Vær Så God... Tusen Takk!

Curious about the words above? Here's a translation:

"Vær så god" literally means "be so good" as in "be so good as to join me." It is an idiom often used to call everyone to the table, and would mean "here you go" or "dig in." I'm using it somewhat liberally in this post, with the emphasis on "join me." 

"Tusen takk" means "a thousand thanks." I heard "tusen takk" or "mange takk" over and over as a child. If my parents visited at a friend's house, it was "tusen takk" as they left. "Mange takk" is "many thanks."

I'm sure that Otto and Henrietta used these words often in the restaurant. There was a certain pleasure and pride in offering hospitality, never mind the hard work. Otto spent most of his daylight hours at the restaurant. For a while, he even ran two restaurants on Main Street until a friend pointed out that Otto was competing with himself. Maybe that struck a chord because soon he was back to one restaurant.

Once her children were old enough, Henrietta went to help at the restaurant. I think everyone shared jobs there, but apparently she baked all the pies. In order to take care of household needs, she sometimes hired a woman to come to the house and sew for her. This beautiful quilt, passed down to me, is an example. 

I remember sleeping under this quilt as a child, especially when we had a full house. We think it was made by one of Grandma's seamstresses, perhaps a woman from the Fossum family.

This brings us to an early memory. My sister Marion remembers walking with Margaret, Emil Jr. and our cousin, Virginia Ike, from the restaurant to Otto and Henrietta's one evening when they were all quite young. They walked along the dirt alleyway, between big bushes and through scary shadows, and into Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was dark inside so they turned on a light, probably a single lightbulb in the ceiling, when they saw an old woman, unknown to them, come out of the pantry. Her hair was white, her gown was long and white, and she spoke a language they didn't understand. Maybe she was a ghost! The kids screamed and ran back to the restaurant.  Once they explained their fright and were calmed down, they found out that she was a seamstress, a friend to the family, hired to come and do some sewing for Grandma. Whew! Close call!!! 

Virginia Ike, Marion & Margaret play wedding.

My family had many reasons to say "mange takk" to Otto and Henrietta. During the depression, when my oldest siblings were small and my father was between jobs, our grandparents said "vær så god" and our family moved in with them. Several times my older siblings lived there, went to school in Spring Grove, ate at the restaurant, and slept in the upstairs of the big old house. They remember those days fondly, and surely we can't say "tusen takk" enough for the generous support of our family.

Three Brothers:

Jacob & Johanna...Otto & Henrietta... Edward & Ingen

Otto had three brothers who emigrated to the US, several seen in the photo above. Jacob and Johanna moved to North Dakota to pursue farming. Edward and Ingen lived in Spring Grove and raised ten children there. The tenth was a boy named Timan, which translates from Norwegian to "tenth man." I rather love that bit of the story, especially since our family had ten kids also. 

Hans Evenson

Otto's brother Hans went to prospect for gold in the Klondike and, like many others, he came back penniless and in poor health. Apparently Otto again said "vær så god" because Hans lived with Otto and Henrietta for a while, and would be seen in the restaurant.  When Hans died, Otto provided a gravestone by donating a portion of the marble countertop from the restaurant. 

You can still find it in the Trinity Cemetery in Spring Grove.

Mange tusen takk to Otto and Henrietta, for all their hard work and hospitality. And tusen takk to all who stop by to read about them. Much appreciated!

Grace Pierce's Diary, September 1928

Aunt Anita, Grandma Grace, Doris... my mother

Sept 1, Sat.

A nice day but looked like rain for a while. The threshing machine got here about ten. Anita and I went to Canton early and got meat and other things. Luella and kids came about 10. I never saw a hungrier bunch than we fed at noon. After dinner Luella and Anita went to Prosper after the baby’s high chair that she sent for and then to Canton after meat for supper. Alice came to Luella’s so she went home before the men were through. We got our work done about 8-30 and were so tired we went to bed as soon as possible.

Sept 2, Sun.

Nice today and we worked all forenoon as hard as we do any day. I even had to do a small washing of towels and baby’s clothes and made a batch of fried cakes. After noon Luella came over and I went over to Lon Pierce’s with her but they were not there so we went down by Alf Rilling’s and Emmet Knox’s and home. Elmer went to ball game over on Raymond’s flat. Pretty cool today.

