Lisa Klungseth's Journey to the United States and a New Life - Part 1 of 3

This journal, written by Lisa in Norwegian, starts aboard the Stavangerfjord, 25 June 1952: 

Leaving from pier 1, exactly at 12:00 noon after getting flowers and people’s kisses, tears and waves, the boat left Oslo in bright sunshine. The baggage was not opened again after they had searched it. I passed by four counters without a question, all the papers were in order, except the vaccination attest which had to be entered into the form. Mari, Daiel and Mari Kjersti from Elverum, Arne Velo and Giskere(?) were on the pier and stood and waved and I held a large bouquet I got from them. It will decorate our dinner table.

A little after the boat departed, an announcement came on the loudspeaker that we should eat lunch. We had to stand in a line to get tickets for the meal. We got them and also were assigned places which we would keep for our meals. I was assigned to table #16. It was a table for four people and I was excited about who I would get as tablemates. First came an old man from Duluth in Minnesota. He has lived in America since 1948 and had been home in Fredrikstad three months (a business man).

The next one who came was a Swedish man, named Anders Hager. He had heard about the American war in Korea. He was on a travel permit with the Swedish Embassy and would come back often. The third one was from Drammen. He was going to Vancouver to fish for salmon. So I became the only woman at the table, and we were all traveling alone. We ate roast beef with vegetables and afterwards we got coffee and a piece of cake.

I am temporarily alone in a cabin #463, bunk A on the E deck. It is roomy with two sinks, hot and cold water. There are three closets. There is a small place for suitcases. Right outside the cabin is a large laundry room. There are six washstands and one enclosed bathtub. There is an ironing board, which can be used between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and after 5:00. You have to sign up to use the bathtub ahead of time so that you get a turn. (There is a bench you can sit on while you wait.)

It is now 2:20. We are out in the Oslo Fjord by Oskarsborg. The flag is flying. It is blowing quite briskly now, and most of the people have disappeared from the top deck. I have already had my first fright. When I was going to open up my door and get my writing book I couldn’t find my pocketbook where I had the keys. I looked all over in my purse. Keys, 200 kroner, gone, gone. I ran up to the deck where I had recently sat. There they lay alone on a stand. A man had seen that I laid them there and he stood and smiled when I came. I can tell you that I was relieved.

There is a Negro on the boat. He looks like he is enjoying himself. If I could speak English I would talk to him.

Mrs. Asbjornsen from Tromsø is traveling on the same boat. She has two boys with her – 8 and 14-year-olds. They are going to Edmonton in Canada where her husband is working.

Supper at 6:00 was weiners and all kinds of toppings for sandwiches, open-faced sandwiches, coffee and tea. I was so hungry that my stomach was growling. It is 8:00 so I will take a bath and wash off my Oslo dirt. I have greeted a teacher from Holmenstrand whose name is (Borghild) Borgny Steen.

Our dishwasher has only one good eye. He cleans off the smørgåsbord table and likes to joke with us.
At 10:00 at night we were docked at Kristiansand for one and one-half hours and we didn’t get to go on land.

June 26.

I woke at 7:20. Breakfast was served until 8:00 with porridge and milk, an orange, bread and many toppings, coffee.

At 9:00 we got to Stavanger and were there for two and one-half hours. Mrs. Kvielsen (in a cabin to Vancouver), her three children and I went on land and looked at the cathedral, the parks and the harbor.
Dinner was at 12:00 with lamb stew, Victoria pudding, crackers and cheese. I was with an acquaintance named Tangen and his wife from Lillehammer and Borgny Steen, a teacher from Holmenstrand.

We got to Bergen at 7:00 in the evening. Mrs. Steen was going to wait while I made a long-distance call to Tysse, but when I came out on the deck she was gone. Therefore I only walked a little and then got back onboard again.

After awhile many came onto the pier. There were more and more on the balconies. Here there were also flowers and activity, but not as it was in Oslo. The crew was so busy and they sold many things – cards, stamps, long-distance telephone cards, and answered many questions. They will be happy when we get out to sea.

Yes, we finally are soon coming out to the North Sea and will have some bad weather. I slept Thursday night and felt good on Friday, but Friday night and all day Saturday and Saturday night I laid flat on my bunk. I ate Dramamine and got two kinds of pills. It helped a little. I ate all of my meal and threw it up right away. Then I ate a little more and slept. Today we met the ship Oslofjord at 10:30. Then the weather got better and I hope it will be better where we are going.

