Holden Township

Holden Township

The honor of turning the first furrow in this township undoubtedly belongs to Hans Ovaldson - now a resident of Belle Creek - who in the summer of 1854 broke about four acres on section 24, and soon after Ole C. Oakland broke a like amount on section 23, where they, the following year, raised a crop of wheat; but neither of them built a house till the following summer.

In the fall of 1854 Jens Ottun made a claim and built a sod hut on section 33, where he in the month of May, 1855, commenced breaking, and at the same time the building of a log cabin ; but on the 27th of the same month A. K. Finseth, K. K. Finseth, H. K. Finseth and Ole J. Bakke arrived at the claim of Mr. Ottun ; the Finseths bought Mr. Ottun's claim and he returned to Wanamingo township, where he had previously made a claim; thus the Finseths became the first permanent settlers of Holden township, as the two mentioned at the first of this sketch had not yet made a claim.

Mr. Bakke made a claim on sec. 33, and Mrs. Bakke was, undoubtedly, the first white female settler in the township. Females with red skins were plenty here at that time ; and once when Mrs. Bakke was gone for a pail of water, a squaw entered the house and stole her babe out of the bed ; Mrs. Bakke, however, soon missed her child, and running out of the house, heard its cries from the edge of the wood, where she soon arrived, whereupon the squaw threw the child upon the ground and ran off.

In the month of June, the same year, Ole O. Huset settled on sec. 23, Halvor Ennerson Vraalstad on sec. 27, and Thorbjorn Ennerson Vraalstad on sec. 35 ; and in Sept., Mrs. T. Ennerson Vraalstad gave birth to the first native-born citizen of the United States, in Holden township.

In the same year, Ole O. Naeset and Erik Anderson settled on sec. 9, and Nels Mikkelson Dalsbotten on sec. 10, and Mikkel Johnson on sec. 15. Several log cabins were soon erected, and some with a roof, others without a roof, had, with the assistance of the covered wagons, to serve as places of abode for the industrious immigrants, while they were preparing the soil for their first crop.

The small supply of provisions they brought with them was soon gone, and the two towns on the Mississippi River, Red Wing and Hastings, had to be resorted to from which to procure the necessaries of life ; the distance was great - over thirty miles - and the only accommodation, train oxen and wagons or sleds, so that those journeys were, especially in winter, anything but pleasant. The prices of provisions at those places were also very high, flour was from $10 to $12 per barrel, pork from ten to twenty cents per pound, butter from twenty to thirty cents per pound., etc.

During the summer of 1855, a large number of claims were taken, a few of which were occupied in the fall ; but the most ot them were unsettled till the spring of 1856.

The first settlers in the township were Norwegians ; but a few years afterwards a number of German families settled in the west part of the township, many of whom still reside there.

The first resident to commit matrimony, was Mr. K. K. Finseth, who married Miss Bergitte Halvorson. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. H. A. Stub, at the residence of the bride's father, in Rice county, on Sept. 13, 1856.

In 1856, a State road was surveyed through the southeast part of the township, and the following year Norway post office was established in the township, and Ole O. Huset appointed postmaster, and served as such to his death in 1862. This post office has since been moved just over the line in Wanamingo township, and B.J. Borlang, is postmaster. About the same time Holden post office was established in the north part of the township, and T. E. Thompson, appointed postmaster. Eidsvold post office was established in 1875, on the daily mail route from Red Wing to Faribault, and Hans Christianson Westermo, appointed post master.

The first two winters the township was settled, were more severe than any since, and the snow was so deep that snow shoes were indispensable. In the middle of April 1857, sleighs could still be used to good advantage, and spring work on the farms could not commence till about the last day of April. The crops however were good, and the township raised plenty of breadstuff for their own support, and had some to sell, but the price was very low.

The township was first attached to Wanamingo and other towns, for political purposes, until July 5, 1858, when the present township was organized and the name " Holden " given to it. Its political machinery was then set in motion by the election of the following officers : supervisors, K. K. Finseth, chairman, H. 0. Klemer and Charles Nichols ; town clerk, L. K. Aaker ; assessor, G. Nichols ; collector, Charles Foglesang ; justices of the peace, W. C. Crandall and Ole Olson; constables, Peter N. Langemo and H. Ennerson Vraalstad.

destroyed nearly everything, and the supply depots at Red Wing and Hastings had again to be resorted to for provisions for the families of the settlers.

At the first two town meetings, considerable interest was manifested, as the people were strangers to each other, and each one tried to elect those to office whom he knew best ; but after they became acquainted with each other, the mutual confidence became almost unlimited, which has continued to this day, and the election to township offices has ever since been almost unanimous.

During the war, from 1861 to 1865, the aggregate amount of $14,000 was raised to hire volunteers for the service, and thus no drafting was needed to fill the quota.

