Title

Oral History Interview with Elsie Lindberg

Creation Date

January 28 1976

Description

Oral history interview with Elsie Lindberg by Nort Schensted in 1976.
Elsie is the daughter of early settler Michael Wollan.  The talked about her father and uncles coming from Norway to America. They started in Iowa and eventually formed - 17 cart wagon train to White Bear Lake Township in Pope County. There were 2 brothers already here, the rest of the family - 6 brothers and their parents came altogether on a wagon train. They built a log cabin for the parents near the present site of Indherred Church. Her father started a school in District #3 and taught there for one year. 2 men came walking across the prairie to him and asked him to run for register of deeds for Pope County. He was elected and he moved to Glenwood in 1870. Mr. Johnston had a hardware store for sale. Michael and his brother Casper bought it. There was a steel safe left in the store. A farmer asked to leave his money in the safe. Other people asked too. Their names were written on the envelopes. Word got around that the James Gang was on the move. So Michael brought the money to a bank in Minneapolis. The banker asked him if he loaned money as well as holding it. When Michael answered yes, the banker told him that he was actually in the banking business, and gave him books on banking. Wollan took that knowledge and officially started the Pope County bank. The store was called the Fremad Association. Fremad means onward in Norwegian. The Association was the business organization. They had a mercantile selling general merchandise and groceries, and later a lumber yard. The building was built to the corner. The corner was the bank with a separate entrance. In 1908 the new bank building was constructed and opened. It is now the "law building." 
Casper and Michael worked together for many years and never had a bit of trouble. 
Michael had 4 children in his first marriage to Ingeborg Rigg. And another 4 in the second marriage to Hilma Koefod after the death of his first wife. He was one of the founding member of Glenwood Lutheran Church. He drove to St. Cloud to get the lumber to build the first church. He also bought the organ for the church. 
There is additional information about the various roles and responsibilities Michael held in the community and state. 
Elsie didn't want to share much about her own life.

Geographic Notes

Glenwood, Minnesota
White Bear Lake Township, Pope County, Minnesota

Geographic Names

Glenwood, Pope, Minnesota, United States, NA [45.65024,-95.38976] [id:5028087]
White Bear Lake Township, Pope, Minnesota, United States, NA [45.62968,-95.57438] [id:5052662]