Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.03.1995, Page 22

22 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 17. mars 1995
MIVIA’S PENNI
The flags flying in the Scandinavian Park in Minot, North Dakota
PHOTO COURTESY DILLA NARFASON, OIMU
ichard Beck,
the late Pro-
fessor of Scan-
dinavian Lan-
guages at the
University of North Dakota
said it well, “The sons and
daughters of the original
Icelandic pioneers indeed did
make their mark” as they
continued to establish and
cultivate the new land their
forebears had settled. He
spoke specifically of one
man, Freeman M. Einarson,
who lived his lifetime at
Mountain, N.D..
Over the years Mr.
Einarson came to be known
for his community service as
a part of this second genera-
tion. They were the ones who
built the roads, established
rules and laws, refined the
democratic process. As a
member of the state legisla-
ture for 16 years, from 1946
to 1952, he brought with him
a thoughtful, careful dem-
eanor, ready to do what was
just for his neighbours.
A farmer by profession, he
still found the time to be on
boards and committees both
on local and state levels. The
Vikur Church at Mountain,
the oldest Icelandic church in
North America, was his
church and dear to his heart.
His membership on the Borg
Home Steering Committee
was far-reaching in that the
present generation benefits
50 years later.
They say “behind every
good man there stands a
good woman” and so it was
for Mr. Einarson. He was
married in 1911 to Hallfridur
Snowfield. She did her part
in preserving history as a
charter member of the
Pembina County Pioneer
Daughters, whose primary
effort was to record the histo-
ries of pioneer mothers. They
were a far-sighted couple.
To this union were bom 4
children. Freeman Jr. died in
1945, but 3 daughters are still
in the area: Judy Bernhoft at
Mountain, Effie Stefansson at
Grand Forks and Freda
Stefansson at Bismarck.
These daughters remember
another side of this public
father of theirs.
Adversity was not
unknown. The hard depres-
sion years were tough for
eveiyone no matter their sta-
tion. A fire took the home of
the Einarson family in 1929,
leavjng them with only the
.clothes on their backs. A new
structure was gradually built,
with the family cooking and
eating in a granary and sleep-
ing in tents in the farmyard.
Their father was a quiet,
unassuming man, not given
to outward displays. He liked
to remain
anonymous
as he helped
people. One
group he
helped were
young peo-
ple who
wanted further education
and needed financial assis-
tance. To him and his wife,
education was important and
they were always willing to
help someone get a start.
Perhaps the most impor-
tant thing he did and that
anyone can do was to be a
good listener. He was always
there for someone to talk to
and bounce ideas off. He
rarely gave advice, but
encouraged and befriended,
keeping all he heard in confi-
dence.
Freeman M. Einarson
wore many hats. He was a
father, a husband, a neigh-
bour and friend, a farmer, a
co-member of county and
state committees, a leader, a
church member, a mentor, a
benefactor, a patron. He was
a part of the history of the
North Dakota Icelandic
Community.
By Ethei
Thorlacius
Rock Island
State Park
The 900 acre wooded
island was once the
summer home of elec-
trical inventor C.H. Thor-
darson. (See below for a bio-
graphical sketch on the life
of Mr. Thordarson.) The
estate’s buildings dot the
south western edge of the
island. Included in the struc-
ture are several small build-
ings and a large boathouse.
Although one was planned,
a mansion never was built.
The large assembly hall
above the boathouse pro-
vides a view of the waters of
Green Bay and Washington
Island.
Potawatomi Lighthouse
stands on the island’s north-
ernmost point, warning lake
Michigan’s ships of the
island.
Commercial transporta-
tion is available to Rock
Island from Jackson Harbor
on Washington Island.
A public boat launch
ramp is available to Rock
Island from Jackson Harbor
on Washington Island.
Visitors may take their
boats directly to Rock
Island, but caution is urged
since Lake Michigan and
Green Bay can be hazardous
due to reefs and storms.
There is a mooring fee for all
boats moored at Rock
Island.
Rock Island has 40 camp-
sites, all of which are reserv-
able. Pit toilets, picnic tables
and fire rings are provided.
The picnic area and drinking
water are located near the
dock and boathouse.
No motorized vehicles are
permitted on Rock Island.
There are no carts or
equipment provided for
hauling camper supplies and
equipment.
Rock Island s
C. H. Thordarson
Chester H. Thor-
darson, one of
America’s great in-
ventors in the electrical field,
was born in Iceland and
brought by his family to
Milwaukee in 1873. Two
months later when Chester
was five his father died.
After many years of struggle
to help support his family,
Chester, then 18, left the
farm to join a married sister
in Chicago. Within two
years he completed the
fourth through seventh
grades. He then went to
work winding armatures for
an electrical firm. At the age
of 27, he had saved $75, got
married, and started his own
business.
The St. Louis World’s
Fair in 1904 brought
Thordarson
his first great
distinction
for presenting
the world’s
first million
volt trans-
former, which
he had de-
signed and
built. Eleven
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years later he received an-
other award for a unit which
tested the practicality of
transmitting high voltage
electricity over long dis-
tances and, with this, his
fame continued to grow.
Thordarson bought Rock
Island in 1910 for $5,725
(775 acres). In 1914, he
restored one of the early
settler’s houses on the east
side of the island. In the
early 1920s, he cleared,
landscaped, and built on
approximately 30 acres of
the Bouthwest side of the
island. The remaining 745
acres were to remain un-
disturbed throughout Thor-
darson’s 55 years of owner-
ship. Thordarson had a
tremendous interest and
thorough knowledge of
botany.
When the President of
the University of Wisconsin
presented the honorary
degree of Master of Arts to
Chester H. Thordarson in
1929, he said, “On your pri-
vate holdings in Wisconsin
you have given the state a
dramatization of what fore-
sighted philosophy of con-
servation may mean.”