Friday night there was a movie in the dining hall. Today at 11:00 there were church services in the auditorium. Pastor Yuve gave quite a short talk, only half an hour.

It is foggy and rain so it is best to remain below deck. The days become quite long. The American women are really very nice. They like America and think they have it easy. I don’t think their clothes are any different from ours.

They tell that married people have their rings on their left ring finger. They have all their rings on their left hand, never on the right. An engagement was never longer than a month. They think we Norwegians are dumb who have such long engagements. They buy their clothes readymade and bread that has been baked. But why most Americans wear glasses, I have not been able to figure out. Here are many who travel during vacations and visit people for two to three months, such as I do. But most of them do not have such long trips.

July 1.
Yesterday I saw two films. In the auditorium they played two films from Utah. One film was photographed in the Geographic magazine of June 1952. This can be purchased in Norway. The other one was from the war. They were in English and I did not understand everything. Today we have gotten our customs number. We have gone into the toll department to show what we are bringing with us. We stood in a line by a large table in the auditorium. A pursor helped the unfortunate people who could not speak English, and two others handed out the cards. Yes, we talk and hear a lot about America. I have gotten acquainted with many people, mostly Americans.

Mrs. Steen still writes songs and will perform in the auditorium with what she has done. It is cloudy weather so I have not taken any pictures yet.

I have been walking around the boat. The crew consists of 308 men and girls. There is a bakery, a cafeteria, slaughter room, potato peeling room – 13 sacks for each dinner. There is a store, a library, barbershop, beauty parlor, a room where you can bathe, a laundry room, ironing room, hospital with a place for 24 beds, a doctor and three nurses. Today there will be a children’s party in the auditorium.
Lillemo from Brentforth, S.D., 68 years old. He was a banker in Norway for 48 years in America. He said that he froze so much in Norway that he is traveling back from Ryfylke. He did not find a wife.

1 kilo of coffee is 14 kroner.

1 kilo of butter is 14 kroner. Both are very expensive.

Norwegian chocolate is much better than American.

July 2.

There is a little rough sea today. I don’t feel well. I took a suppository and felt better. The entertainment this evening was quite interesting. There was a dance for an hour and a half. I have darned stockings and struggled to fix my hair. I am bored with so much free time. It is not easy to write. Finding land would be the best. We have seen land today, Newfoundland.

No, the next time I travel to America I will fly. This is too much time to waste, and too much time to be outside. I am gaining weight with all this good food and now I see that I have to do something about it. I have not been diligent to read or learn English yet.

July 4.

I am writing in my bed at 6:30 a.m. Yesterday we had a nice day with Mrs. Brita Horperud and Jens Lillemo. I took pictures of them to have for later. Mrs. Roseth and I have become very well acquainted. She says she will come to my wedding even if she isn’t invited. She is going to invite me for a two-day visit in Chicago with her daughter, but has not invited me yet. The weather is beginning to be warmer. Today we will have the captain’s dinner at 6:00. Tonight we come into Manhattan. I hope and pray that the heat will not be too stifling. Then I am not able to do anything.

The Seeman Pheasant Farm of Miller, South Dakota

Mary Yost (right) and her sister

Nothing says "South Dakota" to the Seeman/Yost family like the ring-necked pheasant.

It all began in the early 1960s when Jack Seeman and his brother Jerry Yost wondered if they could raise pheasants in captivity.  They decided to find out.  But Jack moved out of state and Jerry's day job as a plumber kept him too busy to tend to the pheasants alone.  Their mother, Mary Yost, helped out "for something to do" and "to keep busy."  Mary, Jerry, and the pheasant farm ended up on land on the northwest edge of Miller.

Mary started out knowing nothing at all about raising pheasants, but learned quickly and gained experience.  There was no shortage of things to do on the Seeman Pheasant Farm.

In the fall, breeding stock for the following year had to be selected.  Typically about 65 hens were chosen, and along with the roosters, they needed to be cared for through the frigid South Dakota winter.

