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Grandpa Anderson


Robert Anderson

Senior High Division

Grandpa Anderson was born near the town of Karlstad, Sweden,and spent most of his childhood there. He had four brothers and one sister.As he was the oldest of the children, it was necessary that he should helphis parents with the farm work. In those days, there was no modern farmmachinery as there is now. So, all the farm work had to be done by hand,such as, putting up hay and harvesting the small crops.

As grandpa lived in an area where there were so many lakes,he spent whatever leisure time he had at fishing and swimming in the summertimeand skating during the winter months. As little money as there was, theycouldn't buy bikes or sleighs so he or his father made skis, sleds, or whateversports equipment was needed. This was true in the summertime if a boat wasneeded. In later life, this knowledge and skill was often very useful.

They lived several miles from the nearest town which wasKarlstad. Traveling was difficult and they very seldom got to visit in town.

A very bad depression hit all of Europe, and Sweden wasno exception. Great great grandpa's farm would no longer support the wholefamily. So, grandpa, being the oldest of the children, decided to go tothe "Land of Opportunity," the United States of America.

Somehow he acquired enough money for a ticket. And, atthe age of fifteen, he started out alone. After a long voyage across theNorth Sea and then into the Atlantic Ocean, he then landed on the UnitedStates Territory. He did not know anyone here and, to make it worse, hecouldn't speak a word of English.

Because he had lived on a farm, that would be the firstplace he would look for some work. When he did find a place to work on afarm in Western Minnesota, he had to learn farm work all over again becausefarming methods and equipment were so different than it had been in theOld Country.

During the winter months when there was no farm work available,grandpa would go to Northern Minnesota and work in the woods with the timbercutting crews. After a few years of this, grandpa decided it was time tomove on to something different and land was being opened to homesteadersin Western North Dakota.

He decided to go out there and filed on a homestead. Healso worked at other jobs, such as, railroading, carpentry, threshing, andother work that was available. He saved his money and eventually had enoughto send for his younger brother in Sweden. As time went on, grandpa becameestablished. He married and raised a family. After a lifetime of hard work,he passed away at the age of eighty years old.


Anderson, Willard, St. Vincent, Minnesota, February 1,1975

rd, St. Vincent, Minnesota, February 1,1975