Sept 3, Mon.

Quite cool, but a lovely day. Anita had to go to Canton early for meat for threshers. They started early and finished before eleven. We had dinner ready for them. We had 1800 bushels of oats and wheat and would weigh up 67 bushels to the acre. Luella came over about 8-30 and helped until nearly one. We took Marilyn down to Violet’s and weighed her and she weighs 16 ¾ lbs. School started today with Grace Knox as teacher. No mail today as it is Labor Day. Elmer went to Burr Oak in eve and brought home ice cream but I was in bed… but Anita brought it in to me.

Sept 4, Tues.

Beautiful day. We got up long before daylight. Elmer threshed at Claude Mitsons. We washed and had a big one and Luella came after me and I went to Decorah with her. We went down to see Lillie and I took her cream and jello. Her baby has gained some since I saw it last. We got home before noon and ironed some and then Anita and I went to B.O. She took some eggs and got 31cts for them. After we got back I mowed the lawn. Elmer came home about 4-30 and took feed to B.O. to be ground.

Sept 5, Wed.

Very nice day. I made 7qts of cucumber pickles and Anita mopped and cleaned the house. We went over to Luella’s and helped get things ready for threshers. Anita and I drove over to B.O. after bread and Anita came home. Elmer threshed at Guys and they finished for the year. I rode home in evening with Mildred and Alice. They threshed until 7-30 to finish. I was as tired as a dog and didn’t help wash the dishes either. Jennie Sanaker was married today.

Sept 6, Thurs.

Oh such a grand day. We were all tired this morning and didn’t get up as early as usual. I cut out the apron for Ladies Aid. LuVerne was here all day. There wasn’t any school on account of Institute. Elmer dug the early potatoes and LuVerne picked them up and then he and Elmer took a grist to Canton & Anita & I went over to Allie Wards so she could find a pattern for a dress. In eve after the milking was done Anita & I went to Canton after the grist & stopped at Franks a minute & drove in to Claude Mitsons after Elmers rubbers. LuVerne rode home with Elmer when he went to B.O. after we got home.

Sept 7, Fri.

As nice as ever but a little warmer. Elmer took the car over town and had a tire fixed in forenoon. We had an early dinner and Anita & I went to Decorah. They were having a shower for Lillie but we didn’t know anything about it so didn’t stay very long. We took the dress & skirt down that Anita & Luella gave her and took cream, and apples from Luella’s. In eve LuVerne, Elmer, Anita & I & Marilyn went to a weiner roast at Louie’s. We didn’t stay very late but had a good time and lots of weiners, buns, pickles, cookies & coffee.  Anita gave me a nice pair of gloves for a birthday present.

Sept 8, Sat.

Very warm day. We washed a few things & Anita cleaned up all the rooms. LuVerne went home early. Luella came over after a can of soft water. We got a long letter from Hazel & Doris & got some pictures that Anita took with her camera. Elmer went to town in eve. Frank Wickett was here & bought 5 cows & 9 old sows.

Sept 9, Sun.

A nice day but very windy. Elmer took a bushel of potatoes to Fred Scholey. I picked & dressed a chicken & we had creamed chicken and ice cream and we nearly died trying to get the qt of ice cream down. After dinner Anita, Marilyn & I went over to Howard for a little while.  We picked up a bushel of plums in forenoon.

Sept. 10, Mon.

A little cloudy in morning & after 10-30 it rained by spells all day. We washed and had a time getting the clothes dry. Two trucks came after the cows and hogs, the cows brought $360 & hogs $240. In afternoon we went over to Luella’s & got apples & took her over some plums. I preserved 9qt of plums and peeled & canned 2qt.

Sept. 11, Tues.

My 53rd birthday and felt as spry as a cricket. Cloudy nearly all day but didn’t rain. I canned plums & 2qt of Whitneys and made plum & apple jelly. In forenoon we took Elmer down to Charlie Weldons to get one of his horses out of the pasture. We finished the ironing. I baked bread & made out buns to bake in morning. Fern, Howard & Beverly came over after plums. Elmer went to B.O. in eve.  Raymonds paid me $20 on Int. & they had paid $5 before so it is paid up.

Sept 12, Wed.

