In the Midst |
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In the Midst |
Use the Categories menu on the right to search through our many exciting articles on Cokato History.
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Written by former Cokato Museum Director Irene Bender The Cokato Museum has lost a wonderful friend. Margaretha Hedblom used wonderful to describe everything about Cokato. She gave meaning to Ha'lsa Dem Darhemma (Greet the folks at home). Margaretha Hedblom, a teacher, researcher, genealogist, tour director and director of the Kulture Center in Malung, Sweden, became the best ambassador for the Cokato Museum. Most of all, as director of the Cokato Museum, I was privileged to become her friend for forty years as she connected local people to their relatives in Sweden and brought many tours to the museum. She had endless energy as she made the heritage, we share come alive. She passed away January 31, 2024, Malung, Sweden. She writes in her book: Halsa Dem Darhemma, Fran Varmland till Wermland. In the beginning of the 1980s I visited the little town Cokato for the first time. Excited I drove over the railroad tracks and into the town center. It was here that many from the little community Floda in Vdsterdalarna came already in the end of the 1860s. I remembered the priest's note in the household's counting book— "He went to Lighthouse Erik's Station Cokato." As so often it was letters from the States from immigrants, which made others, decide to start their journey. I stopped to photograph the depot, the old railroad station house. It was here that they got off the train, the farmers from "the Dalarna's paradise," to start a new life in Minnesota. What happened to them? Would I find any traces? Maybe some descendants? What could the museum have to tell. The year after that railroad station house was torn down and the depot moved to another city. That was not the only time I came at the last minute, often I came too late. As we walked through the museum, I could see she was visibly touched by the exhibits the emigrant trunk with printing "Cokato," an engagement ring, the promise of love from the days of youth and a picture of the Myrback Country School. She wondered if it was connected to Jarna. A few families from Myrbacka had settled here and what was more natural than to take the name of the farm at home in Sweden to name of the new school. She shared that she was interested in interviewing and hearing the dialect of the descendants of the early settlers. A few calls were made and soon the small museum office was filled with people as there was olden day Swedish tongue buzzing around the house. There was LeRoy Anderson, child of the third generation from Vastergotand, just as Clifford Anderson, a minister. Marian Pearson, whose mother came from Ostmark in Varmland and Ellen Benson, a little sweet lady from Holland who was politically active at Monark's Bicycle Factory in Varberg in the 1920s and because of that left Sweden. It was not popular to be a social democrat, at that time, you know, she said. The emigrant exhibit in the museum has a recording of her voice. The whole-time new people came, who had heard about the person who wanted to know about our history and the telephone was never quiet for long. She was invited to several homes. That was the beginning of our connection. A highlight was Margaretha's visit to the sisters Lillian and Eleanor Good at the Delin farm in Stockholm Township. The grandfather of the sisters, Per Jonasson Delin was the first caretaker of the farm. Everything had been saved and was carefully set-up in various outbuildings. She writes that was like turning back time. The out-buildings were painted Swedish red. The newest house, circa 1919 was painted white with a gingerbread-trimmed porch. Ruth Christenson, a niece of the sisters showed her around. The story begins: The landscape in Va'rmland was tough in the 1860s. Emigration was the only possibility to meet the future for many. Per Jonsson and his wife Karin Hallstensdotter lived in Asped in the Vitsands community. April 24,1869, they requested a moving/immigration permit to North America and began the journey to Kristiania, (now Oslo) man, wife and five children, the oldest daughter was 14 and the youngest three and a half. Kristiania was the nearest harbor where the American ship would depart. When they arrived, Ruth Christenson tells they found out that the ticket price had gone up so much, that only the father was able to go. The ship's manifest