My uncle Simon Dahl, had come to Hesper, Iowa, several years before us. He was a wagonmaker and worked for Christen Smed in Hesper, Iowa, and married his wife's sister, Anne Berg, who still lives with her son Konrad Dahl in Stewartville, Minnesota. At this time she is around 90 years of age.

The following year, my father, together with his brother, Simon Dahl and many others, decided to leave and seek for land. They had no definite destination in mind but had an understanding they would stick together until they found what they liked. This group of people left Hesper, Iowa June 6, 1867. Their party consisted of twelve covered wagons, packed full of people and such household goods and implements as they owned, which at the best was very little. The summer of 1867 was very wet and rainy which added to our many hardships and difficulties. I remember very well one evening, myself and my sister, two other small girls and I  had been assigned to help drive the cattle. We had just had a terrific rain and some of the wagons ahead had gotten stuck and there was no way for the others following to get around. Before they could get the last of the wagons through it was night. My parents were well up toward the front of the caravan and we were following up the rear with the cattle and were separated a long way. When we settled down for the night, Bernt Vollan, one of the wagon party, gave us his wagon and provided us with bed clothes and food. We were soon asleep and forgot our sorrows, being separated from our parents for the night. The next morning everything was soon forgotten, but our parents had spent a sleepless night, not knowing where two little girls were.

Yes, we had many hardships to go through that summer. It rained almost continually and many of the poorly constructed bridges that had been built over the creeks and rivers, had flooded away. In crossing some of these, they were so deep that the men folks had to carry the women and children across, as they did not dare to stay in the wagons. The horses and cattle would swim these streams. After crossing such places everything in the wagons would be completely soaked with water. When evening came and everybody was tired and needed rest, we had millions of mosquitoes to fight all night through. Nobody can understand how terrible this was, unless he have gone through it himself. Children were continually crying. Cattle would bellow and stampede during the night. Now and then we would camp over for a day to give the women and children an opportunity to rest up, wash clothes and dry things out. During these stays the men would go out and try and find land that would be suitable to file homesteads on.

At such times there were always some who were satisfied with what they found and others who were not. Everybody wanted good land and they wanted land that had both prairie, woods and water.

My father had neither oxen nor wagon, but hired others to haul what little goods he possessed, which consisted of our clothes, bedding, food and cooking utensils and a few hand implements and tools, all of which were bare necessities. He also owned two cows and two calves. We did not own a stove or any furniture.

My mother and I (I was the youngest and then 7 years old) were allowed to ride in the wagons, once in a while, but my father and youngest brother Gustav, then 12 years old, walked and drove cattle all the way from Hesper Iowa to Otter Tail County. There just wasn't room for everything and everybody to ride and all the men in the party usually walked.

We arrived in Douglas County and nobody had yet stopped and filed on any land. It was decided that the party should split up, which they did and some stayed and others continued on further north and westward. Those who remained, among them Nils and Bernt Volan, continued on to Pope County and took homesteads near Glenwood, which later became a large Norwegian settlement, among them many Volans and Ryghs, who later came up from Iowa. My father and a few others with him traveled by foot up to Home City and on to Otter Tail County. They traveled over land around Clitherall and other Townships surrounding. At Clitherall there were a few families settled. They were Mormons and the only settlers they found on the whole trip, except several families in Tumuli and St. Olof Township who had arrived there several weeks previously.  In Tumuli they found one settler, a bachelor, named McCumber. He had settled on the farm near Ten Mile Lake, known as the Dr. Whittaker farm. Those who had come to St. Olof Township were Knut Eggum, who had settled on what is now the Henry Colbjornson farm; Halvor Berge, who had settled on what is now the Henry Berge farm; Knut Kvamme had settled on what is now the Nelson farm and Andres Thompson on what now is the Tosten Thompson farm. There were possibly several more, but I have forgotten who they were. When my father and his party came to St. Olof Township they liked the lay of the land around there. There was some prairie, woods and water. Just what they were looking for so they decided they would settle in this neighborhood. My father filed on land in Tumuli Township. He gave free land for right-of-way and depot to the railroad when it was surveyed, so they named the town Dalton in his honor. Simon Dahl, his brother, filed on land adjoining my father's, which is the farm now known as the Chris Formo farm; Andrias Stavne, filed on the farm now known as the Ingolf Madson farm.  Ole Lillemoen filed on land now known as the Svind Larson farm; Ole Nordahl filed on land now known as Cornelius Erickson farm, Aage Axaas filed on land now known as the Alvin Hanson farm; Cornelius Aasness filed on land now known as the Webster Torgerson farm; Isaac Thompson filed on land now known as the John Thompson farm; Taral Olson filed on land now known as the Archie Overgaard farm.

