Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-09-14
Register of Deeds Com
piles Abridged Review
From Completely Bound
File of the Newspaper.
By P. l.. HAMLIN, Pine City.

BY P. L. HAMLIN, Pine City.
Going back Is years we come to the
momentous summer of 1914, the year
in which Serbian youth fired the shot
at Archduke Ferdinand that touched
off the European powder keg. With
in the ensuing so months, eight mil
lion people, some Pine county men
included, were to lose their lives in
the bloodiest war of history.
In that same summer of 1914, a
Danish youth journeyed from Tyler,
Minnesota, to Askov, there to start a
country newspaper. There was quite
contrast in the ambitions of these
two young men. For his small paper
he selected the very appropriate name
"Askov American" and in his maiden
editorial he said, owe have come
here to make our home, to be one
of you, to make an honest living
In 1914 airplanes travelled at the
rate of go miles an hour. Orville
Wright had said that the airplane
would end war. In Little Falls the
12-year-old son of Congressman
Charles A. Lindbergh was entering
the seventh grade in grammar school.
In Pine county the editor of the
"Askov American" struggled hard to
get news to fill six columns. The
inside pages of his paper carried COL
umns and columns of war stories.
1t was reported in these stories that
the Belgian king had escaped being
kidnapped only by shooting his chauf-
fer.
Issues four and five of the "Askov
American" carried Danish poems and
Danish write-ups The Askov pub
lie schools, however, were conduct
ing evening classes for adults so that
Danish people might learn English,
thereby becoming full-fledged Amer
leans These early issues of the
american" contained stories show
ing that business was good. Issue
number six, volume one, recites that
Askov was to have a band with
H. Petersen as the director, and an
editorial admitted that band was
a great advertisement for town.
NEARLY as good as newspaper"
A County Election.
An editorial in issue number seven
called attention to the election of
county officials and urged the voters
to get out and vote. The ''Askov
American" endorsed Lowell E. Jep-
son for congress and P. A. Christian
son of Hinckley, for senator. Neither
was elected. The election found
Andrew P. Edin of Sandstone, and
Fred Degerstrom of Askov, elected
county commissioners, along with
Henry Studt, Robert Derr and John
F. Johnson; w. H. Hamlin of Pine
City, county auditor; Frank Poferl,
treasurer; James H. Wandel, register
of deeds; w. S. Erwin, county attor-
ney; R. ]. Hawley, sheriff; Robert
Wilcox, judge of probate; John Buck
ley, surveyor; w. P. Gottry, coroner;
A. w. Gum, clerk of court; R. H.
B n k h ip, superintendent of
schools; Adolph S. Larson, represen-
tative in the Legislature.
The year 1915 saw the war in
Europe increase in intensity, but
the "Askov American" continued its
peaceful pursuits, publishing plans
for homes, suggestions for business,
and above all, advocating true Amer
icanism. In Sturgeon Lake, news
paper by the name of the sturgeon
Lake Hustler" was being published,
and several quotations from that
neighboring paper appeared in the
american"
Early American Issues Reviewed.
One item in the american" stated
that million men were out of work
in the United States. This was
looked on as appalling, but the editor
could not envision 1899 with its TO-
100000 unemployed. In January,
1915, sleigh-ride parties were still in
vogue as one of the chief amuse-
ments of the young people. Fred
Degerstrom, county commissioner
from Askov, was elected chairman
of the board.
Ludwig Mosbak wrote several very
interesting articles on cooperatives in
Askov between the years 1906-1915,
mentioning in particular the Pine
County Mutual Fire Insurance Com
pany with $694,358 of insurance in
force in Pine county.
Issue number Is of the "Askov
American" called for movement to
build a public hall in Askov. Said
the editor: Lets build a public
hall and have peace and some good
times-a place where we can all get