records worker Per Jonasson paid 25 "specie dalers," for his ticket, destination Milwaukee. The newly built ship "Statraad Broch" sailed on the 14 of May. Disappointed, the mother and children were forced to make their way back to the old home village through the deep woods of Sweden. The first letter Karin Hallstendotter writes to her husband is September, 1869. She is happy he arrived healthy. She tells of the twelve days walking back to Asped and arriving at an empty house. They had given the furniture to a neighbor. It is cold. She managed to buy some potatoes from Norway. She begs that her husband can earn enough money, so they can join him. After one year, the family was able to reunite in the new country. The tickets cost 64 "specie dalers" for mother, five children and the grandmother of the family. In America, Per Jonasson calls himself P. J. Delin settling in Mooers Prairie. He built a little log cabin with his few personal belongings in the small immigrant trunk with the letters painted "IHS Mooers Prairie". He worked on the railroad earning money to bring his family. He has acquired land and begins to "grub" the land, planting wheat. Letters are precious between Sweden and the new land bringing news of health, birth and death. Others are wondering about coming to America. The children of the family Delin grew up. Barely thirty Karen Hallssensdotter-Delin died leaving a husband and six children. A daughter Emma married Carl Good. He was a hardworking famer and a handy carpenter. He carved many wood- miniature dioramas of the early farm that are favorites in the Cokato Museum. Margaretha was also very interested in the people from Varmland who settled in the area. One was Hannah Hultgren whose daughter was Marian Pearson. The Pearson's called their little cabin on Big Swan "Lekvattnet," the name of a community north of Fryksande. Margaretha recalls Marian hosting a choir from Dalarna with good food, a Maypole in their yard, a typical Varmlander, who is easy to like. Margaretha was happy to meet Leona Simonson from the second generation of Varmlandish people who spoke fluent Ostmarkish. The Ostmark Lutheran Church, located in Meeker County was founded by the emigrants from Ostmark who came in 1882. A large delegation from Sweden came for the 100th anniversary and some are expected this summer as they celebrate the 130th. The early settlers met in homes or neighboring churches until their church was built. Margaretha was especially happy to visit a farm in Ostmark area with a sign "Fattigarden" (poor farm) at the driveway, where she writes: "which looks everything but poor." Ninety-seven year-old Gazella Hallberg, and her son Edwin served her "a heavy-loaded coffee table" when she visited in July, 1997. Gazella's parents, along with two little children, the youngest only two weeks old came to the USA in 1888. Moving several times, looking for better possibilities, now with ten children, Gazella remembers her mother having it tough. She says they did not talk much about Sweden and "we were tired of the Swedes coming and taking our beds so that we had to sleep on the floor. Father always took home people as soon as he met someone who needed room and board." At the time, we didn't want to be Swedes. We were Americans. Gazella wanted to be a teacher working during the summers to earn enough money to go to college in Bemidji. She taught for thirty years. At first, married teachers were not hired. The principal forbade the children to speak Swedish, even at recess. She said she pretended not to understand them in order to please the principal. She was able to visit Sweden when she was eighty. She tells Margaretha she was happy in Minnesota because we were like a Swedish community here, so it was fine for all of us and now that my life is almost over anyhow, I shouldn't complain." Margaretha's many visits record the stories of the emigrants that would be easily lost. For that we are grateful. Skifs Anders Andersson emigrated from Ja'rna to Cokato in 1868 with his wife and four year old son. Wife Brita played the bagpipe as did her mother who came a few years later were the last women from Dalarna played. The family took the name Skifstrom and the lake by their house is named Skifstrom Lake. He was a handy blacksmith in the area. Margaretha was searching for descendants of the bagpipe players. On one of the tours, she took the group to the Myrback Country School in French Lake Township. The school was closed in 1958 and sold at auction; she was sad to see it needed