  stock,  Mr.  Quern  entered  upon  his  new  enter- 
prise and  with  thrifty  management  built  up  one  of 
the  large  and  prosperous  estates  of  this  section.  His 
first  home  was  a  primitive  cabin  which  he  soon  re- 
placed with  a  log  house  and  in  1888  erected  the  com- 
fortable modern  house  which  was  his  home  until  his 
death.  This  home  was  built  on  the  four  hundred  acre 
tract  of  railroad  land,  which  he  bought  in  section 
fifteen  of  Esther  township.  He  also  became  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  quarter  section  adjoining  his  homestead, 
for  which  he  traded  land  in  Renville  county.  His 
property  later  included  a  section  in  Higdem  town- 


366 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


ship,  six  miles  north  of  his  home  place.  The  greater 
part  of  this  was  railroad  land  which  secured  at  six 
dollars  an  acre,  and  has  been  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  grain.  Mr.  Quern  gave  his  entire  attention  to  his 
farming  operations  and  under  his  management  the 
estate  was  brought  to  its  present  splendid  condition. 
He  confined  his  personal  operations  to  the  Esther 
township  land  and  rented  the  section  in  Higdem  towTi- 
ship.  His  death  occurred  in  his  seventy-ninth  year  at 
the  close  of  a  long  and  active  career,  marked  by  the 
constructive  service  of  the  pioneer  farmer  and  progres- 
sive citizen.    He  is  survived  by  his  wife  and  five  chil- 


dren, three  of  whom  reside  on  the  Quern  estate,  Carl, 
Olivia,  whose  husband,  Gust  Nelson,  operates  a  part 
of  the  Higdem  township  farm,  and  Ole,  who  since  the 
death  of  his  father  has  capably  assumed  management 
of  tiie  home  place,  ilartin  Quern  entered  the  com- 
mercial world  and  is  a  merchant  at  Gunvick,  Minne- 
sota. Carrie  Quern  married  John  Hofsteen  and  lives 
at  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota.  Ole  Quern  was  mar- 
ried to  Clara  Bang,  the  daughter  of  a  well  known 
citizen  of  Higdem  township  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Adea  and  Erma. 


DALECARLIA  GRAIN  AND  STOCK  FARM. 
S.  E.  ERICKSON,  PROP. 


Owning  and  occupying  one  of  the  finest  homes  in 
the  Red  River  valley,  with  native  trees  surrounding 
his  house,  which  stands  on  the  banks  of  the  Marias 
river  and  overlooks  a  wide  sweep  of  the  country  lying 
around  it,  and  cultivating  a  large,  well  improved  and 
productive  farm  in  the  most  progressive  way,  and  en- 
joying in  a  marked  degree  the  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him,  S.  E.  Erickson,  of  Dalecarlia  Farm  in  Section  25, 
Esther  township,  seven  miles  north  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  has  made  great  progress  in  his  worldly  estate 
since  he  came  to  Polk  county  on  June  3,  1883,  a  pen- 
niless youth  of  nineteen  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Erickson  was  born  in  Sweden  September  23, 
1864,  and  when  he  arrived  in  the  United  States  came 
direct  to  this  county,  where  his  brother  Andrew,  now 
a  resident  of  Roseau  county,  Minnesota,  and  his  uncle, 
0.  Metz  Erickson,  were  then  living.  The  uncle  had 
come  to  Becker  county,  Minnesota,  in  1868,  and  had 
acquired  a  homestead  in  that  county.  In  1878  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Polk  county  and  bought  the 
Northeast  quarter  of  Section  25,  in  Esther  township, 
which  was  then  railroad  land  and  is  now  a  part  of  the 
farm  of  S.  E.  Erickson.  The  uncle  paid  about  $7  an 
acre  for  this  land.  It  is  now  worth  $100  an  acre.  He 
passed  his  remaining  years  on  the  farm,  dying  on  it  in 
1902.    He  had  a  family  of  eight  daughters.    They  are 


living  in  various  places  but  none  of  them  in  this 
county. 

After  his  arrival  in  Polk  county  S.  E.  Erickson 
and  his  brother  Andrew,  who  lived  in  this  county 
about  sixteen  years,  rented  a  farm  for  six  years.  S.  E. 
also  bought  railroad  land  in  Section  29,  Northland 
township,  two  miles  east  of  his  present  farm,  which 
he  improved  and  still  owns.  He  at  first  rented  a  part 
of  his  home  farm  from  his  father-in-law.  Erick  Dick- 
son, who  bought  it  in  1880  and  took  up  his  residence 
on  it  in   1891. 

]\Ir.  Dickson  was  also  a  native  of  Sweden,  born 
September  3,  1843,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1868,  locating  for  a  time  at  Elkhart,  Indiana.  He 
worked  in  the  Calumet  and  Ilecla  copper  mines  in 
Michigan  for  seventeen  years.  He  was  killed  by  a 
falling  tree  on  his  farm  in  1904.  He  .served  several 
years  as  township  treasurer  and  otherwise  took  an 
active  part  in  local  public  affairs.  His  wife  died  in 
St.  Paul  in  1869,  leaving  an  infant  daughter,  Matilda, 
who  was  born  at  Elkhart,  Indiana,  the  same  year  that 
her  mother  died  in.  She  was  reared  by  her  grand- 
parents at  Becker,  Sherburne  county,  Minnesota,  and 
in  1878  came  with  her  grandfather,  0.  Metz  Erickson, 
to  this  county,  where  she  remained  until  1880,  then 
joined  her  father  at  Calumet,  Michigan.    In  1890  she 


^  f^ 


JOHN   A.  IIKXUKICKS 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


367 


returned  to  this  county,  and  on  January  1,  1891,  was 
married  to  S.  E.  Eriekson.  They  have  no  children  of 
their  own  but  they  reared  from  the  age  of  six  an 
adopted  daughter,  Lottie  May  Eriekson,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  Henry  Lillisve,  of  Roseau  county,  Min- 
nesota. 

Mr.  Eriekson 's  farm  now  comprises  640  acres  and 
is  in  a  highly  improved  condition.  In  1915  he  erected 
a  fine  dwelling  house  on  it,  built  according  to  plans 
furnished  by  an  architect  and  constructed  of  stucco 
on  a  cement  foundation.  It  has  hot  and  cold  water 
throughout  and  is  lighted  by  electricity  from  a  power 
plant  in  the  basement.  The  house  cost  about  $10,000. 
In  digging  a  cistern  Mr.  Eriekson  found,  about  twelve 


and  a  half  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth,  the 
bones  of  an  animal  unknown  to  him.  He  has  given 
his  attention  mainly  to  raising  wheat,  oats  and  barley, 
and  in  1915  he  produced  over  13,000  bushels.  He  has 
been  chairman  of  the  township  board.  And  for  eleven 
years  has  been  township  treasurer,  having  succeeded 
his  father-in-law  in  that  office.  He  and  his  wife  belong 
to  Bethesda  Swedish  Lutheran  church  near  their 
home,  and  he  is  its  treasurer  and  one  of  its  trustees, 
while  Mrs.  Eriekson  has  been  its  Sunday  school  super- 
intendent, organist  and  choir  leader  for  twenty-four 
years.  The  Sunday  school  has  regularly  thirty  to 
forty  scholars  and  is  kept  during  six  months  of  the 
year. 


JOHN  ALBERT  HENDRICKS. 


John  Albert  Hendricks,  a  prominent  lawyer  resid- 
ing at  Fosston,  is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in  Da- 
cotah  county,  December  14,  1865.  His  father,  Henry 
Peterson,  who  was  a  resident  of  Polk  county  during 
the  latter  years  of  his  life,  was  a  native  of  Norway 
and  was  among  the  first  of  his  countrymen  to  seek 
a  new  home  in  the  United  States,  a  worthy  pioneer  in 
the  wilderness  of  the  northwest.  This  was  in  1850 ; 
a  few  years  later  he  returned  to  Norway.  In  1864 
he  came  to  Dacotah  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  lived 
for  three  years  and  then  took  a  homestead  claim  in 
Renville  county  and  made  his  home  on  this  fann  until 
1900,  when  he  removed  to  Polk  count}'.  His  death 
occurred  here  in  1907,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  John 
A.  Hendricks  was  reared  on  his  father's  homestead 
in  Renville  county  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools,  later  attending  business  col- 
lege in  Minneapolis  and  Minneapolis  Academy,  which 
is  now  called  Minnesota  College.  He  then  spent  sev- 
eral yeare  teaching  in  his  home  county,  in  the  public 
schools  and  also  in  the  parochial  school  which  is  main- 
tained by  the  Augustana  Synod.  But  his  ambitions 
were  centered  upon  a  professional  career  and  in  1901 
he  entered  the  law  school  of  the  State  University. 
Upon  his  graduation  in  1903  he  was  admitted  to  the 


bar  and  immediately  established  himself  in  Renville 
county,  where  he  remained  for  about  a  year  and  a  half. 
On  February  14,  1895,  he  came  to  Fosston,  where 
for  twenty  years  he  has  engaged  in  the  general  prac- 
tice of  law  with  eminent  success,  becoming  widely 
known  through  his  capable  and  masterly  handling  of 
important  land  controversies.  During  the  early  years 
of  his  career  the  courts  were  largely  concerned  with 
title  contests  and  land  cases  and  it  was  in  such  liti- 
gation that  he  scored  several  notable  and  significant 
victories.  One  of  these  involved  the  reversal  of  a 
supreme  court  decision ;  this  was  the  case  of  Theodore 
Torgerson  vs.  the  Crookston  Lumber  company,  relat- 
ing to  the  overflow  of  Clearwater  river.  The  Crooks- 
ton  Lumber  company  was  then  the  largest  lumber 
corporation  in  Minnesota  and  arrayed  against  Mr. 
Hendricks,  in  defense  of  its  interests,  the  best  legal 
talent  of  the  state.  But  he  carried  his  cause  to  a 
favorable  decision  through  the  nine  days'  trial  in 
the  circuit  court  and  a  long  and  hard-fought  contest 
which  covered  three  years.  This  decision,  which 
establishes  the  rule  that  the  defendant  must  disclose 
the  facts  and  the  plaintiff  is  not  required  to  prove  the 
facts  in  each  case,  is  recorded  in  volume  144  of  North- 
western Reports,  and  in  Minnesota  Reports,  and  has 


:{68 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


been  regarded  with  great  favor  in  subsequent  judicial 
proceedings  in  its  application  to  many  and  various 
conditions.  Another  case  which  concerned  one  of  the 
important  (juostious  of  the  time,  in  which  Mr.  Hen- 
dricks acquired  further  fame,  was  in  reference  to  the 
land  allotted  to  Indians  of  mixed  blood,  the  courts 
ratifying  his  contention  that  the  proceeds  of  a  sale 
of  such  land  differed  from  the  proceeds  of  a  sale  of 
homestead  land  and  was  subject  to  attachment  and 
garnishment.  Mr.  Hendricks  takes  an  active  and 
public-spirited  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  lives  and  as  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  has  given  much  efificient  service  in  political 
campaigns  and  state  conventions.  He  has  been  a 
candidate  for  the  nomination  for  state's  attorney  and 


for  a  numhcr  of  years  has  served  as  village  attorney 
and  as  a  nu'iuber  of  the  school  Ixiard,  and  in  the  latter 
capacity  lias  promoted  the  erection  of  the  present  high 
school  building.  In  addition  to  his  professional  work 
he  is  interested  in  agricultural  develoj)ment  and  finds 
time  for  tlie  management  of  his  farms.  In  1S9G  he 
was  married  to  Bertina  ]\Iaria  Bakke  of  Willmar, 
Minnesota.  They  have  three  children,  Camilla,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  1916  high  school  class;  Horace, 
and  Byron  A.  Mr.  Hendricks  is  an  enthusiastic  out- 
of-door  sportsman,  enjoying  hunting  and  fishing  and 
recreation  at  his  cottage  on  the  lakes.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  and 
has  earnestly  supported  the  plan  for  the  union  of 
Lutheran  churches. 


WILLIAM  JACKSON. 


William  Jackson,  a  well  known  pioneer  and  success- 
ful farmer  of  Grand  Forks  township,  located  in  Polk 
county  in  1876  and  has  since  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  its  agricultural  development.  He  was  born 
at  White  Haven,  in  Cumberland,  England,  January 
22,  1833  and  lived  there  until  1868,  when  he  came  to 
Canada.  As  a  youth  he  learned  the  trade  of  the  iron 
molder  and  worked  at  this  trade  for  many  j'ears,  in 
his  native  land  and  later  in  Canada.  Becoming  am- 
bitious to  secure  farming  land,  in  1876,  he  started  west 
to  Winnipeg  where  he  had  a  large  grant  but  his 
journey  was  destined  to  end  at  Fishers  Landing, 
where,  an  acquaintance  on  the  steam  boat,  George 
Walsh,  persuaded  him  the  most  desirable  land  was  to 
be  found.  In  Grand  Forks  he  heard  of  a  tract  of  rail- 
road land  in  Grand  Forks  township,  the  first  to  be 
opened  for  settlement  north  of  Grand  Forks  and  this 
land  he  bought.  With  some  cash  capital  and  a  team 
of  oxen  he  was  enabled  to  begin  immediately  his 
farming  activities  and  in  the  first  year  put  sixty  acres 
under  cultivation.  The  first  home  was  a  log  house 
which  was  replaced  in  1898  by  a  comfortable  country 
home,  pleasantly  situated  on  the  banks  of  Red  River. 


Mr.  Jackson  has  met  with  steady  prosperity  in  his 
agricultural  enterprise  and  has  developed  one  of  the 
model  farm  properties  of  Polk  county.  This  place  is 
in  section  three  of  Grand  Forks  township,  on  the  river 
and  conveniently  located,  six  miles  north  of  Grand 
Forks.  For  many  years  he  devoted  his  attention  to 
the  raising  of  grain  but  of  later  years  has  extended  his 
interest  to  stock  farming,  raising  Short  Horn  cattle 
and  dealing  in  dairy  produce  for  private  customers. 
As  a  pioneer  and  able  citizen,  Mr.  Jackson  enjoys  the 
respect  of  the  community,  being  essentially  that  type 
of  man,  who  receives  the  best  from  all  associations, 
having  maintained  friendly  and  co-operative  relations 
from  the  early  days  when  the  Indians  were  his  fre- 
quent visitors  to  the  times  when  a  more  aggressive 
citizensliip  is  demanded.  As  a  member  of  the  town- 
ship board  lie  has  given  active  service  in  public  affairs, 
promoting  the  improvement  of  roads  and  schools.  He 
is  the  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  faithful  adherents 
to  the  Presbyteiian  creed  and  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  at  Grand  Forks.  He  was 
married  in  his  native  land  to  Mary  Ann  Wild,  who 
is  also  a  native  of  Cumberland  and  thev  have  three 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


369 


sons  and  two  daughters,  William,  Thomas,  John,  who 
is  a  carpenter  and  resides  at  Brainerd,  Minnesota ; 
Etta  and  Ida.    William  Jackson  and  Thomas  Jackson 


are  associated  with  their  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  farm. 


MICHAEL  MAGUIRE. 


Prosperous  and  successful  in  his  farming  operations 
because  he  has  the  grit,  industry  and  good  manage- 
ment to  make  himself  so,  Michael  Maguire,  who  is 
one  of  the  substantial  residents  of  Sullivan  township, 
in  which  he  owns  the  greater  part  of  741  acres  of 
highly  productive  laud,  has  won  his  own  way  to 
worldly  comfort  and  independence,  and  is  entitled  to 
all  the  credit  for  his  advancement.  He  was  born  in 
Lanark  county,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  May  30, 
1838,  and  came  to  Polk  county  and  his  present  farm 
in  1878,  obtaining  his  first  tract  of  land  as  a  home- 
stead. He  had  a  pair  of  horses  and  $800  in  money. 
He  built  a  small  frame  house  and  soon  afterward 
bought  160  acres  of  railroad  land  in  Section  19,  with 
a  rebate  for  breaking  the  soil.  His  present  farm  of 
741  acres  lies  partly  in  Grand  Forks  township.  For 
some  of  it  he  paid  $70  an  acre.  He  has  700  acres 
under  cultivation,  560  of  which  are  in  his  home  farm. 

During  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  operations  here 
Mr.  Maguire  devoted  his  attention  almost  wholly  to 
raising  grain,  but  during  the  residue  of  the  time  he 
has  made  the  live  stock  industry  equal  to  his  general 
fanning  operations,  keeping  regularly  more  than  fifty 


head  of  cattle  and  doing  his  dealing  in  live  stock  in 
Grand  Forks,  emphasizing  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
cows  in  all  his  transactions.  He  has  given  his  time 
and  energies  Avholly  to  his  interests  on  the  farm,  keep- 
ing out  of  politics,  although  he  is  a  firm  adherent 
of  the  Democratic  party  in  state  and  national  affairs. 
In  1879  Mr.  Maguire  was  vmited  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Catherine  Sullivan,  a  sister  of  James  E.  Sullivan, 
who,  also,  was  born  in  Renfrew  county,  Ontario. 
Michael's  family  consists  of  four  children.  Ida  is  the 
wife  of  J.  C.  Sherlock,  of  East  Grand  Forks.  They 
have  no  children.  Ethel  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Devitt, 
a  railroad  man.  They  have  two  children,  their  sons 
Eugene  and  Edward,  and  live  in  St.  Paul.  Sylvester 
is  living  at  home  and  assisting  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  farm.  He  married  Miss  Norah  Logan. 
They  have  no  children.  Gertrude  married  William 
Schipers,  also  a  railroad  man  living  in  St.  Paul.  They 
have  one  child,  their  daughter  Gertrude.  All  the 
members  of  the  family  who  are  still  within  reach  of  it 
belong  to  the  Catholic  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maguire  have  been  members 
from  its  organization. 


FERDINAND  E.  Le  PAGE. 


As  a  merchant,  a  hotel  keeper  and  the  postmaster 
at  Mentor,  this  county,  Ferdinand  Le  Page  has  many 
ways  of  being  useful  to  his  community,  and  he  uses 
them  to  aidjn  promoting  its  progress  and  the  welfare 
of  its  residents.  He  was  born  near  Montreal,  Canada, 
August  4,  1854,  and  lived  there  until  1858,  then 
moved  to  L 'Original,  Ontario,  with  the  family,  at- 
tended common  and  high  school  there  until  1875. 
Went  into  the  mercantile  business  at  Ottawa,  Canada, 
remaining  there  until  1881.     On  March  2d  of  that 


year  he  came  to  Crookston  and  opened  a  store.  This 
he  conducted  until  1886  and  also  kept  a  hotel  in  the 
city  until  that  year.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  St. 
Louis  hotel  and  kept  it  for  two  yeai"s.  During  the 
succeeding  four  years  he  was  on  the  road  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman  for  the  house  of  J.  A.  Shea  of  Minne- 
apolis. 

In  the  spring  of  1893  Mr.  Le  Page  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Crookston.  He  assumed  the  duties  of 
the  office  on  April  1st  of  that  year  and  held  it  four 


370 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


j'ears,  after  which  lie  served  as  assistant  postmaster 
for  one  year.  On  April  1,  1899,  he  moved  to  Men- 
tor and  again  became  a  hotel  keeper  and  also 
engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  connection  with  the 
hotel,  and  in  these  lines  of  public  service  he  is  still 
engaged,  in  addition  to  being  postmaster  of  Mentor, 
which  he  became  by  appointment  of  President  Wilson 
on  January  1,  1915. 

Mr.  Le  Page  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  village  and  township,  and  has  acceptably  filled 


all  the  different  offices  in  their  gift.  He  has  also  been 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number  of  years.  On  Au- 
gust 17,  1875,  Le  was  married  in  Ontario,  Canada,  to 
Miss  Emma  Seguin,  a  native  of  that  province.  They 
have  had  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living. 
They  are  Anatole,  Arthur  A.,  Louis  F.,  Endora  E., 
Ferdinand  H.,  Alma  E.,  Eva  C.  and  Theodore  C.  All 
the  members  of  the  family  belong  to  the  Catholic 
church,  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  which  they  are 
deeply  interested. 


OLOF  M.  GROVEN. 


Mercantile  circles  in  and  around  ilentor,  one  of  the 
thriving  and  progressive  villages  of  this  county,  has 
no  more  enterprising,  energetic  or  resourceful  mer- 
chant among  their  business  men  than  Olof  M.  Groven, 
the  junior  partner  of  the  hardware  firm  of  Ellingson 
&  Groven,  dealers  in  shelf  and  heavy  hardware,  furni- 
ture, stoves  and  ranges,  farm  implements,  threshing 
machines,  harness  and  horse  furnishings.  He  was 
born  at  "Winger,  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  March  10, 
1892,  and  is  a  son  of  Ole  T.  and  Tone  (Hauge)  Gro- 
ven, natives  of  Telemarken,  Norway,  who  were  among 
the  first  settlers  at  Winger,  where  they  located  early 
in  the  eighties,  and  where  they  now  o\vii  the  east  half 
of  Section  26. 

The  sou  grew  to  the  age  of  twenty  years  on  his 
father's  farm  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  at  the  college  in  Crookston,  fi-om 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1911.  During  about  four 
months   of   1912   he   served   as   bookkeeper   for   the 


Mentor  Co-operative  company,  then  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Eric  Ellingson  for  the  purpose  of  engag- 
ing in  the  hardware  and  implement  trade.  The  part- 
nership still  exists  and  the  firm  is  in  the  front  rank  of 
business  men  in  its  part  of  the  count}'.  It  carries  an 
extensive  stock  of  goods  at  all  times  and  studies  how 
it  may  best  meet  the  requirements  of  the  community 
in  which  it  operates,  please  its  patrons  and  continue 
to  build  up  its  trade  and  enhance  its  reputation  and 
that  of  its  store. 

Mr.  Groven  is  a  young  man,  but  he  takes  an  active 
and  helpful  part  in  the  affairs  of  Mentor,  Grove  Park 
township,  in  which  the  village  is  located,  and  the 
whole  county  of  Polk.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Order  of  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  is  a  gentleman  of  fine  social  ([ualitics 
and  warmly  interested  in  everything  that  ministers 
to  the  welfare  of  the  people  among  whom  he  lives  and 
labors. 


HON.  A.  L.  HOVLAND. 


The  testamentary  interests  of  the  people  of  Polk 
county  were  placed  in  capable  and  careful  hands  when 
they  were  put  in  charge  of  Hon.  A.  L.  Hovland  as 
judge  of  probate  by  the  fall  election  of  1912.  He  was 
well  prepared  for  his  official  duties  and  since  entering 
upon  them  he  has  been  diligent,  conscientious  and 
thoroughly  fair  and  discriminating  in  the  perform- 


ance of  them.  He  was  first  elected  as  a  non-partisan 
candidate  and  in  1914  was  reelected  with  general 
approval  in  all  parts  of  the  county. 

Judge  Hovland  was  born  in  Goodhue  county,  Min- 
nesota, December  31,  1863,  and  is  the  son  of  Lars  J. 
and  Ingeborg  (Throsseth)  Hovland,  who  were  bom  in 
NorwaA'  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  late 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


371 


fifties.  They  located  ou  a  homestead  in  Norman 
county,  Minnesota,  in  1883,  and  there  they  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  days,  the  father  dying  at  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  and  the  mother  some  years  later  after 
she  was  over  eiglity. 

Their  son,  A.  L.,  remained  in  Goodhue  county  until 
1893.  He  tlien  passed  four  years  on  a  farm  which  he 
owns  in  Norman  county.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  by  private  study  and  reading.  In 
1897  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Fertile,  in  this  county, 
where  he  was  employed  as  manager  of  the  Farmers' 
elevator  for  thirteen  3'ears,  after  which  he  spent  three 
years  on  the  road  as  a  salesman  for  a  grain  commis- 
sion house  in  Minneapolis.  He  was  elected  judge  of 
probate  in  November,   1912,  and  took  possession  of 


the  office  January  1,  1913,  since  when  he  has  given 
his  attention  wholly  to  the  duties  of  the  position  and 
discharged  them  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people. 

Judge  Hovland  was  married  in  1885,  in  Goodhue 
county,  to  Miss  Anna  Caroline  Foss,  a  native  of  that 
county.  They  have  five  children,  Myrtle  Idella, 
Leonard  Adelbert,  Mabel  Constance,  Joseph  Lincoln 
and  Arnold  Clinton.  IVIyrtle  is  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  at  Fertile  and  pursued  a  special  course  of 
training  at  the  normal  school  in  Moorhead.  She  was 
afterward  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Norman 
county.  She  is  at  present  a  deputy  in  her  father's 
office.  All  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to  the 
United  Lutheran  church  and  take  an  active  part  in  its 
work  for  the  welfare  of  the  community. 


RIGHT  REVEREND  TIMOTHY  CORBETT. 


Right  Rev.  Timothy  Corbett,  bishop  of  the  See  of 
Crookston,  the  fifth  and  latest  organized  in  Minnesota, 
to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1910,  is  one  of  Minne- 
sota's native  sons,  having  been  born  at  Mendota  in 
1858.  "While  yet  a  lad,  his  parents  removed  to  Minne- 
apolis, where  he  grew  to  maturity,  attending  the 
parochial  school  in  Father,  now  Bishop,  McGolrick's 
Parish,  receiving  private  instruction  in  Latin,  Greek 
and  English  from  Father  MeGolrick  himself. 

In  those  boyhood  da.ys  his  native  inclination  and 
habits  gave  an  indication  of  the  possible  future  worth 
of  the  man,  and  he  was  induced  to  enter  more  fully 
upon  a  thorough  course  of  study,  Father  MeGolrick 
accompanying  him  to  Mexemieux,  France,  where  he 
became  a  student  in  the  same  school  in  which  Arch- 
bishop John  Ireland  and  Bishop  0 'Gorman  had  com- 
pleted courses,  and  where  he  continued  four  years, 
the  progress  made  fully  justifying  the  judgment  of 
his  teachers. 

Returning  to  America,  he  made  his  philosophical 
and  theological  studies  in  Grand  Seminary  at  Mont- 
real and  in  Brighton  Seminary  at  Boston,  where  he 
was  ordained  Priest  in  1886. 

His  initial  pastoral  work  was  in  his  own  old  home 


as  assistant  to  Father  MeGolrick,  though  three  yeai-s 
later  he  was  made  pastor  of  Sacred  Heart  in  Duluth, 
where  he  devoted  the  succeding  twenty-one  years,  and 
until  his  elevation  to  the  Episcopate. 

In  1892  the  church  and  residence  were  destroyed  by 
fire,  entailing  a  serious  loss  to  the  weak  congregation ; 
but  with  faith  in  the  future,  steps  were  at  once  taken 
to  rebuild.  The  foundation  was  secured,  but  the 
financial  conditions  of  that  period  were  such  that  the 
cornerstone  was  not  laid  till  the  next  year,  and  the 
present  Sacred  Heart  Cathedral  was  finally  dedicated 
in  1896,  standing  a  worthy  monument  to  his  persist- 
ence and  devotion  to  a  cause  and  to  the  support  of  a 
loyal  people.  Coming  to  that  church  while  it  was  still 
small,  pastor  and  people  grew  and  developed  together, 
and  it  is  said  that  few  congregations  in  the  state  can 
show  a  closer  intimacy  and  mutual  confidence  than 
was  the  case  here  for  more  than  twenty  years. 

Soon  after  his  going  to  Duluth,  his  old  friend  Bishop 
MeGolrick  followed  him  there,  so  that  the  intimacy  of 
earlier  years  became  closer,  and  it  was  not  long  till  he 
was  chosen  Chancellor  of  the  Diocese,  so  serving  fif- 
teen years  and  until  his  own  elevation  to  the  place  he 
now  holds.    The  history  of  the  church  and  collateral 


372 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


institutions  bfing  found  elsewhere  in  this  worji  it  is 
not  necessary  to  speak  of  them  here ;  but  reference  to 
the  personality  oi'  the  IJishop  and  expresisons  of 
others  will  not  be  out  of  place.  May  9,  1910,  he  was 
consecrated  in  St.  Mary's  Chapel  of  St.  Paul  Semi- 
nar}', the  occasion  being  one  that  called  for  the  pres- 
ence and  assistance  of  twenty-one  visiting  Bishops, 
six  Bishops,  three  Archbishops  and  the  Papal  Dele- 
gate. Catholics  and  non-Catholics  alike  indicated 
earnest  interest  and  appreciation,  among  the  many 
present  being  the  Governor  and  staff. 

As  a  priest  Bishop  Corbett  is  a  dauntless  defender 
of  truth  and  justice,  though  of  a  retiring  rather  than 
of  an  aggressive  nature,  he  has  become  a  power  and 
hesitates  not,  whatever  be  the  occasion,  to  speak  in 
no  uncertain  tones  for  the  great  principles  of  religion, 
social  betterment  and  good  citizenship.  He  has  been 
called  "The  Thundering  Orator,"  and  while  ever  in 
private   conversation   has   convincing  argument   and 


inspires  coniidence,  he  is  at  his  best  when  in  the  pulpit, 
warmed  by  the  subject,  his  logical  and  forceful  ora- 
tory carries  the  largest  audience,  and  much  of  his 
success  is  attributed  by  his  friends  to  this  wonderful 
facultj'. 

As  Chancellor  of  the  Diocese  he  displayed  highest 
business  tact  and  judgment,  not  a  little  of  the 
strengthening  of  the  smaller  churches  being  due  to 
his  personal  attention  and  appeal. 

As  Bishop  the  administration  has  already  met  with 
the  uncjualified  approval  of  all  church  authorities. 
One  of  tlie  leading  secular  press  said  upon  his  eleva- 
tion, that  "his  appointment  will  prove  a  boon  to  the 
Diocese  of  Crookston,  but  with  relative  loss  to  the 
Cathedral  of  Duluth." 

As  an  American  citizen  he  is  thoroughly  imbued 
with  sound  patriotic  principles,  no  suitable  occasion 
passing  without  his  substantial  indorsement  of  the  cor- 
rect l)asis  of  our  institutions. 


ELLSWORTH  D.  GUILDS. 


Now  of  North  Yakima,  "Washington,  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  active  business  men  of  Crooks- 
ton.  He  was  born  at  AVestboro,  Mass.,  April  7,  1843. 
Soon  after  finishing  the  grade  work  in  the  local  school, 
in  1856,  he  went  with  his  parents  to  Pierce  county  Wis- 
consin. The  end  of  the  railroad  was  then  at  Dubuque, 
from  where  the  trip  to  Preseott,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Mississippi  river  with  Lake  St.  Croix,  was  made 
on  the  steamer  "War  Eagle,"  under  command  of  the 
noted  old  riverman,  Capt.  Harris.  This  boat  and 
this  old  captain  had  much  to  do  with  the  making  of 
the  gi-eat  noi'thwest,  both  being  frequently  mentioned 
in  the  annals  of  its  history,  nearly  all  the  first  settlers 
having  come  up  the  river  on  the  "War  Eagle." 

The  family  home  was  made  on  a  tract  of  wild  land 
in  Clifton  township  nine  miles  from  Preseott,  where 
was  found  the  nearest  church  and  school.  The  next 
ten  years  were  spent  in  assisting  in  clearing  and 
operating  this  farm. 

In  October,  1861,  his  elder  brother  enlisted  in  the 


Union  Army  and  went  south,  leaving  Ellsworth  alone 
to  assist  his  father,  who  was  accidentally  drowned  in 
Lake  St.  Croix  soon  after  the  departure  of  the  elder 
brother ;  the  full  care  of  the  farm,  mother,  and  sister 
then  fell  upon  the  young  man. 

On  Christmas  day,  1864,  he  married  Miss  Esther 
Hamblin,  of  whose  companionship  and  assistance  he 
was  deprived  of  by  death  less  than  two  years 
thereafter.  When  his  brother  returned  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  Ellsworth  left  the  old  farm,  but  continued 
at  farming  on  rented  land,  for  two  years.  Having 
taken  all  the  meagre  advantages  offered  he  secured  a 
license  as  a  teacher,  and  for  some  years  was  so  en- 
gaged during  the  winters;  while  the  summers  were 
spent  largely  in  a  stave  mill  at  River  Falls.  For  parts 
of  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  selling  musical  instru- 
ments, traveling  with  team  over  much  of  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota. 

In  the  fall  of  1872  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  firm 
of  Stone  &  Gray,  grain  dealers,  and  which  contin- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


373 


ued  as  Stone,  Gray  &  Childs  until  1878,  having  in 
those  years  been  extensive  dealers  not  only  in  grain 
but  also  in  agi'ieultural  implements.  In  the  historical 
department  of  this  work  will  be  found  a  very  interest- 
ing reminiscence  of  Mr.  Childs  relative  to  early  days 
in  Crookston,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred,  and 
which  will  be  found  well  worth  perusal,  and  which 
gives  so  much  of  his  own  relation  to  the  Red  River 


Valley  that  we  will  not  repeat  it  here.  July  7,  1873, 
Mr.  Childs  was  united  in  marriage  at  Norwalk,  Ohio, 
to  Eliza  McLorinan,  whose  death  of  paralysis  oc- 
curred November  4,  1904.  Of  four  children  born, 
one  died  in  infancy. 

In  1907  Mr.  Childs  removed  to  the  west,  engaging 
in  the  extensive  growing  of  fruits  at  North  Yakima, 
Washington,  where  he  still  resides. 


CORNELIUS  J.  KELLEHER. 


Cornelius  J.  Kelleher,  mayor  of  East  Grand  Forks, 
and  a  prominent  business  man,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Polk  county  since  1906.  Prior  to  that  time  he  had 
resided  for  a  number  of  years  in  Grand  Forks,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  plumbing  and  heating  business,  to 
which  activity  he  has  devoted  his  business  career  with 
notable  success.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  bom  in  the 
city  of  Cork,  March  2,  1867,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  this  country  when  twelve  years  of  age.  For 
a  few  years  they  resided  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1882 
removed  to  St.  Paul,  where  his  parents  continue  to 
make  their  home.  As  a  youth  he  became  apprenticed 
to  the  plumber's  trade  and  steadily  worked  his  way 
to  an  independent  business  and  for  ten  years  con- 
ducted a  profitable  trade  in  Grand  Forks.  In  1906 
he  located  in  East  Grand  Forks,  where  he  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  substantial  and  capable  business  men  of 
the  eit}'.  Not  only  in  commercial  circles  but  in  every 
phase  of  civic  interest,  Mr.  Kelleher  has  made  his 


influence  a  factor  in  behalf  of  progress  and  higher 
achievement,  and  while  his  preference  is  for  the  serv- 
ice of  a  private  citizen,  his  aggressive  and  capable 
cooperation  has  compelled  a  more  active  and  responsi- 
ble position.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil during  the  term  which  was  marked  by  the 
installation  of  the  city  water  works  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  charter  commission.  Upon  the  launch- 
ing of  a  citizens'  ticket  in  the  political  arena,  through 
which  the  voters  advocated  enforcement  of  city  ordi- 
nances and  a  clean  and  efficient  government,  Mr. 
Kelleher  was  chosen  to  head  the  ticket  and  led  it  to 
victorious  election  and  a  commendable  fulfillment  of 
its  pledges.  He  was  married  in  East  Grand  Forks 
to  Nellie  Racine,  daughter  of  Louis  and  Mary  Racine, 
pioneers  of  the  city.  Mr.  Kelleher  and  his  wife  have 
four  children,  Mary,  Firmin,  Louis  and  Cornelius  J., 
and  he  with  his  family,  is  a  communicant  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Catholic  church. 


PETER  A.  HOTVEDT. 


The  late  Peter  A.  Hotvedt,  who  made  a  quarter  of 
Section  8,  Sullivan  township,  and  some  other  land 
into  choice  farms,  well  improved  and  highly  pro- 
ductive, and  who  became  one  of  the  leading  citizcnj 
of  his  township,  began  his  career  in  this  county  with 
almost  nothing  in  the  way  of  capital,  continued  it 
through  many  difficulties  and  rendered  every  step  of 
it  one  of  progress  and  service  to  his  locality.  He  was 
born   in   Portage   county,   Wisconsin,   February   26, 


1856,  and  died  on  his  Sullivan  township  farm  July  22, 
1905.  On  April  1,  1878,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
Nels  Hotvedt  and  0.  T.  Onnelaud,  he  came  to  the 
Red  river  valley,  whose  promise  had  been  painted  in 
glowing  colors  to  his  two  companions  while  they  were 
working  on  farms  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  by 
a  traveling  merchant  tailor. 

Each  of  the  three  adventurers  selected  a  homestead, 
Peter  A.  Hotvedt  taking  the  southwest  quarter,  his 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


374 

brotber  Nels  the  southeast  quarter  and  Mr.  Onneland 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  8,  in  Sullivan  town- 
ship. They  decided  to  pool  their  issues  and  built  a 
shanty  nine  by  fourteen  feet  in  size  on  the  line  be- 
tween the  homesteads  of  Nels  Hotvedt  and  Mr.  Onne- 
land, with  a  bed  on  each  side  of  the  one  room.  They 
then  cut  basswood  logs  on  railroad  land  on  the  Red 
river  five  miles  away,  and  with  them  they  built  a 
house  fourteen  by  eighteen  feet  for  Peter,  who  had 
been  married  the  year  previous.  The  three  had  about 
$300  among  them  and  they  bought  two  yoke  of  oxen 
at  $125  a  yoke.  The  two  bachelors  slept  in  their  own 
house  but  boarded  with  Peter  after  the  arrival  of  his 
wife  and  tiret  child.  The  wife  was  Miss  Clarissa  Lind 
before  her  marriage,  and  tliey  were  married  young. 
Soon  after  they  settled  here  Andrew  Anderson,  who 
had  been  their  neighbor  in  Wisconsin,  homesteaded  on 
the  remaining  quarter  of  Section  8. 

A  little  later  Mr.  Hotvedt  bought  eighty  acres  of 
railroad  land  in  Section  9  at  $6  an  acre,  with  a  rebate 
of  $3  for  each  acre  he  should  break  up,  and  his  brother 
and  Mr.  Onneland  made  .similar  deals.  Peter  passed 
his  time  on  his  land  until  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
five  years  after  she  came  to  this  county,  and  for  some 
time  longer,  his  sister  keeping  house  for  him.  He 
then  passed  two  years  keeping  store  at  East  Grand 
Forks,  but  in  1889  returned  to  his  farm  and  remained 
on  it  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  sei-ved  as  township  clerk 
for  several  years  and  in  other  ways  rendered  good 
service  to  the  people,  as  be  was  always  interested  in 
their  welfare  and  ready  to  aid  in  promoting  it. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Hotvedt  became  the  father 
of  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  William  L.,  Charles  and 
Gertrude.  Charles  is  now  a  resident  of  Rocky  Ford, 
Colorado,  but  still  owns  a  farm  near  the  family  home- 
stead. Gertrude  died  in  infancy.  William  was  born 
in  Portage  county,  Wisconsin,  March  31,  1878,  and 
was  reared  on  the  Sullivan  township  farm.  He  at- 
tended school  in  the  country  near  his  home  and  at 
East  Grand  Forks,  and  was  with  his  father  until  the 
death  of  the  latter  except  during  five  years  which  he 
passed  on  a  homestead  he  took  up  in  Marshall  county, 


Minnesota,  in  1899,  which  he  still  owns  and  now  devotes 
to  raising  hay.  He  also  owns  160  acres  near  his  old 
home,  the  father  a.ssisting  him  in  the  purchase  of  it,  as 
he  aided  the  otlier  son  in  making  a  similar  purchase. 
They  all  worked  together  with  their  father,  and  the 
two  sons  remained  in  partnership  for  two  j'ears  after 
the  father's  deatli. 

William  withdrew  to  his  own  farm  at  the  end  of 
the  partnership  and  Cliarles  worked  the  home  farm 
until  1909,  when  William  returned  to  it  and  Charles 
rented  a  farm  in  Grand  Forks  township.  Now  William 
works  his  own  farm,  the  home  place  and  Charles' 
farm,  560  acres  in  all,  and  raises  large  quantities  of 
grain  and  other  products,  his  crops  in  1915  being 
more  than  10,000  bushels  of  grain  and  a  great  output 
of  potatoes  from  the  twenty  to  thirty  acres  devoted  to 
that  vegetable.  He  also  plants  a  few  acres  in  corn 
and  keeps  a  number  of  cattle  of  good  strains  and 
raises  his  own  horses,  having  three  four-horse  teams 
with  which  he  plows  and  does  other  work. 

Mr.  Hotvedt  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  faith  and 
allegiance,  and  is  at  present  (1915)  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  His  father  was  a  Republican  in  the  early  life 
but  became  a  Democrat  Ijefore  he  died.  By  a  second 
marriage  he  became  the  father  of  four  children,  Ger- 
trude M.,  Clara,  Walter  and  Arthur.  Gertrude  mar- 
ried 0.  E.  Bjoring  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five, 
leaving  a  daughter,  Margaret,  who  lives  with  her 
grandmother.  Clara,  Walter  and  Arthur  are  living 
at  home.  Clara  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  scliools  in 
North  Dakota.  She  was  educated  in  Grand  Forks, 
pursuing  the  summer  normal  course  and  also  a  course 
in  business  training.  For  two  years  she  was  em- 
ployed as  a  stenogi-aphor  in  Grand  Forks. 

Peter  A.  Hotvedt's  second  marriage  took  place  in 
East  Grand  Forks,  November  28,  1888,  and  united 
with  him  Miss  Mary  Bergman.  His  venture  in  mer- 
cantile life  was  an  unfortunate  one.  The  business  was 
conducted  largely  on  credit  and  turned  out  disas- 
trously. When  he  died  his  estate  was  heavily  encum- 
bered, but  his  widow  displayed  rare  business  ability 
as  the  head  of  affairs,  and  within  a  few  years  had  all 


THEODORE  NELSON 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


375 


the  indebtedness  paid  off  and  the  new  buildings  now 
standing  on  the  farm  erected.  She  assumed  a  weighty 
burden  with  the  heroic  fortitude  of  a  Spartan  woman 


and  bore  it  to  a  triumphant  release  with  the  self- 
denial  of  a  devotee  and  the  skill  of  a  veteran  financier. 


THEODORE  NELSON. 


Theodore  Nelson,  cashier  of  the  State  bank  at 
Erskiue,  is  a  native  of  Polk  county,  born  in  Badger 
township  June  14,  1885,  the  son  of  Torger  and  Mary 
Nelson,  who  came  from  Norway  to  Polk  county  in 
1882.  Torger  Nelson  became  a  well-known  pioneer 
citizen  and  merchant  and  after  many  years  of  a  suc- 
cessful career,  retired  from  commercial  activity  and 
is  now  living  at  Erskine.  Three  of  his  sons  are  resi- 
dents of  the  county,  Anton  Nelson  and  Theodore  Nel- 
son, who  live  in  Erskine,  and  0.  T.  Nelson,  a  promi- 
nent business  man  of  Gully,  and  Oscar  Nelson,  the 
fourth  son  of  Mary  and  Torger  Nelson,  is  teller  at 
the  Northern  National  bank  at  Bemidji,  Minnesota. 
Theodore  Nelson  was  educated  in  the  schools  at 
Erskine  and  all  the  interests  of  his  career  have  been 


confined  to  his  native  county.  He  has  earned  his 
responsible  position  in  the  financial  world  through 
native  ability  and  ambition  backed  by  competence 
and  industry.  His  first  position  in  the  bank  was  that 
of  bookkeeper,  which  position  he  held  from  1902  until 
1906,  when  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  assist- 
ant cashier  and  in  1912,  at  the  time  of  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  bank,  he  was  elected  cashier  and  became 
financially  interested  in  the  institution.  Mr.  Nelson 
is  one  of  the  younger  business  men  of  the  county  who 
have  already  won  their  mark  of  success  and  enjoys 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
and  associates.  He  is  interested  in  farm  lands  but 
devotes  his  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  bank. 


EDWARD  HAMLIN  NESBITT. 


To  avoid  confusion  it  should  be  remembered  that 
this  family  name  is  spelled  three  different  ways  by  the 
persons  who  bear  it  in  Polk  county.  The  name  of 
the  township,  which  was  chosen  in  honor  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  who  were  the  first  settlers  in  it,  is 
' '  Nesbit ; ' '  the  name  of  the  family  to  which  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  belongs  is  "Nesbitt,"  and  that  of  still 
another  family  is  "Nisbet. " 

Edward  Hamlin  Nesbitt,  who  lives  on  Section  27, 
Nesbit  township,  four  miles  and  a  half  north  of  Fisher, 
was  born  in  Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan,  four  miles 
south  of  the  city  of  Kalamazoo,  September  19,  1845. 
His  father  went  to  Michigan  from  Ireland  and  his 
mother  from  the  state  of  New  York.  The  son  grew  to 
manhood  in  Michigan  and  then  traveled  some  years 
through  the  south  after  the  Civil  war.  On  his  return 
to  the  north  he  located  near  Rockford,  Illinois,  on  a 
prairie   farm  which   was  already  improved.     After 


remaining  four  years  in  Illinois  he  returned  to  Michi- 
gan and  passed  another  year  with  his  parents  in  that 
state. 

The  south  had  still  a  winning  voice  for  Mr.  Nesbitt, 
however,  and  he  was  unable  to  withstand  its  per- 
suasiveness. He  went  to  Florida  and  passed  four  years 
in  the  cotton  country  near  Tallahassee.  But  he  found 
that  a  region  must  have  more  than  climate  to  make 
it  attractive.  The  soil  in  Florida  was  poor  for  what 
he  wished  to  do,  and  he  determined  to  return  again 
to  the  north,  where  he  could  raise  wheat  and  other 
grain.  His  attention  was  drawn  to  the  Red  river  val- 
ley, and  in  June,  1880,  he  came  to  Polk  county, 
Minnesota,  and  bought  a  whole  section  of  railroad  land 
at  $7  an  acre,  with  a  rebate  of  $3  an  acre  if  three- 
fourths  of  the  land  should  be  broken  up  within  a  speci- 
fied period  of  time. 

Mr.  Nesbitt  had  left  then  about  .$1,300,  and  he  put 


376 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOORxVPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


up  a  frame  house,  which  cost  him  $800,  aud  which  he 
lived  ill  until  1912.  Ilis  first  teams  were  oxen.  These 
were  superseded  iii  a  little  while  by  mules,  and  later 
he  used  only  horses.  He  broke  up  as  much  of  his  laud 
as  he  could,  but,  while  he  suffered  no  total  loss  of 
crops,  he  had  no  grain  to  sell  during  his  first  three 
years  on  the  farm.  The  land  was  so  wet  much  of  the 
time  that  it  could  not  be  worked  and  the  farmers  were 
helpless  for  years  under  this  condition.  Then,  hail 
storms  would  come  aud  destroy  a  large  part  of  what  a 
fairly  good  season  gave  them  hopes  of  harvesting,  and 
so  discouraging  were  the  circumstances  that  there  was 
no  demand  for  the  land,  and  it  was  at  times  impossible 
to  give  it  away.  Since  the  present  ditching  system  was 
inaugurated  about  sixteen  years  ago  all  have  been  able 
to  raise  good  crops  and  the  value  of  the  laud  has  risen 


rapidly,  Mr.  Nesbitt's  being  now  worth  at  least  $100 
an  acre. 

In  1912  Mr.  Nesbitt  erected  his  present  dwelling 
house,  which  is  a  very  good  one,  and  he  also  has  good 
barns  and  other  improvements,  among  them  ten  acres 
of  trees  which  form  an  attractive  and  useful  grove.  In 
1915  his  farm  yielded  about  13,000  bushels  of  grain 
and  a  large  quantity  of  hay.  He  is  at  present  town- 
ship assessor  and  has  also  served  as  supervisor  of  the 
township.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  was  married 
in  Michigan  to  Miss  Celia  M.  Van  Hoesen.  They  have 
three  children,  Cora  B.,  Victor  H.  and  Irene,  all  of 
whom  are  still  members  of  the  parental  family  circle. 
Ml-.  Nesbitt  gives  a  good  deal  of  attention  to  raising 
white-faced  Hereford  cattle  of  superior  strains  in  ad- 
dition to  his  general  farming  operations,  and  is  suc- 
cessful in  the  enterprise. 


MARTIN  SANDS. 


This  first  settler  and  long  the  leading  citizen  of 
Sandsville  township,  this  county,  which  he  helped  to 
organize  and  which  was  named  in  his  honor,  has  had 
a  varied  career  in  his  struggle  to  aid  in  making  the 
wilderness  docile  and  productive.  The  fine  farm  which 
he  has  made  of  his  wild  and  for  years  very  wet  land  in 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  8,  with  its  northern 
border  on  the  line  between  Polk  and  ^Marshall  coun- 
ties, lies  one  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Alvarado,  seven- 
teen miles  north  of  Grand  Forks  and  forty-two  miles 
northwest  of  Crookston,  and  is  now  one  of  the  choice 
ones  in  the  township. 

Mr.  Sands  was  born  in  Norway  November  23,  1854, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  in  his 
fifteenth  year,  locating  with  them  near  La  Crosse,  Wis- 
consin. The  father  soon  afterward  took  a  homestead 
in  Kandiyohi  county,  this  state,  on  which  his  son  Mar- 
tin grew  to  manhood.  In  1875,  when  he  was  just 
twenty-one,  the  j'oung  man  visited  the  Red  river  valley 
and  stopped  a  .short  time  at  Fisher's  Landing.  But  he 
returned  to  his  father's  home  and  remained  there  two 
years.    In  1877  he  eame  back  to  Polk  county  and  select- 


ed his  homestead  and  also  chose  one  for  each  of  his 
two  brothers,  Ole  and  Casper,  and  another  for  JIartin 
Johnson,  their  cousin. 

In  making  his  selections  Mr.  Sands  chose  land  suit- 
al)le  for  grazing  with  an  extensive  open  range  around 
it,  for  he  concluded  that  it  would  be  years  before  the 
locality  was  much  settled.  In  March,  1878,  he  built 
three  shacks  and  slept  one  night  in  each  of  them.  He 
then  returned  to  Kandiyohi  county,  and  in  May  or 
June,  as  soon  as  the  grass  was  fit  for  pasture,  he 
brought  over  ninety  head  of  cattle,  two  yoke  of  oxen 
and  one  pair  of  mules  and  three  saddle  ponies.  He 
and  his  two  brothers  owned  all  the  land,  and  all  their 
subsequent  operations  were  carried  on  in  partnership, 
although  Casper,  who  died  in  1914,  was  a  conductor 
on  the  Great  Northern  railroad  for  thirty  years,  and 
necessarily  absent  from  the  land  a  great  deal  of  that 
time.  When  Martin  drove  his  cattle  to  his  land  miles 
of  the  distance  between  it  and  Grand  Forks  were  all 
under  water. 

Ole  Sands  was  married,  and  his  wife  and  one-year 
old  son  accompanied  him  to  his  new  home.    Martin  also 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


377 


brought  his  sister  Maren  with  him  to  be  his  house- 
keeper. She  afterward  married  Martin  Johnson,  and 
is  still  living  near  Alvarado.  The  live  stock  did  Avell 
and  the  Sands  boys  found  a  ready  market  for  all  they 
had  to  Bell  among  new  settlers,  and  they  kept  bringing 
up  new  supplies  from  Kandiyohi  count}'.  But  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  the  settlers  were  all  supplied  and 
the  market  grew  slack,  especially  as  the  range  for  the 
cattle  was  settled  up. 

In  this  contingency  Martin  Sands  moved  to  Crooks- 
ton  and  had  a  meat  market,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  and  also  handled  live  stock  on  his  own  account. 
He  then  traded  young  stock  for  mares  and  bronchos 
in  Montana,  and  hired  a  man  to  care  for  them.  In 
1889  he  returned  to  his  farm.  He  then  had  some  thirty 
acres  of  his  homestead  under  cultivation,  and  also  had 
a  tree  claim  some  distance  away,  which  he  plowed  up. 
He  had  helped  several  persons  to  come  over  from  Nor- 
way, among  them  his  three  uncles,  Amun  Berg,  Ole 
Holt  and  Ole  Gulbrandson,  bringing  their  families 
with  them.  The  Sands  brothers  paid  their  passage 
over  and  helped  them  after  they  came.  Each  of  the 
uncles  took  a  homestead.  They  have  aU  died  here, 
but  their  children  are  still  living  in  the  locality. 

Mr.  Sands  has  bought  and  sold  a  great  deal  of  land, 
but  he  now  owns  only  one  half-section.  For  many 
years  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  raising  grain  as 
his  principal  dependence,  but  in  1901,  on  account  of 
floods  had  only  partial  crops  and  lost  several  of  his 
hoi-ses  from  swamp  fever.  For  eleven  days  that  year 
he  was  forced  to  go  about  on  his  place  in  boats,  and 
the  crops  on  600  acres  of  his  land  were  wholly  spoiled. 
Because  of  this  disaster  he  moved  to  "Warren  and 
opened  a  meat  market. 

Merchandising  was  not  to  his  taste,  and  Mr.  Sands 
and  his  brothers  organized  a  ditch  district  and  suc- 
ceeded in  having  a  ditch  dug  direct  to  the  Red  river 


at  a  cost  of  $80,000,  which  was  not  finished,  however, 
for  four  or  five  years.  When  the  Soo  railroad  was 
building  and  Alvarado  was  started  he  moved  to  that 
town  and  built  a  hotel  to  aid  in  starting  the  town,  but 
afterward  sold  the  structure  without  making  any 
money  on  the  deal.  When  the  new  ditch  was  com- 
pleted he  decided  to  return  to  his  farm,  and  he  has 
had  excellent  crops  ever  since,  the  ditch  being  the 
making  of  this  region  as  a  farming  country. 

When  the  township  was  organized  it  extended  IY2 
miles  farther  north  than  it  does  now,  the  extra  strip 
of  ly^  miles  being  now  in  Marshall  county.  Mr.  Sands 
has  filled  every  office  in  the  township  from  time  to 
time,  has  served  many  times  on  juries  in  Crookston, 
has  helped  to  build  roads,  and  in  every  other  way  has 
aided  in  promoting  the  progress  and  development  of 
the  township.  He  and  his  brothers  procured  the 
building  of  the  first  road  from  the  Red  river  back  into 
the  prairie,  and  this  has  been  a  great  help  to  the 
region. 

Mr.  Sands  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss  Annetta 
Larson,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Larson  in  Higden  and 
the  sister  of  Louis  Larson,  now  of  Sandsville  town- 
ship. They  have  ten  children,  Clara,  Hilma,  Effie, 
Alfred,  Ella,  Agnes,  Stella,  Frederick,  Marvin  and 
Margaret.  Clara  is  the  wife  of  Anton  Frugard  of 
Devon  Mount.  Hilma  is  the  widow  of  Robert  Fering, 
of  Alvarado.  Effie  is  the  wife  of  Adolph  B'atalden, 
of  Cottonwood  county.  Agnes  is  a  teacher  in  Mar- 
shall county.  Frederick  is  a  student  in  the  high 
school  at  Warren.  The  others  are  all  at  home.  The 
members  of  the  family  all  belong  to  the  Novst  Luth- 
eran church,  which  Mr.  Sands  joined  with  thirty 
others  in  starting.  The  church  edifice  they  built  was 
moved  to  Alvarado  when  that  town  was  begun.  In 
the  early  days  Mr.  Sands  shot  many  deer  in  his 
neighborhood,  also  one  big  bear  and  a  wolf. 


AMUND  CHRISTIANSON. 


Amund  Christianson,  who  is  one  of  the  progressive 

and  successful  farmers  of  Polk  covintv,  and  whose 
24 


choice  farm  is  located  in  section  18,  Sullivan  township, 
five  miles  northeast  of  East  Grand  Forks  and  half 


378 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAFHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


a  mile  back  from  the  main  road  ruiming  through 
this  locality,  is  a  native  of  Norway.  When  he  came 
to  the  United  States  he  located  in  Renville  county, 
Minnesota,  where  he  was  variously  employed  for  six 
years,  then  took  up  a  homestead  which  he  converted 
into  a  good  farm. 

In  1878  Mr.  Christiansen  came  to  Polk  county  and 
took  a  pre-emption  claim  on  the  land  on  which  he 
now  lives,  which  is  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
18,  Sullivan  township.  He  was  accompanied  to  this 
county  by  his  present  brother-in-law,  Ole  Rice,  and 
Mrs.  Rice,  the  mother  of  Ole.  Mr.  Rice  took  a  pre- 
emption claim  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
18  and  his  mother  a  tree  claim  on  the  east  half  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  that  section.  Ole  Rice  lived 
iu  this  county  about  twenty  years,  then  moved  to 
Oregon.  His  mother  died  here,  and  her  tree  claim 
became  the  property  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Chris- 
tianson.  Mr.  Christiansen,  who  is  now  living  retired 
from  active  pursuits  has  sold  a  large  part  of  the  land 
he  once  owned,  and  now  owns  only  his  original  farm, 
the  cultivation  of  which  he  supervises.  When  his  son 
Christian  married  he  gave  him  160  acres. 

Grasshoppers  destroyed  the  crops  of  ]\Ir.  Chris- 
tianson  in  Renville  county,  so  he  hooked  up  his  ox 
teams  and  drove  to  this  county  for  a  new  start  and 
a  better  opportunity  for  advancement.  His  first  home 
here  was  a  crude  dugout  on  the  banks  of  the  IMarais, 
but  this  was  soon  succeeded  by  a  log  house,  whicli 
lasted  until  he  built  his  present  abode.  To  his  first 
marriage  was  born  one  child,  his  son  Christian  Amund- 
son,  who  was  named  according  to  the  Scandinavian 
custom.  Mr.  Christianson 's  first  wife  was  Miss  Gena 
Rice.     She  died  in  1897.     His  second  marriage,  in 


1903,  was  to  Ingeborg  Ollestad,  whose  son  John  by 
a  former  marriage,  is  making  his  home  with  them, 
ilr.  Christianson  is  a  devout  and  zealous  member  of 
Grand  Marais  Lutheran  church. 

Christian  Amundson,  the  only  son  and  child  of 
Amund  Christianson,  was  born  in  Norway  September 
9,  1868,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  came  to 
Polk  county,  Minnesota.  In  1898  he  was  married  to 
^liss  Sena  Ilotvedt,  a  sister  of  the  late  Peter  A.  Hot- 
vedt.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  Ole  Rice  and  the  tree  claim  which 
belonged  to  Ole's  mother  first  and  Christian's  step- 
mother afterward,  the  tree  claim  being  the  tract  on 
which  he  is  now  living.  He  had  in  addition  the  160 
acre  farm  in  Northland  township,  five  miles  north  of 
his  home,  which  once  belonged  to  his  father. 

Mr.  Amundson  completed  the  house  on  his  farm 
begun  by  Ole  Rice  and  put  up  all  the  other  l)uildings 
on  the  place.  He  has  since  bought  another  farm  of 
160  acres,  which  adjoins  his  home  farm  and  is  cul- 
tivated in  connection  with  it,  the  whole  body  of  400 
acres  being  treated  as  one  farm.  His  principal  in- 
dustry is  raising  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  flax.  In 
1915  his  crops  aggregated  7,000  bushels.  His  farm 
lies  along  the  Marais  river  and  is  one  of  the  choice 
ones  of  the  valley.  It  contains  a  grove  of  stately 
trees  planted  by  Mrs.  Rice  and  her  son  Ole. 

For  ten  years  Mr.  Amundson  has  served  as  town- 
ship supervisor,  and  he  lias  long  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  His  religious  connection  is  with 
the  Grand  Marais  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  trustees  for  a  number  of  years.  He  and 
his  wife  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  Elcanora, 
John,  Alice,  Harold,  Clara  and  Clarence. 


JAMES  McDonald. 


Cultivating  with  enterprise  and  skill  560  acres  of 
land  in  one  body,  only  part  of  which  lies  in  his  home 
farm,  James  McDonald,  of  section  32,  Nesbit  town- 
ship, is  doing  as  much  as  almost  any  other  man  to  aid 
in  promoting  the  industrial  and  commercial  power 


of  Polk  county  and  minister  to  the  general  welfare 
and  progress  of  its  residents.  He  was  born  in  County 
Frontenac,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  December 
6,  1853.  and  in  the  spring  of  1876  came  to  Blue  Earth 
countj-,  Minnesota.     During  his  first  summer  in  this 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


379 


state  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Blue  Earth  county, 
and  in  the  winter  was  employed  in  lumber  camps  on 
the  Chippewa  river  in  Wisconsin,  running  logs  on  the 
drive  when  spring  came  and  while  it  lasted. 

When  he  quit  the  lumber  job  he  went  to  Duluth 
expecting  to  get  work  on  the  railroad.  But  in  Duhith 
he  met  some  of  his  old  friends  from  Ontario  who  wei-e 
on  their  way  to  the  Red  river  vallej',  where  the  Xes- 
bit  boys  had  already  started  a  settlement  on  the 
Marais  river,  but  were  the  only  men  located  there. 
Mr.  McDonald  and  his  companion,  David  Morrow, 
who  had  come  with  him  from  Canada,  joined  their 
old  neighbors  and  came  to  this  section.  He  filed  on 
a  part  of  his  present  farm  as  a  pre-emption  claim,  but 
afterward  changed  his  claim  to  one  for  a  homestead 
in  order  to  get  a  full  quarter-section.  He  had  about 
$350  in  money  to  start  with. 

David  Morrow  selected  at  the  same  time  a  place 
about  one  mile  distant,  and  each  of  the  two  newcomers 
hired  the  breaking  up  of  twenty  acres  of  his  land. 
This  was  in  the  spring  of  1877.  They  cut  logs  and 
hewed  them  for  a  dwelling  house,  and  the  next  winter 
they  put  up  a  house  of  the  hewn  logs  sixteen  by  twenty 
feet  in  size.  This  house  is  still  standing  and  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation.  The  winter  was  an  open  one 
and  Mr.  McDonald  and  Robert  Nisbet  built  several 
houses,  hauling  logs  to  Grand  Porks  to  have  them 
sawed  into  lumber  for  finishing  the  houses.  The  next 
spring  Mr.  McDonald  planted  the  twenty  acres  he  had 
plowed.  He  had  bought  oxen  but  these  he  sold  after 
he  got  his  crop  in  and  could  dispense  with  their  serv- 
ices for  a  time. 

At  that  time  Mr.  McDonald  and  Robert  Ncsliit 
went  back  to  their  old  home  in  Canada  and  were  mar- 
ried on  the  same  day.  May  8,  1878,  Mr.  McDonald 
being  united  with  Miss  Isabella  Miller,  who  had  been 
his  schoolmate  in  earlier  years.  He  brought  a  car- 
load of  stock  on  his  return  trip  and  his  wife  followed 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nesbit.  Several  other  settlers  ac- 
companied them,  the  party  including  James  Lee,  wife 
and  family,  William  Hannah,  Daniel  H.  McDonald,  a 
brother  of  James,  Mr.  Bromelee,  Sandy  McLean  and 
George  Island. 


In  his  carload  of  live  stock  James  McDonald  had 
horses  for  David  Alorris,  James  Lee,  Robert  Nesbit 
and  George  Island,  of  this  neighborhood,  and  one  for 
James  Miller,  of  Pargo.  That  spring  (1878)  Mr. 
McDonald's  grain  came  up  well  but  dry  cold  winds 
injured  his  crop.  In  the  following  winter  he  hauled 
wood  to  Pisher,  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  to  supply 
the  railroad  with  fuel  for  its  engines,  and  got  55  cents 
a  cord  for  it.  In  this  way  he  earned  the  cost  of  a 
wagon,  having  none  the  first  summer.  He  kept  on 
breaking  land  for  himself  and  others,  raising  grain 
and  hay,  and  was  soon  enjoying  substantial  prosper- 
ity with  good  prospects  of  getting  ahead  rapidly. 

In  the  course  of  time  Mr.  IMcDonald  bought  eighty 
aci'es  of  railroad  land  at  $5  an  acre,  with  a  rebate 
of  $3  an  acre  for  breaking  up  three-fourths  of  it.  He 
also  acquired  another  tract  of  eighty  acres  which  was 
already  plowed,  and  in  1898  he  bought  an  additional 
half-section  for  $7,000,  all  plowed  and  ready  for  seed- 
ing. He  keeps  twenty-five  to  thirty  head  of  cattle,  but 
grain  has  been  his  main  dependence,  and  in  1915  his 
crops  totaled  3,550  bushels  of  wheat,  3,500  of  barley, 
4,000  of  oats  and  140  of  rye. 

Mr.  McDonald  iielped  to  organize  Nesbit  township, 
which  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Nesbit  boys,  al- 
though only  one  of  them  was  living  in  it  at  the  time, 
but  they  and  Joseph  Jarvis  were  its  first  settlers.  lie 
has  served  on  the  township  board  many  years,  a  large 
part  of  the  time  as  its  chairman ;  has  aided  actively 
and  extensivelj'  in  road  and  ditch  work;  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board  almost  continuously  from 
its  organization,  and  in  all  ways  open  to  him  has  done 
all  he  could  to  help  push  the  township  along  to  better 
development  and  greater  progress.  His  religious  con- 
nection is  with  the  Bethel  Presbyterian  church,  which 
he  has  served  well  as  a  deacon  and  a  member  of  its 
official  board.  His  father  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  church  and  he  is  devoted  to  it. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  They  are :  Ethel 
Ellen,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  White,  of  Saskatoon, 
Canada;  William  J.,  who  lives  on  the  Mallory  farm; 
Eva  Belle,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Nesbit ;  Daniel 


380 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Lloyd,  wlio  is  living  at  home;  Mabel  Jennie,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  Stewart,  a  sou  of  T.  D.  Stewart, 
of  Huutsville  township ;  Margaret  Fern,  who  was  a 
teacher  in  Polk  count}'  but  is  now  teaching  in  Bemidji; 
Roy  Herbert,  Kate  Gladys  and  Mary  Edith,  all  of 
whom  are  living  at  home,  Kate  being  the  housekeeper 
of  the  family.  She  attended  the  State  Agricultural 
school  at  Crookston,  and  Mary  is  a  student  of  music 


iu  Grand  Forks.  Their  mother  died  November  17, 
1903,  and  since  then  one  after  another  of  the  daugh- 
ters has  looked  after  the  affairs  of  the  household.  The 
lather  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  has  passed  through  all  the  chairs  of  his 
local  lodge  and  sensed  as  its  representative  to  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  Order  at  different  times. 


J.  FRANTv  BOLES,  D.  D.  S. 


This  gentleman,  who  stands  high  in  professional 
and  fraternal  circles,  being  one  of  the  leading  den- 
tists of  the  northwest  and  a  very  enterprising  and 
progressive  citizen,  has  shown  an  active  and  help- 
ful interest  iu  everything  that  makes  for  a  better 
town  and  the  general  welfare  of  Crookston,  the  city 
of  his  home  for  nearly  seventeen  years,  or  since 
November,  1899.  He  was  born  in  Clinton,  province 
of  Ontario,  Canada,  July  30,  1875,  and  obtained  his 
professional  training  at  the  Detroit  Dental  College, 
of  Detroit,  Michigan,  fi'om  which  he  was  graduated 
in  May,  1809.  In  November  of  that  year  he  located 
in  Crookston,  where  Judge  William  A.  "Watts,  his 
mother's  brother,  was  living  at  the  time.  Dr.  Boles 
and  two  others  in  the  city  are  the  only  dentists  of 
that  period  who  are  still  living  in  Crookston.  Dr. 
Robertson  and  Dr.  Spencer  both  preceded  him. 

Dr.  Boles  has  an  e.xten.sive  and  exacting  general 


practice,  and  he  gives  it  close  and  continual  attention. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  District,  State  and  National 
Dental  associations  and  one  of  the  ofEcers  of  the  Dis- 
trict association.  His  profession  absorbs  him  almost 
wholly,  the  only  recreation  he  takes  being  occasional 
bass  fishing  expeditions  to  the  lakes  in  Minnesota. 
He  is  a  diligent  and  thoughtful  student  of  the  litera- 
ture of  his  profession  and  makes  every  effort  to  keep 
abreast  of  its  latest  discoveries  and  all  its  advances 
in  every  way.  He  is  unmarried  and  about  the  middle 
of  1913  he  induced  his  mother  and  his  sister  to  take 
up  their  residence  iu  Crookston.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  Freemason  and  the  Eminent  Commander  of  Con- 
stautine  Comraandery  No.  20,  K.  T.,  and  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Comma ndery  of  Minnesota.  Socially  he 
is  connected  with  tlie  Crookston  Commercial  club  and 
an  Elk. 


HELMER  IIORKEN. 


Succeeding  to  the  ownership  and  management  of 
the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  after  the  death  of  his 
parents,  and  giving  close  and  careful  attention  to  his 
work,  Helmer  Horken,  one  of  the  enterprising  and 
prosperous  farmers  of  Sullivan  townsliip,  this  county, 
juis  made  his  way  steadily  forward  and  is  now  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  sterling  and  substantial  residents 
of  the  part  of  the  county  in  which  he  lives.  He  was 
born  in  Deeorah,  Iowa,  August  1,  1875,  and  is  a  son 
of  Hans  E.  and  Martha  Horken,  who  were  born,  reared 


and  married  in  Norway  and  came  to  Polk  county,  Min- 
nesota, after  residing  ten  years  in  or  near  Deeorah, 
Iowa,  following  a  residence  of  one  or  two  years  in  Wis- 
consin. 

