Changes, Changes, Changes!

Here are just a few of the pictures I have from

Dalton's past.   I am starting to collect quite a few 

and will put them into a little book.  If you have

any photos to share, let me know as I will scan them

and give them right back to you.

Click on the photo to enlarge and view slide show.

 Here is an early photo of Dalton, likely taken 

from the bridge, looking east.

 A view of the depot, complete with trains.

Notice the 2 elevators in the background.

This photo is from around 1950.

Main Street looking west.

Another view of Main Street early 1900's.

The corner gas station - around 1930.

Tending cattle

This is the Gjerde home in Norway where I visited

some years ago.  It is located in the beautiful

Geiranger region of Norway.

Although not the same home or barn, this farm is the very

farm my grandmother, Elsie Gjerde Dahlager

was born in 1872.

When my grandmother was young, she tended the cattle

in the mountains behind the Gjerde home.

During the summer months, the cattle were brought up to

the mountains, where there was plenty of food for 

them to graze on.

Elsie would stay in the very building pictured

above for extended periods of time.

You can imagine the time must have gone by

quite slowly for Elsie - she was all by

herself (except for the cattle).

Elsie perfected her knitting skills while spending

time in the cabin, and continued to knit

her entire life. 

When I visited the Gjerde home, We (regretfully)

did not take the time to walk up to the little cabin - 

this photo was taken by my

aunt Esther when she was in Norway.

My relatives told me the little building was

still there, in the same spot as when grandma

tended cattle. 

What I don't understand:  I was

told that the cabin was about 1 kilometer up the mountain,

which is not ridiculously far.   How come Elsie 

had to stay there with the cattle the whole time?

Any suggestions from you readers?

.....

Our Bud, Buddy Holly!

Last year, Amy, Scott and I attended

the Shadows Band, featuring

Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison.

  It was a great concert.

This year, I went  with Dodie & John

and enjoyed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens,

The Big Bopper, Roy Orbison, Bobby Vee 

and the Everly Brothers.

I look forward to going to another concert sometime!

If you have a chance to go and see them, you should do it!

So Long Ago!!

This is me! - I am probably 3  months old

 I was born in April and the photo was obviously taken

in the summer.  This is the earliest picture of me that I have.

I had a lot of thick, red hair!  My Mom told me

she put a ribbon in it when we came home from the hospital.

Sister Dodie is holding me -  I am a little

older than on the first picture, but it was

 taken that same summer.

 I am about 1 year old on the next 2 pictures - we were

still living on the farm at this time.

We moved from the farm shortly after

this picture was taken. 

Inger Maria Melby Olson

This is Inger Maria (Melby) Olson.

She was my Dad's aunt,

so I guess that would make her my 

Great Aunt.

Inger Maria was born on Sept. 11, 1860 in Norway.

Friends & family called her "Marie."

She was baptized on November 25, 1860

and confirmed on October 6, 1876

at Stiklestad Church, Verdal, Norway.

Inger had a rather interesting life

and more than likely caused a scandal

back in those days.

She lived in Sweden for a time and

hooked up with Magnus Larsen Dvarset,

from Rodon, Sweden.

On June 7, 1888 Inger gave birth

to Johan Magnus in Sweden. 

Inger & Magnus were not married.

 Maria returned to Norway with

her little boy

in January, 1891.

What happened to Magnus?

Why didn't they get married?

Was he already married?

Did he die?

Did he disappear?

Was he just a "louse?"

(I do not presume it was only his fault)

Or was there some other reason?

Sometime after 1895 Inger returned to Sweden.

Here she met Hans Olson and they were married.

In 1903, Inger Maria, Hans and Johan Magnus

immigrated to the United States,

 moving to Fergus Falls.

Hans and Inger had no children together

and in America, Johan went by the name

"John Olson"

[With a name like John Olson, it was

very hard to find any information. But I did

find the obituary]

Hans was a bricklayer and he worked on the

original  portion of the Federal Building (Post Office)

in Fergus Falls and he also did the brick work

on the City Hall in Fergus Falls.

In October, 1933, Hans fell, injuring his back. 

 Never recovering from the fall, 

he died on October 23, 1933.

In November, 1933 Inger Maria fell and broke her hip.

She developed pneumonia and died on December 14, 1933.

John (Magnus) Olson was a ditch digger, who never married.

He lived with his mother and Hans until their deaths.

He then relocated to Beltrami County and died at

the age of 57 on March 18, 1955.  

(I don't think he died as a result of a fall)

Note:  I don't know how much of this information was known by my Dad and 

his brothers & sisters.     This information was obtained with some help 

from Stein & Lora in Norway while I was

working on family history some years ago.

Some Old Dalton Pictures

Click on images to enlarge.

This is the old Dalton Hotel.   It was located

between the bank & what is now Ray's Oil.

This house was built by Ole Synstelien and is 

still standing on North Central Ave.

I do not know which church this is.  At first I

thought it was Sarpsborg Church, but the picture

on the altar is not the one that was at Sarpsborg. 

Perhaps it is the interior of St. Olaf Church?

Or possibly of the Tordenskjold church that burned down?

There was no date or any other information on the picture.

Does anyone recognize this altar?

This is what so many in Dalton used to call the "lower joint"

but at the time this picture was taken, it was called

"Curly's Beer & Lunches"

The building is not there anymore.  It was located 

in the same spot as "The Hideout" is today.

The owner & family lived upstairs.

This picture is from about 1950.

Postcard of the new Zion Church in Dalton.

The postcard was sent to Mrs. Nina Holms in Verndale, MN.

Here is what the back says:

"Hallo, how are you in the pines?

Well, did Gina get the clothes I sent her -

I never heard.

.....?........on our place so it will keep us

bizze for awhile.  You must write me a 

long letter.  This is our new church in our

big city.  Is it not a fine one.

Anton Foshaug got married to Olga Anderson.

Yours,

(signature cut off)

The edges have been cut from the postcard.

And yes, it is spelled b-i-z-z-e.

I enjoy when people give me photos to scan!

Kind of a good way to preserve some of the history.

MELBYVALD

MELBYVALD
This is Melbyvald near Verdal, Norway.

The house is the building with the little roof over the entrance.

One of the Melby sons is in front.  On the left of the house

is possibly a barn, and yes, it is attached to the house, but

I am told this was common practice years ago.

The home was torn down in the 1950's.

My grandpa, Gunerius Melby was born here in 1854.

Gunerius' parents were Johannes Baardsen & Magnhil Rasmusdatter.

Johannes was a farmer, but he earned extra money building houses.

(Carpentry has been prevalent in the Melby family for many years.)

One day, Johannes went off on a building job and didn't 

come home when expected.

The family went to where he was working and

found him dead.

The date of his death was April 29, 1888 and he was 70 yrs. old.

When doing my genealogy research, I found the record

of his death and the cause of death was listed as:

"constipation."

Really?   Did they find him dead in the outhouse??

Perhaps it was  a bowel obstruction?

Or  was the family asked if he had any problems lately,

and the wife told them that he had been having trouble with irregularity?