The earliest agricultural statistics obtainable is for the year 1865, when the acreage of wheat numbered 2,846, and the number of bushels raised was 46,788, or a little over 16^ bushels per acre ; the lowest average yield was in 1869, when on an acreage of 6,443 acres, only 82,205 bushels of wheat were raised, or about 12-f bushels per acre ; the best yield was in 1873, when 184,929 bushels of wheat were raised on 8,182 acres, or about 22^ bushels per acre.

There is one church in this township, called "Vang's Church," in " Valder's district," on section four. It is a part of the " Holden congregations," and was finished and dedicated in 1868 ; it is a beautiful building, capable of seating 500 people. The district is in charge of Rev. B. J. Muus and his assistants, and has three parish schools.

BOCKMAN, REV. M. 0., was born in Christiana Stift, Norway, Feb. 9, 1849; entered the Preparatory Latin School of "Aars e Foss, " from which he was admitted to the university of Norway in 1867; passed examen philisophicum the next year; 1874, took the theoretical; 1875, the practical degree in theology ; the latter year he was ordained, and at once started for America, arriving in this county in August of that year, and at once entered into the discharge of his duties as assistant pastor of the " Holden Congregation, " in which capacity he still remains. He married Leonharda Holby, in 1875; they have one son, Sigurd.

moved to Green county, Wis., and in 1855 to this county. Was among the first actual settlers in Holden township. 1874 was elected to the State Senate, has filled many other offices of trust, and was one of the presidential electors in 1876. Owns 335 acres of land, very valuable. Married Karen Pederson Hougen in 1861. Their children are - Knut M., Mary, Martha, Sissel and Clara. The family are members of the N. E. L. Church.

FINSETH, 0. K., farmer, sec. 29, P. 0. Eidsvold; was born in Norway, July 18, 1833; came to America in 1853, settling in Wis., and in August, 1855, came to this county; owns 382 acres of valuable land. Married Gunil Asle Lieu in 1866. Their children are Matilda K., Gurine, Caroline, Knut 0. and Gina. Is a member of the N. E. L. Church.

HOUGEN, KNUT P., farmer, sec. 8, P. 0. Holden. Was born in Norway,. Dec. 22, 1822. Came to America in 1850, settling in Wis. ; remained until fall of 1857, then moved to this Co., settling on his present farm; owns 240 acres of choice land. Married Martha Austin sdatter, in 1845. Their children are - Karen, Ingeborg, Peder, Sissel and Ole M. The family are members of the N. E. L. Church.

STEGNER, LORENZ, farmer, sec. 20, P. O. Holden. Was born in Germany, May, 28, 1825. Came to America in 1840, settling in N. J. In 1841, he enlisted in the U. S. Navy, and served two years. Returned to N. J., and learned the hatter's trade. He then engaged in the leather business, until 1852, when he came to Wis. 1865, moved to this township, and settled where he now lives. Owns 200 acres fine land; has held important local offices. Married Elizabeth Stegner, in Newark, N. J., June 12, 1849. Their children are - William C, Edward, Sarah, Lydia, Washington, Susanna, Amelia, Rebecca and Moses.

S0LBERG, OLE J., farmer, sec. 26, P. 0. Eidsvold. Was born in Norway, Dec. 16, 1828. Came to America in 1852, settling in Wis. ; June, 1855, came to this township settling where he now lives; owns 160 acres of land. Has held the offices of supervisor, town treasurer and justice of the peace. Married Esther Aaker, April 6, 1858; she is a native of Norway. Their children are - Anna, Goyo J., Knut, Elen M. and Peter B. The family are members of the N. E. L. Church.

Source changes here: from History of Goodhue County, Minnesota, by Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn, published 1909; 1,320 words in this source stream.

Holden Township

Holden is one of the western tier of Goodhue county townships, and like the others, is rich in agricultural possibilities. It is bounded on the north by Warsaw, on the east by AYanamingo, on the south by Kenyon and on the west by Rice comity. This township has some of the highest land in the county and is mainly an undulating prairie, but is much diversified through the central part by the headwaters 'of the Little Cannon and its tributaries. There are patches of timber in several localities. especially in the northeastern portion and along the Zumbro in the southern part.

In the summer of 18f>4 there came to this township a young man named Hans Ovaldson, who broke about four acres on section 24. He was followed by Ole C. Oakland, who broke the same amount of land in section 23. The following year both these pioneers raised a crop of wheat. Neither of them, however, became permanent residents of the township. In the fall of 1854 Jens Ottun made a claim and built a sod hut on section 33, where he commenced breaking the land in May, 1855. On May 27 there arrived A. K. Finseth, K. K. Finseth, H. K. Finseth and Ole J. Bakke. The Finseths purchased Mr. Ottun 's claim and that gentleman returned to Wanamingo, where he had previously made a claim. Mr. Bakke staked out a homestead on section 33 and Mrs. Bakke soon afterward joined him, she being doubtless the first white woman settler in the township. That she had her share of pioneer discomforts, not to say alarms, is shown by a story of the early clays that is still told in the township. It seems that in spite of the removal of the Indians, many red men were prowling through that portion of the county, and the squaws were particularly troublesome. One day while Mrs. Bakke had gone to draw a pail of water an Indian squaw entered her cabin, and evidently concluding thai the white baby would make a valuable addition to her family, snatched Mrs. Bakke's infant and started to run. Mrs. Bakke, upon her return. gave a cry of alarm and hastened into the woods after the fleeing squaw. The babj seriously impeded the progress of the red woman, who was more accustomed to carrying babies on her back than in her arms, and finally, in fright at the pursuit, she dropped the infanl and continued her flight. Mrs. Bakke recovered her child and no harm was done except for the fright that the poor mother had fell at this attempted pioneer kidnaping.