The  father  took  up  a  homestead  in  Sullivan  town- 
ship in  1877  and  lived  on  it  until  his  death  in  the 
spring  of  1890.  He  was  born  October  28,  1831,  and 
liis  wife  February  3,  1838.  She  died  in  August,  1906. 
They  had  no  means  when  they  came  to  this  county 
witli  their  seven  children,  and  the  father  had  to  hire 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


381 


a  man  to  break  up  his  land  while  he  worked  as  a 
fireman  on  a  Hudson  Bay  company  boat  on  the  Red 
river  to  support  his  family.  He  also  did  some  black- 
smithing,  thereby  working  at  the  trade  he  had  learned 
in  his  native  land.  Two  or  three  years  after  his  ar- 
rival here  he  obtained  a  yoke  of  steers  and  broke  them, 
and  by  that  time  his  farm  was  yielding  a  living  for 
the  family. 

The  elder  Mr.  Horker  bought  another  tract  of  160 
acres  two  miles  and  a  half  east  of  his  homestead  and 
built  the  present  dwelling  house  on  the  home  place 
ten  or  twelve  years  after  taking  possession  of  it,  the 
first  residence  of  the  family  on  the  farm  being  a  little 
log  shack  with  a  sod  roof.  He  also  set  out  a  lot  of 
trees  which  now  make  a  fine  grove.  When  he  died  his 
son  Helmer,  who  was  living  on  the  homestead,  took 


charge  of  it  for  his  mother,  who  continued  to  operate 
it  until  she  died  except  for  three  years,  during  which 
she  lived  in  Grand  Forks.  When  she  died  he  bought 
out  the  other  heirs,  and  now  owns  the  whole  place,  ou 
which  he  has  built  a  new  bam  and  made  other  im- 
provements. 

Mr.  Horken's  principal  industries  are  raising  grain 
and  live  stock.  He  has  seventeen  head  of  high  grade 
Percheron  horses,  twenty  head  of  cattle  and  ten  milch 
cows,  the  cattle  all  being  Herefords  of  a  superior 
strain.  In  1907  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Eids- 
ness,  a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  four  children, 
Ella,  Arnold,  Harold  and  Stella.  The  father  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  township 
board  and  township  supervisor. 


PETER  E.  SWANSON. 


For  nearly  eighteen  years  after  coming  to  this 
county  and  settling  down  to  build  up  for  himself  a 
new  home  in  the  American  wilderness  Peter  E.  Swan- 
son,  who  now  has  a  fine  farm  in  sectiou  22,  Northland 
township,  this  county,  wrestled  with  almost  overpow- 
ering difficulties  and  encountered  an  almost  continu- 
ous succession  of  disasters  and  discouragements.  Yet 
he  stuck  to  his  purpose  and  the  place  on  which  he  had 
determined  to  carry  it  out,  with  the  result  that  he  has 
conquered  bad  fortune  and  achieved  a  gratifying  suc- 
cess. As  the  portion  of  the  county  in  which  he  lives 
is  flat  and  low,  in  the  early  years  before  there  was  any 
systematic  drainage  on  a  large  scale  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, water  often  covered  a  great  part  of  his  land 
for  many  months  and  he  was  unable  to  work  it  in 
time  to  raise  a  crop.  When  this  condition  did  not 
prevail  either  frost  or  smut  would  spoil  his  crop,  and 
he  was  no  better  off  than  in  a  wet  season.  At  times  he 
has  had  to  walk  in  water  waist-deep  to  get  to  his  house 
when  he  was  away  from  it.  Since  the  judicial  ditch 
was  dug  about  1898  the  water  has  not  troubled  him 
and  his  crops  have  been  good. 

Mr.  Swanson  was  born  in  Sweden  October  13,  1839, 


and  came  to  the  United  States  and  this  county  in  1880. 
He  homesteaded  ou  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
22,  and  was  the  second  settler  in  that  neighborhood, 
John  Eriekson,  on  section  14,  two  miles  farther  north- 
east, having  come  first.  But  Mr.  Swanson  was  about 
three  miles  farther  northeast  than  any  other  settler. 
What  money  he  brought  with  him  from  Sweden  was 
lost  and  he  had  nothing  when  he  arrived  here.  He 
built  a  little  log  house,  which  is  still  standing,  and  in 
this  he  lived  until  1915,  when  the  present  larger  and 
more  comfortable  dwelling  wa-s  put  up.  Other  im- 
provements were  made  from  time  to  time  as  he  was 
able. 

During  the  first  year  of  his  residence  in  this  county 
Jlr.  Swanson  worked  for  other  farmers  in  the  sum- 
mer and  in  the  fall  he  cut  hay,  which  he  sold  in  Grand 
Forks  at  $3  to  $4  a  ton.  He  lias  always  stuck  to  his 
farm,  seeking  no  other  business  and  no  public  life  or 
official  position  of  any  kind  at  any  time.  He  is  a  fer- 
vent member  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church,  which 
he  helped  to  build  about  1887. 

Mr.  Swanson  was  married  and  had  an  adopted 
daughter  when  he  came  to  Minnesota.    His  wife  died 


382 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


in  October,  1890.     Emma,  the  adopted  daughter,  is 
uow  ^Irs.  Ekdahl,  and  has  been  a  widow  for  twenty- 


three  years.     Her  son,  John  "William  Ekdahl,  aged 
twenty-four,  carries  on  the  farm  for  Mr.  Swauson. 


OLE  B.  DAHL. 


Living  retired  from  active  pursuits  Eifter  his  term 
of  privation,  toil  and  trial,  with  a  comfortable  com- 
petence and  an  agreeable  home  in  East  Grand  Forks, 
Ole  B.  Dahl  has  well  illustrated  in  his  career  as  a  pro- 
gressive and  successful  farmer  the  value  of  persistent 
industry,  frugality  and  thrift,  and  has  honestly  earned 
the  comforts  and  advantages  they  bring.  He  was 
born  in  Norway  April  1,  1840,  and  was  there  reared 
to  manhood  and  taught  his  trade  as  a  shoemaker.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1866  and  located  in 
Winona,  Minnesota,  where  he  passed  a  year  working 
at  his  trade  in  a  shop  in  wliich  twenty  men  were  em- 
ployed, a  large  number  for  a  far  western  town  in  that 
day. 

Mr.  Dahl  next  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  in  Ren- 
ville county,  Minnesota,  when  that  county  was  just 
opening  to  settlement.  He  proved  up  his  claim  as 
pre-emption  and  paid  $1.2.)  per  acre,  but  made  slow 
progress  in  developing  and  improving  his  land.  In 
1874,  1876  and  1877  the  grasshoppers  devoured  his 
crops.  He  had  a  good  crop  in  1875  but  the  growing 
vegetation  in  other  parts  of  the  county  was  all  con- 
sumed by  the  pests,  which  no  effort  seemed  sufficient 
to  eradicate  for  some  years. 

In  1879  Mr.  Dahl  moved  to  Polk  county,  having 
sold  his  land  for  $2,000  which  was  then  considered 
an  exorbitant  price.  He  was  unable  to  sell  his  cows, 
however,  as  butter  was  selling  at  five  cents  a  pound. 
He  took  up  a  homestead  in  section  12  of  what  is  now 
Esther  township  but  was  then  a  part  of  Higdem,  his 
location  being  about  ten  miles  north  of  East  Grand 
Forks.  He  worked  the  farm  for  a  number  of  years 
and  improved  it  with  good  buildings.  In  1885  he 
rented  it  to  a  tenant  and  moved  to  East  Grand  Forks. 
He  bought  a  few  acres  of  land  near  that  city  but  he 
has  not  given  it  his  personal  labor  as  he  has  since  been 
living  retired  from  work.     Before  leaving  the  farm 


he  added  to  it  twenty  acres  of  timber  land,  and  he 
has  since  bought  another  farm,  but  he  has  sold  both 
the  old  one  and  the  new  one. 

Mr.  Dahl  never  allowed  himself  to  become  wholly 
absorbed  in  his  own  affairs.  He  always  took  an  active 
and  helpful  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  locality  of 
his  home,  and  served  as  township  assessor  of  Higdem 
township  three  years  while  it  included  Esther  town- 
ship, the  division  being  made  after  lie  left  his  farm. 
He  also  served  on  the  school  board  and  filled  other 
local  offices  in  Higdem  township. 

"While  he  was  living  in  Renville  county  Mr.  Dahl 
was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Lareon,  a  daughter  of 
Bernt  and  Martha  Larson  and  a  native  of  Norway. 
She  came  with  her  parents  to  Dakota  count}-,  Min- 
nesota, in  1862,  and  took  up  her  residence  with  them 
in  that  county,  accompanying  them  to  Renville  county 
in  1865.  The  Indian  outbreak  of  1862  so  frightened 
them  that  the  father  did  not  take  up  a  homestead  until 
1865.  In  1877  they  changed  their  residence  to  Polk 
county  and  took  a  homestead  in  section  10,  Esther 
township,  as  it  is  now,  being  among  the  very  first 
.settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county.  The  father  after- 
ward added  200  acres  of  railroad  land  to  his  farm  in 
order  to  have  timber  for  use  on  his  fai'iii.  Later  he 
built  a  dwelling  house  and  other  buildings  on  the  rail- 
road land  at  the  edge  of  the  tini])er,  and  there  he  died 
in  June,  1902.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  has  her 
home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dahl. 

The  Larson  farm  is  now  owned  by  the  two  daugh- 
ters of  the  household,  Mrs.  Dahl  and  Mrs.  Melsness 
of  Renville  county.  Mr.  Dahl  cultivated  it  for  five 
years,  and  since  he  left  it  it  has  been  under  the  man- 
agement of  his  son-in-law,  0.  J.  Norgord.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dahl  have  seven  children  living :  Caroline,  who 
is  the  wife  of  B.  K.  Johnson,  of  Esther  township; 
"Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  0.  J.  Norgord,  and  lives  on 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


383 


the  old  Larson  farm  which  he  now  has  charge  of; 
Sophia,  who  is  the  wife  of  H.  Ellingson,  a  railroad  man 
who  lives  in  Grand  Forks ;  Hildah,  who  is  the  wife  of 
H.  M.  Erickson,  a  banker  at  Upham,  North  Dakota; 
Ole,  who  resides  in  Seattle,  AVashington;  Clara,  who 
is  the  wife  of  R.  M.  Jensen,  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Scandinavian-American  Bank  of  Grand  Forks,  and 
Gunda,  wlio  is  the  wife  of  W.  M.  Ludwig,  a  council- 


man. A  daughter  named  Minnie,  who  was  a  stenog- 
rapher, died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  All  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  belong  to  the  Lutheran  church  in 
Grand  Forks. 

After  coming  to  East  Grand  Forks  he  helped  organ- 
ize school  district  No.  3  into  an  independent  school 
and  held  office  as  director  for  seven  years  and  treas- 
urer most  of  that  time. 


OLE  HENDRICKSON. 


Ilavmg  helped  to  redeem  large  acreages  of  land 
from  the  wilderness  and  make  them  fruitful  in  pro- 
ductiveness and  highly  serviceable  to  mankind,  Ole 
Hendrickson,  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  farm- 
ers of  Esther  township,  this  county,  has  well  earned 
the  rest  and  leisure  he  is  now  enjoying  in  his  life  at 
Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  retired  from  all  active 
pursuits  except  that  of  supervising  the  cultivation  of 
the  land  he  still  owns,  which  comprises  eighty  acres 
in  Higdem  township  and  a  half-section  in  Esther 
township,  the  former  taken  up  as  a  homestead  and 
the  latter  as  a  tree  claim  in  1878. 

Mr.  Hendrickson  was  born  in  Sweden,  July  27, 
1852,  and  in  1869  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents,  Hendrick  H.  and  Walborg  Grubb,  who  lo- 
cated in  Carver  county,  Minnesota,  and  passed  two 
years  there.  At  the  end  of  that  period  the  father  took 
up  a  homestead  in  Renville  county,  where  the  family 
remained  seven  years.  In  1878  they  came  to  Polk 
county,  and  here  the  father  obtained  a  pre-emption 
claim  in  Esther  township,  on  which  he  died  in  May, 
1899,  after  transforming  his  wild  claims  into  good 
farms.  His  children  numbered  three,  Ole,  his  sister 
Betsy,  who  is  now  the  widow  of  Ole  Nilson  and  is 
living  on  her  homestead  in  section  2,  Esther  town- 
ship, and  their  brother  Henry.  The  last  named  took 
up  a  homestead  in  section  34,  Higdem  township,  but 
later  traded  this  for  Ole's  tree  claim,  on  which  Ole 
had  proved  up  and  planted  a  ten  acre  grove.  In  later 
years  Henry  worked  his  father's  farm  until  he  moved 
to  California  in  1902.  He  is  now  living  at  Orland  in 
that  state,  and  Ole  A.  Olson  now  owns  his  old  tree 


claim  farm  and  his  father's  farm  in  section  2,  Esther 
township. 

After  proving  up  on  his  homestead  in  1902  Ole 
Hendrickson  bought  his  half  section  in  Esther  town- 
ship two  miles  south  of  the  old  place,  and  he  lived 
on  it  until  he  moved  to  Grand  Forks,  which  he  did 
in  1913.  He  made  extensive  improvements  on  the 
farm,  draining  out  some  lakes  whereby  he  raised  about 
fifty  acres  of  valueless  land  to  high  productiveness. 
The  draining  cost  him  about  $1,000,  but  the  land  it 
redeemed  is  now  worth  as  much  as  the  land  is  around 
there.  Since  he  removed  from  the  farm  it  has  been 
operated  by  his  son  August  Herman. 

Mr.  Hendrickson  was  married  in  1879  to  Miss  Ber- 
tha Halvorsen,  of  Renville  county.  They  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  one  of  whom,  a  son  named 
Oscar  Bernhart,  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 
The  living  children  are :  Johann  Wilhelm,  who  mar- 
ried Anna  Olena  Kleven  and  lives  on  his  farm  in 
section  13,  Esther  township.  He  served  for  a  time 
on  the  school  board  in  Higdem  township.  Henry,  who 
married  Ada  Cornelia  Dahl,  lives  on  his  homestead  in 
Higdem  township.  August  Herman  lives  on  and  cul- 
tivates his  father's  farm.  Walborg  Josephine  is  a 
mute.  She  passed  four  years  being  educated  at  a 
school  for  the  deaf  and  dumb.  Anna  Maria  is  house- 
keeper for  her  brother  August  on  the  home  farm. 
Hildah  Christine  and  Olga  Berthene  are  living  with 
their  father.  The  parents  also  have  an  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Lilah  Geneva,  who  is  now  four  years  old  and 
whom  they  have  had  from  her  infancy. 

Ole  Hendrickson  served  as  township  clerk  for  many 


384 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


years  and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  almost 
from  the  organization  of  the  school  district.  He  also 
served  as  treasurer,  holding  the  office  one  year  after 
his  removal  to  Grand  Forks,  and  was  succeeded  in 
it  by  his  son  August.  He  has  been  a  member  and  one 
of  the  trustees  of  Kongsvinger  Lutheran  church,  and 
president  of  its  congregation,  which  he  helped  to  or- 
ganize. For  many  years  he  was  a  Republican  in  pol- 
itics, but  lately  he  has  been  independent,  voting  for 
men  rather  than  in  accord  with  partisan  considera- 
tions. 

Both  Mr.  Hendrickson  and  his  wife  have  had  their 
share  of  hardships.    During  his  first  years  of  farming 


lie  was  obliged  to  use  oxen  as  his  motive  power  in  aU 
his  work.  He  had  no  capital  and  his  father  did  not 
have  over  $500.  In  Renville  county  grasshoppers 
destroyed  all  their  crops  for  two  years.  But  his  per- 
severance and  pluck  took  him  over  all  obstacles  and 
through  all  difficulties  until  he  compelled  fate  to 
yield  him  success.  Mrs.  Hendrickson,  before  her  mar- 
riage did  housework,  toiling  early  and  late  and  often 
doing  men's  as  well  as  women's  work,  at  a  compensa- 
tion of  .$1  a  week.  Her  industry  and  good  manage- 
ment in  her  own  home  were  large  factors  in  winning 
her  husbaTid's  prosperity. 


CHARLES  ROSS. 


Charles  Ross,  of  Fertile,  a  leading  building  con- 
tractor of  the  county  and  prominent  citizen,  was  bom 
in  Norway,  October  7,  1865,  and  has  conducted  ex- 
tensive business  operations  in  the  count}'  for  nianj- 
years,  handling  individually  the  largest  amount  of 
work  of  any  contractor.  He  located  in  Fertile  in 
1893,  having  previously  resided  at  Rej^nolds,  and 
has  continued  to  make  his  home  there  and  at  Crooks- 
ton  with  the  exception  of  some  nine  months  spent  in 
his  native  land  in  1904  and  1905.  Mr.  Ross  has  at- 
tained a  notable  efficiency  in  his  profession  and 
through  the  years  of  his  able  business  activity  has 
won  the  confidence  and  regard  of  all  his  associates  by 
his  integrity  and  skill.  He  is  that  type  of  man  who, 
through  their  honest  and  genial  personality,  add  to 
their  attainments  as  business  men  and  citizens,  a 
wide  circle  of  warm  friends.  He  has  erected  many 
of  the  most  substantial  and  pretentious  buildings  in 
the  county,  structures  which  are  importantly  noted 
among  the    architectural   possessions   of   which   this 


section  boasts.  Among  his  past  contracts  have  been 
the  Carnegie  library,  the  Elks'  home  and  numerous 
business  blocks  in  Crookston,  man}-  of  the  homes  in 
tlie  attractive  residence  district  of  Fertile  and  the 
bank  buildings  in  that  place,  which  rank  among  the 
splendidly  equipped  and  modem  banking  houses  of 
northern  jMinnesota.  He  is  now  engaged  upon  !he 
construction  of  the  high  school  building  at  Fertile, 
which  involves  a  .$27,000  contract  and  will  be  finished 
for  occupancy  in  January  of  1916.  ilr.  Ross  employs 
as  many  as  twenty-five  men  in  his  operations,  work- 
ing to  architects'  plans,  and  personallj'  supervises  the 
work  on  every  contract.  Aside  from  his  many  pri- 
vate interests,  Mr.  Ross  is  actively  associated  with  all 
matters  of  public  moment  and  served  for  two  years 
as  a  city  commissioner  of  Fertile.  He  enjoys  out- 
of-door  sports  and  makes  hunting  his  favorite  recrea- 
tion. Mr.  Ross  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  lodge  at 
Crookston. 


JOHN  DRISCOLL. 


The  late  John  Driscoll,  who  was  an  extensive  land- 
holder in  Polk  county,  one  of  the  leading  men  and 
most  active  and  influential  citizens  of  his  locality  and 


a  great  force  for  progress  and  development,  died 
tragically  on  September  26,  1907,  when  his  dwelling 
house  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  mystery  of  his 


CHARLES  ROSS 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


385 


deatli  has  uever  been  fully  solved.  His  body  was  not 
consumed  or  injured  in  the  fire  but  was  found  in  a 
woodshed  that  the  flames  did  not  reach.  No  investi- 
gation of  the  case  was  ever  made  and  the  immediate 
cause  of  Mr.  Driseoll's  death  has  not  yet  been  dis- 
closed. 

John  Driscoll  was  bom  in  County  Lanark,  province 
of  Ontario,  Canada,  January  14,  1855,  and  came  to 
Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  was  soon  joined  by  his 
older  brother  Jlichael,  a  sketch  of  whom,  including 
the  family  history,  will  be  found  in  this  volume.  John 
Driscoll  entered  a  homestead  soon  after  coming  here 
on  section  28,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  bought 
one-quarter  of  section  34,  Sullivan  township,  for 
$1,500.  A  little  later  he  paid  $2,500  cash  for  160 
acres  in  section  29,  then  paid  $2,000  for  another  quar- 
ter section  and  later  became  the  owner  of  more  land. 
He  sold  some  of  his  land  and  owned  only  one  whole 
section  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

During  his  life  Mr.  Driscoll  cultivated  all  the  land 
he  owned  that  was  tillable  and  built  all  the  improve- 
ments on  it  except  the  present  dwelling  house,  which 
was  erected  by  his  widow  in  1909,  two  years  after 
the  fire.  Some  years  before  his  death  he  and  his 
brother  Michael  began  operating  a  threshing  outfit, 
and  they  continued  in  this  enterprise  together  until 
death  ended  his  labors.  He  was  also  school  director 
from  the  organization  of  the  school  district,  and  when 
he  died  was  serving  as  a  county  commissioner,  hav- 
ing been  first  elected  to  this  office  in  1904.  He  was  an 
ardent  Democrat  in  political  relations  and  a  very  ener- 
getic and  effective  campaigner  for  the  principles  and 
candidates  of  his  party.    His  religious  connection  was 


with  the  Catholic  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  in  East 
Grand  Forks,  in  tlie  service  of  wliich  he  was  always 
effectively  active. 

Mr.  Driscoll  Avas  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Nellie 
O'Brien,  who  was  also  a  Canadian  by  nativity.  She 
died  young  leaving  one  child,  John  J.  Driscoll,  who 
owns  a  farm  in  Sullivan  township  but  is  still  a  bach- 
elor. On  March  3,  1886,  at  Grand  Forks,  the  father 
contracted  a  second  marriage  which  united  him  with 
Miss  Catherine  Enright,  another  Lanark  county,  On- 
tario, lady,  who  came  to  Grand  Forks  three  years 
before  her  marriage  with  her  parents,  Michael  and 
Catherine  Enright.  Mr.  Enright  took  up  a  claim  in 
Polk  county  but  passed  his  remaining  years  mostly 
in  East  Grand  Forks,  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
died.  By  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Driscoll  became 
the  father  of  five  children,  James  Edward,  Catherine, 
William,  Anselm  and  Loretta.  James  Edward  is  a 
high  school  graduate  and  pursued  a  course  of  special 
training  at  a  commercial  college.  He  is  now  a  book- 
keeper in  a  Grand  Forks  wholesale  house.  The  other 
children  are  still  living  at  home  with  their  mother. 
They  are  all  members  of  the  church  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Driscoll  as- 
sumed her  great  responsibility  of  rearing  her  children 
and  caring  for  the  property  of  the  family.  She  built 
a  new  house  in  place  of  the  old  one,  and  it  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  township.  She  has  also  directed  the 
operations  of  the  farm  with  great  vigor  and  success 
and  made  them  very  profitable.  She  is  a  heroic  lady 
and  richly  deserves  the  high  and  i;niversal  esteem  in 
which  she  is  held. 


OSCAR  ULVE. 


Owning  a  highly  productive,  well  improved  and 
pleasantly  located  farm  in  section  8,  Sullivan  town- 
ship, this  county,  seven  miles  northeast  of  East  Grand 
Forks,  which  he  has  helped  to  make  what  it  is,  and 
standing  well  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  the  peo- 
ple of  his  township,  Oscar  Ulve  is  as  comfortably  fixed 


in  a  worldly  way  as  most  men,  and  he  has  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  all  he  has  he  has  accumulated 
by  his  own  efforts  and  good  management.  He  was 
born  in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  November  25,  1872, 
and  first  came  to  Polk  county  in  1891.  He  passed  the 
summer  of  that  year  working  for  Andrew  E.  Odegard, 


386 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


theu  returued  to  his  native  state,  where  he  remained 
with  his  parents  until  1898.  April  1st  of  that  year  he 
came  back  to  this  county,  and  during  the  following 
winter  he  was  employed  on  the  farm  where  he  had 
formerly  worked. 

January  1,  1899,  ]\Ir.  Ulve  began  working  for 
August  Nelson  on  his  farm  in  Sullivan  township, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years  at  a  compen- 
sation of  $22  to  $26  a  month  in  summer  and  less  in 
winter.  On  November  13,  1901,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Jliss  Anna  Olena  Nelson,  the  oldest 
living  daughter  of  his  employer,  who  was  born  on 
her  father's  home  farm  and  was  in  her  twenty-first 
year  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  In  April,  1902, 
he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  of  ]Mrs. 
Annie  N.  Hotvedt  and  the  Hotvedt  heirs,  but  the  house 
was  not  finished  and  the  barn  was  built  in  May,  1910. 


Raising  grain  and  live  stock  have  been  his  prin- 
cipal industries.  He  keeps  twenty-one  head  of  cattle 
and  millvs  eight  cows,  all  of  good  Shorthorn  breeds. 
He  has  always  taken  a  good  citizen's  part  in  the 
public  affairs  of  his  township,  and  has  rendered  it 
excellent  service  as  supervisor  for  nine  years,  as 
clerk  for  some  time  and  as  treasurer  of  the  school 
board  for  five  years.  Mr.  Ulve  has  no  children.  He 
and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Grand  Marais 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church  and  take  part  in  all  its 
works  of  benevolence  and  whatever  it  does  for  the 
improvement  of  the  community.  His  farm  is  one 
mile  from  the  Marais.  It  was  originally  the  home- 
stead of  Nels  Hotvedt,  a  brother  of  Peter  A.  Hotvedt, 
whose  life  story  is  briefly  told  on  other  pages  of  this 
volume. 


JOHN  DAVIDSON. 


This  prosperous  and  highly  esteemed  farmer  of  Polk 
county,  who  owns  what  is  known  as  "The  Sprague 
Farm,"  taking  the  name  from  its  former  owner,  but 
which  might  appropriately  be  called  "White  Oak 
Farm,"  has  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  valuable 
country  homes  in  the  section  of  the  county  in  which 
it  is  located.  It  lies  on  the  Marais  river,  in  section  5, 
Fisher  township,  four  miles  northwest  of  Fisher,  and 
contains  472  acres.  Mr.  Davidson  bought  it  in  1915, 
and  has  since  made  many  improvements  on  it. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  born  in  County  Carleton,  prov- 
ince of  Ontario,  Canada,  November  15, 1859,  and  came 
to  Minnesota  in  1879.  He  had  former  friends  and 
neighbors  in  his  native  place  here,  the  members  of 
the  Driscoll  family,  and  he  took  a  pre-emption  claim 
in  Nesbit  township  and  proved  up  on  it  at  $1.25  an 
acre.  He  built  a  shanty  on  his  claim  and  broke  up 
forty  acres  of  the  land,  working  out  for  the  neighbors 
while  he  did  this.  In  1880  he  went  to  Grand  Forks 
county,  North  Dakota,  and  took  up  a  homestead,  and 
in  that  county  he  remained  until  1896,  sixteen  years, 
acquiring  the  ownership  of  one  quarter-section  of  land 
there,  which  he  cultivated  in  grain. 


In  1896  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  bought  all 
of  section  27,  in  Sullivan  township,  this  county,  pay- 
ing $26  an  acre  for  it.  The  farm  was  already  im- 
proved, but  the  new  owner  built  a  new  house  on  it, 
erected  a  silo  and  made  other  improvements,  putting 
up  several  miles  of  fencing,  and  seeded  the  land  in 
timothy  grass.  For  a  number  of  years  he  kept  a  good 
deal  of  live  stock,  raising  and  fattening  cattle  for  the 
markets.  In  1914  he  sold  his  Sullivan  township  farm 
at  $60  an  acre  for  the  whole  section,  and  the  next  year 
he  bought  his  present  farm,  which  cost  him  about  the 
same  rate  per  acre. 

The  farm  contains  about  sixty  acres  of  timber  and 
is  well  watered.  As  soon  as  he  took  possession  of  it 
Mr.  Davidson  began  to  rebuild  and  repair  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale,  and  he  has  greatly  improved  the  prop- 
erty in  this  way.  He  has  sunk  a  weU  150  feet  deep, 
which  supplies  him  with  soft  water  for  his  stock,  his 
domestic  use  and  all  other  desired  purposes.  He  is 
now  giving  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  diversified 
farming  and  stock  raising. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  married  August  1, 1889,  in  Grand 
Forks  county,  North  Dakota,  to  Miss  Mary  Manson, 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


387 


who  was  boru  iu  Renfrew  county,  Ontario,  and  moved 
to  North  Dakota.  They  have  nine  children,  Claude, 
William,  Ethel,  Pearl  and  Viola  (twins),  Ella,  George, 
Florence  and  Stanley.  Ethel  is  a  saleslady  in  a 
jewelry  store  in  Grand  Forks.     Pearl  is  a  telegraph 


operator  iu  the  Western  Union  Office  in  the  same  city. 
Viola  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Kittson  county, 
Minnesota.  She  pursued  a  course  in  normal  training 
at  the  State  Normal  school  iu  Crookston.  The  rest 
of  the  children  are  liviug  at  home  with  their  parents. 


ELLING  T.  DOKKEN. 


Among  the  progressive  and  enterprising  fanners 
and  public-spirited  citizens  of  Tynsid  township,  Polk 
county,  Minnesota,  none  has  ever  stood  higher  in  the 
esteem  and  good  will  of  the  people  than  the  late  EUing 
T.  Dokken,  who  departed  this  life  on  his  farm  in  that 
township  November  10,  1910,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years,  one  month  and  nineteen  days,  after  a  residence 
of  some  thirty-nine  years  iu  that  township,  during  all 
of  which  he  was  devoted  to  its  welfare  and  zealous  in 
promoting  its  progress  and  development. 

Mr.  Dokken  was  born  at  Hoi  Hallingdal,  Norway, 
September  22,  1842,  and  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
educated  in  that  country,  where  he  remained  until 
late  in  the  sixties,  when  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Worth  county,  Iowa.  In  1871 
he  moved  to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  pre-empted 
160  acres  of  land  in  section  36,  Tynsid  township,  and 
on  this  land  and  the  additions  he  made  to  his  tract 
by  subsequent  purchases  he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  He  owned  270  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
all  under  cultivation  and  the  farm  improved  with  good 
buildings,  the  result  of  his  ability  and  industry  as  a 
farmer  and  his  judicious  management  as  a  business 
man. 

The  trip  from  Iowa  was  made  with  ox  teams  and 


covered  wagons  and  the  party  consisted  of  a  number 
of  families  from  the  same  neighborhood  in  Worth 
county,  Iowa.  The  joui-ney  consumed  several  weeks 
and  while  there  were  no  real  dangers  encountered  en- 
route  they  experienced  all  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  pioneer  life. 

Mr.  Dokken  was  among  the  first  settlers  iu  the 
township  and  a  picture  of  his  early  home  erected  iu 
1878  is  still  in  possession  of  the  family. 

Mr.  Dokken  was  married  in  Clayton  county,  Iowa, 
on  April  2,  1878,  to  Miss  Ingrid  Houg,  who  was  born 
in  that  county  October  24,  1853,  of  Norwegian  par- 
ents, and  lived  there  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Dok- 
ken. They  had  six  children,  only  two  of  whom  are 
living:  Minnie  S.,  who  still  has  her  home  with  her 
mother,  and  Thilda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Knute  Eriek- 
son,  a  resident  of  Tynsid  township.  The  deceased 
children  all  died  in  infancy  except  a  daughter  named 
Lena,  whose  death  occurred  when  she  was  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Dokken  conducted  the  farm 
after  her  husband's  death  until  the  spring  of  1915, 
since  when  it  has  been  operated  by  her  son-in-law, 
Knute  Erickson.  As  was  her  husband,  she  is  an  active 
and  zealous  member  of  the  Sand  Hill  Free  church. 


HANS  HANSON. 


The  late  Hans  Hanson,  for  many  years  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  Esther  township,  this  county, 
whose  useful  life  ended  on  August  13,  1908,  was  born 
in  Norway  April  13,  1834.  He  was  married  near  Dui'- 
ham,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Caroline  Eliza  Johanson,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  Europe.  She  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty  leaving  four  children,  only  one  of  whom,  how- 


ever, grew  to  maturity.  This  was  a  daughter  named 
Carrie,  who  was  born  April  15,  1872,  at  Brainerd, 
Minnesota,  and  was  six  years  old  when  her  mother 
died  before  they  had  been  on  the  farm  one  whole  year. 
She  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  E.  Nelson  and  lives  on 
her  father's  old  homestead. 

Mr.  Hanson  had  been  engaged  in  various  lines  of 


388 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


work  and  business  at  Brainerd,  in  Duluth  and  in  Win- 
nipeg, and  in  1877  made  a  trip  up  the  Red  river  on 
one  of  the  Hudson  Bay  steamers  under  Captain 
Griggs.  He  was  pleased  with  the  outlook  in  this  sec- 
tion and  chose  the  farm  on  which  he  afterward  lived 
and  labored  until  his  death.  His  first  160  acres  is 
located  half  a  mile  from  tlie  Red  river  and  fourteen 
miles  by  road  north  of  Grand  Forks.  He  later  added 
a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  making  liis  farm  240  acres  all 
in  one  body.  He  built  a  log  cabin,  the  first  shack  put 
up  in  a  radius  of  six  miles,  although  he  soon  had  a 
few  neighbors.  But  for  two  or  three  years  he  was 
obliged  to  work  out  at  farm  labor  to  get  the  common 
necessaries  of  life.  His  wife's  illness  caused  him  to 
spend  all  the  money  he  had  and  when  he  landed  at 
Grand  Forks  he  carried  all  his  earthly  possessions  on 
his  back.  Fisher  was  then  the  terminus  of  the  rail- 
road. 

j\Ir.  Hanson's  daughter  soon  became  his  house- 
keeper, and  her  work  as  such  was  her  education.  She 
had  no  opportunity  to  go  to  school.  Her  father,  too, 
gave  himself  up  wholly  to  his  home  duties,  taking  no 
part  in  anything  outside  except  the  Synod  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  he  was  an  active  and  serviceable 
member.  His  remains  were  buried  in  a  graveyard  at 
the  schoolhouse  standing  on  his  own  land,  and  which 
he  had  donated  for  the  purpose. 

Miss  Carrie  Hanson,  the  daughter  of  Hans,  was 
married  November  25,  1892,  to  Frank  E.  Nelson,  who 


was  born  in  Sweden  April  21,  1869,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1887.  He  journeyed  direct  to  Polk 
county,  where  his  father,  John  P.  Nelson,  a  brother 
of  August  Nelson,  had  settled  five  years  before.  John 
P.  Nelson  was  a  carpenter  and  pas.sed  the  rest  of  his 
life  in  this  county,  dying  January  1,  1907.  Frank 
was  only  seventeen  when  he  arrived  here,  but  he  at 
once  went  to  work  at  farming  and  railroad  gi-ading, 
going  as  far  west  as  Montana  in  liis  grading  opera- 
tions. He  has  canned  on  the  Hanson  farm  since  his 
marriage,  and  has  bought  240  acres  adjoining  it,  so 
tliat  he  now  has  480  acres  all  in  one  body,  about 
seventy-five  acres  being  in  timber. 

Mr.  Nelson's  principal  products  are  wheat,  oats  and 
barley,  and  in  1915  he  raised  over  9,000  bushels  of 
these  cereals.  He  also  milks  eight  cows  generally  for 
butter  to  supply  a  lively  trade  among  private  cus- 
tomers. His  cattle  are  Shorthorns,  and  of  good 
.strains.  The  buildings  on  his  farm  are  good  and  the 
property  is  a  veiy  desirable  and  valuable  one.  He 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  township  affairs,  serving 
ou  the  township  board  six  years,  and  he  has  now  been 
school  clerk  for  three  years.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living  at 
home.  They  are  John  Henry,  Elof,  Albert,  Arthur, 
Lizzie,  Florence  and  Clifford.  They  also  took  in  Lillie 
Halvorson  at  the  age  of  six  years  and  have  reared 
her  as  their  own  child.  She  still  abides  with  them  as 
a  member  of  their  family  circle. 


N.  J.  NELSON. 


N.  J.  Nelson,  cashier  of  the  First  State  bank  at 
East  Grand  Forks  and  prominent  citizen,  is  widely 
known  through  the  county  as  a  progressive  business 
man  who  measures  his  success  by  the  development  and 
prosperity  attending  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
Mr.  Nelson  is  a  native  son  of  the  state,  bom  in  Good- 
hue county,  March  15,  1867.  His  early  life  was  spent 
on  a  farm  and  his  business  career  was  initiated  as  a 
traveling  salesman.  In  1891  he  located  in  Crookston 
which  was  his  home  until  1906  when  he  removed  to 


East  Grand  Forks.  As  cashier  of  the  First  State 
bank  of  that  city,  he  is  in  active  charge  of  the  affaii-s 
of  that  popular  institution  and  through  his  policy  of 
capable  and  far  seeing  administration  is  also  identi- 
fied with  the  important  interests  of  civic  and  commer- 
cial circles.  He  has  particularly  given  his  attention 
and  cooperation  to  the  advancement  of  the  agricul- 
tural enterprises  of  the  region  and  in  recognition  of 
his  services  holds  the  office  of  county  director  of  the 
Red   River  Valley  Development  association.     Aside 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


389 


from,  his  business  activities  he  takes  an  active  interest 
in  civic  affairs  and  has  given  six  years  of  able  service 
as  alderman  and  is  also  a  valued  member  of  the  board 
of  education.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party.  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  1894  to  Bertha  S. 
Langford,  of  Dodge  Center,  Minnesota,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Walter  L.  and  Winifred.  Mrs.  Nelson 
is  well  known  in  the  club  and  church  circles  of  the 
city  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.    Not  only 


is  Mr.  Nelson  the  cashier  of  one  of  Polk  county 's  most 
substantial  financial  institutions  but  he  was  the  organ- 
izer as  well  and  has  thoroughly  worked  into  its  char- 
acter his  theory  of  cooperative  benefit  which  makes  it 
one  of  the  strongest  banks  in  the  county  today.  The 
bank  is  located  in  a  fine  building  with  every  modern 
facility,  which  stands  as  a  credit  to  civic  pride  as  well 
as  to  the  enterprise  of  the  directors  of  the  institution. 


THOMAS  NISBET  (Deceased). 


Thomas  Nisbet,  whose  death  occurred  at  his  city 
home  in  Grand  Forks  on  the  18th  of  August,  1914, 
was  one  of  the  worthy  makers  of  Polk  county  having 
come  to  it  when  it  was  practicallj'  all  a  wilderness, 
with  a  choice  of  where  he  should  secure  a  home. 

He  was  born  in  Sherbrook,  Countj-  Lanark,  Ontario, 
December  24,  1843,  and  was  the  fourth  of  several 
brothers  to  come  to  Polk  county,  of  whom  David  was 
the  first.  James,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made 
elsewhere,  followed,  Robert  and  Tliomas  coming  in 
turn.  Of  these  David  died  about  1880,  a  bachelor,  in 
middle  life,  and  was  buried  in  Nisbet  Cemetery,  which 
was  named  in  his  honor.  Their  mother  Christena  also 
died  here  at  an  advanced  age.  One  daughter  Chris- 
tena was  the  wife  of  James  Lee,  and  another,  Mar- 
garet, married  James  Gilmore,  both  now  being 
deceased. 

Thomas  Nisbet  was  married  in  Winona  county,  Min- 
nesota, December  30,  1871,  to  Miss  Janet  Robertou, 
cousin  of  James  Robei-ton  of  Hunstville  township. 
She  was  also  born  in  County  Lanark  and  as  a  child 
was  brought  to  Winona  county,  where  her  parents 
remained  till  death.  One  of  her  brothers,  Joseph  Rob- 
erton  was  for  several  years  a  resident  of  Huntsville, 
dying  some  twenty-four  years  since. 

Mr.  Nisbet  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  working  as 
such  about  eight  years  before  marriage  in  Winona 
county,  and  so  continued  at  Mallory  finally  operating 
a  shop  on  his  farm,  his  preference  being  to  work  at 
the  forge  rather  than  on  the  farm. 


He  secured  railroad  land  at  $7  per  acre,  securing 
the  usual  rebate  for  that  part  put  into  cultivation. 
He  became  the  owner  of  400  acres  which  comprises 
the  present  fine  home  of  James  Cummings,  and  which 
was  drained  by  the  Marais,  making  it  a  vei'y  desirable 
tract,  especially  when  natural  drainage  was  depended 
upon.  When  Joseph  Roberton  died,  his  farm  was  also 
purchased  by  Mr.  Nisbet  making  640  acres  of  which 
he  was  proprietor,  even  after  selling  the  original 
home. 

Leaving  the  farm,  he  operated  a  shop  in  Mallory, 
two  miles  distant,  for  twelve  years,  when  he  retired 
to  Grand  Forks,  although  he  continued  to  supervise 
the  operation  of  his  lands. 

He  was  chosen  township  treasurer  for  several  years 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Town  Board.  He  was  a 
stanch  Republican  and  was  once  candidate  for  county 
commissioner. 

Mr.  Nisbet  was  an  enthusiastic  Mason,  having  been 
made  one  by  Tom  Morriss,  ex-mayor  of  Crookston. 
He  took  practically  all  the  work  of  the  fraternity  in- 
cluding both  lines — the  York  and  the  Scottish  Rite, 
being  one  of  very  few  in  Polk  county  who  were  ad- 
vanced to  the  thirty-second  degree.  He  frequently 
attended  the  National  Conclaves,  and  attained  a  great 
local  reputation  as  a  lodge  worker,  being  specially 
well  fitted  by  temperament  and  physique  to  carry  the 
work  of  the  third  degree,  the  character  of  Jubal  Um 
being  one  that  he  appeared  in  almost  to  perfection. 

His  family  are  four — Ada  E.,  at  home;  William  G., 


390 


CO:\lPEXDIUi[  OK  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


wlio  superintends  the  farm  and  has  two  children, 
Janet  Olive  and  Keith  Horace;  Jennie  F.,  at  home 
and  May  T.,  wife  of  Frank  Hankey  of  Grand  Forks. 
Few  men  who  have  lived  in  Polk  county  had  a  larger 
circle  of  warm  friends  than  Jlr.  Nisbet.    He  was  large 


of  body  and  of  mind  and  possessed  to  a  great  degree 
those  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  coupled  with  aflfabil- 
ity,  enthusiasm  and  optimism  that  not  only  made  him 
an  ideal  citizen  but  also  a  valued  friend  and 
companion. 


CHRISTOPHER  H.  EVJE. 


Christopher  H.  Evje,  a  successful  farmer  of  Eden 
township,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  November  12, 
1843.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  spent  his  early 
manhood  in  his  home  land  and  was  there  married  to 
Engeborg  Sophia  Novesta.  But  ambitious  to  secure 
a  home  in  the  western  land  across  the  sea,  in  1886,  he 
brought  his  wife  and  six  children  to  the  United  States. 
His  savings  enabled  him  to  purchase  all  but  one  pas- 
sage and  for  this  he  had  to  borrow  funds.  He  fii-st 
located  in  Norman  county,  ilinnesota,  where  for  two 
years  he  worked  at  farm  labor  and  in  1889  removed 
to  Polk  county  which  has  since  been  his  home.  His 
farm  had  been  the  homestead  of  Hans  Thompson,  who 
died  in  1888,  leaving  his  interest  in  the  place  to  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Evje.  It  was  located  in  section  21  of  Eden 
township,  a  little  over  thirteen  miles  northeast  of 
Fosston  and  near  the  old  Indian  reservation ;  no  land 
had  been  cleared  but  a  small  log  house  stood  on  the 
tract  and  was  the  first  home  of  the  Evje  family  and  is 
now  included  in  the  construction  of  the  living  room 
of  the  present  comfortable  home.  Mr.  Evje  has  put 
eighty-five  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  cul- 
tivation and  has  added  an  additional  forty  acres  to 
his  estate.  He  has  engaged  in  grain  raising  and  dairy 
farming,  keeping  about  ten  dairy  cows.     He  has  de- 


voted every  effort  to  the  development  of  his  farm  and 
with  noteworthy  ability  and  skillful  management  has 
built  up  one  of  the  best  country  homes  as  well  as 
one  of  the  model  properties  of  the  county,  directing 
all  his  operations  along  progressive  lines  and  includ- 
ing the  modern  improvements  in  his  equipment.  In 
1907  he  erected  a  large  barn.  Although  Mr.  Evje  has 
never  acquired  the  use  of  the  language  of  his  adopted 
country,  he  is  a  wide-awake  and  public  spirited  citi- 
zen, interested  in  public  matters  and  well  informed  on 
the  questions  of  the  day.  He  is  a  stockholder  in 
Farmers  store  company  at  Fosston  and  in  the  cooper- 
ative creamery  at  Olga,  one  mile  south  of  his  place. 
His  wife  died,  January  14,  1902,  and  is  survived  by 
Mr.  Evje  and  ten  children,  Hans,  who  operates  the 
home  farm ;  Dina,  the  wife  of  Erick  Nyborg,  a  neigh- 
boring farmer;  Tobine,  who  married  Ole  Engebret- 
son  and  lives  at  Cleai-brook,  Minnesota ;  Tonnes,  en- 
gag'-..-^  in  farming  in  White  Earth :  Carl,  a  farmer  of 
Eden  township ;  Clunstine,  the  wife  of  Harry  Boon 
of  White  Earth ;  Clara,  who  is  in  charge  of  her 
father's  home  and  Herman,  John  and  Tenny.  One 
daughter,  Gjertine  Evje,  died  when  twenty-three  years 
of  age.  She  was  the  wife  of  Bronnel  Bronnelson.  Mv. 
Evje  is  a  member  of  the  Zion  Lutheran  church. 


RICHARD  ENRIGHT. 


After  a  busy  and  successful  business  life,  the  results 
of  which  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  substantial 
citizens  of  Polk  county,  Richard  Enright  is  now  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  energy  in  rather  a  retired  condi- 
tion, though  not  by  any  means  having  entirely  laid 
aside  attention  to  business  details. 


He  was  born  near  Almont,  Ontario,  and  grew  to 
manhood  near  Port  Sarnia,  coming  to  Grand  Forks  in 
1877  to  seek  employment.  James  E.  Sullivan  was 
his  first  employer  and  he  worked  for  two  months,  in 
1877,  on  the  farm  of  John  O'Brien  and  for  others.  The 
next  j^ear  after  his  own  coming,  he  was  followed  by 


iiliOWX   nrcKSTAO 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POUC  COUNTY 


391 


his  parents,  Dennis  and  Catherine  (O'Neill)  Enright, 
and  their  eight  sons  and  two  danghtei's.  Of  these, 
John  is  a  ranchman  in  California ;  Thomas  lives  in 
Sullivan  township ;  Dennis  J.  is  also  in  California ; 
Jerry  is  in  Alberta  as  is  also  James.  William  was 
drowned  in  the  Red  river  at  the  age  of  twenty-three ; 
Michael  L.  is  a  farmer  of  Huntsville;  Edward  F.  is 
an  employe  of  the  Arneson  Mercantile  company,  while 
Mary  Ann  was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Mason,  who  came 
to  the  county  in  1879,  and  both  of  whom  are  since 
deceased.  Maggie  became  the  wife  of  George  Tinkler 
and  lives  in  western  Canada. 

The  father  liought  the  homestead,  where  his  son 
Michael  L.  now  lives,  to  which  he  added  at  various 
times  till  he  owned  upwards  of  1,000  acres  lying  along 
the  Red  Lake  river  a  few  miles  from  East  Grand 
Forks.  For  several  years,  in  fact  till  his  death  in 
1886,  the  sons  all  remained  at  home,  the  operations 
being  carried  on  an  extensive  scale.  The  widow  con- 
tinued, with  the  younger  sons,  to  manage  the  farm, 
however  she  finally  retired  to  the  city,  where  she 
passed  away  October  18,  1906. 

In  1880  Richard  was  married  to  Johanna  Forn,  and 
at  once  assumed  charge  of  his  own  farm.  In  about 
one  year  thereafter  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his 


companion,  when  he  rented  the  farm,  which  he  origin- 
ally bought  as  railroad  land.  He  began  to  add  more 
land  when  it  could  be  had  from  the  railroad  com- 
pany at  about  $6  per  acre.  His  operations  were  more 
than  usually  successful,  investing  in  land  as  opportun- 
ity offered  till  he  possessed  six  quarter  sections  or  960 
acres  in  one  body,  all  lying  in  Huntsville  township. 
Generally  this  has  been  operated  by  tenants,  Mr.  En- 
right  giving  more  personal  attention  to  making  and 
keeping  up  improvements. 

Five  years  ago  he  decided  to  dispose  of  his  lands, 
since  when  he  has  made  some  investments  in  Cali- 
fornia, although  much  of  his  present  business  interests 
are  in  farm  loans.  No  man  has  had  greater  faith  in 
the  future  of  the  Red  river  valley,  in  every  phase  of 
whose  development  he  has  taken  an  active  part,  being 
ever  an  ardent  advocate  of  a  system  of  farming  that 
tends  to  greater  production  and  increase  in  valua- 
tion. He  has  rather  kept  aloof  from  public  life,  but 
has  yielded  to  the  extent  of  serving  the  township  as 
Supervisor  for  some  fifteen  years.  He  has  ever  stood 
for  better  living  conditions  and  it  is  not  a  little  to  the 
efforts  of  such  men  that  East  Grand  Forks  is  now  fast 
faking  its  place  among  the  better  residence  towns  of 
the  Red  river  valley. 


BROWN  DUCKSTAD. 


One  of  the  leading  pioneers,  business  men  and  pro- 
moters of  the  village  of  Fertile,  and  for  years  a 
valued  public  official  in  various  capacities.  Brown 
Duckstad  has  contributed  much  to  the  improvement 
and  benefit  of  the  land  and  locality  of  his  adoption, 
and  he  has  also  embraced,  greatly  to  his  own  advan- 
tage, the  opportunities  it  has  offered  him  for  his  own 
progress  in  a  material  way  and  along  lines  of  social 
and  political  influence  and  consequence. 

Mr.  Duckstad  is  a  native  of  Norway,  where  his  life 
began  December  6,  1865,  and  where  he  was  reared  to 
the  age  of  nineteen  and  obtained  his  education.  In 
the  spring  of  1884  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  at 
once  to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  has  ever 


since  resided.  During  the  first  five  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  this  county  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand, 
working  hard,  living  frugally  and  saving  his  earn- 
ings to  enable  him  to  begin  at  the  earliest  practicable 
time  the  business  career  to  which  he  was  steadily 
looking  forward. 

In  1889  he  located  at  Fertile  and  opened  the  hard- 
ware store  which  he  is  still  condiicting  there.  His 
business  was  started  on  a  small  scale,  but  by  enter- 
prise, close  attention  to  eveiy  detail  and  excellent 
business  capacity  he  has  steadily  expanded  his  trade 
and  enlarged  his  operations  until  he  is  now  one  of 
the  leading  merchants  in  the  part  of  the  county  in 
which   he   lives.     His   trade   soon   outgrew   its   first 


392 


CO.MPENDIU.M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OB^  POLK  COUNTY 


meager  facilities  and  he  was  obliged  to  provide  for 
its  growth  by  erecting  the  comiuodious  and  substan- 
tial building  in  which  his  store  is  now  located.  He 
has  also  kept  up  his  interest  in  agricultural  pui'suits 
and  now  owns  about  1,200  acres  of  land  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Fertile,  and  he  is  also  vice  president  of  the  First 
State  Bank  of  Fertile  and  of  the  Fertile  Brick  and 
Tile  company. 

Although  he  has  never  for  a  day  neglected  his  own 
business  or  the  claims  of  dutj^  to  himself  and  his 
family,  Mr.  Duckstad  has  also  at  times  taken  an 
active  and  helpful  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his 
community  and  county,  and  the  people  have  had  the 
benefit  of  his  integrity,  ability  and  good  judgment 
in  the  administration  of  several  local  ofRees.  He  was 
postmaster  at  Fertile  from  1898  to  1907,  and  at  dif- 
ferent times  has  also  filled  other  positions  with  credit 


to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  people.  His  political 
affiliation  has  always  been  with  the  Republican  party 
and  his  church  connection  with  the  congregation  of 
Synod  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Duckstad  was  first  married  at  Fertile  in  1889 
to  Miss  Bertha  Skime,  who  was,  like  himself,  a  native 
of  Norw^ay.  She  died  in  1901.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Benjamin, 
Lisa  and  John.  Benjamin  is  a  graduate  of  the  West 
Point  United  States  Military  Academy  and  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  United  States  army.  In  1903  Mr. 
Duckstad  contracted  a  second  marriage,  uniting  him- 
self with  Miss  Sophia  Skime,  who  was  born  in  Iowa. 
They  have  six  children,  Norman,  Volbarg,  Volter, 
Sylvia,  Paul  and  Eleanor.  The  family  stands  well  in 
the  community  and  richly  deserves  the  general  esteem 
bestowed  upon  its  members. 


THEODORE  A.  THOMPSON. 


During  all  of  the  last  eleven  years  Theodore  A. 
Tiiompson,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Crookston,  has 
rendered  the  people  of  Polk  county  excellent  service 
in  their  register  of  deeds'  office,  and  for  seven  years 
of  the  period  has  been  the  register,  filling  the  position 
of  deputy  register  for  the  first  four  j'ears  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  office.  Before  he  went  into  that 
office,  however,  he  had  a  useful  and  prosperous  career, 
in  which  he  showed  his  mettle.  He  was  born  at 
Waseca,  Minnesota,  September  20,  1871,  and  is  the 
son  of  Ole  and  Betse.y  ( Aniundson)  Thompson,  natives 
of  Norway. 

The  mother  came  to  this  country  about  1860,  when 
she  was  eleven  years  old,  and  the  father  in  1866.  They 
were  married  at  Black  Earth,  Wisconsin,  and  moved 
to  this  county  in  1888,  locating  on  a  homestead  in 
Hill  River  township,  which  the  father  selected  at  the 
time.  He  was  a  .slioemaker  and  worked  at  his  trade 
in  Crookston  ten  years,  during  a  part  of  which  time 
he  was  the  manager  of  a  shoe  store.  He  died  in  North 
Yakima,  Washington,  and  the  mother  passed  away 
on  the  farm.  The  family  lived  on  that  farm  a  long 
time  and  still  owns  it. 


Seven  children  were  born  and  reared  to  maturity 
in  the  household.  Anna  B.,  who  is  now  living  at  home, 
has  been  a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county  schools  and  a 
stenographer.  Lewis  passed  his  life  on  the  farm  and 
died  there  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine.  Tilda  was  also 
a  Polk  county  teacher.  She  died  unmarried  in  1908. 
Louise,  a  school  teacher  and  stenographer  in  this 
countj^  is  also  now  living  at  home.  Emma,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  also  taught  in  Polk  county 
schools,  and  Oscar  B.  is  operating  the  old  family 
homestead. 

Theodore  A.  Thompson  spent  ten  years  on  the  home- 
stead. He  was  seventeen  when  the  family  took  pos- 
session of  it  and  had  just  been  graduated  from  the 
high  school  at  Waseca,  and  he  began  his  career  in  this 
county  by  teaching  Public  School  No.  120  in  King 
township,  near  Mcintosh.  He  continued  teaching 
ten  years,  still  living  on  the  home  farm,  and  during 
two  years  of  the  time  was  also  interested  in  a  mer- 
chandising enterprise  in  Mcintosh.  In  1898  he  be- 
came assistant  cashier  of  the  Citizens  Bank  at  Mcin- 
tosh, and  this  position  he  held  continuously  for  six 
years. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


393 


On  January  1,  1905,  Mr.  Thompson  was  appointed 
deputy  register  of  deeds  by  J.  H.  Stair,  the  register, 
and  he  served  the  county  in  this  capacity  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1909,  when  he  took  over  the  office  of  register, 
to  which  he  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1908,  being  the 
nominee  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  re-elected 
in  1910  without  opposition,  and  again  in  1912  and 
1914,  the  last  time  for  a  term  of  four  yeai-s,  accord- 
ing to  the  provisions  of  a  law  passed  by  the  legislature 
of  1913.  He  employs  three  assistants  in  the  office, 
and  it  turns  over  to  the  county  annually,  after  all  its 
expenses  are  paid,  an  average  revenue  of  about  $2,500. 


Mr.  Thompson  was  married  in  1901  to  Miss  Caro- 
line M.  Jensen,  of  Brandsvold  township,  this  county, 
where  her  father,  Peter  C.  Jensen,  now  deceased,  set- 
tled in  1888,  coming  to  Polk  county  from  Wisconsin. 
Mrs.  Thompson  was  a  teacher  in  Polk  county  three 
years  prior  to  her  marriage.  She  and  her  husband 
have  had  five  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Those  who  are  living  are  Harlow  B.,  Florence  Lucille, 
Kenneth  F.  and  Marjorie  A.  The  parents  are  mem- 
bers of  the  English  Lutheran  church,  of  which  Mr. 
Thompson  is  secretary.  He  is  well  known  through- 
out the  county  and  very  popular. 


ERICK  ELLINGSON. 


During  the  last  four  years  Erick  Ellingson,  head 
of  the  firm  of  Ellingson  &  Groven,  hardware  and  farm 
implement  merchants,  has  been  a  stimulus  and  an  in- 
spiration to  business  activities  in  and  around  the  vil- 
lage of  Mentor,  Grove  Park  township,  this  county,  and 
has  fully  justified  the  rank  he  holds  as  one  of  the 
township's  leading  business  men.  He  was  born  in 
Green  county,  Wisconsin,  September  27,  1864,  and 
was  reared  and  educated  there.  In  the  spring  of  1909 
he  moved  to  Alexandria,  Minnesota,  and  during  the 
next  three  years  he  was  occupied  in  farming  near  that 
town. 

Farming  failed  to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  Mr. 
Ellingson 's  desires,  and  in  the  spring  of  1912  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Mentor  and  his  pursuit  to 
mercantile  activity.  He  formed  a  partnership  with 
Olof  M.  Groven  at  that  time,  and  since  then  they  have 
carried  on  a  flourishing  and  growing  business  under 


the  firm  name  of  Ellingson  &  Groven  as  dealers  in 
shelf  and  heavy  hardware,  furniture,  stoves  and 
ranges,  farm  implements,  threshing  machines,  harness, 
horse  furnishings  and  other  articles  of  general  mer- 
chandise, conducting  their  operations  with  studious 
attention  to  the  needs  of  the  community  and  the  com- 
fort and  satisfaction  of  their  patrons. 

Mr.  Ellingson  was  married  in  Green  county,  Wis- 
consin, April  11,  1906,  to  Miss  Emma  Anderson,  who 
was  born  in  Minnesota  and  reared  in  Wisconsin.  They 
have  four  children,  Marion  G.,  Goldie  T.,  Charlotte 
N.  0.  and  Russell  K.  The  father  of  the  family  is  a 
member  of  the  village  council  of  Mentor  and  clerk  of 
the  local  school  board,  and  is  highly  esteemed  as  one  of 
the  most  useful  residents  of  the  township.  He  and  his 
wife  are  active  and  valued  members  of  the  United 
Lutheran  church. 


GEORGE  J.  FLATEN. 


Deprived  in  part  of  his  left  hand  in  a  hunting  ac- 
cident at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  the  subsequent 
career  of  George  J.  Flaten,  the  able,  industrious  and 
conscientious  treasurer  of  Polk  county,  has  been 
largely  shaped  by  that  occurrence.    It  seemed  like  a 

cruel  aflflictiou  when  it  occurred,  but  it  has  led  him  to 
25 


lines  of  work  for  which  he  is  especially  fitted  and  to 
a  position  at  length  for  which  he  seems  to  have  been 
destined.  He  was  born  in  Goodhue  county,  Minne- 
sota, November  4,  1876,  the  son  of  J.  J.  and  Anna 
(Brandsvold)  Flaten,  who  now  live  in  Garden  town- 
ship, this  county,  five  miles  east  of  Fertile,  on  a  home- 


394 


COMPENDimr  OV  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COLWTY 


stead  which  was  taken  up  by  the  father  in  1880.  The 
lather  is  a  native  of  Norway  who  came  to  this  country 
and  located  in  Goodliue  county,  Minnesota,  soon  after 
the  Civil  war.  The  mother  is  a  cousin  of  Knute 
Brandsvold,  in  whose  honor  Brandsvold  township  in 
this  county  was  named,  and  who  now  lives  at  Dalton, 
]\Iinnesota. 

George  J.  Flaten  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  remaining  there  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  Concordia  college  in  Moorhead,  in  which  he 
pursued  a  special  course  of  commercial  training.  In 
1900  he  was  appointed  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  County 
Treasurer  ]\Iartin  G.  Peterson,  and  was  continued  in 
his  position  under  Treasurer  W.  L.  Vannet,  holding 
it  for  six  years.  In  November,  1908,  he  was  elected 
county  treasurer,  taking  the  office  on  January  1,  1909, 


and  he  has  been  re-elected  at  the  end  of  every  term 
since,  in  the  fall  of  1914  for  a  term  of  four  years  iu 
accordance  with  the  provisions  of  a  law  passed  by 
the  legislature  in  1913.  He  was  the  nominee  of  the 
Republican  party  in  1908,  1910  and  1912,  and  a  non- 
partisan candidate  in  1914. 

Mr.  Flaten  is  wholly  devoted  to  his  official  duties 
and  gives  eveiy  phase  and  detail  of  them  his  personal 
attention.  He  employs  one  deputy,  who  is  Miss  Sophia 
Stromstad.  He  also  owns  a  grain  farm  near  Harold 
Station,  but  that  is  cultivated  by  a  tenant.  On  Decem- 
ber 24,  1903,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Lothe,  of 
Wisconsin.  They  have  no  children.  Both  belong  to 
the  English  Lutheran  church  and  are  active  in  its 
service.  Fraternally  Mr.  Flaten  is  a  Fx'eemason  and 
a  member  of  the  Order  of  Elks. 


G.  H.  SANBER6. 


This  enterprising,  progressive,  broad-minded  and 
highly  capable  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
of  Crookston  acquired  his  knowledge  of  school  work 
and  success  in  directing  it  by  long  experience  in  the 
school  room  and  thoughtful  and  observant  study  of 
its  requirements.  He  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Alin- 
nesota.  May  1,  1873,  the  son  of  Swedish  parents  who 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Carver 
county,  Minnesota,  in  the  early  fifties.  The  father 
was  a  blacksmith  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Carver 
county  and  at  Blakely,  this  state,  where  he  and  his 
family  located  in  1870,  the  parents  having  been  mar- 
ried in  Carver  county.  The  father  died  at  Blakely 
but  the  mother  is  still  living  and  has  her  home  at  Le 
Sueur,  Minnesota. 

The  son  was  graduated  from  the  Mankato  State 
Normal  school  in  1897  after  completing  its  most  ad- 
vanced course  of  instruction.  He  has  also  taken  work 
in  the  College  of  Education  at  North  Dakota  State 
University.  He  was  president  of  his  class  at  the  nor- 
mal school,  and  he  has  passed  all  of  his  subsequent 
years  since  his  graduation  in  the  school  room.     He 


was  principal  of  the  graded  school  at  Bellingham, 
Minnesota,  four  years,  and  was  then  superintendent 
of  Bird  Island  high  school,  with  eight  to  ten  teach- 
ers under  his  direction,  seven  years.  The  next  six 
years  he  passed  as  superintendent  of  the  schools  at 
Wiudom,  with  twenty  teachers  to  direct. 

In  June,  1914,  without  any  solicitation  on  his  part, 
he  was  selected  as  superintendent  of  the  schools  in 
Crookston.  The  school  board  sent  out  a  committee 
to  investigate  the  work  of  several  superintendents 
who  were  not  candidates  for  the  office  it  had  to  fill, 
and  on  the  report  of  the  committee  the  board  volun- 
tarily offered  Mr.  Sanberg  the  position.  He  has  con- 
ducted teachers'  summer  training  schools  for  nine 
years,  and  been  active  in  all  teachers'  organizations. 
For  a  time  he  was  president  of  the  Southern  Minne- 
sota Teachers'  association  which  meets  annually  at 
IVIankato.  He  also  was  largely  instrumental  in  reor- 
ganizing the  Northern  Minnesota  Teachers'  associa- 
tion. 

Mr.  Sanberg  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  very  active  in  all  its  benevolent  and 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POL.K  COUNTY 


395 


improving  activities,  especially  its  Sunday  school 
work.  He  was  married  at  Garden  City,  Minnesota, 
in  1897,  to  Miss  Berda  M.  McBride,  a  native  of  that 
place  and  a  teacher  of  music.  They  have  six  children, 
Ruth,  Beatrice,  Keith,   Glenn,  Wilbur  and  Marion. 


Mr.  Sauberg  is  a  Freemason  of  the  Past  Master's  rank, 
having  served  as  Worshipful  Master  of  the  Lodge  at 
Bird  Island,  Minnesota.  He  usually  passes  his  vaca- 
tions in  outing  camps,  and  is  highly  favorable  to  ath- 
letic games  when  they  are  propei'ly  supervised. 


WILLIAM  T.  NICHOLSON. 


Coming  in  daily  contact  with  the  residents  of 
Crookston  as  assistant  postmaster  of  the  city  during 
the  last  fourteen  years,  and  winning  their  high  and 
lasting  regard  by  his  ability  and  devotion  to  duty, 
William  T.  Nicholson  has  shown  traits  of  admirable 
manhood  and  citizenship  which  fully  justify  the  good 
opinion  the  people  have  of  him.  He  was  born  in 
County  Simcoe,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  Jan- 
uary 2,  1862,  and  was  reared  in  County  Grey  of  that 
province.  On  January  22,  1888,  he  emigrated  to  this 
country  and  located  in  Crookston,  where  he  had 
friends  living. 

Mr.  Nicholson's  first  employment  here  was  as  a 
school  teacher,  and  this  lasted  three  years.  He  first 
taught  the  school  in  District  No.  105,  near  Gentilly, 
and  then  had  a  berth  in  the  Central  building  in 
Crookston.  During  the  next  six  years  he  was  a  fire- 
man and  during  the  succeeding  four  an  engineer  on 
the  Great  Northern  railroad,  running  between  Crooks- 
ton and  Grand  Forks.  In  1902  he  was  appointed  as- 
sistant postmaster  by  Postmaster  Andrew  Eiken,  with 
whom  he  served  two  years.  He  next  served  under 
Postma.ster  Elias  Steenerson  nine  years,  and  since 
then  has  been  as.sistant  to  Postmaster  C.  L.  Skoug. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  state  and  national  Assistant 
Postmasters'  associations,  and  is  wholly  occupied  with 
the  duties  of  his  ofSce.  He  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee,  and  was 
superintendent  of  its  Sunday  school  four  years,  suc- 
ceeding in  that  position  a  man  who  had  held  it  twenty- 
five  years,  and  he  has  himself  been  in  the  school  as 
teacher  and  superintendent  twenty-six  years.  In  all 
church  and  social  work  he  takes  an  active  and  serv- 
iceable part. 

On  November  1,  189.3,  Mr.  Nicholson  w'as  married  to 
Miss  Rachel  Nicholson,  who  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Nicholson,  a  pioneer  in  Crookston,  who  settled  here 
in  1879.  The  daughter  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada, 
but  was  reared  in  Crookston.  She  is  president  of  the 
Ladies'  Aid  society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
She  and  Mr.  Nicholson  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Marietta,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school 
and  State  Normal  school  in  Moorhead  and  is  now  a 
teacher  at  Lake  Park,  Minnesota;  Harry,  who  is  a 
student  at  Hamline  University,  in  St.  Paul ;  Sadie,, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Crookston  high  school  of  the 
class  of  1916,  and  Walter. 


N.  A.  THORSON. 


N.  A.  Thorson,  the  present  county  superintendent 
of  schools,  was  born  in  Nicollet  county  of  this  state 
December  22,  1881.  He  claims  the  county  poor  farm 
as  his  birth-place,  where  his  father  was  then  siiperin- 
tendent.  Many  of  the  older  inmates  of  the  poor  farm 
were  persons  of  considerable  leisure  and  they  con- 
tributed a  great  deal  to  the  early  rearing  of  the  sub- 


ject of  this  sketch.  With  them  he  went  fishing,  boat- 
ing and  berry-picking,  and  played  with  the  home-made 
toys  which  they  so  generously  supplied. 

With  his  parents  and  the  family  of  five  children  he 
moved  to  Winthrop  Minnesota,  in  1887,  where  later 
he  spent  many  years  of  his  life  working  on  his  father's 
farm.    In  1898  he  entered  a  secondary  school  at  St. 


396 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Peter,  Minnesota,  from  wliieh  he  graduated  in  1900. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  Gustavus 
Adolphus  College  at  that  place  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  and  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1904. 
During  the  spring  of  his  graduating  year,  he  was 
chosen  by  his  college  to  take  part  in  a  state  oratorical 
contest  in  which  he  later  won  the  right  to  represent 
the  state  in  the  interstate  contest  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, the  same  summer.  Upon  his  return  he  attended 
the  summer  session  at  the  Maukato  Normal  School. 
The  same  fall  he  was  engaged  to  teach  at  Crookston 
and  during  his  connection  with  the  high  school  at  that 
place  for  four  years  he  taught  principally  the  sciences 
and  mathematics.  He  attended  the  University  of  Min- 
nesota during  the  summer  of  1905  and  the  following 
year  was  a  member  of  a  group  of  teachers  who  en- 
rolled for  the  first  summer  training  course  at  the 
St.  Anthony  School  of  Agriculture.  He  built  and 
operated  the  first  wireless  telegraphy  outfit  wit- 
nessed in  Crookston.  He  also  served  as  athletic 
director  of  the  high  school  and  together  with  other 
school    anthorities    in    the    Valley   labored    to    place 


athletics  among  the  schools  on  a  high  standard.  In 
the  fall  of  1908  he  taught  for  a  short  time  under 
Sui)t.  Wni.  Robertson  at  the  Crookston  School  of 
Agriculture.  The  same  year  Mr.  Thorson  entered 
the  race  for  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Polk  county  and  has  now  served  his  constituents 
seven  years.  During  this  time  he  has  tried  to  sys- 
tematize the  work  of  the  common  schools  and  has 
always  stood  for  progressiveness  in  educational  work. 
He  has  given  his  support  to  industrial  movements  in 
the  county  by  inducing  the  pupils  in  the  schools  to  en- 
gage in  practical  home  and  school  projects. 

