A History of STRUM and the TOWN OF UNITY by Roy Matson |
THIS IS PAGE 66 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | PAGE BACK | PAGE FORWARD |
No one at this time can furnish any information as to which of the following families followed Wenberg first. Hiram Johnson, a lifetime resident furnished the names: Olec Skytterud, Johannes Skytterud, Reier Paulson, Ole Paulson, Julius, Jon and Martin Halvorson, Erik Larson, Julius Lee, Thorstein Holstad, Gustav Voldsness, Pauder and Carl Risberg and a Haakenson. Many of these men had families, many others arrived and moved away. In Bruce Valley we have the Amund Amundson and Ole Halvorson families, locating prior to 1870. With them came the Gunner Gunderson family later settled in Chimney Rock. From Toten Only 3% of Norway’s rugged land is used for agriculture. One-half way up the west coast of Mjosa, the country’s largest inland lake, the rough, rocky timberland levels out to the rolling acres of Toten appearing in the west. Three or four small villages serve the needs of several hundred people, most of them employed as a result of the high productivity of the many fine gaards. One can speculate just why would people leave a place like this? But a one time over-population, gaard owners who kept the husman a husman, and young men who yearned for land with no hope of obtaining it here. From the garden spot in the old country came early settlers Johannes Christianson in 1857, Hans Paulson, Johannes Frodal, all with wives and families. Following these came the Holtes, Chris and Matt, brothers, and even and Martinus, brothers. The latter was killed in a timber accident. About 1880 or just later, Sever Matson and Hans Frodal arrived. Just about 1900, Harold and John Johnson of the Klavestad family came. Later Johannes Klavestad, his wife and four grown sons and daughters arrived. Mads Hanestad, wife and a daughter, and Martin Bjorklund, wife and son and all of the same family followed. There may have been several others in early days that tarried awhile and left. Marcus and Paul Gjestvang came here during the mid-twenties and returned. Bjorn Skoyen the skijumper did likewise. His brother Ralph Skoyen lived here awhile and then moved to other parts of the state at various times. The Viking Ski Club Probably no activity brought more healthy publicity to Strum than its skiers and their sponsors, the Viking Ski Club. The year was 1931 and winter snows lay deep when Bjorn Skoyen, a recent arrival from Norway, received his heavy 8-foot jumping skis from home and began sliding down what was then known as Eide hill. Local authorities of this sport acknowledged his good form and the long leaps attracted much attention. About the same time Torval Rustad, another recent arrival from that country, was working at the Jacob Myhers farm about four miles east of town. The men were cutting wood and he at once recognized a certain steep hillside as having a good contour for a ski jumping site. Stumps were sheared off close to ground level. During winter snow was packed into place and before spring a jumping competition took place, the first of many such events through future years. Experienced jumpers from Eau Claire were invited, Skoyen took part and for the first time most locals became aware that several brothers of the Nelson family from Hale were ski jumpers of no ordinary ability. Older Eau Claire athletes competed in class A. Skoyen and the Nelsons, three of the, were entered in B class and outdistanced the older skiers in the long standing event. Auctioneer Ing Mhyers was announcer for the afternoon. The meet was run off without a hitch and enthusiasm was high. There was no move the next winter, the first of the depression months, except that Ingvald Myhers erected a 20-foot scaffold and ran a contest to pay for its construction. It was during the latter part of the following winter that a meeting was held at the Myhers farm where a decision was made to organize a club. Ing Myhers was elected president and William Kromroy secretary. Rolf Skoyen suggested |