Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-02-27
ASKOv man IS
So YEARS old
A. r. Buck HOmeSteaded
Near Sleepy Eye in
Late Cos.
Andrew johnson Was Pres
ident When He Came
to America.

Anders r. Buck. now the oldest per-
brated his S5th birthday last Friday
afternoon and evening, Feb. 21st, amid
friends and relatives, at the home of
his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. HOlger r. Buck, in the village.
Though well up in years Mr.. Buck
is still in good health. does some
reading and occasionally takes a
walk up town, or goes on little
visit with his children in the COM
munity or to some of his older friends.
When he goes for a walk or attends
church services he always uses a
cane, not because he needs it as sup
port but perhaps more from force of
habit. The old gentleman still en-
joys smoke and now and then a
good game of cards with friends. A
man of wide and long experience he
is an interesting character to converse
with and can give out much Informal
ton that is of value to the younger
generation of less experience.
Came to America I'm 1865.
Mr.. Buck came to America from
Denmark in the summer of 1865 at
the age of 90, the only member of his
family to have emigrated to America
He was born on the island of Falster
Abraham Lincoln had just been as
sassinated that spring and Andrew
Johnson was the president of the
United States. During Mr. Bucks
residence i'm America there have been
II presidents.
The first place he came to i'm Amer
lea was Indianapolis. He stayed
there only a few months and then
went to Racine, Wis, where he re-
NAMED most of the time until 1882
when with his family he moved to
Nebraska and took up farming. In
the late Cos he left Racine for a year
and took up homestead in Brown
county, Minnesota, near what is now
Sleepy Eye. The post-offiA was then
known as Golden Gate. In those days
the railroad went only as far west as
Waseca and from there Mr. Buck |
hauled his personal belongings to his |
homestead in Brown county. Steam
boats were plying up the Minnesota |
river from the Twin Cities to Fort
Rfdgley. near Sleepy Eye. Those were
the days of real pioneer life and In
dians, though Mr.. Buck encountered
no trouble with the Indians during |
his short residence in Brown county. |
Physicians were scarce and often far |
away. Mr.. Buck had been married !
and during this pioneering his wife |
took seriously i'll and passed away on |
the bleak Minnesota prairies. MIR. |
Buck also did construction work on
the first railroad built from st. Paul /
to Mankato.
Returning to Racine after the death I
of his first wife Mr.. Buck secured |
where he was employed during most /
of the years he spent in Racine. He /
was married again and three of their
six children were born in Racine, the
others in Nebraska. One son. Viggo.
passed away at the age of % in Ne
braska. Being interested in music
Mr. Buck was member of and took
much pride in singing societies in the
Wisconsin city.
Many Years In Nebraska.
The federal homestead act came
about right after the Civil war. but
i'm 1878 when Mr.. Buck was looking
for land in the Marquette. Nebr., vi
cinity, all homestead lands there had
then been taken up and he bought 40
acres from the Union Pacific railroad
at So per acre. The railroad was
put through from Council Bluffs.
Iowa. to San Francisco in 1869 and
they had secured big land grant
from the government. In 1882 Mr..
Buck and his family moved from Ra-
cine to Marquette. Nebr.. where they
farmed for % years.
ID was in Nebraska that Mr.. Buck
put in his most active years. He and
his family enjoyed the prairie life.
close to nature, their friends and
neighbors and lived a truely fruitful
life. The pioneer days had their ups
and downs but they were so filled with
wholesome living that they are looked
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