Mr.  Thorson  has  served  on  the  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle  Board  for  a  number  of  years  and  is 
at  present  secretary  of  this  organization.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  several  musical  organizations,  including 
the  English  Lutheran  Church  Quartet,  the  Viking 
Chorus  and  the  Citizens'  Band  of  Crookston. 

In  1913  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarali  Rollefson  of 
Montevideo,  Minnesota,  and  their  marriage  has  been 
lilessed  with  two  children,  Sue  and  Paul. 


ANDREW  M.  MALMBERG. 


Among  those  who  came  to  Polk  county,  while  it  was 
still  in  its  primitive  condition,  is  he  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  and  who  is  looked  upon  by  those 
who  know  him  as  one  whose  efforts  did  much  toward 
the  making  of  the  county.  After  many  years  of 
industrj',  during  which  he  became  financially  inde- 
pendent, he  is  now  living  in  retirement  in  Crookston, 
the  operation  of  his  large  farm  being  in  the  hands  of 
his  sons. 

Mr.  Malmberg  was  born  in  Sweden  March  8,  1842, 
and  came  to  America  in  1866,  securing  work  in  the 
harvest  field  near  Davenport,  Iowa.  That  fall  he  came 
to  Red  Wing,  Minnesota,  and  the  following  spring  be- 
gan work  on  the  grade  of  the  Hastings  &  Dakota 
Railroad,  when  it  was  first  started  at  Hastings.  The 
next  four  years  were  spent  in  farm  labor  near  St. 
Paul,  and  in  1870  he  assisted  in  the  construction  of 


the  Northern  Pacific  road  west  from  Braiiicrd  so  con- 
tinuing till  the  road  was  built  through  to  Moorhead. 

While  working  at  Glyndon  he  was  induced  to  take 
a  preemption  on  a  tract  of  land  close  to  that  village, 
which,  being  the  junction  point  was  thought  would 
become  quite  an  important  place. 

In  the  spring  of  1872  in  company  with  others  he 
came  to  the  Red  Lake  River  country,  it  being  said  to 
surpass  in  fertility  other  sections  of  the  country.  He 
was  pleased  with  it  and  at  once  secured  a  homestead 
some  eight  miles  west  of  Crookston  along  the  Red 
Lake  River  two  miles  southeast  of  Fisher.  He  also 
secured  similar  tracts  for  his  brother  and  for  a  friend, 
Olof  Erickson.  But  two  or  three  others  were  there 
before  him,  so  that  he  thus  had  his  choice,  and  selected 
lands  along  the  small  creeks,  which  were  lined  with 
valuable  timber. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


397 


He  soon  sold  his  Glyndon  tract  for  $400,  but  with 
such  payments  that  he  derived  little  benefit  from  the 
sale.  He  hired  a  few  acres  broken  out  that  first  year, 
so  that  when  he  came  the  next  year  to  make  it  his 
home,  he  had  a  small  crop ;  but  there  was  no  market 
and  it  was  not  sold  but  was  stored  in  a  bin  in  one  cor- 
ner of  his  cabin  and  not  sold  till  the  next  year,  1874, 
when  it  was  part  of  the  grain  that  loaded  the  first  car 
ever  purchased  at  Crookston. 

When  the  Great  Northern  Railroad  was  built 
through  to  Fisher's  Landing  (so  named  in  honor  of 
the  superintendent  of  the  road)  a  store  was  started  by 
Hugh  Thompson,  to  whom  Mr.  Malniberg  sold  much 
produce.  There  being  no  crossing  of  the  river  he  ar- 
ranged a  raft  out  of  dry  logs,  which  had  been  peeled 
for  the  bark  when  he  built  his  cabin  and  this  was  the 
first  means  of  getting  farm  produce  to  the  market. 
He  was  active  in  all  the  first  road  making,  and  in  fact 
every  line  of  local  improvement  found  him  ready  to 
do  his  part. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  township  and 
was  chosen  supervisor,  in  which  position  he  served 
for  many  years,  as  well  as  having  been  chosen  to  other 
local  offices. 

He  soon  began  to  buy  other  lands,  mainly  of  the 
railroad  company  at  prices  ranging  from  $8  to  $10 
per  acre.  This  was  at  a  time  when  title  of  these  lands 
was  still  in  dispute  and  many  would-be  purchasei's 
were  fearful  of  buying.  He  finally  became  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  there  is  in 
the  state  and  which  he  converted  into  one  of  the  really 
valuable  farms  of  the  county.     In  the  early  years  he 


would  get  but  small  returns  owing  to  frosts  or  water, 
but  being  so  close  to  the  river,  his  land  was  fairly  well 
drained,  and  progress  was  satisfactory,  he  becoming 
one  of  the  independent  farmers,  whose  success  came 
from  faith  in  Polk  county  soil. 

His  original  cabin,  covered  with  bark,  was  later 
much  enlarged  and  became  a  convenient  home,  but 
which  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire ;  when  he  erected 
the  present  commodious  country  residence. 

In  1908  he  turned  the  farm  over  to  two  sons,  him- 
self buyinig  a  small  farm  on  the  river  and  but  two 
miles  west  of  Crookston,  where  he  remained  seven 
years,  when  he  came  into  the  city,  where  he  has  since 
lived  in  easy  retirement,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  well- 
spent  life. 

His  marriage  in  St.  Paul  in  1872,  to  Miss  Ellen 
Angdahl,  who  had  come  from  Sweden  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

Oscar  Albin  and  Carl  Emil  are  partners  in  the 
operation  of  the  old  farm.  William  Haniel  is  one  of 
the  well  known  teachers  of  the  county,  having  entered 
upon  that  work  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  so  continued 
for  several  years.  James  Montaine  and  Ella  Johanna 
complete  the  family,  the  latter  being  a  successful 
music  teacher  and  living  at  home. 

AVhile  the  life  of  Mr.  Malmberg  has  not  been  filled 
with  unusual  events,  it  has  carried  a  valued  influence 
in  shaping  the  affairs  of  liis  community,  and  it  is  to 
such  lives  that  the  future  historian  will  refer  to  learn 
of  the  details  of  empire  building. 


DANIEL  H.  Mcdonald. 


This  enterprising  and  progressive  farmer  and  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  of  Polk  county,  who  is  one  of  sev- 
eral members  of  the  same  family,  lives  at  Davidson 
Station  on  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad,  sixteen  miles 
and  a  half  northwest  of  Crookston,  in  section  29,  Nes- 
bit  township,  where  he  has  redeemed  from  the  wilder- 
ness and  highly  improved  a  large  farm.    He  was  born 


in  County  Frontenac,  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
May  20,  1861,  and  came  to  Polk  county  in  1878,  his 
brother,  James  McDonald,  having  come  to  Blue  Earth 
county,  this  state,  two  j-ears  before.  He  changed  his 
residence  to  Polk  county  the  next  year,  and  is  still 
living  here,  as  will  be  seen  in  a  sketch  of  him  else- 
where in  this  history. 


^98 


COMPENDIU:\r  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COrXTY 


Daniel  IT.  McDonald  is  a  son  of  Donald  and  Ellen 
(Hannah)  McDonald.  He  bought  eighty  acres  of  his 
present  farm  from  the  railroad  company  at  $5  an 
acre,  with  a  rebate  of  $2.50  an  acre  for  l)reaking  three- 
fourths  of  it,  and  three  years  later  was  allowed  50 
cents  an  acre  in  addition  for  all  he  had  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  worked  out  on  other  farms  the  first  year  but 
broke  up  eijjht  acres  of  his  own  land  although  he  had 
no  buildings  on  it.  In  the  winter  he  hauled  wood.  The 
next  .year  he  rented  for  cash  what  he  had  plowed  and 
broke  up  more,  and  so  got  twenty  acres  broken  up  in 
a  short  time.  Soon  afterward  he  bought  the  other 
half  of  the  (piarter-section  in  which  his  land  lies,  and 
in  four  years  he  had  120  acres  broken  and  got  the 
rebate  on  it  all. 

During  this  four  years  Mr.  McDonald  continued  to 
work  out  and  rented  his  own  plowed  land.  He  then 
built  a  little  house  and  stable,  but  continued  to  make 
his  home  with  his  father,  Donald  McDonald,  who  came 
to  the  county  two  years  after  the  son  did.  The  father 
bought  a  homestead  right  and  on  this  land  he  lived 
until  his  death  on  February  20,  1915,  having  survived 
liis  wife  fifteen  years.  He  was  a  zealous  Presbyterian 
and  took  the  initiative  in  founding  the  Bethel  church 
of  that  sect,  and  of  this  church  he  was  a  very  active 
member  the  rest  of  his  life. 

His  son  Daniel  worked  his  own  land  and  his  father's 
until  his  marriage,  which  took  place  in  1889  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Tena  Lee,  a  daughter  of  James  and 


Tena  (Nisbet)  Lee,  and  also  a  native  of  Ontario,  com- 
ing to  this  county  with  her  parents  when  Mr.  McDon- 
ald came.  She  died  in  1899,  leaving  four  children: 
Winifi'ed,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the  Polk  county  schools; 
Earl,  who  was  a  student  at  school  in  Crookston ;  and 
Lee  and  Lindsey,  who,  like  Earl,  are  living  at  home 
with  their  father. 

Mr.  McDonald's  second  marriage  was  with  Miss 
Annie  McDougall,  also  a  Canadian  by  nativity,  and 
occurred  at  Elphin,  Ontario,  March  2,  1904.  They 
have  four  children,  Grace,  Gilbert,  Maurice  and  Mar- 
vin. Since  his  first  marriage  Mr.  McDonald  has  ad- 
ded 160  acres  to  his  farm  and  it  now  comprises  320 
acres,  his  last  purchase  costing  him  $23  an  acre,  with 
improvements.  Ilis  main  dependence  for  a  time  was 
grain,  but  in  late  years  he  has  devoted  more  attention 
to  live  stock,  keeping  regularly  about  thirtj'  head  of 
cattle  with  twelve  milch  cows.  He  has  seventeen  acres 
in  potatoes  and  generally  plants  thirty  in  corn,  and 
the  buildings  and  other  improvements  on  his  place 
are  good. 

The  public  affairs  of  his  township  have  always  in- 
terested Mr.  McDonald  and  enlisted  his  service.  He 
has  served  on  the  township  board  one  term,  being  its 
chairman.  He  was  also  town-ship  treasurer  for  three 
years  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
many.  His  religious  connection  is  with  the  Bethel 
Presbyterian  church,  of  vsiiich  he  has  been  an  elder 
for  a  long  time  and  is  now  an  occupant  of  that  office. 


IVER  HOYE. 


Born,  reared  and  married  in  Norway,  and  coming 
to  the  United  States  and  the  Northwest  in  the  full 
vigor  of  his  young  manhood  at  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
Iver  Hoye,  who  has  a  productive  and  attractive  farm 
in  section  8,  Sullivan  township,  this  county,  which  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  the  "Hoye  Farm,"  brought 
to  his  new  home  a  stimulating  force  which  has  been 
serviceably  emploj'cd  in  pushing  the  further  devel- 
opment and  improvement  of  the  locality  in  which  he 
lives,  as  it  was  in  doing  the  same  in  other  localities  in 
which  he  lived  previous  to  settling  where  he  is  now. 


Mr.  Hoye's  life  began  in  Norway  February  28,  1854, 
and  he  remained  in  his  native  land  until  1878,  when  he 
came  to  this  country  and  located  in  "Winneshiek 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  one  year.  In  1879 
he  moved  to  Yellow  JFedicine  county,  ^linnesota,  where 
one  of  his  sisters  was  living.  He  made  his  home  with 
her  until  1881,  and  then  bought  a  homestead  in  Grand 
Forks  county.  North  Dakota,  near  the  village  of 
Honeyford,  twenty-five  miles  northwest  of  the  city 
of  Grand  Forks,  driving  with  oxen  to  his  new  home 
from  Yellow  Medicine  county. 


JF.X.S  OIl.XSTAD,    M.   I). 


COMPENDIU]\I  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


399 


For  a  few  years  hail  storms  destroyed  Mr.  Hoye's 
crops  on  his  homestead  and  he  encountered  many 
other  discouragements.  He  discovered  that  his  laud 
at  best  was  none  of  the  most  choice,  and  after  living  on 
and  cultivating  it  fourteen  years  he  changed  his  base 
of  operations  to  this  county.  In  1891  he  bought  a 
quarter  of  section  34  in  Northland  township,  for 
which  he  paid  $1,500,  it  being  all  wild  land.  In  1895 
he  came  to  this  county  to  live,  but  instead  of  locating 
on  his  Northland  township  land  he  bought  a  quarter 
of  section  8  in  Sullivan  township,  two  miles  distant 
from  his  first  piirchase,  and  has  made  his  home  on  that 
ever  since.  This  second  purcliase  in  Polk  county  was 
made  on  a  contract  for  8,000  bushels  of  wheat  to  be 
delivered  within  a  certain  term  of  yeai's,  and  Mr. 
Hoye  's  enterprise  and  good  management  in  the  opera- 
tion of  his  farms  was  such  that  he  was  able  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  his  contract  promptly  and  with- 
out any  default  whatever. 

Mr.  Hoye  has  since  sold  his  Northland  township 
farm  and  erected  new  buildings  on  the  one  in  Sul- 
livan township.    He  has  also  bought  a  quarter  section 


half  a  mile  distant  from  his  home  place.  By  these 
deals  he  has  made  money  through  the  advances  in  the 
value  of  the  land.  He  raises  grain  principally  on  his 
two  quarter  sections  and  keeps  ten  to  twelve  cows  of 
good  grades.  His  interest  in  the  welfare  and  advance- 
ment of  the  township  in  which  he  lives  has  always 
been  warm  and  active.  He  has  served  on  the  school 
board  for  a  number  of  years  and  has  show-n  his  pro- 
grsssiveness  and  public  spirit  in  many  other  ways. 

In  his  young  manhood  Mr.  Hoye  was  married  in  his 
native  land  to  Miss  Ingeborg  Wistad.  They  have  had 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living.  One  daugh- 
ter named  Anna  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Another, 
who  had  the  same  name,  died  at  the  age  of  twelve. 
Theodore  died  when  he  was  eight  and  Emma  when 
she  was  four.  The  three  living  children  are :  Martin, 
who  is  still  with  his  parents,  and  who  has  been  the 
township  assessor  for  four  years ;  Henry,  who  married 
Miss  Alma  Onneland,  has  two  children  and  is  living 
in  Montana,  and  Matilda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Non^al  J. 
Bolstad.  The  members  of  the  family  all  belong  to 
the  Grand  Marias  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 


JENS  OHNSTAD,  M.  D. 


Jens  Ohnstad,  M.  D.,  of  Mcintosh,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing physicians  of  the  county,  was  born  in  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  June  20,  1868.  His  parents  were  uatives 
of  Norway  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1846  and 
were  pioneer  settlers  of  Dane  coiinty,  where  his  father 
is  living  at  the  close  of  a  long  and  useful  career,  hav- 
ing reached  his  eighty-eighth  year  and  being  one  or 
the  few  survivors  among  those  who  initiated  the  emi- 
gration of  his  compatriots  to  this  country.  Two 
brothers  and  a  sister  are  also  living  at  advanced  ages, 
all  having  passed  their  eightieth  year.  Jens  Ohnstad 
was  reared  on  the  Wisconsin  homestead  and  was  edu- 
cated in  normal  school  at  St.  Ausgar,  Iowa.  He  grad- 
uated in  1892  and  in  his  early  manhood  engaged  in 
teaching  school  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  using 
this  work  to  secure  the  financial  aid  to  attain  to  his 
professional   ambitions.     In   1899   he   entered    State 


University  for  a  four-year  course  of  study  iu  the 
college  of  physicians  and  surgeons  and  received  his 
degree  from  that  institution  iu  1903  and  iu  October 
of  that  year  located  iu  Mcintosh,  where  he  has  con- 
tinued to  pursue  his  practice  with  eminent  succes.s:, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  during  which  time 
he  transferred  his  professional  activities  to  Minne- 
apolis. Dr.  Ohnstad  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  prog- 
ress of  medical  science  and  has  taken  post-graduate 
courses  in  advanced  scientific  studies,  in  Chicago.  He 
has  gained  a  wide  reputation  for  his  skill  and  pro- 
fessional achievements  and  his  able  services  have  been 
distinguished  by  notable  victories  over  serious  epi- 
demics of  malignant  diseases.  He  has  devoted  every 
effort  and  interest  to  the  duties  of  his  vocation  and 
has  increased  his  opportunities  for  efficient  service 
bv  the  establishment  of  the  Dr.   Ohnstad  Hospital, 


400 


COilPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


which  is  amply  equipped,  with  professional  muscs  in 
attendance,  and  has  proved  of  unmeasured  benefit 
to  the  community  in  providing  immediate  relief  for 
local  distress,  obviating  the  disastrous  delays  entailed 
in  reaching  city  hospitals.  Dr.  Ohnstad  is  that  type; 
who,  by  their  broad,  progressive  and  unselfish  service, 
furnish  the  substantial  support  of  the  welfare  of  any 
communitv  and  has  made  a  most  honorable  record  as 


a  physician  and  citizen.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Red 
River  Valley,  the  Minnesota  State  and  the  American 
iledical  associations,  and  in  fraternal  societies  is 
affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  married  at  Red 
Wing  in  1908  to  Jlabel  Hooverson,  of  that  place,  who 
had  resided  for  a  time  at  Mcintosh.  Two  sons  have 
been  born  to  them,  Peter  Rolf  and  Karsten  Jerdee. 


JOHN  N.  BOLSTAD. 


Although  a  native  of  a  foreign  land  in  which  his 
ancestors  lived  for  many  generations,  John  N.  Bolstad, 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful  farmei-s  of 
Sullivan  township,  this  county,  has  passed  the  whole 
of  his  life  to  the  present  time,  except  the  first  four 
months  of  it,  in  the  United  States  and  the  Northwest. 
He  was  boni  in  Norway  March  15,  1858,  and  was 
brought  to  this  country  by  his  father,  Niles  Bolstad, 
in  July  of  the  same  year.  The  parents  settled  in 
Crawford  county,  Wisconsin,  and  passed  the  remain- 
der of  their  days  there.  They  converted  a  tract  of 
wild  timber  land  into  a  good  farm  on  which  they  both 
died. 

Their  son  John  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  His  father  died  when  the  son 
was  twelve  years  old,  and  although  the  latter  had  four 
sisters  older  than  himself,  the  management  of  the  farm 
rested  largely  on  him  and  his  brother  Nels,  who  op- 
erated it  under  the  supervision  of  their  mother.  Nels 
now  owns  the  home  place.  Another  brother,  Louis,  is 
a  homesteader  in  Bowman  county.  North  Dakota,  and 
their  sister  Josephine,  the  wife  of  Ole  Miller,  a  retired 
farmer,  lives  in  East  Grauk  Forks.  This  sister  accom- 
panied John  to  Polk  county  in  1879.  Each  of  them 
took  up  a  homestead,  the  two  comprising  the  northeast 
and  southeast  quarters  of  section  28  in  Northland 
township,  and  each  built  a  shanty.  Josephine  proved 
up  and  paid  all  that  was  required  on  her  claim,  and 
remained  on  it  until  she  sold  it  when  she  moved  to 
East  Grand  Forks.  She  was  married  to  Mr.  Miller  in 
1882. 


The  shanty  built  by  John  N.  Bolstad  on  his  home- 
stead M'as  twelve  feet  in  size  each  way  and  had  a  board 
roof  covered  with  tar  paper.  He  and  his  sister  worked 
their  land  together  as  they  had  opportunity.  But  as 
they  had  only  $7  or  $8  between  them  at  the  start  they 
were  obliged  to  work  for  other  persons  in  order  to 
live.  The  sister  worked  in  Grand  Forks  and  John  N. 
obtained  employment  on  the  great  Grandin  wheat 
farm  in  Dakota  in  the  summer  of  1879.  In  a  little 
while  he  bought  a  pair  of  steers  and  with  them  he 
broke  up  what  ground  he  could  that  year.  But  his 
land  was  low  and  flat,  and  it  was  generally  too  wet 
to  plow  until  June,  and  crops  sown  after  that  would 
not  mature. 

Owing  to  the  conditions  told  above  Mr.  Bolstad 
rented  a  farm  in  Dakota  for  three  years,  and  when  the 
third  year  brought  him  good  crops  he  traded  his  oxen 
for  three  mules  and  bought  two  horses.  Meanwhile  he 
had  held  on  to  liis  homestead  and  kept  on  working  on 
it.  In  1886  he  rented  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives, 
which  then  belonged  to  William  Colby.  It  contained 
all  of  section  7  except  eighty  acres,  but  it  had  not  been 
properly  cared  for.  Mi-.  Bolstad  plowed  100  acres 
that  had  been  without  crops  for  a  number  of  years 
and  obtained  good  returns  for  his  labor.  After  rent- 
ing tliis  farm  for  several  years  he  bought  one-half  of 
it  at  !f!27  an  acre  and  a  few-  years  later  bought  the  other 
half  at  a  higher  price. 

Mr.  Bolstad  has  devoted  his  attention  principally 
to  raising  grain.  He  has  erected  all  the  buildings  on 
the  place,  lias  a  deep  well  with  a  wind  pump  and  a 


COaiPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  FOLIC  COUNTY 


401 


pressure  tank  to  force  the  water  to  all  parts  of  his 
house  and  barn  and  many  other  modern  conveniences. 
A  few  years  ago  he  sold  the  north  half  of  the  section 
to  his  son  Norval,  hut  in  1914  he  bought  an  additional 
tract  of  160  acres  at  $65  an  acre,  and  he  now  cultivates 
all  he  owns.  He  helped  to  organize  Northland  town- 
ship and  obtained  a  good  deal  of  employment  from 
W.  C.  Nash,  the  first  settler  in  it.  In  Sullivan  town- 
ship he  has  served  several  years  as  a  member  of  the 
township  board  and  the  school  board. 

In  1883  Mr.  Bolstad  was  married  in  this  county  to 
Miss  Bertha  Jaeobson,  who  came  to  the  Northwest  with 
her  father,  Jacob  Jaeobson,  and  her  married  sister, 
Mrs.  Anna  Christlund,  and  took  up  her  residence 
with  them  on  a  farm  in  Dakota.  She  afterward  lived 
with  her  brother,  Hans  Jaeobson,  on  his  homestead 


in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  6,  in  Sullivan 
township,  where  his  widow  is  still  living.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bolstad  have  had  four  children,  but  only  one, 
their  son  Norval  J.  Bolstad,  is  living.  Their  first  born, 
Matilda,  died  when  .she  was  fifteen.  Norval  J.  was 
born  on  the  farm  and  has  passed  the  whole  of  his 
life  to  the  present  time  on  it.  He  was  educated  in 
the  local  and  the  Grand  Forks  schools,  and  has  now 
been  operating  his  part  of  the  home  farm  for  two 
years.  He  married  Miss  Matilda  Hoye,  the  daughter 
of  Iver  Hoye,  who  lives  on  the  adjoining  section. 
Three  children  have  been  born  of  their  union,  Joseph, 
Bernice  and  Florence.  All  the  members  of  btoh  fami- 
lies belong  to  the  Grand  Marias  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  John  N.  Bolstad  is  an  original  member  and  was 
one  of  the  men  who  built  the  church  edifice. 


EDWARD  LA  BARGE. 


Having  come  to  the  locality  in  which  he  now  lives 
in  the  early  days  before  there  were  any  internal  im- 
provements in  it  and  while  it  was  yet  largely  in  its 
primeval  state  of  wildness,  Edward  La  Barge,  who  is 
now  one  of  the  enterprising  and  prosperous  farmers 
of  Sullivan  township,  this  county,  was  called  upon  to 
experience  many  of  the  hardships  of  frontier  life,  as 
was  also  his  wife,  but  they  endured  them  with  pa- 
tience and  an  unyielding  detei-mination  to  overcome 
all  difficulties  and  make  their  way  to  independence. 

Mr.  La  Barge  was  born  at  Hudson,  St.  Croix 
county,  Wisconsin,  January  10,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of 
David  La  Barge,  who  located  on  a  farm  near  Fond 
du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  in  1849.  The  father  converted  his 
wild  land  near  Fond  du  Lac  into  a  good  farm  and 
some  years  later  moved  to  St.  Croi.x  country  in  the 
same  state.  His  son,  Edward,  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  1880,  working  on  the  home  farm  in  sum- 
mer and  driving  teams  in  the  lumber  woods  and 
logs  on  the  St.  Croix  river  in  winter.  In  1880  he  came 
to  Polk  county  to  get  land  for  himself  with  only 
about  $50  in  money,  but  he  bought  the  Southwest 
quarter  of  Section  9,  Sullivan  township,  of  the  rail- 


I'oad  company  for  $750,  and  on  it  he  has  since  made 
liis  home. 

He  broke  up  his  land  as  rapidly  as  he  could,  board- 
ing at  a  neighbor's  while  doing  it,  and  hiring  some 
help  in  the  operation.  In  the  spring  of  1881  he 
bought  four  horses,  intending  to  push  the  improve- 
ment of  his  farm  rapidly.  But  the  land  was  low  and 
wet,  hail  storms  came  and  other  disasters  to  his  crops 
followed  in  almost  continuous  succession,  so  that 
some  years  elapsed  before  he  raised  any  crops  worth 
speaking  of.  During  all  this  time  the  Grand  Marais 
was  often  full  of  water  and  totally  unbridged,  and 
all  who  crossed  it  with  teams  were  obliged  to  swim 
their  horses,  as  the  water  was  often  twelve  feet  deep. 
Once,  when  Mr.  La  Barge  was  taking  a  seeder  across 
it  got  tangled  up  in  the  heavy  tall  grass  which  grew 
in  the  Marais  and  the  horses  could  not  pull  it  out. 
He  was  forced  to  unhook  his  team  and  abandon  the 
seeder,  and  it  was  not  found  until  more  than  a  month 
later  when  the  water  subsided. 

Owing  to  his  inability  to  raise  crops  for  seven  or 
eight  years  Mr.  La  Barge  spent  the  winters  in  the 
Wisconsin  lumber  woods  and  used  his  teams  there. 


402 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AXD  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


lie  afterward  worked  about  the  same  period  iu  the 
lumber  woods  of  Minuesota.  In  the  winter  of  1896 
he  took  a  contract  for  lumbering  near  Black  Duck 
and  had  a  camp  of  his  own.  lie  employed  ten  men 
in  carrj'ing  out  his  contract  and  got  out  about  one 
million  feet  of  lumber.  That  winter  Jlrs.  La  Barge 
passed  the  winter  in  the  camp  and  acted  as  cook. 
Her  husband  had  a  timber  claim  near  the  place,  but 
this  he  has  since  sold. 

The  first  house  Mr.  La  Barge  built  on  his  land 
was  a  tar  paper  shanty.  In  that  he  lived  as  a  bache- 
lor three  summers  while  working  his  farm,  and  in  it 
afterward  his  wife  kept  hou.se  three  years.  Part  of 
their  present  dwelling  was  built  in  1889  and  the  rest 
in  1903.  The  fine  bam  now  on  the  place  was  erected 
in  1915.  ]\Irs.  La  Barge's  maiden  name  was  Jessie 
Johnson  and  she  was  born  in  Pierce  county,  "Wiscon- 
sin, Init  her  marriage  to  ]\Ir.  La  Barge  took  place  in 
St.  Croix  county  of  that  state.  They  have  no  chil- 
dren. 

The  principal  industry  of  the  farm  has  been  rais- 


ing grain,  full-blooded  Shorthorn  cattle  and  graded 
hogs.  Twelve  to  fourteen  milk  cows  supply  large 
quantities  of  butter  for  customers  in  the  city.  Horses 
are  also  raised  to  some  extent.  Jlr.  La  Barge  has 
sei*ved  on  the  school  board  but  has  sought  no  other 
office.  For  twenty  years  he  operated  a  threshing  out- 
fit, wearing  out  three  engines  and  several  separators. 
His  present  engine  is  a  tractor.  He  is  one  of  the  best 
known  threshermen  in  the  Red  river  valley. 

In  1903  Mr.  La  Barge  took  a  contract  to  dig  eleven 
miles  of  ditch  for  the  county,  extending  from  the 
Jlarais  into  Keystone  township,  the  amount  of  money 
to  be  paid  for  his  work  being  $7,200.  He  let  the 
greater  part  of  the  w'ork  to  sub-contractors,  but  dug 
about  two  miles  of  the  ditch  himself.  His  record 
in  this  coiuity  shows  impressively  that  persistency 
and  pluck  are  winning  factors  in  the  battle  of  life. 
In  spite  of  all  his  difficulties  and  setbacks  he  now  has 
a  fine  farm  which  is  well  improved  and  highly  pro- 
ductive. 


JERRY  DRISCOLL. 


Pleasantly  located  on  a  fine  farm  comprising  the 
Northwest  quarter  of  Section  34  and  the  Northeast 
quarter  of  Section  33,  in  Sullivan  township,  Jerry 
Driscoll  has  a  substantial  acquisition  to  show  as  the 
result  of  his  thirty-six  years  of  life  and  labor  in  this 
county.  His  farm  is  five  miles  east  of  Grand  Forks, 
and  one  mile  north  and  four  miles  east  of  the  farm 
made  memorable  in  this  locality  as  having  been  the 
home  of  his  father  and  his  brothers,  Michael,  John, 
James  and  Thomas  Driscoll,  all  well  known  residents 
of  Sullivan  townsliip  for  many  years. 

Jerry  Driscoll  was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario, 
Canada,  April  19,  1858,  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  he 
came  to  Polk  countj%  Minnesota,  arriving  here  just 
before  the  twenty-first  anniversary  of  his  birth.  He 
lived  and  worked  with  his  father  and  brothers  until 
1892,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  farm,  the  first 
quarter-section  of  which  was  taken  up  by  him  as  a 


tree  claim  and  afterward  changed  to  a  homestead. 

During  the  same  year  be  built  the  dwelling  house 
which  he  now  occupies.  The  other  part  of  his  farm, 
the  Northeast  quarter  of  Section  33,  was  a  part  of  his 
father's  estate,  which  he  had  helped  to  purchase  of 
the  railroad  company  at  $6  or  $6.50  an  acre,  with  a 
rebate  for  breaking  it  up.  His  whole  life  in  Minnesota 
to  the  present  time  (1916)  has  been  pa.ssed  on  these 
two  farms,  his  father's  and  his  own.  He  i*aises  wheat, 
oats  and  barley,  keeps  twenty-five  head  of  graded 
Shoi'thorn  cattle  and  milks  eight  to  ten  cows.  He  has 
studiously  kept  out  of  political  tangles  and  resisted  all 
importunities  to  become  a  candidate  for  any  public 
office,  finding  at  all  times  plenty  to  full.y  occupy  his 
time  and  attention  in  his  own  affairs. 

On  November  10,  1896,  Mr.  Driscoll  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Minnie  Genereau,  the  daughter  of 
Paul  and  Selina  ( )  Genereau,  na- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


403 


fives  of  Canada  who  came  to  this  county  in  1881  and 
are  now  living  on  the  Point  in  East  Grand  Foi'ks. 
Mrs.  Driscoll  was  born  in  ^lichigan.  She  and  her  hus- 
band are  the  parents  of  three  children,  James,  George 


and  Linus.  James  is  a  student  at  the  high  school  in 
East  Grand  Forks.  All  the  members  of  the  family 
belong  to  the  Catholic  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  in 
East  Grand  Forks. 


ANDREW  PETERSON. 


Andrew  Peterson,  a  well  known  business  man  of 
East  Grand  Forks,  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1864.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  that 
country  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  nineteen 
>ears  of  age  and  for  a  number  of  years  lived  at  Fargo, 
North  Dakota.  In  1891  he  removed  to  Grand  Forks 
and  two  years*  later  to  Ea.st  Grand  Foi-ks  where  he 
embarked  in  the  restaurant  business.  From  a  capital 
of  fifteen  dollars  he  has  won  his  way  to  success  and 
substantial  prosperit.y,  with  a  career  of  creditable  ac- 
complishment in  the  local  commercial  activities.  His 
liusiness  interests  have  been  confined  to  the  hotel  and 
restaurant  business  and  to  the  management  of  his 
farming  property.  As  an  extensive  property  owner  in 
both  East  Grand  Forks  and  Polk  county,  his  influence 
has  ever  been  a  factor  in  the  promotion  and  develop- 


ment of  the  best  interests  of  the  community.  He  has 
invested  some  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  in  city  prop- 
erty, owning  a  number  of  residences  and  has  erected 
two  business  blocks  on  De  Mers  avenue.  His  farming 
interests  have  been  equallj^  profitable  and  here  his 
attention  has  been  given  mainly  to  the  cultivation  of 
grain,  the  annual  crops  attesting  to  able  management 
and  intelligent  farming.  This  property  is  situated  in 
Grand  Forks  township,  where  he  owns  a  half  section, 
two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  East  Grand  Forks  and 
in  Northland  township,  where  he  operates  a  quarter 
section.  Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in  1892,  in  Grand 
Forks,  to  Ellen  Satten,  who  was  born  in  Norway  and 
they  have  two  children,  Bertha,  and  Arthur,  who  is 
in  the  employ  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad.  Mrs. 
Peterson  is  a  member  of  the  Zion  Lutheran  church. 


TORKEL  G.  ANDERSON. 


Torkel  G.  Anderson,  a  successful  farmer  and  well 
known  citizen  of  Bygland  township,  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  the  county,  having  settled  on  the  land  which 
is  his  present  home  in  1874.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, October  .30, 1852,  and  in  1861,  a  lad  of  nine  years, 
accompanied  his  family  to  Dane  county,  Wisconsin. 
Five  years  later,  his  father,  Gunder  Anderson,  re- 
moved to  Stearns  county,  Minnesota,  and  there  resided 
until  1876,  when  he  followed  his  son  to  Polk  county 
and  bought  forty  acres  of  railroad  land  in  Fisher  town- 
ship, on  the  Red  Lake  river  and  continued  to  reside 
there  until  his  death  in  1909,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 
Another  son,  A.  G.  Anderson,  also  located  in  Fisher 
township  in  1876,  where  he  is  a  well  known  farmer 
and  a  daughter,  Gunhild,  became  the  wife  of  Ole  Paul- 
son.   Torkel  Anderson  made  the  trip  to  Minnesota  and 


later  from  Stearns  county  to  Polk  county  by  the 
primitive  use  of  ox  teams  and  in  the  fall  of  1874 
drove  oxen  through  to  Winnipeg,  where  scarcity  of 
supply  and  abundance  of  demand,  enabled  him  to  se- 
cure from  $180  to  $200  for  a  team.  His  homestead  lay 
in  section  ten  of  Bygland  township  and  he  later  bought 
a  quarter  section  of  railroad  land  in  section  eleven. 
During  the  first  years  of  his  operations  he  suffered 
loss  of  crops  through  hail  and  endured  the  various 
hardships  which  visit  the  pioneer  farmer,  slowly  win- 
ning his  way,  by  unfailing  industry  and  thrift  to  suc- 
cess and  prosperity.  For  eighteen  years,  he  operated 
a  threshing  outfit  and  owned  the  first  steam  thresher 
in  the  township  and  has  invested  extensively  in  farm 
machinery,  availing  himself  of  advanced  and  efficient 
methods  in  agricultural  activities.    He  has  given  par- 


404 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


ticular  atteiitioii  lo  the  raising  of  small  grain  and 
also  has  his  place  well  stoeked  with  cattle  and  horses. 
Mr.  Anderson  is  a  man  whose  enterprise  and  ability 
have  carried  his  influence  and  activity  beyond  the 
marked  success  of  his  private  interests  and  have  made 
him  a  leader  in  tlie  jiromotion  of  best  intei'csts  and 
progress  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  has 
given  able  service  on  the  township  board  and  was  ac- 
tive in  the  organization  and  building  of  the  local 
church,  of  which  he  is  still  a  loyal  supporter.  He  was 
united   in   mari-iage  to  Miss  Aspar  Isaacson,  wliose 


death  occurred  in  1908.  Six  children  were  born  to  this 
union,  of  whom  five  survive,  Torand,  the  wife  of  Ben 
Krostue,  of  Thief  River  Falls;  Gunder,  who  is  living 
at  the  same  place ;  Isaac,  Toney,  and  Birget,  who  live 
in  Dakota,  the  former  being  the  wife  of  Mr.  Gunder- 
son ;  and  Nora,  who  resides  in  Bygland  township.  A 
son  Ormand,  died  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Isaac  Ander- 
son lives  on  the  home  farm  and  is  as.sociated  with  his 
father  in  its  management.  He  was  married  to  Julia 
Qualick  and  tliey  have  five  children,  Tovald,  Aspar, 
Emma,  Oscar  and  Anna. 


THOMAS  D.  STEWART. 


Thomas  D.  Stewart,  a  well  known  pioneer  farmer 
of  Polk  county,  now  living  retired  on  his  farm  in 
Huntsville  township,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  in 
County  Lanark,  Ontario,  February  9,  1854.  At  an 
early  age  he  became  employed  in  the  lumber  woods 
and  worked  as  a  lumberman  for  a  number  of  years, 
thriftily  saving  from  his  wages  to  later  finance  his 
farming  venture.  In  1878  he  came  to  tlie  United 
States  and  took  a  preemption  claim  in  Grand  Forks 
county.  North  Dakota,  but  the  soil  proving  unsatis- 
factory he  soon  removed  to  Polk  county  wliere  he  pur- 
chased a  quarter  section  of  railroad  land  in  Nesbit 
township.  He  owned  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  witli  these 
he  broke  ten  acres  for  his  first  year's  crop  and  was 
able  to  clear  quite  a  sum  of  money  selling  ties  and 
cord  wood  to  the  railroad.  With  thrifty  management 
and  industry,  his  farming  venture  prospered  steadily 
and  he  soon  built  up  a  fine  farm  propertj'.  After 
eighteen  years  in  Nesbit  township,  he  sold  the  tract 
and  purchased  four  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  sec- 
tion eleven  of  Huntsville  township  and  this  place  has 
continued  to  l>e  his  home.  His  principal  interest  has 
been  the  cultivation  of  grain  and  his  wheat  crop  alone 
in  some  years  has  yielded  some  six  thousand  bushels. 
Of  later  years  he  extended  his  activities  to  stock  farm- 
ing, starting  a  herd  of  thoroughbred  cattle.  In  1912, 
after  many  years  of  successful  and  creditable  accom- 
plishment, he  retired  from  the  active  management  of 


Ills  estate  and  the  operation  of  the  farm  lias  been  as- 
sumed by  his  sons.  Robert  Stewart  and  Stanley  Stew- 
art. Throughout  the  yeai-s  of  his  residence  in  Polk 
county,  Mr.  Stewart  has  given  his  influence  and  serv- 
ice in  all  matters  of  vital  import  in  the  development 
of  the  conununity  life  and  has  earned  the  respect 
accorded  to  the  public  spirited  intelligent  citizenry  of 
a  commonwealth.  As  a  pioneer  of  Nesbit  township  he 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  disti-ict,  when  it 
was  named  in  honor  of  one  of  its  earliest  settlers, 
David  Nesl>it,  and  subsequently  served  during  his  resi- 
dence there  in  various  official  capacities,  as  township 
treasurer,  chairman  of  the  township  board  and  clerk 
of  the  school  board.  In  Huntsville  township  he  has 
been  prominently  identified  in  the  promotion  or  edu- 
cational progress,  particularly  in  the  district  in  which 
he  lives,  the  organization  of  the  local  school  having 
been  effected  through  his  indefatigable  interest  and 
preserving  efforts  in  the  face  of  opposition.  Mr. 
Stewart  was  married  in  March,  1880,  at  Fisher,  to 
Agnes  Ferguson,  whom  he  had  known  in  his  Ontario 
home.  A  year  after  the  marriage,  her  parents  fol- 
lowed her  to  Polk  county,  settling  on  land  in  Hunts- 
ville township  which  is  now  included  as  part  of  the 
Stewart  farm.  Her  father,  James  Ferguson,  is  now 
a  resident  of  East  Grand  Forks.  Seven  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  Stewart  and  his  wife,  Ida,  who  married 
Joseph  Mills,  a  surveyor,  located  at  Granada,  Minne- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


405 


sota;  Robert;  Edith,  the  wife  of  Lee  Bryson,  a  Polk 
county  farrnei",  living  near  Euclid ;  Kate,  who  married 
Willie  McDonald,  a  farmer  near  Mallory;  Maggie, 
Stanley  and  Ella.  These  children  and  Mr.  Stewart 
survive  the  death  of  the  mother  and  wife,  whose  death 
occurred    in    1906.      Robert    Stewart    and    Stanley 


Stewart  are  among  the  capable  and  progressive 
younger  generation  of  farmers  and  are  capably  carry- 
ing on  the  labors  of  the  pioneer  father.  Robert 
Stewart  was  married  to  Mabel  McDonald,  sister  of 
Willie  McDonald  and  they  have  four  children,  Donald, 
Bert,  Dorothy  and  Marian. 


ANN  COX. 


Among  the  pioneer  families  of  the  county,  none 
were  more  actively  associated  with  the  early  history 
and  development  than  the  Cox  family,  who  settled 
here  in  1872.  They  were  of  Irish  descent  and  came 
to  Minnesota  from  Ontario,  Canada.  Ann  Cox  and 
Johannah,  who  married  Paul  Jones  were  the  last  of 
the  five  brothers  and  sisters  wdio  were  early  settlers 
of  Polk  county.  Mrs.  Jones '  death  occurred  December 
17,  1915,  and  Miss  Cox  passed  away  January  22,  1916. 
Catherine  Cox  was  married  to  James  Rowe,  previous 
to  coming  to  the  county  and  died  here  in  1875.  Miles 
Cox  joined  the  others  in  1879  and  took  a  claim  in 
Iluntsville  township,  near  the  farm  of  Paul  Jones 
and  made  his  home  there  until  his  death  about  ten 
years  ago.  He  is  survived  by  two  children,  Thomas 
C!ox  and  Mary  Ann  Cox,  who  married  Peter  McManus. 
In  1872  the  land  had  not  yet  been  surveyed  and  broth- 
ers and  sisters  each  selected  a  tract  of  land  which  they 
later  purchased  as  railroad  land.  Both  Patrick  Cox 
and  his  brother-in-law,  James  Rowe,  located  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Red  Lake  river,  the  former's  land 
being  in  .section   thirty-six  of  Huutsville   township. 


where  he  became  a  well  known  citizen  and  farmer  and 
acquired  much  local  fame  as  a  hunter.  James  Rowe 
later  sold  his  property  and  removed  to  Saskatchewan. 
Ann  Cox  shared  with  her  brothers  the  experiences  of 
pioneer  days,  sturdily  weathering  the  hardships  and 
capably  meeting  all  the  responsibilities  of  the  times. 
She  secured  a  homestead  in  section  two  of  Bygland 
township,  which  she  later  sold  and  upon  the  death  of 
her  brother  Patrick  Cox,  purchased  his  farm,  which 
adjoins  that  of  Paul  Jones,  where  she  made  her  home 
with  her  sister.  Prom  the  experiences  of  the  early 
days,  she  recalled  many  interesting  tales  of  significant 
events  which  can  claim  few  living  witnesses;  the  his- 
torical value  of  the  story  being  enhanced  by  the  gift 
of  a  keen  observant  mind.  Ann  Cox  was  a  notable 
type  of  pioneer  womanhood  which  had  always  founded 
the  solid  fabric  of  social  organization,  trained  in  the 
rigorous  school  of  service  to  discern  the  true  values 
of  life.  She  with  the  other  members  of  the  family 
were  members  and  faithful  supporters  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Catholic  church  at  East  Grand  Forks. 


AUGUST  NELSON. 


August  Nelson,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  for  many 
years  a  leading  farmer  of  that  region  and  identified 
with  business  activities  as  a  director  in  the  First  Na- 
tional bank,  has  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county  since 
1877.  He  was  born  in  Sweden,  July  12,  1848,  and 
came  to  this  country,  a  young  man  of  twenty-one 
years ;  locating  in  Duluth,  where  he  secured  work 


in  a  sawmill  and  for  the  next  eight  years  continued 
to  be  employed  in  the  mill  or  in  lumber  woods. 
Thrifty  management  during  this  time  enabled  him  to 
realize  his  desire  to  become  a  farmer  and  an  owner  of 
land,  and  removing  to  Polk  county  he  took  a  home- 
stead in  Sullivan  township,  five  miles  northeast  of 
East  Grand  Forks.    His  former  employers  furnished 


406 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


him  the  lumber  for  his  first  home  and  he  entered  upon 
a  career  marked  with  the  creditable  achievement  of 
the  man  who  rises  throuj^h  his  own  efforts  to  success 
and  affluence.  He  added  steadily  to  his  property  and 
now  owns  eight  hundred  acres  which  is  operated  as 
one  farm,  is  one  of  the  largest  estates  in  the  western 
part  of  the  county  and  equipped  with  good  buildings 
and  modern  efficient  methods  for  stock  and  grain 
farming  is  also  one  of  the  most  profitable  farms  in 
the  region.  Aside  from  this  enterprise,  Mr.  Nelson  is 
associated  with  various  important  business  interests, 
being  one  of  the  original  directors  and  stockholders 
of  the  First  National  bank,  a  stockholder  and  director 
in  the  Arneson  Mercantile  company  and  was  for- 
merly a  stockholder  in  a  boat  operating  on  Red  river. 
Since  1905  he  has  resided  in  East  Grand  Forks,  where 
of  late  years,  ill  health  has  confined  him  to  his  home 
and  necessitated  his  retirement  from  business  activi- 
ties.    Mr.  Nelson  is  a  member  of  the  Ziou  Lutheran 


fliurcli  and  was  actively  influential  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Grand  Marias  Lutheran  church.  He  has 
been  three  times  married.  The  first  marriage  was  con- 
tracted in  Duluth  and  six  children  were  born  to  that 
union,  three  of  whom  are  now  living.  Edward,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Centennial, 
Wyoming,  Annie,  the  wife  of  Oscar  Ulve,  a  farmer 
of  Sullivan  township,  and  Carl  who  operates  a  part 
of  his  father's  estate.  To  the  second  union,  with 
Martha  Brandon,  of  Grand  Forks,  two  children  were 
boin,  William,  with  the  Arneson  Mercantile  com- 
pany and  a  director  in  the  company,  and  John,  em- 
ployed in  the  offices  of  the  Great  Northern  railroad,  at 
East  Grand  Forks.  On  October  17,  1905,  Mr.  Nelson 
was  married  to  Annie  Peterson  Anderson,  the  widow 
of  Nels  Anderson,  of  Grand  Forks.  Mrs.  Nelson  has 
two  children  by  her  former  marriage,  Oscar  Ander- 
son, who  lives  at  St.  Paul  and  Lillian  Anderson,  who 
makes  her  home  with  her  mother. 


L.  S.  KOLDEN. 


As  a  merchant,  banker  and  farmer  L.  S.  Kolden, 
cashier  of  the  State  Bank  of  Neilsville  and  president 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Leonard,  Minnesota,  has  had  a 
busy  and  productive  life  to  the  present  time  (1916), 
and  one  that  has  been  of  great  service  to  the  com- 
munities in  which  he  has  operated.  He  was  born  in 
Norway  August  28,  1857,  and  became  a  resident  of 
the  United  States  in  1873.  After  his  arrival  in  this 
country  he  lived  eight  years  in  Wisconsin  and  devoted 
seven  of  them  to  clerking  in  a  drug  store  at  Sparta 
in  that  state,  during  which  he  exhibited  fine  business 
ability. 

In  1881  he  moved  to  Ada,  Norman  county,  Minne- 
sota, and  for  two  years  clerked  in  a  general  store 
there,  then  srtarted  a  general  store  of  his  own  at  Neils- 
ville, which  he  conducted  with  great  success  for  nine 
years.  He  began  his  business  on  a  capital  of  $1,000 
and  sold  it  at  a  handsome  profit  in  1891,  having  built 
it  up  to  large  proportions  and  made  the  store  widely 
popular   and   its   trade   very   extensive   and   active. 


When  the  railroad  was  built  through  Neilsville  he 
started  a  lumber  yard,  which  he  continued  to  operate 
continuously  for  three  years.  During  almost  the  whole 
of  his  residence  at  Neilsville  until  1911  he  was  also 
engaged  in  cultivating  his  fine  farm  of  290  acres, 
which  lies  close  to  the  village  and  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  and  attractive  in  Hubbard  township.  Since 
1911  tenants  have  farmed  it. 

In  July,  1911,  Mr.  Kolden  was  elected  cashier  of 
the  State  Bank  of  Neilsville,  and  he  has  held  that 
position  ever  since  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the 
bank  and  its  patrons.  He  is  treasurer  of  Hubbard 
township  and  has  been  all  of  the  last  fifteen  years,  and 
has  served  as  school  treasurer  or  clerk  continuously 
for  twenty-two  years.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  St. 
Peter's  Lutheran  church  at  Neilsville. 

Mr.  Kolden  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss  Mary 
Christianson,  who  was  also  a  resident  of  Wisconsin 
while  he  was  living  in  that  state.  They  have  one  child, 
their  daughter  Lucy  Clara,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 


AXDEEVV  OPHEIM 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


407 


David  Payne,  a  partuer  of  Mr.  Kolden  in  a  lumber 
business  at  Holt,  Minnesota.  Mr.  Kolden  and  his 
brother,  S.  S.  Kolden,  are  also  keeping  an  agricul- 
tural implement  store  at  Holt,  and  for  some  years 
they  handled  hardware  also  in  it.  They  have  had 
charge  of  this  store  six  years.  In  1915  Mr.  Kolden 
organized  the  State  Bank  of  Leonard,  Clearwater 
county,  on  the  Soo  railroad  line,  and  he  is  president 
of  that  bank. 

The  State  Bank  of  Neilsville  was  organized  July 
18,  1904,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000.     It  now  has  a 


surplus  of  $3,000  and  deposits  amounting  to  $134,000, 
w  bile  its  loans  and  discounts  amount  to  $132,000.  The 
banking  house  occupied  by  the  institution  was  built 
in  1904  by  Nels  Muns  and  A.  D.  Stevens.  The  bank 
was  known  as  the  Stevens  bank  until  1906,  when  B. 
B.  Larson  and  Norman  Rosholt  bought  it  and  changed 
its  name  to  the  State  Bank  of  Neilsville.  L.  S.  Kol- 
den was  chosen  cashier  in  1911.  The  bank  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition  and  carrying  on  a  general  bank- 
ing business  of  extensive  and  steadily  increasing  scope 
and  volume. 


ANDREW  OPHEIM. 


Entering  this  section  of  the  state  of  Minnesota  and 
the  Northwest  while  it  was  still  largely  an  unbroken 
wilderness  and  founding  a  business  which  soon  be- 
came, and  has  continued,  a  leader  in  its  line ;  taking 
a  very  active  and  helpful  part  in  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  civilization  in  the  section  and  giving  its  pub- 
lic institutions  form  and  direction,  and  using  his 
wide  acquaintance  and  strong  personal  influence  to 
bring  settlers  into  the  region,  the  late  Andrew 
Opheim,  whose  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Fertile 
April  5,  1915,  was,  for  a  period  of  thirty-three  years, 
one  of  Polk  county's  most  useful,  representative  and 
esteemed  citizens,  and  well  deserved  his  rank. 

Mr.  Opheim  was  born  in  Voss,  Norway,  November 
14,  1844,  the  son  of  Styrk  and  Anna  (Opheim) 
Opheim,  also  natives  of  that  country,  who  passed  their 
lives  in  it  and  whose  mortal  remains  were  at  last  laid 
to  rest  in  its  soil,  which  they  had  hallowed  by  their 
long  and  productive  labors.  The  sou  was  reared  in 
hia  native  land  and  obtained  his  education  in  its  pub- 
lic schools,  completing  it  at  one  of  the  excellent  nor- 
mal schools  it  contains.  He  taught  school  for  a  few 
years  in  Norway  after  attaining  his  majority,  then 
came  to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  1871  and  locat- 
ing in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  passed  two 
years.  From  there  he  went  to  Chicago  and  was  em- 
ployed as  a  laborer  in  that  city  until  1875,  when  he 
moved  into  Southern  Minnesota.     There  he  worked 


on  farms  and  taught  school  until  1882.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  Aldal  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
the  late  Dr.  Arne  Nelson  in  a  general  merchandising 
and  drug  business,  which  they  conducted  at  that  place 
until  1887,  then  moved  both  stock  and  building  to 
Fertile.  Their  business  grew  and  flourished  at  Fer- 
tile, as  it  had  done  at  Aldal,  and  they  became  as 
widely  and  favorably  known  as  merchants  and  pro- 
gressive, enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizens  as 
any  residents  of  the  Northwest  have  ever  been.  Their 
partnership  continued  until  1893.  In  that  year  it 
was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent  and  the  business  was 
divided,  Mr.  Opheim  taking  over  the  general  mer- 
chandising department  and  Dr.  Nelson  the  drug  stock 
and  trade. 

In  1895  Mr.  Opheim  erected  at  Fertile  the  building 
which  bears  his  name  and  is  one  of  the  best  in  that 
village.  The  business  founded  by  him  is  still  con- 
ducted in  it  by  his  nephew,  Odd  Eide,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  in  this  work.  Mr.  Opheim  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Fertile  and 
served  it  as  a  director  until  his  death  on  April  5, 
1915,  at  which  time  he  was  also  vice  president  of  the 
bank.  He  long  took  an  active  interest  in  the  Feiiile 
Brick  and  Tile  company  and  was  one  of  its  directors 
to  the  end  of  his  life.  His  political  allegiance  was 
given  to  the  Republican  party  and  he  was  an  ardent 
and  effective  worker  for  its  success  in  all  campaigns. 


408 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Locally  he  took  an  energetic  and  serviceable  part  iu 
public  affairs,  serving  as  president  of  the  village  of 
Fertile  for  ten  terms.  Fraternally  he  belonged  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  was  zeal- 


ous in  his  membership  and  his  devotion  to  the  fra- 
ternity. As  Air.  Opheim  never  married  he  was  able 
to  give  earnest  attention  to  every  public  interest,  and 
he  did  this  diligently. 


CHARLES  NELSON. 


Living  retired  from  active  pursuits  in  his  pleasant 
home  at  Climax,  this  county,  Charles  Nelson  has 
plenty  of  food  for  interesting  meditations  in  the  many 
features  and  numerous  thrilling  experiences  of  his 
long  years  of  useful  labor.  He  was  born  at  Num- 
medal,  Norway,  June  30,  1844,  and  lost  his  mother 
by  death  when  he  was  but  two  years,  seven  months 
old.  In  1857  his  father  brought  him  to  the  Uniter", 
States,  locating  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin. 

In  1862  Mr.  Nelson  and  his  father  moved  to  Kandi- 
yohi county,  Minnesota,  with  a  view  to  bettering  their 
opportunities  for  advancement.  But  the  time  was 
badly  chosen,  for  six  weeks  after  their  arrival  and 
the  filing  on  a  preemption  claim  by  the  father  the 
Sioux  outbreak  came  and,  with  many  others,  the  new- 
comers were  obliged  to  leave  that  part  of  the  state. 
Many  of  the  settlers  gathered  on  Indian  island,  and 
on  the  historical  Wednesday  afternoon  of  that  period 
thirteen  neighbors  of  the  Nelsons  were  massaei'ed  by 
the  Indians  there.  Mr.  Nelson  and  others  afterward 
visited  the  neighborhood  to  ascertain  if  there  were 
any  wounded  persons  on  it,  but  they  found  only 
dead  bodies. 

Sixteen  wagonloads  of  fleeing  settlers  left  the  coun- 
try Saturday  morning  under  the  guard  of  an  escort, 
which  conducted  them  well  out  into  the  prairie  and 
then  left  them.  The  teams  proceeded  to  Paynesville 
and  from  there  to  Goodhue  county.  The  Nelsons 
never  returned  to  their  claim,  and  the  father  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Goodhue  county,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  Charles'  brother  Nels 
died  in  1901  by  falling  from  a  tree  which  he  was  prun- 
ing. Charles  remained  in  Red  Wing  working  at  his 
trade  as  a  painter  until  1878,  when  he  was  married 
iu  Minneapolis  to  Miss  Carrie  Olson  Romoe  of  Good- 


hue county,  whither  slie  was  brought  by  her  parents 
from  her  native  town  of  Stordalen,  Trondhjem  Stift, 
Norway,  when  she  was  twelve  j-ears  old. 

After  spending  some  months  at  the  home  of  his 
wife's  parents  he  visited  Crookston  and  other  parts 
of  Polk  county  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  in  July,  1879, 
and  in  May,  1880,  bought  a  proved-up  homestead  of 
120  acres  of  Halvor  Steenerson  in  Section  29,  Vine- 
land  township.  He  also  bought  200  acres  of  railroad 
land  at  an  average  price  of  $7.50  an  acre  with  a  rebate 
of  $3  an  acre  on  all  that  he  broke  and  seeded  within 
three  years.  He  broke  up  three-fourths  of  the  tract 
and  got  it  sowed,  and  thereby  he  saved  the  rebate  on 
that  much. 

On  April  17,  1880,  Mr.  Nelson  arrived  at  Crook- 
ston with  a  carload  of  live  stock  and  farming  imple- 
ments, and  the  wife  and  ohild  arriving  in  May.  When 
the  railroad  was  constructed  through  here  it  was 
built  along  the  section  line  nearly  the  whole  length 
of  his  land,  and  when  Climax  was  made  a  railroad 
station  Mr.  Nelson  sold  a  part  of  his  land  along  the 
road  in  town  lots,  and  he  has  since  sold  more,  as  the 
village  of  Climax  is  partly  on  his  farm,  and  his  own 
residence  is  in  the  village,  although  the  farm  build- 
ings are  half  a  mile  away. 

The  Nelson  farm  now  contains  295  acres.  Mr.  Nel- 
son cultivated  it  in  wheat,  oats  and  barley  for  about 
twenty  years,  and  since  he  retired  it  has  been  farmed 
by  tenants  under  his  direction.  He  has  served  four 
years  on  the  village  council  of  Climax,  l)ut  has  given 
his  attention  mainly  to  his  farm.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  but  in  connection  with  local  affairs  he  is 
independent  of  party  ties.  His  first  presidential  vote 
was  cast  for  Gen.  George  B.  McClellan  in  1868.  His 
religious  connection  is  with  the  Lutheran  church  at 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  PODK  COUNTY 


409 


Climax,  but  he  was  confirmed  in  a  class  with  R.  B. 
Anderson,  the  Scandinavian  writer  of  Wisconsin,  in 
a  church  near  his  old  home  built  the  year  of  his  birth, 
which  is  the  center  of  Norsk  activity  in  Wisconsin. 
He  and  his  wife  have  had  six  children.  Nels  Olaf,  the 
tirst  bom,  died  in  1911,  aged  thirty-two.  Carl  Marcus 
is  a  rural  mail  carrier  at  Climax.     Clara  Cecilia  is 


the  wife  of  Jas.  Crook,  of  near  Beach,  North  Dakota. 
Lilly,  who  formerly  taught  the  Climax  and  other 
Polk  county  schools,  is  the  wife  of  C.  N.  Knutson,  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  State  Bank  of  Climax.  Valborg 
is  the  wife  of  Gust  Benrud,  of  Goodhue  county,  and 
Ralph  Melvin  is  a  student  at  the  high  school  in 
Crookston. 


OLE  ENGEN. 


Having  passed  many  years  in  hard  labor  making 
portions  of  this  western  wilderness  of  his  earlier  days 
docile  and  systematically  productive  for  the  service 
of  mankind,  Ole  Engen,  formerly  an  energetic,  enter- 
prising and  progi'essive  farmer  iu  three  big  western 
states,  is  now  living  retired  from  all  active  pursuits 
and  enjoying  in  peaceful  leisure  the  fruits  of  his 
labors  at  his  comfortable  home  in  the  village  of  Climax. 
He  was  born  in  Norway  June  17,  1854,  and  was 
brought  to  this  country  in  1857  by  his  parents,  Ole 
N.  and  Mary  Engen,  who  settled  in  Houston  county 
and  were  among  the  earliest  Norwegians  who  came 
to  Minnesota. 

The  father  bought  a  pre-emption  claim  iu  Hous- 
ton county  and  the  son  remained  with  his  parents 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.  In 
1879  he  went  to  Traill  county,  North  Dakota,  where 
he  obtained  a  pre-emption  and  a  homestead  claim, 
both  of  which  he  improved  and  on  which  he  lived 
fifteen  years.  During  that  period  he  improved  three 
prairie  farms  in  North  Dakota  and  erected  build- 
ings on  all  of  them.  He  found  the  winter  winds  too 
strong  to  be  agreeable,  and  the  unpleasant  ones  not 
confined  to  the  winter  season,  and  he  longed  for  a 
landscape  with  stretches  of  timber  in  it. 

Yielding  to  his  ardent  desire  in  1894,  Mr.  Engen 
then  returned  to  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  bought 
163  acres  of  land  on  the  Red  river  adjoining  the  farm 
of  Christopher  Steenerson,  three  miles  and  a  half  west 
of  Climax.  He  made  his  purchase  of  Jens  Siverson, 
paying  him  $3,200  for  the  163  aei-es  out  of  the  proceeds 

of  his  North  Dakota  property,  which  he  sold  before 

2(5 


leaving  that  state.  Later  he  purchased  another  tract 
of  eighty  acres,  and  for  this  he  paid  $25  an  acre,  and 
for  nearly  ten  years  he  cultivated  these  lands. 

About  1904  Mr.  Engen  desired  a  change  of  climate, 
and  in  search  of  it  he  went  to  Montana  and  procured 
one  and  a  half  sections  of  land,  one  section  being 
desert  land,  fifty  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Great  Falls. 
He  occupied,  improved  and  cultivated  this  land  nearly 
three  years,  then  sold  it  to  advantage  and  returned 
to  his  home  in  this  county,  and  farmed  two  years. 
Then  passed  a  year  and  a  half  in  Crookston  and  at  the 
end  of  that  period  took  up  his  residence  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Climax. 

Mr.  Engen 's  agricultural  operations  comprised  gen- 
eral farming  and  raising  Shorthorn  cattle.  His  farm 
is  well  adapted  to  live  stock  breeding  and  he  used  it 
extensively  for  that  purpose.  He  served  on  the  town- 
ship board  while  living  in  North  Dakota  and  has  also 
been  a  member  of  the  village  council  of  Climax.  He 
was  married  in  Houston  county,  Minnesota,  to  Miss 
Maria  Classen,  a  native  of  Iowa  and  eighteen  years 
old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  while  he  was  in  his 
twenty-third  year.  She  died  December  19,  1909,  at 
the  family  home  in  Climax,  aged  a  little  over  fifty 
years. 

Seven  children  were  bom  in  the  Engen  family,  and 
six  of  them  are  living.  Olof  is  on  a  homestead  of  his 
own  near  Leech  lake,  Minnesota.  Alfred  lives  on  and 
cultivates  Andrew  Steenerson 's  farm  near  Climax. 
Amanda  is  the  wife  of  Martin  Erickson,  a  merchant 
at  Climax.  Non*is  C.  runs  a  garage  at  Climax.  Severt 
T.  also  lives  at  Climax.     Cora  is  the  wife  of  Alfred 


410 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTOKY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Carlson,  who  is  on  his  homestead  near  Leech  lake  and 
lis  a  school  teacher  as  well  as  a  farmer.  He  has  taught 
the  Climax  school.  The  members  of  the  family  are 
all  Lutherans,  and  the  father  is  an  oiEcial  in  the  con- 


of  a  hunter  in  his  time,  and  has  a  fine  deer  head,  Artis- 
tically mounted,  in  his  home,  its  owner  having  been 
one  of  the  victims  of  his  prowess  as  a  Nimrod.  lie 
also  has  a  cane  of  diamond  willow  grown  on  his  Mou- 


gregation  to  which  he  belongs.    He  has  been  something     tana  farm  and  richly  carved  by  himself. 


NORMAN  ROSHOLT. 


This  highly  capable  and  accomplished  banker  and 
business  man,  who  has  been  the  cashier  of  the  State 
Bank  of  Climax  since  1899,  was  born  in  Waupaca 
county,  Wisconsin,  September  26,  1874,  and  moved 
to  Minnesota  in  1897.  He  passed  two  years  at  Halsted 
as  assistant  cashier  of  the  bank  at  that  place,  whicli 
is  under  the  same  management  as  the  one  at  Climax, 
and  in  1899  was  assigned  to  duty  in  his  present  posi- 
tion. He  gives  the  affairs  of  the  bank  his  close  and 
careful  personal  attention,  and  its  business  has  flour- 
ished vigorously  under  his  judicious  management. 

Mr.  Rosholt  seeks  recreation  in  local  hunting  trips 
and  fishing  expeditions  to  the  lakes  of  Minnesota,  es- 
pecially those  in  Ottertail  and  Polk  counties.  His 
interest  in  banking  matters  has  led  him  into  active 
membership  in  the  State  and  National  Bankers'  asso- 
ciations and  he  takes  a  helpful  part  in  their  pro- 
ceedings. In  1903  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Gertrude  M.  Johnson,  of  Houston  county,  this 
state.  They  have  one  child,  their  daughter  Thelma. 
Mrs.  Rosholt  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Tosten 
Johnson,   at   one   time   state   senator   from   Houston 


county,  member  of  the  state  house  of  representatives 
at  another  time,  and  also  for  some  years  a  member 
of  the  state  board  of  equalization.  He  served  in  the 
First  Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  after  the  close  of  that  sanguinary  contest 
was  a  farmer  in  Houston  count}'.  He  passed  his  last 
years  in  Climax  and  died  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Ros- 
holt in  that  village  in  1914,  nearly  eighty  years  old, 
and  universally  esteemed  throughout  the  state. 

The  State  Bank  of  Climax  was  founded  in  1897  and 
the  banking  house  it  occupies  was  buiiL  the  same  year. 
It  has  a  capital  and  surplus  of  $25,000  and  deposits 
aggregating  over  $185,000  at  this  time  (January, 
1916).  B.  B.  Larson  is  president;  James  Larson  vice 
president;  Norman  Rosholt  cashier,  and  C.  M.  Kuut- 
son  assistant  cashier.  Mr.  Rosholt  is  in  partnei'ship 
with  B.  B.  Larson  and  they  have  four  state  banks  in 
their  ownership  and  under  their  management.  One  is 
at  Halsted,  and  was  established  in  1892.  Another  is  at 
Neilsville,  another  at  Eldred  and  the  fourth  at  Climax. 
They  are  all  doing  well  and  held  in  high  regard  in  the 
communities  in  which  they  operate. 


CHRISTOPHER  STEENERSON. 


Belonging  to  a  prominent  and  influential  family, 
Christopher  Steenerson,  who  retired  from  the  office 
of  postmaster  of  Climax,  this  county,  in  1914,  after 
having  filled  it  acceptably  for  a  period  of  thirty 
years,  has  served  his  adopted  land  as  well  and  worth- 
ily in  his  way  as  his  distinguished  brother,  Hon.  Hal- 
vor  Steenerson,  has  in  liis  in  the  halls  of  congress  and 
his  other  brothers  have  in  their  quieter  but  not  less 
fruitful   ways   in   their  chosen  lines  of  endeavor  in 


this  new  home  of  their  familj',  which  they  have  all 
done  their  pai't  to  improve,  strengthen  and  magnify. 
Christopher  Steenerson  was  born  in  Norway  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1850,  and  became  a  resident  of  Polk  county, 
ilinnesota,  in  1875.  He  was  graduated  from  the  nor- 
mal department  of  Luther  College  at  Decorah,  Iowa, 
in  1868,  and  for  two  years  attended  the  State  Normal 
School  in  Winona,  Jlinnesota,  soon  after  it  was  opened. 
In   the  meantime,  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and 


ANSON  CHARLES  MERRILL 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


411 


twenty-five,  he  taught  school  in  Houston  county,  this 
state,  and  he  also  taught  two  winters  in  Polk  county 
after  locating  here,  being  the  first  teacher  in  what  is 
now  Vinelaud  township.  His  first  school  was  kept 
in  his  own  cabin  on  his  claim  in  1876.  His  services 
were  given  free  of  cost  to  the  pupils  and  State  Super- 
intendent Burt  supplied  the  necessary  books.  Twelve 
students  attended  this  school,  some  of  them  being 
grown  persons  newly  arrived  fi'om  Europe. 

Mr.  Steenerson  settled  on  a  section  of  school  land 
on  which  another  man  had  built  a  shack.  Finding 
that  he  was  on  a  school  section,  the  first  comer  had 
abandoned  it  and  the  shack  served  Mr.  Steenerson  as 
a  home  and  a  schoolhouse.  It  was  24  by  14  feet  in 
size  and  very  crude  in  construction.  The  pioneer 
school  teacher  had  driven  sixty  head  of  cattle  to  tliis 
section  from  Houston  county.  His  brother  Levi  was 
his  partner  in  the  enterprise,  and  the  cattle  were 
driven  to  Pembina,  where  part  of  them  were  sold  and 
the  rest  were  disposed  of  in  Winnipeg  after  reaching 
that  city. 

