These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
May 18, 2025
The family of Albert and Anna Besserud, who lived on a farm west of Roseau, had a family reunion in July
of 1994. Albert was one of 3 sons of Asle Besserud and his wife Inger Hagen. The family made a very nice
booklet containing history of their family and photos of the farm through the years, and photos of the
descendants along with stories passed down and remembered. Some of them are pretty amusing. I’ll
read one today. A copy of the booklet can be seen at the Roseau County Museum’s research area. It was
dedicated to Anna (Glennen) Besserud, family matriarch, who was still living at age 87 at the time of the
reunion. Her husband Albert had died in 1988.
Today’s story is called “Snuff is Enough”.
Ever since Albert was a young boy, he had a certain fascination with the art of chewing snuff. No one
knows how this started. Possibly it began after visiting Haaby’s pool hall in Roseau.
Haaby’s pool hall was one of man’s favorite gathering places. It had a unique atmosphere, one like no
other place in town and when you stepped inside the door you were instantly greeted by the aroma of
chewing tobacco & smoke coming from the pipes of great men. Some of those men had fought battles in
wars, hunted deer, & killed bears. It was also a very good place for men to brag about themselves. As a
young boy it really felt good just listening to the stories & you felt older just being in their presence.
A young boy could get very impressed being in the presence of a group of macho men chewing their wad
while playing pool. Learning to spit made it even more exciting. It wasn’t that easy for a young boy to
acquire a good box of snuff. It took money & even if you could pay for it sometimes the store wouldn’t
sell it if the clerk thought you were too young. Sometimes they would “borrow” a pinch or two from
someone else’s box when they weren’t looking & replace it with horse manure. It was the same color so
other than the taste you couldn’t tell the difference.
Although most women considered it rather disgusting there was something about having a round can of
Copenhagen in your pocket that made one feel manly.
Albert started chewing snuff as an adolescent & quickly became accustomed to its use. It was commonly
used as a friendly gesture by offering a pinch upon greeting a friend. It could actually be embarrassing not
having it to offer.
Anna did not share Albert’s enthusiasm over this activity & made him aware of her feelings during their
courtship. Albert said he would give it up after they married. However, like many things in life that don’t
go exactly according to well-intended plans, he was not able to stop. Most of his chewing was performed
outside, in the barn or at the pool hall, so he tried to accommodate her feelings as best he could.
Many years passed without interruption of his enjoyment chewing this brown delight until his
appointment for surgery in 1986.
He was given strict orders by the nurses to leave his snuff at home when he reported to the hospital.
However, having the character of a self-made man he was never keen on taking orders that he didn’t like
from anyone. He checked into the hospital on the day before surgery & discreetly smuggled his favorite
can of Skoal in a brown paper bag with him. When he got to his room, he promptly hid it behind his night-
stand by the bed. After taking a couple of pinches, the nurses detected that he was getting snuff from
somewhere & began to watch him more closely. They soon uncovered the snuff & to his displeasure
removed it from the room.
Considering surgery was scheduled for the next morning, the family visited him that night to try to cheer
him up & wish him the best when he went into surgery. It was a rather somber occasion; after all he was
not a young man & this was going to be a serious operation. There was worry that maybe he wouldn’t
make it & the family was leaving the hospital teary-eyed over their concern.
Just as Lewis & Ron were walking out the door, Albert called them, asking to wait a minute because he
had something to say.
Knowing that it was possible they may never talk to him again they were prepared to discuss any last
wishes Albert had on his mind. They thought that possibly he wanted them to take care of some task if he
didn’t make it.
They talked quietly in a corner of the lobby where he was confident no one else could hear him. He said
“I need a favor,” & they replied, “whatever you want us to do, Dad, just say it & you can consider it
done.” They braced themselves for the worst & then he said, “you know these nurses took away my snuff
& I was wondering if you could stop uptown & get me a new can of Skoal & bring it back early tomorrow
morning.”
This was absolutely amazing; here Albert was about to embark on what could be the life-threatening
event of his life & he wanted a new can of snuff.
They fulfilled his wishes & smuggled another can of Skoal into him early before they prepared him for
surgery.
A few minutes later as the nurses were wheeling him on the cart down the aisle toward surgery, one of
them looked down at him & noticed a bulge under his cheek. She stopped the cart & said in a loud
demanding voice, “Albert, what’s in that lump under your cheek?” We didn’t hear him answer so we
don’t know if they let him keep chewing or not.
In any event, it certainly didn’t hurt in surgery because he came through it without any problem.
Thanks to the Besserud family for contributing a copy of their Family Reunion booklet to the museum,
and thanks to WILD 102 for this time to tell our county’s stories.
Thank you to 
for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.