 There was much to be done before winter set in, so many families grouped together two and two families lived in one house together the first winter. My father helped Knut Eggum to build a house and barn and in so doing was permitted to live with them the first winter. The two families got along very well. They were very kind to all of us and we all seemed very happy in spite of the fact we only had the one-room house. When the house and barn had been completed so they could be occupied, the next thing was to begin to think of food for the winter. Our nearest trading point at this time was St. Cloud, and father had to go there with others to purchase the most needed things for winter. It took them three weeks to make the trip and we were all glad when they returned home. Only the very most necessary items could be purchased, since there was so little money to do with. We were all well and in good spirits and looked to our new life with hope and pleasure.

 Hans Eggum was born in July, 1867, to Mr. and Mrs. Knut Eggum, and was the first baby born in St. Olof Township. The first baby born in Tumuli Township was Christian S. Dahl, son of Mr. and Mrs. Simon Dahl.

 Time passed quickly. We had our first Christmas in our new Western Home. It was a very quiet but happy Christmas. Mother tried to provide something to make Christmas a happy event. I remember she made "Helligtre kongers lys" - candles for my youngest brother and for me she baked a "honse koge" - chicken cookie. This was a kind of large cookie made in the form of a hen with three small chicks. Those were our Christmas presents our first Christmas in America. Christmas Eve we were so happy. Mother read out of the Bible "Jule evongelist" and she sang psalms for us and we were all very happy. Mother's Bible and another religious book were the only two books and the only reading material we possessed at that time. When I think back over those first few years it was wonderful how happy everybody was, assisting and helping each other get along. Nobody seemed envious over what others had and those who had a little more than others always seemed willing to share it with others.

 It wasn't a question of "style" in those days. We all used what clothes we had, whether they were old or new. The important thing was that they were clean. Patches didn't count either and few were ever scoffed at because of the clothes they wore. The important thing in those early times was good health and a willingness to work hard. Our family enjoyed these blessings and we got along fine and prospered.

In the fall of 1868 a store was opened at Sauk Centre and this shortened the distance father had to travel to buy food for winter. My father and his brother Simon and Børre Dahl, who had come in the spring of 1868, left for Sauk Centre to buy provisions for winter. Father did not yet own oxen so had tomorrow a yoke of oxen to make the trip. Mother had to go along on the trip, because there were some papers to be signed by her and father in regard to a bounty of $100.00 he had applied for. His oldest son Christian Dahl had come to America in 1861 or 1862 and enlisted with the Union forces and was killed in action. On this trip everything went well until they reached Sauk Centre. After signing certain papers father was given a sum of money (don't know how much). They then proceeded to do their buying, which took them until evening. They started on their return trip and camped out that night. The next morning father discovered that his pocket book, which contained the only money he possessed, was gone. He had no idea where to start looking for it. They had been camped near a hay stack where he had gone to get fodder for the oxen and he decided to go there and look first. Some snow had fallen during the night and it seemed almost hopeless to look for it. Since they did not find it there nor anywhere about the camp or wagon, they retraced their steps back to Sauk Centre and the store where they had traded and Mr. Flatland, the storekeeper, had found it after father left, and returned the pocket book with its contents to him. Poor mother was almost wild with worry until they found it, since it was all they had to get along with during the whole winter ahead. The next morning they again started for home. Following their first night out, father got up in the morning to round up the oxen. They had been turned loose during the night to feed, as was customary, but the oxen were nowhere to be seen. Father hunted for a considerable time and then told mother she would have to stay at the wagon while he went further away to look for the oxen. He was gone for two days looking for the strayed oxen, during all the time mother, who was not well, just sat out on the bare prairie not knowing but what father too had become lost. During this time that father was away looking for the oxen there were only two persons pass that way and they were half-breed Indians. Simon and Børre, father's two brothers who were along on the trip, and who too had been out hunting for the oxen returned after two days and picked up my mother and our provisions and went on home without father, who remained to try and locate the oxen. After about another week he returned home by foot, not having found the oxen after hunting all that time. He returned home, thinking possibly that the oxen might have returned home by themselves. It was not uncommon that they did so, when they strayed away. After resting at home for several days he again returned on foot to continue the hunt for the oxen and after another week found them and in due time returned home with both the oxen and the wagon.