In the spring, the birds were put in pens with a ratio of six to nine hens to one rooster.  Mary's pens had boards on the sides to prevent the roosters from seeing each other, keeping their minds on the task at hand rather than on fighting.  In nature, hens lay their eggs in nests, but in captivity, they lay them on the ground, so the eggs needed to be collected frequently to keep them from being broken or eaten by the flock.  Each hen lays 50-60 eggs during the spring and summer seasons, resulting in around 3500 eggs that needed to be collected; about half of these would end up hatching.  Mary collected eggs at least once a day, and used a spoon secured to the end of a stick to avoid having to enter the pens and potentially upsetting the birds, resulting in broken eggs.

The eggs were placed in an incubator and later candled to determine which eggs were viable and which were not.  The process of candling involves holding the egg in front of a bright light to see if there is an embryo forming inside.  Mary would do this at night.  Fertile eggs were put back in the incubator and the others discarded.  The eggs would hatch after 23-24 days and the young chicks would be placed in the brooder house for 6 weeks.

Mary's brooder setup consisted of an outbuilding with three rooms, separated by small doors only 4' tall, each room containing a heat lamp to keep the young chicks warm.  Each brood of chicks was kept separately, as they would kill each other if mixed.  After six weeks the chicks were moved to outdoor pens.

Pheasant pens, measuring about 72 x 125', housed the young chicks.  Again, each brood was kept separately.  She clipped their right wings to prevent them from flying out of the safety of their pens, and one by one clipped their upper beaks with fingernail clippers to keep them from pecking each other.  Their diets were changed from a commercial feed ration to a growing mash with wheat screenings added to the mixture, which were obtained from the local elevator.  Feed rations were adjusted during the summer months to bring the birds to their proper dressed weight of 3-4 pounds.  Just before the start of the pheasant hunting season, which was when business peaked, the feed was changed yet again to fine-tune this process.  Then, the dressing and freezing began.


So, while Mary initially got involved for "something to do," she ended up with plenty to do.

While the business was largely a success, not everything always went smoothly.  One year a windstorm wiped out the entire flock.  Neighborhood cats constantly preyed on the young chicks.  Hawks and owls were a frequent threat.  One particular owl kept killing Mary's birds, so she set a trap and when the perpetrator was caught, she called the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to come and get it.  The officer did, but promptly turned it loose again and it came right back and continued to kill her birds.  So she found a more permanent solution to the problem.

Ironically, pheasant hunters were Mary's best customers, even when they got their limit in the field.  Her dressed, frozen pheasants did not count against their limit and frequently the out-of-state hunters gave away the birds they'd shot to local friends who could clean and dress them easier than they could.

Mary's grandsons converge upon Hand County for some pheasant hunting.

They turned to captive-raised pheasants, which were much easier to transport back home for their own dinner tables.  Also these pheasants, Mary explained, tasted much better than their wild counterparts and there was no shot or broken bones to content with which made their wives happy while cooking them.

While most of her pheasants were sold "for the dinner table," Pheasants Unlimited, Inc. of Sioux Falls, also purchased birds to bolster the pheasant population in Hand County.

Six of Mary's pheasants ended up in the National Zoo at Washington, D.C. after South Dakota Senator Karl Mundt took a tour of the zoo and noticed their sad specimen of our state bird.  The one Ring-Necked pheasant they had was a disgrace to the species and to the state, he said.  "Scrawny," and "rag-tag" were how he described it.  Upon his return to the state, he contacted the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks department and asked what could be done to rectify the situation, citing "state pride" being on the line.

The department contacted Mary and asked if she might be able to help.  Three hens and three roosters were donated from her flock.  It was initially announced by the GF&P that they had caught these birds in the wild, but local newspapers called it "propaganda" and made sure the true story of the pheasants' origins was known.  Regardless, Senator Mundt predicted, "It will probably pep up the old bird when it sees a real healthy, proud South Dakota pheasant," he said, "and it will start acting like one instead of like the pigeons with which it now apparently associates."

Various newspaper clippings about Mary's pheasant farm

Some of the items Mary made with feathers collected from her flock

Nothing went to waste on the Seeman Pheasant Farm.  Mary collected the beautiful iridescent feathers of all sizes, and created wearables from them - hat bands, ladies' hats, etc.  She worked carefully with small containers and tweezers, separating the feathers by size and color.  While working with some of the delicate, lighter-than-air feathers, one had to be careful of breathing too hard or moving too fast, or the feathers would become airborne.

