David Olson Fristad

Reiste til USA i 1886.
Han reiste frå Bergen 16/4-1886 med Hvide Stjerne Linie
Her følger utdrag av en artikkel som stod på førstesiden i THE DAILY JOURNAL, som blir utgitt i
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MINNESOTA USA. Artikkelen ble trykket 29 Desember 1960.
Jeg fikk den tilsendt fra Ruth Camp.
Clementson Settler Hoofed It in 1897 .
An unforgettable experience in the life of David Olson, Clementson pioneer was the succession of
events which sent him on a hike from Warroad to Tower during the Christmas season of 1897.
Olson froze one of his feet during the start of his walk which covered some 180 miles, but he
succeeded in the journey despite untold hard ship.
Traveling over ice i ,through deep snow" he way to Rainy River, what is now International Falls and
on to Rainy Lake City, early-day gold mining community at the mouth of Black bay.
HE THEN WALKED the stage line from Rainy Lake City to Tower, where he was able to catch a
train for his home in Wisconsin. His wife and twin daughters accompanied him the next spring on
the return trip by way of Duluth, Port Arthur, Kenor
a and Rainvy River and they settled on a homestead at Clementson.

Olson passed away about two years ago after living 91 very eventful years. One of the twins,

Mrs Charles Erickson,resides at International Falls The other, Mrs Jake Williamson lives
at Clementson The wife and mother died in January, 1940.

THE COLORFUL account of his long-distance trek was taken from the files of the Koochiching

County Historical society by Mrs. Thomas Savard, secretary.

David Olson was born Nov.20 1867, north of Bergen,Norway.

When he came to United States he landed in Philadelphia and went from there to Whitehali, Wis.
were he worked on a farm for$10 a month.

Leaving this he went to the woods and worked on a logging road and in a campfor wages of S18

and S22 a month, after which he graduated to the saw mill.

NOT BEING satisfied there he went to North Dakota to work in the harvest fields.It WaS there that

he met Helic Clementson who had just returned from inspecting opportunities On Rainy river and
was favorably impressed. David could not leave when his friends James Williams, Frank Milne and
Helic Clementson, left but was
to follow later.

As soon as he was free he walked from Grafton to Stephen and secured a ride to Roseau and

walked on to Warroad where he expected to catch the last boat of the season.

To his great disappointment it had already left so there was nothing for him to do but wait for Lake

of the Woods to freeze over. He stayed with 0ld Man Pole who had been a scout for Bufflo Bill.
It took a month for ice to form on the lake and in the meantime he met Evan Oberg.

BOTH BEING anxious to reach. Clementson, they started walking around the lake to the mouth Of

Rapid river. The first night they lodged at Amus on Long Point; the next night found them at the
Sundusky Fish Company on Curry ieland.

On reaching Rainy River, the Canadian town near the mouth

HER MANGLER TEKST PGA. ULESELIG KOPI.

discovered that the ice near the shore was not safe so they followed the shore in two feet of freshly

fallen snow.

TIRED, WET and discouraged, they reached Rapid river bay and tried to cross it. They could see

no sign of life in the gathering dusk until suddenly , a light flashed across the bay from behind
them. They turned and saw Helic Clementson's new home. The Clementsons
were lighting it that night for the first time.

They were soon inside partaking of coffee. David slumped from pain in his feet as they grew warm.

They tried to remove his shoes and socks but they were frozen to his feet.

When the socks finally came free, skin and toe nails came with the one on his right foot. The other

foot was not quite so bad but he could not walk for a month.

ON THE 23rd of December he started out on his feet to walk to Tower where could catch a train

home. He crossed to the Canadian side which was settled at that time. The first night he stayed with
a French family. The roads were not too easliY followed, many lead to the river as that is wvere the
settlement was built. He came to an Indian shanty. The occupants led him to another shanty on the
bank and

pointed across the river wich was filled with rapids.

After looking it over, he went back to an Indian shack. The squaw inside was silent, as unly an

Indian can be, so he went back to the first place where he had stopped and here asked
where he could stay. They told him to go on; David asked for a guide but they instead took him to
an old squaw's hut and bade him stay there. There were two squaws inside the cabin.
DUICING THE NIGHT the young husband of one of the women arrived.He began to talk and the
old squaw answered. The young fellow made thea and when he had finished he asked in good
English if Olson were hungrey "I have not had anything hot since morning" he replied wearily. The
Indian gave him some bread a
nd tea.

In speaking of it afterward Olson said, "That was one of the best meals I ever had."

The young fellow beginning to soften, asked: "Do you want a blanket?" Humbly Olson replied, "I

would appreciate one." The young man reached over, jerked a blanket from under the
young squaw and handed it to Olson. That was his Christmas present.

ON CHRISTMAS DAY he started for Fort Frances and reached there by noon. A boy guided him

across the river to the settlement of Koochiching,(now International Falls) a few houses on the river
bank. Entering a saloon he inquired about the ro
ad to Tower. He was told that John Berg's team had gone over the road two'weeks before.

If he followed,the sleigh tracks he would be safe. On Christmas night he started for Rainy Lake

City (at the mouth of Black bay). The first seven miles were overland near the shore; the balance of
the way was over the ice.

HE REACHED the lake easily and at first had no trouble following the sled tracks. Soon however,

moose tracks crossed and recrossed them and then the tracks became drifted in with snow.

After that he had to feel for the sled tracks with his sore feet.

If he happened to get off he found himself in slush but he continued trying. Darkness came; he

fumbled for the tracks, continually watching for a light. About 8 o'clock he saw a light and there it
seemed to disappear. He continued watching for it and suddenly found himself at the shore, up
against a steep bank. He turned from left to right at the right was a light that did not disappear. He
had reached the Little American mine,one mile from Rainy Lake City. He was given a g
ood supper and some wine.

AFTER SUPPER Pat Roach played the fiddle and sang for a while before making him comfortable

in a bed on the floor of the boiler room.

The followig morning he went on to Rainy Lake City.

John Berg told him the team was expected back anytime so if he wanted he could wait and ride
back with it.

AFTER WAITING for three days he started out on foot with these instructions : If you make 35

miles ,the first day you will reach Armstrongs." After spending the night at Armstrongs he walked
another 30 miles to Kettle Falls and reached Ve
rmillion Dam the following day.

On New Years Day he walked across Vermillion Lake to Tower where he hoped to find a letter

from his wife.He was so short of money that he dared not buy a pair of socks for him self. He had
sent a letter with Oberg who had intended to return home at once but it had taken so so long for his
feet to heal that he was afraid the letter had come and had been returned. However, when he went to
the postoffice he found a welcome letter awaiting him and at the same time he also had a letter of
apology from Oberg who, when he reached Warroad, had found a job and the letter had remained in
the pocket of his good clothes, forgotten.

WHEN HE FINALLY reached his home at Kenne, Wis., he found that his worried wife had gone to

her father's home, thinking he had been lost or frozen to death. The next spring he picked a piece of
land on Rapid river for a homestead. In order to get there they traveled by train to Duluth, to Port
Arthur by boat and from there by team to Kenora, arriving just in time to catch the first boat out of

Kenora for Rainy River. He engaged a settler to take him,

his wife and twin daughters across the river to Clementson.

The Olson girls attended the Eidem school. One of them is Mrs Jake Williamson at Clementson and

the other Mrs Charles Erickson, a resident of International Falls. Mrs Olson passed away in January,
1940, and David Olson on Sept 13,1958 .