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.
November 17, 2024
Henry and Edna Broten lived west of Roseau. Henry was born in 1911 and Edna in 1914. Their family
history is recorded with photos in a binder shared with the Roseau County Museum. I’ll read some of it
today as Edna told memories of her childhood.
“I was born on the Fugleberg homestead, about a mile and half northwest of Fox. I was the eighth in line
of a family with 13 children born to Peder and Georgina Fugleberg. I was born April 26, 1914. I was a big
baby; I don’t remember if I was ever told how much I weighed. I heard 8 lbs. I was told I had lots of dark
hair. I was called a “papoose”. The Indians wanted to buy me, and they called me their papoose. They
even left some beads and trinkets in my cradle. Pa did a lot of talking with them over me, telling them
they could not have or take me. I remember the folks talking about it and that Ma was so worried over it.
She didn’t let me out of her eyesight for a long time. I had two sisters to keep up with. I was told I looked
like them. Lily would carry me around on her hip. I was such a big baby and Ma kept telling her she was
going to have a hip that would stick out, of course saying it in Norwegian. Norwegian was a main
language growing up. English was almost our second language. I sure am glad I learned both. Ma sewed
everything and even for us girls, our booksas (bloomers). She taught her many talents of sewing,
crocheting, cleaning, washing, cooking and baking. Ma struggled with me and my left hand in crocheting.
Rug braiding became my favorite. Ma would needle stitch her braids together and usually made oval-
shaped rugs. (Now my rugs are put together with old panty hose and a needle made from an old
toothbrush). Chores were expected from us kids. One of the first chores I learned was churning butter. It
usually took a long time, but I had Julia or Lily helping me and I would get excited when I would hear the
thumping, then I knew it was done and we could drink some of the buttermilk or saved it for pancakes or
doughnuts. We always had plenty of cream on the farm.
Life on the farm wasn’t easy when I was a little girl, but there were times which we made work fun.
Everything was done by hand. The washer was a wash board – you sang songs to the scrubbing so you
didn’t get bored – guess that is why I “whistle while you work”.
Edna then includes her recipe for Lye Soap.
1 lb. Can of lye
1 qt. cold water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. borax
½ c. soft rainwater
¼ c. ammonia
5 lb. melted fat
You need to use a crock, because any kind of metal container would turn black. Slowly add lye to the cold
water, stirring with a long wooden stick. This will become hot so be careful. Cool. Mix the sugar, borax,
and salt together, and then add ½ of the soft water and the ammonia. Stir this into the lye water, then in
a small stream add the melted fat. Stir until light in color. Now pour soap in a wooden box lined with wet
cloth strips. When firm cut into bars.
Monday was usually washday – it was a long day. We usually had a big pot boiling and 2 tubs for rinsing.
White clothes were boiled first. We used the washboard and would wring out the clothes by hand. It took
all day with our family. We used the clothesline all year round. The clothes would come in stiff as a board
in the wintertime, we would hang them near the stove, in front of the oven, or on the back of chairs. Ma
would try and iron on the same day, too. Heat the irons on top of the stove and iron real fast before it
cooled down. Ma would test the iron on a piece of paper so it was not too hot. The clothes sure smell
fresh from drying outside. Baking bread took all day. But there is nothing like the smell of fresh bread. I
would always get a small amount of dough from Ma to play with. By the time I was done with it, it stuck
to everything. Most of our food was canned, even the meat. I always said the quart jars wore paraffin
hats. A lot went into preparing pork for the winter. Pork was the big source of meat. Ma would make
head cheese; split the head and remove the hair. She would take just the best parts, like the tongue and
cheeks of the pig. She would salt and pepper and use onions. It was very good. We used the pig’s tail and
chicken feet for our amusement as toys. Chickens were usually fried up for a delicious Sunday dinner. We
always had company on a Sunday when I was growing up. Pa or one of the boys would chop the head off
a few chickens, pull the feathers off. Pa always said to check the feed sac from the chickens, you never
knew what they would eat. Maybe a diamond ring would be found. Ma and Pa would sell the eggs,
sometimes sell those hens that were not laying eggs, these would bring flour, material or shoes or
anything else that was necessary. But all these foods kept our bellies full especially during the winter.”
Next week I’ll read more of Edna Broten’s memories of her childhood at Fox, Minnesota.
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.