During hunting season she had a window display in one of the shops in downtown Miller, and the items sold briskly with out-of-state hunters being anxious to return home with a gift for their wives or a remembrance for themselves.

Some of Mary's grandchildren were involved in the pheasant farm operations as well.  In the winter, if snow was deep and the birds could not make it to their attached sheds for shelter, they'd huddle together under the snow, and the grandkids would have to get inside the pens and poke around for them.  They could last awhile in these "snow caves," having both warmth and water in the form of snow but needed to have someone keep an eye out for this situation so they didn't starve.

Grandson Gary helped daily with whatever was needed - gathering eggs, hauling 5-gallon buckets of water, and helping catch birds and pluck feathers when it was time to dress the pheasants.

At processing time, he would help catch the birds with a wire and a hook on the end to get them by their legs, or they'd use gill nets.  In later years, his dog Cerb, who was part blue heeler, would help keep the pheasants rounded up.

Though the Seeman Pheasant Farm is long gone, pheasants are never far from the hearts of Mary's family - from her sons, to her grandsons, and now her great-grandsons.  Annually, they still gather for family hunting.

Maybe It Shouldn't Have Been Surprising After All...

It started with a piece of paper I'd found in the bottom of a box.  It looked like a bill of sale for something that my grandmother, Lisa Klungseth Hammer, had purchased.  It had a date and a location to send it to.  I knew she was near Trondheim in 1946, and this piece of paper documented it. 

But in looking at it more closely, I saw this receipt was for a book - the author's name and the title were listed.  The books a person reads says a lot about them, so I decided to see if I could find this work in the stack of books she'd left behind - and about halfway down the pile, there it was.  "Friheten," by Nordahl Grieg.  It was all in Norwegian, so I decided to see what I could find about this book and the man who wrote it.

Nordahl Grieg was born Nov. 01, 1902 in Bergen and died Dec 2, 1943 in Kleinmachnow (near Berlin).  He is described as a controversial man, a long-time member of the Communist Party, and a "poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and political activist."  Wait ... what?  My grandmother was buying and reading materials written by a controversial Communist political activist??

Grieg had been a member of the Norwegian Communist Party for a long time, and called a "Stalinist" by his enemies.  It was his empathy for the underprivileged that caused him to join the Party.

Interestingly, he was studying in Oslo the same time my Grandmother, Lisa Klungseth Hammer, was attending the Teacher's College there.  

During World War II when the Germans invaded and occupied Norway, Grieg broke away from his support of Stalin.  Communists were being urged to stay neutral, and this invasion changed things for Grieg.  He was passionately opposed to the Nazis and considered himself a Norwegian patriot, and intended to oppose them every way he could.  Grieg did military service in the Norwegian Army in 1939-1940 in Finnmark (Lisa was also in Finnmark at this time).  He escaped the country in 1940 on the same ship as the Royal family of Norway and the National Gold reserves.

His fight against the Nazis continued from Britain, both on the radio and in his writings.  He traveled, speaking with Norwegian soldiers and getting their experiences in his work as a war correspondent.  He took part in various military missions, which was common for a war correspondent at that time.    He was with the Royal Australian Air Force on an allied raid on Berlin, a very risky and dangerous undertaking.  It was during this night-time mission on Dec. 2-3, 1943, that he was killed along with many others. He was and is considered a hero in Norway for his stance on the Nazis and all he did to oppose them, and his anti-fascist poetry is still popular today.

"Friheten" ("Freedom"), the book Lisa had purchased, was a collection of Grieg's war poetry published in 1945.  She, too, was emotional about the Nazi invasion when she first told me about it 30 years afterward. Now it was all starting to make sense.  Perhaps it wasn't so unusual that she was interested in a controversial, political activist after all.

Information on Nordahl Grieg's life from:
Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordahl_Grieg
Ally Poetry https://allpoetry.com/Nordahl-Grieg

Home Economists Newsletter - Lisa Hammer's Presentation

South Dakota Home Economics Association Newsletter Volume 5, December 1958, Number 1

HURON BRANCH 
     
The Huron Branch of Home Economists in Homemaking have chosen as their yearly program foods and customs of foreign countries.  By doing this they plan to have guest speakers who have either visited or lived in another country. 

Mrs. Adolph Hammer, a native of Norway spoke at the October meeting.  Wearing a Norwegian dress which is only worn on special occasions, she told of Norwegian customs, displayed table linen and explained table setting for different occasions.