Cloudy nearly all day. Cecil Wicks was here helping cut corn all day. Claude Mitson brought the silo filler down. Elmer went to Leistikows & to B.O. to call help to fill silo. Little Marilyn is sitting on the table tearing paper & is too cute for anything. I picked up about ½ bu of plums & canned 6qt more. Elmer gave me a check for $121.20 my share after the notes were paid for sheep and other things. Luella gave me a nice pair of silk stockings for my birthday.

Sept 13, Thurs.

Very nice day until 5-30 it commenced to rain & kept it up all night & was a terrible rain & such awful lightning & thunder that we couldn’t sleep half the night. In morning Anita and I went to Canton after meat as we are to fill silo today. She got her hair cut too & we got nearly to Luella’s coming home & she found she had left a box of groceries at the Farmers store so we had to go back & when we got here it was nearly nine & had to stew pumpkin & make pies & apple pies & cake. So we hustled all forenoon & everything went wrong. They finished filling about 3 & Cecil, Elmer & Raymond went to Decorah to ball game. Add & Claude were here after plums. Luella was here about ½ hr. I was sick with stomach ache all night.

Sept 14, Fri.

Oh such a rainy morning & I hope we don’t have another night like last night. Anita is 25 today & she & Luella went to Ruth Paddens to Club. Anita started over to Luella’s & couldn’t cross the bridge, it was washed out, so she backed up to Mileys & called Luella from there & she came down & they went the south road. Elmer went with Cecil to a sale out near Cresco. Claude Mitson was here in afternoon a few minutes.

Sept 15, Sat.

A lovely day. We did housework all forenoon. I washed clothes & Anita cleaned the house. They finished filling the silo in afternoon. Anita & I went to Burr Oak to a food sale by Ladies Aid. I took a pumpkin pie & Anita bought a cake. She helped Elmer pick up a load of corn & then we went up to Jim’s after tomatoes. I am not eating much now on account of my stomach & don’t dare taste of a tomato. Elmer went to B.O. tonight. Anita sold 6 doz eggs at 31cts. 

Sept 16, Sun.

Very windy and cooler but nice & bright. I canned 3qt of tomatoes. Eda tried to call us to see if we wanted to go to church with them but the blamed old phone never rang at all & I wanted to go too. About 3 Anita & I went up to Guys for an hour. Vera & Clarence & Lyle & Sena & Pat Gallaghers were there. Yes & Jack was there too. And so was Doris Farmer. A lovely evening, too nice to stay at home. 

Sept 17, Mon.

One of the most beautiful days we have had for three months. We got an early start with the washing & got through at 9-20 & had a big one too. Elmer went up to Guys after barley. We got a letter from Doris & Marion is quite sick with kidney trouble. After noon Raymonds & all of us went up in Halvorson’s woods after walnuts. They hadn’t fallen yet but we got 3 sacks of them. I made plum preserves after we got home & Anita ironed in eve. Elmer went to B.O.

Sept 18, Tues.

Another day as nice as yesterday and warmer. Elmer went up to Howards to cut corn. We did the ironing & then went to Decorah. We took plums & cream to Ericksons and ate our dinner at Emma Lowers café. Anita got a very pretty hat but I think I’ll wear my old one. We got home about 8 & Luella was here a few minutes. We went up after Elmer about 5-30. Canned a few tomatoes in eve.

Sept 19, Wed.

Very nice day but cool wind. We got up very early and Anita & Elmer picked a load of corn.  We took Elmer up to Howards & they just got up from the breakfast table. We drove to B.O. after pepper & glass cans. Marilyn was very fretful all day and wouldn’t sleep but little while at a time. We canned tomatoes & made catsup. I mowed the lawn and it looks very nice. It is so thick now. Anita got her dress goods at last. Also babys shoes. Got a letter from Doris and Hazel.

Sept 20, Thurs.

Rather cloudy & sprinkled by spells but didn’t rain. I canned tomatoes & made catchup & baked a pie & Anita cleaned the house. About 4 oclock I went to Ladies Aid at Alice Prices with Jim & Eda. I paid the last half of taxes $41.22. Elmer helped fill silo at Howards. He went to B.O. in eve.  Marilyn was in the swing on the porch & the screw came out that holds it & she fell to the floor right on her face. We thought she was killed but didn’t hurt her at all only a bump on her forehead & a red mark on her nose.

