The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-03-11


history of this community from
different angle, giving each one an
individuality that is interesting. The
essays published this week were pre-
pared by Alpha Lying and Carlyle
Key, and they follow herewith:
The Story of My Grandparents in
Minnesota
My grandfather, Carl j. Hansen,
lived in Sweden until he was eigh-
teen years old. His parents, hearing
of America as a prosperous country
and of the homestead lands here, be-
lieved they would be able to make a
good living more easily over here.
So in the year 1869 Mr.. Hansen and
Carl made ready to sail for America.
They went on board the steamship at
Kalmar, Sweden and landed at Ham
burg, Germany. Then they crossed
the North Sea to Liverpool; and from
there sailed over the Atlantic ocean
and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts,
on October Is, 1869. The journey
took about two weeks. Carl Hansen
and his father then went to Detroit,
Chicago, and then to St. Cloud.
There they found employment at
Sank Rapids, and worked for their
board at the Russell Hotel. Then on
March 80 they left for Willmar and
got work on a farm for two weeks.
After that they went out near Morris
and went to work on the railroad.
After two months they left for Grow
Wing Crossing on the Northern Pa
cific and worked on the railroad I'M
til the fall, when they went into the
woods to cut ties until spring. Then
they started out for Kandota. They
travelled with oxen from Grow Wing
through Long Prairie, and came to a
piece of land about nine miles north
of Sank Centre at the head of Sank
Lake. There they settled down to
farming.
Their homestead contained one hum
dred and twenty acres. There were
only about six families scattered
around there then, and the land
where Hansens settled was covered
with timber. There was small cabin
there that was built of logs and
with bundles of rushes laid on the
roof as shingles. The land was quite
hilly: and when Hansens built their
house, they built it on one OF these
hills which was also a bank of the
lake. The hill sloped down on the
west and the ground was level ut
tle ways. Then another hill rose al.
rectly west and one to the north OF
this one. Everywhere the forest was
SO dense that when anyone stood
within it, he could not see the sky.
The lake mentioned is a small part
of Sank lake surrounded on two sides
Inv heavy woods mostly of birch and
willow. 1t narrowed off on the WesI
TO a river that turned and flowed
south. The trees hung out over the
water and were reflected IN IL.
Through the woods in many places
were Indian paths. Many KINDS OF
wild animals roamed through the
woods in great numbers. Deer were
especially abundant. When anyone
stood in the door of the cabin ne
could see deer walking along their
paths on the lake shore. There were
bears too, but not in such great num-
bers. Great fiocks of ducks and geese
came to the lake in the fall.
The first task that confronted Han
sens was to clear away the brush and
timber so that they could plant pota-
toes and other things. When they
wanted to go to Sank Centre, they
had to go in sailboat. Sank Cen
tire was then quite small place with
only two or three stores and post
office. The stage coach brough the
mail from St. Cloud to Sank Centre.
The few settlers around where Han
sens settled soon began to cut road
to Sank Centre. There were swamps
to cross also, and and this was done
by means of corduroy. This was
simply logs laid across the swamps.
They were laid close together and an
attempt was made to cover them, but
that soon wore off.
NV grandmother, Christian Eek
man, went to Germany from Sweden
in 1859 and stayed at Kiel three
years. Then she went on board
steamship lat Hamburg and landed at
New York in 1872. From there she
went to st. Cloud where she worked
a while. In 1872 she also came tc
Kandota. Then in 1876, she and
Carl Hansen were married. They
began to make their living by raising
what wheat they could on their small
tracts of cleared land, and by raising
other things that they needed. The
only thing which anyone used fol
cutting grain in those days was the
cradle. This resembled scythe, but
parallel to the scythe were four OF
five prongs that caught and laid the
grain in a straight row. In a few
Years, however, the farmers around
there got the self-raking reaper. This
had a circle shaped platform and 9
sickle. There were five rakes that
RIM on circle and served as reel.
These rakes push the grain against
fine sickle and then go on around (.
Then there was another rake OF "a
different color and of different mech
anism. II slipped under the main cir
eIe which the rest ran on and ran on
an assstant circle. It followed the
rIatform all the way back and laij
the cnt grain on the platform 1rcrn
where it fell to the ground; Then
The Iale would go back on the ma 4
circle ard go around again.
To add to the other hardshlps OF
the time, great hordes OF grasshop,,
pers came to the fields in 1876, and
threatened to destroy the crops. There
was no very successful way TO get
II - N. ;nsacts The grasShoppers