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.
March 9, 2025
Last week I read the first part of Thor and Kari Besserud’s immigration story as they left Norway and
arrived in the United States in 1880, settling first in Portland, North Dakota, and leaving for northern
Minnesota in 1889. They got as far as Fox where they spent the winter with friends. The weather
prevented them from moving to Pinecreek. That had to wait until spring of 1890. I’ll read from their
great-granddaughter, Bonnie Elton Abraham’s story again now.
Early spring made them anxious to begin settling a homestead of their own, so they took their stock and
belongings and moved northward from Fox. At the Roseau River the cattle and horses swam across, the
wagon and family were floated across. This adventure was terrifying to Mary and she showed it by
screaming through the whole operation. Maybe I would have screamed also, however, for the current
was strong and this was the first river she had forded. Of course, the welcoming committee standing on
the opposite bank didn’t help the situation. All the braves from the Chippewa Indian village on the north
bank of the river were standing staring, dumfounded, at the blond, blue-eyed invaders. As the wagon
and cattle were brought up the bank, the Indians just stepped aside and let them through, seeming very
indifferent and noncommittal. They journeyed north again, past what was then Roseau Lake (it is now a
dried up basin used for farming north west of Roseau). The scene was beautiful and sprits were lifted
when they saw the beautiful lake, the heavy pine forest, and all the wild game – moose and deer,
moving amongst the trees. The future again seemed a hopeful challenge. At last, two miles south of the
Canadian border they stopped and chose a location for homesteading. Two families were there ahead of
them so they were the third to begin one of Roseau County’s first organized communities. They called it
Pine Creek because of the winding creek through the forest from the lake.
In the small settlement life was busy. There was land to clear, buildings to build, soil to till. Most of the
days were just work and no play for Mary. There was one disappointment. The first three years after
they had settled, there was no school for Mary and until she was twelve, she was educated by her
parents during the evenings and the winter.
The main worry for the settlers were the Indians. The Indian trails from the village about six miles south
of the settlement to the neighboring groups in Canada went right by their houses and often they would
stop and stare at their farms much to the children’s terror. Once, a lone Indian brave came to the door
of Besseruds’ house with a loud babble of Chippewa language. Kari took the girls and went to hide while
Thor tried to understand the Indian’s conversation, with little success, I may add. Then the Indian drew a
long knife, put it to his throat and mooed loudly. Thor got the impression that the Indian wasn’t very
friendly and turned toward his gun shelf. Then the Indian went out and brought a cart full of fresh
moose meat to the door. It was finally understood that he was selling the meat and was merely trying to
show how he had killed the moose.
The Indian scare of 1891 is another instance of Indian worry. The Chippewa tribes had all gathered at
Warroad for a large festival or dance that lasted for two days. Alarm spread through the Roseau County
area. Many settlers left cattle, homes, everything, and fled. The others stayed to fight it out. Settlements
grouped together at different points in the county. The settlement at Pinecreek began building a fort
under the leadership of Thor Besserud because he knew much about carpentry. The settlers grouped
together and tensely waited. Troops were on their way to the Roseau – Thief River areas by the
governor’s orders. Before they could get up there in time, however, three settlers from this settlement
were chosen to ride up to Warroad and try talk to the Chippewas and find out what the whole thing was
about. They found the Chippewa were holding a big social event to celebrate the Sioux defeat by the
country in South Dakota. So, once again life returned to normal for the settlement. The fort logs were
then used to build the Pinecreek Lutheran Church, the first one in Roseau County.
During the week the church was used for school. Mary again began school, after three years away from
it. She walked two miles or skied in the winter. Many times the Indians would stand and peek in the
windows. Of course the younger children were scared but the older ones placed trust in their teacher, a
young, capable, Canadian girl who wore guns and holster every day!
Mary said their clothes were very crude and simple. During the summer they went barefoot, and during
the winter they wore high leather shoes with woolen stockings on the outside just as we wear rubbers
for protection now. Their dresses were of blue denim or calico. For special occasions a piece of lace or
ribbon was on a new calico dress.
There was much wild game and both of the girls were expert marksmen at a young age. Moose and deer
would often be very near the farm buildings. Wolves howled all night as they circled the farm, especially
in winter when there was a food scarcity. No one went outside at night unarmed.
At the age of eighteen Mary finished her formal schooling. She still helped her parents at home but then
left for Grand Forks, North Dakota, for employment. She met Even Elton and after returning home for
one year to her parents, she married Mr. Elton in 1903. He was a very able young man and decided after
seeing the settlements in Northern Minnesota that he would like to go into farming also. He bought land
in the Roseau area and there they began their wedded life. I asked Mary what her wedding was like and
received this reply. “Oh, we didn’t plan weddings then as we do now. We decided one morning to get
married, took our Sunday clothes, climbed in a buggy with red, white, and blue wheels and away we
went!”
Two children were born to them. John, my father, in 1904 and Ethel in 1909.
Thanks to Bonnie Elton Abrahams for letting me read her story to you
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.