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Title: Harriet Borgen Johnson
Dates: ca. 1910-1911
Collection Number: 00694
Quantity: 35 items
Abstract: Images of early homesteaders, threshing, and railroad construction in Hettinger County (ND).
Provenance: The State Historical Society of North Dakota made copies of these photographs courtesy of Harriet Borgen Johnson in December 1988.
Copyrights: Copyrights to materials in this collection remain with the donor, publisher, author, or author's heirs. Researcher should consult the 1976 Copyright Act, Public Law 94‑553, Title 17 U.S. Code and an archivist at this repository if clarification of copyright requirements is needed.
Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
Citation: Researchers are requested to cite the collection title, collection name, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota in all footnote and bibliographic references
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
From Our Fifty Years Regent, N.D. 1911-1961
John Borgen Selects Homestead in 1905
In the early years of this century, many people went west and took up homesteads. Three such persons were Alfred B. Romsos, Peter Erickson, and myself, when in the spring of 1905, we left our home in Pilot Mound Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota for Gladstone, North Dakota with Romsos preceding us by a couple, of weeks. As Romsos had already filed on a claim when we arrived at Gladstone, Pete and I contacted C. B. Hanson of the North Dakota Realty Co. who located homesteaders for $25.00 a piece.
On April 7th, Mr. Hanson took us as far as the Black Butte Sheep ranch. We arrived there about noon and had lunch. We were amused at the sign which was painted red and state, “Meals – 25 cents. If you can’t pay, don’t stay.”
After driving around some we decided on the east half of Section 32-135-94. Pete took the Northeast and I the Southeast quarter.
We drove back to Gladstone that afternoon and to Dickinson the next day, which was the 8th of April and filed on these quarters.
Having six months in which to establish residence on our claims, we spent the summer working here and there. In the fall, we bought lumber and other supplies from the George Lee Lumber Company at Gladstone and went to build our shacks.
In the latter part of November, we went back to Minnesota and in the early spring of 1906 we came back. The earliest settlers in St. Croix Township, other than the Black Butte Sheep Ranch, were probably Jacob Gion, Sr. in sec. 22, and Jacob Jr. and Mike Gion in the northeast part of the township.
In 1906 we dug wells for ourselves and several of the neighbors. Several of the neighbors got breaking done and we sodded up our shacks for the winter. We dug our first coal on the Indian Creek west of Regent, but most of it we got on the Cannonball River a few miles east of the present site of Regent. We had two hole laundry stoves with a drum on the chimney where we baked our bread. Believe it or not, some of it was actually edible.
The winter of 1906 and 1907 was quite cold with many blizzards and lots of snow. Despite this, our shacks were quite comfortable.
Railroad surveyors worked along the Cannonball River in the early spring of 1907.
We decided to “prove up” on our land, which we did in June 1907, and a while later went back to Minnesota and a year later on June 3, 1908 I was married to Mabel Rain from that community.
In 1910, we moved out to our claim and started farming. The new town of Regent was started on the north side of the elevators, and after the lot sale on May 28th, 1910, it was moved to the present location. It looked mighty good to the settlers.
We continued farming here until 1946 at which time we sold our farm to Mr. Carl Loh. We were members of the Regent Congregational Church.
I was born February 8, 1883 in Fillmore County, Minn. We have three children, all born on the old homestead in St. Croix Township, and all graduates of Regent High School. Harriet and Vivian are graduates of Jamestown College, and Leland of Glendale Junior and Chico State College of Chico, California. Leland served three and one half years in the Navy and is married and lives in Sacramento, California. Harriet married Wilfred A. Johnson and lives in Warren, Minnesota. Vivian is married to Lt. Col. Jack W. Morris. Contributed by John Borgen, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
PHOTOGRAPHS INVENTORY
00694-01 John Borgen and A. W. Elliott wearing aprons in front of sod house, Hettinger County (ND) ca. 1910 “Black Butte Threshing Co.’s Stomack Robber”
00694-02 Sod house, Hettinger County (ND) ca. 1910
00694-03 Group standing on ruins of Erickson’s Castle (sod house) ca. 1910
00694-04 Threshing scene, St. Croix Township (ND). L-R: Charley Linderman, Charles Zanders and Joe Prince ca. 1910
00694-05 Building railroad from Mobridge to New England (ND) 1910
00694-06 Building railroad from Mobridge to New England (ND) ca. 1910 taken near Hamilton place near Regent
00694-07 Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-08 Citizens State Bank, Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-09 St. Croix Township-Gaar-Schott threshing outfit on John Borgen's place. The mule team driven by Ole Bratton. The others L-R: Len Zander, Joe Prince, and Earl Wilson, Hettinger County (ND) ca. 1910
00694-10 Mabel Borgen, Pete Erickson, Minnie Harke, Alfred B. Romsos sitting outside tent near Black Butte reading the Western Times ca. 1910
00694-11 Mabel Borgen, Pete Erickson, Minnie Harke, Alfred B. Romsos sharing a meal on the ground outside a tent near Black Butte ca. 1910
00694-12 Sunday School picnic near Baker’s Ranch, Regent (ND) August 22, 1911
00694-13 Art W. Elliot Farm L-R: Mrs. Walter Harke, Mrs. John Borgen, Walter Harke, Bill Buetner, Ed Elliott, Mrs. Art Elliott, and Fred Wittich ca. 1910 1910
00694-14 Walter Harke homestead, St. Croix Township 4 miles NE of Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-15 Main Street Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-16 - 17 Elevators Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-18 Mabel Borgen, Alfred Romsos, and Pete Erickson inside sod house, Hettinger County (ND) ca. 1910
00694-19 Main Street in snow, Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-20 Panoramic view of Main Street, Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-21 First buildings on Windy Hill on John and Mabel Borgen farm, near Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-22 John Borgen farm, Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-23 Main Street Regent (ND) ca. 1910
00694-24 Six ladies in an automobile ca. 1910
00694-25 Mabel Borgen with horse drawn carriage ca. 1910
00694-26 John Borgen, Art Elliott, and Leslie Elliott in Art Elliott’s car ca. 1910
00694-27 Using a header, Hettinger County (ND) ca. 1910
00694-28 Old Fort Yates Military Post on Missouri River. Fiske Photo 1897
00694-29 Miss Thorp and a bunch of “young Americans” at Cherry Butte School ca. 1910
00694-30 Cherry Butte Consolidated School, St. Croix Township, July 4, 1914
00694-31 Black Butte
00694-32 Disking with horse team
00694-33 Street scene, Mott (ND) Oct. 14, 1910
00694-34 Mabel Borgen double exposure
00694-35 Cannonball River or Indian Creek ca. 1910
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