Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1898-11-17
BONANZA BOY FARMER
PLUcKY STRUGGLE OF A SEVENTEEN.
TEAR.OLD MINNESOTA LAD.

The Johanson Children Expect to Clear
$4,000 by Their Work This Year-How
Charley Undertook weighty Response
bilities and Triumphed.
Charley Johanson, known in the Red
River Valley, of Minnesota, as the Bo-
nanza Boy Farmer, expects to clear
nearly $4,000 on the products of his
farm this season. He is seventeen
years old and has brother, Frank,
aged fourteen, and sister, Lena,
aged eleven.
Twelve years ago John Johanson went
to Crookston, MINI, from Norway,
bought few farming utensils and
team of broken-down car horses, and
one bright April morning in 1889 left
Chicago, headed toward the great
Northwest After weeks Of travelling
over rough roads, the half-starved
man and WORKOUT horses arrived at
Crookston. Here misfortune overlook
him. One horse died and the other
broke leg and had to be shot. 1t was
crushing blow to Johanson. Half
his earnings for nearly two years were
gone. It meant two more years of
struggling before he could have his
family with him, but he set to work
pluckily, and in the fall of 1890 entered
homestead on 100 acres of farming
land about thirty miles from here. He
bought horse, some lumber, and tools
with the money he had earned, and
before the first snow had put up
small shanty on his claim. Here he
lived all winter, undergoing a great
deal of hardship. The next simmer
he worked for his old employer, but
in 1892 he worked his own farm, pro-
duced his first crop of wheat, and
cleared enough money TO enable him
to send for his family in Norway.
About this time his wife died, and
the three children were left alone.
The United States Consul was con-
suited, and he secured passage for
them on transatlantic liner, and the
young travellers were soon on their
way to their new home. The entire
responsibility for their care and safety
fell upon Charley, who was not quite
eleven years old Each child was
tagged as follows: Forward to John
Johanson, Crookston, MINI, United
States of America, and their tickets,
together with their money, were sewed
to the inside of Charley's coat. None
of the children could speak word Of
English. The United States Consul
gave Charley letters addressed to the
superintendents of police of New
York, Chicago and st. Paul, and in
structed Charlie to show them to any
person who spoke to him. The chill
dren arrived in Crookston all right
In the fell of 1885, after five years
continu lus residence on his claim, in
only on OF which Johausons crop
failed, he Jook ont his second papers,
became 81 fuli-hedged citizen Of the
United STATES and secured a Ne+o''t
VAS D4oTiy after this that he was
mortally hurt il an accident lie
lived in al almost helpless condition
for six months, during which all the
responsibilities of the household and
farm fell on the shoulders of Charley,
Who was fifteen years old.
After his fathers death Charley per-
suaded the guardian of the three chill
dren not to sell the farm, but to let
him and his brother and sister try to
run it. He hired q man on shares to
help him with the heavy work, while
Frank and Lena looked after the poul-
try, the vegetable garden and their
two COWS. All three pitched in and
did the Homework. The first crop
was success and brought handsome
price. A Minneapolis grain man who
was travelling through the country
buying wheat during the harvest took
entire charge of the marketing of the
crop for Charley and handed over to
him $500 clear profit for 1897. This
stimulated Charley's ambition, and he
Immediately began to make prepare
tions for the harvest of 1898. I'm
proved farming implements were pur-
chased, woman was hired to do the
housework, Frank and Lena were sent
to school and two men were employed
and put to work breaking IN new land
for the next seasons crop. At the
suggestion of his Minneapolis friend
$50 more chickens were purchased,
and this branch Of the business was
turned over to Lena and Frank. The
wheat crop is q phenomenal one. 1t
is estimated at twenty eight bushels of
wheat to the acre. Harvesting has
begun and the crop will soon be mark
eted. The profit on the wheat alone,
Ut is estimated, will reach $4,000, while
the flax will bring $3.50 more, and the
chickens have already earned $3.50
more than their keep, with the Holt
days coming on when the young chick
ems will be killed and marketed. =
New York Sun