After  this  trip  Mr.  Steenerson  went  to  IMoorhead 
and  built  a  flat  boat  for  shiping  grain.  He  loaded 
his  own  and  his  brother  Levi's  grain  on  this  boat  and 
the  grain  of  some  other  persons,  and  with  about  2,000 
bushels  on  board  started  down  the  river.  The  time 
wa.s  November  and  ice  was  forming  in  the  river. 
Progress  became  slow,  and  about  ten  miles  south  of 
Winnipeg  the  boat  was  frozen  in.  This  event  hap- 
pened at  a  mill  on  the  river,  however,  and  although 
the  grain  was  sold  in  Winnipeg  it  was  left  at  the  mill. 
This  was  in  1876  and  the  last  of  the  shipment  of 
grain  in  that  way  at  a  profit. 

In  1877  Estenson  school  district  No.  6  was  organ- 
ized and  the  school  house  was  located  about  three 


miles  from  Mr.  Steenerson 's  farm.  He  taught  this 
school  the  first  winter  it  was  in  operation,  and  it  was 
the  fii"st  public  school  taught  in  that  region.  Before 
the  end  of  1877  he  was  elected  county  school  super- 
intendent, the  first  occupant  of  that  office,  and  he  filled 
it  until  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district  court  in 
1879.  At  the  end  of  one  term  as  clerk  of  the  district 
court  he  took  a  pre-emption  claim  in  Clearwater 
county,  on  which  he  lived  three  years  and  was  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  ou  the  Clearwater  river.  He  then 
returned  to  his  Polk  county  farm,  ou  which  he  has 
made  his  home  ever  since.  It  is  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  Climax. 

The  first  postoffice  in  this  neigliborliood  was  that  of 
Meos,  which  was  established  about  1878,  the  name 
being  that  of  Mr.  Steenerson 's  father's  farm  in  Nor- 
way, and  his  father  was  appointed  postmaster.  When 
Christopher  returned  from  Clearwater  county  the  of- 
fice was  moved  to  liis  home  and  he  was  made  post- 
master. At  that  time  the  name  of  the  office  was 
changed  to  Climax,  and  when  the  railroad  was  built 
in  1896  he  moved  the  office  to  the  station  and  induced 
the  railroad  company  to  adopt  the  same  name  for  it. 
But  this  did  not  happen  until  some  months  after  the 
trains  had  begun  running.  He  also  built  tlie  house  in 
which  the  postoffice  is  now  located. 

ISlr.  Steenei'son  owns  300  acres  of  land  and  lias  it 
nearly  all  under  ciiltivation.  He  manages  his  farming 
operations  with  vigor  and  raises  good  crops  as  the 
result  of  his  industry,  judgment  and  skill  as  a  farmer. 
In  addition  to  all  his  other  public  activities  he  has 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  from  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  the  township.  Late  in  life  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Dorothy  Lee.  They  have  no 
children. 


ANSON  CHARLES  MERRILL. 


The  late  Anson  C.  Merrill,  who  lived  on  Section  10, 
Fisher  township,  two  miles  north  of  the  village  of 
Fisher,  was  one  of  the  greatest  farmei-s  Polk  county 
has  ever  had,  and  when  death  cut  short  his  usefulness 


on  January  21,  1897,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-four 
years,  everybody  who  knew  him  or  of  him  felt  that  a 
career  of  imperial  magnitude  and  consequence  had 
come  to  an  unfortunate  and  verj'  untimely  end.    Mr. 


412 


COMPENDIU.M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COINTY 


Merrill  was  born  in  Illinois  October  10,  1863,  aud 
came  to  Polk  county  in  his  boyhood  with  his  parents, 
J.  B.  and  Polly  (Braiuerd)  Merrill.  The  family 
located  on  the  farm  which  is  a  part  of  the  one  owned 
aud  operated  bj'  the  widow  of  their  son  Anson  C, 
the  father  having  sold  it  to  him  when  he  was  ready  to 
take  charge  of  it.  The  parents  then  moved  to  Fisher, 
and  there  the  father  kept  a  general  store  in  partner- 
ship with  his  son,  C.  B.  ]\Ierrill,  until  the  father  died 
as  the  result  of  an  accident,  his  wife  also  pa.ssing  away 
at  Fisher  five  years  afterward. 

Some  time  later  C.  B.  Merrill  moved  to  the  state  of 
Washington.  A.  A.  Merrill,  another  son  of  the  fam- 
ily, was  a  farmer  in  Nesbit  township,  one  mile  north 
of  the  old  family  home,  and  died  on  his  farm  in  July, 
1014.  The  members  of  his  family  are  still  living  on 
that  farm.  Still  another  son,  G.  E.  Memll,  owned  a 
farm  half  a  mile  east  of  the  old  home.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing at  Hood  River,  in  the  state  of  Oregon.  Their  sis- 
ter Ella  is  the  wife  of  0.  J.  Tinkham,  of  Fisher  town- 
ship. 

The  elder  Mr.  Merrill  owned  a  considerable  body  of 
land  which  became  the  property  of  his  children. 
Anson  C.  got  the  old  home  place  of  160  acres,  and  to 
this  he  kept  adding  by  successive  purchases  until  he 
owned  two  whole  sections  and  a  quarter  of  another 
one,  also  40  acres  of  timber  or  1,480  acres  in  all,  and 
the  whole  body  of  this  land  is  still  in  the  possession  of 
his  family.  He  raised  great  quantities  of  grain  and 
kept  six  to  eight  men  in  hLs  employ  all  the  time.  He 
also  raised  and  handled  large  numbers  of  cattle,  fat- 
tening beeves  for  the  markets  himself  and  buying  and 
shipping  all  the  live  stock  in  the  neighborhood  that 


was  intended  for  the  market.  The  dwelling  house  on 
the  farm  was  built  by  him,  but  the  barn  and  some  of 
the  other  improvements  were  added  after  his  death, 
but  were  included  in  his  plans  while  living. 

]Mr.  ^Merrill  was  married  Januai-j-  22,  1893,  to  Miss 
Ida  Strande,  a  daughter  of  Ole  K.  and  Carrie  (Skat- 
rud)  Strande,  of  Nesbit  township.  She  was  born  in 
Jlanitowoc  county,  Wisconsin,  aud  was  seven  years 
old  when  the  family  moved  to  Polk  county  and  twenty- 
one  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Three  children,  Alvis, 
Ellen  and  Anson,  were  born  of  the  union,  and  all  of 
whom  are  living.  Ellen  was  a  Polk  county  school 
teacher  for  two  years.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Merrill's 
death  the  oldest  of  the  three  was  only  three  years  of 
age.  He  is  now  twenty-one.  He  has  given  careful  at- 
tention to  a  course  of  study  in  agriculture  at  the  state 
farm. 

Mrs.  Merrill  has  won  warm  admiration  and  high 
praise  from  the  whole  people  of  her  own  and  the  sur- 
rounding townships.  Left  a  young  widow,  with  three 
small  children  and  a  very  large  body  of  land  to  look 
after,  she  entered  upon  her  heavy  and  momentous 
duties  with  a  resolute  spirit  and  the  heroic  fortitude 
of  a  Spartan  matron,  and  she  has  met  the  requirements 
of  her  position  with  great  iidelity  and  ability.  She 
has  continued  to  carry  on  the  farm  on  a  scale  equal 
to  that  of  her  husband  and  made  every  pha.se  and 
feature  of  its  business  profitable.  She  has  also  reared 
her  children  with  the  utmost  care  and  developed  them 
into  very  useful  and  worthy  members  of  the  com- 
munity, furnishing  an  admirable  example  of  sturdy 
American  womanhood  at  its  best  under  severe  trials 
and  responsibilities. 


JOHN  E.  ELG. 


As  the  founder  of  the  village  of  Eldred,  for  which 
he  obtained  its  selection  as  a  station  on  the  Great 
Noi'thern  railroad,  and  as  one  of  its  leading  merchants 
and  business  men,  John  E.  Elg  has  been  aud  is  a  source 
of  service  and  benefit  to  the  part  of  Polk  county  in 
which  the  village  is  located  for  which  its  residents  are 


grateful.  By  his  course  he  has  shown  himself  to  be 
enterprising  and  progressive,  aud  these  qualities  have 
won  for  him  all  the  success  he  enjoys  in  life. 

Mr.  Elg  was  bom  in  Sweden  January  8,  1858,  and 
in  1872  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Washington  eountv.  Minnesota.    In  1888  he  moved  to 


DR.  AENE  NELSON 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


413 


Polk  county,  and  for  some  years  thereafter  he  was 
employed  in  Montana  in  the  service  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  railroad.  He  had  no  capital  and  was  obliged 
to  work  at  whatever  he  could  get  to  do  to  make  a  living. 
But  before  going  to  Montana  he  bought  160  acres  of 
land  of  the  Great  Northern  railroad  at  $3  an  acre, 
and  four  years  later  he  bought  160  more  at  $7  an  acre. 

On  his  return  to  this  county  Mr.  Elg  spent  ten  to 
twelve  years  on  his  farm  and  got  it  practically  all 
under  cultivation,  then  sold  it  in  1903  at  $25  an  acre. 
When  the  railroad  was  built  through  this  section  he 
donated  the  right  of  way  for  a  mile  to  the  company 
and  thereby  induced  it  to  establish  a  station  at  Eldred. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  conducted  a  confectionery 
store  at  Eldred  and  for  three  years  he  was  postmaster 
of  the  village.  In  1915  he  opened  the  general  store 
he  is  now  conducting.  His  fii'st  store  was  the  second 
one  in  the  village,  the  first  being  kept  by  T.  M.  Boyer, 
who  is  now  in  Beltrami  and  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
in  this  work. 

Eldred  was  platted  in  1897  by  Mr.  Elg,  who  laid  out 


twenty-eight  acres  as  its  site,  and  of  this  he  has  sold 
about  one-fourth  to  residents.  The  first  building 
erected  in  the  village  M'as  the  Northwestern  elevatoi-, 
the  first  store  put  up  was  that  of  T.  M.  Boyer,  who  was 
the  first  merchant  at  the  place,  and  the  second  store 
building  was  that  of  Mr.  Elg,  which  was  erected  in 
the  fall  of  1898.  The  postoflfiee  was  established  in 
1899,  Mr.  Boyer  being  the  first  postmaster.  Mr.  Elg's 
present  store  building,  the  one  occupied  by  his  own 
business,  was  put  up  in  1915.  He  has  also  built  a 
small  residence  in  the  village.  It  is  on  the  Great 
Northern  railroad  between  Moorhead  and  Crookstou, 
in  Roome  township,  and  has  about  200  population.  It 
has  a  union  school  formed  by  a  combination  of  four 
districts,  and  in  this  agriculture  and  domestic  science 
are  taught,  the  state  aiding  it  to  the  extent  of  $2,200 
a  year  for  the  purpose.  The  school  has  120  pupils 
and  employs  four  teachers,  and  two  years  of  its  course 
are  in  the  high  school  grades.  The  school  is  very 
popular  and  is  considered  a  source  of  great  benefit  to 
its  patrons  and  the  whole  region  lying  around  it. 


DR.  ARNB  NELSON. 


The  name  of  this  pioneer  physician  and  surgeon 
and  leading  merchant  for  many  years  in  this  part 
of  the  Northwest  is  remembered  with  cordial  esteem 
and  his  memory  is  cherished  with  veneration  by  all 
who  had  the  benefit  of  acquaintance  and  association 
with  him  in  his  lifetime  or  enjoy  any  part  of  the 
fruits  of  his  usefulness  and  great  service  to  Polk 
county  and  the  Red  river  valley  in  general.  In  the 
early  years  of  his  residence  in  Polk  county  he  was  an 
active  promoter  of  immigration  to  the  county,  and 
he  dealt  in  lands  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  this 
business  extensively.  And  during  the  whole  period 
of  his  residence  here  he  was  in  active  practice  as  a 
physician  and  in  mercantile  business  as  a  druggist, 
so  that  every  phase  of  his  activity  was  serviceable  to 
the  region  and  its  residents. 

Dr.  Nelson  was  bom  in  Voss,  Norway,  in  March, 
1851.    He  was  a  brother  of  Knute  Nelson,  the  present 


postmaster  of  Fertile,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  will  he 
found  in  this  work.  The  doctor  was  reared  in  his 
native  land  and  obtained  his  academic  education  at 
the  state  public  schools  and  a  normal  school  in  that 
country,  and  after  completing  hLs  course  there  he 
followed  teaching  for  five  years.  In  1873  he  en  me 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Southern  ilin- 
nesota.  He  found  employment  with  Dr.  McNamara 
at  Owatonna,  Minnesota,  and  in  the  eourae  of  a  little 
time  afterward  began  the  study  of  medicine  under 
the  direction  of  his  employer.  He  began  his  practice 
at  Hartland,  in  Freeborn  count}',  Minnesota,  where 
he  remained  two  years,  then  moved  to  Aldal,  Min- 
nesota. 

In  1882  the  doctor  became  a  partner  of  Andrew 
Opheim  in  a  general  merchandise  and  drug  business 
at  Aldal.  They  carried  on  an  extensive  trade  at 
that  place  until  1887,  when  they  moved  to  Fertile, 


414 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BI0GRAPir5r  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


taking  their  store  building  and  all  their  stock  to  the 
new  site,  and  their  continuing  at  the  head  of  an  active 
and  profitable  business  until  1893,  when  they  dis- 
solved partnership  and  divided  their  stock.  Dr.  Nelson 
taking  the  drugs  and  Mr.  Opheim  the  other  goods. 
The  same  year  he  erected  the  building  now  used  by 
hia  nephew,  Nels  Vasenden,  in  conducting  the  same 
business. 

The  doctor  carried  on  his  drug  business  and  kept 
up  his  practice  as  a  physician  until  his  death  on  May 
2,  1908.  He  was  widely  known  in  Polk  county  and 
the  counties  adjoining  it  as  an  able  physician  and  a 
progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen,  of  great  force 
for  good  in  this  region.  He  held  membership  in  sev- 
eral different  medical  societies,  was  a  member  of  the 


Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  took  an 
earnest  interest  and  an  active  part  in  everything  that 
pertained  to  the  progress  and  improvement  of  his 
community. 

Dr.  Nelson  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Bessie 
Hatleberg,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  Tliey  became  the 
parents  of  five  children,  all  of  whom  died  in  child- 
hood except  their  daughter  Clara,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Odd  Eide,  of  Fertile.  In  political  faith  the 
doctor  was  a  Republican  of  strong  convictions  and 
he  was  a  leader  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  this 
locality.  His  religious  connection  was  with  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  church.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
.served  as  president  of  the  village  council  of  Fertile. 


IIELGE  H.  THORESON. 


This  gentleman,  who  is  now  serving  his  third  suc- 
cessive term  as  one  of  the  county  commissionei's  of 
Polk  county,  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  useful  public 
men  but  also  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  success- 
ful farmers  in  the  county.  He  located  in  it  in  1878 
with  his  parents,  who  had  nothing  whatever  in  the 
way  of  capital  or  property,  and  he  now  owns  600  acres 
of  highly  improved  and  well  cultivated  land,  with 
good  buildings  on  it  and  everything  necessary  for  car- 
rying on  his  extensive  fanning  operations,  and  he  has 
a  record  of  public  service  to  his  township  and  the 
county  of  which  any  citizen  might  justly  feel  proud, 
but  which  his  modesty  forbids  him  to  mention.  His 
farm  is  in  Roome  township,  Section  19,  sixteen  miles 
southwest  of  Crookston,  two  miles  and  a  half  east  of 
the  Red  river  and  eight  miles  north  of  Climax. 

Mr.  Thoreson  was  born  in  Norway  May  2,  1864,  the 
son  of  Helge  and  Johannah  T.  (Volden)  Thoreson. 
and  was  brought  by  them  to  the  United  States  in  1868. 
The  family  located  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  and 
remained  there  until  1871,  when  it  moved  with  oxen 
to  Ottertail  county,  the  father  taking  up  a  homestead 
at  Parkdale  in  that  county.  The  family  was  very 
poor  in  those  days,  and  the  father  bad  to  make  all  the 


furniture  for  the  home  and  shoes  for  the  family.  In 
1878  he  sold  his  land  in  Ottertail  county  and  moved 
with  oxen  to  Polk  county,  locating  on  Section  13,  Tyn- 
sid  township,  one  mile  northwest  of  the  present  home 
of  his  son  Helge,  on  which  he  died  in  1892,  aged  fifty- 
five,  and  his  wife  fourteen  years  later. 

The  elder  Mr.  Thoreson  bought  prairie  railroad  land 
at  $5  an  acre  but  broke  enough  within  the  prescribed 
time  to  reduce  the  price  of  his  whole  tract  to  $3  an 
acre.  He  built  a  good  frame  house  and  other  build- 
ings in  time,  and  owned  680  acres  of  land  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  But  his  first  house  was  the  first  one  on 
tlie  prairie,  and  he  had  many  hardships  and  privations 
to  undergo.  When  he  arrived  on  his  land  he  camped 
one  night  on  the  prairie,  and  the  next  morning  he 
began  plowing  on  two  tracts  of  land  before  daylight 
in  order  to  get  the  start  of  other  men  who  were  on 
the  road  to  locate  on  it.  He  was  a  member  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  Sand  Hill  Free  Lutheran  church 
and  served  some  years  as  township  treasurer  and  as 
school  treasurer.  All  of  his  eleven  children  are  living 
and  held  a  reunion  in  1915.  His  farm  is  now  owned 
]iy  his  youngest  son. 

Helge  H.  Thoreson  remained  with  his  parents  until 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


4ie 


he  reached  the  age  of  twentj'-two.  At  fourteen  he 
attended  a  school  half-way  to  Crookstou,  walking  to 
it  and  back  home  once  a  week.  The  next  winter  they 
had  a  school  at  home,  which  was  taught  by  a  Miss 
Sprague  from  Fisher.  Helge  carried  the  mail  two 
years  between  Fisher  and  Neby,  three  miles  south  of 
his  home,  and  the  next  year  also  on  to  Climax,  going 
to  Neby  three  times  a  week  and  to  Climax  once,  and 
was  the  first  carrier  paid  by  the  government  on  that 
route,  receiving  $340  the  first  year,  and  $375  the  sec- 
ond year ;  by  the  time  he  was  of  age  he  had  saved  $300. 

In  the  fall  of  1885,  when  he  was  almost  twenty-two, 
he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  the  tract  being  a  part 
of  his  present  farm,  for  which  he  paid  $9  an  acre.  In 
1886  he  began  to  farm  his  land,  borrowing  oxen  from 
his  father  and  starting  plowing  May  17.  The  ground 
was  so  wet  that  the  oxen  mired  in  it,  but  by  the  last 
of  May  he  had  twenty-three  acres  plowed  and  seeded, 
and  from  this  he  got  a  fair  crop.  He  was  then  living 
with  his  parents,  but  on  January  6, 1887,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  B'angen,  a  daughter  of  Ole  and 
Caroline  T.  (Bangen)  Bangen,  of  Tynsid  township. 

The  young  couple  began  housekeeping  under  great 
difficulties.  They  had  a  little  shanty,  which  is  still 
standing,  that  gave  them  some  shelter,  but  they  were 
obliged  to  sleep  on  the  floor  and  eat  off  a  dry  goods 
box.  On  the  night  of  February  25,  their  first  in  the 
shanty,  Mrs.  Thoreson  took  a  lamb  into  the  shanty  to 
protect  it  from  the  cold,  but  it  froze  to  death  that 
night.  But  they  were  not  dismayed  and  put  all  their 
energies  at  work  to  get  ahead.    Mr.  Thoreson  paid  for 


his  first  land  and  as  he  prospered  kept  adding  to  it 
until  he  now  owns  600  acres,  520  acres  of  which  are  in 
Section  19,  Roome  township.  He  has  about  320  acres 
under  cultivation,  mostly  in  grain,  and  in  1915  raised 
8,000  bushels,  an  average  of  about  25  bushels  to  the 
acre.  He  keeps  graded  Holstein  cows  and  supplies 
cream  to  the  co-operative  creamery  at  Climax.  The 
barn  now  on  the  place  was  built  in  1892,  the  granary 
in  1896  and  the  house  in  1898. 

Mr.  Thoreson  was  township  treasurer  six  years,  as- 
sessor two  years,  and  has  served  on  the  school  board 
since  1889,  except  during  one  term  of  three  years.  He 
was  elected  county  commissioner  in  1906  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  and  was  re-elected  in  1910  and  again  in 
1914.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  is  devoted 
to  the  welfare  of  the  county  without  regard  to  partisan 
considerations.  As  lie  is  on  the  road  and  bridge  com- 
mittee of  the  board  he  is  obliged  to  devote  a  great  deal 
of  his  time  to  his  official  duties.  His  religious  con- 
nection is  with  the  Sand  Hill  Free  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thoreson  have  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren living.  Josephine  is  the  wife  of  Martin  Larsen, 
a  farmer  living  near  her  father's  home.  Christine  is 
the  wife  of  John  Holm,  also  a  neighboring  farmer. 
Amanda,  who  was  for  a  time  a  Polk  county  school 
teacher,  is  now  the  wife  of  Carl  Olson,  of  Beltrami 
county,  Minnesota.  Thilda  is  the  wife  of  Hans  Han- 
stad,  a  near-by  farmer.  And  Olga,  Ole,  Eddie  and 
Ingman  are  still  at  home  with  their  parents.  A  son 
named  Helge  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 


HENRY  C.  HENDRICKS. 


The  late  Henry  C.  Hendricks  of  Garden  township, 
this  county,  who  died  February  13,  1912,  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years,  when  it  appeared  there  were  still 
many  years  of  usefulness  before  him,  was  bom  in 
Norway  May  4,  1852,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age. 
His  parents  were  Christian  and  Sophia  Hendricks, 
also  natives  of  Norway.    The  mother  died  in  Nicollet 


county  and  the  father  at  the  home  of  his  son  Henry  in 
Polk  county,  passing  away  there  in  1909  in  the  ninety- 
third  year  of  his  age. 

Their  son  Henry  C.  came  to  Polk  county  in  1880, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  Gar- 
den township.  He  took  a  homestead  which  is  still  a 
part  of  the  farm  on  which  the  family  lives,  and  put  up 
a  little  log  house  in  which  he  lived  for  a  number  of 


416 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


years,  with  bis  sister  keeping  bouse  for  bim  before 
his  marriage  and  bis  wife  doing  the  same  afterward, 
the  present  dwelling  house  not  being  erected  until 
1900,  although  the  barn  was  built  some  years  before 
that  time  and  other  improvements  were  also  made 
earlier. 

The  farm,  whicli  is  five  and  a  half  miles  east  of 
the  village  of  Fertile,  now  comprises  320  acres,  Mr. 
Hendricks  having  bought  the  adjoining  quarter-sec- 
tion of  land  for  .•i;2,200  about  1895.  About  225  acres 
are  under  cultivation,  nearly  all  of  which  was  cleared 
by  the  owner  during  his  lifetime.  For  many  years 
he  depended  mainly  on  raising  grain,  but  of  late 
he  gave  more  attention  to  raising  live  stock,  and 
always  kept  twelve  to  sixteen  milch  cows  for  furnish- 
ing milk  to  the  co-operative  creameries  at  Fertile 
and  Eindal,  in  both  of  which  be  owned  stock. 

Mr.  Hendricks  was  a  Republican  in  his  political 
faith  and  always  made  it  a  matter  of  duty  to  vote 
at  every  election.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members 
of  Faaberg  United  Lutheran  church  at  Rindal,  but 
aside  from  his  duties  in  the  church  and  as  a  citizen, 
he  gave  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  farm,  except 
that  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  N.  C.  Hendricks,  in  carrying  on  a  dry 
goods  store  at  Fertile,  remaining  in  the  firm,  which 


bore  the  name  of  the  Hendricks  Dry  Goods  company, 
until  his  brother  left  the  count}'. 

On  August  8,  1884,  Mr.  Hendricks  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  Larson,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Eli  Larson,  who  lived  in  Nicollet  county, 
this  state,  for  a  time  and  moved  to  Polk  county  in 
lb80,  also  becoming  homesteaders  in  Garden  township 
not  far  from  Rindal.  Mrs.  Hendricks  was  not  yet 
nineteen  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  but  she  imme- 
diately took  charge  of  the  housekeeping  for  her  hus- 
band, although  she  iiad  very  little  furniture  and  her 
culinary  supplies  were  often  scant  and  limited  to  a 
few  very  plain  articles  of  food. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hendricks  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  one  of  whom,  a  son  named  Arnold  Theodore, 
and  the  eighth  child  in  the  order  of  birth,  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  years.  The  children  who  are  living 
are :  Ella  Sophia,  now  the  wife  of  Thomas  P.  Bugge, 
of  Seattle,  Washington ;  Wilbert  Eugene,  who  is  liv- 
ing at  home ;  Cora  Josephine,  who  is  a  school  teacher 
in  Norman  county  and  has  taught  in  Polk  county; 
Hilma  Lorando,  who  works  in  Seattle;  Lawrence 
Joseph,  who  has  charge  of  the  home  farm ;  and 
Clarence  Julius,  Clara  Matilda,  Norma  Luella  and 
Arnold  Leland,  who  are  still  members  of  the  parental 
family  circle,  and  take  an  active  part  in  all  its  inter- 
ests and  industries. 


CARL  LUDWIG  HANSEN. 


Making  jiis  way  in  a  new  world  under  difficulties 
incident  to  a  wild  frontier  and  seriously  handicapped 
by  the  loss  of  his  right  arm  when  he  was  but  thir- 
teen years  old,  Carl  Ludwig  Hansen,  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  farmers  of  Garden  township, 
this  county,  with  a  tract  of  320  acres  of  land  in  sec- 
tions 28-26,  29,  which  he  has  made  into  a  fine  farm, 
with  200  acres  yielding  good  crops,  has  worked  out 
steady  progress  for  himself  by  his  persistent  industry, 
prudent  frugality  and  excellent  management  of  his 
affairs. 

Mr.  Hansen  was  born  near  the  city  of  Christiania, 
Norway,  December  15,  1849,  and  in  1854  came  with 


his  parents,  Lewis  and  Anna  Maria  Hanson,  to  the 
United  States,  locating  at  St.  Peter,  Nicollet  county, 
Minnesota,  where  the  mother  died  six  weeks  later, 
and  was  the  first  white  person  to  die  in  the  township 
of  their  residence.  What  is  now  the  city  of  St.  Peter 
was  then  called  Travers  de  Sioux,  and  there  was  a 
missionary  family  living  there.  This  family  took 
charge  of  an  infant  daughter  left  by  Mrs.  Hansen, 
and  reared  her  as  their  own  child.  She  never  knew 
until  after  marriage  that  she  was  not  the  daughter 
of  the  missionary.  Then  she  learned  who  she  was  and 
opened  a  correspondence  with  her  brother  Carl.  The 
father  improved  a  farm  three  miles  from  St.  Peter, 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


411 


but  passed  his  last  years  at  Big  Stone  Lake  in  what 
is  now  South  Dakota,  where  he  died,  aged  more 
than  seventy  years,  after  a  long  continuance  of  useful 
labor. 

Carl  L.  Hansen  took  up  his  residence  at  Crookston 
June  18,  1881,  when  the  settlement  was  but  a  strag- 
gling hamlet  with  big  stumps  in  the  middle  of  its  main 
street.  Ole  Rindahl,  Andrew  Olson,  Christ  Olson, 
and  Ole,  Steffen  and  Martin  Horstad,  friends  of  his 
in  Nicollet  county,  had  located  here  the  previous  year, 
and  two  of  them,  Ole  Horstad  and  Andrew  Olson,  are 
still  residents  of  Garden  township.  Mr.  Hansen  took 
up  part  of  his  land  in  1881  as  a  pre-emption  claim 
and  built  his  present  dwelling  of  logs  cut  on  the  place, 
which  was  all  covered  with  timber. 

"Garden"  was  suggested  by  Mr.  Hansen  as  a  suit- 
able name  for  the  township  when  it  was  organized 
because  of  the  abundance  of  wild  strawberries  in  it, 
and  his  suggestion  was  adopted.  \\Tien  he  located 
here  he  had  a  wife  and  seven  children,  a  team  of 
horses  and  a  wagon,  two  cows  and  $15  in  his  vest 
pocket.  So  he  worked  out  to  provide  for  his  family, 
especially  in  harvest  times,  and  gradually  got  a  start. 
In  the  meantime,  when  he  had  opportunity,  he  worked 
on  his  own  land  and  by  persistent  industry  he  has 
transformed  its  wild  expanse  into  a  well  improved 
and  highly  productive  farm. 


ilr.  Hansen's  main  dependence  has  been  growing 
grain,  but  he  keeps  ten  to  twelve  cows  to  furnish  milk 
for  the  Co-operative  Creamery  association  at  Rindal, 
in  which  he  is  a  stockholder,  as  he  is  also  in  the  Co- 
operative store  at  the  same  place,  which  is  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  his  home.  There  is  a  feed  mill  at  the 
creamery  which  is  operated  in  connection  with  it  and 
does  an  extensive  business  and  is  a  great  convenience 
to  the  farmers. 

In  the  early  years  Mr.  Hansen  served  in  sui-vey 
and  road  work,  on  the  township  board  and  in  other 
public  capacities.  He  has  built  a  good  new  barn 
on  his  farm  but  is  still  living  in  his  log  house,  which, 
however,  is  commodious  and  comfortable  enough  for 
his  needs.  He  and  his  family  are  connected  with 
Faaberg  United  Lutheran  church,  which  is  near  his 
home.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  married  in 
Nicollet  county  to  Miss  Sarah  Clementson,  a  native 
of  Norway.  Slie  died  January  3,  1893,  leaving  eight 
children :  Chi-ist,  who  is  a  merchant  at  Fort  Atkin- 
son, Wisconsin;  Lewis,  a  farmer  near  his  father; 
Charles,  who  is  living  at  home;  Edward,  who  culli- 
vates  the  farm ;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Oscar  Fugle- 
seth  and  lives  near  her  old  home;  Alvin,  who  works 
in  North  Dakota ;  Christina,  the  wife  of  Peter  Hogan- 
son,  of  St.  Paul,  and  Bertha,  who  is  the  housekeeper 
for  her  father. 


THOMAS  H.  NESSETH. 


The  late  Thomas  H.  Nesseth,  of  Fertile,  whose 
tragic  death  on  July  5,  1911,  east  a  heavy  pall  of 
gloom  over  the  whole  community  of  his  home,  was  one 
of  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers  and 
business  men  in  Garfield  township  and  one  of  its 
most  highly  esteemed  citizens.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
way March  18,  1859,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents,  Helge  and  Margaret  Nesseth,  in 
1871,  when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  The  family  lo- 
cated at  Harmony,  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota, 
and  there  its  members  remained  until  1881,  when 
they  all  came  to  Polk  county  together.    Five  of  them 


are  still  living  in  Garfield  township.  The  father  took 
lip  a  homestead  in  that  township  on  which  he  died 
about  1890.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  has  her 
home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  B.  M.  Benness  of  Gar- 
field township.  She  is  now  more  than  eighty-two 
years  old. 

Thomas  H.  Nesseth  took  up  most  of  the  land  on 
which  his  family  is  now  residing  as  a  homestead  in 
1890;  the  farm  has,  however,  been  enlarged  to  200 
acres,  and  about  160  are  under  cultivation.  Soon 
after  locating  here  Mr.  Nesseth  became  a  dealer  in 
farm  implements  at  Fertile  and  was  the  second  mer- 


418 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


chaut  there  in  that  line  of  trade.  He  was  active  iu 
the  business  for  over  twenty  years  and  kept  his  inter- 
est in  it  until  his  death.  Albert  GuUickson  was  his 
partner  and  later  took  over  the  management  of  the 
store,  Mr.  Nesseth  retiring  from  active  connection 
with  it.  They  built  the  double  store  building  which 
the  business  now  occupies  about  1900. 

When  Mr.  Nesseth  retired  to  his  farm  he  expected 
to  gather  a  fine  herd  of  Holstein  cattle,  and  erect  a 
new  dwelling  house  and  barn.  But  all  his  designs 
were  cut  short  by  his  sudden  death.  He  had  been 
exhibiting  some  of  his  cattle  at  the  Fertile  fair,  and, 
on  his  return  with  them  to  the  farm,  when  he  was 
leading  the  bull  into  the  pasture  the  animal  became 
infuriated,  turned  on  him  and  injured  him  so  badly 
that  he  died  five  hours  later.  His  plans  with  refer- 
ence to  the  house  and  barn  have  been  carried  out 
and  the  family  now  has  one  of  the  finest  rural  homes 
in  Polk  county. 

Mr.  Nesseth  had  served  on  the  school  board,  been 
mayor  of  Fertile  and  president  of  the  village  coun- 
cil, and  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  the  secretary 
of  the  Farmers  Insurance  company  and  secretary  of 
the  Co-operative  Creamery  company.  He  helped  to 
organize  Little  Norway  United  church,  whose  church 


edifice  is  one  mile  and  a  half  east  of  his  farm  and 
near  his  old  family  home,  when  he  first  came  to  Polk 
county,  and  he  was  one  of  its  most  active  and  service- 
able members  and  its  secretary  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  lie  was  first  married  to  iliss  Margaret  Rude, 
who  died,  leaving  no  children,  and  on  August  6, 
1892,  he  contracted  a  second  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Anna  Henderson,  the  widow  of  A.  S.  Henderson, 
who  then  had  two  children:  Lillie,  who  married 
Robert  Erickson  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight;  and  Arthur,  who  lives  with  his  mother  and 
operates  the  farm.  Mrs.  Nesseth 's  maiden  name  was 
Anna  GuUickson  and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Helen  GuUickson,  who  also  were  homesteaders  in 
Garfield  township  and  occupied  the  farm  adjoining 
the  present  home  of  their  daughter.  By  her  second 
marriage  Mrs.  Nesseth  became  the  mother  of  four 
children :  Mabel,  who  is  a  teacher  at  Greenbush,  in 
Roseau  county;  Ida,  who  is  teaching  at  Glyndon,  in 
Clay  county,  and  has  taught  in  Polk  county ;  Ilelmer, 
who  is  a  bookkeeper  in  the  Farmers  State  Bank  at 
Fertile,  and  Albert,  who  is  living  at  home.  Mrs.  Nes- 
seth is  a  lady  of  unusual  natural  ability  and  her 
home  is  a  center  of  refined  and  elevated  social  activity 
and  generous  hospitality. 


H.  G.  FLOAN. 


H.  G.  Floan,  whose  well  cultivated  and  highly  im- 
proved farm  of  157  acres  lies  in  Section  26,  Onstad 
township,  this  county,  two  miles  southeast  of  the 
village  of  Melvin,  eight  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Fer- 
tile and  seventeen  miles  southeast  of  Crookston,  was 
born  in  Norway,  and  reared,  educated  and  married 
in  that  country.  In  1880  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  bringing  his  wife  and  one  child  with  him,  and 
located  in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  where  for 
seven  years  he  worked  by  the  year  for  farmers.  In 
that  period  he  saved  $100  and  became  the  father  of 
three  additional  children. 

In  1887  Mr.  Floan  moved  to  Polk  county  and  bought 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  at  $5.06  an  acre. 


It  was  a  full  quarter-section  when  he  bought  it,  but 
the  railroad  has  since  cut  off  one  corner,  taking  about 
three  acres.  He  had  eight  years  in  which  to  pay  for 
his  land  and  had  to  put  up  with  many  inconveniences 
during  a  great  part  of  the  time.  For  years  his  family 
lived  in  a  one-room  shanty  with  a  little  crude  furni- 
ture, but  he  had  a  team  of  horses  and  two  cows 
which  he  brought  with  him  from  Goodhue  county. 

Mr.  Floan  now  has  all  his  land  under  cultivation  or 
in  pasturage.  The  dwelling  house  he  now  occupies 
was  built  in  1911  and  most  of  the  other  improvements 
were  made  earlier.  He  keeps  eight  to  twelve  milch 
cows  to  supply  material  for  the  Co-operative  Cream- 
ery at  Fertile,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder,  as  he  is 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


419 


also  in  the  Farmers  State  Bank  in  that  village.  Ilis 
cattle  are  Shorthorns  of  good  grades.  He  has  served 
as  road  overseer  and  on  the  school  board  for  fifteen 
years  continuous!}',  and  his  son  Lawrence  is  now  treas- 
urer of  this  board.  At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  Mr. 
Floan  was  married  in  his  native  land  to  Miss  Chris- 
tina Anderson.    They  have  had  ten  children,  nine  of 


whom  are  living,  Gunder,  Anna,  Louisa,  Albert, 
Henry,  Lawrence,  Clara,  Giiia,  and  John.  A  daugh- 
ter named  Sarah  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  nine 
months  and  twenty-two  days.  All  the  members  of 
the  family  belong  to  the  Varness  United  Lutheran 
church. 


ANDREW  K.  HOLEN. 


Andrew  K.  Holen,  who  lives  on  a  fine  farm  in  Sec- 
tion 22,  Liberty  township,  four  and  a  half  miles  west 
of  the  village  of  Fertile,  came  to  this  county  in  1887, 
when  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  with  just  $100 
in  money  and  no  other  property,  and  he  now  owns 
400  acres  of  highly  improved  and  well  cultivated  land, 
has  stock  in  the  Fertile  Co-operative  Creamery  and 
the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Fertile,  and  is  one  of  the 
substantial,  enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizens 
of  the  county,  influential  among  his  fellow  men  and 
highly  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Holen  was  born  in  Norway  April  21,  1861,  and 
came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  Knute  and 
Carrie  Holen,  when  he  was  six  years  old.  The  family 
located  in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  and  there  the  par- 
ents remained.  The  son  attended  the  district  schools 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  big  and  strong  enough  worked 
out  as  well  as  on  his  father's  farm,  continuing  this 
course  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-six.  Then, 
in  1887,  he  came  to  Polk  county,  where  his  two 
brothers,  Ole  Holen  and  Hans  Knudson,  were  living 
and  had  been  for  eight  years,  Ole  in  Liberty  township 
and  Hans  near  Lee  station.  Ole  is  still  residing  on 
his  farm,  but  Hans  has  been  a  resident  of  Marshall 
county,  this  state,  for  twenty-five  years. 

Andrew  K.  Holen  bought  the  farm  on  which  he 
is  now  living  as  a  tree  claim  and  converted  it  into 
a  homestead  claim,  paying  $550  for  it.  There  were 
no  buildings  on  it  and  only  fifteen  acres  had  been 
plowed  when  he  bought  it.  On  March  15,  1888,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Peterson  of  Allamakee 


county,  Iowa,  where  she  was  born,  her  parents  hav- 
ing come  to  this  country  before  the  Civil  war.  Her 
assistance  enabled  him  to  pay  off  his  indebtedness 
on  his  farm  and  make  some  improvements.  His  first 
house  was  a  log  cabin,  and  its  furniture  consisted 
of  a  homemade  table  and  cupboard,  some  stools  of 
his  own  manufacture,  six  plates,  cups  and  saucers, 
and  a  second  hand  stove.  He  rented  his  land  to  get 
crops  and  worked  out  to  support  his  family.  During 
tlie  first  three  years  he  was  able  to  sell  only  100 
bushels  of  wheat,  but  he  had  a  cow  and  some  chick- 
ens, and  these  helped  to  keep  the  wolf  from  his  door. 
Coffee  was  a  thing  to  be  thought  of  and  longed  for, 
but  not  to  be  enjoyed. 

At  the  end  of  three  years  Mr.  Holen  began  to  devote 
his  whole  attention  to  his  farm,  but  successive 
droughts  injured  his  crops  leaving  him  little  more 
than  chicken  feed  for  a  year  or  two.  He  now  has 
his  whole  farm  of  400  acres  under  cultivation  and 
raises  good  crops.  For  some  of  his  land  he  paid  $10 
an  acre  and  for  some  $25  an  acre.  He  built  his  pres- 
ent dwelling  house  in  1896  and  his  fine  barn,  40  by  100 
feet  in  size,  in  1914,  and  has  other  first-rate  improve- 
ments. Grain  was  his  main  dependence  for  many 
years  but  he  now  has  a  good  deal  of  dairy  stock  in- 
cluding ten  to  twelve  milch  cows. 

Mr.  Holen  has  served  three  years  as  chairman  of 
the  township  board  and  has  filled  several  other  local 
offices,  having  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
thirteen  years.  He  sides  with  the  Republican  party 
in  political  affairs,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members 


420 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


of  the  Verness  United  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he      on  the  operations  on  tlie  farm,  relieving  their  father 
is  treasurer.    They  have  two  sons,  Carl,  aged  twenty-      of  all  the  hard  labor  incident  to  them, 
five  and  Herman,  aged  twenty-three,  who  now  carry 


CONRAD  G.  SELVIG. 


Conrad  G.  Selvig,  superintendent  of  the  Northwest 
School  of  Agriculture  and  Experiment  Station  of  The 
University  of  ^Minnesota  at  Crookston,  was  born  at 
Rushford,  Minnesota,  October  11,  1877,  being  the  son 
of  Guilder  C.  and  Marie  llogerstad  of  Norway  and 
wlio  came  to  the  United  States  as  a  young  married 
couple.  A  few  months  were  spent  in  work  on  the 
Great  Lakes,  when,  in  1874,  they  settled  at  Rushford. 

After  graduating  at  the  local  high  school,  young 
Selvig,  in  1896  was  appointed  by  Hon.  James  A. 
Tawney  a  cadet  to  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point. 

After  his  return,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  a 
teacher  becoming  Principal  of  the  public  school  at 
Granger,  Minnesota.  In  1901  we  find  him  in  a  similar 
position  at  Harmony,  Minnesota,  where  he  was  re- 
tained for  five  years.  From  Harmony  he  went  to  the 
University  of  Minnesota  where  he  graduated  in  1907, 
receiving  his  A.  M.  degree  in  1908.  Then  he  became 
superintendent  of  schools  and  principal  of  Stevens 
Seminary  at  Gleucoe.  The  needs  of  more  practical 
educational  methods  were  keenly  realized  at  this  time 
and  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  as  he  saw  them,  he 
here  introduced  departments  of  Agriculture,  Home 
Economics,  Manual  Training,  and  Teachers'  Training. 
This  was  a  time  when  such  ideas  were  being  discussed 
in  the  state  and  nation,  but  had  been  but  feebly  tried 
in  actual  school  life.  The  result  of  his  efforts  were 
such  as  to  attract  attention,  not  only  among  teachers 
and  patrons,  but  also  among  the  public  officials,  and 
it  was  but  a  matter  of  a  few  months  when  his  services 
were  sought  by  the  state  to  handle  the  station  but 
recently  established  at  Crookston,  he  being  selected 
as  its  superintendent  in  1910.  The  history  of  this 
institution  being  found  elsewhere  in  this  work,  we 
will  not  repeat  it  here. 


It  is  conceded  by  all  interested  that  Mr.  Selvig  has 
proved  to  l>e  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  his 
optimism,  enthusiasm  and  business  tact  being  the  es- 
sential qualities  needed  at  the  head  of  a  school 
designed  to  instill  similar  traits  into  the  numerous 
students,  whose  future  is  largely  determined  by  what 
they  may  obtain  here. 

Mr.  Selvig 's  work  has  so  broadened  that  it  has  gone 
beyond  state  limits,  and  is  attracting  attention  wher- 
ever advanced  ideas  are  being  introduced  not  only 
in  general  educational  matters  and  methods  but  more 
especially  where  communities  ai'e  awakened  to  better 
farming,  better  social  and  better  living  conditions. 

He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Northwestern  Agri- 
cultural Fair  association,  the  Red  River  Development 
association  and  is  president  of  the  Red  River  Dairy- 
men's association  and  he  is  a  director  of  the  Alumni 
association  of  the  State  University,  treasurer  of  the 
Minnesota  Educational  association,  a  member  of  the 
American  Association  of  Agricultural  Colleges  and 
Experiment  Stations,  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cational association  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Agri- 
cultural Teaching. 

His  addresses  are  filled  with  valuable  suggestions 
showing  a  depth  of  thought  and  are  delivered  with 
such  ease  and  assurance  that  hearers  are  captivated 
and  permanently  benefited. 

Possessed  with  natural  urbanity  ripened  by  a  broad 
culture  and  experience,  his  personal  relations  with 
all  with  whom  he  is  thrown  in  contact  are  ever  of  the 
most  agreeable,  admiration  of  him  as  a  teacher  being 
excelled  only  by  that  accorded  him  as  an  individual. 

He  has  written  extensively,  many  of  his  treatises 
]>eing  published  as  bulletins  by  the  National  Bureau 
of  Education. 


C.  G.  8ELVICt 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


421 


Although  his  interest  in  politics  is  only  such  as  is 
clue  from  every  true  American  citizen,  he  has  been 
alive  in  party  matters,  once  at  least  serving  as  a  dele- 
gate to  a  state  convention. 

He  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  member  of  Acacia 
Fraternity  of  the  State  University. 


His  marriage,  June  17,  1903,  at  Mabel,  Minnesota, 
to  Miss  Marion  E.  Wilcox,  a  graduate  of  the  Central 
High  School  of  Minneapolis,  has  resulted  in  the  birth 
of  three  children — Helen  Mai-iou ;  Margaret  Elizabeth ; 
and  Conrad  George. 


AUGUST  C.  SCHMIDT. 


One  of  the  leading  painters,  decorators  and  paper- 
hangers  in  the  Northwest,  and  chief  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment of  the  city  of  Crookston,  August  C.  Schmidt 
contributes  essentially  and  substantially  to  the  service 
of  the  people  around  him  by  pleasing  their  taste  and 
promoting  their  safety  and  aiding  greatly  in  the  pro- 
tection of  their  property  as  well  as  their  lives.  He 
was  born  in  Manitowoc  county,  Wisconsin,  August  3, 
1859,  and  came  to  iliunesota  in  1878,  locating  at  Still- 
water. He  had  learned  his  trade  in  his  native  state 
and  was  in  charge  of  a  shop  in  Stillwater  two  years. 
He  then  passed  six  months  in  Minneapolis,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  moved  to  Hastings,  where  he  was  in 
charge  of  a  shop  until  1880. 

At  that  time  he  saw  an  advertisement  from  McKin- 
non  Bros,  of  Crookston,  stating  that  they  were  in  need 
of  a  first  class  carriage  painter,  and  as  he  had  heard 
much  in  favor  of  the  Red  river  valley,  he  determined 
to  seek  this  job.  He  came  to  Crookston  and  for  two 
years  was  in  charge  of  the  McKinnon  Bros.'  paint 
shop,  and  then  started  his  own  business  in  1883.  He 
has  adhered  to  his  enterprise  continuously  since  that 
time,  and  his  is  now  the  only  business  that  has  been 
in  operation  in  Crookston  steadily  for  thirty-three 
years.  He  has  given  his  attention  mainly  to  interior 
decorating,  and  he  is  sought  for  to  do  this  kind  of  work 
on  all  of  the  best  residences  and  public  buildings 
nearly  all  the  way  from  Crookston  to  Duluth.  His 
sons,  E.  W.  and  Harry  F.,  are  associated  with  him  in 
the  work,  and  he  employs  regularly  twelve  to  fifteen 
men  in  addition. 

In  1882  Mr.  Schmidt  helped  to  organize  the  Crooks- 
ton fire  department,  which  was  a  volunteer  hook  and 


ladder  company  with  a  truck  and  a  chemical  engine, 
which  was  familiarly  called  "The  Old  Soap  Boiler." 
The  company  had  sixteen  members,  and  Mr.  Schmidt 
is  the  only  one  of  the  number  who  is  still  active  in  the 
department,  which  is  a  volunteer  one  to  this  day. 
When  the  company  started  its  work  he  was  foreman 
in  charge  of  the  apparatus  at  fires.  In  1895  he  was 
elected  chief,  and  he  served  as  such  for  two  years. 
After  the  end  of  that  period  he  served  in  the  ranks 
until  January,  1915,  when  he  was  chosen  chief  again, 
and  he  is  still  filling  that  office.  He  has  had  some 
thrilling  experiences  and  some  narrow  escapes  from 
serious  injury,  and  has  rendered  valuable  service  at 
many  big  fires,  especially  the  largest  one  Crookston 
ever  had,  the  one  that  destroyed  the  Auditorium  and 
some  adjoining  buildings  at  a  loss  of  $250,000.  At 
present  the  department  has  twenty-four  members, 
three  of  whom  are  paid  officials  and  devote  their  whole 
time  to  the  work.  The  department  also  owns  two 
liose  wagons,  one  hook  and  ladder  truck,  forty-five 
hundred  feet  of  hose  and  four  horses,  besides  chemical 
engines  and  other  apparatus.  Usually  five  of  the 
members  sleep  at  the  engine  house.  The  company 
formerly  took  part  in  many  tournaments  of  the  North- 
ern Minnesota  Firemen's  association,  and  carried  off 
many  honors  in  them.  In  these  tournaments  Mr. 
Schmidt's  son  Harry  was  the  leader  in  ladder  climb- 
ing contests  and  won  glory  for  his  organization  in 
many  a  hot  one. 

Mr.  Schmidt  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  from 
the  Second  ward  in  1894,  when  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  was  built  through  Crookston.  He  was  made 
a  Freemason  in  1886  and  is  still  active  in  his  lodge, 


422 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  A'SD  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


his  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  his  Commaudery  of  Knights 
Templar  and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Order  of  Elks.  On  December  18,  1884,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Ross,  the  daughter 
of  John  Ross,  for  many  years  janitor  of  the  court- 
house and  the  high  school.  They  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  living,  Edward  W.,  Harry 
Frank,  Lillie,  Ross  Owen,  Helen,  Allen  and  Grace. 
A  daughter  named  Isabel  died  when  she  was  twelve 


years  old.  Lillie  is  now  the  wife  of  Thomas  Morteu- 
sou,  of  Crookston,  and  Harry  married  Miss  Blanche 
McDonald.  Mr.  Schmidt  and  his  son  Harry  are  mem- 
bers of  a  hunting  club  which  has  had  a  deer  camp 
twenty  miles  from  Hibbiug  for  twelve  years.  The 
club  has  an  outing  at  the  camp  every  year,  and  they 
usually  get  a  bountiful  supply  of  venison  while 
the  outing  is  in  progress. 


NELS  CLEMENTSEN. 


In  many  ways  this  enterprising  and  progressive 
farmer  and  bank  president  has  shown  his  capacity  to 
advance  his  own  interests  and  aid  materially  in  pro- 
moting the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  region 
around  him.  He  was  born  in  Goodhue  county,  Min- 
nesota, June  30,  1859,  the  son  of  Knut  Clementsen 
who  came  to  this  country  and  located  in  Illinois  in 
1855  and  moved  to  Goodhue  county,  this  state,  in 
1858.  He  took  up  government  laud  there  and  con- 
verted it  into  a  fine  farm,  and  is  now  living  retired  at 
Zumbrota.  At  one  time  he  owned  two  tracts  of  land 
in  Polk  county,  one  in  Liberty  township  and  the  other 
partly  in  Russia  and  partly  in  Onstad  township. 

His  son  Nel.s,  whose  home  is  in  Section  15,  Liberty 
township,  five  miles  and  a  half  west  of  the  village  of 
Fertile,  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  farming  his  father's  land  as  a  tenant 
for  some  years.  On  May  20,  1887,  he  came  to  Polk 
county  and  bought  a  quarter-section  of  land  adjoining 
his  father's.  He  then  took  charge  of  both  places  and 
now  owns  both,  his  home  farm  comprising  580  acres, 
his  first  purchase  having  cost  him  $3  an  acre.  He  has 
200  acres  of  the  home  place  in  grain  and  raises  beef 
and  milch  cattle,  keeping  generally  about  fifteen  milch 
cows.  He  also  owns  timber  lands,  some  in  St.  Louis 
and  some  in  Cook  county,  which  he  is  holding  as  in- 
vestments. When  he  came  to  this  county  in  1887  he 
had  no  cash  but  owned  four  horses,  a  wagon,  a  plow 
and  some  other  farm  implements. 

Mr.  Clementsen 's  first  dwelling  on  his  farm  was  a 


one-room  shack  14  by  16  feet  in  size.  His  present 
residence  is  a  fine  modern  structure  built  in  1903,  and 
he  has  a  first  clas.s  barn  40  by  72  feet  with  a  T  40  by 
42  feet  in  dimensions,  which  was  built  in  1908  and 
gives  him  stabling  for  all  his  live  stock.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Co-operative  Creameiy  company  of  Fer- 
tile and  also  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company,  which 
he  helped  to  organize  in  1894,  and  which  he  has  served 
for  about  ten  years  as  president.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  company 
and  has  been  its  president  for  eight  or  ten  years. 
When  he  saw  that  the  hour  was  ripe  for  the  enterprise 
he  helped  to  organize  the  Farmers  State  Bank  of 
Fertile  and  of  this  he  has  been  president  from  its 
organization. 

The  public  aifairs  of  the  township  have  always  in- 
terested Mr.  Clementsen  in  a  leading  way  and  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  them.  He  served  as  township 
clerk  five  years  and  twelve  as  chairman  of  the  town- 
ship board,  and  he  is  at  present  (1916)  township  treas- 
urer. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  in  local 
affairs  he  is  never  a  partisan  Init  always  eager  to 
promote  the  best  interests  of  his  township.  In  reli- 
gious connection  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Varness 
United  Lutheran  church,  which  is  one  mile  north  of 
his  home,  and  for  some  time  has  been  secretary  of  the 
congregation. 

Mr.  Clementsen  was  married  in  1896  to  Miss  Jennie 
Landsverk,  a  native  of  Norway.  They  have  seven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with  their 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


423 


parents.  The  children  are  Norman,  Josie,  Millie, 
Mabel,  Ida,  Nellie,  and  William.  All  the  members  of 
the  family  attend  the  church  to  which  the  head  of 


the  house  belongs,  and  they  all  take  a  warm  interest 
in  it  and  its  work  for  the  betterment  of  the  community. 


HON.  JOHN  CLEMENTSON. 


This  very  active,  highly  useful  and  thoroughly  rep- 
resentative citizen  of  Polk  county,  whose  fine  home 
farm  of  160  acres  is  in  section  17,  Knute  township, 
three  miles  south  of  Erskine,  was  born  at  Pine  Island, 
Goodhue  eoiuity,  Minnesota,  December  6,  1866,  and  is 
the  son  of  Knute  and  Gunhild  Clemeutsou,  who  were 
bom  in  Norway  and  married  in  Iowa.  In  1857  they 
moved  to  Goodhue  county,  this  state,  where  the  father 
took  up  a  pre-emption  claim,  they  being  among  the 
first  residents  at  Pine  Island.  In  their  old  age  they 
changed  their  residence  to  Zumbrota,  and  there  the 
mother  died  in  tlie  winter  of  1913  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine.  There  also  the  father  is  still  living  very  far 
advanced  in  years.  Three  of  their  children,  Nels  and 
Marie,  who  live  near  Fertile,  and  John  are  in  Polk 
county.    Marie  is  the  wife  of  P.  J.  Bollie. 

John  Clementsou  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five.  He  completed  his 
education  at  St.  Olof  College,  Northfield,  which  he  at- 
tended two  yeai's.  In  1893  he  came  to  this  county 
and  bought  600  acres  of  railroad  land  at  $8  an  acre, 
having  about  $1,500  to  start  with.  He  engaged  in 
mixed  farming  and  raising  live  stock,  put  500  acres 
of  his  land  under  cultivation,  made  permanent  im- 
provements, and  then,  in  1903,  sold  his  land  at  $21.50 
an  acre.  He  helped  to  organize  Seandia  township  and 
was  its  first  clerk  and  justice  of  the  peace,  holding 
these  offices  until  he  left  the  township,  moving  to  his 
present  home. 

When  he  came  to  Knute  township  in  1903  Mr.  Clem- 


entson  bought  three  separate  tracts  of  160  acres  each, 
one  in  section  17,  the  home  place,  another  in  section  18 
and  the  third  in  section  20,  but  he  has  farmed  them 
all  as  one  farm,  and  now  has  275  acres  under  cultiva- 
tion in  the  three.  There  was  only  one  set  of  little  log 
buildings  on  the  three  tracts  and  only  115  acres  were 
partially  cultivated  when  he  bought  the  land.  Mr. 
Clementson  paid  for  the  land  at  an  average  of  $18  an 
acre,  and  he  has  since  sold  none  of  it  except  two  acres 
for  a  school  lot.  He  has  put  up  a  good  house  and  barn 
and  other  necessary  buildings,  and  has  kept  regularly 
about  fifty  head  of  cattle,  with  fifteen  milch  cows  to 
furnish  material  for  the  Co-operative  creamery,  in 
which  he  is  a  stockholder. 

Mr.  Clementson  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  town- 
ship board  one  term  and  for  a  number  of  years  on  the 
school  board.  In  the  fall  of  1912  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  State  House  of  Representatives. 

On  March  2.  1893.  Mr.  Clementson  was  married  in 
Goodhue  county  to  Miss  Clara  Mithangen,  of  that 
county.  They  have  had  nine  children.  Gustav  died 
at  the  age  of  twelve.  Conrad,  aged  nineteen,  was 
graduated  from  the  Agricultural  College  at  Crooks- 
ton  in  1915.  Joseph,  aged  seventeen,  is  a  .student  at 
Concordia  College,  Moorhead.  Cora,  aged  fifteen,  is 
in  the  high  school  at  Erskine.  Oscar  (twelve),  Philip 
(ten),  George  (seven),  Ruth  (five),  and  Clarence 
(one),  are  at  home.  The  parents  belong  to  the  United 
Lutheran  church  at  Erskine,  of  which  the  father  is 
secretary  and  one  of  the  deacons. 


CHARLES  M.  LOHN. 


It  is  a  high  tribute  to  the  ability,  correct  deport- 
ment and  skill  and  conscientiousness  of  any  man  to 
say  that  he  has  occupied   a  trying  and  important 


public  position  in  the  service  of  the  public  for  nearly 
eighteen  years  continuously  without  having  any  com- 
plaint made  against  him  or  his  work  or  a  word  of 


424 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


disagreement  with  his  superior  ofBcers.  This  has  been 
the  experience  of  Charles  M.  Lohii,  reporter  of  the 
district  court  at  Crookston  over  which  Judge  "Watts 
presides. 

Mr.  Lolni  was  born  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  De- 
cember 18,  1872,  and  is  the  youngest  member  of  a 
fauuly  of  which  his  brother  Lewis,  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  at  Fosston  is  the  oldest.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  count}%  completing 
his  preparation  for  the  duties  of  life  by  a  course  in 
commercial  training  at  the  Cedar  Valley  Seminary  at 
Osage,  the  county  seat  of  that  county.  In  1895  he 
came  to  Crookston  and  for  three  years  and  a  half 
thereafter  he  was  employed  in  the  Merchants  Na- 
tional Bank  of  that  city.    In  1899  he  was  appointed 


reporter  of  the  district  court  by  Judge  Watts,  and  he 
is  now  in  his  eighteenth  year  of  service  in  that 
position. 

On  August  28,  1901,  Mr.  Lohn  was  married  to 
Mi.ss  Mary  J.  Fairbairn,  a  native  of  Stillwater,  Min- 
nesota, of  Scotch  and  English  ancestry.  They  have 
four  children,  Kenneth  F.,  Howard,  Lois  and  Charles 
M.,  Jr.  The  parents  are  active  workers  in  the  under- 
takings of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which 
they  both  belong,  and  Mr.  Lohn  is  one  of  its  trustees. 
In  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  Freemason,  and  an  Elk 
and  he  also  takes  an  earnest  and  helpful  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  fraternity.  He  is  zealous  in  the 
performance  of  all  his  duties  as  a  citizen  and  is  highly 
esteemed  as  a  good  one. 


ROBERT  II.  BALFOUR. 


Robert  H.  Balfour,  of  Euclid,  a  well  known  grain 
dealer  and  local  agent  for  the  Red  Lake  Falls  Mill- 
ing company,  was  born  in  Lanark  county,  Ontario, 
May  8,  1880,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
seventeen  years  of  age,  locating  at  Fisher,  in  Polk 
county,  where  he  resided  until  his  removal  to  Euclid 
in  the  following  year.  During  the  first  five  years  of 
his  residence  in  Euclid  he  was  employed  in  clerking, 
also  spending  a  short  time  on  a  farm  and  then  began 
his  association  with  the  grain  business  with  the  Min- 
neapolis, Northern,  Red  Lake  Elevator  company,  who 
operate  an  elevator  at  Euclid  with  a  capacity  of 
thirty  thousand  bushels  and  also  retail  flour  and  feed. 
Mr.  Balfour  i-emained  with  that  company  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  until  the  establishment  of  the  Red  Lake 
]\Iilling    Company    in    1911,    when    he    was    put    in 


charge  of  the  office  at  Euclid  as  the  grain  buyer  for 
that  region,  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to  the 
able  management  of  the  extensive  operations  of  this 
company,  in  the  year  of  1914,  shipping  some  seventy 
car  loads  of  grain,  handling  wheat  and  oats  for  the 
nio.st  part.  Mr.  Balfour  is  also  agent  for  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  company  and  is  in  charge  of  the  local  tanks. 
In  political  belief,  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party  and  is  actively  identified  with 
the  various  interests  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives,  in  official  capacity,  giving  capable  service  as 
township  assessor.  I\Ir.  Balfour  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  was  married  at  Crookston, 
in  1908,  to  Margaret  Bieven,  whose  father  was  for 
many  vears  a  farmer  near  Euclid. 


K.  0.  BALSTAD. 


K.  0.  Balstad,  well  known  stock  farmer  of  Sletten 
township,  was  born  in  Norway,  January  4,  1854.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Polk  county  since  1897  and  has 
been  notably  associated  with  the  development  of  the 


stock  business  in  this  region.  He  came  to  Minnesota 
with  his  parents  in  1866.  For  .several  years  they  lived 
in  Goodhue  county  and  in  1870,  just  before  the  lay- 
ing out  of  Fergus  Falls,  they  removed  to  Otter  Tail 


1 


XORMAX  IIAXSOX 


COIVIPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


425 


county,  where  his  father,  Ole  E.  Balstad,  continues 
to  make  his  home.  K.  0.  Balstad  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
when  he  decided  that  the  cities  and  towns  offered  the 
greater  opportunities  for  success.  For  twenty-two 
years  he  engaged  in  various  business  pursuits,  for  the 
most  part  in  the  mercantile  business,  in  Duluth,  Fer- 
gus Falls  and  other  places.  During  this  time  he  had 
kept  in  touch  with  the  agricultural  growth  of  the 
country  through  his  investments  in  farm  land  and 
association  with  the  stock  business  and  in  1897  he 
reversed  his  earlier  decision  and  returned  to  the  farm. 
He  came  to  Polk  county  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  section  thirty-one  of  Sletten  township, 
he  has  since  added  to  this  tract  and  now  has  eight 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  home  farm.  Much  of 
this  land  and  that  adjoining  was  flat  and  high  and 
possessed  no  natural  drainage,  which  depreciated  its 
value  and  rendered  the  construction  of  good  roads 
an  impossibility.  Mr.  Balstad,  at  once,  began  to  give 
every  effort  to  this  drainage  project.  He  was  the 
manager  of  some  four  thousand  acres  belonging  to  a 
company  in  Chicago  and  with  this  company  he  began 
the  building  of  ditches,  expending  four  thousand  dol- 
lars to  secure  the  main  outlet.  Eventually,  he  re- 
ceived the  cooperation  of  neighboring  property  own- 
ers and  this  section  is  now  well  drained.  Mr.  Bal- 
stad is  considering  further  improvement  of  the  drain- 
age system  by  installing  tile.  He  has  devoted  his 
farming  interests  to  the  raising  of  stock,  achieving 
not  only  financial  success,  but  he  has  been  instrumen- 
tal in  arousing  and  promoting  general  interest  in  the 
breeding  of  blooded  stock,  an  important  phase  in 
the  development  of  any  agricultural  district.  He 
raises    Hereford    cattle    and    Duroc    Jersey    hogs. 


Years  of  experience  and  study  have  persuaded  him 
that  the  hardy  Hereford  stock  is  peculiarly  adapted 
to  conditions  in  northern  Minnesota,  and  he  owns 
many  fine  specimens  of  this  strain  and  has  won  honor 
as  an  exhibitor  at  the  county  fairs.  Beside  forty  head 
of  registered  cattle  he  keeps  a  herd  of  about  one  hun- 
dred steers  and  he  has  sold  many  fine  animals  for 
breeding  purposes,  the  greater  number  of  which  are 
in  Polk  county.  Clover  for  grazing  and  hay  is  his 
principal  crop  and  one  in  which  he  has  never  had  a 
failure.  He  raises  some  alfalfa  but  considers  the  roll- 
ing land  of  the  region  singularly  fine  clover  country. 
He  has  erected  good  barns,  one  being  utilized  for  feed- 
ing purposes  alone  and  his  farm  is  well  equipped  for 
the  successful  management  of  a  large  stock  business. 
Mr.  Balstad,  also  has  extensive  interests  as  a  dealer  in 
farm  lands  and  has  met  with  equal  success  in  all  his 
activities,  making  many  profitable  investments.  He 
is  the  present  owner  of  the  former  Bagley  farm  which 
is  located  two  miles  south  of  Fosston  and  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  adjoining  on  the  north  of 
this  estate.  His  home  farm  is  thirteen  miles  south- 
west of  Fosston  and  four  miles  southeast  of  Winger. 
Mr.  Balstad  was  married  in  1885  to  Gina  H.  Weiley 
of  Otter  Tail  county  and  they  have  six  children, 
Henry  0.,  a  successful  young  farmer  of  Sletten  town- 
ship, a  sketch  of  whose  life  is  found  in  this  work; 
Manda  C,  Edward  C,  Carl  0.,  Rudolph  G.,  and 
Marvin.  The  older  sons  attended  the  Agricultural 
college  at  St.  Anthony  Park  and  are  associated  with 
their  father  in  the  stock  and  real  estate  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  K.  0.  Balstad  &  Sons,  R.  F.  D.  1, 
Fosston.  Mr.  Balstad  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church. 


NORMAN  HANSON. 


Having  begun  his  business  career  with  no  capital 

and  in  a  humble  and  very  poorly  paid  position,  and 

having  risen  by  studious  attention  to  whatever  he  had 

to  do  in  every  position  to  substantial  comfort  in  a 
27 


worldly  way  and  high  esteem  among  his  fellow  men, 
as  weU  as  to  an  exalted  rank  in  business  circles,  Nor- 
man Hanson,  cashier  of  the  bank  of  Matthews  &  Co., 
at  Fertile,  this  county,  has  demonstrated  the  value  of 


426 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


ability,  industry  and  fidelity  as  means  of  advancement 
in  the  world,  and  has  given  an  excellent  example  to 
the  young  niun  of  the  coining  generation. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Allamakee 
county,  Iowa,  in  1857,  the  son  of  Gunder  and  Kjersti 
Hanson,  who  were  born  in  Norway.  He  was  the  oldest 
in  a  family  of  twelve  children.  The  sou  worked  on  the 
farm  and  attended  school  until  1877,  when  he  moved 
to  Rock  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  first  worked  on 
a  farm  and  after\\'ard  obtained  a  position  in  a  general 
store  at  $12  a  month  and  board.  His  compensation 
was  raised  in  a  short  time  to  .$20  a  month  and  board, 
and  at  this  very  moderate  wages  he  continued  to 
render  faithful  sei-yice  to  his  employer  until  1880, 
moving  then  to  the  Red  river  valley. 

In  this  part  of  the  state  Mr.  Hanson  was  first  em- 
ployed as  a  day  laborer,  but  before  long  was  given 
a  position  in  a  real  estate  and  insurance  office  in  Glyn- 
don,  Clay  county.  Later  he  accepted  employment  in 
a  general  store  at  $50  a  month,  and  some  time  after- 
ward was  transferred  to  Ada  to  take  charge  of  a 
store  owned  by  the  same  firm  at  a  salary  of  $75  a 
month,  which  was  soon  raised  to  $100  a  month.  In 
1887  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Fertile  and  in  part- 


nership with  W.  H.  and  E.  L.  Matthews  and  F.  F.  S. 
Miller  founded  the  bank  of  Matthews  &  Co.  with  a 
capital  of  $10,000,  which  was  furnished  by  the  Messrs 
Matthews  and  Mr.  Miller.  During  the  nearly  twenty- 
nine  years  which  have  elapsed  since  then  Mr.  Hanson, 
has  had  charge  of  the  operations  of  this  bank,  the  last 
several  years  as  its  president. 

This  sound  and  progressive  financial  institution  is 
now  known  as  the  Fii-st  State  Bank  of  Fertile.  It  has 
a  capital  of  $25,000,  a  surplus  of  $5,000,  individual 
profits  amounting  to  $6,000  and  deposits  aggregating 
$280,000.  It  carries  on  a  general  banking  business, 
and  has  out  loans,  bonds  and  other  investments  total- 
ing $220,000.  Under  the  skillful  and  prudent  man- 
agement of  ]\Ir.  Hanson  it  has  grown  .steadily  and 
flourished  continuously,  and  it  is  now  regarded  in 
business  circles  as  one  of  the  best  of  its  rank  in  the 
northwest.  Mr.  Hanson  now  owns  a  controlling  inter- 
est in  it  and  is  also  interested  in  several  other  banks 
in  IMinnesota,  North  Dakota  and  Montana.  He  was 
married  in  1881  to  ]\Iiss  Julia  Christianson  near  where 
Fertile  now  stands.  They  have  had  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living.  The  oldest  son  of  the  family 
is  cashier  of  the  bank  of  which  his  father  is  president. 


