NORWAY-L Archives
Archiver > NORWAY > 2003-08 > 1060877511
From:
Subject: Diary of Elisabeth Koren - 76-85
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 09:11:51 -0700
Acknowledgment
The following selection is taken from "The Diary of Elisabeth Koren"
translated and edited by David T. Nelson and published by the
Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA) in 1955. The Volume is
still in print and available from NAHA at http://www.naha.stolaf.edu
where you will also find the first 33 volumes of Studies and Records
online as well as Theodore C. Blegen's 2 volumes on Norwegian Migration
to America. This chapter is published with the kind permission of NAHA.
The book this selection is drawn from is under copyright and permission
has been granted for educational purposes and it is not to be used in any
way for commercial purposes.
6 From Koshkonong to Iowa
It was a gray but not very cold morning, the fourteenth of December, when
we set out for Spring Prairie, driven by Pastor Herman Preus in his
buggy. {1} It is not more than twenty-five miles between Koshkonong and
Spring Prairie, but to us it seemed twice as long, we went so very
slowly. We had a good deal of baggage with us. Preus and I sat in the
front seat, he upon a high pile of horse blankets and sheepskins so as
not to be inconvenienced by the large trunk which he had between his
legs, I well packed in with buffalo robes both over and under me and Mrs.
Linka's great sheepskin shoes on my feet. {2} The rear seat had been
removed to make room for the chests and bags. On one of these chests sat
Vilhelm, with my brown cloak over him, not very warm to be sure, so he
jumped off from time to time to walk. In addition he had a bad cold and
became hoarser and hoarser as we progressed further, so that I was quite
alarmed. In this manner we went along carefully and slowly.
The landscape was not especially beautiful --- or possibly the gray light
failed to make it attractive. The roads were bad --- no snow, but deep
ruts and mud. We stopped a couple of times to water the horses. Preus
then had to get down in the mud and soil his buffalo shoes; so each time
he got up again, he would throw the shoe that would have been next to me
into the back of the wagon. {3} Vilhelm kept wanting to walk to get rid
of his cold, but we still had too far to go. Preus said he could walk the
last mile; but it seemed never to come. I have never driven so slowly.
It now became dark; Vilhelm got down, Preus and I sat and chatted quite
comfortably and soon were some distance ahead. We were driving over the
prairie; it was so dark that we could not see the road. Preus lost it,
and drove back and forth and in a circle to find it again. I imagine
Vilhelm, who was far behind, could scarcely have had any idea of what we
were up to. He mounted again when he caught up to us, and after some
searching we hit upon the right road; but it was no easy matter, for the
whole prairie was burned black and there was not a star to be seen. We
were lucky enough to escape being hemmed in by fences, and at last saw
light in a house. It was the parsonage.
Preus lifted me over the mud and into the kitchen. From there we came
into a large room with a stove in the center, a table with a light
between the two windows, and on one side two doors, one leading to the
study and the other to a little bedroom. Between these two doors a
stairway with a loose trap door led up to the loft; below this was the
entrance to the cellar, and on the wall hung coats and wraps. Despite all
this there was something very cozy in the large whitewashed or, more
accurately, gray-washed room.
A small, plump young woman in a blue dress and a little white cap, with a
bright, lively countenance greeted us graciously. This, then, was Mrs.
Linka, of whom I had formed quite another conception. I was immediately
much taken with her --- such an active, cheerful person. She had expected
us for dinner and had just started coffee when we came, and now she went
back and forth, with her businesslike little cap on her head, preparing
supper for us. It consisted of excellent fricasseed chicken that put to
shame her husband's remarks about her poor skill as a cook. Afterward
Master Christian came in; he was afraid of the strangers. Linka asked
about the news from Christiania; she was so hoarse, however, she could
scarcely talk, and as we others were tired from our journey we soon went
to bed. {4}
The next morning I was the first one up. I stood underneath the stairs
and paged through a book. A couple of people came to speak to the pastor;
after a bit they got tired of waiting and went over and tried the door to
the study, whereupon little Christian came running out half dressed, with
the pastor himself following, in his shirt sleeves with a towel in his
hand, to bring him back. At last they were all ready and we sat down at
the breakfast table. Vilhelm felt a little better later in the day and
went out with Preus.
