USA > Minnesota > Polk County > Compendium of history and biography of Polk County, Minnesota > Part 65
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publie position in the service of the publie for nearly eighteen years continuously without having any com- plaint made against him or his work or a word of
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(lisagreement with his superior officers. This has been the experience of Charles M. Lohn, reporter of the district court at Crookston over which Judge Watts presides.
Mr. Lohn was born in Mitchell county, Iowa, De- cember 18, 1872, and is the youngest member of a family of which his brother Lewis, cashier of the First National Bank at Fosston is the oldest. He was reared and educated in his native county, 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 Miss 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 H. 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 residenee 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 remained with that company for a num- ber of years, until the establishment of the Red Lake Milling Company in 1911, when he was put in
charge of the office at Euclid as the grain buyer for that region, and has sinee 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 most 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. Mr. Balfour is a member of the Presbyterian church. He was married at Crookston, in 1908, to Margaret Bieven, whose father was for many years a farmer near Enelid.
K. O. BALSTAD.
K. O. Balstad, well known stock farmer of Sletten township, was born in Norway, Jannary 4, 1854. He has been a resident of Polk county since 1897 and has been notably associated with the development of the
stoek business in this region. He came to Minnesota with his parents in 1866. For several years they lived in Goodhne county and in 1870, just before the lay- ing out of Fergus Falls, they removed to Otter Tail
NORMAN HANSON
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
county, where his father, Ole E. Balstad, continues to make his home. K. O. Balstad remained on his father's farm until he was twenty-one years of age when he decided that the eities and towns offered the greater opportunities for success. For twenty-two years he engaged in various business pursuits, for the most part in the mereantile business, in Duluth, Fer- gus Falls and other places. During this time he had kept in touch with the agrienltnral 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 bonght one hundred and sixty acres in section thirty-one of Sletten township, he has since added to this traet 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 onee, began to give every effort to this drainage projeet. He was the manager of some four thousand aeres belonging to a company in Chicago and with this company he began the building of diteles, expending four thousand dol- lars to secure the main outlet. Eventually, he re- ceived the cooperation of neighboring property own- ers and this seetion 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 sueeess, but he has been instrumen- tal in arousing and promoting general interest in the breeding of blooded stoek, an important phase in the development of any agricultural distriet. He raises Hereford cattle and Duroe Jersey hogs.
Years of experience and study have persuaded him that the hardy Hereford stoek is peculiarly adapted to conditions in northern Minnesota, and he owns many fine speeimens of this strain and has won honor as an exhibitor at the county fairs. Beside forty head of registered eattle lie 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 erop 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 elover 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 whieli is located two miles south of Fosston and of three hundred and twenty aeres, 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 O., a successful yonng farmer of Sletten town- ship, a sketch of whose life is found in this work; Manda C., Edward C., Carl O., Rudolph G., and Marvin. The older sons attended the Agricultural college at St. Anthony Park and are associated with their father in the stoek and real estate business under the firm name of K. O. Balstad & Sons, R. F. D. 1, Fosston. Mr. Balstad and his family are members of the Lutheran ehureh.
NORMAN HANSON.
Having begun his business career with no eapital 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 well as to an exalted rank in business eireles, Nor- man Hanson, cashier of the bank of Matthews & Co., at Fertile, this county, has demonstrated the value of
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ability, industry and fidelity as means of advancement in the world, and has given an excellent example to the young men of the coming generation.
Mr. Ilanson 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 son worked on the farm and attended school until 1877, when he moved to Rock county, Minnesota, where he first worked on a farm and afterward 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 service 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 First 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 Mr. Hanson it has grown steadily and flourished continuously, and it is now regarded in business cireles 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 Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. He was married in 1881 to Miss Julia Christianson near where Fertile now stands. They have had seven children, six of whom are living. The oldest son of the family is eashier 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 Euelid, in this county, was an enterpris- ing and successful farmer. He was born in Hanover, Germany, April 13, 1868, and is the son of Carsten and Elsie (Rogge) Stuhr, also natives of Germany. The family eame 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 Seetion 4, Eu- clid township, the year before.
Peter Stuhr remained at home until 1896 and fol- lowed farming until 1899. In the year last 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 Euelid, eon- ducting a general store with farm implements as a large part of his stock. He has built up an extensive trade by 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 first marriage, Harold, Vasta and Ruth. Mr.
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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 Erickson, who carry on a general merchandising business at Climax, this county, in which they succeeded A. & E. Steenerson November 20, 1906, and have been engaged ever since, are sons of Hans Erickson, one of the leading farmers of Traill county, North Dakota. He lives on 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 lowa 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, Maynard, Lillian, Gladys, Iona and Wilma, all 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 Engen, 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 modern 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 Decoralı, 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
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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 eonsumed about three weeks. Mr. Knudson next spent two winters as a driver in the lumber woods near Menomonie, Wis- consin, and at the end of that period made a trip to the Black Hills to prospeet for gold. He had no luck, owing to laek of water, and remained in the diggings only about one month, leaving there the day of the Custer massaere and in the midst of exeitement over the theft of a pony in the locality by Indians. His experienee as a gold seeker cost him about $400.
In 1878 Mr. Knudson decided to turn his atten- tion to farming and eame to the Red river region in search of land for his purpose. He selected a home- stead in Seetion 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 land to the Loekens and bought a part of the place on which he now lives in Seetion 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 aeres 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 aeres of his first farm and seeded it in wheat. He harvested a good erop from this and got $1.25 a bushel for what 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 erop in 1915 aggregated 9,000 bushels of wheat, oats and barley. Ile also keeps nine mileh eows 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 aeeept 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 Loeken, 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 the 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 united 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, who is 16. Mr. Knudson is a Republican in polities and he and his wife and sons belong to the Lutheran ehureh.
OLE CHRISTIANSEN.
The late Ole Christiansen, who developed and im- proved a fine farm of 224 aeres in Seetion 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 eame with his parents, Christian and Caroline Hansen, to the United States and settled in Ottertail county, Minnesota. There the mother
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died, and soon afterward the father and son moved to Polk county, where Mr. Christiansen bought rail- road land. They settled here in the year 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 Aliee 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 publie office, that of township elerk, 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. IIe 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 mill 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 pushing, thriving, up-to-date and sue- cessful farmers of Polk county, Minnesota, is Olaus Benson, who lives in Seetion 1, Hubbard township, owns 320 aeres 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 born in Houston county, Minnesota, April 3, 1868, and is the son of Bendiek 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 Olans. The former is living near Gonviek, in Clearwater county, this state.
The father was married twice afterward. His see- ond wife had one son, Halvor Benson, who is in part- nership with Olaus in the store at Neilsville. A few
months after the family located in Polk county the second wife died. The third wife had two children, 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 eounty 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 unele of Olaus' half brother, Halvor, whom Tollofson reared. Olaus 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
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war. He served in that war for three years in a Wis- consin regiment, and came to Red River valley in 1871, one of the first settlers. He lived there until he died, in 1899. 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 aeres in addition to the Tollofson land, and on this he raises large erops 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 aeres 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. Ile and his wife are the parents of one ehild, their daughter, Gina; and Hanna 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 enterprises 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 O. 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 aequired the ownership of 200 acres of well-improved and pro- ductive land and other property by his industry, thrift and good management, Ole O. 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 suecess that is highly ereditable to him.
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