PETER  STUHR. 


For  a  number  of  years  after  reaching  his  majority 
Peter  Stuhr,  now  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
the  village  of  Euclid,  in  this  county,  was  an  enterpris- 
ing and  successful  farmer.  He  was  bom  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  April  13,  1868,  and  is  the  son  of  Carsten 
and  Elsie  (Rogge)  Stuhr,  also  natives  of  Germany.  The 
family  came  to  the  United  States  when  Peter  was 
about  two  years  old,  and  about  one  year  later  located 
in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota.  In  March,  1880,  the 
family  residence  was  changed  to  Polk  county,  the 
father  having  taken  up  a  homestead  in  Section  4,  Eu- 
clid township,  the  year  before. 

Peter  Stuhr  remained  at  home  until  1896  and  fol- 
lowed farming  until  1899.  In  the  year  la.st  mentioned 
he  moved  to  Euclid,  and  during  the  next  five  years 


was  the  agent  of  the  Minneapolis  &  Northern  Grain 
Elevator  company  at  that  place.  Since  1904  he  has 
been  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Euclid,  con- 
ducting a  general  store  with  farm  implements  as  a 
large  part  of  his  stock.  He  has  built  up  an  extensive 
trade  bj'  his  enterprise,  his  knowledge  of  the  needs  of 
his  community  and  his  excellent  management,  and  is 
now  considered  one  of  the  leading  merchants  in  his 
part  of  Polk  county. 

On  June  2,  1896,  Mr.  Stuhr  was  married,  at  Euclid, 
to  Mrs.  Bertha  Misner,  the  widow  of  Wells  Misner, 
and  a  native  of  "Wisconsin.  They  have  two  children 
living,  Florence  and  Gordon,  and  lost  one  son  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Stuhr  had  three  children  by 
her  fir.st  marriage,  Harold,  Vasta  and  Ruth.     Mr. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


427 


Stuhr  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  all 
township  affairs.  For  eighteen  years  he  served  well 
and  wisely  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  he 
has  also  filled  most  of  the  other  township  offices  and 
all  with  credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  township. 


His  parents  are  still  living  in  Euclid  township.  Their 
six  children  are  Anna,  Peter,  Katie,  Mary,  Henry  and 
John.  Peter  owns  360  acres  of  land  near  the  village 
of  Euclid. 


ERICKSON  BROTHERS. 


Emil  and  Martin  Ericksou,  who  carry  on  a  general 
merchandising  business  at  Climax,  this  county,  in 
which  they  succeeded  A.  &  E.  Steeuerson  November 
20,  1906,  and  have  been  engaged  ever  since,  are  sons 
of  Hans  Erickson,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of 
Traill  count}'.  North  Dakota.  He  lives  ou  a  fine  farm 
in  that  county  nine  miles  west  of  Climax,  on  which  he 
settled  in  1877  or  1878,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  county.  His  farm  comprises  a  whole  half-sec- 
tion of  land  and  is  well  improved.  He  was  born  and 
reared  in  Norway,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
his  young  manhood,  locating  in  Mitchell  county, 
Iowa,  and  there  his  son  Emil  was  born,  September  20, 
1874.  Martin's  life  began  in  Traill  county.  North 
Dakota,  December  23,  1880. 

Emil  Erickson  remained  with  his  parents  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  then  returned 
to  Iowa  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Worth  county, 
opening  a  hardware  and  agricultural  implement  .store 
at  Joice.  He  kept  this  store  seven  years  and  built 
up  an  extensive  trade  for  it,  then  sold  the  business 
and  for  a  year  lived  in  Grand  Forks.  In  1906  he  and 
his  brother  Hildus  bought  the  business  of  the  Steener- 
sons,  at  Climax,  and  the  next  year  Martin  joined  them 


in  the  store,  taking  Hildus'  place  as  a  member  of  the 
firm.  Hildus  died  several  years  later  at  Bellmont, 
North  Dakota. 

The  two  enterprising  merchants,  who  are  trading 
under  the  firm  name  of  Erickson  Bros.,  have  about 
$10,000  invested  in  their  business  and  it  is  very  flour- 
ishing. Their  trade  is  growing  steadily  and  their  hold 
on  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  people  is  con- 
stantly increasing  and  intensifying.  They  are  strictly 
up-to-date  business  men,  and  they  please  the  commu- 
nity around  them  because  they  study  how  and  try 
hard  to  do  it.  They  make  it  their  first  consideration 
and  leading  desire  to  know  the  needs  of  their  trade 
and  their  prime  undertaking  to  provide  for  them. 

Emil  Erickson  was  married  at  Joice,  Iowa,  in  1901, 
to  Miss  Sophia  Holstad.  They  have  seven  children, 
Reuben,  Hazel,  ]\Iaynard,  Lillian,  Gladys,  lona  and 
Wilma,  aU  of  whom  are  still  with  their  parents.  Mar- 
tin's marriage  took  place  in  1904  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Amanda  Engen,  a  daughter  of  Ole  Eugen,  of 
Climax,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  will  be  found  in  this 
work.  Martin  and  his  wife  have  two  children,  their 
daughters  Vivian  and  Orpha.  The  brothers  and  their 
wives  belong  to  the  Lutheran  church  at  Climax. 


OLE  KNUDSON. 


Ole  Knudson,  who  is  one  of  Polk  county 's  advanced, 
enterprising  and  successful  farmers,  lives  on  Section 
10,  Roome  township,  nine  miles  west  of  Crookston, 
four  and  a  half  north  of  Eldred  and  five  southeast  of 
Fisher,  owns  480  acres  of  excellent  land  improved 
with  good  modem  buildings  and  up-to-date  conven- 
iences, and  carries  on  extensive  operations  with  great 


vigor,  progressiveness  and  profit  to  himself  and  the 
region  in  which  he  lives.  He  was  born  in  Norway, 
September  23,  1848,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1870.  After  spending  some  months  at  Decorah, 
Iowa,  he  moved  to  Reed's  Landing  in  "Wabasha  county, 
Minnesota,  and  there  he  worked  on  the  railroad. 
In  the  spring  of  1871  he  began  running  lumber 


428 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


rafts  on  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis.  A  steam- 
boat was  used  to  push  and  steer  the  rafts,  and  each 
trip  to  the  Missouri  metropolis  consumed  about  three 
weeks.  Mr.  Knudson  next  spent  two  winters  as  a 
driver  in  the  lumber  woods  near  Menomouie,  Wis- 
consin, and  at  the  end  of  that  period  made  a  trip  to 
the  Black  Hills  to  prospect  for  gold.  He  had  no  luck, 
owing  to  lack  of  water,  Eind  remained  in  the  diggings 
only  about  one  month,  leaving  there  the  day  of  the 
Custer  massacre  and  in  the  midst  of  excitement  over 
the  theft  of  a  pony  in  the  locality  by  Indians.  His 
experience  as  a  gold  seeker  cost  him  about  $400. 

In  1878  Mr.  Knudson  decided  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  and  came  to  the  Red  river  region  in 
search  of  land  for  his  purpose.  He  selected  a  home- 
stead in  Section  11,  Roome  township,  and  Andrew 
and  John  Locken,  who  were  then,  or  afterward  became, 
his  brothers-in-law,  did  the  same.  They  all  obtained 
railroad  land  and  located  on  it,  building  a  house  and 
living  together  and  doing  their  own  house  work.  In 
1882  Mr.  Knudson  sold  his  laud  to  the  Lockens  and 
bought  a  part  of  the  place  on  which  he  now  lives  in 
Section  10,  which  was  a  homestead  belonging  to  Ole 
Lee. 

This  homestead  was  improved  with  a  little  log 
shanty  and  a  sod  stable,  and  about  twenty-five  acres 
of  it  had  been  plowed.  Mr.  Knudson  agreed  to  pay 
Ole  Lee  $1,800  for  it  and  was  soon  able  to  make  the 
whole  payment.  He  had  broken  some  200  acres  of 
his  first  farm  and  seeded  it  in  wheat.  He  liarvested 
a  good  crop  from  this  and  got  $1.25  a  bushel  for  wliat 
he  sold,  and  so  he  had  money  to  clear  his  new  home 
of  debt.  But  he  had  no  team  with  which  to  cultivate 
the  land,  and  had  to  work  for  other  farmers  to  get 
one.    He  succeeded  in  buying  a  team  that  same  year, 


and  at  once  proceeded  to  devote  his  attention  to  his 
own  land. 

From  this  time  on  Mr.  Knudson  was  in  debt  for 
thirty  years.  But  he  bought  eighty  acres  more  for 
$600,  an  additional  tract  of  160  for  $2,000  and  still 
another  of  eighty  for  $1,100.  His  farm  is  now  half 
a  mile  wide  and  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  with  the  build- 
ings at  the  north  end,  the  house  in  which  he  now 
lives  having  been  built  in  1891.  His  crop  in  1915 
aggregated  9,000  bushels  of  wheat,  oats  and  barley. 
He  also  keeps  nine  milch  cows  and  furnishes  cream 
for  ice  cream  factories  in  Crookston.  His  cattle  are 
Shorthorns  and  Holsteins  of  good  quality,  and  he 
keeps  fifteen  horses  for  his  work.  He  has  recently  in- 
stalled a  complete  acetylene  lighting  plant  for  his 
buildings. 

Mr.  Knudson  served  as  chairman  of  the  township 
board  for  twelve  or  fourteen  years  and  then  refused 
to  accept  the  office  longer.  He  has  also  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  for  eighteen  years,  and  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  all  drainage  and  good  roads 
movements  in  his  township.  He  has  been  married 
three  times.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Guro  Locken, 
sister  of  John  and  Andrew  Locken,  who  died  three 
years  after  her  marriage,  leaving  no  children.  His 
second  wife  was  Miss  Mary  Locken,  a  sister  of  tlie 
first  wife.  She  died  a  year  and  a  half  after  her  mar- 
riage, leaving  one  son,  George,  who  is  now  26  and  still 
with  his  father.  On  December  19,  1897,  Mr.  Knud- 
son solemnized  his  third  marriage,  which  iinited  him 
with  Mrs.  Josephine  Carlson,  a  widow  with  one  son, 
Wilfred,  who  is  now  27.  By  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Knudson  she  has  become  the  mother  of  another  son, 
Richard,  M'ho  is  16.  Mr.  Knudson  is  a  RepTiblican  in 
politics  and  he  and  his  wife  and  sons  belong  to  the 
Lutheran  church. 


OLE  CHRISTIANSEN. 


The  late  Ole  Christiansen,  who  developed  and  im- 
proved a  fine  farm  of  224  acres  in  Section  29,  Lowell 
township,  and  who  died  February  14, 1908,  aged  fifty- 
five  years,  was  one  of  the  sturdy  and  sterling  citizens 


of  Polk  county  for  many  years.  He  was  born  at  Shal- 
land,  Denmark,  and  came  with  his  parents.  Christian 
and  Caroline  Hansen,  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in   Ottertail  countv,  Minnesota.     There   the  mother 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


429 


died,  and  sooii  afterward  tlie  father  and  son  moved 
to  Polk  county,  where  Mr.  Christiansen  bought  rail- 
road land.  Thej'  settled  here  in  the  j'ear  1878.  The 
country  at  that  time  was  new  and  unimproved;  there 
were  few  settlers,  but  the  land  was  soon  taken  up. 
The  farm  is  on  the  Red  Lake  river,  and  is  part  timber 
land  and  part  meadow  bottom  and  upland,  and  the 
latter  is  devoted  to  growing  grain  and  hay. 

Mr.  Christiansen  continued  to  manage  his  farm 
until  his  death.  He  erected  most  of  the  buildings  now 
on  it  and  improved  it  into  a  fine  farm  and  an  attract- 
ive country  home.  He  served  in  township  offices  near- 
ly all  the  years  of  his  life  in  Polk  county,  being  a 
member  of  the  township  board,  supervisor,  clerk  and 
assessor  at  different  times.  He  was  married  in  this 
county  to  Miss  Anna  Olson,  who  died  within  one  year 
after  his  demise.  They  had  five  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living.  Carl  and  Alfred  have  the  real  estate. 
Christiana  is  the  wife  of  Martin  Gulseth.  Lorena  is 
the  wife  of  Otto  Nelson,  of  Polk  county  and  Alice  is 
unmarried. 

Alfred  is  now  cultivating  the  farm.    He  was  born 


on  it  May  4,  1882,  and  when  he  was  thirty-one  was 
married,  in  Denmark,  March  18,  1914,  to  Miss  Cather- 
ine Marie  Christensen.  They  have  one  child,  their 
daughter  Anna  Harriet.  Mr.  Christiansen  keeps  an 
average  of  twenty -five  head  of  dairy  and  beef  cattle, 
his  milch  cows  numbering  five  to  twelve  according  to 
circumstances.  He  was  elected  to  his  first  public  office, 
that  of  township  clerk,  in  1915,  and  he  is  giving  its 
duties  devoted  attention  and  gives  the  residents  of  the 
township  good  satisfaction  in  his  performance  of  them, 
as  it  was  expected  he  would  when  they  elected  him. 

Carl  Christiansen  was  married  to  Miss  Olga  Ek- 
lund,  November  4,  1915.  He  also  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Lowell  township.  He  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  office  of  school  treasurer  and  served  in 
it  several  years.  He  now  owns  and  operates  a  thresh- 
ing outfit,  and  also  lives  on  the  farm,  and,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Alfred  is  also  operating  a  feed 
mill,  and  a  saw  miU  on  the  home  farm  on  the  bank  of 
Red  Lake  river,  the  output  of  the  mill  being  40,000 
to  100,000  feet  of  lumber  every  winter. 


OLAUS  BENSON. 


One  of  the  pu.shing,  thriving,  up-to-date  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  is  Olaus 
Benson,  who  lives  in  Section  1,  Hubbard  township, 
owns  320  acres  of  land  in  addition  to  the  farm  on 
which  he  lives  and  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ben- 
son Bros.,  general  merchants,  at  Neilsville.  He  was 
bom  in  Hoi;ston  county,  Minnesota,  April  3,  1868, 
and  is  the  sou  of  Bendick  and  Gunhild  Breiland,  his 
surname  being  formed  by  the  addition  of  the  suffix 
"son"  to  part  of  his  father's  given  name,  according 
to  the  Norwegian  custom.  The  mother  died  in  Hous- 
ton county,  in  1871,  leaving  five  children,  of  which 
two  still  live,  Annie  and  Olaus.  The  former  is  living 
near  Gonvick,  in  Clearwater  county,  this  state. 

The  father  was  married  twice  afterward.  His  sec- 
ond wife  had  one  son,  Halvor  Benson,  who  is  in  part- 
nership wrni  Olaus  in  the  store  at  Neilsville.    A  few 


mouths  after  the  family  located  in  Polk  county  the 
second  wife  died.  The  third  wife  had  two  childi'en, 
Andrew,  who  is  living  on  his  father 's  homestead  near 
Trail,  in  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  and  Geline,  who  is 
married  and  has  her  home  at  Duluth.  The  family  came 
to  this  county  in  1880,  and  the  father  lived  here  until 
1887,  when  he  took  up  a  homestead  near  Trail,  where 
he  died  in  1910. 

Olaus  Benson  began  to  work  out  for  wages  early  in 
life  and  gave  part  of  his  earnings  to  his  parents.  But 
by  the  time  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  had 
$300  saved.  He  then  rented  a  farm  belonging  to  Tollof 
Tollofson,  an  uncle  of  Olaus'  half  brother,  Halvor, 
whom  Tollofson  reared.  Olaiis  married  Mr.  Tollofson 's 
only  child,  Turin,  and  when  her  father  died  she  inher- 
ited his  farm  of  185  acres.  Mr.  Tollofson  was  born  in 
Norway  and  came  to  the  United  States  before  the  Civil 


430 


COMPENDIU.M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


war.  He  served  iu  that  war  for  three  years  iu  a  Wis- 
eousin  regimeut,  and  came  to  Red  River  valley  in  1871, 
one  of  the  first  settlers.  He  lived  there  until  he  died, 
in  1890.    His  wife,  Sigred,  died  in  1905. 

Mr.  Benson  has  built  one  of  the  best  country  resi- 
dences in  Polk  county  on  his  farm,  which  comprises 
320  acres  in  addition  to  the  Tollofson  land,  and  on 
this  he  raises  large  crops  of  grain  and  potatoes.  His 
crop  in  1915  amounted  to  4,000  bushels  of  wheat,  2,000 
of  barley,  1,500  of  oats  and  an  abundant  yield  from 
forty  acres  of  potatoes.  He  keeps  regularly  thirty 
head  of  good  cattle,  employs  two  men  all  the  time,  owns 
his  threshing  outfit,  plows  with  a  tractor  engine  and 


uses  an  automobile  for  driving  and  hauling.  He  and 
his  wife  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  their  daughter, 
Gina;  and  Ilanna  Arneson  is  reared  at  the  Benson 
home. 

In  1905  Mr.  Benson  and  his  half-brother,  Halvor, 
started  a  general  store  at  Neilsville.  Halvor  has  been 
in  charge  of  the  store  ever  since,  while  Olaus  has  given 
his  attention  mainly  to  his  farming  operations.  Both 
eutei'prises  have  flourished  through  careful  manage- 
ment and  good  business  ability,  and  both  are  steadily 
growing  in  value  and  the  volume  of  their  operations, 
and  the  men  at  the  head  of  them  are  everywhere  held 
in  high  and  general  esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 


OLE  0.  ROMO. 


Having  come  to  this  county  about  thirty-six  years 
ago  with  no  earthly  possessions  except  about  $20 
saved  out  of  slender  and  hard-earned  wages  paid  him 
in  another  county  in  this  state,  and  having  acquired 
the  ownership  of  200  acres  of  well-improved  and  pro- 
ductive laud  and  other  property  by  his  industry,  thrift 
and  good  management,  Ole  0.  Romo,  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  enterprising  farmers  of  Vineland  town- 
ship, has  made  his  time  and  ability  tell  greatly  to  his 
advantage  and  worked  out  a  career  of  usefulness  and 
success  that  is  highly  creditable  to  him. 

Mr.  Romo  was  born  iu  the  ancient  and  historic  city 
of  Trondhjem,  Norway,  July  7,  1860,  and  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents,  Ole  and 
Kjersti  Romo,  when  he  was  nine  years  old.  The  fam- 
ily settled  on  eighty  acres  of  railroad  land  about 
thirty  miles  southwest  of  Red  Wing,  Minnesota,  and 
there  the  parents  died  some  years  later.  Of  their 
seven  children  only  Ole  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Charles 
Nelson,  are  residents  of  Polk  county.  The  others  are 
living  in  different  parts  of  Minnesota  and  the  adjoin- 
ing state  of  North  Dakota. 

Ole  0.  Romo  came  to  this  county  in  1880  with  his 
sister  and  her  husband,  Charles  Nelson,  and  worked 
for  the  latter,  breaking  nearly  all  of  his  land,  includ- 
ing the  part  that  now  lies  in  the  village  of  Climax. 
He  next  worked  for  Levi  Steenerson,  who  lived  at 


that  time  in  a  little  cabin  about  where  his  present 
residence  stands.  He  was  with  Mr.  Steenerson  six 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  had  .$700  to  invest 
in  a  farm  for  himself.  He  bought  the  homestead  of 
Ole  Bramseth,  a  pioueer,  in  Section  28,  Vineland  town- 
ship, one  mile  and  a  half  cast  of  Climax,  agi'eeing  to 
pay  $1,630  for  the  160  acres  of  land,  whose  improve- 
ments consisted  of  a  little  log  house,  a  stable  and  a 
granary,  all  covered  with  straw  and  sod.  The  land 
was  nearly  all  plowed  and  Mr.  Romo  was  allowed  ten 
or  eleven  years  in  which  to  complete  his  payments  on  it, 
and  these  he  at  once  began  to  make  provision  for. 

Soon  after  taking  possession  of  his  farm  Mr.  Romo 
built  a  small  frame  house  on  it,  and  that  lie  and  his 
family  occupied  until  a  few  years  ago,  when  the  pres- 
ent dwelling  was  erected,  as  were  the  barn  and  other 
buildings.  Becoming  at  once  an  intensive  farmer, 
Init  devoting  his  forces  mainly  to  raising  grain,  he 
prospered  from  the  start.  His  crop  in  1915  averaged 
30  bushels  of  wheat  and  53  bushels  of  oats  to  the  acre. 
He  keeps  a  good-sized  drove  of  cattle,  including  nine 
or  ten  milch  cows,  and  owns  stock  in  the  co-operative 
creamery,  the  co-operative  store  and  the  telephone 
company  at  Climax.  In  addition,  he  has  bought  forty 
acres  of  other  land  and  has  a  lot  and  house  in  the 
village  of  Climax. 

Mr.  Romo  was  married  just  before  he  located  on 


■ 

^^H 

^HF                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 

^^^1 

mi'                              '^n^^^^^l 

^ 

V,  JjHp'^''^.            ^^^^^^^^H 

1 

ANDREW  J.  KELL^Y 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


4J1 


his  farm  to  Mrs.  Sigre  Amuudsou,  a  native  of  Norway, 
and  the  widow  of  Ole  Amundson,  who  had  a  farm  of 
145  acres  in  Hubbard  township.  She  had  oue  child 
by  her  fii-st  marriage,  Alfred  Amundson,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Hubbard  township.  By  her  second  mar- 
riage Mrs.  Romo  has  become  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren :  Oscar,  who  is  cultivating  her  farm  in  Hubbard 
township;  Oliver,  who  is  variously  employed  in  the 
neighborhood;  Clara  and  Thea,  who  are  employed  in 
the  central  telephone  office  in  Climax;  Bertha,  who 


is  living  at  home ;  Josie,  who  is  a  high  school  student 
in  Climax,  and  Olga,  who  is  attending  the  district 
school  there. 

The  members  of  the  family  all  belong  to  Skatvold 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  Mr.  Romo  is  the  treasurer 
and  one  of  the  trustees.  He  has  also  served  as  town- 
ship supervisor  for  three  years  and  is  now  president 
of  the  school  district.  He  is  a  director  of  the  co- 
operative store  and  tlie  co-operative  creamery  at 
Climax,  also  treasurer  for  the  Ladies  Aid  at  Skatvold. 


ANDREW  J.  KELLEY. 


Andrew  J.  Kelley,  whose  pleasant  home  is  located 
on  the  Red  Lake  river  one  mile  and  a  half  east  of 
Crookston,  is  a  scion  of  a  military  family,  and  was 
himself  a  valiant  soldier  in  our  Civil  war,  and  during 
that  momentous  struggle  gloriously  did  he  sustain  the 
examples  and  spirit  of  his  family.  His  grandfather, 
Andrew  Kelley,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  and 
fought  under  Washington.  His  father,  John  Kelley, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  he  also  fought 
under  Harrison  at  Tippecanoe,  where  he  was  left  on 
the  field  as  dead  from  a  tomahawk  woimd  from  the 
effects  of  which  he  died  young.  Andrew  J.  served 
three  years  in  the  Union  army,  Company  E,  Seven- 
teenth Michigan  infantry,  from  1862  to  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  his  son  Edwin,  the  present  sheriff  of 
Polk  coimty,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  of  short  endurance  but  decisive  results. 

Andrew  J.  Kelley  was  born  in  La  Grange  county, 
Indiana,  September  2,  1845,  and  moved  to  Adrian, 
Michigan,  where  he  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth.  He 
enlisted  in  1862,  served  to  the  close  of  the  conflict  and 
received  a  medal  for  specially  meritorious  conduct  in 
trying  situations.  He  took  part  in  more  than  thirty 
battles  and  had  some  very  trying  experiences,  being 
selected  at  different  times  for  particularly  hazardous 
duties.  Space  is  not  available  for  a  detailed  account 
of  his  military  exploits,  but  on  one  occasion  he  volun- 
teered to  burn  a  house  in  which  the  Confederates  were 
quartered  and  steadily  picking  off  the  flower  of  the 


Union  command,  and  in  company  with  five  others  suc- 
cessfully achieved  the  result  desired. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Kelley  became  an  officer  in  the 
Michigan  state  prison.  One  of  the  prisoners  had  a 
book  describing  the  Red  river  country,  and  this  in- 
duced Mr.  Kelley  to  come  to  this  region  in  1872.  Rail- 
road operations  were  almost  suspended  in  this  locality 
at  the  time,  and  he  journeyed  from  Glyndon  to  Crooks- 
ton  on  a  hand  car,  his  wife  being  with  him  and  holding 
the  present  sheriff  of  the  county  in  her  arms.  He 
selected  a  homestead  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 28,  Crookston  township,  two  miles  northeast  of 
Crookston  and  about  one  mile  from  the  Red  Lake 
river. 

Spending  the  summer  in  the  shack  on  his  home- 
stead, Mr.  Kelley  found  the  conveniences  of  life  almost 
wholly  lacking  in  his  neighborhood.  The  settlers  put 
a  sail  on  a  flat  car  and  with  this  would  run  to  Glyndon 
for  groceries  when  the  wind  was  favorable,  and  there 
they  would  remain  until  it  shifted  so  that  it  would 
bring  them  back,  as  the  trains  on  the  railroad  were 
not  running  regularly.  Mr.  Kelley  was  married  in 
1869  to  Miss  Ella  A.  Fleming,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  S. 
Fleming,  D.  D.,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  in  Indiana. 
In  May,  1873,  his  wife  and  children  joined  him  on 
the  homestead.  His  house  was  the  only  one  on  the 
prairie  between  Crookston  and  Red  Lake  agency.  In- 
dians often  visited  it  for  food,  but  they  never  showed 
any  violence.    Sometimes  they  brought  their  wives  and 


432 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


children  with  them.  Elk  and  other  large  game  were 
plentiful,  and  all  the  incidents  of  frontier  life  were 
at  hand. 

Since  settling  here  Mr.  Kelley  has  given  his  atten- 
tion mainly  to  his  farm.  But  he  has  served  as  town- 
ship clerk  since  the  organization  of  the  township.  In 
the  course  of  time  he  acquired  another  quarter-section 
of  land  and  later  bought  forty  acres  on  the  bank  of 
Red  Lake  river,  and  on  this  tract  he  now  has  his  home. 
His  principal  dependence  for  many  years  was  raising 
grain,  but  during  the  last  fifteen  he  has  given  a  great 
deal  of  attention  to  dairj'ing. 

Mrs.  Kelley  is  a  native  of  Michigan  and  she  and 
Mr.  Kelley  were  married  at  Burr  Oak  in  that  state. 
They  have  seven  children:  Herbert,  a  civil  engineer, 
whose  home  is  now  in  Vancouver,  British  Columbia ; 


Edwin  Fleming,  who  is  now  (1916)  sheriff  of  Polk 
county;  Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  Bert  Cochrane,  of 
Crookston ;  Mabel,  who  is  the  wife  of  David  Fleming, 
a  member  of  the  Crookston  police  force;  Maude,  who 
is  the  wife  of  M.  J.  0  'Boyle,  a  machinist  in  Crookston ; 
and  Lulu  and  Leonard  H.,  who  are  stiU  membei-s  of 
the  parental  family  circle.  The  parents  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  and  were  among  its  first 
communicants.  ]Mr.  Kelley  was  the  first  Sunday 
school  superintendent  in  Crookston,  presiding  over  a 
union  Sunday  school  which  he  started  in  1874,  and 
he  has  been  continuously  interested  in  Sunday  school 
work  since.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican  Pro- 
hibitionist, and  rejoices  in  now  seeing  Crookston 
"di*y,"  which  it  never  was  until  veiy  recently. 


MICHAEL  QUIRK. 


This  extensive,  enterprising  and  successful  farmer 
of  Polk  county,  who  managed  all  his  own  land  until 
a  short  time  ago,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  United 
States  for  about  fifty-four  years  and  of  Polk  county, 
Minnesota,  about  forty-five  years.  He  was  bora  in 
County  Galway,  Ireland,  some  seventy-five  years  ago, 
and  left  his  native  land  for  America  while  our  country 
was  in  the  terrible  throes  of  the  war  between  the  North 
and  South.  He  landed  at  New  York  and  for  some 
years  was  employed  in  railroad  work  in  that  state, 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  states  westward  a.s  far  as  l\Iis- 
souri. 

In  1872  he  was  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  fi'om 
that  city,  in  company  with  Barney  Haggerty  and 
Mattie  Martin,  all  of  whom  were  unmarried  except 
Mr.  Haggerty,  he  traveled  by  boat  up  the  Mississippi 
to  St.  Paul  and  from  there  overland  to  Moorhead. 
At  the  place  last  named  they  heard  accounts  of  the 
value  of  the  land  farther  down  the  Red  river,  and 
all  of  them  came  to  Polk  county  and  all  squatted  on 
unsurveyed  land.  Patrick  Quigley  joined  the  party 
at  Moorhead,  and  he  also  took  up  land. 

When  the  land  was  surveyed  Mr.   Quirk  filed  a 


homestead  claim  on  his  tract  of  160  acres,  and  he  now 
owns,  in  addition  to  his  homestead,  a  whole  half-sec- 
tion in  Fisher  township  and  another  fai-m  of  160  acres 
in  Tynsid  township,  the  homestead  being  in  Section 
15,  Tynsid  township,  and  bordering  on  the  Red  river. 
For  many  years  Mr.  Quirk  farmed  all  of  these  farms 
and  got  large  returns  from  them.  He  came  to  this 
county  with  only  about  .$500.  His  first  home  in  it 
was  a  little  log  cabin,  and  his  first  team  was  a  yoke 
of  oxen.  The  log  cabin  has  been  replaced  by  a  com- 
modious and  comfortable  frame  house,  and  the  oxen 
have  given  way  to  horses  and  steam  and  gasoline  mo- 
tive power.  Thus  the  hard.v  and  adventurous  pioneer 
of  the  W'ilderness  has  kept  pace  with  the  progress  of 
events  and  improvement,  and  he  has  shown  himself 
to  be  of  a  progressive  and  productive  nature,  and  well 
qualified  to  make  the  most  of  his  opoprtunities,  sur- 
roundings and  resources.  But  he  has  devoted  his  en- 
ergies wholly  to  the  requirements  of  his  farming  in- 
dustry, raising  wheat  as  his  main  crop,  and  has  never 
held  or  sought  a  public  office,  although  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  the  development  of  his  locality  and  done  his 
part  to  promote  that  with  ardor  and  intelligence. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


433 


Mr.  Quirk  was  married  three  years  after  comiug  to 
this  county  to  Miss  Lizzie  Lealos,  also  a  uative  of  Ire- 
land but  residing  at  Red  Lake  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage. Their  offspring  numbered  eight,  three  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Of  the  sons  Edward  is  living  on  a 
farm  near  that  of  his  father.  John  is  a  resident  of 
Bygland  township,  and  Matthew  is  cultivating  the 
home  place.     Only  four  of  the  daughters  are  living, 


the  oldest,  Maggie,  having  died  in  early  life.  Annie 
is  the  wife  of  John  Gannaw  of  Grand  Porks.  Lizzie 
and  Mamie  are  living  at  home,  and  Delia  is  the  wife  of 
Patrick  Quigley,  the  nearest  neighbor  of  the  home 
family.  Mr.  Quirk  is  a  Democrat  in  political  faith  and 
allegiance  and  all  the  members  of  his  family  belong 
to  the  Catholic  church  at  Pisher. 


ODIN  J.  BJORNSTAD. 


Although  he  is  one  of  the  younger  farmers  of  Polk 
county  and  also  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  public  offi- 
cials of  his  township,  Odin  J.  Bjornstad,  who  lives  on 
Section  24,  Hubbard  township,  one  mile  west  of  Neils- 
ville,  is  one  of  the  most  aggressive  grapplers  with  prob- 
lems involving  advanced  agriculture  for  the  welfare 
of  his  locality  and  public  interests  for  the  good  of  the 
whole  county  now  residing  in  this  part  of  the  state 
of  Minnesota.  And  he  has  already  made  a  record  for 
progressiveness  and  breadth  of  view  that  would  be 
creditable  to  a  man  much  more  advanced  in  years  and 
experience. 

Mr.  Bjornstad  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is 
now  living  October  15, 1886,  the  son  of  J.  J.  and  Karen 
Bjornstad,  natives  of  Norway,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  and  direct  to  Polk  county  in  1875  and  at  once 
took  up  a  homestead  which  is  a  part  of  the  present 
family  home.  They  had  only  $1  when  they  arrived 
here,  and  Mrs.  Bjornstad  went  to  Grand  Forks  to  get 
employment  for  her  support,  while  her  husband  lived 
in  a  dugout  and  did  his  own  cooking  until  they  got  a 
start  in  the  New  World.  A  little  later  he  built  a  little 
log  cabin  on  his  land,  but  still  worked  out  for  his  liv- 
ing, being  employed  by  his  brother-in-law,  Nels  Pauls- 
rud. 

Times  have  mended  for  the  family  since  then,  and 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years  Mr.  Bjornstad,  the  elder, 
bought  an  additional  quarter-section  from  the  estate 
of  his  brother  Hans,  who  took  it  up  as  a  homestead 
on  which  he  died.  J.  J.  Bjornstad  cultivated  the  whole 
half-section  until  1909,  when  his  son  Odin  took  charge 


of  it,  and  the  father  has  since  lived  retired  from  active 
pursuits  but  maintained  his  home  on  the  farm.  He  and 
his  wife  became  the  parents  of  .seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living.  Mary  has  her  home  with  her  par- 
ents. Eliza  is  the  wife  of  George  Burd,  of  Hubbard 
township.  Odin  J.  has  charge  of  the  home  farm.  Net- 
tie has  taught  in  the  schools  of  Ottertail  county  in  this 
state  and  during  the  last  five  years  in  those  of  North 
Dakota.  She  is  now  teaching  in  the  high  school  at 
Hillsboro  in  that  state.  Hans  is  living  on  the  farm 
with  his  parents. 

Odin  J.  Bjornstad  completed  his  academic  educa- 
tion at  Concordia  College,  in  Moorhead,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1907,  in  the  classical  course.  Since 
assuming  control  of  the  farm  he  has  made  a  specialty 
of  raising  potatoes,  devoting  about  seventy  acres  to 
this  one  product  annually.  He  Ls  a  partner  with  T.  A. 
Thompson  in  the  ownership  and  operation  of  the  potato 
warehouse  at  Neilsville  and  has  a  one-half  interest  in 
it.  They  store  about  18,000  bushels  of  potatoes  in 
this  warehouse  and  they  are  all  held  for  seed,  the  Red 
River  Ohios  being  the  favorite  species,  and  the  most 
of  their  stock  is  shipped  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  more 
than  300  carloads  being  sent  from  Neilsville  to  that 
mart  for  seed  in  1914. 

Mr.  Bjornstad  has  also  taken  a  warm  and  helpful 
interest  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  locality  and  is  at 
present  (1916)  chairman  of  the  township  board  and  in 
the  third  year  of  his  service  as  such.  He  is  independent 
in  political  affairs.  Like  the  other  members  of  his 
family  he  belongs  to   St.  Peter's  United  Lutheran 


434 


C0MPEND1U.M  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


church  aud  he  has  been  for  some  years  secretary  of  aci-es  of  land  in  Traill  county,  North  Dakota,  three 
the  congregation.  He  is  unmarried.  In  addition  to  miles  west  of  Neilsville,  which  he  has  farmed  by  a 
his  holdings  in  Polk  county,  Minesota,  he  owns  285      tenant. 


THEODORE  M.  BOYER. 


Theodore  M.  Beyer,  who  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  at  Beltrami,  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  July 
31,  1870,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Becker 
county,  Minnesota,  the  next  year.  His  parents,  Peter 
0.  and  Barbro  Boyer,  are  still  living  in  Becker  county, 
where  the  son  was  reared  to  the  age  of  eighteen  on  the 
home  fann.  He  began  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  and  completed  the  academic  part  of  it  at  a 
college  in  St.  Paul  and  the  State  Normal  school  in 
Moorhead.  He  also  pursued  a  special  course  of  train- 
ing for  business  at  a  commercial  school  in  St.  Paul. 

After  leaving  school  Mr.  Boyer  clerked  in  a  general 
store  in  Steele  county.  North  Dakota,  for  a  year  and 
a  half  and  after  that  in  a  store  in  Becker  county,  this 
state,  for  two  years.  On  March  9,  1897,  he  came  to 
Polk  county,  and  for  a  short  time  clerked  in  a  store 
at  Climax.  He  was  then  appointed  postmaster  at 
Eldred,  receiving  the  appointment  in  May.  By  June 
he  had  completed  the  second  building  and  the  first  store 
house  in  the  new  village  and  opened  the  first  store 
there.  He  had  about  $1,500  to  start  the  store  with, 
including  the  building,  and  he  kept  the  store  until  the 
spring  of  1912,  a  periocl  of  fifteen  years. 

In  1903,  in  partnership  with  his  brothers,  M.  P.  and 
C.  A.  Boyer,  he  opened  his  present  store  at  Beltrami 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bover  Bros.  &  Co.     M.  P. 


Boyer  had  been  associated  with  him  in  conducting  the 
store  at  Eldi-ed,  but  in  1903  he  took  charge  of  the 
Beltrami  store,  and  later  he  returned  to  Eldred,  where 
he  died  January  3,  1912.  The  other  brother,  C.  A. 
Boyer,  was  in  charge  of  the  Beltrami  store  one  year. 
After  that  Theodore  took  charge  of  it,  and  he  has  since 
been  its  sole  proprietor.  He  liandles  all  kinds  of  farm 
pi'oduce,  uses  $8,000  to  $10,000  in  his  business  and 
employs  two  clerks.  His  trade  has  grown  from  the 
start  and  is  steadily  increasing  all  the  time. 

Mr.  Boyer  served  as  treasurer  of  Roome  township 
two  years  while  living  there.  He  was  married  at 
Eldred  on  June  1st  in  1890  to  Miss  Angeline  Arness, 
a  daughter  of  Alexander  P.  and  Randine  Arness,  who 
are  now  residents  of  Fisher,  in  this  county.  Mrs. 
Boyer  was  born  in  Norway  but  brought  by  her  parents 
to  Polk  county,  Minesota,,  when  she  was  eight  years 
old.  She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  Pereival,  Alexander,  Theobald,  Ruth  and 
Lucille.  Mr.  Boyer,  in  fraternal  relations,  belongs  to 
the  Order  of  Woodmen  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
its  welfare,  and  of  which  he  was  venerable  consul  for 
one  year  and  clerk  for  five  years.  After  moving  to 
Beltrami  he  has  served  on  the  village  board  as  council- 
man for  six  years. 


JOHN  0.  CHRISTI ANSON. 


John  0.  Christianson,  who  owns  and  lives  on  a  fine 
farm  in  Section  10,  Garfield  township,  on  which  he 
located  in  1892,  is  one  of  the  enterpi-ising,  progressive 
and  succes.sful  farmers  of  Polk  county  and  enjoys  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him.  He  was 
born  in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  October  14,  1864, 
his  parents  having  located  there  just  prior  to  the  Civil 


war  and  his  father's  brother  three  or  four  years  earlier. 
They  both  took  up  government  land,  and  in  1880,  the 
parents  of  John  0.,  who  were  Ole  and  Anna  Christian- 
son,  moved  to  this  county  and  took  up  a  homestead 
in  Garfield  township,  which  is  now  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  their  son  Otto. 

John  0.  Christiansen's  farm,  which  comprises  160 


COMPEiNDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


435 


acres,  is  located  three  miles  and  a  half  northeast  of 
Fertile,  and  is  now  under  cultivation  to  the  extent  of 
ninety-five  acres.  He  bought  it  in  1892  at  $16  an 
acre.  Fifty  acres  were  then  in  a  partial  state  of  culti- 
vation, but  the  land  had  on  it  no  buildings  fit  to  use. 
He  built  a  log  house,  of  logs  cut  in  hLs  own  timber 
mainly,  and  chose  an  excellent  location  for  it  on  an 
elevation  thirty-five  feet  above  Lake  Arthur,  an  ex- 
panse of  200  acres,  which  it  overlooks,  and  in  the  midst 
of  a  beautiful  grove.  The  other  improvements  on  the 
farm  are  also  of  good  quality. 

Mr.  Christianson  raises  grain,  hay  and  mixed  live 
stock,  one  of  his  specialties  being  white  Chester  hogs. 
He  keeps  ten  cows  for  milk  for  the  Co-operative  Cream- 
ery company  at  Fertile,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder. 
He  served  as  road  overseer  for  a  number  of  years 
and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  a  long  time. 
His  first  venture  in  land  in  this  county  was  on  a 
homestead  in  Onstad  township,  and  his  brother  Ole 
took  up  the  present  farm  as  a  homestead  for  himself. 
Later  John  0.  sold  his  homestead  in  Onstad  township 


and  bought  his  brother  Ole's,  on  which  he  is  now  liv- 
ing. Ole  is  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
in  Crookston. 

In  1889  Mr.  Christianson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Carrie  Nesseth,  a  sister  of  the  late  Thomas 
II.  Nesseth,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  will  be  found  in 
this  volume.  Ten  children  have  been  born  of  the 
union,  and  nine  of  them  are  living.  Henry  0.  has 
been  operating  a  threshing  outfit  for  six  years.  Albert 
M.  has  a  homestead  in  Canada  on  which  he  lives. 
AVilliam  T.,  Clifford  I.,  George  N.  and  John  ai'e  living 
at  home  and  helping  to  operate  the  farm.  Mabel  S. 
i.s  the  teacher  of  the  school  near  the  family  home.  She 
is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  at  Fertile  and  of  a 
course  of  training  at  the  Moorbead  Normal  school. 
Clara  and  Lillie  are  living  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. All  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to  the 
Little  Norway  United  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Chris- 
tianson 's  father  donated  three  acres  of  ground  for  the 
church  site  and  the  cemetery  belonging  to  it. 


F.  GUY  STEARNS. 


As  proprietor  of  the  Climax  Roller  Mills,  which 
make  100  barerls  of  flour  a  day  for  merchant  and  cus- 
tom trade,  supplying  a  large  local  and  an  extensive 
Eastern  market,  F.  Guy  Stearns  is  carrying  on  a  very 
useful  industry  and  ministering  in  a  substantial  way 
to  the  comfort  and  general  welfare  of  his  fellow  men 
as  well  as  to  the  industrial  and  commercial  consequence 
of  his  home  township,  coimty  and  state.  The  mills 
were  built  in  1898  by  Brasseth  Bros,  at  a  cost  of  nearly 
$20,000.  They  have  five  double  stands  of  rollers  and 
a  feed  roll,  and  are  operated  by  water  and  steam 
power.  In  1909  the  mills  were  bought  by  Messrs.  Nel- 
son &  Gilbertson,  and  in  1913  Mr.  Stearns  purchased 
them  and  has  made  many  improvements  in  them,  hav- 
ing installed  modern  machinery  throughout.  He  is 
now  installing  an  electric  light  plant  to  supply  the 
mills  and  the  village  of  Climax  with  light.  The  plant 
M'ill  be  one  of  thirty  horse-power  and  the  current  of 


220  volt  D.  C.  strength.  It  should  be  stated  that  Mr. 
Stearns  manufactures  in  his  mills  a  cream  of  wheat 
food  and  also  Graham  flour  in  addition  to  the  large 
quantities  of  wheat  flour  he  turns  out. 

Mr.  Stearns  was  born  in  "Webster  City,  Hamilton 
county,  Iowa,  in  1879,  and  learned  his  trade  as  a 
miller  and  all  the  details  of  the  flour-making  industry 
under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  who  was  in  charge 
of  a  large  mill  in  Webster  City,  where  the  father  and 
son  had  built  the  Stearns  mill.  The  son  spent  eleven 
years  as  owner  and  manager  of  the  Webster  City  mills. 
He  then  sold  them  and  in  1910  went  to  North  Dakota, 
where  for  three  years  he  was  manager  of  a  flour  mill, 
grain  elevator  and  electric  light  plant  at  Walhalla, 
North  Dakota,  until  he  bought  the  mill  at  Climax  and 
became  a  resident  of  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  in  1913. 
He  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  North  Dakota 
and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  council  of 


436 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Climax  and  is  now  president  of  the  Climax  Community 
Development  Association. 

In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Stearns  is  connected  with 
the  Ma.sonic  Order  and  its  auxiliary,  the  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member, 
the  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Order  of  Woodmen.  He 
was  married  in  Illinois  in  1903,  to  Mis.s  Geneva  Mer- 
shon,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  I.  Mershon,  a  native  of  Mount 


CarroU,  Illinois.  They  have  four  children,  Robert 
Maynard,  Dorothy  Florence,  Frances  Jeannette  and 
Raymond  Guy.  At  stated  periods,  when  the  father 
needs  relief  from  the  exacting  cares  of  his  business 
and  physical  recreation  he  seeks  them  in  fishing  and 
hunting  trips,  which  never  fail  to  give  him  the  benefit 
he  looks  for. 


WILT,TA:M  FLEMING. 


With  his  early  manhood  filled  with  hard.ships,  pri- 
vations and  adventures  and  his  later  years  devoted  to 
arduous  toil  in  the  struggle  for  advancement  and  the 
full  development  of  the  land  on  which  he  squatted 
when  other  human  habitations  around  it  were  few  and 
far  apart,  William  Fleming,  who  is  now  living  retired 
at  501  Nortli  Third  street  in  East  Grand  Forks,  has 
had  an  interesting  career.  He  battled  bravely  with 
adversity  and  through  all  circumstances  and  conditions 
he  maintained  his  steadiness  of  pui-pose,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  he  won  a  substantial  triumph  over  all 
obstacles  and  wrung  from  unwilling  fate  a  comfortable 
competence  for  life. 

Mr.  Fleming  was  born  in  Lanarkshire,  Scotland, 
November  24,  1835,  and  emigrated  to  Hamilton,  On- 
tario, Canada,  in  1860.  He  was  a  farmer  in  his  native 
land  and  in  Canada,  and  wa.s  constantly  on  the  look- 
out for  better  opportunities  in  his  chosen  occupation. 
In  1867  he  came  to  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  and 
during  the  next  four  years  worked  at  railroad  ])uild- 
ing  and  in  other  lines,  and  in  1871  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  this  county.  Before  leaving  Canada  he  was 
married  to  Miss  ilary  Ann  Dodds,  a  native  of  Dum- 
fermline,  Scotland,  and  when  he  settled  in  Polk  county 
they  had  two  children.  At  that  time  Mr.  Fleming  had 
about  $500  in  money  and  two  yoke  of  cattle,  but  after 
being  one  day  on  the  road  to  this  county,  when  near 
Rochester,  his  cattle  wandered  off  into  the  brush  and 
for  four  days  were  lost  to  him.  A  heifer  and  calf 
that  went  with  the  cattle  were  never  recovered,  but 
the  yoke  cattle  were,  and  for  some  time  were  of  great 
service  to  him. 


At  Rochester  Mr.  Fleming  fell  in  with  Robert  Coul- 
ter and  Thomas  McVeety,  known  as  "Long  Tom," 
who  had  yoke  teams  and  were  on  their  way  to  Canada. 
Mr.  Coulter  was  married  and  had  his  wife  and  two 
children  with  him,  but  Mr.  McVeety  was  single.  They 
traveled  together  and  reached  the  Red  river,  which 
they  swam  and  then  moved  down  the  west  bank  to 
"The  Salts,"  about  twenty  miles  north  of  where 
Grand  Forks  now  stands,  there  being  no  settlement 
there  at  that  time.  At  that  place  their  longing  for 
Canada  ceased  and  they  decided  to  locate  in  Minne- 
sota. They  chose  a  region  on  Red  Lake  river  about 
seven  miles  east  of  what  is  now  East  Grand  Forks  and 
all  settled  close  together.  The  Hudson  Bay  company 
had  a  store  at  the  Forks,  and  they  made  their  head- 
quarters in  this,  until  they  swam  their  cattle  across 
the  river  to  get  to  their  land.  They  were  almost  alone 
in  the  wilderness,  N.  C.  Nash,  a  ]\Ir.  Hunt  and  a  Mrs. 
^Vlley  being  the  only  persons  within  miles  of  them,  and 
they  had  come  that  spring. 

For  awhile  our  adventurers  lived  under  a  tree  and 
began  at  once  to  break  their  land.  They  got  fifteen 
acres  broken  the  first  year,  and  then  had  a  long  fight 
with  the  blackbirds  in  getting  their  seed  covered,  and 
they  also  planted  a  few  potatoes.  Mr.  Fleming  used 
his  yoke  teams  for  some  years,  then  traded  them  for 
horses,  which  he  found  more  satisfactory.  In  winter 
he  took  a  load  of  lumber  to  Grand  Forks,  a  distance  of 
seven  miles  in  a  straight  line,  but  eighteen  traveling  on 
the  ice  on  the  Red  Lake  river.  In  March  the  ice 
broke  under  his  team  and  he  lost  both  of  his  horses, 
during  the  deepening  gloom  of  a  dark  night,  and 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


437 


within  eighty  rods  of  his  home.  The  Sioux  and  Chip- 
pewa Indians  were  frequent  visitors  at  his  home,  and 
they  would  dig  potatoes  and  do  other  work  for  food. 
He  huilt  a  log  house  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  and  his 
neighbors  did  the  same,  each  putting  up  one  for  him- 
self. Upon  one  occasion  three  bears  were  shot  within 
a  few  rods  of  the  log  house. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years  Mr.  Fleming  became 
the  owner  of  423  acres  of  land,  through  which  he 
gave  the  railroad  company  a  right  of  way.  He  raised 
grain  and  live  stock,  good  horses  and  Shorthorn  cattle, 
and  was  the  first  man  in  his  locality  to  own  an  im- 
ported stallion. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Fleming  became  the  father 
of  ten  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  His 
son  John  died  of  fever  January  26,  1894,  aged  twenty- 
two,  and  his  son  Robert  of  the  same  illness  two  days 
earlier  at  the  age  of  twenty.  The  children  who  are 
living  are :  William,  who  is  a  farmer  in  California ; 
Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Silcox  and  lives  in 


Saskatchewan,  Canada;  David,  who  is  a  member  of 
the  police  force  in  Crookston;  Margaret,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Cameron  and  is  also  a  resident  of  Sas- 
katchewan ;  Isabel,  who  is  Mrs.  John  Chaplin,  of  Sas- 
katchewan ;  Thomas,  who  is  living  on  the  old  family 
homestead,  and  Frank,  who  is  a  mechanic  and  a  resi- 
dent of  East  Grand  Forks. 

In  1898  Mr.  Fleming  revisited  Scotland,  and  on  his 
return  he  built  the  fine  dwelling  house  now  on  his 
farm.  He  has  also  put  up  good  barns  and  other  struc- 
tures needed  on  the  farm  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  He  has 
taken  a  very  active  and  helpful  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Bethel  Presbyterian  church,  which  he  helped  to 
build,  on  the  bank  of  the  Marias  river,  and  which  all 
the  members  of  his  family  living  near  enough  attend 
regularly. 

Mrs.  Fleming  died  in  California  October  23,  1903, 
and  in  November,  1911,  he  sold  the  place  and  moved 
to  his  present  residence  in  East  Grand  Forks. 


ASA  ALVERN  MERRILL. 


Owning  480  acres  of  well-drained,  highly  improved 
and  very  productive  land  in  sections  33,  34  and  35, 
in  Nesbit  township,  and  knowing  how  to  farm  it  to 
the  best  advantage,  the  late  Asa  A.  Merrill  was  one 
of  the  substantial  and  prosperous  farmers  of  Polk 
county,  and  he  was  what  he  was  because  he  had  the 
ability,  pluck  and  self-reliance  to  make  himself  so. 
He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  May  14,  1861, 
and  was  something  more  than  a  year  older  than  his 
brother,  C.  A.  Merrill,  a  sketch  of  whom,  containing 
the  family  history,  is  published  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Merrill  came  to  Minnesota  with  his  parents 
after  a  residence  of  some  time  in  Boone  county,  Illi- 
nois. He  remained  at  home  until  February  16,  1887, 
when  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary 
Speiser,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try alone  when  she  was  twenty  years  of  age.  She 
lived  with  her  brothers  in  Minneapolis  and  visited 
Polk  county,  and  she  thus  became  acquainted  with 


Mr.  Merrill,  to  whom  she  was  a  helpmate  in  the  best 
and  most  serviceable  significance  of  the  term. 

After  his  man-iage  Mr.  Merrill  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  A.  C,  and  together  they  pur- 
chased their  father's  farm,  on  which  A.  C.  afterward 
lived.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  at  the  end  of 
two  years,  and  then  Asa  A.  Merrill  moved  to  the  farm 
on  which  he  lived  until  his  death.  His  father  gave 
him  this  160  acres  unimproved  and  without  buildings 
of  any  kind,  the  son  having  erected  the  buildings  now 
standing  on  the  farm  in  1889  at  a  cost  of  over  $4,000. 

Mr.  Merrill,  after  living  some  years  on  his  first  160 
acres,  bought  160  acres  more  in  section  35  and  another 
in  section  34,  making  480  acres  in  all.  He  also  owned 
a  tract  of  timber  land  on  the  Red  Lake  river. 

For  the  prairie  land  he  owned  Mr.  Merrill  paid  $20 
an  acre.  He  raised  grain  on  a  large  scale  and  farmed 
in  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  manner  after 
he  got  his  land  drained  and  in  a  condition  to  work 


438 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


with  some  degree  of  certainty.  A  picture  still  extant 
showing  him  and  his  force  engaged  in  harvesting  one 
season  exhibits  a  long  line  of  reapers  with  plentj'  of 
men  to  iiandle  their  operations.  His  plan  was  to  har- 
vest, thresh  his  grain,  stack  his  straw  and  do  his  plow- 
ing all  at  one  time  and  with  the  same  motive  power, 
and  he  employed  thirty  hands  in  this  work. 

But  he  did  not  reach  this  leading  position  among 
the  farmers  of  the  county  without  many  disasters  and 
misfortunes.  For  years  hail  storms  destroyed  his 
crops.  At  other  times  the  heat  in  dry  seasons  burned 
them  lip,  and  at  still  others  the  land  was  so  wet  that 
it  would  not  produce  much.  One  year  the  whole  crop 
on  400  acres  was  lost.  But  in  time  the  ditch  was  dug, 
and  after  that  conditions  were  far  better  and  prosper- 


ity came  rapidly  and  kept  coming  with  steadily  in- 
creasing volume. 

Mr.  I\Ierrill  served  as  treasurer  of  Nesbit  township 
three  years,  and  as  school  director  of  his  district  many 
more.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  in  religious  matters 
was  friendly  to  all  churches  but  favored  none  in  par- 
ticular. He  died  July  20,  1914,  and,  as  he  was  a  reso- 
lute and  energetic  man,  was  his  own  manager  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  four  children.  Myrtie  was  drowned  in  the  Rfld 
Lake  river  at  the  age  of  thii'teen.  Ira  is  operating  the 
farm.  Floy  is  the  wife  of  E.  F.  Hollands,  an  engineer, 
and  lives  in  Winnipeg,  and  Arthur  is  still  living  with 
his  mother,  who  continues  to  live  on  the  farm. 


GEORGE  COULTER. 


This  gentleman,  who  built  up  and  developed  the 
Forest  Home  stock  farm  of  800  acres  in  Huntsville 
township,  this  county,  and  gave  it  a  national  reputa- 
tion, turned  his  attention  to  a  new  enterprise,  that  of 
clearing,  improving  and  transforming  into  a  good 
farm  320  acres  of  brash  land  iu  Beltrami  county,  ten 
miles  south  of  Bemidji.  He  bviilt  his  dwelling  near 
a  fine  spring  on  the  farm  and  at  once  began  cleaning 
np  the  land.  In  the  two  years  of  effort  which  he  has 
devoted  to  this  work  he  has  cleared  seventy-five  acres 
and  built  two  miles  and  a  half  of  good  road,  being  still 
very  enterprising,  although  well  advanced  in  age.  He 
paid  $20  an  acre  for  his  land  and  it  is  now  worth 
.$.35  and  steadily  increasing  in  value. 

Mr.  Coulter  was  born  in  County  Lanark,  Ontario, 
January  31,  1856,  and  became  a  resident  of  Polk 
County  about  1875.  He  took  a  homestead  at  what  is 
now  the  village  of  Mallory  on  the  Great  Northern  rail- 
road, and  on  this  he  lived  about  ten  years,  several  of 
them  as  a  bachelor  and  doing  his  own  housework,  often 
having  other  young  men  visiting  him.  His  next  home 
was  the  renowned  Forest  Home  stock  farm,  which  is 
now  occupied  by  his  son  George.  He  bought  a  small 
part  of  this  at  fir.st  and  kept  on  increasing  it  until  he 


now  owns  800  acres  in  one  body  in  this  farm.  He  con- 
ducted it.s  cultivation  and  live  stock  industry  until 
1912,  when  he  turned  it  over  to  his  son. 

On  this  farm  Mr.  Coulter,  the  elder,  bred  Aberdeen- 
Angus  cattle  for  beef  and  exhibition,  and  showed 
specimens  at  local  and  state  fairs  in  Minnesota,  win- 
ning many  first  prizes,  keeping  up  the  industry  until 
he  left  the  farm  and  sometimes  raising  100  head  of 
beef  cattle  in  a  year,  but  selling  most  of  his  product 
for  breeding  purposes.  He  also  bred  and  exhibited 
Scotch  collie  dogs,  being  an  enthusiast  in  these  as  well 
as  iu  Aberdeen- Angus  cattle. 

The  Forest  Home  stock  farm  is  composed  in  part 
of  railroad  and  school  land  and  the  residence  on  it  is 
on  the  bank  of  Red  Lake  river  in  a  fine  location.  A 
good  house  which  Mr.  Coulter  had  previously  built 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1906.  Grain  was  his  principal 
agricultural  product  while  he  managed  the  farm,  and 
of  this  he  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  producers  in 
Polk  county,  but  he  was  also  a  leader  in  the  live  stock 
industry,  and  takes  no  backward  place  in  any  line  of 
endeavor  in  which  he  engages. 

On  May  1,  1882,  when  there  was  a  foot  of  snow  on 
the  ground,  Mr.  Coulter  was  married  in  Grand  Forks 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


439 


to  Miss  Agnes  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  Brown 
of  East  Grand  Forks,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in 
this  work.  She  was  not  yet  seventeen  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage,  but  she  at  once  took  charge  of  the  house- 
keeping at  the  old  homestead,  and  there  one  daughter 
was  born  in  the  family.  She  and  tive  of  the  subse- 
quent children  are  living,  one  having  died  in  infancy. 
Margaret  is  the  wife  of  Jesse  Coulter,  at  The  Point 
on  Red  River,  and  has  four  children,  Clara,  William, 
Kenneth  and  Myra.  George  L.,  who  has  charge  of  the 
stock  farm,   married  Miss  Mary   Cole  and  has  two 


children,  Lorna  and  Robert.  Harriet,  a  graduate  of 
the  Agricultural  college  at  Crookston,  is  the  wife  of 
Irving  Bjerke,  of  Bemidji.  Florence,  who  completed 
her  education  at  the  University  of  North  Dakota,  is 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  Dietz  and  lives  on  her  father's 
old  homestead.  She  has  two  children,  her  daughters, 
Agnes  and  Jean.  Alvin  and  Elsie  are  living  with 
their  parents,  the  latter  being  a  student  at  the  high 
school  in  Ea.st  Grand  Forks.  All  the  members  of  the 
family  have  been  reared  in  and  hold  to  the  Presby- 
terian church. 


OLOF  ERICKSON. 


Almost  single  handed  and  alone  this  hardy  adven- 
turer dared  the  dangers  and  defied  the  hardships  and 
prirations  of  the  frontier  when  he  located  on  160  acres 
of  the  farm  he  now  occupies  in  Section  34,  Fisher 
township,  this  county,  which  he  took  as  a  homestead 
in  1874.  He  was  then  the  resident  dwelling  farthest 
south  in  this  region,  but  Andrew  and  Nels  Malmberg, 
who  came  with  him,  were  perhaps  not  very  far  away. 
They  had  all  worked  on  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad, 
and  the  Malmbergs  had  helped  to  build  it  into  Crooks- 
ton.  On  February  21st  and  22d  Mr.  Erickson  walked 
from  Glyndon  to  Crookston  alone,  a  distance  of  68 
miles.  In  April,  1874,  he  dug  a  cellar  and  put  up  a 
log  house.    No  trains  went  to  Crookston  that  winter. 

Mr.  Erickson  was  born  in  Sweden  April  12,  1843, 
and  remained  in  that  country  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-six  years.  In  1869  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  stopping  at  Red  Wing,  Minnesota,  for  a  short 
time,  then  going  to  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  to  work  on  a 
railroad  in  course  of  construction  from  Lemars  east 
through  Cherokee  to  Storm  Lake,  which  is  now  a  part 
of  the  Illinois  Central  system.  The  only  railroad  into 
Sioux  City  at  that  time  was  the  Missouri  "Valley  from 
Council  Bluffs. 

In  1871  Mr.  Erickson  joined  the  force  on  the  North- 
ern Pacific  and  helped  to  build  that  road  to  Moorhead. 
He  saved  $300  of  his  earnings  at  railroad  work,  but 
felt  that  this  was  insufficient  for  his  venture  in  the 


wilderness.  Therefore,  after  he  filed  on  his  homestead 
he  went  to  Winnipeg  and  for  a  year  he  worked  in  a 
brickyard  in  that  city,  thereby  laying  up  more  money, 
and  a  few  years  afterward  he  bought  eighty  acres  of 
railroad  land  at  $9  an  acre,  with  the  usual  rebate  con- 
ditions included  in  the  contract.  This  tract  contained 
forty  acres  of  timber,  which  the  owner  has  found  to  be 
enough  for  all  his  needs. 

Mr.  Erickson  built  the  dwelling  house  which  he  now 
occupies  in  1900  and  made  the  other  improvements  on 
the  place  at  different  times.  His  principal  industry 
has  been  raising  grain,  mostly  wheat,  but  he  has  also 
raised  a  large  number  of  heavy  draft  horses  for  sale 
in  the  neighborhood  and  elsewhere.  He  has  served  as 
road  overseer,  and  in  that  capacity  has  helped  to  im- 
prove roads  in  his  township.  He  and  his  neighbors 
Imilt  the  first  bridges  on  the  creeks  and  the  river  at 
Fisher.  He  farmed  with  oxen  six  years  and  was  the 
first  one  to  cross  Fisher  bridge  with  an  ox  team. 

In  all  the  early  activities  of  this  part  of  the  North- 
west Mr.  Erickson  had  a  busy  hand.  He  helped  to 
load  the  first  ear  filled  with  wheat  that  ran  out  of 
Crookston  in  the  fall  of  1875,  he  and  five  or  six  of  his 
neighbors  having  sold  400  bushels  for  the  purpose  at 
90  cents  a  bushel.  But  he  did  not  forget  the  "girl  he 
left  behind  him"  in  the  old  country.  After  he  had 
been  in  the  United  States  three  years  and  got  a  good 
start  here  he  sent  back  to  Sweden  for  her  to  come 


440 


COilPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


over.  She  came  and  they  were  married  in  Duluth, 
and  when  they  took  possession  of  their  Polk  county 
home  they  had  one  child. 

This  first  child,  a  son  named  Alex,  died  at  the  age 
of  fourteen.  Six  others  were  born  in  the  family,  and 
they  are  all  living.  Abel  is  a  well  digger.  Axel  is 
living  at  home.  Lena  is  the  wife  of  R.  0ms,  of  North 
Dakota.    Mary  is  the  wife  of  Christ  Engen,  of  Lari- 


iiiore,  and  Julia,  Hulda  and  Lottie  are  milliners  at 
Larimore,  North  Dakota.  Mr.  Erickson  has  been 
something  of  a  hunter  and  fi.sherman  in  his  time,  and 
in  the  early  days  his  wife  often  shot  prairie  chickens. 
She  died  in  1896,  and  her  remains  and  those  of  the 
deceased  son  are  buried  on  the  farm.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Erickson  rendered  good  service  to  the  community. 


JOHN  G.  VRAA. 


This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  prosperous,  progressive 
and  successful  farmers  of  Polk  county  and  also  one 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  Vineland  township,  on  Sec- 
tion 33  of  which  his  fine  farm  of  over  200  acres  is 
located.  It  is  two  miles  southeast  of  Climax,  and  is 
improved  with  a  very  good  dwelling  house,  and  he  is 
now  (1916)  completing  a  large  and  substantial  barn 
on  it.  He  was  bom  in  Norway  January  7,  1865,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1872  with  his  parents,  Ger- 
raand  Nereson  and  Leve  (Olafsen)  Vraa,  who  located 
in  Faribault  county,  Minnesota.  The  mother  died  in 
Norway  in  1868,  and  in  1876  the  father  brought  his 
five  children  to  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead  in 
Vineland  township  eighty  acres  of  which  are  included 
in  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son 
John  G. 

The  father,  who  died  in  1897,  also  owned  eighty 
acres  of  railroad  land  and  had  all  of  both  tracts  under 
cultivation.  He  devoted  his  whole  attention  to  his 
farm  and  the  rearing  of  his  children,  who  are :  Ole, 
a  resident  of  the  village  of  Climax ;  Michael,  who  lives 
on  the  farm  adjoining  the  home  place;  Gunder,  who 
has  part  of  the  family  homestead ;  Hage,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Ole  Bramseth  (and  the  youngest  of  the  chil- 


dren), and  who  lived  also  on  a  farm  adjoining  the 
homestead,  she  died  in  1902,  and  John  G.,  who  car- 
ried on  the  home  place  in  partnership  with  one  of  his 
brothers  for  six  years  before  their  father  died. 

On  the  death  of  his  father  John  G.  Vraa  got  125 
acres  of  the  old  farm,  and  to  this  he  has  added  eighty 
acres  half  a  mile  distant  but  cultivated  as  a  part  of 
his  farm.  Raising  grain  has  been  his  main  depend- 
ence and  industry  on  the  farm,  and  his  crop  in  1915 
aggregated  1,800  bushels  of  wheat,  1,200  of  oats  and 
600  of  barley.  But  he  also  keeps  eight  to  ten  cows 
and  does  some  trading  in  dairy  products.  This  is,  how- 
ever, only  incidental,  as  his  general  farming  activities 
engage  nearly  all  of  his  attention,  as  they  always  have 
from  the  time  when  he  entered  upon  them. 

Mr.  Vraa  was  married  in  December,  1887,  to  Miss 
Maria  Anderson  and  they  have  four  children,  Lena, 
Albert,  Cecil  and  Minnie,  all  of  whom  are  still  at  home 
with  their  parents.  He  has  been  supervisor  of  the 
township  board  for  five  years  and  clerk  of  the  school 
district  for  twenty-five.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  church  congregation  near  his  home  whose 
meetings  are  held  in  the  schoolhouse,  and  they  take 
an  active  part  in  all  its  work. 


JOHN  LOGAN. 


Living  on  an  excellent  farm  of  300  acres  fronting 
on  Red  river  and  lying  sixteen  miles  west  of  Crooks- 
ton,  John  Logan  is  very  comfortably  fixed  in  a  worldly 
way,  and  he  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  all 


his  possessions  are  the  fruits  of  his  own  energy,  thrift 
and  good  management.  He  was  born  in  County  Gal- 
way,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1865. 
Until  1878  he  lived  in  New  Jersey  and  worked  at 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


441 


■building  railroads  as  a  section  hand.  In  the  year  last 
named  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  mother  and  a 
sister  with  a  view  to  getting  land  on  which  he  could 
establish  a  home  and  work  out  a  prosperous  and  use- 
ful career  in  a  line  of  endeavor  that  embodied  some- 
thing beyond  a  daily  recompense  for  migratory  toil. 

3Ir.  Logan  had  about  ,$1,000  when  he  came  here,  and 
he  at  once  bought  a  tract  of  railroad  land  at  $5  an 
acre,  with  the  usual  rebate  agreement  in  the  contract. 
He  procured  a  team  of  oxen  and  with  this  he  broke 
up  fifty  acres  of  his  land  the  first  year.  He  had  a 
fairly  good  crop  and  has  continued  to  raise  grain  as 
his  chief  product  ever  since.  His  first  residence  on 
the  land  was  a  log  house  with  a  shingle  roof,  something 
very  unusual  in  this  locality  at  that  time.  The  dwell- 
ing in  which  he  now  lives  was  built  about  1895,  and 
is  a  verj'  substantial  and  comfortable  one. 

From  time  to  time  Mr.  Logan  bought  additional 
land  until  he  owned  500  acres  and  had  nearly  all  of 
his  acreage  in  seed,  his  annual  crop  averaging  about 
4,000  bushels.  The  most  of  his  land  in  1891  was  in 
Section  1,  Tj'nsid  township,  but  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  lives  is  in  Section  3.  It  comprises  300  acres, 
the  rest  of  his  holdings  having  been  sold.    He  paid  $6 


an  acre  for  what  he  has,  and,  through  his  well-applied 
industry  and  the  general  improvement  of  the  region, 
it  is  now  worth  at  least  $60  an  acre. 