With all the other work, breaking a little ground in the spring for some planting, father had been trying to get our house ready to move into that fall. The house was dug into the side hill facing south. The size was 15 X 16 and consisted of one room with a door and two small windows facing south. The roof was covered with birch bark and dirt, construction of the house was log and the floor was the natural dirt. As I recall it, we were cozy and warm in this, our new home, and lived in it for two years. Our next house was one built from logs, entirely on top of the ground. It was 16' x 16'.  It had three windows and two doors and at that time was as large as any house which had been built by any of the other neighbors.

My brothers and sisters, Gunder O. Dahl, Gustav Dahl, Mrs. George W. Boyington and Mrs. G.O. Hammer, all moved to Fergus Falls when Fergus Falls was only a village. The first of these Mrs. G.O. Hammer came in 1871. Mr. Hammer started the first hardware store in Fergus Falls, which I believe is the present site of the Victor Lundeen & Co. Store.  My husband, Oliver A. Rustad, had come to Fergus Falls in 1871 and hauled the lumber for Mr. Hammer's store from Morris, with an ox team. There was no lumber to be had in Fergus Falls at that time.

O.M. Wick was married to my sister Randine. Mr. Wick and my brother Gunder O. Dahl came to Fergus Falls in 1874. they started a general store in a small log building, where Dr. Baker still has his office, but after several years bought out a store operated by Jacob Austin.  G.O. Hammer, O.M. Wick and Gunder O. Dahl then formed a partnership and had a hardware and general store, which partnership was continued until 1880, when G.O. Hammer died.

My sister, Mina, was married in 1869 to George W. Boyington.  At the time they were married Mr. Boyington was a soldier, located at Pembina, N.D.  She was back home for a visit and was returning to Pembina in the winter of 1872.  She had two small girls, Emma and Clara and was caught in a bad snow storm and cold weather on her return trip and suffered very severe hardships before they finally reached home at Pembina. They traveled all the way in an open sleigh.  In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Boyington moved to Fergus Falls.  He worked as a clerk in the store of Dahl, Hammer and Wick until he was elected to the office of Register of Deeds for Otter Tail County.  During that time he built a three story brick building, known as the Boyington Block, located on the corner of Court and Washington streets. This was the first brick store building built in Fergus Falls.

My brother Gustav Dahl moved to Fergus Falls in 1876.   He clerked in the store owned by Dahl, Hammer and Wick until 1880, when he and his family moved to Superior Wisconsin.

My husband, Oliver A. Rustad, came to Fergus Falls with his parents and his brother Lars A. Rustad in 1871. They later moved to Dane Prairie Township where they farmed for many years. Mrs. Arne Rustad, my husband's mother, died in 1880. Lars Rustad and family moved to Norge, Virginia in 1898, where he resided until his death.

I was married to Oliver A. Rustad in 1878. We were blessed with a family of 7 children. Olga, Mrs. Lewis Hatling, Alvin O., George R.,   Duffy O., William R., Guy V., Irving R., We celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1928. All of our children, except Guy, was living and were present on that happy occasion. My husband and I spent our entire married life in the village of Dalton.

My father was the oldest in a family of ten children - seven brothers and three sisters. They all came to America and their names were as follows:  Ole, Christian, Andrias, Johannes, Børre, Simon, Anders, Johanna (Mrs. Johanna Dahl) Karen (Mrs. Blyhovde of Wisconsin) and Mathea, (Mrs. E.C.Scow of Ashby.)   They all settled around Dalton, except the one sister, Mrs. Blyhovde, who lived in Wisconsin. Many of the brothers moved away with their families. At the present writing I have only one close relative living in Otter Tail County - Mrs. Sigurd Skrove, a cousin, at Dalton, Minn.

On my mother's side there was only one sister who came to Otter Tail County. She was Mrs. Nels Nelson Olstad (Randi). Mr. Nils Nilson Olstad homesteaded in Thordensjold in 1869. They had one son, Nilss Nelson Olstad.  He was married to Hansine Rasmussen and to them was born seven children. Harold, Ragna, (Mrs. Henry Robertson), Underwood, Clara (Mrs. E. A. Wagstrom) Underwood, Lucy, Underwood, Helen (Mrs. Alvin Tollofson), Agnes, (Mrs. Jacob Walvatne), Underwood; Pauline, (Mrs. Anton Paulson) Battle Lake.