Sept 21, Fri.

A lovely day but it rained in the night. We got up early & I had the washing done before nine oclock. I had made ice box cookies too. I had them stirred up at 5-30 & I made a pie for dinner. Elmer was digging potatoes & Anita helped pick up. Luella & Roger walked over & stayed all afternoon and we took them home about 4. I picked & dressed & cooked two chickens to take to Doris & canned 7qt of tomatoes & made catsup & we ironed & Anita mopped after supper & helped unload potatoes so it was after 9 before we were through. LuVerne stayed here all night. We were about all in when we finally got to bed.

Sept 22, Sat.

We got up bright & early and kept on the run until we started to Canton & took the bus for Rochester. We left Canton a little after 8 & had a very nice ride to Rochester but from there on we rode 10 in a 7 passenger bus & had to transfer from St. Paul to Minneapolis and they piled our suit cases on top of us then. Emil was at the depot to meet us & we stopped at John Newhouse’s a few minutes & then came on to Isle. It was very cold & we wished we had worn our winter coats. We got to Isle about 6-30 & were nearly starved.

Sept 23, Sun. – Isle, MN

Colder than Greenland. Just after dinner Anita, Marilyn & I walked down to the lake. It was snowing a little & the wind was so cold we had to come back. All the kids went to sleep in the afternoon & after they woke up we went for a ride up to Sunset Bay & to Opstead. It snowed quite hard on the way up. Anita wore Emil’s sheep lined coat.  At home: we had our first frost, it was a hard one too.

Sept 24, Mon. – Isle, MN

Just as cold as ever & I guess a little worse. Doris washed & had a big washing. She mopped floors & Anita & I ironed some & I peeled & canned a few qt of tomatoes. I carried two pails of water from the pump up at the corner. Marion was quite fretful all day, & didn’t sleep at all in forenoon. Margarette is too cute for anything & talked every thing.

Marion, Margaret & Marilyn... on the farm, several years later

Sept 25, Tues. – Isle, MN

Cold in morning, but nice and warm in afternoon. We canned 7 ½ qt of peaches & ironed. Anita, Margarette & I went down town in forenoon. Anita went down to the lake & took pictures. After school we all went for a ride. In eve Emil & Doris went to the show and I took care of the kids. Margarette was very restless all night and cried so we took her in bed with us. We found out in the morning why she was so restless. Poor little tot.

Sept 26, Wed. – Isle, MN

Another beautiful day. We did a little washing of our own and I went up town & got the mail & some other things. We got a letter from Luella & she wrote that Glen Reed went away & left Ella & baby. He sold some cattle & skipped out with the money. After school we all went over to Russells bridge to fish but it was so cold Doris brought Anita & I & the kids back & she & Emil came soon after. He caught three & they were very good.

Sept 27, Thurs.

A lovely day. We took the bus from Isle at 7-30 & got to Minneapolis at 11-15 & went to the Woolworth store & then had lunch & waited until 2 & got on the bus for Rochester & got there at 6-15 & left at 6-30 & got to Canton about 8-15 or a little later. Elmer was there so we came right home. It was a lovely moonlight night & we didn’t get a bit cold until we rode home from Canton. LuVerne & Mr. Butler were here & had a good hot fire.

Sept 28, Fri.

Cloudy all day & sprinkled at times. We got up real early & took Elmer to Howards to cut corn. Lloyd Baker was here picking up corn all day. I made 3 gallon of kraut this afternoon. Elmer went to Dell McMullens after a sheep in eve. It weighed 145 lbs & then Anita & Elmer went to a weiner roast at Louie Underbakke’s given by the Club. There was a very small crowd there.  Marilyn was asleep so I kept her.

Sept 29, Sat.

Very cloudy and damp all day. LuVerne was here an hour or two to help Elmer with something. Elmer & Raymond went to a sale at Alva Steads. Elmer bought a bull. Luella & kids & Anita & I went to Willie Welches after walnuts but only got two sacks of them. We stopped at B.O. & I bought a cake at the food sale for 60cts. It was one Elsie made. In eve we went over to Luella’s when Elmer went to B.O. Luella was over at Hogsdon’s after eggs & the car stopped & she couldn’t get it started.