It was so muddy that we ventured out only to look at a pig and a cow that
were to be slaughtered, preferring to sit inside and talk. I asked for
and received various bits of good advice. Meanwhile the men returned, we
ate our dinner, and had a cozy hour over coffee, after which they again
left us. When it got dark we stirred up the fire, drew our chairs nearer,
and continued our chat. When V. and P. came back, there was much
discussion as to whether we should leave one of our trunks behind; this
was finally decided, and so I had to get everything into the room and
undertake a thorough repacking. Linka was busy in the kitchen baking
pancakes for our lunch on the journey. The evening passed very agreeably
after the repacking was finished.
We were to start early next morning, but Lars kept us waiting so long
that we finally concluded he had changed his mind. {5} At last he came.
It was eleven o'clock before we started. Linka drove with us to Lars's
house; here he was to get something, and we had to taste his beer. We
said farewell to the Preuses, promised to write soon, and began our
journey. There was cloudy weather and a tiresome road over black, ugly
prairies all the way until we were near Madison. Since V. was hardly in
condition to talk, we sat with scarcely a word all forenoon. Near Madison
we met two wagons with Indians; farthest back in the wagons sat the
chiefs, their faces painted red, their heads uncovered and adorned with
feathers. They made a brave show as they sat there wrapped up in their
white and colored blankets.
Madison is situated very charmingly on the banks of a lake --- it was
good to see water again --- and looks as if it might become a good-sized
city. Here we were to eat dinner, but the question was, in which tavern.
{6} There were enough of them to choose from, and Lars seemed to have a
great inclination toward one of the small, low ones just at the entrance
to the town. However, we drove farther. Vilhelm went into several shops,
from which expeditions he returned with a large, atrocious-looking
umbrella and a scarf for me; then we alighted outside the Madison House,
a large building that promised well. We did, indeed, come into a handsome
room, from which we had a view of the city hall, which stands on a
fenced-in enclosure with trees planted about. Here we ate dinner,
consisting of the usual pie and roast turkey, not to forget all the side
dishes which are found on an American table --- beets, cold meats,
cucumbers, conserves, and I know not what.
Vilhelm went out again, and I was engaged in conversation by a Norwegian
who was working there and who every now and again found some pretext for
coming into the room to speak to me. Lars came back with the wagon,
Vilhelm a little later; so we took to the road again in the hope of
reaching the nearest tavern before dark. {7} Since Lars knew the road to
Madison, but not a bit farther, we now had to inquire our way as best we
could, nor did we meet many people without halting them with our
questions. I became so tired of driving that day, especially when it grew
dark, that I fell asleep with my head on Vilhelm's shoulder, while he
held the buffalo robe firmly about me. I did not awaken until we stopped
outside a tavern, and when I got inside, I was so frozen I vowed never
again to sleep in the wagon. Vilhelm went with me into the room. When
Lars noticed that he had settled down there, he came over to the door
very cautiously and beckoned to make him understand that that was the
"Ladies Parlor," and that no males might remain. What, then, must he not
have thought of Vilhelm, who, notwithstanding this, very calmly settled
down in the "Ladies Parlor"!
At length the evening meal was ready, and it tasted good after the long
drive. Just opposite us sat Lars and next to him a lively, very talkative
man whose bright eyes were often fastened upon us while he was asking
Lars about us, and who was very busy serving us everything on the table.
We got a bedroom that had a warm stovepipe passing through it; the
furnishings, aside from the bed, were limited to a chair and a little
table; I had a good laugh when I came in and found Vilhelm standing in
front of the mirror with a candle in his hand, gazing at his fat face
very carefully and seriously, and saying, "Really, I am becoming a pope!"
After that discovery he sat down in a rocking chair, which went to pieces
with a loud crash, whatever the cause might be --- the pope's weight, or
my clothes, which were hanging on it.
I awoke and looked at the watch; it was half past five, so I hurried out
of bed. The moon was shining into our room. I managed to light a candle
and looked again at the watch, which now, it was apparent, stood at two
o'clock. I was not troubled by my mistake and lay down again to sleep,
not without waking several times and looking at the watch, which at last
really did indicate five-thirty. I dressed and groped my way in the
darkness down the stairs to get some water to wash in. The maid was to
bring it immediately, so I went up and waited a while; but no one came.
Then the bell rang for breakfast, so that at last I had to go down again.
One has to be his own servant in these taverns. Two things are considered
luxuries here; namely, a bellpull in the bedroom and candle snuffers.