In the month of June. 1855, Ole O. Houset set lied on section 23. Halvor Ennerson Vraalstad on section 27. and Thorbjorn Ennersoh Vraalstad on section 35. In the same year Ole 0. Xaeset and Erik Anderson settled on section 9, NTels Mikkelson Dalsbotten on section 10. and Mikkel Johnson on section 15. Some of these pioneers erected cabins and roofed them over, others erected walls but did not take time to finish the roofs, some lived in their covered immigrant wagons, others had even less shelter, the main object being to raise a crop during the summer months, leaving the question of permanent and comfortable abode until the autumn time, when the harvest would be garnered in and there would be more time for home building. The supply of provisions which the settlers had brought with them was soon gone, and from time to time one of the colony was delegated to go to Red AYing or Hastings to procure the necessities of life. This journey of over thirty miles was long and tedious, and even dangerous, especially in winter, and even after trading points were reached the prices were so high as to be almost prohibitive. During the summer of 1855 many new claims were staked out. A few were occupied in the fall, but the majority of these claimants did not locate until the following spring. Among these settlers of 1855 are said to have been Nelson Sollefson, Thomas Anderson, Camite Thomas, John Thompson, Antin Anderson, G. K. Worsing and Ole Oleson. The first settlers of the township were Norwegians, and their sturdy character has since remained the predominating influence in the township. In the early days a number of German families settled in the western part of the township, and many of their descendants still remain there.

According to the authorities now available, the first white child born in the township was to Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Vraalstad, in September, 1855. The first marriage was that of K. K. Finseth and Bergitte llalvorson, the ceremony being performed by the Eev. II. A. Stub, at the residence of the bride's father in Rice county, September 13, 1856. The first death was that of Erik A. Elton, who died in the fall of 1855 and was buried near the north line of section :!. An old history gives some entirely different facts in regard to the first birth, marriage and death, but upon what authority is not known. According to this old history, Mr. and Mrs. Lars Nelson were blessed with twins shortly after their arrival in the township, these twins being the first births in the township. The first marriage, declares the same authority, was that of Kettle Eriekso'n and Margaretta Flom, performed by Escjuire Bowies, of Cannon Falls, and the first death that of a child of Ole Oleson. Another authority says that the first child was born to Thorbjorn Ennerson.

In 1856 a state road was surveyed through the southeast part of the township, and the following year Norway postoffice was established, with Ole (). Hauset as postmaster. Mr. Hauset served until his death in 1862. Some time afterward, the office was removed a short distance, across the line into AVanamingo township. About the same time Holden postoffice was established in the north part of the township, with T. E. Thompson as postmaster. Eidsvold postoifiee was established in 1875, on the daily mail route between Red Wing and Faribault, and Hans Christianson Westermo was named postmaster. In 1867 Lawrence Stagner opened a store in the western part of the town.

The first two winters the township was settled were very severe and much hardship was endured. The winter of 1857 was especially long, and sleighs were in use in the latter part of April. The crops that year, however, were good, and since that time the people of Holden have enjoyed almosl uninterrupted prosperity.

In the early days the township was attached to several oiher townships for political purposes, and in 1858. after the township was organized, the citizens who met at the tirst election were practically strangers, the people in the different localities having" had their previous intercourse with towns to the north, east, south and Avest and not with each other. Therefore each group of electors wanted to vote for men in their own locality, with whom they were acquainted. After the first two or three elections friendly relations were established and the machinery of the town government has since moved harmoniously. The first officers were : Supervisors, K. K. Finseth (chairman). H. C. Klemer, Charles Nichols ; town clerk. L. K. Aakers ; assessor. C. Nichols: collector, Charles Fogelsang; justices of the peace, W. C. Crandall, Ole Oleson ; constables. Peter N. Langemo and H. E. Vraalstad.

During the following four years the chairmen were K. K. Finseth, L. K. Aakers, Ira Babcock and L. Stagner, and the clerks were Lucius Oakes, A. H. Bjoraker, Peter Nelson and Peter Lengmoe.

Holden is a discontinued postoffice thirty miles southwest of Red Wing and five miles north of Kenyon. Mail is now received via Nerstrand R. P. D. No. 2.

Nansen is a discontinued postoffice twenty-eight miles southwest of Bed Wing and eight miles northeast of Kenyon. Mail is received via Kenyon R. F. D. No. 5.