Sept 30, Sun.

Very damp and foggy in morning but cleared off and was so warm & windy. Anita, baby & Elmer went down to Merles & got apples in forenoon & in afternoon Anita, Elmer, Marilyn & I went over to Willie Welches again & got 3 ½ sacks of walnuts so we have 6 ½ sacks of them now. And that is all we will try to get. Raymond got his car fixed this afternoon. Glen, Florence & Norman were here while we were gone.

Searching for Scandinavian Roots - Guest Author

Happy New Year! Today I'm sharing a post written by my brother, Eric Evenson, about his trip to Norway to learn about Otto Evenson's home and early years.

Searching for Scandinavian Roots by Eric Evenson

I have always been intrigued with the life story of my grandfather, Otto Evenson, who emigrated to the U.S. from Norway at the age of 15. Karen Eastlund has blogged about Otto and his restaurant. I was lucky enough to go to Norway to see where Otto lived and learn a little about his life there. This post will share some of that journey with you.

Otto was born in 1870 and immigrated to Minnesota in 1885. He was 84 when I was born, and I was 16 when he died. We visited my grandparents several times a year, but I never asked him about his youth. However, since I’m the youngest of ten children, I heard stories about Otto from older siblings. We knew the region of Norway that he came from, and we had contact with some distant relatives in Norway who had done some genealogy tracing.

In 2006 my oldest brother, Emil Jr., invited my wife, Karen Fell Evenson, and I to join him and his wife Judy on a trip to Norway. Emil is 25 years older than I and he and Judy had previously visited Norway, so they were experienced and welcome guides for us. Our plans included seeking Otto’s home and church.

After some initial stops in Norway, we made an easy drive from Lillehammer to the Toten District to meet Ole Grannum, our relative and guide to my grandpa’s original stomping grounds. Ole arranged to meet us at an auto service plaza in Gjovik, Norway. I expected a little station with one or two pumps, but it turned out to be a major truck stop, so while Emil, Judy, and Karen stretched their legs, I was sent to find Ole. I wondered how I would find someone I had never met, but halfway around the perimeter Ole walked up to me and said, “You must be Eric. You look just like all the Evensons.”  I was both shocked and happy. Ole joined the group, renewed his acquaintance with Emil, and we got underway.

Left to right: Eric, Ole Grannum, and Emil Jr.

Our first stop was the Hoff kirke, or Hoff Church, about 2 km northeast of the small town of Lena. This was the church that my Grandpa Otto attended, along with ancestors before him. He was baptized and confirmed at this church. It was so cool visiting this place that I can barely contain myself now in telling you about it. You can read about this church here.

 The Hoff Church

Door of the Hoff Church

We walked through the graveyard and talked about the customs of the day. My ancestors would not have been buried in the church cemetery since they were not landowners. The Stabo family, who owned the farm where my great grandfather worked and lived, were buried there however, and we found their graves. We don’t know where my relatives were buried. By 1884, my great grandparents did eventually amass enough funds to buy a small acreage called Evenstad. That would have been about the time that Otto was confirmed in the church, and just a year before he left for the U.S.

Inside the church the architecture was amazing. The altarpiece is dated 1664 and the baptismal font 1703. The same one that my grandpa and his siblings were baptized in! If you look closely, you can see that the font is held up by an angel with a dolphin peeking between his feet. On the walls was a gallery of all the pastors who served the church beginning in 1401… well before Luther’s reformation.

   

Baptismal Font from 170                                      Altarpiece from 1664

The Stabo Farm is a mile and a half west of the Hoff Church and a mile north of the town square in Lena. That is where Otto’s parents, my great-grandparents, Even Jacobsen Fodstad and Helene Hansdatter Sundbye, lived and worked during Otto’s childhood. They were hearty people, raising eight children while they worked on the farm. They probably walked to church for religious and social events. Helene lived to be 101. It was here that Otto learned to play the accordion well enough that his older brothers took him to surrounding towns and farms to play for dances. 

Photo Even J Fodstad and Helene H. Sundbye, my great grandparents

The farm is down a tree-lined lane directly off Slettavegen, a main road going into Lena. The farm has a white farmhouse centrally located in a ring of stables, barns and outbuildings. 