When I came down I discovered that the maid had brought water and a towel
to the washstand which stood in the "parlor." It is the custom here, it
seems, to dress --- and thereupon go down to the parlor and wash --- a
custom which is not so absurd, indeed, since the bedrooms are cold to
wash in and are not warmed up so early as the parlor. Meanwhile, since we
had no love for that custom, I brought the water pitcher and its
appurtenances, at great risk to their existence, safely upstairs and to
my joy found Vilhelm, the sluggard, almost dressed. Right after this
there was a knocking at each door to announce, "Breakfast is ready." We
found the same company there as in the evening and Vilhelm had a
conversation with the old landlord, in which the latter told a long
history of a Norwegian maid who had worked for them and had been most
remarkable in every way.
It was at least seven o'clock, though it was not yet quite light, when we
set out again; we were to reach Dodgeville by evening. {8} We soon
discovered that our driver, Lars Moen, was both a kind and worthy man. He
is a smith from Voss, and Pastor Preus's right hand. We enjoyed talking
with him, and this morning we talked about America and asked him about
the country here.
"I suppose there are many birds here, Lars?" I asked.
"Oh yes, there are plenty of birds, but they do not sing as they do at
home; it used to be so beautiful to hear their warbling in the evening,"
he answered quite sadly.
His answer caused our eyes to flash the same thought to each other. It
always makes me sad when I hear that in America the birds do not sing,
and the flowers have no fragrance. I feel as if something of the finest
were lacking, as if no real joy could be felt in nature; and so my
thoughts turn with added melancholy to the beautiful summer evenings at
home.
We had the same cloudy weather and monotonous scenery as on the preceding
day. After eating several pancakes and having with great pains persuaded
Lars to take one, I found it not too cold to amuse myself by cracking
nuts, left over from the railway journey --- though Vilhelm disdained
them. At dinnertime we discovered an inn in the town of Moundville, where
we rested the horses and warmed ourselves with a cup of coffee, which we
obtained after a long wait --- just as bad here as everywhere. Lars had a
substantial dinner. Finally the horses had rested long enough, and we
departed. {9}
We were now approaching the Blue Mounds. The country became more hilly
and woody. The roads were generally very bad. Vilhelm and Lars often
walked a stretch to get their blood in circulation. We saw the Blue
Mounds becoming blue in the distance and discovered to our joy several
hilly knolls where a fir had found lodging and fastened its roots. {10}
There were not many settlers along this road. Lars was so careful with
his horses, keeping them at a walk, that it seemed doubtful we would
reach Dodgeville before some time at night. When we had passed through
the Blue Mounds, Lars began to inquire even more eagerly concerning the
road. "How far is it to the next tavern? Right way to Dodgeville, sir?"
These questions were directed to every human being we met, or saw within
hearing. It did not bother Lars that he asked the same person twice,
which was the case with a man who drove past us several times and whom we
at last met outside a house. He very likely thought we had a screw loose.
Toward Dodgeville the country was level again. We drove across a very
extensive prairie just as the sun went down. Here for the first time we
had an opportunity to get a full view of an American sunset. We found
ourselves, as mentioned, in the midst of a great, black, desolate
prairie. The sky had been covered with gray clouds all day, but by one of
those frequent and sudden changes of weather it became clear, and let us
see the sun go down in great splendor, gilding a great sweep of the
heavens; at the same time darkness rapidly overspread the opposite part
of the sky and looked as if it would throw itself upon the daylight and
destroy it, as indeed it did within a few moments, while isolated stars
twinkled here and there. Directly in front of us, where the prairie rose
a little, we saw a man on horseback silhouetted for a moment sharply
against the sunlight, completing the scene, and thereupon coming toward
us at full gallop. Aside from ourselves, the man and horse were the only
living creatures to be seen.
When we had driven a bit farther, we saw a glare far away upon the
prairie. "There goes a prairie fire," said Lars. While we were talking of
this, Vilhelm said, "Turn around." I did so, and saw the full moon rising
over the horizon. Its light had a marvelous effect upon the black
prairie, heightened even more by the prairie fire on the other side.
There was an air of unreality in driving here, especially as the moon
soon hid itself behind the clouds and we could no longer see the road.
