August and Lina Peterson
August Peterson was born 01 January 1875 in Styvatorp, Berga Parish, Skaraborg District, Sweden. He was the second son of John and Sofia Peterson. He emigrated to the USA with the family in March 1885. Emma Carolina (Lina) Osterberg was born 07 August 1879 in Ramsele Angermanland Sweden and emigrated in 1884. They were married 28 November 1899. Two children were born to them, Ruth in 1900 and Edith in 1902, before Lina's death from tuberculosis in December 1903. Lina is buried in Folden Cemetery, near New Folden Minnesota.
Ruth married Carl Lindgren and Edith married Robert Veitch.
August and Anna Peterson
On the death of his first wife Lina, August married her sister Anna. I was told that Lina had asked her sister to look after her two children as she knew that she was dying. Anna was two years older then Lina, having been born 30 April 1877. The Petersons farmed near Holt and two children were born there. Irene in 1904 and Herbert in 1906. Canada had been advertising for people to come to Saskatchewan offering homesteads for only $10.00 and August and Anna decided to go. In July 1906 they sold the farm to Nils and Carl Engebretsen for $450.00 and boarded a train for Canada.
The railroad ended at Wadena Saskatchewan, and they were met by Adolph Kjelgren who transported them to the place where they would set up a homestead. The area was called Nut Mountain and they took the south-east quarter of section 14 township 37 Range 10. The requirements set out by the Canadian Government were that they pay a $10.00 fee, live on the homestead for at least three years, clear the land and make improvements and erect a house worth at least $300.00 The homesteader had the option to purchase the adjoining 1/4 section for the market value which at the time was about $2.00 per acre (1/4 section=160 acres).
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The Petersons built their house and began a period of mixed farming and raising children. Arriving in Saskatchewan the family consisted of two children from the first marriage, Ruth and Edith, and Irene and Herbert who were born in Minnesota in the second marriage. In the years to follow seven more were added to the large family. Delvin in '08, Vera in '09, Percy 1911, Myrtle 1913, Art 1915, Ernie 1917, Olga 1919. August was a good manager and the farm prospered. August was the first post master in Nut Mountain and ran the post office from the farm house. They had a large herd of cattle and even owned a 'Maxwell' car. The future looked good, until an accident occurred that changed everything.
The farm had a pit well that provided water and a place to store perishables such as milk and cream. It was also known to occasionally fill with gas, probably methane that is flammable and odorless. (I have heard various versions of this story and this is my take on what happened.) One day in June 1922, one, or possibly two of the boys were in the pit when they were overcome. August was called and managed to push the boy or boys out, but he somehow got tangled in the ladder and was himself overcome. The children were unable to rescue him and he died from the exposure.
The result of August's death was devastating for the family. Anna was pregnant and when the child named Violet was born, she was sickly and died the same year. The oldest boys were still teenagers. They tried to run the farm as their father had but did not have the experience or expertise to make it work. Finally, in 1928 or 1929 Anna sold the farm and moved into Kelvington.
to be continued