On the front lawn of the Stabo farmhouse was a stone obelisk, all wrapped in plastic. Ole Grannum explained that it was a rune stone which local universities were studying and preparing to transport to a museum. The stone is dated to the ninth century. Cool!

Photo Eric & Emil at side of the Stabo farmhouse

It was somewhat of a shock, however, to learn that my family did not live in the farmhouse. My great grandparents and their children lived across the farmyard in a building which included living quarters for hired help, stables for animals, and occasionally was used as a jail. Humbling news! I couldn’t help but wonder what it was like for Otto to live next to prisoners awaiting trial. 

Eric & Emil in front of Otto’s living quarters

I was struck by the austere life that they must have led, concurrent with the post-Civil War era in the U.S. At that time, Norway was ruled by Sweden. Emigration from Norway to North America started in 1825 with the first mass emigration in the 1860s. That was about when Otto’s older brothers started thinking of leaving Norway. No doubt they heard of a better life here, with the potential for property ownership.

A main takeaway from my visit to Stabo Farm and the Lena area is this: If your name is Evenson and your ancestors came from Spring Grove, MN, and you’ve been tempted to buy a Family Crest of Coat of Arms, save your money! I can confidently tell you that we do not come from royalty. The only coats our ancestors had were to save them from hypothermia. We come from humble stock, but I found many reasons to be proud of them. They were bold, sturdy, religious, hard-working, musical, and blessed with longevity. That is enough for me.

I am grateful for the opportunity to visit the Norwegian branch of my family and absorb the culture and history my Grandpa Otto grew up in. I’m glad Emil Jr. suggested the trip, and I’m happy I met Ole Grannum and learned some of our history straight from him. And I’m thankful that Grandpa Otto got on that ship at age 15 to come to the United States to start a new life.

Husker Du? Part II of Otto Evenson's Restaurant

Long before "husker du?" referred to a rock band, it was a phrase used by many Scandinavians.  "Husker du?" asks... do you remember?  Although I remember my grandparents and the town of Spring Grove, I don't personally remember the restaurant. It closed before my time. Still, it has been a rich topic of conversation with family members as I've asked... husker du?  Here are some of our stories.

 Otto's business evolved over its 40-year lifetime. Below is a photo showing Otto Evenson's Cafe in the early 1900s. 

By the time my dad was four or five years old, serving as the batboy for the the Spring Grove Baseball team as seen in this photo circa 1908, you can see at least one team member and possibly several are sponsored by Otto Evenson's Restaurant. No longer a cafe, it was now a restaurant. When I imagine sewing all those letters on a shirt, I have to laugh. By current standards we might name the restaurant Otto's, or Otto's and Etta's... and the name would be embroidered or printed on by machine. Not so easy in 1908.

Anyway, that's my dad, Emil Evenson, in front of my Grandpa Otto. Otto loved sports, but especially baseball. He often listened to games on the radio and attended local games whenever he could. Fact: The first World Series was played in 1903. Baseball was big...

Spring Grove was never big, but in the early 1900's it had something of a heyday. It had a baseball team, an opera house and it also hosted Chautauqua assemblies. I was pleased to learn that Spring Grove also had it's own cartoonist, Peter J. Rosendahl, who included Otto in some of his cartoons. This one shows a Totning festival... folks from the Toten area of Norway celebrating their heritage. Otto was a Totning, and you can see him in the middle right of the cartoon, standing next to barrels labelled Flatbrød and Sur Melk.  Flatbrød is a traditional Norwegian unleavened bread that has a long history, a staple food for shepherds, peasants and Vikings. The original ingredients were barley flour, salt and water, although over time every family made their own variations on this theme. It is served with just about anything, often fish and potatoes topped with sour cream. Otto may have sold it as a light meal, or as a sweet treat with berries and sour cream or "sur melk." From what I can gather, Norwegians love milk, cream, cheese, and butter... and more is better.

