Bakstad, Mathias Christian

Branch: American Army

Matt was born in Lillehammer, Norway on May 22, 1890. In 1894, he came with his parents to North Dakota. Matt enlisted in the American army in June of 1917. After the war, he came up to the La Glace area to join his parents, who had relocated during the war. He filed on a homestead at NW 12-74-9-W6, and bought the La Glace store. In 1923, Matt married Hilda Johnson; the couple had four children. They sold the store in 1927 and moved to the farm; ten years later they sold the farm and moved back into La Glace, where they built a cafe and boarding house. Matt and Hilda moved into Grande Prairie in 1945, and worked there until their retirement in 1969. Matt died on June 30, 1974.

Sources: La Glace p. 39, 92-94, 262; Buffalo Trails p. 208

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