Mrs. Olava Wick, better known as "doctor gamla", was Mrs. Borre Dahl's mother, came over with them from Norway and made her home with her daughter until she died. She was not a doctor, but one of those extraordinarily capable women who could apply herself in time of need. She was a mid-wife and dispensed many home remedies and people in the community had great faith in her ability. One reason possibly was that during those earliest days there was no doctor available, so people were glad for anyone to whom they could go for help when in trouble. She prepared a salve called "Olava salve", which had a reputation of curing almost anything for which it was used. I believe, after all these many years, that it would be possible to find some people in the Dalton neighborhood who could furnish the receipt, or possibly some of the "Olava salve" at this time. One of her most noted cases that was talked about was Erick Bergerud, who lived in Aastad Township. He was badly burned in a fire and when taken to the doctor, the doctor immediately recommended amputation of both his hands. This Mr. Bergerud refused to consent to. He went back home and they sent for "Doctor Gamla", who came and took care of him, using only her own home remedies. She healed up the burns on his hands and he lived and worked normally many years thereafter.

Another case was that of Mathias Halvorsen, who froze both his feet in the blizzard of 1873. He was attended by a doctor who advised that he be sent to St. Paul to have his feet amputated, but instead they sent for "Doctor Gamla", who took care of him. During this course of treatment with her Home Remedies she found it necessary to amputate several of his toes, but in due course of time he fully recovered and lived his natural life thereafter, taking care of his farming interests. The amputation of his toes was done without the aid of any anesthetic. Borre Dahl, her son-in-law, made her a little saw from a corset stay and the bale from a pail and with this she performed the surgery. Mrs. Oline Skrove, her granddaughter, presented this little surgical saw to the Otter Tail County Historical Society. Her many cures were far from painless, but it was surprising how effective they were in many cases. People who had problems of sickness, beyond their own knowledge to cope with, didn't hesitate to call on her for help, which was given freely and usually without any pay or remuneration. Those of us who had the privilege of knowing her best appreciated what a blessing she was in the community and the amount of good she accomplished. It was generally said that she could stop the bleeding of a bad cut by just being told about it. She would "mumble" a few words after being told and many persons who had experienced "her power" to do this testified to the truth of it. Her name and accounts of her good deeds in "healing the sick" were sent to the Library of Congress at Washington, D.C. for record.

The social demands of the community during these first few early years were not great. The Christmas Holidays were probably our most enjoyable time. Neighbors usually got together with the whole families for a big midday meal. The meals were simple but with plenty of meat, potatoes, cream, butter and bread, with good appetites and they were much enjoyed.

With children growing up schools became necessary. On the 13th of November 1869 School District No. 8 was organized. Among the first scholars during the winter of 69 and 70 were Tilda Dahl (Mrs. Oliver R. Rustad), Ingeborg Estensen, Esten Estenson, Gustav Dahl, Maren Sorhus Sand and several others. Our first school house was Mr. Estenson's little log house, our first teacher was Mr. Smith, and the school term was for 3 months. During those early years most of us had little opportunity or time to acquire an education and it was surprising how many were successful in may walks of life, without any education other than reading, writing and arithmetic.

The Great Northern Railroad didn't come through from St. Paul for many years -- 1879, I think. the survey for right of way was through my father's land, and in consideration of giving the railroad company free right of way they agreed to build a depot station on his land. This station was named Dalton after my father, Ole C. Dahl, who later laid out the Plat for the Village of Dalton. From 1867 to 1879 our market towns first St. Cloud, then Sauk Centre and later Perham and Herman. Perham was usually a three-day trip and Herman a two-day trip. Roads were generally very poorly constructed and it was always considerable hardship to make these trips, especially in the winter.   For cash crops, wheat was the most popular crop grown and brought around 45 cents a bushel at the market place. Although most families could only provide a living -- and everybody worked and contributed their share -- there was very little complaint in those days, and I believe the majority were very happy and contented. Many years also passed before we had any postal service and during this period mail was delivered by stage coach at Pomme-de-terre, about 8 miles south.