Speaking of dairy products, Grandpa always served ice cream at his soda fountain and with his desserts. The grandkids loved it! Talking about ice cream brought up a story about Grandpa Otto and an ice cream salesman. In the early '40s when money was tight, the Dolly Madison ice cream supplier came to the restaurant and took pains to show Grandpa how to save money by serving a scoop of ice cream that looked full and round, but was actually hollow. Grandpa watched, becoming more and more irate as the salesman proceeded. Otto Evenson's Restaurant was known to serve a good honest meal. How dare someone suggest he cheat his customers out of a full scoop of ice cream? He couldn't stand for such a thing! Otto took the salesman by the neck... and I remember that Grandpa had big strong hands... and ushered him out of his restaurant.  No trickery! Otto would serve a full scoop!

Located at Front and Main streets in downtown La Crosse, the Dolly Madison Dairy began in 1919 as the Tri-State Ice Cream Corp., a company formed from two earlier companies.

In 1939, the company’s name became Dolly Madison, in honor of President James Madison’s wife, Dolley, who was the first person to serve ice cream in the White House. In the 1970s the company became part of Marigold Foods and later was absorbed by Kemp's.

That's my post for today. If you missed the first post about Otto's Restaurant, you can find it here.  I'll share more about Otto and the restaurant in the future. Don't miss it, I've saved some of the funniest stories just for you.

Velkommen til Otto Evenson's Cafe

 Meet my paternal grandparents, Otto Evenson & Henrietta Quinnell Evenson, both of Norwegian descent. Henrietta's parents emigrated from Norway to Iowa, and Henrietta was born in Iowa City in 1881.

 

Otto, his brothers, and their wives.  Otto and Henrietta are the couple in the middle.

Otto was born in 1870 on a farm near Toten, Norway. Several of his brothers had already come to the U.S., so at age 15 he left his home country, arriving in the U.S. in 1885. At first Otto tried farming or working in sawmills, but five years after he married Henrietta he started a restaurant in Spring Grove.

Otto married Henrietta in 1898

Spring Grove, Minnesota, was the first Norwegian settlement in Minnesota, located in the beautiful southeast corner of the state. Otto's establishment moved between several buildings over his 40+ years in business, the photo below pictures an early one. That's Otto in a bowler hat on the left. 

Below is a later picture, probably in a different building. You can see Henrietta in her apron, and Otto beside her. They sold candy and tobacco and other small items in the front, had a soda fountain in the middle, and tables farther back. Otto sold so much Wrigley's gum that he won two chairs and a cocoa set. 

The restaurant was open all day every day from 1904 until 1945. It became a home away from home, not just to Otto and family, but to many in the community.  Townsfolk would come in for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie, notice a loose button on a coat or shirt, and ask for a needle and thread to sew the button. And sometimes, having been supplied with needle and thread, the person might even complain that the needle was the wrong size for the task at hand.

Here's a blurb from Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement by Chad Muller:

My grandpa liked to be generous. During the depression, Otto wanted to serve a good meal for a little as possible. He offered a blue plate special of roast beef, potatoes and gravy, peas, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. The charge was 5¢... over the years it went up to 25¢. 

Otto also had a sense of humor. When my dad, Emil, was a student at Luther College, in Decorah, IA, he would bring friends back to dinner at the restaurant. Otto would get out all the hats he could find (I assume both men's and women's) and put them on one after another, improvising a persona with each one and causing much hilarity.  The teachers in town often ate at Otto's, and he once got them laughing so hard that a teacher had to step outside and catch her breath before coming back to finish her meal. 

One of my brothers, being a small child at the time, was fascinated by a cigar lighter in the restaurant. If you bought a cigar, you could light it and smoke it right there! 

He remembers the Midland Jump Spark Cigar Lighter. The spark would be fascinating. 

I can't say the same for the cigar smoke.

My older siblings remember eating at the restaurant. It seems that grandparents were known for spoiling even then. Pies and ice creams were shared liberally, and jack knives were given to the boys, perhaps even before the boys were old enough for them.  

Grandpa was proud of his restaurant and the hospitality shown there. He and his family worked hard to provide good meals in a clean and inviting atmosphere. As his family grew up they all helped in the restaurant. Even when his own children got jobs of their own, he would call them at their jobs to say that he needed them at the restaurant. I don't know how that turned out, but I do know that these photos make me wish I could have seen it myself. 

I'll share more stories about Otto, Henrietta and the restaurant in days to come. Please stop back for more...

Sad News

Friends...