In  connection  with  his  own  place  Mr.  Logan  for 
years  cultivated  one  belonging  to  his  mother,  with 
whom  his  only  living  sister  dwelt.  The  mother  died 
when  she  was  far  advanced  in  years,  and  after  that 
his  sister  made  her  home  with  him.  He  was  married 
in  1885  to  Miss  Margaret  Quirk,  a  daughter  of  Mat- 
tliew  Quirk,  who  died  in  Craokston  in  1914.  Mrs. 
Logan  came  to  this  county  from  Pennsylvania  soon 
after  her  uncle,  Michael  Quirk,  settled  here.  She  was 
born  and  reared  in  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Logan  are  the  parents  of  thirteen 
children,  Martin,  Nellie,  Edward,  Matthew,  Thomas, 
William,  Leo,  Ambrose,  Blanch,  May,  Leslie,  Margaret 
and  Louise.  They  and  the  parents  belong  to  the  Cath- 
olic church  at  Fisher.  Mr.  Logan  has  served  as  super- 
visor on  the  township  board  at  different  times.  In 
state  and  national  political  affairs  he  is  a  firm  adherent 
of  the  Democratic  party  but  in  local  matters  he  holds 
himself  aloof  from  party  ties  and  acts  independently 
according  to  his  judgment. 


CARL  J.  GILBERT. 


After  years  of  experience  in  sevei'al  occupations  in 
different  places,  and  a  successful  career  in  each,  ac- 
cording to  the  time  he  devoted  to  it,  Carl  J.  Gilbert 
has  found  a  field  of  operation  well  suited  to  his  taste 
and  capacity  and  profitable  in  its  returns  in  well  drill- 
ing over  a  large  extent  of  country  radiating  in  every 
direction  from  the  village  of  Eldred,  of  which  he  is  the 
present  postmaster.  He  was  born  in  Buffalo  county, 
"Wisconsin,  June  10,  1870,  and  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents,  John  and  Karen  Gilbert,  in  1878. 
The  parents  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Nor- 
way and  came  to  the  United  States  just  before  the 
Civil  war.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  improved  a 
good  farm  in  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin,  which  he  occu- 
pied until  1878. 
28 


On  his  arrival  in  Polk  county  in  1878  the  elder  Mr. 
Gilbert  took  up  a  tree  claim  and  bought  railroad  land 
on  the  prairie,  in  Sections  3  and  4,  Roome  township, 
nine  miles  west  of  Crookston  and  several  miles  from 
any  neighbor.  He  had  about  $500  in  money  when  he 
came  here  and  a  wife  and  seven  children  to  provide 
for.  He  became  the  owner  and  cultivator  of  360  acres 
of  land;  reared  his  children  in  comfort;  raised  large 
crops  of  grain ;  held  different  offices  in  the  township ; 
helped  to  found  and  maintain  Bardo  church,  a  mile 
distant  from  his  home,  and  after  the  death  of  his  wife 
sold  his  farm  and  retired  to  Pelican  Rapids,  in  Otter- 
tail  county,  where  he  died  in  1914  at  the  age  of 
seveuty-three  years. 

Carl  J.  Gilbert  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 


442 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


farm  ami  obtained  a  limited  education  at  a  country 
school.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Bertha  Lunos,  who  was  then  twenty,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Halvor  Lunos,  who  located  in  Roome  township 
in  1879.  lie  and  his  wife  later  joined  the  Bella  Coola 
colony  in  British  Columbia,  and  their  two  sons  went 
with  them.  The  father  died  in  that  colony  in  1913, 
and  the  mother  is  .still  living  in  it  with  her  sons.  The 
family  was  successful  and  prosperous  in  the  colony. 

Mr.  Gilbert  farmed  rented  ground  for  three  years 
after  his  marriage  and  then  bought  his  father-in- 
law's  farm  of  160  acres.  He  made  many  improve- 
ments on  this  farm  and  conducted  its  operations  un- 
til 1901,  then  sold  it  at  a  good  profit,  having  accumu- 
lated $2,800  in  nine  years  with  nothing  to  start  on. 
He  invested  in  a  new  hardware  store  at  Berthold, 
North  Dakota,  and  also  filed  on  land  near  the  village. 
He  was  its  first  merchant,  the  first  treasurer  of  the 
township  in  which  it  is  located  and  a  member  of  its 
first  village  council  after  he  helped  to  organize  it  as  a 
village.  He  also  served  on  its  school  board,  which, 
under  hi.s  influence,  built  a  good  schoolhouse  at  a  cost 
of  $7,000.  The  village  had  a  population  of  300  when 
he  left  it  after  residing  in  it  and  doing  business  there 
four  years. 

Mr.  Gilbert's  trade  at  Berthold  grew  large  and  his 
experience  in  it  was  very  satisfactory.  But  in  1905 
he  sold  the  store  and  moved  to  Crookston,  where  he 
bought  a  $9,000  stock  of  hardware  and  an  old  stand. 


He  carried  on  this  business  three  years,  then  sold  it 
and  moved  to  Eldred  in  1908.  Since  then  he  has  been 
engaged  in  well  drilling  on  a  large  scale,  running  two 
rigs  and  drilling  wells  200  to  300  feet  deep.  He  has 
also  been  active  in  all  movements  for  the  improvement 
of  the  village  and  township,  and  is  now  serving  his 
fourth  year  as  president  of  the  school  board.  He  also 
helped  to  organize  and  has  aided  liberally  in  support- 
ing the  Lutheran  church  at  Eldred. 

One  of  the  achievements  for  which  ]\Ir.  Gilbert  is 
entitled  to  special  credit  is  the  establishment  of  the 
consolidated  school  at  Eldred,  which  was  formed  by 
consolidating  four  districts.  Mr.  Gilbert,  T.  E.  John- 
son and  H.  P.  Boukin  were  the  principal  backers  of 
this  enterprise,  and  they  had  to  work  hard  to  carry 
it  to  success,  but  now  the  consolidated  district  has  a 
fine  four-room  school  house,  which  is  one  of  the  best 
of  the  kind  in  Polk  county.  When  he  came  to  Eldred 
Mr.  Gilbert  found  that  the  schools  showed  little  im- 
provement from  the  time  when  he  was  a  pupil  in  thera 
himself,  and  he  began  to  agitate  for  a  better  arrange- 
ment, with  the  result  as  stated  above. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  have  five  daughters  and  one 
son.  Cora,  the  oldest  child,  had  a  course  of  special 
training  at  the  Crookston  business  college  and  is  now 
a  stenographer.  Emma  is  a  student  in  the  high  school, 
and  Mary,  Carroll,  Helen  and  Andrea  are  at  home 
and  attending  the  union  school. 


OLE  0.  ESTENSON. 


Ole  0.  Estenson  and  his  parents,  Ole  and  Ingro 
(Peterson)  Estenson,  were  all  born  in  Norway,  where 
the  son's  life  began  October  28,  1848.  In  1857  the 
family,  consisting  of  the  parents  and  seven  children, 
the  youngest  born  on  the  railroad  train  near  Chicago, 
arrived  in  Green  county,  Wisconsin,  and  there  found 
a  new  home  near  the  village  of  Argyle,  which  is  just 
over  the  line  in  Lafayette  county.  After  the  birth  of 
her  child  on  the  train  the  mother  was  obliged  to  lie  on 
the  floor  of  a  waiting  room  in  the  Chicago  railroad  sta- 


tion because  of  tlie  lack  of  other  accommodations.  The 
child  died  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  Wis- 
consin. 

Ole  E.stenson,  tlie  father,  was  a  day  laborer  in  Nor- 
way, and  when  he  left  that  country  he  had  only 
enough  money  to  pay  the  the  way  of  the  family  as 
far  as  Milwaukee,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  his  trunks 
in  bond  in  that  citj'  for  the  fare  to  Argyle.  He  had  to 
send  $20  to  Milwaukee  to  get  his  trunks,  and  this  he 
earned  chopping  wood  and  doing  other  work  at  thirty- 


COMPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


443 


seven  and  a  half  cents  a  day.  In  1860  he  moved  to 
Pierce  county,  Wisconsin,  and  there  for  two  years  he 
worked  at  farm  labor.  In  1862  he  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  Freeborn  county,  Jlinnesota,  where  he  bought 
and  improved  some  land  and  then  sold  it  to  advantage, 
and  after  passing  one  winter  in  Ottertail  county,  he 
brought  his  wife  and  six  children,  of  whom  Ole  0. 
was  the  oldest  and  then  twenty-two,  to  Polk  county 
in  the  spring  of  1871,  traveling  in  wagons  and  driving 
his  cattle  along.  Peter  0.  Satermo  and  Ole  Jevning, 
then  unmarried,  accompanied  the  family  on  this  trip. 

Before  reaching  this  county,  however,  Ole  O.  left 
the  party  and  returned  to  Freeborn  county,  finding 
his  parents  in  their  new  location  on  July  4  the  next 
year,  they  having  reached  it  on  June  10.  The  father 
took  up  a  homestead  in  Section  14,  Vineland  township, 
on  which  E.  0.  Estenson,  the  youngest  son  of  the 
family,  now  lives.  The  parents  passed  the  i-emalnder 
of  their  lives  on  this  farm,  the  father  dying  on  it  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six  years  and  six  months  and  the 
mother  at  the  extreme  age  of  ninety  years  and  eight 
months.  Their  six  children  are  all  living  except  one. 
Peter  0.  lives  on  his  homestead  ad.ioining  the  home 
place.  Ingeborg  is  the  wife  of  Ole  Jevning,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  in  this  volume.  Elizabeth  married 
Peter  0.  Satermo  and  died  in  1914.  Esten  0.  owns 
and  cultivates  part  of  the  old  homestead,  and  Maret 
is  the  wife  of  Ole  0.  Stortroen  and  lives  on  another 
part  of  the  old  family  farm. 

Ole  0.  Estenson  homesteaded  in  Section  23  half  a 
mile  south  of  his  father's  place  and  has  since  bought 
eighty  acres  in  addition  to  his  homestead  and  forty 
more  farther  oiit  on  the  prairie.  His  home  farm  of 
240  acres  borders  on  the  Red  river  and  is  three  miles 
northwest  of  Climax.  He  had  no  money  when  he  lo- 
cated on  his  homestead,  but  he,  Mr.  Satermo  and  Mi*. 
Jevning  united  in  building  log  houses  on  their  thi'ee 
places  and  plowing  five  acres  of  each.  They  did  no  out- 
side work  except  cutting  cord  wood  for  the  Hudson 
Bay  company's  boats  on  the  Red  river,  and  to  the  men 
in  charge  of  these  they  also  sold  beef,  butter  and  other 
supplies,  there  being  no  other  market  for  them.  His 
first  crop,  which  was  harvested  in  1872,  was  200  bush- 


els of  wheat,  a  large  yield  for  the  acreage  seeded.  He 
got  some  live  stock  from  his  father  but  he  lived  as  a 
])achelor  for  three  years,  hLs  mother  doing  the  house- 
work for  him  as  well  as  for  her  own  household. 

In  1875  Mr.  Estenson  was  married  to  Miss  Pauline 
Hanson,  a  daughter  of  Evan  Hanson,  who  came  to 
tliis  county  from  Freeborn  in  1874,  and  whom  Mr. 
Estenson  had  known  in  Freeborn  county.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  the  union :  Emma,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Martin  Strommen  and  lives  near  her  parents ; 
Helmer,  who  is  a  resident  of  Climax  and  has  a  sketch 
i)i  this  work ;  Peter,  who  is  cultivating  the  home  farm, 
and  who  married  Miss  Josie  Ellingson  and  has  two 
children,  Celia  and  Ordin;  Ida,  who  married  Severt 
Rostvet  and  resides  at  Newburg,  North  Dakota,  and 
John,  who  is  living  with  his  parents  and  is  a  bach- 
elor.   He  assists  in  the  work  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Estenson  has  about  180  acres  of  his  land  under 
cultivation.  He  keeps  a  good  deal  of  live  stock,  in- 
cluding cattle  for  beef  and  cows  for  milk  and  butter, 
and  raises  large  crops  of  wheat  and  oats.  During  the 
last  four  years  he  has  also  devoted  about  thirty  acres 
to  potatoes  with  excellent  results.  He  built  his  pres- 
ent dwelling  in  1907  and  tlie  other  improvements  were 
made  at  different  times.  When  the  time  came  for 
the  organization  of  Vineland  township  he  was  one  of 
the  most  active  men  in  the  work,  and  he  has  served 
one  term  as  county  commissioner.  His  associates  on 
the  board  were  Messrs.  Frederick,  Jarvis,  Higdem  and 
Salverson,  and  during  his  term  the  old  court  house, 
which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  one,  was  built. 
The  county  was  then  several  times  as  large  as  it  is 
now,  but  he  has  not  held  any  other  position  in  its 
government.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Vine- 
land  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  in 
1885  and  has  been  the  treasurer  ever  since.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Climax  Co-operative 
creamery  in  1903  and  has  been  the  manager  ever  since. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Estenson  has  been  a 
Prohibitionist  from  the  organization  of  tlie  party.  He 
is  a  total  abstainer  himself  and  firmly  opposed  to  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicants  as  beverages.  He 
does  not  use  tobacco  and  never  hunts,  although  the 


444 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


locality  was  full  of  game  when  he  settled  in  it.  A  gnu 
was  accidentally  discharged  in  his  hands  and  the 
charge  came  near  hitting  one  of  his  sisters  when  he 
was  a  young  man,  and  he  has  never  touched  one  since. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Free  Lutheran 


iliureh  at  Xehy,  three  miles  noi-th  of  his  place,  and 
has  been  connected  with  it  ever  since  in  a  leading  way, 
serving  as  one  of  its  trustees  and  as  a  participant  in 
all  its  useful  work  of  everv  kind. 


JAMES  JEROME  HILL. 


There  are  names  which  in  themselves  are  a  history 
and  an  inspiration — themes  which  are  their  own  elo- 
quent interpreters  beyond  the  power  of  speech  or 
writing — and  who  is  there  that  can  add  a  word  or  a 
thought  to  the  story  involved  when  before  the  people 
of  the  northAvest,  or  any  part  of  it,  one  mentions  the 
name  and  calls  to  notice  the  achievements  of  James 
J.  Hill? 

The  record  of  this  master  producer  and  empire 
builder  is  written  in  his  work,  and  that  is  ever  present 
under  observation  in  the  appreciative  regard  and 
service  of  millions  of  our  people. 

It  is  beyond  tlie  purpose  of  the  present  writing, 
however,  to  present  a  narrative  of  IMr.  Hill's  life,  and 
happily  such  an  act  is  no  longer  anyw'here  necessary. 
The  salient  features  of  Mr.  Hill's  career  are  so  well 
known,  the  world  over,  that  they  need  no  repetition 
in  any  part  of  it.  But  his  fruitful  connection  with 
the  early  history  and  development  of  Polk  and  the 
adjacent  counties,  especially  in  drainage,  railroad 
building  and  agricultural  progress,  and  the  valuable 
results  which  have  flowed  from  his  activities  here, 
have  been  so  potential  for  good  to  this  region  that 
they  are  deserving  of  special  mention  in  a  work 
devoted  exclusively  to  Polk  county  chronicles.  In- 
deed, so  productive  of  large  consequences  have  those 
activities  been  that  no  compendium  of  Polk  county 
history  would  be  complete  without  some  account  of 
them. 

Mr.  Hill  passed  a  number  of  the  years  of  his  early 
manhood  at  Fisher's  Landing,  as  the  village  of  Fisher 
in  this  county  was  then  called.  Early  in  the  seventies 
the  thought  of  a  possible  railroad  through  the  north- 
west began  to  occupy  his  mind.    The  thought  came 


from  his  experience  in  Northwestern  transportation 
problems,  his  faith  in  the  productive  powers  and 
natural  resources  of  this  part  of  the  country,  and  of 
the  state  of  railroad  conditions  at  the  time.  The 
feverish  activity  in  obtaining  land  and  cash  in  con- 
cessions to  railroad  enterprises  during  the  sixties  had 
brought  on  a  collapse,  and  a  great  many  of  such 
enterprises  were  wrecked  in  the  panic  of  1873.  But 
Mr.  Hill  retained  his  faith  in  his  project  and  began 
to  prepare  for  carrying  it  into  tangible  realization. 

The  fragments  of  the  old  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  system 
were  available  for  the  development  of  the  northwest 
if  converted  into  real  assets,  and  the  holders  of  their 
securities  were  eager  to  sell  them  for  what  they  could 
get.  Their  value  lay  to  a  considerable  extent  in  what 
was  left  of  a  land  grant,  and  they  were  in  the  hands 
of  a  receiver.  "Yet  so  great  seemed  the  task  and  so 
uncertain  the  reward,  in  the  general  opinion,"  accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Hill's  own  statement,  "that  any  plan  of 
acquiring  and  reorganizing  the  property  was  re- 
garded as  visionary  in  those  days  by  most  holders 
of  capital  and  most  men  of  affairs." 

Mr.  Hill  did  not  share  this  view.  In  company  with 
the  late  Lord  Strathcona,  George  Stephen,  afterward 
Lord  Mount  Stephen,  and  Norman  "W.  Kittson,  he 
bought  the  defaulted  bonds  and  at  once  began  opera- 
tions. The  gaps  in  the  lines  that  first  required  filling 
were  those  between  Melrose  and  Barnesville  and 
Crookston  and  St.  Vincent.  Filling  the  former  was 
necessary  to  save  the  land  grant,  whose  time  limit, 
already  extended,  was  about  to  expire ;  and  filling  the 
latter  was  required  for  connection  with  a  railroad 
projected  by  the  Canadian  government  from  Winni- 
peg south.     These  gaps  were  soon  filled,  and  the  sub- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


445 


sequent  progress  of  the  Great  Northern  system  has 
been  steady  and  uninterrupted. 

The  land  grant  enabled  the  promoters  to  push  the 
road  and  open  the  country  to  settlement.  They  sold 
the  railroad  lands  to  actual  settlers  at  $6  an  acre  on 
a  partial  payment  plan  and  with  a  rebate  of  $3  on 
every  acre  broken  up  and  seeded  at  the  time  when 
the  last  payment  was  made.  Sales  were  rapid  and 
new  settlers  began  to  come  into  the  region  in  very 
promising  numbers.  Then  a  new  difficulty  of  magni- 
tude arose,  and  this,  too,  severely  taxed  the  resources 
of  the  master  mind  that  was  so  vigorously  stimulating 
the  colonization  of  the  northwest. 

The  difficulty  was  this:  A  considerable  part  of 
Polk  county  is  low,  and  in  the  early  days  water 
covered  it  to  such  an  extent  during  several  months 
of  the  year  that  the  land  could  not  be  cultivated 
regularly,  and  even  after  seed  was  put  in  and  gave 
promise  of  a  good  yield  a  wet  spell  would  often  ruin 
the  crop.  A  comprehensive  plan  of  systematic  drain- 
age was  requisite  to  overcome  this  difficulty,  and  Mr. 
Hill  inaugurated  and  directed  this  with  the  sweep 
of  vision  and  practical  ability  which  have  character- 
ized everything  he  has  done.  He  sent  oiit  an  engineer 
to  make  a  survey  and  determine  the  elevation  at 
each  section  corner.  He  then  had  an  elaborate 
drainage  map  made  to  show  how  the  drainage  woi'k 
should  be  done.  A  few  years  later  the  legislature 
enacted  the  present  drainage  law  and  appropriated 
$100,000  for  a  drainage  system  for  Polk  county.  Mr. 
Hill  agreed  to  add  $25,000  to  the  fund  on  condition 
that  the  railroad  company  be  allowed  to  name  a 
competent  civil  engineer  as  one  member  of  the  drain- 
age commission.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
admirable  system  of  drainage  work  that  has  so 
materially  helped  to  bring  about  the  advanced  agri- 


cultural development  of  the  present  day  in  Polk 
county. 

But  this  step,  serviceable  as  it  soon  proved  to  be, 
was  not  in  itself  sufficient  to  fully  accomplish  the 
purpose  desired.  Mr.  Hill  was  a  laborious  and  criti- 
cal student  of  the  science  of  agriculture  and  he 
realized  that  there  was  great  need  among  the  people 
of  the  northwest  of  more  general  and  exact  practical 
knowledge  of  that  science  based  on  experimental 
study  of  it.  He  therefore  induced  the  railroad  com- 
pany to  donate  400  acres  of  land  for  an  agricultural 
school  and  experiment  station  at  Crookston.  The 
land  lay  idle  for  years,  and  he  then  informed  the  state 
authorities  that  unless  they  decided  to  carry  out  the 
purpose  of  the  donation  without  further  delay  the 
land  would  revert  to  the  company.  Hon.  A.  D. 
Stevens,  then  a  member  of  the  state  senate,  per- 
suaded the  legislature  to  appropriate  $50,000  for  the 
erection  of  the  first  buildings,  and  since  then  the 
school  has  advanced  in  progress  and  usefulness  at  a 
very  gratifying  rate. 

Mr.  Hill  did  not,  however,  stop  with  this  effort  to 
elevate  the  farming  industry  in  Polk  county  and 
other  parts  of  the  northwest.  During  all  his  subse- 
quent years  he  has  been  very  active  in  this  behalf, 
and  in  frequent  public  addresses  on  notable  occasions 
and  pamphlets  widely  circulated  has  continued  to 
lead  the  farmers  of  Minnesota  to  higher  aims  and 
greater  profits  in  their  work,  and  to  teach  them  how 
to  reach  the  goals  he  has  pointed  out.  His  interest 
in  everything  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  this 
region  is  now,  when  he  is  well  advanced  in  age  and 
laying  aside  many  of  the  burdens  of  a  long  term  of 
great  activity,  as  great  as  it  has  ever  been,  although 
the  need  of  his  personal  stimulus  in  the  matter  has 
largely  passed  aAvay. 


GUSTAV  CHRISTIANSON. 


This  enterprising  farmer  and  public-spirited  citizen 
of  Minnesota,  who  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in 
Scandia  township,  Polk  county,  and  improved  a  large 


farm  there  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Norman  county, 
dwelling  on  a  farm  two  miles  south  of  Rindal,  was 
born  in  Norway  in  1864  and  came  to  this  country 


446 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


with  his  parents  iii  liis  boyhood.  The  family  located 
in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  for  a  few  years  and 
in  1881  moved  to  Norman  county,  where  the  father 
took  up  a  homestead  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days. 

When  Gustav  was  eighteen  he  obtained  employ- 
ment on  the  Harriot  farm  near  Beltrami  and  worked 
on  it  two  years.  In  1885  he  filed  a  homestead  claim 
on  part  of  the  land  now  owned  by  his  sons  Alfred  and 
Benjamin,  and  that  fall  he  put  up  his  first  dwelling  on 
the  farm,  the  one  that  is  now  used  as  a  chicken  house. 
On  November  15, 1885,  he  was  married  on  the  Harriot 
farm  to  Miss  Anguina  Anderson,  then  twenty-one 
years  old,  who  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age 
of  two  with  her  mother,  Guria  Andei'son,  who  was  her 
brother  Olous'  housekeeper. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christianson 
made  their  home  on  a  farm  they  rented  for  a  year 
and  then  moved  to  their  homestead.  They  had  a  couple 
of  cows  and  a  few  chickens,  but  only  one  chair  and  one 
stove,  and  what  little  more  they  had  of  household 
goods  Gustav  made  himself.  He  continued  to  work 
for  other  farmers  off  and  on  for  three  years,  during 
which  time  he  purchased  a  colt  and  a  young  yoke  of 
oxen,  which  he  used  to  cultivate  and  improve  his  own 
place,  and  this  he  continued  to  do  for  twenty-two 
years,  until  he  sold  his  Polk  county  land  to  his  two 
oldest  sons  and  moved  to  his  present  home  in  Norman 
county. 

Before  he  left  this  county,  however,  the  father 
added  another  160  acres  to  his  Scandia  township  farm, 
making  it  a  half -section,  and  this  also  he  owned  and 
cultivated  for  a  number  of  years.     In  addition  he 


bought  another  tract  of  eighty  acres  and  gave  each 
of  his  sons  Alfred  and  Benjamin  half  of  it.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  township  board  some  years,  and  filled 
the  office  of  township  clerk  when  he  left  the  county. 
He  helped  to  start  the  Lutheran  church  near  the 
homestead,  raised  a  good  deal  of  shorthorn  stock  for 
the  purpose  of  supplying  cream  to  the  co-operative 
creamery,  produced  large  quantities  of  grain  on  his 
farm,  and  erected  all  the  buildings  now  standing  on 
the  land. 

In  1909  Alfred  and  Benjamin  Christianson  bought 
the  farm  from  their  father,  which  he  priced  to  them 
at  $30  an  acre.  They  are  in  partnership  in  all  their 
industries,  raise  grain  and  live  stock,  keep  forty  head 
of  cattle,  milk  fifteen  cows  and  raise  annually  a  large 
number  of  hogs.  They  have  added  eighty  acres  to  the 
farm  in  recent  years,  making  it  480  in  all,  and  put  in 
enough  small  grain  to  raise  some  5,000  bushels  a  year 
and  have  forty  to  fifty  acres  in  corn  besides.  The 
roads  in  and  around  the  farm  are  all  ditched,  the  out- 
let being  the  big  swamp  to  the  west  of  them. 

Alfred  Christianson  was  born  on  the  farm  adjoining 
his  present  home  October  24,  1886,  and  was  married 
November  15,  1913,  to  Miss  Alice  Marj'  Carlson,  of 
Norman  county.  They  have  one  child,  their  son 
George.  Alfred  is  chairman  of  the  township  board 
now  (1916)  and  in  his  fourth  year  of  sei'vice  as  such. 
He  succeeded  his  father  as  township  clerk.  Benjamin 
Christianson  was  born  in  Shelly  township,  Norman 
county,  Minnesota,  September  12,  1888.  He  was  mar- 
ried July  6,  1912,  to  ]\Iiss  Nellie  Boen,  of  near  Rindal, 
Norman  county.  They  have  two  children.  Alma 
Katharine  and  Orville  Gilraan. 


JOHN  STROMSTAD. 


Overtaking  good  fortune  after  it  had  fled  from  him 
for  a  number  of  years,  John  Sti'omstad,  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  and  live  stock  men  of  Scandia  town- 
ship, he  and  his  son  Theodore  owning  and  cultivating 
all  of  Section  34,  has  kept  a  firm  grip  on  his  oppor- 
tunities and  made  the  most  of  them  ever  since.     His 


fine  farm  and  pleasant  country  home  is  twenty  miles 
south  of  Crookston  and  seven  miles  southwest  of  Bel- 
trami. He  was  born  in  Norway  October  5,  1850,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  alone  in  1871  and  located 
in  Houston  county,  Minnesota.  He  had  a  little  money 
left  when  he  reached  his  new  home,  but  did  not  invest 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


447 


it  immediately.  For  two  years  he  worked  at  farm 
labor  in  Houston  county,  and  then,  in  1873,  was  mar- 
ried there  to  Miss  Martha  Christianson,  a  native  of 
that  county,  where  her  parents  settled  in  1853,  when 
they  came  over  from  Norwaj'  among  the  first  emi- 
grants from  that  country  to  locate  in  Minnesota. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Stromstad  bought  a  farm  in 
Houston  county,  but  chinch  bugs  and  other  pests  de- 
stroyed his  crops,  hard  luck  attended  him  in  many 
forms,  and  in  1884  he  was  worse  off  than  having  noth- 
ing. He  owned  a  team  but  it  was  not  paid  for.  That 
year  he  determined  to  seek  a  new  basis  of  operations 
and  came  to  this  county  and  took  up  as  a  homestead 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  34  in  Scandia  town- 
ship. He  built  a  small  frame  house  on  his  land,  haul- 
ing the  lumber  for  it  from  the  Red  river,  and  covered 
the  building  with  tar  paper  inside  and  out.  Until  he 
was  able  to  get  some  of  his  own  farm  into  condition 
for  cultivation  he  worked  with  his  team  on  other 
farms,  especially  during  harvest  times. 

Mr.  Stromstad  and  his  son  Theodore  now  together 
own  all  of  Section  34  and  carry  on  flourishing  indus- 
tries in  raising  grain  and  beef  and  dairy  cattle.  They 
have  stock  in  the  co-operative  creamery  at  Beltrami 
and  keep  sixteen  to  twenty  milch  cows  from  which 
they  furnish  cream  to  that  institution.  They  breed 
their  dairy  cattle  from  a  thoroughbred  shorthorn  sire 
and  keep  them  in  good  condition  by  giving  them  care- 


ful attention.  Their  grain  product  is  also  large,  the 
crop  of  wheat,  oats  and  barley  in  1915  totaling  over 
10,000  bushels.  For  one  quarter-section  of  his  land 
Mr.  Stromstad  paid  the  sum  of  $4,400,  but  it  is  worth 
a  great  deal  more  than  that  now. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stromstad  have  two  children.  Their 
daughter  Milla  is  now  the  wife  of  Andrew  N.  Mjelde 
and  lives  two  miles  distant  from  her  father's  farm. 
Theodore,  who  is  the  other  child  of  the  household, 
lives  with  his  parents.  He  married  Miss  Helene  Evje, 
of  Norman  county,  Minnesota,  and  they  have  one 
child,  their  son  Melvin.  Theodore  is  at  present  town- 
ship supervisor  and  has  been  on  the  board  some  years. 
He  has  also  operated  a  threshing  outfit  for  ten  or 
twelve  years.  His  father  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Helleland  United  Lutheran  church  near  his  home, 
which  was  organized  soon  after  his  arrival  in  the 
township,  and  all  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to 
it  and  are  active  workers  for  its  advancement.  Part 
of  the  dwelling  house  now  on  the  farm  was  hauled 
from  Beltrami,  seven  miles  away.  It  was  built  in  por- 
tions at  different  times.  The  first  barn  put  up  by  Mr. 
Stromstad  was  constructed  of  sod  and  covered  with 
marsh  hay.  He  and  his  son  have  a  genius  for  im- 
provement and  have  lately  taken  contracts  to  do 
ditching  along  the  public  roads  to  the  great  advan- 
tage of  the  town.ship  and  its  residents. 


ALP  THORSON. 


This  now  prosperous  farmer,  who  lives  on  Section 
26,  Roome  township,  one  mile  northwest  of  Eldred, 
and  owns  a  well  improved  farm  of  200  acres,  one 
corner  of  which  the  railroad  crosses,  came  to  Polk 
county  in  1879  almost  penniless,  with  his  firm  heart 
and  strong  limbs  as  his  only  sources  of  encouragement 
and  means  of  advancement.  He  was  born  in  Noi*way 
June  24,  1845,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1867, 
locating  in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  his 
brother  Thomas,  who  had  served  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war,  was  living.     Alf  bought  160 


acres  of  land  in  Iowa,  for  which  he  paid  $1,100  he  had 
saved  out  of  his  earnings,  and  lived  on  this  land  five 
years  without  making  any  progress  whatever.  Prices 
were  low  and  times  were  hard,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  prospect  of  improvement  where  he  was.  So  he 
concluded  it  was  best  for  him  to  abandon  what  he  had 
and  seek  a  better  opportunity  in  a  different  locality. 

When  Mr.  Thorson  located  on  his  homestead  in 
1879  only  two  other  men,  Ole  P.  Krogen  and  Martin 
Likeness,  were  living  in  the  neighborhood.  Mr. 
Krogen  had  two  yoke  of  oxen  but  none  of  the  three 


448 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


had  a  sleigh  or  drag  of  any  kind.  lu  fact,  Mr.  Thor- 
son  had  spent  his  last  two  cents  for  postage  on  a  letter 
informing  his  people  in  Iowa  that  he  had  obtained 
land.  The  winter  was  a  very  severe  one,  and  it  was 
necessary  for  the  three  men  to  get  food  and  fuel. 
They  constructed  a  log  sled  and  opened  a  road 
through  the  snow  six  miles  to  the  Red  river  to  get 
wood  and  another  nine  miles  to  Fisher  to  get  food. 
And,  as  the  snow  drifted  frequently,  they  had  to  work 
hard  to  keep  these  tracks  open  or  risk  having  to  make 
them  all  over  again. 

Mr.  Thorson  passed  his  first  winter  with  his  two 
neighbors  in  a  log  house  they  had  built,  and  the  next 
summer  they  all  joined  in  building  one  for  him, 
hauling  the  logs  for  it  from  the  Red  river  through 
sloughs  and  across  creeks  which  sometimes  covered 
the  wagon  and  its  load.  But  the  logs  made  a  warm 
house,  and  he  lived  in  it  until  1905,  part  of  the  first 
seven  years  as  a  bachelor  doing  his  own  housework 
and  part  with  his  sister  as  his  housekeeper.  There 
was  so  much  water  on  his  land  that  only  the  high 
ridges  could  be  plowed,  but  he  got  work  on  other 
farms,  especially  in  harvest  times,  and  so  was  able  to 
live  and  make  some  little  progress. 

In  1905  Mr.  Thorson  built  the  dwelling  he  now 
lives  in.     That  vear  he  harvested   1,800  bushels  of 


wheat  on  65  acres.  He  sold  liis  crop  at  Fisher  at 
forty-two  cents  a  bushel,  which  was  very  little,  but  it 
enabled  him  to  pay  for  his  new  house.  In  1915  he 
rai.sed  3,000  bushels  of  grain,  averaging  over  twenty 
bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  He  had  ditched  his  farm 
thoroughly  by  this  time,  and  high  water  has  not 
troubled  him  for  a  number  of  years.  He  had  also 
made  a  purchase  of  forty  additional  acres. 

Mr.  Thorson  helped  to  organize  the  township,  which 
was  named  in  honor  of  one  of  its  pioneers,  and  he  has 
worked  on  every  road  in  it.  He  has  always  been  a 
firm  and  loyal  member  of  the  Republican  party  and 
above  all  other  considei'ations  a  thoroughly  true  and 
consistent  American  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in 
this  country.  He  is  also  well  pleased  with  Minnesota 
and  devoted  to  its  welfare.  He  was  married  some 
years  after  he  .settled  in  Polk  county  to  Miss  Ida  E. 
Gudvaugen.  They  have  had  two  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters. One  of  the  sons  died  in  childhood.  The  children 
living  are:  Alven,  aged  si.Kteen,  but  not  the  oldest; 
Dena,  a  dressmaker ;  Sena  Marie,  a  graduate  of  Akers 
Business  college,  and  Tillie,  Mrs.  Elmer  Foss,  Mabel 
and  Edith.  They  all  make  their  living  in  useful  occu- 
pations. Mrs.  Thorson  and  the  daughters  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church  at  Eldred. 


OLE  JEVNING. 


Owning  480  acres  of  fertile  laud  in  Polk  county,  in 
several  different  tracts,  most  of  them  containing  im- 
provements of  value  and  large  parts  of  them  under 
cultivation,  Ole  Jevning,  one  of  the  entei-prising  and 
progressive  farmers  of  Vineland  township,  has  used 
his  time  to  advantage  since  he  became  a  resident  of 
the  United  States,  for  all  his  possessions  are  the  fruits 
of  his  own  iudustrj',  frugality  and  good  manage- 
ment. His  home  farm  is  in  section  14,  Vineland 
township,  four  miles  northwest  of  the  village  of 
Climax,  and  the  rest  of  his  land  lies  near  this. 

Mr.  Jevning  was  born  in  Norway  April  12,  1845, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  186G,  making  the 


journey  in  a  sailing  ship  which  kept  him  nine  weeks 
and  three  days  on  the  ocean,  landed  him  at  Quebec, 
Canada,  and  was  one  for  which  he  waited  three  weeks 
at  Bodo,  in  his  native  land.  From  Quebec  he  traveled 
by  rail  to  Sarnia,  Can.,  from  there  by  boat  to  Milwau- 
kee, and  from  there  by  rail  to  La  Crosse,  then  up  the 
Mississippi  to  Winona,  and  from  there  by  rail  to 
Rochester,  which  was  then  the  end  of  the  railroad  line. 
He  had  started  for  Freeborn  county,  Minnesota,  and 
he  reached  his  destination  the  last  day  of  August. 

After  living  two  years  in  Freeborn  county  Mr. 
Jevning  moved  to  Ottertail  county,  where  he  started 
to  improve  a  farm.     But  in  1871  he  was  induced  to 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


449 


accompany  Ole  Estensou  aud  his  family  and  Peter 
Satermo  to  the  Red  River  country.  When  they 
reached  the  Red  river  valley,  after  many  privations 
and  adventures,  they  had  to  build  a  bridge  of  elm  logs 
in  order  to  get  across  Wild  Rice  river.  This  occupied 
them  three  days,  and  while  they  were  doing  it  Gulik 
Spokely  and  others  joined  them,  and  they  all  traveled 
on  together  to  where  the  village  of  Neilsville  now 
stands.  Mr.  Jevuing,  Ole  Estensou  and  Peter 
Satermo  journeyed  farther,  reaching  the  land  on 
which  Mr.  Jevning  now  lives  June  10,  1871,  and  on 
which  he  immediately  squatted.  The  next  year  it  was 
surveyed,  and  he  then  entered  it  under  a  preemption 
claim  for  which  he  paid  $200.  It  contains  about 
sixty-five  acres  of  timber,  and  the  rest  of  the  quarter- 
section  is  prairie. 

The  new  settlers  in  this  wilderness  were  alone. 
There  was  no  resident  to  the  north  of  them  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Red  river,  and  their  nearest  neighbor 
was  a  long  distance  off.  Mr.  Jevning 's  first  house  was 
a  log  cabin  16  by  16  feet  in  size  and  covered  with  straw 
and  sod.  His  present  dwelling  house  was  built  in 
1876,  and  the  other  improvements  on  his  land  were 
made  at  different  times  as  they  were  needed  and  he 
was  able  to  make  them. 


In  1872  Mr.  Jevning  was  married  to  Aliss  Ingeborg 
0.  Estensou,  a  daughter  of  Ole  Estenson,  one  of  his 
companions  from  Ottertail  county,  and  twenty  years 
old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  They  managed  to 
live  on  the  farm,  as  his  neighbors  broke  up  five  acres 
for  him  and  the  same  quantity  for  each  of  themselves, 
and  he  had  an  ox  team  to  cultivate  his  with.  Later, 
at  different  times  he  bought  railroad  land  at  $5  to  $10 
an  acre  farther  out  on  the  prairie  until  he  owned  all 
of  the  480  acres  he  now  has,  and  he  put  all  his  pur- 
chases under  cultivation  as  rapidly  as  he  could. 

Raising  grain  was  for  a  long  time  Mr.  Jevning 's 
principal  industry,  but  for  a  couple  of  years  he  has 
been  putting  about  twenty-five  acres  in  potatoes  with 
good  results.  He  has  served  some  years  as  township 
supervisor  and  in  other  local  offices.  He  and  his  wife 
became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  one  of  whom, 
Ingvard,  died  in  childhood.  Of  those  who  are  living 
Ingeborg  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Stortroen  of  Fisher. 
Johan  and  family  have  a  farm  near  Pitt,  Minnesota. 
Ole  and  family  live  at  Fisher.  Ida  is  the  wife  of 
Christian  Munson  of  Minneapolis.  Inga  is  the  wife  of 
Peter  Evenson  of  Vineland  township.  Anna  is  living 
at  home ;  Olivia  is  the  wife  of  Cecil  Neal,  who  is  ope- 
rating the  home  farm. 


CHARLES  L.  RYAN. 


Representing  the  second  generation  of  his  family  in 
this  county,  and  conducting  extensive  farming  opera- 
tions here  in  the  manner  for  which  that  family  has 
long  been  noted,  Charles  L.  Ryan,  who  lives  three 
miles  east  of  East  Grand  Forks  on  the  north  bank  of 
Red  Lake  river,  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  highly 
serviceable  citizens  of  Polk  county  and  a  very  worthy 
representative  of  the  sturdy  and  sterling  Irish  ances- 
try from  which  he  sprang.  He  was  born  in  County 
Lanark,  Ontario,  January  3,  1866,  and  was  in  his 
thirteenth  year  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Hollinger)  Ryan,  to  find  a  new  home 
in  Polk  county,  Minnesota. 

John  Ryan,  the  father  of  Charles  L.,  was  born  near 


Perth,  County  Lanark,  Ontario,  January  3,  1822,  of 
parents  who  came  to  the  Dominion  from  Ireland,  and 
were  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Perth.  In  consequence  of  the  remoteness  and  sparse- 
ness  of  the  settlement  the  father  was  compelled  to 
carry  the  first  seed  wheat  he  sowed  on  his  back  for  a 
distance  of  sixty  miles.  He  became  possessed  of  a 
farm  of  200  acres,  and  on  that  farm  his  son  John  grew 
to  manhood,  helping  to  till  the  soil  in  summer  and 
acting  as  a  logging  contractor  for  leading  lumbermen 
in  winter. 

In  March,  1878,  Mr.  Ryan  bought  a  carload  of 
horses  in  Carleton  Place,  Ontario,  and  shipped  them 
to  Fisher  in  this  county,  which  was  then  the  railroad 


450 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


terminal  and  four  miles  east  of  the  homestead  on 
which  he  afterward  lived.  He  drove  his  horses  across 
the  country  from  Fisher  to  Grand  Forks,  crossing 
the  Red  river  on  a  ferry  at  that  place.  There  he  sold 
some  of  the  horses  for  cash  and  traded  the  rest  for 
land  at  Portage  la  Prairie  in  Manitoba,  sixty  miles 
west  of  Winnipeg.  The  Sullivan  boys,  old  friends  of 
his  in  Ontario,  were  living  in  Polk  county,  and  in  May 
or  June,  1878,  he  returned  to  their  residence  and 
bought  the  Bert  Haney  and  James  Jenks  homestead, 
which  is  a  part  of  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  his  son  Charles.  The  homestead  contained  200 
acres  on  the  Red  Lake  river,  and  he  paid  $10  an  acre 
for  it.  Sixty  acres  were  in  seed  and  there  was  a  little 
frame  house  on  the  place  and  some  straw  shacks  had 
also  been  put  up  on  it. 

Mr.  Ryan  rented  his  land,  went  back  to  Ontario, 
sold  his  property  there,  and  on  October  17,  1879,  re- 
turned to  this  county  with  his  wife,  his  sons  Thomas, 
John  and  Charles  L.  and  his  daughters  Theresa  and 
Elizabeth.  The  mother  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Hollinger 
before  her  marriage.  Their  eight  horses  and  house- 
hold goods  were  brought  by  rail  to  Fisher  and  con- 
veyed from  there  to  the  farm.  Mr.  Ryan  put  more 
land  under  cultivation  and  bought  120  acres  from 
the  railroad  company.  In  1902  he  sold  his  land  near 
Portage  la  Prairie,  Manitoba,  and  bought  more  here. 
His  holdings  finally  totaled  840  acres,  520  in  his  home 
farm  and  320  in  Sullivan  township,  some  miles  dis- 
tant. He  also  found  that  he  had  made  a  good  invest- 
ment in  the  land  for  which  he  traded  horses. 

The  father  worked  all  his  land  as  soon  as  he  could 
get  it  ready  to  be  farmed.  His  oldest  son,  Thomas, 
had  160  acres  adjoining  his  own  home  place.  Thomas 
had  married  Miss  Mary  Jane  Dougherty,  who  died 
about  eighteen  months  previous  to  his  demise,  which 
occurred  in  June,  1901,  when  he  was  about  forty-eight 
years  of  age,  leaving  five  children,  Mary,  John,  Ed- 
ward, Thomas  and  Francis,  and  they  still  own  the  fai-m 
that  belonged  to  him.  Charles'  brother  John  died  at 
the  parental  home  in  1883  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  or  twenty-four.     Thomas,  John  and  their  sister 


Theresa  each  took  up  a  homestead  in  Grand  Forks 
county,  North  Dakota.  Theresa  married  John  Bowes, 
a  Great  Northern  railroad  man,  and  they  are 
now  living  in  East  Grand  Forks,  where  he  is 
connected  with  the  management  of  the  church  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  and  the  school  attached  to  it.  As 
soon  as  Elizabeth  was  old  enough  she  filed  a  home- 
stead claim  on  a  tree  claim  in  Sullivan  township 
taken  up  by  her  father,  and  she  still  owns  it.  She 
married  James  T.  Sullivan  and  has  her  home  in  Sul- 
livan township. 

After  the  death  of  his  brother  Thomas  Charles  L. 
Ryan  returned  to  his  father's  farm  and  took  charge 
of  it.  He  cultivated  a  half-section  of  land  and  also 
acted  as  salesman  and  collector  for  the  McCormick 
Harvester  and  Machinery  company,  covering  the  ter- 
ritory around  Grand  Forks.  He  soon  became  man- 
ager of  the  whole  farm,  however,  though  his  father 
continued  to  live  on  it  until  his  death  on  January  2, 
1903.  The  mother  lived  until  September  21,  1908. 
They  were  of  nearly  the  same  age.  In  the  early  days 
the  father  was  township  clerk  for  some  years.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  relations  and  a  Cath- 
olic in  his  religious  faith,  being  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  He  took 
an  active  part  in  all  movements  for  the  improvement 
of  his  locality  and  was  widely  known  and  very  much 
esteemed.  All  travel  through  this  region  in  the  early 
times  was  over  the  Indian  trail  along  the  river  through 
his  farm. 

Charles  L.  Ryan  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm  and  completed  his  academic  education  at 
the  University  of  North  Dakota.  In  1886  he  pur- 
sued a  course  of  special  training  at  a  commercial  col- 
lege in  Minneapolis.  For  seven  years  he  bought  wheat 
at  various  stations  and  also  wrote  insurance.  But 
after  taking  charge  of  the  farm  and  assuming  the 
interests  of  the  other  members  of  the  family  in  it  he 
began  to  devote  himeslf  wholly  to  its  management. 
He  has  bought  320  acres  more,  and  the  farm  now 
contains  930,  and  includes  the  old  Zebina  Hunt  farm 
of  ninety  acres,  which  was  one  of  the  first  on  Red  Lake 


COMPENDIUai  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


451 


river.  He  also  cultivates  his  brother  Thomas'  old 
farm,  thereby  conducting  the  operations  on  1,090 
acres.  He  raises  grain  and  live  stock,  producing 
about  18,000  bushels  of  wheat,  oats  and  barley  a  year 
in  nearly  equal  quantities  and  keeping  80  to  90  head 
of  cattle  regularly  and  fattening  many  head  of  steers 
for  the  markets  every  season. 

In  addition  to  his  extensive  farniiug  and  live  stock 
operations  Mr.  Ryan  carries  on  an  active  dairy  busi- 
ness, milking  24  cows  and  selling  cream  by  wholesale 
to  the  ice  cream  factories.  He  also  raises  horses  for 
his  own  use,  requiring  fourteen  to  work  his  land, 
having  three  four-horse  terms  and  keeping  them  busy, 
and  he  employs  two  men  all  the  year  round  and  others 
as  he  needs  them.  For  twelve  years  past  he  has  filled 
the  office  of  township  assessor  and  is  still  filling  it,  and 
for  many  years  he  has  been  the  treasurer  of  the  school 
district  and  a  trustee  and  the  treasurer  of  the  Sacred 


Heart  church  and  school  in  East  Grand  Forks.  In 
addition,  he  is  treasurer  of  the  Huntsville  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  company,  which  does  business  in 
twenty-two  townships  in  Polk  county. 

On  December  27, 1899,  Mr.  Ryan  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Luella  M.  Dinnie,  a  native  of  Morris- 
burg,  Ontario,  who  was  brought  to  Grand  Forks  when 
she  was  two  years  old  by  her  parents,  John  and  EUen 
(Sehwerdefeger)  Dinnie.  The  father  was  a  leading 
contractor  and  builder  in  Grand  Forks  and  mayor  of 
that  city  for  eight  years  in  the  nineties.  He  died 
there  in  December,  1910,  and  his  widow  is  stiU  living 
there,  Mrs.  Ryan  being  the  only  member  of  the  family 
residing  in  this  county.  She  and  her  husband  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Mary  Louise  and  Charles 
John.  Mr.  Ryan  is  administrator  of  his  brother 
Thomas'  estate  and  guardian  of  his  children,  and  they 
also  have  their  home  with  him  and  his  family. 


THOMAS  BARLOW  WALKER. 


Many  events,  seemingly  unimportant  in  themselves 
and  some  of  them  even  accidental  on  surface  appear- 
ances, have  contributed  largely  to  the  rapid  settle- 
ment and  development  of  Polk  county  since  its  great 
virgin  natural  resources  and  vast  industrial  and 
commercial  possibilities  were  first  seen  and  made 
luiown  by  a  few  master  minds.  Like  Caesar,  in  his 
campaign  in  Asia  Minor,  these  men  of  broad  vision 
and  daring  nerve  could  claim  they  came,  they  saw, 
they  conquered;  but,  unlike  him,  they  did  not  sub- 
jugate peoples  and  put  them  under  the  yoke  of  a 
foreign  government.  They  subdued  only  the  wild 
forces  of  nature  and  helped  to  turn  the  enormous 
wealth  those  forces  held  in  useless  thrall  into  market- 
able shape  and  make  it  serviceable  on  a  gigantic  scale 
to  the  children  of  men. 

One  of  these  events,  to  which  no  special  importance 
was  attached  at  the  time,  even  by  the  chief  actor  in 
it,  was  the  arrival  in  this  region  of  Thomas  Barlow 
Walker,  of  Minneapolis,  as  a  member  of  a  United 
States  surveying  party.  Mr.  Walker,  who  now  enjoys 
world-wide  renown,  was  then  in  the  dawn  of  his 


manhood  and  unknown  to  fame.  But  he  had  the 
forces  of  giant  creative  and  productive  genius  slum- 
bering within  him  and  only  waiting  for  a  proper 
occasion  to  awaken  them  and  call  them  into  action. 
He  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Ohio,  had  taught 
a  district  school  in  that  state,  and  had  then  come 
into  the  northwest  as  a  traveling  salesman  of  grind- 
stones, wooden  bowls  and  wagon  wheel  spokes. 

Mr.  Walker's  engagement  as  a  surveyor  occupied 
him  only  a  part  of  each  year,  but  he  continued  in  it 
for  a  long  time,  and  during  his  connection  with  the 
party  he  helped  to  survey  a  considerable  part  of 
Northern  and  Western  Minnesota  and  divide  it  into 
townships  and  sections.  His  experience  in  this  work 
proved  to  be  of  great  advantage  to  himself  and  the 
country  in  general  in  business  lines,  and  it  was  of 
special  benefit  to  Polk  county  and  the  upper  Red 
river  valley  in  helping  to  open  up  the  country  to 
settlement  and  prepare  the  way  for  the  great  indus- 
trial and  agricultural  development  that  has  since 
been  wrought  out  in  the  region. 

In  his  work  as  a  surveyor  Mr.  Walker  acquired 


452 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


intimate  knowledge  of  the  white  pine  regions  of 
Minnesota,  and  this  knowledge  led  him  to  unite  with 
other  men  in  purchasing  extensive  tracts  of  the  white 
l)iue  lands  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  This 
changed  the  whole  course  of  his  career.  lie  aban- 
doned his  previous  purpose,  and  the  man  who  gave 
promise  of  winning  commendable  success  and  promi- 
nence as  a  surveyor  and  builder  of  railroad  lines 
became  one  of  the  leading  lumbermen  of  the  world. 
He  and  his  associates  purchased  large  areas  of  pine 
land  on  the  head  waters  of  Red  Lake  and  Clearwater 
rivers,  beginning  in  1880,  and  to  utilize  the  timber 
there  he  and  his  oldest  son,  Gilbert  M.  "Walker, 
organized  the  Red  River  Lumber  company  and  built 
two  large  mills,  one  at  Crookston  and  the  other  at 
Grand  Forks  on  the  North  Dakota  side  of  the  Red 
river. 

For  a  long  time  these  mills  were  in  full  operation 
the  year  round,  giving  employment  to  thousands  of 
men,  ministering  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of 
hundreds  of  homes  and  supplying  the  means  for  the 
education  and  improvement  of  hosts  of  children  in 
this  region.  They  also  aided  greatly  in  swelling  to 
large  proportions  the  manufacturing  and  commercial 
business  of  the  region,  whereby  its  influence  in  the 
affairs  of  the  state  was  noticeably  augmented.  All 
the  currents  of  life  in  Polk  county,  moral,  mental 
and  material,  were  visibly  quickened  and  enlarged  by 


.Mr.  Walker's  activities  and  the  forces  he  set  iu 
motion  here,  and  by  the  stimulus  of  his  inspiring 
example.  His  energies,  in  every  region  in  which  he 
has  taken  sufficient  interest  to  exert  them,  have 
covered  the  whole  field  of  human  needs,  and  his 
fostering  hand,  which  has  been  kind  as  well  as  firm 
and  skillful,  has  been  helpful  in  every  part  of  that 
field. 

An  account  of  Mr.  Walker's  zealous,  comprehen- 
sive and  serviceable  work  in  other  localities  is  not 
within  the  purview  of  this  volume.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  his  efforts  everywhere  are  and  always  have 
been  commensurate  with  his  expansiveness  of  mind 
and  vision.  AYhat  he  has  done  for  the  progress  and 
improvement  of  Polk  county  is  a  fair  sample,  but  only 
a  sample,  of  what  he  has  done  for  many  localities  in 
ways  adapted  to  their  needs.  Moreover,  all  his 
activities  have  ever  been  guided  and  governed  by 
moral  powers  as  well  as  mental  endowments  of  a 
high  order.  He  has  a  clear  head  and  a  strong  mind, 
and  these  have  been  cultivated  throughout  his  long 
career  by  reading,  study  and  observation,  and  by 
constant  intercourse  with  many  of  the  best  citizens 
of  his  own  and  other  states,  all  of  whom  he  numbers 
among  his  friends.  His  whole  life,  commercial  and 
domestic,  has  been  marked  and  directed  by  fixed 
principles  of  purity  and  benevolence. 


FRANK  J.  ZEJDLIK. 


This  enterprising  and  prosperous  farmer  and  busi- 
ness man,  who  is  vice  president  of  the  First  State  Bank 
and  owner  of  an  imposing  and  valuable  business  block 
in  East  Grand  Forks  and  also  the  owner  of  1,235  acres 
of  land  in  Polk  county,  one  tract  in  Tabor,  another  in 
Northland  and  the  third  in  Keystone  and  Huntsville 
townships,  was  born  in  Bohemia  October  27,  1859,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1876,  locating  in  McLeod 
county,  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  until  the  spring 
of  1880.  He  then  moved  to  this  county  and  took  up  a 
homestead  in  Tabor  township  eighteen  miles  northeast 


of  East  Grand  Forks  and  eight  miles  west  of  the 
village  of  Angus. 

This  location  was  remote  from  human  habitations 
at  the  time,  but  before  the  end  of  the  year  there  was 
quite  a  settlement  of  newcomers  in  it,  among  them 
John  Majerchin,  Joseph  Hunderley,  Mr.  Zejdlik's 
brother  Vaclav,  and  John  Zavoral,  and  the  next 
spring  ]Mr.  Zejdlik's  father,  also  named  Frank  J., 
John  and  Joseph  Bren,  Andrew  Palya,  Frank  Kolars, 
James  Hullifer  and  others  came  and  helped  to  swell 
the  population. 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


453 


When  he  came  to  this  county  Mr.  Zejdlik  had  no 
capital.  He  worked  on  the  railroad  running  between 
Euclid  and  St.  Vincent  for  a  time,  and  in  1884  he 
bought  a  farm  and  broke  up  forty  acres  of  it  with  hi.s 
yoke  of  cattle  and  sowed  the  tract  by  hand.  He  then 
went  West  and  was  unable  to  drag  his  land,  but  he  got 
a  crop  of  800  bushels,  which  he  sold  at  $1.13  while 
other  wheat  growers  got  very  little  for  theirs,  some 
not  more  than  25  cents  a  bushel.  This  gave  him  a 
start,  and  in  1885  he  bought  eight}'  acres  more,  and  he 
kept  on  buying  until  he  acquired  the  ownership  of 
1,235  acres,  paying  for  some  $37.50  an  acre.  He 
erected  good  buildings  and  made  other  substantial 
improvements  and  lived  on  the  farm  until  1901,  when 
lie  moved  to  East  Grand  Forks. 

While  he  cultivated  his  land  Mr.  Zejdlik  raised  corn 
and  small  grain  and  handled  a  good  deal  of  live 
stock.  He  also  took  an  active  part  in  the  public 
affairs  of  his  localitj',  helping  to  organize  Tabor  town- 
ship, which  was  first  called  Osseta,  and  served  on  the 
township  board  as  supervisor.  His  extensive  farming 
operations  and  his  public  duties  kept  him  very  busy, 


and  in  the  course  of  about  twenty  years  he  accumu- 
lated a  comfortable  estate  and  decided  to  retire  from 
the  arduous  labors  of  the  farm. 

In  1901  he  bought  a  home  in  Ea.st  Grand  Forks  and 
moved  to  that  city  to  give  his  childx'en  good  school 
facilities.  He  then  had  $17,000  loaned  out.  This  he 
collected  in  and  invested  in  a  business  Hock,  which 
he  built  in  the  heart  of  the  town  on  De  Mers  avenue. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  city  Light  and  Water  commis- 
sion and  otherwise  interested  in  the  advancement  and 
improvement  of  the  community.  He  also  bought 
stock  in  the  First  State  Bank  of  East  Grand  Forks 
and  became  its  vice  president. 

Mr.  Zejdlik  was  married  in  McLeod  count.y,  Minne- 
sota, in  1888  to  Miss  Anna  HoUob.  They  have  seven 
children,  Edward,  Matilda,  Annie,  Frank,  Emily, 
Bessie  and  William.  Edward  keeps  a  meat  market  in 
East  Grand  Porks  and  Frank,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
the  high  school  and  the  onty  one  of  the  children  living 
away  from  the  family,  cultivates  the  home  farm.  All 
the  members  of  the  family  stand  well  in  the  commu- 
nity and  richly  deserve  the  esteem  they  enjoy. 


ANDREW  ELEVEN. 


The  course  of  this  enterprising  and  energetic 
farmer  and  stock  breeder,  whose  fine  farm  of  720  acres 
in  and  adjoining  Section  9,  Roome  township,  and 
his  other  place  of  eighty  acres  near  Eldred  are  models 
of  skillful  cultivation  and  high  productiveness,  has 
been  one  of  steady  progress  since  he  became  a  resident 
of  Polk  county  in  1877  and  bought  his  first  tract  from 
the  railroad  at  $8  an  acre,  with  a  rebate  of  $3.50  an 
acre  for  clearing,  plowing  and  seeding  three-fourths 
of  it.  He  had  nothing  then  but  enough  mone.y  to 
make  a  small  payment  on  his  land,  two  teams  and  a 
few  farm  implements. 

Mr.  Eleven  was  born  in  Norway  in  May,  1849,  and 
in  1874  he  came  to  this  country  and  located  in  Good- 
hue count.y,  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  nearly 
three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1878  he  built  a  little 
frame  house  on  his  land  and  set  in  to  breaking  up  the 


stubborn  glebe  with  his  horse  and  ox  teams  to  get 
crops  and  save  his  rebate.  Two  years  later  he  bought 
more  land,  and  he  has  kept  on  buying  from  time  to 
time  until  he  is  now  one  of  the  most  extensive  land- 
holders in  the  Red  river  valley.  He  owns  800  acres 
and  has  all  under  cultivation,  grain  being  his  princi- 
pal product.  His  crops  in  1915  aggregated  18,000 
bushels,  8,000  being  wheat  and  the  rest  oats,  barley 
and  flax. 

The  farming  operations  of  Mr.  Eleven  are  con- 
ducted on  a  large  scale,  as  must  be  the  case.  They 
keep  fifteen  horses  busy  most  of  the  time,  and  he  also 
has  30  to  40  head  of  cattle  and  milks  ten  to  twelve  cows 
regularly,  supplying  cream  to  the  creamery  at  Fisher 
in  which  he  is  a  stockholder.  His  home  farm  is  well 
located,  the  dwelling  house,  which  was  built  in  1910, 
commanding  an  extensive  view  in  all  directions.     The 


454 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


farm  is  well  eqiiippetl  with  modern  raaehinery  of  the 
most  approved  designs,  and  everything  is  at  hand  for 
the  most  skillful  cultivation  of  it,  including  the  mind 
(if  a  master  workman  in  the  person  of  its  owner.  ]\Ir. 
Kleven  made  two  trips  to  Norway  since  coming  to  this 
country.     The  last  trip  was  made  in  1914. 

At  this  time  (1916)  Mr.  Kleven  is  chairman  of  the 
township  hoard,  a  post  of  responsibility  and  trust 
which  he  has  filled  with  credit  at  different  times  dur- 
ing his  residence  here.     He  has  long  taken  an  active 


jiart  in  all  work  for  good  roads  and  ditching,  and  lias 
given  intelligent  and  stimulating  attention  to  all  other 
public  interests  in  the  township.  Before  the  end  of 
the  first  year  after  his  arrival  in  Polk  county  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Tiklen,  also  a 
native  of  Norway.  They  have  six  children  living: 
]\Iinda,  who  resided  in  Grand  Forks ;  Lucas,  who  is  his 
father's  main  assistant  on  the  farm,  and  Cora,  Toma, 
Hartuig  and  Joseph,  and  are  also  merabei-s  of  the 
parental  family  circle. 


ESTEN  0.  ESTENSON. 


This  gentleman  is  a  member  of  a  family  that  has 
been  prominent  and  stood  high  in  the  regard  and  good 
will  of  the  people  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Polk 
county  for  two  generations  of  human  life,  and  this 
period  covers  nearly  the  whole  history  of  settlement 
and  civilization  there.  He  is  a  son  of  Ole  Estenson, 
one  of  the  esteemed  pioneer  farmers  of  Vineland 
township  and  is  living  on  eighty  acres  of  his  old 
homestead,  on  which  he  filed  when  thei-e  were  very 
few  families  in  the  locality  and  almost  all  of  it  was 
Avilderness.  He  is  also  a  brother  of  Ole  0.  Estensen, 
one  of  the  county  commissioners  who  built  the  court 
house  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  some  years  ago. 
The  family  hi.story  is  told  in  a  sketch  of  Ole  0.  on 
other  pages  of  this  work. 

E.  0.  Estenson  was  born  in  Green  count}%  Wiscon- 
sin, February  22,  1861,  and  was  old  enough  to  note 
when  his  father  entered  the  Civil  war  as  a  Union  sol- 
dier and  returned  to  his  home  at  tlie  close  of  that 
sanguinary  conflict.  He  remembei'S  these  incidents 
vividly  and  he  also  remembers  incidents  of  the  trip  of 
the  family  through  many  wilds  and  some  infant  settle- 
ments from  his  native  county  to  this  one  in  1871.  His 
boyhood  was  passed  on  his  father's  farm  in  Vineland 
township,  that  part  of  the  period  which  belongs  to 
Minnesota,  and  his  experiences  were  much  like  tho.se 
of  other  boys  in  his  situation.  He  hunted  the  small 
game  with  which  the  region  abounded,  went  to  school 
when  he  could  and  assisted  in  the  work  on  the  farm 


year  after  year  until  he  attained  to  man's  estate  and 
was  then  married. 

After  his  marriage  Jlr.  Estenson  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Crookston  and  became  janitor  of  the  old 
court  house,  the  one  his  brother  Ole  0.  Estenson 
helped  to  build  as  a  county  commissioner,  and  also 
served  as  engineer  of  the  steam  heating  plant  in  the 
jail,  then  recently  built.  He  remained  in  Crookston 
seven  years,  then  returned  to  the  country  and  located 
on  eighty  acres  of  his  father's  old  homestead.  He  has 
added  eighty  acres  to  his  farm  and  for  years  has  given 
his  whole  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  160  acres 
of  superior  land  and  the  industries  incident  to  that. 

Mr.  Estenson 's  main  dependence  on  his  farm  was 
grain  until  recently,  but  some  j'cars  ago  he  began  to 
keep  bees  and  gradually  increased  his  business  in  this 
line  until  he  had  100  hives  or  more.  He  kept  this 
number  for  over  ten  years  and  produced  about  two 
tons  of  honey  annually.  His  hives  are  fewer  in  num- 
ber now,  but  he  is  still  warmly  interested  in  bees  and 
gives  them  a  great  deal  of  attention.  He  also  raises 
large  quantities  of  apples  on  the  200  trees  which  he 
planted  and  has  guided  to  maturity,  and  by  this  in- 
du.stry  he  has  dissipated  an  old  belief  that  apples 
could  not  be  successfully  raised  in  the  Red  river  valley. 

For  a  number  of  yeai-s  Mr.  Estenson  has  followed 
the  trend  of  his  neighborhood  and  produced  large 
quantities  of  potatoes,  which  are  sold  in  Kansas  and 
Missouri  for  seed.    His  crop  in  1914  was  about  10,000 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


455 


bushels  and  the  same  in  1915,  the  yield  being  over  350 
bushels  to  the  acre  on  special  parcels  of  land.  In  1904 
he  entered  a  homestead  in  Beltrami  county,  and  on 
this  he  passed  five  years.  He  has  added  to  it  until  he 
and  his  sons  together  own  more  than  640  acres  there, 
nmeh  of  the  tract  being  covered  v^ith  cedar,  spruce 
and  similar  growths  of  timber.  He  has  held  no  public 
office  except  that  of  school  clerk,  which  he  filled  for  a 
number  of  years. 

Mr.  Estenson  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss  Karen 


Kjolhaug,  of  near  Fosston.  They  have  six  children 
living  and  lest  four  in  infancy.  Those  living  are 
Oliver,  Thomas,  Ivan,  George,  Esther  and  Haaken 
Mouris,  the  last  named  born  on  the  day  of  the  corona- 
tion of  the  present  king  and  queen  of  Norway,  Mouris 
being  the  Norwegian  equivalent  of  Maud.  The 
father 's  farm  extends  to  the  Red  river  and  the  dwell- 
ing on  it  is  on  the  bank  of  the  Evje  Marias,  Evje  being 
the  Scandinavian  for  slough  or  bayou. 


FRANK  W.  KOLARS. 


Frank  W.  Kolars  was  born  in  Bohemia  November 
12,  1848,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  in  1860.  They  lived  one  year  in  Chicago  and 
then  moved  to  Le  Sueur  county,  this  state,  where  the 
father  bought  a  farm  and  became  an  influential  citi- 
zen, serving  in  several  township  offices  and  contrib- 
uting generally  to  the  advancement  and  improvement 
of  the  county.  He  and  his  wife  both  died  on  the 
Le  Sueur  county  farm  several  years  ago. 

Their  son  Frank  obtained  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  his  native  land,  in  Chicago  and  in  Le  Sueur 
county.  In  1873,  when  he  was  but  twenty-five,  he 
was  elected  clerk  of  District  Court  of  Le  Sueur 
county.  Judge  Chatfield  being  then  on  the  bench.  Mr. 
Kolars  was  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  two 
years  later  he  was  elected  register  of  deeds,  and  dui'- 
ing  the  next  two  years  he  filled  and  discharged  the 
duties  of  both  offices.  He  was  elected  court  clerk  for 
three  successive  terms,  serving  thirteen  years  in  all  in 
the  office,  ending  his  tenure  of  it  in  1886.  In  1890  he 
was  the  nominee  of  the  People's  pai-ty  for  clerk  of 
the  state  supreme  court,  but  only  one  man  on  the  ticket 
of  that  party  was  elected,  and  he  had  the  indorsement 
of  the  Democratic  organization  and  the  rank  and  file 
of  that  party.  Some  years  later  Mr.  Kolars  was  the 
People 's  party 's  nominee  for  register  of  deeds  in  Polk 
county,  but  the  party  had  grown  weak,  and  he  was 
not  elected.  Since  then  he  has  been  a  Democrat  and 
was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the  state  house  of 
representatives  in  1908  in  Polk  county. 


In  March,  1892,  Mr.  Kolars  moved  to  Polk  county 
and  bought  480  acres  of  land  in  Sullivan  township  ten 
miles  northeast  of  East  Grand  Porks.  The  land  was 
wild,  unbroken  prairie,  and  he  paid  $8  to  $10  an  acre 
for  it.  He  improved  it  with  comfortable  buildings, 
reduced  it  all  to  productiveness  and  made  his  home  on 
it  until  1910,  when  he  retired  from  active  pursuits 
and  has  since  lived  in  East  Grand  Forks.  But  he  still 
superintends  the  cultivation  of  his  farm. 

After  quitting  official  life  he  kept  store  in  Le  Sueur 
county  a  year  and  a  half,  then  conceived  the  idea  that 
by  coming  to  the  Red  river  region  he  could  operate  a 
large  farm  (farming  being  more  to  his  taste)  and 
make  an  easy  fortune.  He  found  on  coming  to  his 
present  location,  however,  that  very  little  ditching  had 
been  done  in  Sullivan  and  Keystone  townships,  and 
there  was  gi'eat  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  the  water 
on  the  land. 

Soon  afterward  the  two  townships  established 
county  ditches  along  each  mile  of  the  roads  east  and 
west  and  throwing  the  dirt  up  to  form  a  grade.  This 
was  found  to  meet  all  the  requirements,  and  thei-e  has 
been  no  difficulty  with  the  water  since.  The  plan  has 
also  resulted  in  good  roads  all  over  both  townships 
and  given  the  people  satisfaction  in  other  ways. 

Mr.  Kolars  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  died  in 
1888,  after  having  become  the  mother  of  eight  (8) 
children,  three  having  died  in  Le  Sueur  county. 

