Lewis "Lars" Hanson Larson was born on the Solle farm of the Fremming Estate near the village of Mena in the Eidsvold (Eidsvoll) Parish in Norway. This is about six miles north of Christiana (Oslo), Norway.
At the age of four, Lars went to live with his aunt Martha Marie, a widow, who had a farm in the Hurdale Parish, Norway. At the age of nine, he returned to live with his parents.
He attended school in Norway two days each week for eleven months and that was his formal education but when he reached adulthood he could read and write both in English and Norwegian - self taught with help from his wife. Also, he could handle ordinary math. All this despite long hard hours of work for farmers, in the logging and lumber industry and handling his own farms.
In the spring of 1866, Lars with his parents and family sailed from Norway to America. The family lived until 1869 near Arena (Iowa County), Wisconsin, when they moved to Osseo, WI. Lars worked among farmers in that area and also in logging camps and a porter (saw) mill at Eau Claire, WI.
Lars read about opportunities to obtain free government land in the Dakota Territory, so with a friend, Ova Moe, they left for the west April 31, 1878. They both took up land claims 3-1/4 miles south of the Montrose, SD. They each had a team of horses and covered wagons in which they camped on their journey and while building sod houses on their homesteads. They hunted and trapped fur bearing animals for their pelts to sell and they burned lime in kilns which they hauled to Sioux Falls for cash to buy needed provisions. For their meat needs there were plenty of deer, antelope, ducks and prairie hens to be had, with also fish from the Vermillion river which ran through the Larson claim.
The Sioux Indians often wandered about in the area. Lars and Ova had to keep a close lookout for their livestock which the Indians would sometimes take to replace their vanished buffalo herds. Ova Moe became tired of farm life and sold his 160 acre claim to Lars. Later Lars bought the claim of his brother-in-law Andrew Thompson, acquired the 160 acres of his wife's claim and bought more land until he owned in all about 1000 acres of the Vermillion river valley and adjoining hills.
During the years 1879 and 1880 grasshoppers destroyed most of the crops the settlers had planted. The winter of 1880-1881 was very severe and with their meager fuel supplies exhausted the settlers burned the ties and telegraph poles off the railroad tracks then being laid.
On March 28, 1881, Lars married Ingeborg Thompson at Yankton, the capitol of the Dakota Territory. The trip from Montrose to Yankton a distance of ninety-five miles, was made by horse drawn wagon and the couple was accompanied by the brides brother Andrew Thompson. From this union came the following children: Ida (Iverson), Agnes (Robert Hein), Laura (Oscar Severson), Hanna (Frank Sherlock), Maggie (Sig Walker), Henry Oden, Alma (Oscar Thue), Lloyd Albert, Lee Guy.
Lars' health began to fail about 1904 and the doctors could not diagnose his ailment, so in September 1909 the couple and younger children moved to Colton, SD. Lars seemed to overcome his ailment and finally died when he was almost 93 years old. Lars was survived at his death by 40 grandchildren, 64 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
At the age of four, Lars went to live with his aunt Martha Marie, a widow, who had a farm in the Hurdale Parish, Norway. At the age of nine, he returned to live with his parents.
He attended school in Norway two days each week for eleven months and that was his formal education but when he reached adulthood he could read and write both in English and Norwegian - self taught with help from his wife. Also, he could handle ordinary math. All this despite long hard hours of work for farmers, in the logging and lumber industry and handling his own farms.
In the spring of 1866, Lars with his parents and family sailed from Norway to America. The family lived until 1869 near Arena (Iowa County), Wisconsin, when they moved to Osseo, WI. Lars worked among farmers in that area and also in logging camps and a porter (saw) mill at Eau Claire, WI.
Lars read about opportunities to obtain free government land in the Dakota Territory, so with a friend, Ova Moe, they left for the west April 31, 1878. They both took up land claims 3-1/4 miles south of the Montrose, SD. They each had a team of horses and covered wagons in which they camped on their journey and while building sod houses on their homesteads. They hunted and trapped fur bearing animals for their pelts to sell and they burned lime in kilns which they hauled to Sioux Falls for cash to buy needed provisions. For their meat needs there were plenty of deer, antelope, ducks and prairie hens to be had, with also fish from the Vermillion river which ran through the Larson claim.
The Sioux Indians often wandered about in the area. Lars and Ova had to keep a close lookout for their livestock which the Indians would sometimes take to replace their vanished buffalo herds. Ova Moe became tired of farm life and sold his 160 acre claim to Lars. Later Lars bought the claim of his brother-in-law Andrew Thompson, acquired the 160 acres of his wife's claim and bought more land until he owned in all about 1000 acres of the Vermillion river valley and adjoining hills.
During the years 1879 and 1880 grasshoppers destroyed most of the crops the settlers had planted. The winter of 1880-1881 was very severe and with their meager fuel supplies exhausted the settlers burned the ties and telegraph poles off the railroad tracks then being laid.
On March 28, 1881, Lars married Ingeborg Thompson at Yankton, the capitol of the Dakota Territory. The trip from Montrose to Yankton a distance of ninety-five miles, was made by horse drawn wagon and the couple was accompanied by the brides brother Andrew Thompson. From this union came the following children: Ida (Iverson), Agnes (Robert Hein), Laura (Oscar Severson), Hanna (Frank Sherlock), Maggie (Sig Walker), Henry Oden, Alma (Oscar Thue), Lloyd Albert, Lee Guy.
Lars' health began to fail about 1904 and the doctors could not diagnose his ailment, so in September 1909 the couple and younger children moved to Colton, SD. Lars seemed to overcome his ailment and finally died when he was almost 93 years old. Lars was survived at his death by 40 grandchildren, 64 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
Lewis "Lars" Hanson Larson was born on the Solle farm of the Fremming Estate near the village of Mena in the Eidsvold (Eidsvoll) Parish in Norway. This is about six miles north of Christiana (Oslo), Norway.