paint. Hazel Benson, the owner found several former students to paint the schoolhouse. The school is still in the family. Philip Benson, a son tells me they have several Swedish visitors come to see the Myrback school. Margaretha was also active is following the path of the emigrants to the other Swedish settlements in Minnesota making good friends along the way, especially Marilyn McGriff from Braham. She was the director of the Isanti County Historical Society. She and Valorie Arrowsmith formed a study group to learn Swedish. Marilyn was working with the Cambridge Community College on the Swedish immigration. Mora was another connection when Edna Cole was director of the Kanabec County Museum. The two of them planned a "Margaretha Hedblom Day." As the tour bus pulled into town, she wondered about all the people who were there to greet them. Marilyn McGriff made eighteen trips to Sweden, the last being in March to attend Margaretha's service where she spoke in Swedish at the reception. She told about all the connections Margaretha so willingly made. Minnesota people were able to meet lost relatives and see the farms of their ancestors back home through her help. Margaretha closes the chapter on the Cokato visits by saying: The ones I had come to Cokato to find in the first place, I did not find any traces telling me where they went. That is just what makes immigration so interesting; there is always something left to find. It is like putting together a puzzle—one leads to the next and the picture grows, where single destinies are woven together to one history. However, that did not deter Margaretha. Because of the many new connections we shared, she was instrumental in Cokato and Jarna becoming friendship cities. June, 1989 was a special time in Cokato. Two large buses with ninety choir members and visitors from Rattvik, Sweden, were overwhelmed with the hospitality of Cokato. Coffee and homemade cookies were served to the choir and community at City Hall in the afternoon, that was decorated with blue and white streamers, tables were covered with blue and white cloths with Cokato Centennial coffee mugs filled with wildflowers and Swedish and American flags. Violet Anderson dressed in the Swedish national costume poured coffee. Mildred Nelson, Mildred Lee, Marian Peterson, Charlotte Paulson, Helen Titrud and many other museum volunteers, the Cokato Chamber of Commerce and Historical Society hosted the coffee and a home-cooked dinner that evening for the choir members. "The Threads of our Heritage" with Swedish costumes from the many provinces, an exhibit designed by Ronette Doering opened that afternoon as the guests toured the museum, Akerlund Studio and walked around town. That evening a concert was given in Peterson Park. Although the songs were in Swedish, the harmony and familiar hymns were enjoyed by approximately 350 people. An occasional tear could be seen in an eye, as people remembered a parent singing the same song. Margaretha Hedblom, representing the friendship city of Jarna, read a letter from the Jarna Historical Society telling of the early settlers and the Myrbacka School in Jarna and that early settlers attended the Myrback School in Cokato as she extended a warm welcome to visit Jarna. Mayor Forrest (Butch) Amundsen, Mayor of Cokato presented a Corn Carnival plate with the Earl DiMarco painting framed in walnut made by Rolland Nelson to the Jarna Parish and a bouquet of flowers to Margaretha for her promotion of the Cokato Museum. Each year, a group would come from Sweden with Margaretha as tour director. Coffee was always served. I remember one time when a small accordion group played as Margaretha and one of the tour members danced in the Centennial Room. That man was Gunnar Bond with whom she spent many years. One concert was held at the Stockholm Lutheran Church. The lights were dimmed and the girls wearing white robes and crowns of real candles processed down the aisle singing. When a marching band from Va'xjo came, a parade marched down main street in the afternoon with Margaretha riding in a convertible. A concert was held that evening in one the churches. The band members were guests in local homes where people were happy to host the visitors. Margaretha loved to shop at Arlys' Apparel that carried a selection of brand-name dresses. One time a tour member had a tooth ache. Dr. Bruce Bohnsack took care of the problem at no charge. The tour members liked touring the museum and Akerlund Studio, walking around town and going to the then several shops.
