Preserving history: The Olaf Stardig cabin

With the recent move of the Olaf Stardig cabin to the East Polk County Heritage Grounds in Fosston, we are taking a look at the history of the cabin and the family that immigrated here from Sweden in the late 1800’s. 

Here is a story, written by the late Martha (Stardig) Henney, Olaf’s granddaughter. She wrote it as though her grandmother, Marina (Ostenson) Stardig was being interviewed and read it during the 1999 dedication at the East Polk County Heritage Center.

“Goddag” My, so many people here, I knew you were coming so I put on my ladies aid dress. I can’t remember if I made this or if my sister Christina Nyberg did. I don’t have many dresses, so I save this one to wear for special occasions I am honored to be here to give history as I remember life in this country in 1884 and on. My name is Marina Ostenson Stardig. I was born October 14, 1846 in Dalarna Province in the heart of Sweden, a four-hour train ride east of Stockholm. My husband, Olaf, was from there as well. He was born May 4, 1848. We married in February 1875.

But let me tell you about my husband, Olaf. He was a fine young man who worked on the farm with his parents until he had to go into the military service, as all young men in Sweden had to. One thing that happened when he did is that he changed his name! He was born Olaf Olson but you can imagine how many Olson’s there were in his military training. He proved to his officers to be “Strong and Stalwart” which in Swedish means Steady or Stadig, that name suited him. When he came to America in the homestead transaction, an “r” was added and it became Stardig.

His father had drowned, perhaps while fishing, so his mother Anna came to live with us in America as well. During this time, Olaf had many letters from America telling about all the land in Minnesota that would be available to homesteading. Times were hard in Sweden and difficult to make a living for our family, so in 1882 he immigrated to America while I waited with our five children in Sweden. He first came to Alexandria, and then to the John Lind place by Union Lake. The first night they fed him Flaute Groo, and he felt right at home. But he had to look for work right away as he didn’t have much money, in fact he only had three dollars in his pocket at that time and was anxious to send for me and our children. For almost 2 years, he took any kind of work he could find helping others clear out the land and build cabins.

In 1883, the area was opened for homesteading and Olaf filed for 160 acres in what was to become Knute Township without even seeing the site but figured it would be good land. Olaf was the one who suggested the township be called Knute after Senator Knute Nelson.

The year he filed his claim, in 1884, Olaf had saved enough money to send for his family. We were so happy to think we would be all together again. Olaf’s mother, Grandma Anna Stardig, came with me and Ann, Otto, Martin, Selmer and Anton. What a trip that was. It took 5 weeks before we finally arrived at the Narveson place in Erskine. After the long boat journey, we had traveled by train from New York. We all stayed in Erskine until Olaf could get the cabin ready on our homestead. It was small, but we were young and strong. Soon we had more children, Ida, Albert, Minnie and Emily, and we had to add on to the cabin as we needed some more room. Eventually we were able to build a big white frame house with 4 bedrooms upstairs. What a great thing that was! In your time now, if you know where the Stardig sister farm is you could probably see the house, now occupied by my brother, John Ostenson’s family, Lowell and Sue Ostenson and family.

It was very important to have a church home. Besides clearing the land, planting, harvesting and taking care of the animals, a small congregation was formed in January of 1887 when the Salem Lutheran Congregation voted to build a church. It was to be built of logs. Each make communicant was to furnish 4 logs, 100 feet of lumber and 2 two by six rafters, Olaf was made foreman in charge and he also donated 20 days of work. This church was in use only a few years and then on a Saturday night in 1902, a cyclone took the roof and chimney out to the road, but the windows and organ were not damaged. It was a shock to the people who came to the church that Sunday morning to find everything in rubble, no radio or televisions at the time to give a report of this. They gathered on the north side of the demolished church and were led in worship by Pastor Lehart. It wasn’t long before those stalwart Scandinavian Lutherans set to work to rebuild, this time under the guidance of Daniel Nyberg, another immigrant married to my sister Christina Ostenson. The church was ready to be used in 1903.

Charter members of Salem in addition to the Stardigs were: Svalen, Carlson, Hedman, Pearson, and Anderson families, are names that I can recall.

In the 1940’s Salem began having occasional service in McIntosh Congregational church which was no longer in use, the rural church was later torn down and a monument with the church bell was dedicated at the beautiful rural cemetery.

Our sons all got married as time went on. Otto married Ida Matson and their children were Hubert and Doris.

Martin and Sarah had four children, Mildred, Vivian, Maynard and Lester. The family moved to Grand Rapids where Martin worked for the electric company. At age 30, he passed away from pneumonia, as there was no penicillin or medication available at this time. Some of you may have known their daughters, Mildred Birkeland and Vivian Dille who lived in Gonvick.

Selmer first married Olive and had a son, Gordon. Later, after Olive died, he married a widow, Emma Wichern. Selmer learned meat cutting and worked in Grand Rapids and later, he moved back to McIntosh and worked at Halverson Meat Market. 

Albert married Hilda Bakken and they had two children, Martha and Orton. Hilda was the daughter of Ole and Sigred Bakken who immigrated from Valdres, Norway and homesteaded in King Township in 1883. Their original cabin with complete furnishings was donated to Skog-jorden, at Concordia Language Camp, Bemidji, Minnesota in 1975.

Anton and Thora farmed in New England, North Dakota, but later moved to the Winger and Erskine area.

In addition to farming on their own land, Albert and Otto owned and operated a Steam Engine and Separator, going from farm to farm threshing grain. Farming included raising grain and corn to feed the cattle, hogs, chickens and turkeys. The tall grain was cut with a binder which tied it in bundles with twine. Then the men would walk through the fields setting about 8 bundles upright waiting for threshing. Farmers worked tighter during threshing time hauling bundles of grain on the wagons pulled by horses to the farm yards where the Steam Engine and Separator would blow the straw into large stacks and grain through a pipe where grain haulers would fill sacks to bring the grain to the granary. What a busy time for the women too. They were cooking on wood burning stoves, preparing lunches morning and afternoon, not just coffee, but sandwiches, cookies, and cakes. Then dinner was meat and potatoes, gravy and vegetables. There was no going to the bakery to buy bread, it was all made in the kitchen. 

Our girls, Ida, Minnie and Emily, never married, our oldest daughter died a short time after we came from Sweden. The 3 girls often worked outside the home helping where needed. Ida went to business college in Fargo, then worked in Grand Rapids as a legal secretary for an attorney and later in California but held her longest job as secretary at the Polk County Agent’s Office in McIntosh.

It was said by one of the nieces that Ida was the Queen with her long hair which she never cut, but work in a braid around her head. Minnie was the worker bee and Emily the foreman. They did the milking, tended the garden, had chickens and turkeys to care for.

Olaf and I loved to have company, the more the better. Everyone played games and ice skated on the local lakes. The boys got together with neighbors to play baseball. My son Albert was known to be a very good left-handed pitcher. Music was also very important as they all sang in the church choir and Minnie learned to play the piano and was church organist for many years.

As our sons married and had children our family picnics got bigger and bigger. Many church gatherings and picnics were enjoyed at our home. So much food and sociability and fun was shared.

Many teachers at Foot Lake School roomed and boarded at our home through the years.

The girls and I liked to pick wild berries in the woods around the farm which we would use to make into jelly and sauce. One time I had been looking for fruit and walked across a pole bridge over a creek when I saw a fish caught in some brush and was able to catch it, put it in my apron to carry it home for supper.

There were hardships in those times, but we worked hard and prospered. We were proud of our children and grandchildren.

So that is my story and I hope you too will preserve your history, both written and in artifacts like they have done at the Heritage Center.