USA > Minnesota > Polk County > Compendium of history and biography of Polk County, Minnesota > Part 49
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WALTER LATTA.
Now living in comfort on his fine farm of 120 acres on the edge of Crookston, two miles east of the county eourthonse 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 onee 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 passed 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 then only two other buildings in the township, one being at a gravel pit on the road leading from Crookston.
Having no eapital, Mr. Latta had to begin opera- tions on a very limited seale. 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 erop 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 sueeess on
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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 offices, 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 eity 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 Miss 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. Mellbraith, a druggist in James- town, North Dakota; Edith, who is the wife of Ed- ward Carlson, proprietor of a livery 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 his tract. He broke up about one-fourth of it and stock in this county since the spring of 1883, 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 Ili- nois and other places when he bought his land, and his early years here were years of struggle and privation. 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- cral 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
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
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township. This was an improved farin and he paid $20 an acre for it, although there were no buildings on it. He has since cultivated all of his 223 aeres with excellent results. The railroad runs diagonally through his home farm. Ile 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 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 erops, 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.
has about 40 head of cattle and 100 of hogs fattening . and Donald. Mrs. Musselman and her mother are
Mr. Smith has served several times on the township board and is now a member of it. Ile and all the members of his family belong to the First Baptist church in Crookston. IIe 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. They have three children, Mariam, Robert members of the Fairfax-Andover Ladies Social Cirele, 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 pioncer family of this region. He was born in Norway, at Ose, Satersdahl, February 20, 1849, the son of Daniel E. and Anna (Torkelson) Osc. 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 direet to Polk county in 1872, and located on the northern half of the southwest quarter of scetion 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 countrymen 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
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Lutheran church in which he was active as an or- ganizer 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. Osc 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, Torkel 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 his 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. Froirak, of MeIntosh 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 he 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 earlier 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 brother, 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 served in various local of- fices and died there at the age of forty-ninc. 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
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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, steadily increasing his opera- tions and improving the equipment of his farm. His first house was a one room frame building which upon his marriage he replaced with a more preten- tions structure and the present modern farm home was erceted in 1910. The barn was built in 1891. His estate now includes two hundred and eighty aeres and is erossed by the Great Northern railroad. Mr. Ferguson is that type of progressive and enterpris- ing farmer and eitizen whose activities are largely evident in the advancement and prosperity of agri- enltural interests. With intelligent and able manage- ment, he has suecessfully 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. Hle has given particular attention to stock and dairy farming, raising thoroughbred Short Horn cattle and Pereheron horses, being a frequent exhibitor at stoek 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 Duek, Beltrami county, which he sceured as 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 office 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 Masonie lodges at Grand Forks and Crookston, and is also affiliated with the Modern 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 deseent and settled in Keystone 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 ehureh.
T. N. J. REESE.
T. N. J. Reese, of MeIntosh, druggist and piano dealer, is a native of Wisconsin, born in Vernon eounty, 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 elassieal eourse at the college at Deeorah, 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 seeuring a claim, but MeIntosh seeming to present a propitious loeation for a drug business, he decided to embark in that trade. He established
the business in partnership with Dr. Nerall and had a very small eapital 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. N. J. REESE
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one of the most efficient pharmacists in the county. lle 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 confidenee of all as a publie 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 pioncer and promi- ings and a Hudson Bay Company store and no settle- nent citizen of Esther township, was born in Sweden, ment had been started on the castern 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 township, seven miles north of Grand Forks, on the Marais river. His brother con- tinned 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 sceured possession at the auetion held at Crookston, for $7.25 an acre, a neighbor bidding against him for the title to the eighty acres which had been Mr. Sandin's home for several months. He later bought one hundred and sixty aeres 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 elaim among the people of Polk county is as a pioneer and a publie spirited eitizen. 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 progress. He July 7, 1843, and came to St. Paul in 1872. Previous to that time he had lived in his native land, where he 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 seythe 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 workmen. 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 vards 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 Inmber. This proved a tedions 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-
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was one of the 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 influenee was prominent and it was through his efforts that the Betheseda Swedish 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 eol- lege at Warren, Minnesota, and is now engaged in teaching; Lillie and Osear. Mr. Sandin and his family are all faithful and aetive 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 country, Mr. Sandin recalls many entertaining tales. He was on friendly terms with the Indians who passed through the territory and they often eneamped 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, beeame 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 land and during the first few years, engaged quite extensively in trapping small fur animals.
KNUTE F. UGGEN.
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 sinee childhood, having come to Riee 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 eareer as a farmer. In five years he has aeeumulated two hundred dollars and with this and an unfailing eapital of ambitious industry, he bought wild land in Otter- tail county. He remained on this place for several years during which he eleared some fifty aeres of timber land and put it into cultivation. In 1888, he removed to Polk county and bought a elaim and filed on a homestead in King township. At this time he had advanced his financial prosperity to two thousand dollars and during the ensuing years he steadily inereased the value of his property, through uneeasing labor and capable management. He was a resident of King township thirteen years and broke one hundred acres on his traet for cultivation. In
1901 he sold the homestead for $3,200 and bought his present farm at an additional thousand. This is in seetion twelve of Knute township, a little over two miles east of Erskine and not far from MeIntosh and is one of the most attractive country estates in Polk county, with one hundred and twenty aeres in the highest condition of produetiveness, and a pleasant farm house, delightfully situated on the shore of Oak lake. The Great Northern railroad erosses the farm not far from the house. The tract comprises two hundred and thirteen aeres by government survey and upon coming into the possession of Mr. Uggen, had ninety aeres in cultivation, with a log house and small barn. He has built it up to its present pros- perous condition, ereeting the home and a good barn. He gives his attention for the greater part to grain raising and in 1915 harvested some thirty-seven hun- dred bushels of wheat, oats and barley, his wheat erop averaging thirty-four bushels to the aere. IIe also engages in stoek and dairy farming. During the busy years of his sueeessful eareer, Mr. Uggen has been aetively interested in the promotion of the best interests of the community and has served in local
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