At the age of four, Lars went to live with his aunt Martha Marie, a widow, who had a farm in the Hurdale Parish, Norway. At the age of nine, he returned to live with his parents.
He attended school in Norway two days each week for eleven months and that was his formal education but when he reached adulthood he could read and write both in English and Norwegian - self taught with help from his wife. Also, he could handle ordinary math. All this despite long hard hours of work for farmers, in the logging and lumber industry and handling his own farms.
In the spring of 1866, Lars with his parents and family sailed from Norway to America. The family lived until 1869 near Arena (Iowa County), Wisconsin, when they moved to Osseo, WI. Lars worked among farmers in that area and also in logging camps and a porter (saw) mill at Eau Claire, WI.
Lars read about opportunities to obtain free government land in the Dakota Territory, so with a friend, Ova Moe, they left for the west April 31, 1878. They both took up land claims 3-1/4 miles south of the Montrose, SD. They each had a team of horses and covered wagons in which they camped on their journey and while building sod houses on their homesteads. They hunted and trapped fur bearing animals for their pelts to sell and they burned lime in kilns which they hauled to Sioux Falls for cash to buy needed provisions. For their meat needs there were plenty of deer, antelope, ducks and prairie hens to be had, with also fish from the Vermillion river which ran through the Larson claim.
The Sioux Indians often wandered about in the area. Lars and Ova had to keep a close lookout for their livestock which the Indians would sometimes take to replace their vanished buffalo herds. Ova Moe became tired of farm life and sold his 160 acre claim to Lars. Later Lars bought the claim of his brother-in-law Andrew Thompson, acquired the 160 acres of his wife's claim and bought more land until he owned in all about 1000 acres of the Vermillion river valley and adjoining hills.
During the years 1879 and 1880 grasshoppers destroyed most of the crops the settlers had planted. The winter of 1880-1881 was very severe and with their meager fuel supplies exhausted the settlers burned the ties and telegraph poles off the railroad tracks then being laid.
On March 28, 1881, Lars married Ingeborg Thompson at Yankton, the capitol of the Dakota Territory. The trip from Montrose to Yankton a distance of ninety-five miles, was made by horse drawn wagon and the couple was accompanied by the brides brother Andrew Thompson. From this union came the following children: Ida (Iverson), Agnes (Robert Hein), Laura (Oscar Severson), Hanna (Frank Sherlock), Maggie (Sig Walker), Henry Oden, Alma (Oscar Thue), Lloyd Albert, Lee Guy.
Lars' health began to fail about 1904 and the doctors could not diagnose his ailment, so in September 1909 the couple and younger children moved to Colton, SD. Lars seemed to overcome his ailment and finally died when he was almost 93 years old. Lars was survived at his death by 40 grandchildren, 64 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
At the age of four, Lars went to live with his aunt Martha Marie, a widow, who had a farm in the Hurdale Parish, Norway. At the age of nine, he returned to live with his parents.
He attended school in Norway two days each week for eleven months and that was his formal education but when he reached adulthood he could read and write both in English and Norwegian - self taught with help from his wife. Also, he could handle ordinary math. All this despite long hard hours of work for farmers, in the logging and lumber industry and handling his own farms.
In the spring of 1866, Lars with his parents and family sailed from Norway to America. The family lived until 1869 near Arena (Iowa County), Wisconsin, when they moved to Osseo, WI. Lars worked among farmers in that area and also in logging camps and a porter (saw) mill at Eau Claire, WI.
Lars read about opportunities to obtain free government land in the Dakota Territory, so with a friend, Ova Moe, they left for the west April 31, 1878. They both took up land claims 3-1/4 miles south of the Montrose, SD. They each had a team of horses and covered wagons in which they camped on their journey and while building sod houses on their homesteads. They hunted and trapped fur bearing animals for their pelts to sell and they burned lime in kilns which they hauled to Sioux Falls for cash to buy needed provisions. For their meat needs there were plenty of deer, antelope, ducks and prairie hens to be had, with also fish from the Vermillion river which ran through the Larson claim.
The Sioux Indians often wandered about in the area. Lars and Ova had to keep a close lookout for their livestock which the Indians would sometimes take to replace their vanished buffalo herds. Ova Moe became tired of farm life and sold his 160 acre claim to Lars. Later Lars bought the claim of his brother-in-law Andrew Thompson, acquired the 160 acres of his wife's claim and bought more land until he owned in all about 1000 acres of the Vermillion river valley and adjoining hills.
During the years 1879 and 1880 grasshoppers destroyed most of the crops the settlers had planted. The winter of 1880-1881 was very severe and with their meager fuel supplies exhausted the settlers burned the ties and telegraph poles off the railroad tracks then being laid.
On March 28, 1881, Lars married Ingeborg Thompson at Yankton, the capitol of the Dakota Territory. The trip from Montrose to Yankton a distance of ninety-five miles, was made by horse drawn wagon and the couple was accompanied by the brides brother Andrew Thompson. From this union came the following children: Ida (Iverson), Agnes (Robert Hein), Laura (Oscar Severson), Hanna (Frank Sherlock), Maggie (Sig Walker), Henry Oden, Alma (Oscar Thue), Lloyd Albert, Lee Guy.
Lars' health began to fail about 1904 and the doctors could not diagnose his ailment, so in September 1909 the couple and younger children moved to Colton, SD. Lars seemed to overcome his ailment and finally died when he was almost 93 years old. Lars was survived at his death by 40 grandchildren, 64 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
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LARSON, LARS H., 1855 - 1948
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