Anton, Elmer & Ben Dahl family fonds. — 1920-2002. — 5 photographs.
Biographical Sketch
Grandfather Dahl came to Minnesota from Oslo, Norway, as a blacksmith in 1850. His son, Anton Dahl, was born in St. Paul , Minnesota, in 1858. He married in North Dakota in 1888 and in 1889, their first son, Elmer was born. The family moved to Roseau, Minnesota where nine more chiklren were born. In 1909, Anton come to the Beaverlodge district and Ben and Elmer followed in 1912. Anton had filed on the quarter section NW 25-71-10 W6 and had a 16 x 16 house built with an upstairs and a 18 x 18 barn. Ben and Elmer filed on quarters SE 6-71-10 and NW 32-70-10 respectively. That first summer, Anton and Elmer both bought a team of horses , harness and sleighs to make the trip back to Edson for supplies and then to Grouard to get freight from the Revillon store. Elmer had fond memories of the 1912 Beaverlodge 24th of May celebrations and their first invitation for Christmas dinner at the Riley Elliott’s home in 1916. In 1914, Elmer, Bert Johnson and Percy Mercereaux went to Grouard to haul government telegraph wire, one load to be unloaded between Lake Saskatoon and Beaverlodge and the other left about four miles northwest of Beaverlodge. The wire was to be used to extend the service to Fort St. John. In 1917, Elmer rented Anton’s farm, Ben worked out and rented his land out. Anton went to Grande Prairie and built a livery barn but came back to the farm a year later. By 1919 , Ben and Elmer had decided to work as a partnership and they built a log home on Ben’s land. In 1920, Anton died in Pouce Coupe hospital and was buried in Rolla cemetery.
Elmer married Anna Cage in 1924, and in 1931 built a new home. Ben went to Saskatchewan to manage his uncle’s farm and came back in 1930. In 1935 the two brothers dissolved their partnership. Anna and Elmer have four children: Laura married Allan Hauger and they have three daughters; William, (b. 1927) married Josie Hauger and they have six children; Joan married Einar Loven and they have two girls and Karen married Rodney Ashton and they have two children. Elmer served as secretary-treasurer for the Halcourt school board for 13 years. Ben married Byrl (Wartenbe) Elliott in 1938. In 1940, he sold his farm to Foster Wartenbe and moved to Beaverlodge where he built a feed barn. Bryl died in 1959 and Ben retired to the Hythe and District Pioneer Home.
In 1951, Bill and Josie bought the farm and Elmer and Anna built a house in Beaverlodge. Both Bil and Josie were active in community affairs: Bill was active in the curling club, served on the church board, as secretary for the U.G.G.and caretaker for the Halcourt cemetery. Josie served on the church board and as church secretary, taught Sunday School, was a member of the Halcourt Ladies Club and wrote a “Halcourt News” column for the Beaverlodge Advertiser. Bill and Josie’s children are Larry, Robert, Douglas, Lorraine, Ricky, and Dorothy.
Custodial History
The records were donated to the South Peace Regional Archives by William and Josephine Dahl in 2011.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of farming records belonging to Elmer and Ben Dahl. These include tax records, correspondence related to a cattle association they belonged to, formed under the government’s “Cattle Bill” to encourage farmers to raise cattle by offering loans to the association for purchasing stock, and a letter from Anton Dahl just before his death. Also included are four family/community photographs, and in an accrual, a photo of Halcourt United Church and a poem about the church, “Saved by Grace” written by Josie Dahl and published in the Beaverlodge Advertiser May 22, 2002.
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