The prospect of 160 acres of free land enticed thousands of Norwegians to immigrate to America, with high hopes for a better, more prosperous life. Those who settled in North Dakota never expected they would need several times that amount of land, nor did they imagine the high costs involved in meeting the homestead requirements. This is a story of two families for whom the promise of America miscarried. As they reached a point of borrowing money to move their dream forward the depression hit, as did a drought on the prairie. But the family spirits never died, and the immigrants never wished to be elsewhere.
Indispensible This is not merely the story of one family, it is America’s story and as such is informative, inspirational and indispensable. This book describes in human terms what it look to survive in one of the West’s most harsh and challenging environments. The meticulously researched details of this story from crop prices to the cost of a railroad ticket to the weather on a particular day lend this story a note of authenticity that places this book on the must read list of anyone interested in the…
Wonderful book I bought this book because my ancestors also lived in N Dakota and had immigrated there from Norway. Mine settled on the east side of N. Dakota. Reading it was like listening to my dad telling his story. Alot alike. Was a very interesting book. Hard to believe the hardships they faced, but my dad said there was alot of hunger and bad growing land. Good book for anybody w/ Norwegian ancestry.
A compelling story I met author Svendsbye recently at a funeral for a mutual friend. He is a gracious person and was delighted to learn that I had purchased and read his book. He thanked me repeatedly.This story is interesting for the reasons cited by other reviewers above: it is the story of many American immigrants; it is the saga of many Norwegian immigrants; and it is especially well-researched in regard to the Svendsbye family and local community history.What makes it truly…