Gunder Theodore Odland papers, 1882-1914
Title
Gunder Theodore Odland papers, 1882-1914
Identifier
P0791
Date
1882-1914
Creator
Description
Diary of an emigrant from Stavanger, beginning April 15, 1882, the day he boarded ship for the journey to America. There is a day-by-day account of the journey which brought him to Grandin in Dakota Territory. He records his early experiences very completely with data on weather, expenses, letters, church attendance, visits, friends and his work. On December 31 of each year there is a complete accounting of the year's earnings and expenditures. He found work in the Fargo-Moorhead area as a blacksmith, on the railroad and at various other kinds of labor. In October 1882 he homesteaded 160 acres of land in Sargent County, North Dakota.
He spent some time there each year, but left occasionally to earn money at jobs near Fargo and also with the threshing crews on the Dakota farms. In the winter of 1888 he made a trip to Norway with the intention of staying, but he met and married Olena Haaland, changed his plans, and returned to America with her. She worked for a few months in Michigan and in the Odland's neighborhood before settling down on the claim in North Dakota. At the end of the year 1888 there is a four-page account of family history and an eight-page account of his travels.
After his marriage, Gunder made fewer entries and much briefer year-end accounting. He recorded the birth of each of his children: Mary, 1890, Theodore, 1892, Ellen, 1893, Edward, 1895, Clara, 1898, twins Albert and Lena, 1900 (Albert died), Anna, 1906. In 1892 the family moved to Eagle Bend, Minnesota, where Gunder had purchased 65 acres of land. A statement on the fly leaf of the diary in Gunder's hand is dated Eagle Bend, September 9, 1914. Here and there pages have been cut out of the diary. At the end of the book there are pages with recipes for making wine and beer, instructions for the care of cattle, and for raising crops.
An interesting feature of the diary is the inter-mixing of English expressions with the Norwegian, indicative of the gradual Americanization process. Some of the expressions have been noted on a separate page which together with other notes on the diary are included in the file.
He spent some time there each year, but left occasionally to earn money at jobs near Fargo and also with the threshing crews on the Dakota farms. In the winter of 1888 he made a trip to Norway with the intention of staying, but he met and married Olena Haaland, changed his plans, and returned to America with her. She worked for a few months in Michigan and in the Odland's neighborhood before settling down on the claim in North Dakota. At the end of the year 1888 there is a four-page account of family history and an eight-page account of his travels.
After his marriage, Gunder made fewer entries and much briefer year-end accounting. He recorded the birth of each of his children: Mary, 1890, Theodore, 1892, Ellen, 1893, Edward, 1895, Clara, 1898, twins Albert and Lena, 1900 (Albert died), Anna, 1906. In 1892 the family moved to Eagle Bend, Minnesota, where Gunder had purchased 65 acres of land. A statement on the fly leaf of the diary in Gunder's hand is dated Eagle Bend, September 9, 1914. Here and there pages have been cut out of the diary. At the end of the book there are pages with recipes for making wine and beer, instructions for the care of cattle, and for raising crops.
An interesting feature of the diary is the inter-mixing of English expressions with the Norwegian, indicative of the gradual Americanization process. Some of the expressions have been noted on a separate page which together with other notes on the diary are included in the file.
Extent
0.4 cubic feet (1 archives box)
Language
English
Norwegian
Type
Diaries
Citation
Odland, Gunder, “Gunder Theodore Odland papers, 1882-1914,” Norwegian-American Historical Association, accessed May 13, 2024, https://naha.omeka.net/items/show/15880.