The  second  marriage  of  IMr.  Kolars  took  place  in  Le 
Sueur  county  in  1889  and  united  him  with  Miss  Alice 


456 


COMPENDIUJI  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


Cantwell  of  that  county,  where  her  parents  settled  in 
1859.  She  -was  educated  in  the  schools  of  her  native 
county  and  at  tlic  AVinona  State  Normal  School,  and 
was  a  teacher  in  Le  Sueur  county  ten  years,  four  of 
them  in  the  graded  school  in  the  town  of  Le  Sueur. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  East  Grand  Forks  Civic 
League  and  Women's  Club,  and  is  one  of  the  two 
lady  members  of  the  East  Grand  Forks  school  board, 
elected  in  1915,  Mrs.  Mattie  Massee  being  the  other. 
By  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Kolars  has  become  the 


father  of  five  children.  Alice  is  a  teacher  at  Beach, 
North  Dakota.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school 
in  East  Grand  Forks  and  the  University  of  North 
Dakota,  and  is  doing  special  work  in  the  teaching  of 
mathematics.  Margaret  is  a  teacher  in  the  high  school 
at  Kensal,  North  Dakota.  She  is  a  graduate  of  a  high 
school  and  the  Teachers  College.  Grace  is  a  student  at 
the  University  of  North  Dakota.  Paul  and  Henry 
are  students  in  the  high  school  in  East  Grand  Forks. 


HON.  JAMES  GUMMING. 


South  View  Farm,  the  highly  developed,  richly  im- 
proved and  completely  equipped  family  seat  of  Hon. 
James  Gumming,  in  Section  13,  Huntsville  township, 
is  not  only  one  of  the  charming  show  places  of  Polk 
county  but  an  impressive  object  lesson  in  advanced 
and  progressive  scientific  farming  which  is  of  great 
benefit  to  the  section  of  country  in  which  it  is  located 
and  to  all  who  visit  and  studiously  inspect  it.  The 
farm  is  also  a  strong  and  striking  proof  of  the  enter- 
prise, ability  and  sagacity  of  its  owner,  and  very 
creditable  to  his  judgment  and  good  taste. 

The  farm  comprises  400  acres  and  is  six  and  a  half 
miles  southeast  of  East  Grand  Forks  and  twenty  miles 
west  of  Crookston.  It  is  improved  with  a  commo- 
dious modern  dwelling  supplied  with  a  hot  water  heat- 
ing plant,  hot  and  cold  hard  and  soft  water  all 
through,  and  many  other  conveniences  and  comforts 
usually  found  only  in  city  residences.  The  farm  also 
has  separate  barns  for  cattle  and  horses,  both  of  which 
are  large  and  almost  unique  in  the  completeness  and 
comprehensiveness  of  their  equipment  and  facilities. 
The  barn  for  the  cattle  is  36  by  100  feet  in  ground 
floor  dimensions  and  41.  feet  from  the  ground  to  its 
peak.  It  has  a  basement  under  the  whole  of  it  and 
patent  stanchions,  concrete  floors  of  the  latest  pat- 
tern. There  is  a  root  cellar  in  connection  with  it 
capable  of  storing  1,700  bushels  of  roots.  The  barn 
cost  $4,000  and  accommodates  75  head  of  cattle.  It 
will  also  hold  2,000  bushels  of  grain  and  150  tons  of 
hay. 


Jlr.  Gumming  was  the  first  man  to  build  a  silo  in 
this  part  of  the  Red  river  valley.  He  now  has  two 
silos,  connected  by  full  alleys,  and  uses  a  12-horse 
power  engine  to  cut  ensilage,  grind  feed  and  other 
work  of  this  kind.  He  uses  steam  power  in  doing 
bis  plowing  and  threshing,  owning  outfits  for  both 
operations,  each  of  which  is  complete  in  every  particu- 
lar. His  house  and  barns  are  supplied  with  water 
from  a  tank  under  ground,  which  is  in  no  danger  of 
freezing,  and  the  water  is  moved  by  air  pressure.  A 
two  and  a  quarter  horse-power  engine  pumps  water, 
milks  the  cows,  separates  the  cream  from  the  milk, 
chums  the  butter  and  runs  the  washer. 

On  this  farm  Mr.  Gumming  raises  about  4,000 
bxishels  of  wheat  a  year,  and  he  has  other  land,  about 
700  acres,  part  of  which  is  a  half-section  in  Section  3, 
Huntsville  township,  two  miles  and  a  half  from  his 
home  place,  which  is  farmed  by  a  tenant  and  yields 
large  quantities  of  clover  and  alfalfa.  Until  recently 
Mr.  Gumming  also  owned  two  quarter  sections  of  tim- 
ber land  on  The  Point  on  Red  river,  which  he  bought 
cheap  in  a  swampy  condition,  improved  into  good 
farms  and  sold  at  $100  and  $105  an  acre. 

The  home  farm  Is  the  seat  of  the  proprietor's  chief 
activities.  He  raises  grain,  including  60  to  70  acres 
of  corn  for  feed,  and  full-blooded  Holstein  and  thor- 
oughbred Shorthorn  cattle,  keeping  some  75  head  and 
milking  35  to  40  cows.  For  years  he  was  the  leading 
butter  maker  in  the  valley,  but  of  late  he  has  been 
sending  his  milk  to  Grand  Forks  by  auto  delivery,  the 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


457 


trade  amounting  to  $300  a  month,  as  he  emphasizes 
the  dairy  feature  now.  He  also  raises  horses  for  sale 
besides  what  he  needs  for  his  own  use. 

Hon.  James  Gumming  was  born  in  County  Carle- 
ton,  Ontario,  Canada,  October  17,  1861,  the  son  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  (Whyte)  Cumming,  natives  of 
Scotland  and  farmers  in  Canada,  where  the  father 
died  in  May,  1880.  Soon  afterward  the  mother, 
James,  his  brother  Peter  and  their  sister  Annie  came 
to  the  Red  river  valley,  Henry  and  John,  two  other 
sons  of  the  family  being  already  in  this  locality  and 
working  as  blacksmiths  in  Grand  Forks.  The  new- 
comers took  up  land  in  Grand  Forks  county.  North 
Dakota,  and  lived  on  it  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1882 
they  moved  to  the  land  Mr.  Cumming  now  occupies, 
paying  $20  an  acre  for  it.  The  Northern  Pacific  rail- 
road was  later  built  through  here  and  Cumming 's  Sid- 
ing, a  grain  loading  station,  was  located  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Cumming  has  been  active  in  school  work  locally 
and  served  as  chairman  of  the  township  board  twelve 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1898  he  was  elected  as  the  can- 
didate of  the  People's  party  to  the  state  house  of  rep- 
resentatives. He  served  on  the  committees  on  agricul- 
ture, towns  and  counties,  state  capitol  and  claims  and 
also  other  standing  committees  and  was  chairman  of 
a  special  committee.  He  worked  to  obtain  provisions 
for  draining  the  Red  river  valley ;  for  allowing  small 
municipalities  to  build  or  acquire  their  own  water  and 
light  plants,  his  bill  for  this  being  killed  in  the  senate ; 
for  increasing  the  tax  on  the  gross  earnings  of  rail- 
roads from  3  to  4  per  cent,  and  for  county  option.     In 


1904  he  was  nominated  for  the  state  senate  but  was 
defeated  by  Hon.  A.  D.  Stevens,  who  then  was  sent  to 
the  senate  for  the  first  time. 

In  religious  affairs  Mr.  Cumming  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Bethel  Presbyterian  church  on  the  Marias  and  has 
served  as  one  of  its  elders  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  On  March  16,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Katie  Ferguson,  a  native  of  Canada  but  of  Scotch 
Highland  ancestry.  He  was  living  in  Grand  Forks 
with  a  sister  at  the  time  of  the  marriage.  They  have 
had  eight  children.  William  James  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Agricultural  college  at  Crookston  and  is  now 
farming  in  Huntsville  township.  He  married  Misa 
Nettie  Ellen  Hannah  and  they  have  one  child.  Mary 
Isabella  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  in  Grand 
Forks  and  a  teacher  in  North  Dakota,  and  is  now  mar- 
ried to  I\Ir.  Melvin  Johnston  of  Kensal,  N.  D.  Peter 
Allan  is  a  graduate  of  the  Grand  Forks  high  school 
and  a  junior  in  the  University  of  North  Dakota.  Eliz- 
abeth Gladden,  who  was  graduated  fi'om  the  Grand 
Forks  high  school  in  1915,  is  a  stenographer.  Anna 
Zella  will  graduate  from  the  high  school  in  1916,  and 
Leslie  Ferguson  is  a  student  in  Grand  Forks.  Daniel 
died  in  infancy  and  John  Russell  September  27,  1915, 
aged  sixteen  and  just  ready  to  enter  the  high  school. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Cumming  is  a  Freemason  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Woodmen.  For  years  he  was  one 
of  the  directors  and  the  president  of  the  Fair  Associa- 
tion at  Crookston  three  years. 


GULIK  S.  SPOKELY. 


Owning  a  fine  farm  in  Section  13,  Hubbard  town- 
ship along  the  Red  river,  1  mile  north  and  1  and  i/o 
mile  west  of  Neilsville,  Gulik  S.  Spokely  is  comfort- 
ably fixed  in  a  worldly  way  and  almost  beyond  the 
reach  of  ill  fortune.  He  is  now  living  retired  from 
active  pursuits,  but  his  period  of  toil  was  a  long, 
exacting  and  very   trying  one.     His  life  began   at 

Fyresdal,  Norway,  June  12,  1842,  and  he  came  to  the 
29 


United  States  in  1866,  locating  in  Houston  county, 
Minnesota,  and  there  working  as  a  farm  laborer  to 
make  a  living. 

In  1871  Mr.  Spokely  moved  to  Polk  county  and 
squatted  on  a  quarter-section  of  land  in  a  section  not 
yet  surveyed.  The  law  was  that  such  land  had  to  be 
taken  up  on  a  pre-emption  claim  at  $1.25  an  acre,  but 
he  preferred  to  take  his  as  a  homestead  and  he  sue- 


458 


coMPENDir:\r  ov  history  and  biography  of  polk  county 


eeeded  in  doing  so.  For  two  yeai-s  he  lived  in  a  dug- 
out in  till'  liillsidc,  and  worked  for  other  settlers,  as  he 
had  very  little  money.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he  put 
up  a  little  log  oahin,  and  in  that  the  family  lived  until 
1913,  when  the  present  dwelling  house  was  built,  the 
fine  barn  on  the  place  having  been  erected  earlier. 

IMr.  Spokely  bought  eighty  acres  of  railroad  land 
adjoining  his  homestead,  with  a  rebate  provision  for 
$2.50  an  acre  when  he  should  have  sixty  acres  plowed, 
and  an  allowance  of  fifty  cents  more  for  every  acre 
seeded  in  grain.  He  came  to  this  county  from  Hous- 
ton county  with  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  with  these  he 
broke  up  most  of  his  land.  He  also  sold  cord  wood 
to  the  settlers  on  the  prairie.  For  a  time  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  his  life  in  this  country  made 
him  long  earnestly  to  return  to  his  native  land,  but 
it  was  long  before  he  had  the  means  to  gratify  his 
wish  in  this  respect,  and  by  the  time  he  got  it  he  was 
over  his  longing  and  well  satisfied  here. 

At  times  ilr.  Spokely  worked  in  the  lumber  woods, 
where  the  labor  was  very  hard  but  the  wages  were 
good,  and  after  coming  to  Polk  county  lie  was  em- 
ployed on  Red  river  boats  going  to  Winnipeg  and 
back.  But  in  time  he  became  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
devoted  his  whole  time  to  the  cultivation  of  his  land. 
For  years  he  raised  grain  principally,  but  about  ton 


years  ago  he  began  to  give  up  a  great  deal  of  ground 
to  potatoes,  being  the  first  man  in  his  part  of  the 
county  to  raise  them  on  a  large  scale.  He  devotes  5G 
to  100  acres  a  year  to  this  product  and  it  forms  his 
leading  crop.  He  usually  sells  liis  potatoes  as  he 
digs  them. 

Mr.  Spokely  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  school 
matters.  He  served  as  school  treasurer  of  his  district 
as  long  as  he  was  willing  to  hold  the  office.  lu  1870 
lie  was  married  in  Houston  county  to  Miss  Gunvor 
Simon,  and  they  had  one  child  when  they  came  to 
Polk  county.  Eleven  were  added  to  their  offspring 
later,  and  of  the  twelve  six  are  living:  Albert,  of  Neils- 
ville;  Julius,  of  Crookston;  Adolph,  liLs  twin  brother, 
of  Fargo ;  Alexander,  of  Neilsville,  and  Annie  and 
Sophia,  at  home.  Julia,  Theresa  and  Jlollie  died  in 
young  womanhood  and  the  other  three  in  childhood. 

In  religious  connection  Mr.  Spokely  belongs  to  the 
United  Lutheran  church  at  Neilsville,  but  he  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Conference  church  at  Nebj'. 
One  year  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  his 
father,  Salva  Olso  Spokely,  came  over  and  took  a 
homestead  in  this  county,  on  which  he  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty-six.  Gulik's  brother  Ole  also  took  up  a  tree 
claim  on  the  prairie  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days  on  it,  dying  when  he  was  about  fifty  years  old. 


W.  G.  jVroRPHY. 


It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  give  a  complete 
narrative  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Murphy.  But  his  fruitful 
connection  with  the  earlj'  history  and  development  of 
this  region,  especially  with  the  development  of  tlie 
water  powers  along  the  Red  Lake  River  have  been  so 
potential  for  good  to  this  community  that  they  are 
deserving  of  special  mention  in  a  work  devoted  ex- 
clusively to  Polk  county.  Indeed  so  productive  of 
large  consequences  have  his  activities  been  that  no  his- 
tory of  the  county  could  be  written  without  some  ac- 
count of  them. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  born  in  Hudson,  St.  Croix  county, 
Wisconsin,  July  23,  1859.    Shortly  after  his  birth  his 


parents  moved  to  a  farm  in  Troy  and  later  to  a  farm 
in  Hammond.  It  was  on  this  farm  in  Hammond  tliat 
he  chiefly  spent  his  boyhood.  He  was  educated  in  the 
country  schools  of  the  neighborhood  and  at  Notre 
Dame,  Indiana,  and  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

He  went  to  Grand  Forks  in  1880  almost  immediately 
after  taking  his  degree  from  the  law  school  and  opened 
a  law  office.  He  had  practiced  law  but  a  short  time 
when  the  opportunity  was  presented  him  of  taking 
over  the  Grand  Forks  ' '  Plain  Dealer. ' '  He  took  con- 
trol of  the  paper  and  applied  himself  to  the  manage- 
ment Avith  such  energy  that  he  soon  had  it  in  prosper- 
ous condition.  It  became  a  political  power  and  wielded 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


459 


a  strong  influence  in  determining  the  territorial  elec- 
tions. A  subsidiary  book-binding  and  job-office  estab- 
lishment was  built  up  with  the  newspaper  and  proved 
remarkably  successful.  Record  books  for  the  use  of 
government  clerks  were  prepared  with  exceptional 
care  and  the  results  were  not  slow  in  vindicating  the 
pains  which  had  been  expended.  Competition  was 
practically  driven  out  of  the  field.  Mr.  Murphy's 
legal  experience  was  invaluable  to  him  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  these  books  which  would  have  been  worthless 
had  any  technical  errors  been  permitted  to  creep  into 
them. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  became  affiliated  with 
the  Gas  Company  in  Grand  Forks.  He  sold  out  the 
"Plain  Dealer"  in  1889  and  then  took  complete  con- 
trol of  the  Gas  Company.  He  improved  it  and  de- 
veloped it  with  such  success  that  he  was  enabled  to 
dispose  of  it  at  a  handsome  figure  in  1910. 

In  1890  Mr.  Murphy  bought  the  controlling  interest 
in  the  Crookston  Water  Works,  Power  &  Light  Com- 
pany, Crookston,  Minnesota.  At  that  time  the  com- 
pany was  in  the  near  state  of  bankruptcy.  The  ma- 
chinery was  delapidated  and  outgrown  and  the  build- 
ings ready  to  tumble  down.  Instead  of  trying  to  re- 
pair them  he  decided  to  rebuild  the  plant  entirely  in 
a  new  place,  which  was  accomplished  in  1892  at  a  con- 
siderable cost.  At  that  time  Mr.  Murphy  lived  in 
Minneapolis  but  visited  Crookston  at  least  once  a 
month.  After  the  completion  of  the  building  opera- 
tions, he  set  about  to  increase  the  market  for  water 
and  electric  service  even  to  the  extent  of  giving  con- 
sumers free  installation  of  service.  This  policy  was 
continued  for  several  years  until  the  business  was 
built  up  to  the  extent  that  it  would  compare  favorably 
with  the  most  improved  plants  of  its  kind.  In  1898  he 
sent  representatives  East  to  investigate  the  new  sys- 
tem of  central  .station  steam  heating  and  after  receiv- 
ing a  favorable  report  from  the  representatives,  he 
decided  to  install  such  a  plant  in  Crookston  in  connec- 
tion with  the  steam  reserve  necessary  for  the  water 
works  and  electric  light  plant.  This  was  a  new  inno- 
vation and  of  great  benefit  to  the  community,  giving 


as  it  did  heat  on  tap  at  any  time  of  the  day  or  niglit 
to  the  business  portion  of  the  city. 

In  1905  Mr.  JMurphy  started  to  look  up  suitable  loca- 
tions on  the  Red  Lake  River  between  Thief  River  Falls 
and  Crookston  for  the  construction  of  dams  and  water 
powers  and  in  subsequent  years  acquired  title  to  sev- 
eral locations  including  the  dam,  water  power  and 
electric  light  plant  at  Red  Lake  Falls.  Several  of 
the  water  powers,  including  the  Red  Lake  Falls 
Water  Power  &  Electric  Light  plant  was  sold  at  the 
same  time  as  the  Grand  Forks  Gas  &  Electric  Com- 
pany but  he  still  retained  title  to  several  others.  In 
1912  he  began  operations  to  construct  a  dam  and 
water  power  five  miles  east  of  Crookston.  This  plant 
was  completed  and  put  in  operation  in  the  spring  of 
1914,  having  a  capacity  of  3000  H.P.,  part  of  which 
has  been  sold  to  the  Crookston  Water  Wks.  Pr.  &  Lt. 
Co.  and  the  balance  over  a  transmission  line  to  the 
Red  River  Power  Company  of  Grand  Forks. 

These  activities  in  Polk  county  have  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  its  development.  The  high  class  of 
service  furnished  the  City  of  Crookston  has  been  much 
commented  on.  It  has  made  Crookston  a  better  place 
to  live  in  because  of  it.  ]\Ir.  Murphy's  foresight  in 
developing  latent  water  powers  along  the  Red  Lake 
River  has  effectively  benefited  a  large  number  of  the 
residents  of  the  county.  The  land  values  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  completed  development  five  miles  east 
of  Crookston  has  increased  the  price  of  the  land  prob- 
ably as  much  as  $10  per  acre  and  besides  the  farming 
community  adjacent  to  the  dam  and  transmission  line 
are  enabled  to  receive  electric  power  and  light  service 
the  same  as  the  people  living  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Murphy  has  made  a  lasting  impression  on  the 
life  of  Crookston  and  Polk  county  that  will  survive 
for  generations  to  come. 

In  1891  he  went  to  Chicago  intending  to  take  a  short 
rest  before  going  to  New  York  where  he  expected  to 
resume  the  practice  of  law.  Mr.  Lowry,  of  this  city, 
who  had  heard  of  him  tlirough  Senator  Pierce,  met 
him  in  Chicago  with  a  proposition  that  he  take  charge 
of  the  business  affairs  of  The  Tribune.    Mr.  Murphy 


460 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


then  took  up  liis  home  in  Miimeapolis  and  became  as- 
sociated with  The  Tribune  which  he  later  came  to  con- 
trol completely.  The  Tribune  was  in  a  precarious 
financial  condition  when  he  first  became  connected 
with  it  and  only  escaped  failure  in  the  panic  of  1893 
bj'  the  narrowest  of  margins.  One  particularly  bad 
fire  a  few  years  afterward  proved  the  only  striking 
event  of  its  subsequently  prosperous  career.  The 
"Minneapolis  Times"  was  absorbed  by  The  Tribune 
in  1905  £ind  in  1910  Mr.  Mui-phy  took  over  the  Cen- 
tury Building  which  was  converted  into  The  Tribune 
Annex. 


Jlr.  Murphy  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Josephine 
Hopkins  of  Chicago.  Four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  have  resulted  from  the  union.  Mr. 
Murphy  continues  to  exercise  direct  supervision  and 
control  of  his  newspaper  and  other  properties,  giving 
to  them  the  benefit  of  a  trained  mind  and  business 
experience  which  have  made  them  successful  and 
highly  efficient.  He  lives  during  the  summer  at  Lake 
;\Iiiuietonka  and  finds  much  pleasure  in  a  splendid 
house  boat  and  motor  boat  which  he  has  had  built 
under  his  special  directions.  He  usually  spends  a  por- 
tion of  each  winter  in  California  or  Florida. 


HALBERT  P.  BOUKIND. 


Although  he  is  now  engaged  principally  in  culti- 
vating and  improving  his  fine  farm  of  320  acres,  in 
Section  32,  Roome  township,  three  miles  west  of 
Eldred,  Halbert  P.  Boukiud  has  tried  his  hand  at 
various  useful  occupations  and  has  done  excellent 
work  and  won  a  good  reputation  in  each.  He  was 
born  in  Wisconsin  December  11,  1873,  and  is  the  son 
of  Peter  and  Maria  Boukind,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Norway  and  came  to  this  country  and 
located  in  Wisconsin  in  1870.  In  1878  they  drove  to 
this  county  with  a  team  of  horses,  and  the  father  filed 
on  the  land  now  occupied  by  his  son  Halbert,  which  he 
at  once  began  farming  with  oxen,  having  lost  his 
horses. 

In  1894  the  parents  turned  the  farm  over  to  Halbert 
and  joined  the  Bella-Ceola  colon}',  which  was  organ- 
ized by  Rev.  Mr.  Sangstad  to  start  a  settlement  on  the 
Pacific  coast  in  Briti.sh  Columbia  400  miles  north  of 
Vancouver.  After  passing  seven  years  in  the  colony 
the  Boukinds  returned  to  this  county,  and  three  years 
later  the  father  was  stricken  witli  paralysis,  from 
which  he  has  never  recovered.  He  is  now  living  with 
Halbert.  The  mother  died  in  1913.  They  had  seven 
children.  Karen  married  Halvor  Lunos  and  became 
the  mother  of  eleven  children.  She  died  in  1909.  Ole 
died  in  January,  1913.  He  was  unmarried  and  passed 
the  whole  of  his  life  on  the  homestead.    Nellie  is  the 


wife  of  Paul  Bjornerud  and  lives  on  tlie  farm  adjoin- 
ing Halbert 's.  Clara  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Twite,  a 
commercial  salesman  living  in  Crookston.  Peter  is  a 
dealer  in  lumber  and  real  estate  in  Crookston.  Minnie 
is  the  wife  of  Olof  Myckle,  of  Devil's  Lake,  North 
Dakota. 

Halbert  P.  Boukind  never  went  to  school  until  he 
Avas  sixteen  years  old,  as  there  was  no  district  school 
in  his  neighborhood,  but  when  he  started  he  made 
rapid  progi*ess.  After  attending  three  terms  of  three 
months  each  in  his  home  district,  three  months  in 
Grand  Forks  and  nine  months  in  Crookston  he  re- 
ceived a  certificate  as  a  teacher,  and  during  the  next 
ten  years  he  taught  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home, 
the  first  one  of  which  he  had  charge  being  tlie  home 
school,  which  he  taught  for  four  terms.  lie  was  very 
successful  and  was  rapidly  promoted.  His  pay  at  the 
start  was  $35  a  month,  but  it  soon  reached  $50,  which 
was  the  highest  then  allowed.  During  his  teaching 
he  took  an  active  part  in  all  institute  work. 

After  leaving  the  profes.sion  of  teaching  Mr. 
Boukind  passed  five  years  at  Eldred  as  manager  of  the 
co-operative  store  and  postmaster,  manager  of  the 
co-operative  creamery  and  agent  on  construction  work 
for  the  railroad  company.  He  then  succeeded  to  the 
ownership  of  the  store,  and  during  the  next  four  years 
he  conducted  it  on  his  own  account.     About  the  end 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


461 


of  this  period  his  brother  and  his  mother  died  on  the 
farm,  and  his  services  were  required  in  connection 
with  the  management  of  his  interests  there.  So  he 
sold  the  store  and  returned  to  the  farm  in  1913.  He 
is  also  interested  in  a  threshing  outfit,  and  in  1915 
closed  his  second  successful  season  as  its  manager. 

One  of  Mr.  Boukind  's  specialties  on  his  farm  is  rais- 
ing black  Orpington  chickens,  of  which  he  alwaj's  has 
a  large  lot,  well-bred  and  reared  with  the  utmost  care. 
His  products  have  taken  a  number  of  first  prizes  at 
the  shows  of  tlie  Northwestern  Poultry  Association. 
He  is  also  still  deeply  interested  in  school  work  and 
was  one  of  the  leaders  in  obtaining  the  establishment 
of  the  new  consolidated  school  district  at  Eldred.  In 
addition  he  is  editor  of  ' '  The  Boo.ster, ' '  a  publication 
that  has  attracted  the  attention  to  literary  societies  by 
the  excellence  of  its  contents  in  a  literary  and  educa- 
tional way,  and  is  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  has  served 
as  towushiiD  assessor  four  years.  He  and  the  other 
members  of  the  family  belong  to  the  Sand  Hill  Luth- 


eran church,  and  he  is  also  active  and  helpful  in  con- 
nection with  the  affairs  of  the  Community  church  at 
Eldred,  singing  in  its  choir  and  taking  part  in  all  its 
work  of  every  kind.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  value 
of  athletic  activities  and  outdoor  sports  of  every  proper 
character,  and  has  zealously  encouraged  baseball 
games  and  other  contests  of  strength  and  skill.  Being 
a  bachelor  he  can  find  time  to  give  such  matters  atten- 
tion, and  being  a  hustler  he  boosts  them,  as  he  does 
everything  else  in  M'hich  he  takes  an  interest,  with  all 
his  might. 

During  the  June  term  of  the  United  States  district 
court  held  in  St.  Paul  in  1914  Mr.  Boukind  was  a 
member  of  the  petit  jury  drawn  by  Judge  Page 
Morris,  and  during  his  service  in  that  capacity  he  met 
many  of  the  leading  legal  lights  of  Minnesota  and  the 
country.  He  found  his  experience  in  this  jury  service 
very  interesting  and  profitable  to  him,  as  he  is  a  dili- 
gent inquirer  in  all  lines  of  intellectual  activity. 


PAT  LEALAS. 


Pat  Lealas,  the  pioneer  settler  of  Bygland  town- 
ship, is  widely  known  throughout  the  county  as  one 
of  the  few  survivors  of  that  sturdy  band  of  men  who 
with  the  steady  perseverance  of  the  race  of  frontiers- 
man surmounted  all  difficulties  and  hardships  lay- 
ing the  foundations  for  the  prosperity  and  accomplish- 
ment of  today.  As  citizen,  farmer  and  neighbor,  his 
career  has  been  marked  by  a  personality,  strongly 
typical  of  the  virtues  of  his  countrymen,  possessed  of 
a  geniality,  the  ready  humor  and  adventurous  spirit 
which  lends  peculiar  charm  to  Irish  character,  Mr. 
Lealas  has  made  the  people  of  Polk  county  his  friends, 
and  as  a  worthy  and  able  citizen  enjoys  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  all.  He  was  born  in  County  Wexford, 
Ireland,  and  was  reared  in  his  native  land,  becoming 
apprenticed  to  the  carpenter  trade.  On  coming  to 
America  he  located  in  Ontario,  where  he  spent  eleven 
years  working  at  his  trade.  In  1871  a  brother, 
Edward  Lealas  settled  in  Huntsville  township,  and  in 


the  following  year  Pat  Lealas  came  to  Minnesota, 
being  the  first  of  a  number  of  settlers  who  came  from 
County  Lanark  to  Polk  county.  He  was  the  first 
.settler  in  Bygland  township,  which  was  not  yet  siu-- 
veyed,  and  squatted  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  one,  the  tract  being  traversed  by  the  Red 
river,  a  boundary  which  later  involved  Mr.  Lealas  in 
litigation  with  the  railroad  company  in  which  he 
established  his  title  to  the  contested  tract.  He  erected 
a  shanty  on  the  site  of  his  present  home  and  doing 
the  first  years  supported  his  family  trapping  otter 
and  other  small  game  in  which  the  country  abounded, 
being  instructed  in  this  new  means  of  livelihood  by 
Mike  Ferry,  the  partner  of  his  brother,  Edward 
Lealas.  His  reminicence  of  these  days  are  unusually 
enjoyable,  being  enriched  by  numerous  appreciation 
and  the  genius  of  a  natural  recounter  of  tales.  The 
many  adventures  of  the  hunter  and  trapper  in  a  land 
abounding  in  wild  game  furnishes  ample  material  for 


462 


COMPENDIU:\r  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


anecdotes  of  greatest  interest  to  the  resident  of  today. 
Bear  were  among  the  wild  visitors  of  that  day  and  the 
largest  specimen  seen  here  was  shot  by  Mr.  Lealas  near 
his  cabin.  In  later  years  be  added  to  his  homestead, 
purchasing  a  quarter  section  of  railroad  land  and  has 
devoted  his  life  to  the  development  of  his  agricultural 
interests,  and  has  given  particular  attention  to  raising 
well  bred  horses.  As  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
township  he  has  given  faithful  and  intelligent  co-op- 
eration in  furthering  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity, and  is  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Catholic  chvirch  at  Fisher.  Edward  Lealas  was  a  well 
known  pioneer  of  the  region  and  made  his  home  on  his 
land  on  the  south  side  of  Red  Lake  river  until  his 
death.  Two  sisters  also  became  residents  of  Polk 
county,  Ann,  who  married  James  Martin,  and  Eliza- 


beth, who  married  Michael  Quirk.  Pat  Lealas  was 
married  in  Canada  to  Bridget  Power,  who  is  a  native 
of  Waterford,  Ireland,  and  to  this  union  were  born 
eight  children,  si.^:  of  whom  are  now  living,  John,  on 
the  home  farm;  Joe  and  James  who  are  located  at 
Bermidji;  Mary  Ann,  the  wife  of  James  0 'Grady; 
Maggie,  who  married  Henry  Schustmer,  and  Alice,  the 
wife  of  Tim  McManus,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of 
Bermidji.  Two  sons,  Patrick  Lealas  and  Edward 
Lealas,  are  dead.  After  almost  a  half  century  in  Polk 
county  Mr.  Lealas  is  enjoying  the  latter  years  of  a 
busy  life,  keenly  interested  in  and  allied  with  the 
affairs  of  the  day  through  his  many  friendships  with 
men  of  achievement  and  accorded  the  full  regard 
due  the  sturdv  American  citizen. 


KORNELIUS  H.  VALOR. 


During  all  of  the  last  thirty-seven  years  Kornelius 
H.  Valor  has  lived  on  and  cultivated  his  fine  farm  in 
Section  26,  Tynsid  township,  this  county.  He  came 
here  in  1877  and  took  the  pre-emption  on  120  acres 
and  jiroved  up  one  forty  of  this  in  1879  and  then 
bought  80  acres  of  a  homesteader,  which  made  160 
acres  as  a  homestead.  He  now  has  200  acres,  and  the 
fann  is  pleasantly  located  nine  miles  nortliwest  of 
Climax,  twent.y  miles  south  of  Grand  Forks  and 
eighteen  miles  southwest  of  Crookston.  In  1914  he 
built  on  it  a  very  convenient  and  comfortable  twelve- 
room  dwelling  house,  but  the  barn  and  other  outbuild- 
ings were  erected  some  years  previous  to  that  time. 

The  farm  was  originally  prairie  land,  and  there  was 
nothing  but  a  little  log  cabin  standing  on  it  and  but 
few  acres  were  broken  when  he  bought  it.  Nearly  all 
of  it  is  now  yielding  annual  crops  of  magnitude  and 
good  quality,  wheat,  barley  and  oats  being  the  staple 
productions,  but  dairy  products  from  seven  to  ten 
milch  cows  also  forming  a  substantial  factor  in  the 
business.  Mr.  Valor  has  conducted  the  farming  and 
cattle  operations  himself  from  the  beginning  until 
recently,  when  his  son  Rudolph  took  charge  of  them. 


relieving  his  father  of  all  necessity  for  laborious  work 
or  business  cares  in  connection  with  them. 

Mr.  Valor  is  a  stockholder  in  the  co-operative  cream- 
ery at  Eldred,  seven  miles  from  his  home,  and  he  sup- 
plies it  with  cream.  His  grain  crop  in  191.5  was  2,600 
bushels  of  wheat,  1,450  of  oats  and  300  of  barley.  He 
was  born  in  Norway  August  4,  1850,  and  became  a 
resident  of  Ottertail  county,  Minnesota,  in  1876.  He 
was  reared  and  married  in  his  native  land  and  there 
also  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade.  This,  with  his 
wife  and  two  children,  constituted  his  whole  earthly 
estate  when  he  came  to  this  country,  and  he  was  in 
debt  for  a  part  of  his  passage  money  to  his  new  home. 
A  few  months  after  his  arrival  in  IMinnesota  with  his 
family  he  moved  to  Polk  county  and  located  on  his 
present  farm.  He  hired  a  man  to  break  up  four  acres 
of  it  and  worked  at  his  trade  while  waiting  for  his 
crops  to  become  sufficient  to  provide  for  his  household. 
In  the  affairs  of  his  township  Mr.  Valor  has  always 
taken  a  good  citizen's  active  and  helpful  part.  He 
served  several  terms  as  supervisor  at  different  times 
and  for  years  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  His 
political  affiliation  was  first  with  the  Republican  party 


COMPENDIU]\I  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


463 


and  afterward  with  the  Populist  party  while  it  flour- 
ished, but  for  soiue  years  lie  has  voted  with  the  Demo- 
<irats  at  all  general  elections.  In  religious  connection 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Free  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Valor  was  married  in  Norway  to  Miss  Mary 
Peterson.  She  died  in  1902.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  only  one  of  whom,  Rudolph,  is  liv- 
ing. Two  died  in  infancy  of  diphtheria  and  the  others 
in  early  life  of  consumption.     Rudolph,  who  is  now 


cultivating  the  farm,  married  Miss  Augusta  Berland 
of  Bygland  township.  They  have  two  children,  Alfou 
and  Marion.  Rudolph  was  born  on  the  farm  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1891,  and  after  he  grew  to  manhood  spent 
some  time  in  the  state  of  Washington.  He  has  had 
charge  of  the  home  place  two  years.  Mr.  Valor  also 
owns  140  acres  in  the  town  of  Roome  and  altogether 
that  makes  340  acres. 


SIMON  BOISVERT. 


Simon  Boisvert,  of  East  Grand  Forks,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Huntsville  township,  was  born  in  Wheeling, 
West  Virginia,  March  31,  1852.  He  was  reared  in 
Canada,  near  Montreal,  and  came  to  Minnesota  in 
1882.  For  a  number  of  years  he  lived  in  Grand  Porks 
and  worked  as  a  carpenter  in  the  employ  of  the  Great 
Northern  railroad,  engaged  in  the  constructions  of  the 
company's  various  buildings  along  its  route,  working 
as  far  westward  as  San  Coule,  Montana.  Since  1889 
he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  enjoying 
prosperous  success  in  his  various  agricultural  enter- 
prises. His  interests  are  divided  between  an  eight 
acre  tract  within  the  city  limits  of  East  Grand  Forks, 
and  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seven  acres,  a  mile 
and  a  half  distant,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Red  Lake 
river.  Of  late  years  he  has  made  his  home  on  his 
property  in  East  Grand  Poi'ks,  while  hLs  son,  Ed  Bois- 
vert, resides  on  the  larger  farm,  which  they  operate  in 
partnership.  Mr.  Boisvert  is  a  member  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Catholic  ehiircli  and  a  citizen  of  worth  and 


esteem  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  In  polit- 
ical affairs  his  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Republican 
party.  As  a  young  man  he  was  an  ardent  sportsman, 
and  derived  great  pleasure  and  skill  from  this  recrea- 
tion, but  later  the  many  duties  and  responsibilities  of 
the  farm  left  meager  time  for  sports.  Mr.  Boisvert 
is  perhaps  more  widel.y  known  as  Greenwood,  the  Eng- 
lish translation  of  his  French  surname,  which  is  gen- 
erally used  by  his  children,  but  prefers  the  original 
rendering  of  the  family  name.  He  was  married  in 
Canada  to  Mary  Jeffrey,  a  native  of  that  country,  and 
sixteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  They 
have  seven  children,  Josephine,  the  wife  of  John 
Mero;  Joseph,  a  farmer,  who  was  married  to  Vina 
Pelkeg ;  John,  who  married  Rose  Robert,  and  is  farm- 
ing in  Huntsville  township ;  Ida  the  wife  of  R.  E. 
Fullerton,  of  East  Grand  Porks;  Lillie,  the  wife  of 
Willia  Bach,  of  Reinhart  township ;  Ed,  who  lives  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  was  married  to  Mabel  Schow, 
and  Willie.  . 


JOHN  0.  EGGEN. 


The  late  John  0.  Eggen,  who  was  for  years  one  of 
the  leading  farmers  and  substantial  citizens  of  North- 
land township,  with  a  good  and  well  improved  farm 
in  Section  30,  seven  miles  and  a  half  north  of  East 
Grand  Forks,  was  a  man  of  force  of  character  and 
great  positiveness,  and,  as  he  was  generally  properly 
interested  in  pro.jects  for  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  his  locality,  he  was  an  influence  for  good 


that  everybody  respected  and  a  very  useful  factor  in 
the  promotion  of  his  township's  progress.  He  was 
born  December  5,  1819,  in  the  historic  city  of  Trond- 
hjem,  Norway,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1857, 
locating  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  employed  on  a 
farm  and  in  the  lumber  woods  for  a  period  of  two 
years. 

In  1859  Jlr.  Eggen  changed  his  residence  to  Good- 


464 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


hue  county,  Minnesota,  and  there  he  took  a  pre-emj)- 
tion  claim  and  developed  it  into  a  good  and  pro- 
ductive farm,  remaining  on  it  for  a  continuous  period 
of  about  twenty  years.  In  1878  he  sold  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Polk  county,  taking  up  as  a  homestead  the 
farm  in  Northland  township  on  which  his  widow  and 
daughter  now  live.  When  he  sold  his  farm  in  Good- 
liue  county  he  was  tired  of  farming  and  expected  to 
retire,  but  two  years  afterward  he  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  to  return  to  his  life-long  vocation,  and 
so  obtained  another  farm.  His  operations  had  been 
successful  in  Goodhue  county,  and  he  had  about 
$5,000  when  he  located  in  Polk  county.  On  arriving 
here  he  rented  a  house,  which  was  then  the  best  to  be 
found  north  of  the  Marias  river. 

Mr.  Eggen,  II.  H.  Flatten  and  Carl  Lindgren,  who 
were  all  from  the  same  place  in  Norway,  teamed  to 
this  county  together,  Mr.  Flatten  being  the  cousin  of 
I\Ir.  Eggen 's  mother.  Mr.  Eggen  took  the  Southeast 
quarter  of  Section  30  as  a  homestead  and  built  on  it 
a  fairly  good  frame  house  which  is  still  standing.  He 
M'as  older  than  his  companions  and  gave  them  employ- 
ment, their  first  work  for  him  being  the  erection  of 
this  house.  The  dwelling  inhabited  by  the  family  now 
was  built  in  1889  not  far  from  the  first  one,  and  the 
difference  between  them  as  they  stand  near  together 
marks  the  progress  of  the  owners  between  the  two 
periods  of  their  construction.  In  addition  to  his 
homestead  the  newcomer  bought  fifty  acres  of  land  on 


the  Red  river,  three  miles  west  of  his  farm,  and  during 
liis  life  he  cultivated  that  also. 

While  living  in  Goodhue  county  Mr.  Eggen  agreed 
to  pay  the  passage  of  his  nephew,  Erick  Eggen,  across 
the  ocean  if  the  boy's  parents  would  allow  him  to 
eomc  to  his  uncle  in  the  New  World.  The  youth  came 
over,  being  about  twelve  years  old  then,  and  was  edu- 
cated by  his  uncle,  with  whom  he  i-emained  about  six 
years,  accompanying  him  to  this  county  and  still  liv- 
ing with  him  until  he  located  on  the  farm  he  bought 
from  the  uncle.  When  they  came  to  Polk  county  a 
neighbor,  John  Bergen,  accompanied  them  and  they 
drove  one  of  Mr.  Bergen's  teams,  and  also  settled  on 
land  near  his. 

In  January,  1887,  Mr.  Eggen  was  married  to  Miss 
Oliana  Mogaed,  a  native  of  Norway,  who  came  to  this 
county  the  year  before  her  mai-riage  and  worked  some 
months  for  IMr.  Eggen.  Slie  was  a  great  help  to  him 
in  the  transaction  of  his  business,  doing  all  his  clerical 
work,  and  she  is  still  carrying  on  the  farm.  They 
became  the  parents  of  one  child,  their  daughter,  Annie, 
who  is  now  a  young  lady  and  living  with  her  mother. 
They  also  reared  from  the  age  of  seven  Lydia  Nelson, 
a  relative  of  Mr.  Eggen,  who  is  also  with  Mrs.  Eggen, 
and  is  now  fourteen  and  whose  mother  died  while  the 
daughter  was  a  child.  Mrs.  Eggen  and  her  daughter 
belong  to  the  Grand  Marias  Lutheran  church  in  the 
cemetery  attached  to  which  the  remains  of  Mr.  Eggen 
were  buried. 


OLE  A.  ]MICKELSON. 


Mr.  Mickelson,  who  is  a  progressive  and  prosperous 
farmer  and  grain  thresher,  and  has  been  a  merchant, 
and  in  all  places  where  he  has  lived  a  public-spirited 
and  enterprising  citizen,  zealously  interested  in  the 
welfare  and  improvement  of  his  community,  lias  re- 
sided in  Polk  county  continuously  since  1883,  when  he 
came  to  the  county  with  his  parents,  Mickel  j\I.  and 
Ingebor  Martha  (Olson)  Mathison,  natives  of  Nor- 
way. The  son  was  born  at  Thronhjen,  in  that  country, 
April  9,  1866,  and  remained  there  until  1873,  when 


the  family  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Jackson  county,  Minnesota,  which  was  its  liome 
until  the  family  residence  was  changed  to  Polk  coun- 
ty. The  father  died  in  the  village  of  Winger  in  May, 
1915,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  their  son  Ole 
was  the  first  born. 

Jlr.  I\Iickelson  was  reared  to  fai'm  work  and  he  has 
been  engaged  in  it  ever  since  he  was  large  and  strong 
enough  to  take  a  hand  at  it.     For  a  period  of  about 


W.  S.  ANGLIM 


COxMPENDlUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


465 


four  years  he  was  merchandising  at  Winger,  and  he 
now  operates  a  threshing  outfit  in  connection  with  his 
farming  activities.  He  invented  the  Fosston  wind 
cleaner  for  tlireshing  machines,  which  was  patented 
in  this  country  in  1898,  and  is  now  in  extensive  use 
in  many  parts  of  the  United  States  and  also  in  Canada. 
On  December  16,  1905,  Mr.  Mickelsen  was  married 
to  Miss  Anna  Olson,  a  daughter  of  Christ  Olson,  and 


a  native  of  Polk  county.  They  have  three  children, 
Ida  A.,  Alpha  and  Florence.  In  religious  affiliation 
the  parents  are  connected  with  Synod  Lutheran 
church,  and  in  official  life  Mr.  Mickelsen  is  a  member 
and  chairman  of  the  township  school  board.  He  takes 
great  interest  in  his  work  on  the  board  and  it  is  highly 
appreciated  by  the  people. 


AVILLIAM  S.  ANGLIM. 


Among  the  early  residents  and  business  men  of 
Crookston  none  stood  higher  in  public  esteem  as  a 
broad-minded  and  public-spirited  citizen  and  as  a 
progressive  and  resourceful  merchant  of  large  business 
capacity  than  the  late  William  Anglim,  member  of 
the  firm  of  Fontaine  &  Anglim.  These  gentlemen  for 
a  number  of  years  conducted  the  leading  general  mer- 
chandising establishment  in  the  whole  Red  river  re- 
gion, and  so  well  did  they  understand  and  so  com- 
pletely did  they  meet  the  requirements  of  the  region 
that  they  laid  almost  every  part  of  it  under  tribute 
to  their  trade. 

William  Anglim  was  born  May  25,  1843,  at  Brock- 
ville,  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada.  He  left 
home  at  an  early  age  and  worked  for  a  few  years  in 
the  state  of  New  York.  He  then  came  west  to  Detroit, 
Michigan,  and  entered  the  service  of  the  American 
Express  company.  After  a  short  term  of  faithful  and 
appreciated  work  in  a  minor  capacity  in  the  employ 
of  this  company  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
railroad  expressman  on  the  run  between  Tomah,  Wis- 
consin, and  St.  Paul,  ]\Iinnesota. 

While  thus  engaged  Mr.  Anglim  cherished  a  desire 
which  was  bom  in  him  early  and  gained  vigor  with 
his  growth.  This  was  to  have  a  business  of  his  own, 
and  the  desire  at  length  became  so  strong  that  he  could 
resist  it  no  longer.  He  heard  of  the  promising  possi- 
bilities of  Northwestern  Minnesota  and  determined  to 
see  what  he  could  do  in  this  locality.  So  in  1878  he 
changed  his  residence  from  St.  Paul  to  Crookston  and, 
in  company  with  Louis  Fontaine,  bought  the  stock  and 


business  of  W.  D.  Bailey,  a  general  merchant  in  the 
latter  city,  or  at  the  frontier  settlement  in  the  woods 
as  it  was  then.  His  association  with  Mr.  Fontaine 
came  through  an  advertisement  for  a  business  partner 
which  Mr.  Anglim  inserted  in  the  newspapers  in  St. 
Paul.  Their  business  grew  to  vast  proportions,  and 
they  also  conducted  a  branch  store  at  Argyle,  in  Mar- 
shall county,  this  state,  with  conspicuous  success  and 
a  very  large  trade. 

The  partnership  between  Mr.  Anglim  and  Mr.  Fon- 
taine continued  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  ceuturj'. 
They  started  their  business  in  a  little  log  house  on  the 
main  road  running  through  the  village,  which  was 
then  full  of  stumps  of  trees  that  had  been  cut  down 
to  make  an  opening  for  the  march  of  improvement, 
and  when  they  retired  from  business  they  turned  over 
to  their  successors  the  finest,  largest  and  most  com- 
plete and  comprehensive  department  store  in  North- 
ern Minnesota. 

In  addition  to  being  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  the  Red  river  valley  Mr.  Anglim  was  also  one  of 
Crookston 's  foremost  men  in  connection  with  public 
affairs.  He  was  always  a  staunch  Democrat  in  his 
political  faith  and  alliance,  but  without  regard  to 
political  considerations  he  was  elected  to  every  im- 
portant office  in  the  gift  of  the  people.  He  was  chosen 
either  alderman  or  mayor  of  the  city  whenever  he 
would  consent  to  serve,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  nearly  twenty  years.  His  conspicu- 
ous ability  and  sterling  citizenship  also  received  na- 
tional recognition,  President  Cleveland,  in  his  second 


466 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


term,  appointing  him  receiver  of  tlie  United  States 
land  office  at  Crookston.  He  also  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  other  business  institutions  besides  his  own, 
serving  as  a  director  and  the  vice  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Crookston  from  its  organiza- 
tion until  his  death,  for  years  as  an  official  of  several 
country  banks  and  also  for  a  time  as  an  official  of 
the  Wheeler-Misner  Loan  company  of  Crookston. 

In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Anglim  was  connected 
with  the  Order  of  Elks,  and  he  was  one  of  the  promi- 
nent members  of  its  Lodge  in  Crookston,  of  which  he 
was  the  Exalted  Ruler  for  two  terms;  also  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbvis.  In  religious  faitli  he  was 
a  devout  Catholic,  holding  his  raemljership  in  St. 
Mary's  church,  which  he  served  as  treasurer  for  many 
years,  and  to  whose  welfare  he  was  earnestly  and  zeal- 
ously devoted.  He  was  a  man  of  high  ideals,  strict 
integrity  and  a  keen  and  imperative  sense  of  honor. 
In  his  domestic  relations  he  was  genial  and  generously 


considerate,  devoted  to  his  family  and  willing  at  all 
times  to  make  any  sacrifice  of  his  personal  convenience 
or  desires  to  promote  its  happiness.  When  he  retired 
from  business  he  returned  to  St.  Paul  to  live,  and  at 
St.  Joseph's  hospital  in  that  city  his  useful  life  ended 
on  July  22,  1910,  when  he  was  a  little  over  sixty-seven 
years  of  age. 

Mr.  Anglim  was  married  in  Tomah,  Wisconsin,  Oc- 
tober 1,  1873,  to  Miss  Mary  Durham,  who  was  born 
in  Loekport,  Pennsylvania,  Januai-y  28,  1853,  and 
died  August  19th,  1895.  Of  their  children  three  are 
living:  Mrs.  C.  R.  Winslow,  who  is  a  resident  of  Wa- 
tertown.  South  Dakota ;  W.  G.  Anglim,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Whaley  &  Anglim,  wholesale  hat  and 
cap  merchants  in  St.  Paul,  and  H.  T.  Anglim,  who  is 
also  a  resident  of  Watertown,  South  Dakota.  The 
parents  are  both  buried  at  Crookston  and  the  family 
still  have  large  property  interests  in  Crookston  and 
Polk  County. 


HENRY  H.  OBERG. 


After  many  years  of  hard  labor,  during  which  he 
encountered  and  overcame  a  number  of  difficulties 
and  disasters,  this  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen 
and  successful  farmer  is  now  living  retired  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Alvarado,  IMarshall  county,  where  he  occupies 
himself  in  keeping  a  livery  barn  and  feed  stable  in 
order  to  have  something  to  engage  his  attention.  At 
one  time  he  owned  920  acres  of  land  in  Saudsville 
township,  which  he  helped  to  organize  in  1883,  and 
240  acres  in  Higdem  township,  and  for  some  years 
superintended  and  personally  directed  the  cultivation 
of  it  all.  He  has,  however,  recently  sold  the  greater 
part  of  his  real  estate  to  his  children. 

Mr.  Oberg  came  from  Renville  county  to  Polk  in 
1882  and  took  a  homestead  on  the  Southwest  quarter 
of  Section  22,  in  what  is  now  Sandsville  township,  on 
Snake  river.  He  had  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  was  accom- 
panied by  John  Hendriekson,  now  deceased,  who  took 
a  homestead  in  Section  28.  Martin  Sands  was  then 
the  only  settler  within  the  limits  of  the  present  town- 


ship, and  he  had  come  earlier  in  the  same  year.  The 
next  year  Henry  Nelson,  Ole  Engson  and  Henry  Hen- 
drick.son  joined  the  colony,  and  after  them  came  others 
in  more  rapid  course. 

There  was  some  timber  along  Snake  river  and  from 
it  the  new  settlers  put  up  a  little  log  shanty  and  each 
broke  up  ten  acres  of  his  land.  They  were  not  mar- 
ried and  lived  together  after  the  house  was  built,  but 
luitil  then  they  slept  in  their  wagon.  They  did  fenc- 
ing for  pasture  land  during  the  winter  and  got  ready 
for  the  next  year's  work.  Then  they  brought  live 
stock  from  Renville  county,  and  plowed  ground  and 
sowed  wheat.  But  the  land  was  wet,  and  the  ten  acres 
Mr.  Oberg  had  in  wheat  yielded  only  eighty  bushels 
of  good  grain. 

Mr.  Oberg  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Mary  Paul- 
son. By  this  time  he  had  built  another  log  house  and 
had  raised  several  good  crops.  He  had  also  taken  a 
tree  claim  in  Section  26,  and  in  time  he  made  this 
one  of  the  best  tree  claims  in  the  county.    He  bought 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


467 


railroad  laud  at  $6  an  acre,  but  with  no  rebate,  and 
later  bought  more  at  $8  an  acre.  His  father,  whose 
name  was  also  Henry  H.  Oberg,  came  to  Polk  county 
in  1883  and  took  up  a  homestead  on  which  he  died  two 
years  afterward.  On  the  death  of  the  father  this  land 
passed  into  the  ownership  of  the  son. 

When  the  township  was  organized  in  1883  it  was 
named  in  honor  of  Martin  Sands,  its  first  settler.  Mr. 
Oberg  was  township  treasurer  and  assessor  at  different 
times.  After  cultivating  all  his  land  in  this  town- 
ship for  a  number  of  years  he  began  renting  parts 
of  it  to  his  sons,  and  in  1915  he  had  six  farms  worked 
by  them.  About  1895  he  erected  the  house  which  is 
now  on  his  home  place,  and  which  is  one  of  the  best 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  The  farm  has  a 
flowing  well  160  feet  deep,  which  furnishes  more 
water  than  is  needed,  and  there  is  a  large  drove  of 


Shorthorn  cattle  of  good  strains  on  the  place  at  all 
times.  Mr.  Oberg  divided  his  land  among  his  chil- 
dren and  moved  to  Alvarado  in  1914.  He  has  five  chil- 
dren, all  unmarried,  and  working  together.  They  are 
Ililma,  Albert,  Oscar,  Emma  and  Selma. 

The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1907,  and  in 
1912  the  father  contracted  a  second  marriage  which 
united  him  with  Miss  Thea  Olson.  They  have  one 
child,  their  son,  Henry  Melvin,  now  (1915)  two  j'ears 
old.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  Kronsvinger  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  church,  in  Esther  township,  which 
Mr.  Oberg  helped  to  organize  and  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  trustees  for  many  years.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  township 
and  rendered  it  every  service  devolving  on  a  good 
citizen,  and  its  residents  hold  him  in  high  esteem  for 
all  he  has  done. 


HAYES  BROTHERS. 


James  C.  and  Samuel  C.  Hayes,  who  are  associated 
in  business  as  partners  and  are  almost  inseparable, 
although  they  maintain  separate  homes  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  main  road  leading  through  their  land,  are 
among  the  most  extensive,  enterprising,  progressive 
and  s\iccessful  farmers  in  the  Red  River  valley.  They 
cultivate  with  great  energy  and  in  the  most  approved 
present-day  methods  over  2,000  acres  of  land,  and 
have  a  great  deal  more  which  will  be  brought  into 
productiveness  within  a  short  time.  Their  land  is  in 
Sections  9  and  16,  Hubbard  township,  three  and  three- 
quarters  miles  northeast  of  Neilsville,  five  and  a  quar- 
ter miles  southeast  of  Climax  and  twenty-two  miles 
southwest  of  Crookston. 

The  brothers  were  born,  reared,  educated  and  mar- 
ried in  Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  began  their 
business  careers  as  lumbermen  in  the  timber  camps  of 
their  native  state.  They  have  been  partners  from  their 
youth,  and  have  succeeded  broadly  because  of  the 
iniity  of  effort  that  has  directed  their  business  ability 
and  enterprise.  James'  life  began  July  6,  1844,  and 
Samuel's  June  13,  1847.     Their  father  was  a  lawyer 


and  a  surveyor,  and  he,  his  father  and  one  of  his  sons 
served  Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  as  county  sur- 
veyors each  in  his  day.  After  some  years  of  anxiety 
and  discontent  in  the  practice  of  law  the  father  of 
James  and  Samuel  abandoned  it  because  of  his  scru- 
ples in  connection  with  some  requirements  of  the  pro- 
fession, but  continued  to  give  his  neighbors  and 
friends  free  legal  advice. 

The  progenitors  of  this  Hayes  family's  American 
branch  came  from  the  North  of  Ireland  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1727.  They  were  of  Scotch  ancestry 
and  Covenanters  in  religion,  and  the  members  of  the 
family  now  living  are  zealous  adherents  of  the  faith 
of  their  forbears,  all  belonging  to  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  members  of  the  family  have  been  patriots 
in  this  country  for  generations,  too.  Four  of  them 
were  commissioned  officers  of  the  Continental  army 
during  the  Revolution,  three  of  them  being  captains 
and  the  fourth  a  lieutenant.  James  C,  during  our 
Civil  war,  served  nine  months  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  and  the  rest  of  three  years  in  the  United 
States  navy  as  a  common  sailor. 


468 


COMPENDIUjr  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


When  the  luinlicr  trade  showed  signs  of  exhaustion 
in  Pennsylvania  James  C.  Hayes  sought  a  Western 
field  of  operation  in  the  same  line,  as  neither  he  nor 
his  brother  had  any  early  inclination  to  farming.  He 
was  induced  by  an  editor  friend  at  Pembina  to  come 
to  the  Red  River  valley  in  1878,  and  the  next  year 
his  brother  Samuel  joined  him  here.  They  bought  a 
section  of  railroad  land  in  the  town  of  Hubbard  at 
$7.50  an  acre,  with  the  usual  rebate  of  $3  an  acre  for 
breaking  and  cultivating,  and  on  this  land  they  located 
in  1881.  They  had  only  $2,000  between  them,  hut 
James  also  took  up  a  homestead  in  Reis  township  and 
Samuel  a  pre-emption  claim  in  Liberty  township.  They 
had  some  live  .stock  and  farming  implements,  but  were 
not  well  supplied  for  extensive  farming  operations, 
avid  had  several  j'ears  of  difficulty  in  the  business. 

In  hard  years  they  suffered  from  crop  failures  and 
other  losses,  and  were  unable  to  make  the  stipulated 
payments  on  their  land.  But  they  found  the  railroad 
company  generous  in  its  accommodations,  and  now 
have  none  but  words  of  praise  for  James  J.  Hill  and 
his  policy  in  selling  land  and  encouraging  settlers. 
They  also  found  the  Polk  county  banks  liberal  in  spirit 
and  action,  and  they  also  commend  the  bankers  of  this 
county  highl.y.  They  have  been  large  borrowers  from 
the  banks  and  have  always  been  promptly  accommo- 
dated. 

Soon  after  locating  here  the  brotliers  bought  all  of 


School  Section  16,  in  Hubbard  township,  which  gave 
them  an  aggregate  of  2,480  acres,  240  acres  of  which 
are  devoted  to  raising  hay. 

The  specialty  of  the  Hayes  brothers  is  grain,  and 
they  have  adliered  to  raising  it  from  the  beginning. 
Their  crop  in  1915,  which  was  lessened  one-third  by 
the  wetness  of  the  season,  amounted  to  25,000  bushels. 
They  have  their  own  elevator  on  the  farm  and  it  has 
a  capacity  of  40,000  bushels.  Seven  men  are  employed 
by  the  month  dui-ing  parts  of  the  year  and  three 
throughout  the  year,  while  twenty  are  I'equired  dur- 
ing the  threshing  season.  The  lirothers  plow  with  a 
gas  engine  and  use  it  also  in  threshing,  and  they  also 
use  forty  horses  in  their  work,  although  they  have  a 
great  deal  of  money  invested  in  first-class  modern 
machinery. 

James  C.  Hayes  was  married  in  his  native  county 
in  1884  to  Miss  Mary  Glover,  who  is  also  a  native  of 
that  county.  They  have  had  three  children,  but  lost 
them  all  in  their  childhood.  Samuel  C.  Hayes  was 
married  in  Pennsylvania  in  1893,  to  Miss  Ella  Burn 
of  Harrisburg,  in  that  state.  They  have  no  children. 
The  brothers  have  always  been  warmly  and  serviceably 
interested  in  the  progress  and  development  of  Polk 
county,  and  have  been  potent  factors  in  making  and 
keeping  up  the  good  roads  for  which  Hubbard  town- 
ship is  noted.  They  are  well  pleased  with  Minnesota 
and  desire  to  live  in  no  other  place. 


KENN  BROTHERS. 


The  firm  of  Kenn  Bros.,  leading  and  extensive  in  its 
agricultural  operations,  and  well  and  favorably  known 
all  over  Polk  county  and  tliose  which  adjoin  Polk,  is 
composed  of  Alexander,  James  Drunnnond,  John  Ram- 
sey and  Edmund  Kenn,  sons  of  the  late  James  and 
Christina  (Barnett)  Kenn,  who  have  their  lieadquar- 
ters  on  Section  23,  Grand  Forks  township,  on  a  farm 
on  which  their  father  located  in  1878.  The  father  was 
bom  in  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  and  became  a  resident 
of  this  county  in  the  spring  of  the  year  last  named. 
He  emigrated  from  his  native  land  some  years  earlier 


and  was  married  in  Canada,  to  I\Iiss  Christina  Bar- 
nett, who  was  born  in  Scotland  and  brought  across  the 
Atlantic  in  her  childhood. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  the  father  was  forty 
and  the  mother  was  twenty-eight.  Robert  Anderson, 
a  friend  of  the  family,  was  living  in  tlie  Red  River  val- 
ley soon  afterwai'd,  and  he  induced  the  Kenns,  who 
were  farming  in  Canada,  to  come  to  where  he  was  and 
seek  a  better  opportunity  for  advancement  in  a  new 
region  with  all  its  possibilities  still  to  be  developed. 
Mr.  Kenn  traveled  by  rail  to  Fisher,  the  end  of  the 


COMPENDIUM  OP  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


469 


line  tlien,  and  by  boat  to  Grand  Forks.  He  bought  his 
hxnd  of  the  railroad  company  at  $7  an  acre,  with  the 
usual  rebate  condition  in  the  contract,  his  first  pur- 
chase comprising  eighty  acres,  to  which  he  added  160 
more  soon  afterward,  the  whole  tract  of  240  acres  be- 
ing in  one  body. 

Mr.  Kenn  had  very  little  money  and  was  not  able 
to  own  a  horse  for  some  months  after  his  arrival.  Dur- 
ing his  first  year  in  Polk  county  he  worked  for  other 
farmers,  breaking  up  what  he  could  of  his  eighty 
acres,  and  when  the  next  spring  came  he  found  him- 
self the  owner  of  an  ox  team  and  ground  that  wa.s 
ready  for  seeding.  His  land  lay  next  to  the  eighty 
acres  owned  by  his  friend  Anderson,  and  with  the 
help  of  that  gentleman  he  built  a  log  cabin  sixteen 
feet  square  and  began  farming  operations  which  in 
time  grew  to  large  proportions.  He  died  June  9, 1891, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  but  that  same  year  he  be- 
gan the  erection  of  the  house  now  on  the  farm  and 
bought  160  acres  of  additional  land  in  Northland 
township,  intending  to  continue  and  extend  his  farm- 
ing industry,  being  a  grain  grower  and  devoted  to  his 
work  and  special  line  of  production. 

Mr.  Kenn  was  active  in  township  affairs  and  for 
many  years  filled  various  township  offices,  among  them 
those  of  member  of  the  township  board,  township  as- 


sessor and  school  director.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Grand  Forks  to  his  death,  and 
his  remains  were  buried  in  the  cemetery  connected 
with  that  church.  The  mother  is  still  alive.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  Alexander,  James 
Drummond,  Margaret,  John  Ramsey  B.,  Agnes  Jane 
and  Edmund,  all  but  one  of  whom  are  living  in  Polk 
county.  Margaret  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Dangerfield,  of 
East  Grand  Forks,  and  Agnes  Jane  married  J.  C. 
Fegenshau  and  lives  in  Miles  City,  Jlontana. 

John  R.  B.  Kenn  married  Miss  Margaret  Fraser 
and  lives  in  Esther  township,  three  miles  north  of  the 
home  place.  His  three  brothers,  who  are  with  him 
in  the  firm  of  Kenn  Bros.,  live  on  the  home  place  and 
are  unmarried.  The  firm  owns  the  220  acres  on  which 
J.  R.  B.  lives  and  160  more  near  that  place.  They 
carry  on  general  farming,  breed  dairy  and  beef  cat- 
tle and  raise  their  own  horses,  using  twelve  in  their 
farm  work.  They  are  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare 
and  advancement  of  Polk  county,  especially  the  two 
townships  in  which  their  property  lies,  and  have  ren- 
dered valuable  service  in  different  public  offices.  But 
their  attention  has  been  given  mainly  to  their  farming 
interests,  and  these  they  have  conducted  with  skill, 
good  judgment  and  prudent  management.  They  en- 
joy the  esteem  of  all  who  know  them. 


JOHN  CONNERAN. 


This  gentleman,  who  was  for  years  one  of  the  most 
extensive  and  enterprising  farmers  in  this  county, 
owning  920  acres  of  land  in  it,  and  cultivating  nearly 
all  of  it,  has  had  a  very  interesting  and  in  some  re- 
spects striking  career.  The  land  is  still  all  in  his 
family,  some  of  it  having  been  given  by  him  to  his 
sons,  and  his  own  home  farm  of  160  acres  is  in  Sec- 
tion 6,  Roome  township,  twelve  miles  southwest  of 
Crookstou.  He  was  bom  in  County  Galway,  Ireland, 
November  10,  1844,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1862,  landing  at  New  York  May  2,  and  at  once  join- 
ing his  brother  Lawrence  in  New  Jersey. 

Two  years  later  Mr.  Conneran's  father  came  over 


and  they  all  moved  up  into  New  York  state,  where 
they  lived  for  a  number  of  years  and  then  returned  to 
New  Jei'sey.  John  was  a  brakeman  on  a  railroad  for 
a  time  and  afterward  a  conductor  until  his  marriage 
in  New  Jersey  in  1872  to  Miss  Anna  Logan,  the  sister 
of  John  and  Thomas  Logan.  He  then  became  a  sec- 
tion boss  and  held  the  job  for  seven  years,  and  during 
his  railroad  service  he  saved  $1,000  of  his  earnings 
as  a  stake  for  a  contemplated  venture  in  the  distant 
West,  as  it  was  then,  and  late  in  1887  he  brought  his 
family  to  Fisher,  in  this  county,  to  be  with  his  wife's 
people,  the  Logans  and  Mrs.  Baraey  Heggarty. 
Mr.  Conneran  took  his  place  in  Roome  township  as 


470 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTOKY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


a  homestead.  Ilis  inother-iu-law,  Mrs.  Kate  Logan, 
had  a  claim  on  it  for  a  time,  but  she  allowed  him  to 
file  on  it,  which  he  did  in  the  spring  of  1888,  and  he 
has  since  lived  on  it.  By  I\Iay  15,  1888,  he  had  his 
house  built  and  was  occupying  it.  The  farm  is  on  the 
prairie  three  miles  out  from  the  Red  river.  I\Ir.  Cou- 
neran  has  since  bought  160  acres  more  in  Section  6, 
and  160  in  Section  32,  eighty  in  Section  8  and  forty 
in  Section  7,  Fisher  township,  and  he  also  owns  320 
acres  in  AVoodside  township.  The  last  is  only  a  ([uar- 
ter  of  a  mile  south  of  ]\Iaple  lake  and  a  few  miles 
south  of  the  village  of  IMentor,  in  which  he  also  owns 
some  property  which  is  rapidly  growing  in  value. 

At  one  time  Mr.  Conneran  spent  four  or  five  years 
on  his  Woodside  farm  getting  out  cordwood,  which  he 
shipped  in  carload  lots  to  Crookston  and  Grand 
Forks,  employing  ten  to  twelve  choppers  and  sending 
oft"  1,000  to  3,000  cords  a  year,  his  shipment  being 
a  carload  every  day  one  winter.  His  farming  opera- 
tions were  also  carried  on  on  a  large  scale.  His  cus- 
tomary output  at  the  height  of  his  business  was  400 
to  500  acres  in  wheat,  and  he  also  kept  50  to  75  head 
of  cattle  when  he  had  range  for  them,  but  he  now 
keeps  about  25  head,  and  in  addition  milks  ten  to 
twelve  cows  for  butter,  and  ha.s  milked  18  to  20  some 
years.    The  butter  is  made  at  his  home  and  taken  to 


Crookston,  where  it  is  sold  mostly  to  private  customers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conneran  are  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  John  is  living  on  a 
farm  of  160  acres  in  Fisher  township  given  to  him  by 
his  father.  JIary  is  the  wife  of  James  Powers  of 
Bygland  township.  Katie  is  the  wife  of  Owen  La 
Velle  of  Grand  Forks  county,  N.  D.  Anna  is  the  wife 
of  Albany  Capistran  of  Lowell  township.  Ella  is  the 
wife  of  A.  P.  Roberts  of  Crookston.  James  lives  on 
a  farm  cornering  witli  his  father's  and  given  to  liim 
by  his  father.  Delia  has  a  dressmaking  establishment 
in  Grand  Fork.s.  William,  the  youngest  of  the  boys, 
is  to  get  the  home  farm  in  time.  Jennie,  the  youngest 
of  the  family,  also  lives  at  home.  All  the  members  of 
the  family  belong  to  the  Catholic  church  at  Fisher, 
Minn. 

Mr.  Comieran  has  served  in  several  township 
offices,  especially  those  having  to  do  with  road  work. 
His  railroad  section  supervision  has  been  of  great 
service  in  this  connection,  and  as  a  result  the  town- 
ship has  very  good  roads.  He  has  had  a  great  deal  of 
draining  done  and  has  labored  hard  to  obtain  the 
establishment  of  a  general  .system  of  county  ditches, 
all  the  best  ones  in  and  near  his  locality  being  pro- 
vided for  largely  through  his  strenuous  efforts  in  this 
behalf. 


