The Sidney herald., 1956-09-13


builders mule" on that job. 1t was
the most difficult type of work, but
I'd pick up heavy boards and run
with them. I was really trying to
live up to my nickname, THE Gal
Looping Swede."
Take Five, Hugo"
One day Erik came along and saw
me running with the timbers. He
said, Hugo, take five"
Unfamiliar with the expression, /
pulled, Five, heck, / can hardly
carry one!" That story has been told
on me many times.
In the fall of 1924, another rig
builder, Roy Berrey, and l became
partners in the Sunburst Construc-
ton Company. He ran crew and
/ ran another. 1t was profitable, but
after about a year he decided to sell
out to me.
/ operated my rebuilding outfit
under my own name and started adj
vertising as "The Galloping Swede."
Matilda was my bookkeeper. That
was the turning point in our lives.
My business prospered, primarily
perhaps because ! had worked out
a method of moving 85-foot oil der
ricks from place to place without
dismantling them. Previously, it had
taken about ten days to tear down
a rig, move, and rebuild it on the
new location. With my method of
lacking it up and setting it on dol
lies, it could be moved many miles
by tractor and be ready to operate
on the new location the same day.
1t saved materials and time.
Becomes Trucker
/ added a trucking business to the
rig-building company, and at one
time | was the biggest trucker and
rlg-builder in Montana, maybe both
physically and business-wise. / en-
ployed as many as seventy men.
When oil was discovered in the
kevin-Sunburst fields in Montana, /
had built the first building in Oil
mont. In 1928 I founded Gallop City
near Conrad. 1t was the largest of
the oil-field camps, a complete COM
munity which boosted 500 inhabi-
tants. Matilda and / built a home
there, and / was finally able to give
her some of the things she deserved,
including her own car.
We took a wonderful trip to Eu-
rope in 1929, shipping our car and
spending even months abroad, seeing
the sights and visiting all our rela-
tives.
In 1882 we built a new home in
Cut Bank, and in 1888 and 1885 Ma
tilda and | spent our vacations visit
ing the state legislative sessions in
Montana's capitol in Helena. / be-
came interested in learning how the
machinery of state government OPP
crates.
Wife Has Cancer
In December 1885 we again be-
came concerned about Mat;lda's
health. / took her back to Mayo's,
where l was told she had lancer Of
the lungs and had but three to six
months to live. 1t was a crushing
blow.
We had been planning to go south
for a winters vacation, but l recalled
the many times she'd mentioned her
fear OF becoming seriously i'll so far
away from her mother. l knew | had
to take her home to France.
The sadness of our last Christmas
together was softened somewhat as
We made plans for our trip to Eu-
We didn't discuss Matilda's
illness. but l have never doubted
hat she knew she would not return
With me. When we reached Paris in
February, she had to go into the
hospital at once / rented an apart
nent nearby for her parents and
myself.
Despite the are and attention she
eceived from specialists from the
,est-known medical institutions in
Matilda died on March /.
We buried her there in the family
lot, which she was the first to &C.
upy. Before returning to America
went to Sweden to visit my mother.
ny father had died in 1927, and that
vas the last time / saw Mother. She
led in 1910.
Back to Cut Bank
Everyone was wonderful to me
When / returned to our new home
n Cut Bank. l plunged into my work
bodybuilding, trucking, pipe-lining,
on the board of the bank
nd on the city council.
A group of friends had entered my
anne for the Cut Bank city council
n 1884. ] was elected and served for
ne next four years, and as president
1886 to 1888.
In 1898 friends talked me into run
ing for the state legislature. Our
ounty was a Democratic stronghold
nd I didn't think / had a chance,
ut / resigned from the city council
nd staged a vigorous campaign, be-
oming the first Republican repre-
,ntative from Glacier County in
ighteen years.
/ vas reelected in 1910 and again
1912, the last time without OPP
In 1914, I was elected to the state
nate.
That year I found a new helpmate. J
ISIS Rose Mcclure, who was Glacier
ounty superintendent of schools
I'd a Scotch Irish dynamo. Once
ore, ! consider myself fortunate to
I'VE found a wonderful, educated