During the early days a garrison of soldiers was stationed at Fort Pomme-de-terre.  We had several exciting "Indian scares" when many of the families left everything they had and gathered together at one place until the "scare" was over. After several days they all returned to their homes. My father didn't seem to have the same feeling about the Indians others had and was not among those who left their homes, but my mother and we children suffered during this time, because we were really scared. We saw Indians from time to time but they caused us little trouble except worry as we didn't trust them.  They never caused any serious trouble of any kind in our neighborhood.

Our first store and post office was in St. Olof Township on the Vinji farm, three miles southeast of Dalton. The store and Post Office were operated by William Cowing.

The St. Olof Synod Church was organized in 1869. The first Pastor was Torjus Vettleson. He was a farmer as well as a Pastor. His salary as Pastor was far too little for existence and had to be supplemented by his own work on the farm. He had several other congregations and also served as a missionary pastor. He served this congregation until 1879 when he was called to serve the Aastad and Rock Prairie church, congregations, where he served until his death. Rev. Vettelson was married to Ingeborg, daughter of Alexander and Anna Norman. They had a family of six children. Rev. and Mrs. Vettelson are both buried in Rock Prairie cemetery.

Rev. O.A. Norman was called as Pastor by St. Olof congregation in 1879 and served until 1919, a period of 40 years, without interruption. During that period he not only served his congregation and community as Pastor, but he had made quite a study of homeopathy medicine and was very much in demand in his community, serving the sick. He made a practice of never charging for his services, but only for the medicine he prescribed and furnished. The results of his practice of medicine in the community were generally very acceptable and successful. He had a great sense of humor and his presence alone usually always gave the patient "a lift". During his earlier years as pastor of this congregation he lived on a small farm as he too had to supplement his income from other sources than his pastor's salary. He was a widower twice and had children from both marriages, then he married a widow who had a family and they also had children. All in all there was a total of eighteen children in the four family combinations. He was one of the most loved and esteemed persons who has lived in our community.

For those who may read this in years to come I wish to mention a few of the methods and practices used in farming then so they may make comparisons with the same work in their time.

There was no such a thing as a mowing machine, binders, steam engine or gas engine, combine, bicycle, automobile, etc. Hay was cut down with a hand scythe, raked together with a hand rake, hauled with oxen or horses, hitched to a wagon and loaded on with a pitch fork. Grain was cut with a cradle and tied with a straw binder by hand, power for threshing was a horse power. Cows were milked by hand. In the home there were no washing machines. Washing was done with a scrub board in a tub and all by hand. Water was heated on a boiler on the back of a wood stove in the kitchen. Houses were heated by stoves and the fuel used was all wood, which had to be sawed by hand and split into proper sizes for kitchen and heater stoves. Houses were poorly heated and many of the bed rooms, had no heat whatever.  Because all work had to be done by hand all members of the family, both large and small, were usually assigned work which their strength permitted them to do.

My father, Ole C. Dahl, was a house painter by profession, having learned this trade as an apprentice in Norway. In his day, painting was quite a profession as paint did not come ready mixed but had to be mixed by hand. He made use of his trade in the early days to earn additional income. When Alexandria began to build he spent as much time as he could spare from the farm there working at his trade. On his trips going to and from Alexandria to his home at Dalton he had only his own locomotion to depend on and walked this distance of more than 50 miles many, many times during these years. He had a very strong rugged constitution and for all the hardships he went through, lived to a ripe old age of 91 years. He left a good name and a good heritage for those who survived and came after him to emulate.

Although seven Dahl brothers lived and raised families in the Dalton community at one time, they and their children are now all passed on, and of the generation which followed there is now only one person in this immediate territory which is a descendant and carries the Dahl name - Henry G. Dahl, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, now retired.

Dalton never developed into beyond a typical country farming town. It has its good village school, two churches and well kept homes. With water and electricity most of the homes are as modern as those in larger towns. Dalton is more or less of a community town, as the older members of the families have passed on, other members of the families have continued on or moved in from the country, so that at this writing members of many of the first families who built the first homes there are still citizens of the little town. I lived there from the time my father homesteaded the land until the present time and hope to spend the rest of my days here. We raised our family of seven children here and lived a very happy and contented life together. We had sorrows also, as other families have. My son Guy was in an automobile railroad accident on Mother's Day in 1920. George died in an accident in May, 1928, and my husband Oliver, died in 1934. They are all buried in the Cemetery Lot at Dalton, where I too hope to be buried when I pass on.

November, 1940