Thursday afternoon during SDEA the Huron Economists in Homemaking entertained at tea the Homemaking teachers in the Huron Homemaking department.  Miss Imogene Van Overschelde, Pierre and Mrs. Ross Davies, Huron, were at the silver services.

In connection with Huron College Career Day, the Huron Home Economists also take an active part.  For the past three years the group has had Mrs. Cleo Treadwell as their representative.  Seniors from Huron high school and towns in the surrounding territoy [sic] are invited to meet various representatives of professions and colleges in the state.

The group is continuing a project begun several years ago.  This is to help furnish materials for the

interest centers in the Homemaking Department of Huron High School. Officers this year are president: Muriel Simmons (Mrs. Irvin) and secretary, Jessie Chaffee (Mrs. George).

Overseas Club

 From the Huron (South Dakota) Daily Plainsman, unknown date

Overseas Club Anniversary: Members of the Huron Overseas Club are shown at their 15th anniversary meeting at the home of Mrs. James Kaiser who made the anniversary cake held by Mrs. Orval Collins.  Front row left: Mrs. Gustave Guthmiller, Huron; Mrs. Carlisle Peterson, Huron; Mrs. Collins, Huron; Mrs. Clifford Voss, Huron; Mrs. Ralph Schniedewind, Ree Heights; middle row left, Mrs. Duane Picklapp, Huron; Mrs. Desmond Van Zee, Rockham; Mrs. Keith McMillan, Huron; Mrs. Vern Baker, Huron; Mrs. George Streifel, Huron; Mrs. Gilbert Hofer, Huron; back row left, Miss Gabriella Rose, Redfield; Mrs. Adolph Hammer, Sr., Huron; Mrs. Kaiser, Huron; Mrs. Henry Peters, Huron; Mrs. Chester Liedtke, Wessington; Mrs. Harold Steichen, Woonsocket; Mrs. Edwin Forst, Alpena; Mrs. Albert Rose, Redfield.

The Huron Overseas Club enjoyed its 15th anniversary meeting Feb. 10 at the home of Mrs. James A. Kaiser, 429 Idaho Ave. S.E.  Mrs. Albert Rose, Redfield, won the hostess gift among the 20 members present.

Mrs. Kaiser baked and decorated the anniversary cake for the occasion.

Officers elected for the new year are: Mrs. Ralph Schniedewind, Ree Heights, president; Mrs. Clifford Voss, Huron, vice president; and Mrs. Orval Colllins, Huron, secretary-treasurer.  A vote of thanks was extended Mrs. Gustave Guthmiller and Mrs. Carlisle Peterson, outgoing officers.

The next meeting will be March 9 at The Inn with Mrs. Adolph Hammer, Sr., and Mrs. George Streifel as co-hostesses.

The 47th Anniversary of Will and Elvirta Knutz

 An excerpt from the journal of Elvirta Graves Knutz (mother of Bill Knutz)

1957, March 30, Saturday

47 years ago today we were married and such a day as it was; it rained, hailed, wind blew hard and it blizzarded all before noon but that did not stop me; Delbert took me to the depot and waited with me till the train came; I had to go to Huron (from Esmond) to meet Will. Henry Thompson and his girl Stella were there to be married at the same time we were; we were witnesses for each other. We ate our dinner in a hotel which is now torn down and there is a gas station and truck parking lot there now. After dinner we were married and did some shopping and drove home; we used horse and buggy those days, had to drive about 7 miles; got home I got my first meal for us; which was (as I remember) bacon and eggs and potatoes. To night 47 years later 3 of our children and their children had very delicious supper at Dorothy’s; they each brought some portion of the meal. Dorothy roasted a turkey and chicken with dressing; Mabel scalloped some potatoes; Lillian brought corn and peas; there were cakes besides Dorothy baked a 4-tiered angel food, had swans to hold each layer and frosted it so pretty; Mabel helped her with it; Lulu brought a delicious jell-o fruit salad. Everett was there too. He gave us a very pretty card with a dollar bill inside. Later in the evening we had cake and coffee; oh I was so full. Bill took our pictures (dad and I) cutting the cake and of me feeding him a bit.

Races at the Fairgrounds, Huron, South Dakota - Mid-1960s

 

Photos Courtesy of Walt Hammer