Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-08-12
A Trip Through the County Il
BY THE EDITOR.
!. In the Township Of Lake Andrew.

u. IN the Township Of Lake Andrew.
Between the two high ridges of hills
extending about east and west and Or
inarily known as the Dovre and Col
fax hills lies stretch of billy and
rolling land. For the most part the
soil is rich loan with clay subsoil.
A half dozen lakes give the township
large water surface. Andrew creek
threads its way from the upper water
basin to the lower, large number of
hay stacks dotting the natural meadow
along its course. Scores of we'll built
farm homes with large barns and out
buildings show the thrift of the in
habit ants. Such is the township of
Lake Andrew.
We entered the township by the
Willmar and Norway Lake road from
the south. A curiosity near the Dovre
line was tunnel through two rows
of willows planted along both sides of
dump. The tops have grown to-
gether, forming perfect tunnel of
foliage about Is rods long. Passing
along the road and over the large
bridge between Crook and Florida
lakes we, or rather our horse, climbed
the hills and passed the schoolhouse
to the home of J. L. Christensen, the
clerk of District No. Is. All old
records of the clerks Office previous
to 1890 have been lost, or at least were
not turned over to the present clerk.
It is thought that some of them may
have been consumed when the old
Reese residence burned. The district
was organized in 1868, hence there are
p years during which nothing can be
officially traced. Any information re-
garding this period will be thankfully
received. Mr.. Christensen is himself
a wellknown pedagogue of the county
and he married teacher, Miss Carrie
Stenseth. MIR. Christensen is inter-
ested in political as we'll as educa-
tional matters, and is close observer
of the moves made upon the political
checkerboard of the county. He has
brother who is well-known archi-
tect of St. Paul, Mr.. Thori. BE
drew the plans for the new church be-
ing erected by the Lutheran Free con-
gregation at Willmar. By the way,
Lake Andrew has justly earned the
honor of being called the mother of
county officials. Just call to mind
Railson, Reese, Nordin, Guam, Odell
uncle and nephew-Hedin, Skoglund,
and others-to come. After dinner
and an interesting chat we left the
Christensons and made our way south
Mr.. Peter Skoglund is the present
town clerk. He lives upon the east
shore of Lake Florida, one of the
prettiest bodies of water in the county.
With it's setting of hills to the east
and south it forms a picture to glad
den the heart of the artist. Its waters
are clear and deep. Mr.. Skoglund
tells us that so feet for the lake proper
would be about the average depth.
It is the habitation for all the common
species of fish. The buffalo fish is
there in countless numbers but is sell
dom caught, owing probably to the
depth of the lake. The sons of Chas.
Peterson succeeded in capturing a
string of fifteen of the big fish during
the last season. Their weight average
about 40 pounds but specimens weigh
ing as much as go pounds have been
captured in the lake. The scales of
these fish are about of the size of a
quarter dollar. Mr.. Skoglund is
custodian of the records of the Lake
Florida church as we'll as those of the
township government and full Cay
was necessary before our notes were
complete. We were treated with most
cordial hospitality, and our stay was
made as interesting as it was pleas
ant. Peter is of an inquiring mind
and a deep student of nature. The
ideal location of his farm gives him a
wealth of animal and plant life to OBJ
serve and he makes the best of his To-
cation. Hesis an expert amateur pho
tographer and gave us view of the
lake taken under ideal conditions
which will appear in the Lake An
drew department of the county history.
Mr.. skoglund's parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
A. P. Skoglund, reside with him.
They were early settlers of the town.
Mr.. Skoglund Senior has good edu-
cation in his mother-tongue, Swedish,
and has good and sharp memory.
Peter said that while the Hessian fly
has destroyed portion of his wheat
crop, the damage would not be as
heavy as he at first thought. He says
he discovered the presence of the pest
in large numbers last year and took
the precaution to burn the stubble up
on his fields. One field that was not
burned shows the heaviest damage by
the fly this season. After bidding