I've had sad news this week. My sister-in-law has died. Hers was not a Covid related death, but because of Covid her family could not visit her while in hospital. Lois had emergency surgery and had been moved from ICU when something agitated her and she died. She was 88.

Our grief is for a woman of great heart and talent. Along with her other chores, Lois made many many quilts, stitching the layers together by hand, giving them to family, church and beyond. We will miss her greatly. Lois was a lovely, lovely lady.

“The bustle in a house

The morning after death

Is solemnest of industries

Enacted upon earth,--

The sweeping up the heart,

And putting love away

We shall not want to use again

Until eternity”

― Emily Dickinson

from left: Juliana, me and Lois... The 9's

Taken at our 2019 family reunion

Big families are not in vogue these days, so you may be surprised to know that Lois, Juliana and I share the honor of being the 9th child in our respective families. In my case, I grew up with six brothers and three sisters. Out of a sense of amusement, I've started taking a photo with those I meet who are also 9th children. Hence the one above.

Me and my siblings...

Being the 9th out of 10, it is my part to survive the passing of siblings. That's the sad part...the hard part. But there have been many blessings to offset that sadness. I've enjoyed a wealth of family celebrations, photos, hugs, stories and more. How I have loved my family! Especially the stories... I'll be sharing more of them as time passes. 

Thanks to all who stopped by this week to read the story about my dad being a hero during the 1918 influenza outbreak.  In case you missed it, click here.

Thanks to Elizabeth Steinglass for hosting Poetry Friday today. You won't want to miss
her video.
Find her here.

  

A Family Hero

Family stories surface in these quieter times, and I have recently learned one I would like to share.  So, allow me to introduce my father, Emil Evenson, who was a first responder hero during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918.

Wait... I hear you... you're asking the same thing I asked.  How old could he have been?  How could he have helped? (At the same time, you probably begin to wonder how old I am? Haha! I shall not tell.)

My dad was born in 1904, so in 1918 he was 14 years old. The third wave of Spanish flu stretched into 1919, when he turned 15. Any way you look at it, he was just a kid.

My dad's dad, Otto Evenson, owned and ran a restaurant in Spring Grove, MN. Grandpa Otto also owned one of the few automobiles in town, but he had not learned to drive. (In fact, he never learned to drive.) When the influenza struck, the local doctor was no doubt inundated with patients, both in town and in the outlying farms, so apparently Grandpa Otto offered his car. (This is where the story gets hazy.) For reasons unknown, 14-yr-old Emil was called upon to drive the local doctor on his rounds.

Emil Evenson circa 1922

Before you gasp, remember... it was a different time. Children were not afforded the sheltered childhoods we now expect. Historians remind us that children have always "worked." In hunter-gatherer societies, children gathered firewood and picked berries. In farming communities, children were expected to sweep floors, feed animals, gather eggs, etc. Our early mills employed children as young as 7, and it was not until 1938 that the U.S. passed child labor laws. Most parents simply could not afford to raise children without some compensating labor. So in 1918, a boy of 14 driving a car was not unusual. Few cars were on the road. Mud, ice and snow, and horse-drawn vehicles were greater dangers. 

 Spring Grove baseball team, circa 1907

My grandpa Otto backed some of the team,

that's Otto in the middle with the bow tie.

My dad was the bat boy.

Even more dangerous was the proximity of the influenza. We don't know if Daddy went into the homes with the doctor, but he may have. Daddy told my brother about one farm where everyone had become so ill that several members had died but no one in the family had the strength to bury them. What a somber impact on a young man. For protection the doctor carried a bottle of ethanol and he and my dad swabbed their faces and hands after each visit. That was forward thinking at the time.

Check out this article to learn more about the 1918 influenza pandemic: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic

Our world today would look like science fiction to my dad and my grandpa. And yet, we share the experience of pandemic.

Mama, Daddy, me and brother Bobby at a picnic

I salute those on the front lines today, and I am proud to know that my dad was one of the heroes on the front lines during the 1918 influenza, a time of scant medical resources. I'm thankful that Daddy did not become ill, nor did anyone in his family, but what a scary and sobering experience it must have been. Until recently, I had not heard this story of courage and selflessness. Now, I sit up a little straighter each time I consider it.