MRS.  CHESTINA  A.  MESSETT. 


Having  been  successfully  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing at  Mentor  throughout  the  last  twenty  years,  and 
having  won  a  competence  for  life  by  her  industry, 
thrift  and  good  management,  Mrs.  Chestina  A.  Mes- 
sett  has  justly  earned  the  high  regard  in  which  she  is 
held  by  the  residents  of  Grove  Park  township  as  a 
business  woman,  as  she  has  also  the  universal  esteem 
she  enjoys  because  of  her  usefulness  in  other  lines  of 
activity  and  service  to  the  public.  No  woman  in  Polk 
county  is  more  highly  or  more  generally  respected,  and 
there  is  none  who  deserves  to  be. 

Mrs.  Messett  was  born  near  Zumbrota,  in  Goodhue 
county,  Minnesota,   and   grew  to  womanhood  there. 


obtaining  a  fairly  good  education  for  her  time  and 
surroundings  and  opportunities.  In  her  young  wom- 
anhood she  came  to  Polk  county  for  about  seven  years 
and  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools, 
winning  high  favor  for  her  success  in  the  work.  She 
was  married  in  this  county  to  I.  K.  Messett,  a  native 
of  Norway,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the 
county.  He  was  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citi- 
zen and  took  an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his 
township  and  those  of  the  Synod  Lutheran  church 
during  his  life. 

Mrs.  Messett  and  her  husband  became  the  parents 
of  one  child,  their  daughter  Belinda  G.,  who  is  now  a 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


471 


school  teacher  also,  following  the  excellent  example 
of  her  mother.  The  latter  was  appointed  postmistress 
of  Mentor  and  held  the  office  seventeen  yeai-s.  In 
addition  to  her  other  property  she  owns  240  acres  of 


land  in  Grove  Park  township  and  personally  super- 
vises the  cultivation  of  the  farm,  and  in  this  work,  as 
in  her  store,  her  excellent  business  qualifications  are 
well  displayed. 


OSCAR  WICK. 


For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  Oscar  Wick 
has  conducted  the  East  Grand  Foi-ks  nursery  to  the 
great  benefit  of  his  own  township  and  those  that  ad- 
join it  in  this  state  and  North  Dakota.  He  started  the 
business  in  1890,  and  he  now  has  about  one-half  of  the 
seventy  acres  of  land  in  his  nursery  tract  devoted  to 
propagating  hardy  and  flowering  shrubs,  ornamental 
and  fruit  trees,  especially  crab  and  other  apple,  plum 
and  cherry  trees,  and  such  small  fruits  as  strawberries 
and  other  berries.  He  also  makes  a  specialty  of  pro- 
ducing fine  asparagus  plants  in  great  numbers,  and 
he  gives  particular  attention  to  his  ornamental  tree 
and  shrub  department. 

Mr.  Wick  was  born  in  Sweden  June  30,  1857,  and 
became  a  resident  of  Minnesota  in  1879.  He  was 
specially  prepared  for  his  business  by  thorough  train- 
ing at  good  horticultural  schools  and  by  practical 
work,  and  he  is,  therefore,  a  complete  master  of  it, 
but  he  is  also  still  a  diligent  student  and  close  observer 
of  its  development  in  every  line  of  progress.  He  was 
married  in  1881,  at  Blanchard,  North  Dakota,  to  Miss 
Carrie  Erickson,  who  died  in  1890,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren. Of  these  Ella,  the  first  born,  died  at  the  age 
of  nine  years.  Roy  is  a  conductor  on  the  Great  North- 
ern railroad  and  lives  in  Grand  Forks,  and  Conrad  is 
a  gardener  on  land  near  his  father's. 

In  1893  Mr.  Wick  contracted  a  second  marriage, 
which  united  him  with  Jliss  Augusta  Jernberg,  who  is 
also  a  native  of  Sweden.  They  have  three  children: 
Ella,  who  is  a  stenographer  in  the  Northern  State 
Bank  of  Grand  Forks,  and  Lillie  and  Rudolph,  who 
are  living  at  home  with  their  parents.  The  father  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church 
in  Grand  Forks  and  served  as  its  organist  for  seven 
years.    The  first  money  he  made  he  sent  back  to  his 


old  music  teacher  in  Sweden.  His  children  inherit  his 
musical  talent  and  are  themselves  all  accomplished 
musicians. 

Mr.  Wick  located  at  Blanchard,  North  Dakota,  in 
1880,  and  there  he  built  a  hotel  and  became  a  grain 
merchant.  When  he  decided  to  change  his  occupation 
he  was  unable  to  sell  his  property  at  Blanchard,  and 
so  he  came  to  Grand  Forks  without  capital  and  started 
in  selling  nursery  stock  for  the  Grand  Forks  Nursery. 
He  soon  discovered  that  the  profits  in  the  business  were 
large  and  decided  to  engage  in  it  himself.  He  bought 
part  of  the  land  he  now  devotes  to  it,  paying  $60  an 
acre  for  it,  although  it  was  then  full  of  stumps  and 
brush,  going  in  debt  for  the  purchase  money  and  bor- 
rowing $200  in  addition.  The  land  is  on  the  east  side 
of  Red  River,  one  mile  south  of  East  Grand  Forks,  and 
well  located  for  his  purpose. 

For  a  time  he  conducted  a  restaurant  in  which  he 
made  money,  but  opposition  developed  when  it  was 
learned  that  he  was  going  to  start  a  new  nursery.  One 
Grand  Forks  and  one  Hillsboro,  North  Dakota,  news- 
paper worked  against  him  and  were  accused  of  being 
paid  for  doing  this.  But  the  Northwest  News  and  the 
Normander  gave  his  undertaking  encouragement 
which  proved  to  be  of  great  advantage  to  him. 

In  a  little  while  he  bought  more  land,  paying  $150 
an  acre  for  some  of  it,  and  he  now  owns  seventy  acres. 
His  rule  of  action  has  been  to  deal  fairly  with  every- 
body, correct  all  mistakes  of  his  own,  replace  poor 
stock  and  make  every  effort  to  produce  stock  suitable 
for  the  climate  and  local  conditions.  His  business  ex- 
panded steadily  and  brought  him  increasing  pros- 
perity. He  now  has  a  very  desirable  home  with  an 
avenue  bordered  by  stately  trees  of  his  own  planting 
leading   to   the    dwelling   and   artistically   arranged 


472 


COJIPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


grounds  decorated  with  ornamental  trees  and  shrub- 
bery surrounding  it. 

Mr.  Wick  has  contributed  a  great  deal  to  improving 
the  conditions  of  life  in  his  home  locality,  much  of 
the  beautiful  landscape  gardening  about  the  homes  in 
East  Grand  Forks  and  its  parks  being  the  result  of 
his  efforts.  He  has  spared  no  labor  or  expense  in 
testing  shrubbery  and  fruit  culture,  acclimating  many 
varieties  of  such  products  that  had  long  been  consid- 
ered too  tender  to  gi'ow  in  this  latitude.  Thirty  yeara 
ago  it  was  believed  that  the  only  kind  of  apples  that 
would  live  and  flourish  in  this  section  of  the  country 
were  crabapples.  But  in  consequence  of  his  enter- 
prise and  ability  many  varieties  of  apples  are  now 
produced  here  in  fine  qualities  and  of  great  commer- 
cial value  in  all  the  markets. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  residence  in  what  is  now 


Rhinehart  township  Mr.  Wick  has  taken  an  earnest 
interest  and  an  active  part  in  its  public  affairs.  The 
four  sections  bordering  on  and  near  to  the  Red  river 
were  paying  their  taxes  but  getting  no  road  improve- 
ment or  other  benefits.  He  started  a  movement  to  ob- 
tain their  right  to  manage  their  own  affairs  by  separa- 
tion from  Grand  Forks  township  and  the  formation 
of  a  new  township  by  themselves.  The  movement  suc- 
ceeded in  time  and  after  considerable  effort.  Rhine- 
hart  township  was  organized,  Mr.  Wick  was  elected 
township  clerk  and  later  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
it  was  only  a  short  time  until  the  new  town.ship  found 
itself  in  a  desirable  condition,  with  good  roads  in  every 
direction  and  a  surplus  of  funds  in  its  trea.sury.  Mr. 
Wick  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  faith  and  alle- 
giance, and  he  is  a  "live  one"  in  political  contests,  as 
he  is  in  everything  else  in  which  he  takes  an  interest. 


OLE  HANSON. 


"Tried  by  both  extremes  of  fortune  and  not  .seri- 
ously disturbed  by  either"  is  a  motto  that  might  be 
appropriately  applied  to  the  enterprising  farmer, 
courteous  gentleman  and  public-spirited  citizen  who 
is  the  subject  of  this  brief  review.  He  has  suffered 
hardship,  privation  and  adversity  in  some  of  their 
most  cruel  forms,  and  he  has  triumphed  over  every 
difficulty  and  won  a  substantial  competence  for  life 
by  his  own  industry,  thrift  and  good  management,  yet 
through  all  conditions  and  changes  of  fortune  he  has 
been  the  same  firm,  intrepid,  hopeful  and  enterprising 
man,  undaunted  by  Fate's  greatest  exhibitions  of  un- 
kindness  and  not  unduly  elated  over  Fortune's  most 
generous  benefactions  and  sunniest  smiles. 

Ole  Hanson  was  born  at  Lurvig,  Norway,  March  16, 
1855,  and  when  he  was  about  eleven  years  of  age  came 
with  his  parents,  Hans  and  Cheston  Oleson,  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  in  1866.  In  October,  1877, 
the  family  settled  in  Polk  county,  Minnesota,  on  Sec- 
tion 31,  in  Nesbit  township,  where  the  father  died  one 
year  later  and  the  mother  three  years  after  his  death. 
They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
their  son  Ole  was  the  fourth  in  the  order  of  birth. 


Mr.  Hanson  was  about  twenty-two  years  old  when 
he  arrived  in  this  county,  and  he  at  once  bought  one- 
half  of  Section  31,  Nesbit  township,  and  on  this  tract 
he  has  ever  since  had  his  home,  but  he  has  added  to 
his  original  holding  by  subsequent  purchases,  and  he 
now  owns  and  cultivates  360  acres,  which,  by  his  in- 
telligent and  skillful  methods  of  farming  he  has  made 
very  productive.  He  had  a  hard  struggle  at  first, 
however,  and  it  required  nerve  and  determined  per- 
sistency to  get  through  it.  His  first  habitation  on  the 
land  was  a  mud  or  sod  shack,  which  was  very  inade- 
quate for  comfort  or  even  shelter,  and  the  other  home 
appliances  were  in  keeping  with  this.  But  the  sod 
shack  long  since  gave  way  to  a  good  modern  dwelling, 
and  the  other  buildings  that  Mr.  Oleson  has  erected 
are  also  modern  and  complete  in  every  particular. 
His  principal  industry  on  this  farm  is  general  farm- 
ing, but  he  also  raises  and  handles  live  stock  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  having  on  hand  about  twenty  head 
of  horses  and  forty  of  cattle,  on  an  average. 

While  Mr.  Hanson  has  paid  strict  and  constant  at- 
tention to  his  own  affairs  he  has  also  given  heed  in 
an  interested  and  helpful  way  to  those  of  the  town- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


473 


ship  and  county  of  his  home.  Their  welfare  and 
progress  have  been  objects  of  strong  and  continual 
desire  with  him,  and  he  has  been  an  influential  factor 
in  promoting  their  advancement.  He  has  long  been 
one  of  the  school  trustees  of  District  No.  117,  and  in 
many  other  ways  has  been  of  great  service  to  the  pub- 
lic in  his  locality,  and  every  public  interest  has  always 
had  hi.s  earnest,  intelligent  and  most  active  support. 


On  July  23,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  Ark- 
haus,  who  is,  like  himself,  a  native  of  Norway.  They 
have  no  children  of  their  own  but  are  rearing  and 
educating  a  sou  named  Willard  and  a  daughter  named 
Grace,  whom  they  have  adopted.  Mr.  and  Mis.  Han- 
sou  are  zealous  and  active  members  of  the  United 
Lutheran  church. 


ELIAS  G.  GUSTAFSON. 


Elias  G.  Gustafson,  one  of  the  enterprising,  pro- 
gressive and  successful  farmers  of  this  county,  is  a 
veritable  pioneer  of  Woodside  township  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  terra.  He  broke  the  first  land  and  raised, 
reaped  and  threshed  the  first  grain  produced  in  that 
township  and  helped  to  plant  the  seeds  of  its  present 
civilization  and  development.  He  was  born  in  Sweden 
May  22,  1857,  and  when  he  was  ten  years  old  came  to 
this  coimtry  with  his  parents,  Gustaf  and  Mary  Elia- 
soii.  The  family  located  in  Douglas  county,  Minne- 
sota, where  the  mother  died  October  12,  1879.  Two 
years  later  the  father  and  the  rest  of  the  family- 
moved  to  this  county  and  took  up  their  residence  in 
Woodside  towuship,  where  the  father  died  in  the  fall 
of  1909. 

When  the  son  came  to  Polk  county  late  in  the  fall 
of  1881  he  at  once  took  up  a  tract  of  wild  land  iu 
Woodside  township,  which  was  all  wild  then,  and 
began  improving  it.  He  has  lived  in  Woodside  town- 
ship ever  since  except  for  six  years,  during  which  he 


was  engaged  in  farming  in  Godfrey  township.  Farm- 
ing has  been  his  principal  occupation  from  his  youth 
and  he  has  made  it  a  successful  and  profitable  one  for 
him.  He  now  owns  340  acres  of  good  land  improved 
with  buildings  well  suited  to  his  needs  and  nearly  all 
under  cultivation.  He  has  held  the  office  of  super- 
visor of  Woodside  township  for  a  number  of  years  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  school  board. 

On  November  15,  1884,  Mr.  Gustafson  was  married 
in  Woodside  township  to  Julia  M.  Johnson,  a  native 
of  Norway.  They  liave  had  thirteen  children,  two  of 
whom,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy.  The 
eleven  who  are  living  are  John  R.  G.,  Caroline,  Wil- 
liam W.,  Antone  N.,  Edward  E.,  Guste,  George  N., 
Otto,  Conrad,  Walter  and  Theo.  Caroline  is  the  wife 
of  Ole  R.  Luckan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gustafson  are  zeal- 
ous and  serviceable  members  of  the  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran church  and  take  a  helpful  interest  in  all  its  work 
for  the  good  of  the  community. 


OLE  HELMER  ESTENSON. 


Known  far  and  wide  as  one  of  the  best  and  most 
capable  business  men  in  this  county,  and  esteemed 
wherever  he  is  known  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and 
progressive  and  serviceable  citizenship,  Ole  Helmer 
Estenson,  manager  of  one  of  the  leading  mercantile 
enterprises  of  Climax,  has  earned  his  rank  and  repu- 
tation by  his  genuine  merit  and  fine  business  capacity, 

and  also  by  his  intelligent,  helpful  and  stimulating 
30 


interest  in  every  undertaking  which  makes  for  the 
advancement  and  enduring  welfare  of  his  home  com- 
munity. 

Mr.  Estenson  is  a  native  of  Vineland  township,  this 
county,  having  been  bom  on  his  father's  farm  in  that 
township  January  22,  1878.  He  is  a  son  of  Ole  and 
Paulina  Estenson,  who  were  pioneers  of  Vineland 
township,  locating  on  a  homestead  there  early  in  the 


474 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


seventies.  They  became  the  parents  of  five  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living.  Emma  is  now  the  wife  of 
Mertin  Strommen,  and  a  resident  of  Vineland  town- 
ship. Ole  H.  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review. 
Peter  is  still  living  at  liome  with  his  parents.  Ida  is 
the  wife  of  Sever  Rostvcdt  and  has  her  home  in  North 
Dakota,  and  John  is  also  still  a  member  of  the  parental 
family  circle. 

Ole  H.  Estenson,  the  second  born  of  the  five  chil- 
dren, was  reared  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  and 
obtained  only  a  common  school  education.  In  1900  he 
began  his  mercantile  career  in  the  Estenson  company 
of  Clima.x.  The  partnership  continued  until  1911, 
when  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Climax  Co-operative 
Mercantile  company,  Mr.  Estenson  remained  as  a  clerk 
in  the  store  under  i+s  new  owners  for  a  vear,  then 


moved  to  Canada  and  took  up  a  homestead,  on  which 
he  lived  two  years  and  a  half.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  returned  to  Climax  and  was  appointed  man- 
ager of  the  store  which  he  formerly  owned,  and  in 
that  capacity  he  has  been  connected  with  it  ever  since. 
In  the  government  and  social  life  of  Climax  IMr. 
Estenson  has  always  taken  a  cordial  interest  and  been 
a  forceful  factor.  He  proved  his  devotion  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community  by  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
village  council  with  energj-  and  public  spirit  for  some 
years.  He  is  also  a  devout  and  serviceable  member 
of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church.  On  August  10, 
1906,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]Miss  Clara  Ban- 
gen,  a  daughter  of  Hans  H.  Bangen,  of  Vineland 
township.  Two  daughters  have  been  born  of  the 
union,  Irene  and  Romona. 


WILLIAM  JAMES  PORTER. 


While  he  is  not  now  and  never  has  been  regularly 
a  resident  of  Polk  county,  William  James  Porter  is 
entitled  to  recognition  in  this  compendium  of  Polk 
county  history  because  of  his  having  married  into  one 
of  the  prominent  families  of  the  county  and  his  inti- 
mate connection  with  certain  features  of  the  indus- 
trial and  commercial  life  of  the  Polk  county  people. 

Mr.  Porter  was  for  a  few-  years  a  grain  buyer  at 
Davidson  station,  near  the  old  Nesbit  farm,  and  he 
married  Miss  Margaret  Evelyn  Nesbit,  the  daughter 


of  James  Nesbit,  the  owner  of  that  farm  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family  in  whose  honor  Nesbit  township  was 
given  the  name  it  bears,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Porter  own 
a  part  of  the  old  family  homestead,  which  is  being 
farmed  by  a  tenant.  Mr.  Porter  has,  during  the  last 
four  or  five  years,  been  a  grain  buyer  for  the  Diamond 
Mill  in  Grand  Forks. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter  were  married  October  24, 
1906.  They  have  four  children.  Myrtle  Evelyn, 
Frances  Marion,  Lois  Christina  and  Willard  James. 


EDMLTND  M.  WALSH. 


Edmund  M.  Walsh,  wlio  is  the  author  of  the  valu- 
able article  in  this  work  giving  an  interesting  account 
of  the  early  days  in  the  history  of  Polk  county,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Crookston  continuously  since  1872, 
and  during  the  whole  period  of  his  residence  in  the 
city  has  been  prominent  in  its  various  lines  of  life, 
particularly  in  connection  with  its  public  affairs  and 
those  of  Polk  county,  and  the  fi-atemal  activities  in 
both. 

Mr.  Walsh  was  born  in  Essex  count.y.  New  York, 


March  2,  1851,  and  in  1857  he  was  brought  by  Ills 
parents,  Thomas  and  Eleanor  Walsh,  to  Henderson, 
Sibley  county,  Minnesota,  ■where  he  grew  to  manhood 
and  obtained  his  education.  In  1870  he  assumed 
charge  of  a  .store  belonging  to  his  father  at  Hender- 
son, but  a  short  time  afterward  he  sold  this  business 
and  started  a  mercantile  entei'prise  of  his  own.  He 
disposed  of  this  also  in  a  short  time,  and  then  went 
to  GaiTV,  now  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  where  he  did  not 
tarry  long,  returning  to  this  eountrj'  in  a  few  weeks 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


475 


and  locating  at  Grand  Forks,  Noi-th  Dakota,  and  mov- 
ing from  there  to  Crookstou  in  1872, 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Crookston  Mr.  Walsh  was 
elected  auditor  of  Polk  county,  being  the  first  incum- 
bent of  the  office.  In  1878  he  organized  the  old 
Crookston  Telephone  company,  and  throughout  his 
connection  with  it  he  served  as  its  manager.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  first  city  council  of  Crookston,  and 
for  fifteen  years  he  rendered  valuable  service  as  a 


member  of  the  school  board.  In  1885  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  Crookston,  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  he  was 
re-elected.  But  in  the  meantime,  in  1886,  he  was  also 
chosen  clerk  of  the  district  court.  He  has  long  taken 
an  earnest  interest  and  an  active  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  which  he  joined  in  1880,  and  in 
which  he  was  made  a  Knight  Templar  in  Palestine 
Commandery  No.  14,  at  Fergus  Falls,  ^Minnesota,  in 
1886. 


MRS.  MARY  BUCKLEY  NELSON. 


The  career  of  this  good  woman  in  Polk  county, 
which  has  covered  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years, 
has  been  one  of  great  usefulness  and  her  life  has  been 
one  of  continuous  devotion  to  the  comfort  and  gen- 
eral welfare  of  others.  She  was  born  in  Ireland 
August  16,  1849,  the  daughter  of  Matthew  and  Anna 
( Murphy j  Buckley,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  year  of  her  birth  and  located  in  Adams  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  they  lived  until  she  was  six  years 
old.  At  that  time  her  father  entered  the  United 
States  army  and  was  commissioned  captain  of  Com- 
pany D,  Fourth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.     He  died  in  the  fall  of  1865. 

The  daughter  was  married  in  Wisconsin  May  14, 
1878,  to  Christopher  Nelson,  a  native  of  Norway. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  the  young  couple  took  up 
their  residence  in  Polk  county,  making  their  first 
home  in  it  in  Crookston,  where  Mrs.  Nelson,  for  five 


months  taught  the  first  school  ever  kept  in  the  place. 
The  next  year  she  and  her  husband  moved  to  Fanny 
township  and  took  up  a  half -section  of  land  on  which 
they  lived  and  which  they  improved  and  cultivated 
for  sixteen  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  they 
lived  for  a  year  on  a  farm  in  Euclid  township,  and 
then  moved  to  the  village  of  Euclid,  where  they  fol- 
lowed keeping  a  hotel,  and  where  Mr.  Nelson  died 
March  17,  1912,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

ilr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  were  the  parents  of  five 
children :  Anna,  who  is  the  wife  of  ilr.  Joseph  Hene- 
meth ;  William,  who  died  when  ten  years  old ;  Flor- 
ence, who  is  the  wife  of  J.  Dunnoody ;  and  Amber 
E.  and  Walter,  who  are  still  living  with  their  mother. 
She  ow-ns  200  acres  of  land  in  Polk  county  and  takes 
an  earne.st  interest  in  everything  that  affects  the 
welfare  of  the  county. 


NELS  M.  MALMBERG. 


Owning  280  acres  of  superior  laud  in  Fisher  town- 
ship and  eighty  in  Roome  township,  this  county,  and 
having  the  greater  part  of  it  under  cultivation  with 
good  results,  Nels  'M.  Malmberg  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  Polk  county  and  one  of  its  pro- 
gressive and  successful  farmers.  His  home  farm  is 
in  Section  26,  Fisher  township,  four  miles  southeast 
of  Fisher  and  eight  miles  west  of  Crookston.  He 
■was  born  in  Sweden  April  7,  1838,  and  came  to  the 


United  States  in  1869.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
joined  his  brother  Andrew  in  St.  Paul,  the  latter  hav- 
ing come  over  about  tAvo  years  and  a  half  before. 
Nels  had  always  worked  on  a  farm  in  his  native  land, 
and  his  whole  capital  when  he  arrived  in  this  country 
was  $30  to  $40. 

During  his  first  winter  in  the  United  States  Mr. 
Malmberg  worked  in  the  pineries.  He  was  next  em- 
ployed in  laying  track  for  the  St.  Paul  &  Duluth 


476 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


railroad,  and  iu  his  second  winter  he  went  south  to 
Memphis  and  engaged  in  chopping  wood.  The  next 
summer  he  was  back  at  railroad  work  on  the  North- 
ern Pacific  near  TJrainerd  and  the  next  winter  on  the 
grade  in  Dakota.  In  the  fall  of  1872  he  and  his 
brother  came  to  Polk  county  and  selected  land,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1873  he  took  possession  of  his,  taking 
it  first  as  a  pre-emption  claim  but  later  turning  half 
of  it  into  a  homestead. 

Mr.  Malmberg's  land  is  on  Burnham's  creek,  which 
was  named  for  Mr.  Burnham,  who  settled  in  this 
county  the  j'ear  before  Mr.  Malmberg,  and  with  him 
came  also  Charles  Matson,  August  Peterson,  Martin 
Swentson  and  a  Jlr.  Christiansen,  all  of  whom  settled 
along  the  Red  Lake  river  toward  Crookston.  INIr. 
Malmberg  had  eighty  acres  of  timber  in  his  tract  and 
the  rest  was  prairie.  lie  has  since  bought  eighty 
acres  of  school  laud  and  100  acres  more  of  prairie 
and  timber  land  in  Section  25,  Fisher  township,  be- 
sides sixty-six  acres  in  another  tract  and  eighty  acres 
of  hay  land  in  Roome  township,  or  360  acres  iu  all, 
and  the  whole  body  is  productive  in  one  way  or 
another. 

In  the  early  daj's  this  enterprising  farmer  sold 
wood  and  did  anything  else  he  could  to  turn  his 
opportunities  to  advantage.  He  had  two  yoke  of 
oxen  with  which  he  broke  prairie  land  for  other 
farmers,  and  he  had  to  do  whatever  he  could,  be- 
cause he  had  only  about  .$300  when  he  came  to  the 


county,  and  this  was  very  little  with  which  to  found 
a  home  and  improve  a  farm  in  the  wildei-ness  and 
rear  a  family  there.  In  his  farming  operations  for 
years  he  depended  on  raising  wheat  and  other  small 
grain  as  his  mainstay,  but  of  late  he  has  been  keep- 
ing live  stock  and  milks  ten  cows  for  cream,  which 
he  sells  in  Crookston.  He  has  also  been  raising  fine 
crops  of  corn  for  some  years,  steadily  increasing  his 
acreage  in  this  cereal. 

Mr.  Malmberg  has  devoted  his  attention  largely  to 
his  farm  and  has  taken  no  active  part  in  public 
affairs  and  has  held  no  political  office  at  any  time, 
although  he  has  always  been  warmly  and  practically 
interested  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  town- 
ship. For  several  years  he  was  his  own  housekeeper, 
but  in  1891  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Matilda  Johnson 
Rodahl,  a  widow,  born  in  Norway.  They  have  two 
sons,  Nels  Henning  and  Alfred.  Carl  Rodahl,  a  son 
of  Mrs.  Malmberg  by  her  former  marriage,  is  also 
a  member  of  the  family,  and  they  are  all  living  on 
the  farm. 

The  first  bridges  over  the  creeks  in  the  neighbor- 
hood were  built  by  Mr.  Malmberg  and  the  other 
settlers,  those  over  Burnham  and  Anderson  creeks 
being  built  earlier.  He  and  two  or  three  others  also 
sold  and  loaded  the  first  carload  of  wheat  that  was 
shipped  out  of  Crookston  by  rail,  having  sold  their 
crops  to  Mr.  Bailej'  in  that  city. 


HENRY  L.  GAYLORD. 


Henry  L.  Gaylord,  of  Fertile,  a  prominent  pioneer 
of  Polk  county  is  widely  known  through  the  manj^ 
interests  of  his  busy  career  as  lawyer,  real  estate 
dealer  and  farmer.  He  is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born 
at  Rockville,  Stearns  county,  November  15,  1857,  the 
son  of  L.  P.  and  Lida  Gaylord,  who  came  from  Con- 
necticut to  St.  Anthony  Falls  in  1855  and  shortly 
afterward  removed  to  RockviUe,  where  L.  P.  Gay- 
lord operated  the  mill  and  postoffice  and  owned  some 
six  hundred  acres  of  land.     The  Sioux  outbreak  of 


1862  caused  him  to  seek  safety  for  his  family  at  St. 
Cloud  and  he  later  sold  the  land  in  Stearns  county 
and  for  a  number  of  years  was  employed  as  a  lum- 
ber scaler  by  Bridgeman,  making  his  home  iu  Min- 
neapolis for  eight  years.  In  1877  he  came  to  Red 
Lake  Falls,  then  in  Polk  county  and  took  a  homestead 
four  miles  west  of  the  town,  iu  Louisville  township, 
where  he  was  actively  associated  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  community  affairs  and  served  in  various  local 
offices.    Later  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  Cali- 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


477 


fomia,  returning  to  Polk  county  to  spend  the  last 
years  of  his  life  with  his  son,  in  Fertile,  M'here  his 
death  occurred  in  1901,  in  his  eighty-second  year. 
Two  sons,  William  0.  Gaylord  and  Henry  L.  Gaylord, 
are  both  residents  of  Minnesota,  the  former  being  a 
farmer  in  Beltrami  county,  having  formerly  been  an 
employee  in  the  courthouse  at  Minneapolis. 

H.  L.  Gaylord  came  to  Crookston  as  a  young  man 
of  twenty  years  and  as  his  first  business  ventui'e,  se- 
cured a  contract  with  the  Great  Northern  railroad  for 
nutting  cord  wood,  supplying  them  with  some  five 
hundred  cords  for  engine  use.  The  proceds  from  his 
work  enabled  him  to  purchase  a  yoke  of  oxen  and 
establish  his  farming  activities  and  in  1882  he  located 
on  a  homestead  in  Liberty  township,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers,  Pat  Connery  and  Christian 
Sankey  being  the  only  previous  residents,  the  latter 
having  been  the  first  to  file  on  a  claim  in  that  town- 
ship. Mr.  Gaylord  built  a  log  house  for  his  family 
and  spent  six  prosperous  yeai-s  on  the  place,  during 
which  he  erected  good  buildings  and  put  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  under  cultivation  and  stocked  his 
farm  with  a  large  herd  of  cattle.  But  ambition  di- 
rected his  attention  to  other  fields.  The  goal  which 
his  childhood's  wishes  had  fixed  for  his  manhood's 
career  was  the  practice  of  law  and  native  determina- 
tion and  industry  brought  him  victoiy  over  the  re- 
stricted advantages  and  seemingly  discouraging 
circumstances  which  attended  his  desire.  During  the 
years  spent  on  the  farm  he  secured  law  books  from 
John  Bottineau  of  Minneapolis  and  through  his  own 
efforts  fitted  himself  for  admittance  to  the  bar  and 
for  practice  in  all  the  courts.  During  the  earlier 
years  of  his  life  this  latent  ambition  and  ability  had 
led  his  instigation  of  the  organization  of  a  number  of 
debating  societies  in  private  homes  and  school  houses 
and  such  a  club  was  started  by  him  in  Fertile.  Mr. 
Gaylord  is  notably  associated  with  the  history  of 
Fertile,  as  the  man  who  had  charge  of  the  sale  of 
the  lots  when  the  townsite  was  put  on  the  market  in 
1888.  The  town  was  laid  out  by  J.  B.  Holmes,  of 
Minneapolis,   who  then   sold   the   site   to   James  M. 


Payne,  a  townsite  owner  of  Carlton,  Minnesota,  and 
Mr.  Gaylord  was  made  the  local  agent.  In  the  first 
week  fifty  lots  were  sold.  The  first  building  was 
erected  by  John  LaDue,  who  removed  his  store  from 
the  old  town  of  Fertile  which  he  had  started  some 
years  previous,  about  a  mile  south,  and  Fritz  Barholz 
also  moved  his  hotel  to  the  present  site  of  the  Fertile 
House.  Other  pioneer  merchants  were  A.  L.  Middle- 
ton,  Orpheim  &  Nelson  and  Mr.  Gilmore.  The  law 
and  real  estate  office  of  Mr.  Gaylord  was  the  fourth 
building  to  be  erected  on  Main  street.  Mr.  Gaylord 
began  the  practice  of  law  before  the  justice  of  peace, 
while  still  living  on  his  farm  and  served  as  a  justice 
of  peace  for  fourteen  years.  From  the  experiences 
of  the  early  days  he  recounts  many  amusing  instances 
of  legal  procedure,  among  which  was  the  granting 
of  a  decree  of  divorce  by  a  justice  of  peace  in  Nor- 
man county,  and  recalls  a  ease  which  he  settled  out 
of  court  by  refusing  a  search  wan-ant  to  a  man  who 
claimed  that  a  sum  of  money  had  been  taken  from 
him  in  a  saloon  and  instead  searched  the  man,  dis- 
covered the  missing  funds  in  the  plaintiff's  shoes. 
His  principal  opponent  in  these  days  was  Mr.  J. 
Walsuff.  Other  members  of  the  profession,  who  have 
since  moved  away,  were  Edward  Titus,  now  an  attor- 
ney at  Minneapolis,  and  Thomas  Keith.  For  twelve 
years,  Mr.  Gaylord  was  associated  in  his  professional 
interests  with  Judge  Watts,  during  which  time  Mr. 
Watts  gave  his  attention  to  the  business  in  Crookston 
and  Mr.  Gaylord  remained  in  Fertile.  They  were 
easily  recognized  as  among  the  most  able  in  this  sec- 
tion and  stood  at  the  head  of  the  profession  in  their 
activities  in  the  courts,  having  as  many  as  eighty- 
five  cases  on  the  calendar  for  one  term.  They 
engaged  in  numerous  criminal  cases  and  always  suc- 
cessfully established  their  retainers'  cause.  The 
association  was  dissolved  upon  the  election  of  Mr. 
Watts  as  judge  and  Mr.  Gaylord  has  since  continued 
the  practice  of  law  in  the  office  which  he  opened  in 
Fertile  in  1893.  A  number  of  the  important  cases  in 
which  he  has  been  interested  have  involved  disputed 
titles  to  land  and  liis  practice  has  included  cases  in 


478 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


the  Supreme  court,  in  one  of  which  the  sustaining  of 
his  contention  that  it  was  illegal  for  a  justice  of  peace 
to  change  venue  to  a  justice  of  peace  in  an  adjoining 
township  not  adjoining  the  village,  resulted  in  a  state 
law.  Aside  from  the  many  accomplishments  of  his 
legal  career,  Mr.  Gaylord  has  engaged  extensively  in 
the  real  estate  business,  retained  an  active  interest  in 
his  farm  and  for  the  last  five  years,  has  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  operating  a  general  store  in  Fer- 
tile. As  a  real  estate  dealer,  he  has  handled  one  of  the 
largest  businesses  in  the  county  making  a  sales  record 
of  one  week's  sales  of  fifty  quarter  sections  of  land.  In 
Fertile  he  has  built  some  thirteen  buildings  among 
which  is  one  of  the  first  brick  structures.  He  has 
given  particular  attention  to  the  raising  of  potatoes 
in  his  agricultural  enterprise  and  has  taken  three 
hundred  bushels  from  the  acre,  raising  a  crop  of  ten 


thousand  bushels.  In  all  phases  of  public  affairs  his 
career  has  been  marked  by  loyal  service  and  able  sup- 
port of  the  best  interests  of  the  community  and  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  he  was  influential  in  se- 
curing the  present  splendid  organization  of  the  public 
school  system.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party  and  has  ever  been  an  active  worker  in  political 
circles.  His  fraternal  affiliations  are  with  the  Masons 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr. 
Gaylord  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  union  wajs 
with  Laura  M.  Briggs  of  Minneapolis,  in  1875,  and 
two  sons  were  born  to  this  marriage;  Harry  0.,  who 
lives  in  Grand  Forks,  and  George,  who  is  a  barber  at 
Park  River,  North  Dakota.  In  1907  Mr.  Gaylord 
was  married  to  Kasper  Aggerness,  of  Fertile  and  they 
have  six  children,  Christina,  Henrietta,  Lida,  Belle, 
Henrv  and  Harriet  Beecher. 


T.  THYGESON. 


Having  come  to  this  counti-y  as  a  young  man  from 
his  native  land  of  Denmark,  where  he  was  born  May 
27,  1843,  and  having  worked  his  way  to  a  comfort- 
able estate  by  his  own  efforts,  and  at  the  same  time 
given  careful  and  helpful  attention  to  the  public  af- 
fairs of  his  community  and  township,  T.  Thygeson, 
one  of  the  progressive  and  successful  fanners  of  Polk 
county,  has  made  a  record  creditable  alike  to  himself, 
his  native  country  and  the  land  of  his  adoption.  He 
has  for  years  been  seriously  handicapped  by  a  phys- 
ical affiiction,  having  lost  his  right  leg  in  a  threshing 
accident,  but  this  has  neither  arrested  his  progress 
nor  slackened  his  energj^ 

Mr.  Thygeson  arrived  in  the  United  States  in  1865 
and  at  once  came  "West  and  located  in  St.  Paul,  where 
he  worked  at  day  labor  until  1870,  when  he  moved  to 
Ottertail  county,  this  state,  and  turned  his  attention 
to  farming.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  that 
county  and  lived  on  it  until  1877.  He  then  came  to 
Polk  county,  bringing  with  him  as  his  only  facilities 
for  starting  a  new  home  in  the  wilderness  two  yoke 
of  oxen  and  a  few  cows.    He  took  up  a  homestead  in 


Section  4,  Andover  township,  five  miles  west  of 
Crookston,  on  the  prairie  and  one  mile  from  any 
timber.  Alexander  Burnham  and  Peter  Anderson 
were  then  the  only  other  settlers  in  the  neigliborhood, 
and  they  were  on  the  creek,  advantageously  located, 
and  had  a  start  in  developing  and  improving  their 
land  and  obtaining  the  ordinary  comforts  of  life. 

In  a  little  while  Mr.  Thygeson  put  up  a  log  shanty 
on  his  tract,  afterward  erecting  a  larger  and  more 
substantial  log  house.  His  present  dwelling  was  built 
in  1906,  and  is  a  comfortable  and  attractive  home 
for  him  and  his  family.  He  also  has  a  large  bam 
built  four  years  ago,  or  in  1911.  To  his  original 
tract  he  has  added  another  quarter  section,  so  that 
he  now  owns  and  cultivates  320  acres  in  one  body. 
His  principal  crops  are  wheat,  barle.y,  rj'e  and  oats, 
and  in  1915  his  products  of  these  amounted  to  about 
6,000  bushels.  He  keeps  regularly  six  cows  and  makes 
l)utter  of  a  superior  grade  for  private  customers.  He 
also  raises  good  horses  and  carries  on  a  general  farm- 
ing industry  embracing  everj'  ordinary  feature  of 
the  business. 

Being  one  of  the  very  early  settlers  in  Andover 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTOEY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


479 


township,  Mr.  Thygeson  took  an  active  part  in  all  its 
activities  at  the  beginning  of  its  histoiy.  He  helped 
to  organize  the  township  and  has  served  it  well  and 
wisely  as  a  member  of  its  board  of  supervisors.  The 
interest  in  its  welfare  awakened  in  him  on  his  arrival 
here  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  and  he  is  still 
zealously  devoted  to  its  good  and  that  of  its  residents. 
In  political  allegiance  he  is  a  Woodi-ow  Wilson  Demo- 
crat, and  in  religious  feeling  he  is  liberal,  favoring 
no  one  church  sect  above  another.  He  is  a  man  of 
sturdy  habits  and  never  neglects  his  business,  but  he 
occasionally  takes  a  hunting  trip,  which  he  enjoys 
intensely,  and  which  constitutes  almost  his  only  recre- 
ation. 

Mr.  Thygeson  was  married  while  living  in  St.  Paul 
to  Miss  Thrine   Cresterson,  who  is,   like  himself,  a 


native  of  Denmark.  They  have  had  ten  children. 
One  died  in  infancy,  and  a  son  named  William  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  He  had  been  farther 
West  and  died  in  Montana  on  his  way  home.  The 
eight  who  are  living  are:  Christian,  who  is  a  me- 
chanic in  an  auto  shop  in  Crookston;  Thomas,  who 
is  boss  carpenter  in  a  railroad  repair  shop;  George, 
who  is  single  and  living  at  home ;  Alfred,  who  is  liv- 
ing on  a  homestead  of  his  own  near  Middle  River; 
Henry,  who  married  Miss  Eva  Capistran  and  whose 
three  children  died  in  infancy ;  Lena,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Gust  Lavine,  of  Polk  Station,  this  county;  Anna, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Otto  Schroeder,  and  lives  with  him 
in  Seattle,  and  Laura,  who  is  Mrs.  Robert  Nicholson, 
whose  home  is  in  Winnipeg,  Canada. 


OLE  J.  VOLLAND. 


Having  come  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  without  capital  of  any  kind  but  a  determined 
will  and  a  good  trade,  and  having  suffered  a  serious 
setback  through  ill  health,  yet,  in  spit^  of  all  adverse 
circumstances,  having  made  his  way  by  industry  and 
perseverance  to  independence  and  worldly  comfort, 
Ole  J.  Volland,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Andover  town- 
ship in  this  county,  is  entitled  to  high  commendation 
for  his  successful  career,  which  is  creditable  to  him- 
self, his  native  land  and  the  land  of  his  adoption. 

Mr.  Volland  was  born  in  the  historic  city  of  Tron- 
dhjem,  Norway,  October  20,  1861,  and  came  to  the 
Ignited  States  in  1882,  joining  at  Crookston  his 
brother  Lewis,  who  had  come  over  two  years  before. 
Lewis  left  Crookston  eight  years  ago,  changing  his 
residence  to  North  Yakima,  in  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton. Ole  J.  had  only  $22  when  he  reached  Ci'ooks- 
ton,  and  went  to  woi'k  at  once  at  his  trade  as  a  tailor. 
He  was  soon  afterward  taken  ill,  however,  and  forced 
to  seek  outdoor  employment.  He  then  went  to  work 
at  farm  labor  for  Peter  Berg  in  Roome  township  at 
$25  a  month.  As  soon  as  his  health  improved  he 
became  a  full  hand  and  received  better  wages.     In 


the  fall  of  1883  he  went  to  work  for  Andrew  Ander- 
son of  Andover  township,  whose  only  daughter  he 
afterward  married,  as  told  in  a  sketch  of  her  brothers 
Andi'ew  and  Arnold  W.  in  this  work. 

In  the  fall  of  1889  Mr.  Volland  went  to  the  stete 
of  Washington  and  during  the  next  three  years  re- 
mained in  that  state.  He  worked  at  day  labor  on  a 
steam  shovel  until  August,  1890,  when  he  changed 
his  base  of  operations  to  South  Tacoma  and  was 
employed  in  helping  to  build  the  shops  for  the  North- 
ern Pacific  railroad  at  that  point.  In  1891  he  came 
back  to  Crookston  to  collect  some  money  he  had 
loaned  out  here,  and  with  the  intention  of  returning 
to  Washington.  But,  instead  of  going  back  to  the 
coast  he  took  employment  of  Ole  Knudson  for  the 
summer,  and  in  the  winter  he  cut  cord  wood  in  the 
timber. 

In  the  fall  of  1892  he  bought  his  farm  of  160  acres, 
which  is  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  14  in  An- 
dover township.  He  had  saved  $1,800  of  his  earnings, 
and  agreed  to  pay  $3,000  for  the  farm.  It  had  been 
the  homestead  of  Gust  Olson  and  the  only  dwelling 
on  it  was  a  little  old  log  cabin,  but  Mr.  Volland  lived 


480 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OF  POLK  COUNTY 


in  this  four  years  and  then  built  his  present  residence. 
The  barn  on  the  place  was  erected  some  eight  or  nine 
years  ago.  He  has  also  sunk  an  artesian  well  225  feet 
deep  at  a  cost  of  $500,  and  this  supplies  his  house  and 
bam  with  excellent  water. 

Mr.  VoUand  devotes  his  energies  principally  to  rais- 
ing grain.  In  1895  he  raised  40  bushels  of  wheat  to 
the  acre.  1896  was  a  year  of  partial  crop  failure,  but 
1897  was  a  good  year.  His  yield  for  the  present  year 
of  1915  amounted  to  about  6,500  bushels  of  grain  in 
all,  3,681  bushels  of  which  were  oats,  1,271  barley, 
and  the  rest  com  and  millet,  part  of  the  crop  being 


produced  on  land  which  he  has  rented.  He  keeps 
regularly  a  number  of  head  of  Holstein  cattle,  milking 
nine  cows  and  selling  cream  to  the  creamery  and  con- 
fectionery stores.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
has  served  three  years  as  township  supervisor.  His 
religious  affiliation  is  with  the  Lutheran  church.  In 
189.3  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Anderson,  the 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Sarah  (Bordahl)  Anderson, 
of  Andover  township.  They  have  four  children,  all 
living  at  home,  Andy,  Stella,  Laura  and  Edna.  Mrs. 
VoUand  is  a  member  of  the  local  Ladies'  club. 


I 


.T.  FRAZER  MONTGOMERY. 


J.  Frazer  Montgomery,  of  Angus,  a  successful  lum- 
ber and  hardware  dealer  of  Polk  county,  was  born  in 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  19,  1859, 
and  came  to  Minnesota  and  to  Angus  in  1884,  when 
he  took  charge  of  the  general  mercantile  store  owned 
by  G.  C.  Winchester.  This  business  had  been  started 
by  the  company  of  Flint  and  Winchester  in  1882  as  a 
branch  of  the  W.  A.  Warren  store  in  Marshall  county 
and  had  been  under  the  management  of  J.  E.  Flint 
previous  to  Mr.  Montgomery 's  employment.  The  lat- 
ter entered  upon  his  commercial  career  in  Angus  with 
a  capital  of  $7.50  and  native  business  talent  and  ambi- 
tion sufficient  to  guarantee  the  success  and  prosperity 
which  have  attended  his  efforts.  Under  his  able  man- 
agement the  operations  of  the  store  increased  rapidly 
and  won  a  large  patronage  from  tlie  surrounding  ter- 
ritory, which  is  one  of  the  richest  grain  sections  in  the 
county  and  whose  citizens  are  thrifty  members  of  the 
Scandinavian,  Bohemian  and  German  peoples  aside 


from  the  native  residents.  In  1897  he  extended  the 
company's  interests  to  the  lumber  business  and  this 
department,  with  the  hardware  business,  now  consti- 
tutes the  principal  interests  of  the  store.  Since  1898, 
which  marked  the  zenith  of  the  lumber  trade,  the  other 
branch  has  grown  steadily  and  in  1915,  enjoyed  its 
largest  trade.  In  1908,  Mr.  Montgomery  became  sole 
owner  of  the  business,  which  requires  a  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollar  stock  and  stands  a  material  evidence  of  a 
successful  business  career.  The  postofifice  of  Angus 
was  established  in  this  store  in  1884  and  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery served  as  assistant  postmaster  until  1895  when 
he  was  appointed  postmaster.  Aside  from  his  com- 
mercial activities,  he  has  also  invested  considerably  in 
farm  lands.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  has  served  as  a  county  commissioner.  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery was  married  in  1898  to  Helen  M.  McAvoy  of 
Crookston. 


JOSEPH  CROY. 


Joseph  Croy,  who  is  one  of  the  progressive  and 
enterprising  citizens  of  East  Grand  Forks,  and  has 
been,  in  his  time,  largely  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  market  gardening  with  his  own  labor  and  direc- 
tion as  the  principal  factors  in  his  industries,  but  has 


born  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  January  26,  1860,  the 
son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Hale)  Croy,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
both  reared  in  Indiana  and  married  in  that  state. 
They  moved  to  Iowa  soon  after  their  marriage,  and 


lately  put  most  of  his  land  in  the  care  of  tenants,  was     the  mother  died  there  when  Joseph  was  but  six  years 


COMPENDIUM  OF  HISTORY  AND  BIOGRAPHY  OP  POLK  COUNTY 


481 


old.  He  passed  the  next  four  years  with  his  uncle, 
Jacob  Croy,  who  is  now  eighty-two  years  of  age. 

When  the  father  married  again  at  the  end  of  this 
four  years  Joseph  returned  to  the  family  and  re- 
mained with  it  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  He  then  worked  a  year  on  a  railroad  grading 
and  hauling,  and  the  next  year  rented  a  farm.  After 
he  sold  his  croj^  on  tliis  farm  he  went  to  Buffalo 
county,  South  Dakota,  and  took  up  a  pre-emption 
claim  on  the  Missouri  river,  75  miles  west  of  Mitchell. 
He  lived  on  this  claim  three  years  and  then  rented 
it  three  years  M'hile  he  visited  the  Black  Hills  and 
other  parts  of  the  land. 

On  June  14,  1893,  Mr.  Croy  came  to  Crookston,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1894  he  bought  twenty  acres  of  stump 
land  with  all  the  timber  cut  off  except  about  sixty 
cords  of  wood,  paying  $575  for  this  purchase  and 
going  in  debt  $200  to  make  it.  The  land  had  a  little 
log  house  on  it  and  he  moved  into  this.  He  had  four 
horses  and  an  old  wagon  for  his  farm  work  and  just 
enough  furniture  to  start  housekeeping  in  a  very 
primitive  way.  Then  he  had  a  setback  through  a 
spell  of  sickness,  the  only  one  he  has  ever  had  in 
Minnesota.  But  he  cut  and  sold  his  wood  and  got  a 
few  acres  of  his  land  cleared.  He  planted  corn, 
tomatoes  and  other  vegetables,  and  from  that  time 
on  times  have  been  easier  and  more  prosperous  for 
him.  He  bought  additional  land  at  different  times 
at  prices  ranging  from  $30  to  $101  an  acre,  and  de- 
voted his  energies  mainly  to  raising  potatoes,  onions 
and  cabbage,  which  he  sold  to  families  at  their  homes, 
running  a  peddling  rig  seven  or  eight  years. 

In  the  course  of  time  Mr.  Croy  owned  eighty-two 
and  a  half  acres  and  devoted  nearly  the  whole  tract 
to  garden  products,  with  some  grain  to  vary  his  crops 
and  keep  his  land  in  order,  and  one  year  he  cleared 
$3,700  on  this  land,  which  he  occupied  and  fai'med 
for  five  years  and  a  half.  He  then  bought  a  part  of 
his  present  home  place  and  34  acres  of  the  old  Mur- 
phy farm,  paying  $4,500  for  the  latter,  and  taking  up 
his  residence  on  it.  He  also  bought  the  IMurphy  out 
lots,  on  two  of  which  he  now  lives,  the  lots  number- 
ing eight,  so  that  he  now  owns  68  acres  and  these 


eight  lots  inside  the  city  limits  of  East  Grand  Forks, 
in  addition  to  his  other  land,  all  of  which  is  rented 
except  the  few  acres  which  he  cultivates  himself. 

Mr.  Croy  has  raised  1,000  bushels  of  onions  per 
acre  and  enormous  crops  of  cabbage  and  potatoes. 
He  is  an  intensive  farmer  and  will  be  satisfied  with 
nothing  but  the  best  possible  results  from  his  work. 
In  1911  he  bought  60  acres  of  the  Rinnfranz  farm 
just  outside  of  the  city  limits,  and  this  is  also  rented, 
but  the  place  is  farmed  in  the  same  way  as  his  other 
land.  In  1914  he  raised  6,000  bushels  of  potatoes  and 
in  1915  his  average  yield  was  100  bushels  to  the  acre. 
He  has  a  good  local  market  but  had  also  shipped  his 
products  in  carload  lots  to  Duluth  and  realized  $700 
a  car  for  them.  His  son  John  is  emulating  his  bright 
example  to  advantage.  This  young  man  is  eighteen 
years  old  now  (1916),  and  he  has  made  a  record  as 
a  corn  grower  that  is  almost  phenomenal,  producing 
on  a  measured  acre  117.58  bushels  in  the  production 
of  which  he  did  all  the  work  himself. 

While  Mr.  Croy  was  living  in  Rhinehart  township 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  but  he 
has  refused  all  persuasions  to  become  a  member  of  the 
city  council  in  East  Grand  Forks.  He  was  married 
in  Buffalo  county.  South  Dakota,  to  Miss  Anna  Belle 
Stearns,  a  native  of  Wright  county,  Iowa,  but  living 
on  a  claim  with  her  parents  in  South  Dakota  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage.  They  have  five  children, 
Maud  Esther,  John  Arthur,  Hannah  May,  Grace  and 
Dorothy.  Maud  Esther  obtained  a  high  school  edu- 
cation and  followed  a  course  of  special  instruction  in 
Union  Commercial  College.  John  Arthur  is  in  his 
third  year  in  the  Central  High  School,  and  the  others 
are  attending  schools  of  lower  grades,  the  intention 
of  their  parents  being  to  give  them  all  good  educa- 
tions. All  the  members  of  the  family  belong  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Grand  Forks,  and  Mr. 
Croy  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Modern  Brother- 
hood. He  has  assisted  an  uncle  and  an  aunt  to  be- 
come citizens  of  this  country,  and  has  been  a  liberal 
contributor  to  many  worthy  undertakings  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  various  communities  in  which  he 
has  lived. 


GENERAL  INDEX 


Aaklms,   Tallak,   H 166 

Aaaen,    H.    S 26G 

Adair,    James 328 

Aker,   Hon.   Knute   S 364 

Akcrlund,   August    177 

Alrick,    John    J 153 

Amundson,    John     348 

Anderson,    Adolph    N 335 

Anderson    Brothers 278 

Anderson,    Daniajl 296f 

Anderson,    Henry 159 

Anderson,    Robert 177 

Anderson,   Torkel   G 403 

Anglim,  W.  S 465 


B 


Baatz,    Frederick 363 


Bratrud,  O.  Edward,  M.  D 244 

Brekke,    W.    S 280 

Brown,    Aaron    275 

Brown,    Christian    T ng 

Bruun,    Ole    F 285 

Buckler,  Hon.  R.  T 194 

Buckley,    Edward   A 274 

Bulin,    John    0 153 

Bydal,   Thorvald   A 171 

Bye,  Charles  J 355 


Cameron,   William    330 

Campbell,  James  E 253 

Cathcart,  James  M 193 

Childs,   Ellsworth   D 372 

Christiansen,    Ole 428 

Christiansen,   Amund    377 

Christiansen  Brothers   446 


Bagley,   Sumner   C'hesly 209      Christiansen,    Gustav 445 


Bailey,    William    Henry 303 

Balfour,    Robert    H 424 

Balstad,   Henry   0 207 

Balstad,    K.    6 424 

Bang,   Ole   H 350 

Bang,    Thore    H 180 

Bangen,  Hans   H 281 

Barrett,    Richard 317 

Basgaard,  Ole  S 340 

Bearsen,  B.  E 261 

Bennes,  Brnt  M 281 

Bensen,   Martin     162 

Benson,    Glaus     429 

Berg,    C.    M 342 

Bjella,    Levor    A 166 

Bjein,    0.    H 190 

Bjontegard,    Jacob 292 

Bjornstad,  Odin  J 433 

Bjugstad,    Brnt    L 363 

Boisvert,  Simon    463 

Boles,  J.  Frank,  D.  D.  S 380 

Bolstad,    Eddy 154 

Bolstad,    John    N 400 

Boukind,    Halbert    P 460 

Beyer,    Theodore    M 434 

Bradley,    Julius 308 

Brandveld,    Avie    P 357 

483 


Christiansen,   John   0 434 

Clementsen,    Nela 422 

Clementsen,  Hon.  John 423 

Ckillin,   Medric 178 

Conger,  Charles  L 161 

Cenneran,   John 469 

Coulter,     George 438 

Cerbett,  Right  Rev.  Timothy 371 

Cox,  Ann 405 

Cronquist,    A.    F 246 

Croy,  Joseph    478 

Cumming,  Hon.  James    456 


Dahl,  Ole  B 382 

Dale,  Ole  H 287 

Dale,  Rev.  J.  B.  A 142 

Dampier,  Charles  E.,  M.  D 196 

Daniels,  Orin 180 

Danielson,    Torkel 322 

Davidson,  John 386 

Dokken,  Filing  T 387 

DriscoU,  James 302 

DriscoU,    Jerry 402 

Driscoll,   John 384 

DriscoU,   Michael •  •   359 


484 


INDEX 


Duckstad,   Brown 391 

Duiilnp,  Alex  H.,  M.  D 199 

Duiiriul,  Hans  0 221 

E 

Katon,    Andrew    M 227 

Kdevold,    Ole 240 

Kggan,  John  0 463 

l::ickhof,    Chris 283 

Eide,  Captain   Peter  J 186 

Eide,  Odd   145 

Eklund,  K,  G 219 

Elg,   John    E 412 

Ellinpson,   Erick 393 

Engebretson,  Evan   A 235 

Engen,    Ole 409 

Enright,  Michael  L 293 

Enright,   Richard 390 

Erickson  Brothers,  E.  H.  and  M.  H.  (Both  in  same  sketch.)  427 

Erickson,    Olof 439 

Erickson,   S.   E 366 

Erikson,  Erie  J 157 

Erikson,  John  A 170 

Espeseth,   Gilbert   K 163 

Espeseth,  Peder  K 309 

Estenson,  Esten  0 454 

Estenson,  Ole  Heliner 473 

Estenson,    Ole    0 442 

Evanson,   Sam   T 276 

Evje,  Christopher  H 390 

P 

Ferguson,  Duncan  B 323 

Fiehbeck,  Lane  R 242 

Flaskerud,  K.  E 351 

Flaten,  George  J 393 

Flatten,  H.  H 327 

Flatten,  Ole  H 330 

Fleming,     William 436 

Flesch,    John    A 254 

Flint,  Lewis  E 282 

Floan,   H.   G 418 

Fontaine,   Louis    360 

Foskctt,  L.  T) 189 

Fossbakken,   Paul  K 211 

Fyffe,    Alexander 216 

6 

Gamme,  Antone  M 147 

Gaylord,  Henry  L 476 

Gilbert,  Carl  J 441 

(!onyea,  Louis 204 

Grady,  Frank  A 185 

Gronberg,  Carl  A 279 

Groven,  Olof  M 370 


Gullickson,    Albert    0 258 

Gustafson,   Elias  G 473 

H 

Haftorson,  Haftor  B 294 

Hagc,   G.    0 204 

Hagan.  August    226 

Hagen,   Bernt   J 312 

Hagen,   John    A 226 

Halvorson,  Harry  M 170 

Hamilton,  W.  D 230 

Hansen,   Carl  Ludwig 416 

Hansen,   E.   E 209 

Hanson,   A.   P 257 

Hanson,    Fred 337 

Hanson,    Hans 387 

Hanson,    Hans   L 236 

Hanson,  Norman    425 

Hanson,  Ole   472 

Harris,  Thomas  A 206 

Hauge,  E.  M 244 

Haugen,  Arne  J 349 

Hayes  Brothers,  James  C,  Samuel  C 467 

Heath,    A.   J... 213 

Heath,  C.  C.  (See  First  State  Bank  Beltrami) 138 

Hedlund,  Peter  J 349 

Heiorstad,     Andrew 352 

Heldstab,   John 174 

Hendricks,  Henry  C 415 

Hendricks,  John   Albert 367 

Hendrickson,    Ole 383 

Hendrickson,  Thomas    319 

Hesseldahl,    Lewis    M 155 

Hill,  James  Jerome 444 

Hitchcock,   Charles   A 192 

Hoir,  Ole  0 316 

Hoffe,  Andrew  N 284 

Hofto,    Steen    A 156 

Hogenson ,   Hogen    B 1 69 

Hogenson,  Hogen  Menill 262 

Hoglund,   Victor   H 147 

Hoogenson,  Martin 150 

Hole,    C.    P 229 

Helen,  Andrew  K.  . 419 

Holley,    William 285 

Holmes,  Cryus  H 288 

Holte,  Helvor,  M.  D 193 

Holten,  Hon.  John 260 

Horken,   Helmer 380 

Hotvedt,  Peter  A 373 

Hotvedt,  W.  L.  (Included  in  sketch  of  Peter  A.  Hotvedt.)   374 

Hove,  Johannes  R 220 

Hoven,  Ole   241 

Hovland,  Hon.  A.  L 370 

Hovland,  James  0 341 

Hoye,  Iver 398 

Hoyne,  Gilbert  H 245 


INDEX 


485 


Huaby,  Gunner    I45 

Hushagen,   Paul  J 233 

J 

Jackson,    William 368 

Jensen,  Anton 208 

Jensen,  Mads  W 153 

Jevning,  Ole  448 

Jewell,  Wellington   H 189 

Jolianson,  Heuiick   306 

Johnson,  Edward  W 290 

Johnson,  Frank  0 310 

Johnson,    Iver 167 

Johnson,  John   A 179 

Jorgenson,   Emil 144 

K 

Keck,   Bert   D 253 

Kelleher,   Cornelius   J 373 

Kelley,  Andrew  J 431 

Kelley,  Edwin  F 188 

Kenn  Brothers,  Alexander,  James  D.,  John  R.,  Edmund..  4G8 

Kerr,  Robert 316 

Kiewel,    Charles    E 195 

King,    J.    F 397 

Kingman,    Ignatius    370 

Kjolhaug,    ToIIof 315 

Kleven,  Andrew 453 

Klinkhammer,  Rev.  AVilliam 271 

Kuudson,    Knute 363 

Knudson,   Ole    437 

Knutson,   Steener 344 

Kolare,  Frank  W 455 

Kolden,  L.  S 406 

Krostue,   Hon.   Gunder 175 

KronBchnabel,    George 307 

L 

La  Barge,  Edward 401 

Landesverk,   Tallef   B 338 

Larsen,  L.   W 343 

Larson,  H.  L 207 

Larson,   Lewis   E 299 

Larson,    Ludwig 314 

Latta,  Walter 330 

Lealae,  Pat    461 

Lee,  Hans  0 341 

Le  Page,  Ferdinand  E 369 

Letnes,   John 336 

Lind,    Ole 343 

Lindblad,  August   151 

Lindem,   Anthon 301 

Logan,   John 440 

Lohn,  Cliarles  M 433 

Lommen,   Edwin    E 198 

Loring,     Charles 185 

Lytle,    Wilbur    G 1T3 


Mac 


MacPhee,  John  D 21I 

Mc 

McCarty ,  Charles 277 

McDonald,  Daniel  H 397 

McDonald,  James 378 

McKenzie,  William  E 233 

McKinnon,  Allan  J 210 

McKinnon,   John   R 235 

McManus,   Edwin 239 

McNicol,    J.    H 289 

M 

IMaguire,   Michael 369 

Malmberg,   Andrew    M 396 

Malmberg,   Nels   M 475 

Marin,  W.  A 216 

Marsh,  Harry  L 184 

Melaas,   Joseph 155 

Melbo,  Hans  H 358 

Melquist,  R.  J 239 

Mellesmoen,  Ole 318 

Melsness,  Einar  0 163 

Merrill,  Anson  Charles 411 

Merrill,  Asa  Alvern 437 

Messett,  Knute   E 179 

Messett,  Mrs.  Chestina  A 470 

Michelson,  Ole  A 464 

Miller,  Arthur  A 203 

Miller,    August 191 

Misner,  Harvey  Chase 146 

Misner,  Harvey  W 197 

Mitchell,  Henry  G 356 

Montgomery,  J.  F 480 

Morris,  Tom    153 

Morvig,   Anders  0 293 

Mossefin,   Ed 259 

Mulcahey,  Richard 269 

Mullally,   James 273 

Murphy,  W.  G 458 

Myklejord,    Ole 223 

N 

Nelson,  August *^^ 

Nelson,  Arne,  M.  D *^^ 

Nelson,  Charles *^^ 

Nelson,    Erick ^^^ 

Nelson,  Frank  E ^^^ 

Nelson,   Knute ^*^ 

Nelson,  Martin  B ^^* 

Nelson,  Mrs.  Mary  Buckley *''5 

Nelson,  N.  J ^^^ 

Nelson,  Theodore ^'^^ 

Nelson,  O.  T .•  •. • 250 


486 


INDEX 


Xf-abitt,   Edward  Hamlin 375 

Nessetli,  Thomas  H 417 

Newton,   John   A 242 

Nicholson,  William   T ;!i)5 

Nisbet,  James 345 

Nisbet,    Tliomas 389 

N jus,  Kev.  L.  J 157 

0 

Obiig,  Henry  H 466 

O'Brien,  John  W 191 

O'Brien,    Martin 203 

O'Connell,  James  P 201 

Ohm,    Richard 256 

Ohiistad,  Jens,  M.  D. . 399 

Olslund,  Die  N 286 

Olson,   Arnt 352 

Olson,  Ole  G 354 

Olson,  Peter 329 

Opheini,  Andrew 407 

Orvold,  John  A 338 

P 

Paulsrud,    Hans    257 

Paulsrud,   Peter  J 289 

Poderson,    Emanuel 255 

Pederson,    Simon  P 318 

Perry,  John    270 

Peterson,  Andrew 212 

Peterson,    Andrew 403 

Peterson,    Edward 197 

Peterson,   James  I.  . 311 

Peterson,  Martin  G 247 

Porter,  William  James 474 

Q 

Quarbcig,    Sever 295 

Quern,   Carl 347 

Quern,  Christian  C 365 

Quigley,     Patrick 346 

Quirk,    Micliael 433 

R 

Rasmusaen,  William   J 143 

Rasmusson,  Jolin  R 190 

Rauenbuehler,  Mark 183 

Reese,  T.  N.  J 324 

Rcmick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 297 

Reynolds,  Hon.  Reuben 279 

Riedesel,  Carl 184 

Ringdal,    Peter    M 200 

Romo,  Ole  0 430 

Rosaaen,  Hans  Olus 276 

Rose,    Matt 231 

Rosholt,    Norman 410 


Ross,    Cliarles 384 

Rovang,  Ole   T leo 

Ryan,  Charles  L 449 

I^ygg''".    Knute 164 

S 

Salverson,  Ed SHi 

Samuelson,   Hans 152 

Sanberg,   G.   H 394 

Sandem,   Thomas    353 

Sandin,   Olof   M 325 

Sands,  Martin   376 

Sargent,  Joseph  0 283 

*  Schmidt,  August   C 421 

Selvig,  Conrad  G 420 

Shadduck,  L 214 

Sivertson,  A.  M 182 

Skoug,    Charles    F 199 

Slyter,    Francis    Marion 305 

Smith,   Robert   E 321 

Soes,  Jacob  P 144 

Solberg,    A.    I 267 

Solberg,  Tom  0 251 

Solstad,    Hans    P 304 

Sonstelie,  Ole  E 237 

Sorby,  Hans   C 233 

Spokely,    Albert 291 

Spokely,  Alexander  G 357 

Spokely,  Gulik   S 457 

Spokely,    Julius 182 

Rtardig,  Olof 165 

Stark    A 253 

Stearns,  F.  Guy 435 

Steele,  Andrew  L 313 

Steenersoii,  Andrew 150 

Steencrson,    Christopher 410 

Steenerson,    Elias 167 

Steenerson,  Hon.  Halver 263 

Stener.son,  Gunder   201 

Stephens,  Hon.  A.  D 205 

Stewart,    Thomas   D 404 

Stone,  Nathan   P 181 

Stortroem,  Erick  O 287 

Stowe,   Edmund  L 333 

Stromstad,  John   446 

Street,  Charles 173 

Street,    William 171 

Stuhr,   Peter    426 

Sullivan,  Hon.   Timothy   A 273 

Sullivan,  James  T 339 

Swanson,    Peter    E 381 

Swenson,  Sven   Philip 149 

Sykes,  Herbert  B 159 

T 

Taglej-,    Joseph     268 

Theillon,  Rev.  E 80 


INDEX 


487 


Thompson,  Hugh    141 

Thompson,  Theodore  A 392 

Thor,  Oscar 251 

Thoreson,  Andrew    309 

Thoreson,   Helge   H 414 

Thoreson,  Ole  A 172 

Thorson,  Alf    ^ . .  447 

Thorson,  N.   A 395 

Thygeson,   T 478 

Tice,  John  E 298 

Torgeson,  Martin   222 

Tuveng,  John  E 221 

Tyndall,    Ben 249 

U 

Uggen,   Kuute    F 326 

Ulve,  Oscar    385 

V 

Vaatveit,  John  J 143 

Valor,  Kornelius  H 462 

Vasenden,  Nels    315 

Volland,  Ole  J 479 

Vraa,  John  G 440 


W 


Walker,   Thomas   Barlow 74-451 

Walsh,  Edmund  M 09-474 

Watts,   Hon.   William 141 

Webster,  Everett  A 213 

Webster,   R.   T 291 

Welter,  Nick   331 

Wentzel,  Julius  i7g 

Wheeler,  Jerome  Winthrop 137 

Wick,  Oscar   471 

Widness,  John  A 224 

Wik,  H.  C.  H .........'.'.'.  361 

Wilder,  Charles   W 300 

Will,  David    314 

Wold,  Andrew  E 317 

Wold,  O.   T 336 

Y 

Youngquist,   G.   A 187 

Z 
Zejdlik,  Frank,  J 452 


1.^ 


^ 


s.V^ 


■■<v*   V->*5-v  \.-;f.r.-\.^   %'-?^->    \ ••y.^T-- .*"%•-?«?»?.•/ '*. 


y.*       V^^        \ 


,^  .. 


.V 


0'     ,'•»-     *>  v*     % 

^^  .^'^''  *i<\1fA'=  "^-s-  ^■^   ''^ 


'o  V-" 


,<5  -^v 


■4.^     V 


^^.^ 


.  .*       A 


"^^ 


<^_.    - 


^°-^^. 


".  -> 


0^     »1*_°'       > 


0^  r"-'"      o 


^■b^^   °o^(^Ay**  .^"^.   ^. 


A^    o  ° "  ° .    ^>,