An official letter from Governor Arne Carlson welcoming the band or tour group was a special honor. After many invitations to Sweden and hosting Swedish guests, a trip to Sweden became a reality. Ruth Christenson and I spent two weeks in the Dalarna and Leksand provinces in July of 1994 with a full itinerary arranged by Margaretha. Imagine being in the archives of Slakforakarnas Hus in Leksand, seeing the church register book with the last entry "to Cokato, Minnesota, America." May poles many feet tall, beautifully decorated were everywhere. An evening outdoor play "Himlaspelet" (Heaven) was performed in a setting like Peterson Park. Leif Swenson, Tourism Director, who had visited Cokato the year before took us to the Falun Copper Mine. His daughter, Jenny was a guide at the home of Sweden's most loved artist, the Carl Larsson home. I remember the window boxes fill red geraniums. Another connection was made when Lief Swenson and family came to Cokato. Because there wasn't a motel, Gail and Tom Bergren hosted them. They ended up staying four weeks. The kids became good friends. They especially enjoyed the 4th of July celebration at their lake cabin at Lake Sylvia. Gail says it was the best experience for their whole family. Anna and Jenny are still in touch today. Anna married and the family was living in Washington, D.C. when Covid happened. They rented a camper and toured the U.S. We visited the Ostmark Church where we met the Pastor Yngve Fredberg who had attended the 100th anniversary of the Ostmark Church in Meeker County. We saw the headstone of Marion Pearson's ancestors. Georg llbacks, a retired farmer, had photographed the farmsteads in the Ostmark area, with a brief history which is in the church library. We were also in Knappfors, reminding us of Knapp, named in honor of Gustav, a Swedish soldier from Ostergotland and his wife, Anna, early settlers in the area. After a visit to the beautiful Uppsala Cathedral, we took the train to Vaxjo, guests of Brigitta and Gillis Rudh, leaders of the band that visited Cokato during the summer. How great to see them as they had stayed at my farm. We spent a morning at the Svenska Emigrantinstitute, where archivist Lars-Gorman Johansson gave us a personal tour of the archives which shows the emigration and a collection of Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg. I recently visited the Carver County Historical Museum. Moberg used the diary of Andrew Peterson for the fictional life of Kristina and Karl Oskar for his well-known series: The Emigrants, Unto a Good Land, The Settlers, The Last Letter Home. The Andrew Peterson home outside of Waconia is being authentically restored by The Carver County Historical Society. We were amazed and touched by the deep feelings the people in our friendship city of Jarna had for us and the Cokato area. We met people who had visited Fern and Ed Mattson. Another couple had stayed with Lee and Ricky Boleman from Cokato. We were hosted by Margaretha and always remember the layered cream-cheese and shrimp sandwich loaf. We were guests in the homes of her friends. Driving through Smaland and seeing the rocks and trees makes one understand why the emigrants left Sweden in search of better land and a new life. Sunday, July 24 was a day in Jarna we will never forget. In the morning when we met at the river, we had the wonderful experience of riding in the old church boat. It was extraordinary to be rowed by men in provincial dress with some playing violins. From the landing, a procession carrying the Swedish flag, walked to the Cultural Center where High mass (The formal, Lutheran Serviced was held). Following the worship service, a mutual exchange of gifts was held. Margaretha was the Swedish American translator. We brought a copy of Gust Akerlund's photo of the Skifstrom Family. Jarna's Cultural Center presented a hand-painted ceiling tile like those found in the Jarna church to the Cokato City and Museum. A letter from Mayor Forrest Amundson was read, thanking the people for the Jarna costume they had given to the museum. Another letter from Governor Arne Carlson conveyed appreciation for the splendid exchange between our two cities. Governor Carlson was the year's chosen Swedish American, an honor awarded annually by the Wasa Order of America. Dinner and guided tours of the school, museum, a home and church were during the day as friendships were made, a time we will never forget. Margaretha would send e-mail greetings for every holiday, always remembering my family. One of her last tours to Cokato was about twenty years ago when Mike Worcester was the museum director. Mike remembers her on-going desire that the connection continue either side of the Atlantic. On a beautiful summer evening in 2022, Ruth and I were sitting outside remembering Margaretha and our visits to Sweden. "I really miss her." "So do I." "Let's go visit her." The end of August we were guests of Rigmor Mahler in Torsby, Sweden, a relative of Ruth's. She and Margaretha were friends through genealogy. She arranged for us to have lunch with Margaretha in Malung. Even though Margaretha was having health issues, she was her usual cheerful self as we met in a charming cafe with gifts for us. She had included an artist friend. Inger Dohl, who later took us to her mountain fabod, where the cows would pasture in the summer, as she regaled us with stories of the trolls who took the keys to the cabin. Several of the newspapers in Sweden wrote beautiful articles of her passing. Because her influence touched so many people in our area and the other early Swedish settlements, that it would be impossible to know all the "wonderful" connections we made because of her. From that first meeting in the office of the Cokato Museum, the connection goes on, some five generations later; the thread of our heritage continues. Tack sa Mycket, dear friend. Ha'Isa Dem Da'rhemma. Irene Bender, April 2024 Ha'Isa Dem Da'rhemma, ISBN91-85014-91-5 Cokato Museum and Historical Society
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