We did not know exactly where we were driving, and were glad to discover
a light gleaming in a valley. Lars gave V. the reins, and after some
trouble with an ill-tempered dog, got safely to a house, and brought back
the information that we were on the right road and not far from
Dodgeville. It was farther than we had been told, but at last we saw some
houses, and glad I was, for towards evening I always become weary and
tired of driving, and even peevish too, I fear. It appeared that
Dodgeville consisted of three parts; at any rate, we drove through two
small places before we came to Dodgeville proper. Here, then, we began to
ask for Preus among all the Norwegians we met; but no one had any
information. {11}
We were thinking of going to a tavern when a Norwegian blacksmith asked
if we would not go with him to his home. We did, and came into a warm,
crowded room, where there were several small children. Marit, the lady of
the house, appeared immediately and was much surprised to find guests.
They appeared to be good people but were, without doubt, much
"Yankeefied." It was so crowded and stuffy that I had no great desire to
stay, but we could hardly decline their friendly invitation. At that time
I was not yet accustomed to native rural hospitality. We had not been
there long before Pastor Preus came; he had asked for us in all the
taverns, and was happy to find us at last. Marit, meanwhile, had prepared
a meal. V. and P. took a walk after we had eaten; I remained behind and
was annoyed by the children, who now had supper with their parents, got
what they demanded, and were untidy beyond all description. P. returned
with V. and stayed until almost nine o'clock.
We were not up early the next morning, so Marit felt justified in
knocking repeatedly on our door and asking us to hurry to the breakfast
table, which was set out with many kinds of bread. Because one of his
horses had not eaten either in the evening or in the morning, Lars was
much troubled and was reluctant to go farther. Inquiries for a conveyance
were therefore made in several places, but in vain. It was exasperating,
but there was nothing else to do; we had to wait until the following day
and see how the horse was. Lars, poor fellow, was very much embarrassed.
He was reluctant to break his word, would gladly see us safely on our
way, but his dear horse was not well.
We took a walk with Preus and called on a fine young couple, Arne and
Birgitte, with whom we were to stay that night, to my great satisfaction,
for I liked them and their accommodations much better. We had dinner at
the smith's and spent the evening at Arne's, where Preus was, too. Lars
brought an Iowa man, John, to talk with Vilhelm; he was to leave the next
morning. There was another discussion about our journey, one plan after
another was proposed, so that I was thoroughly weary both of that and of
the journey, and came very near falling asleep. We now had a good
bedroom, to which I retired early.
<1> This account was written beginning January 20, 1854, after the Korens
had reached their destination in Iowa. Mrs. Koren mistakenly wrote
"fourteenth" in place of "thirteenth." The chronology of the trip from
New York to Washington Prairie is as follows: Friday, December 2, New
York to Poughkeepsie; Monday, December 5, Poughkeepsie to Buffalo;
Tuesday, December 6, Buffalo to Toledo; Wednesday, December 7, Toledo to
Chicago; Thursday, December 8, Chicago to Milwaukee; Friday, December 9,
Milwaukee to Koshkonong; Tuesday, December 13, Koshkonong to Spring
Prairie; Thursday, December 15, Spring Prairie to a tavern beyond
Madison; Friday, December 16, from the tavern to Dodgeville; Sunday,
December 18, from Dodgeville to a tavern; Monday, December 19, from the
tavern to Prairie du Chien; Tuesday, December 20, from Prairie du Chien
to McGregor, Iowa; Wednesday, December 21, from McGregor to Washington
Prairie.
<2> Mrs. Linka, the former Caroline Dorthea Margrethe Keyser, was the
wife of Herman A. Preus. For her own account of life in a pioneer
parsonage, see Linka's Diary on Land and Sea, 1845-1864 (Minneapolis,
1952).
<3> Buffalo shoes were made of buffalo hide and served much the same
purpose as overshoes. They were made with the fur outside and were "big
and walloping," according to Mr. William Linnevold, a resident of
Decorah, who remembers them well. Mr. Linnevold, now (in 1955)
seventy-seven years old, is a grandson of Magnus Arneson Linnevold, who
took land on Washington Prairie in 1853. William Linnevold had a wide
acquaintance among the early families and has written several articles on
pioneer days. See "Minder fra nybyggertiden," in Decorah-posten,
appearing weekly May 24-July 5, 1929.
<4> For Mrs. Preus's account of her preparations for the Korens' visit,
see Linka's Diary, 241, "Master Christian," later the Reverend C. K.
Preus, was president of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, 1902-21.
<5> Lars J. Moen, a blacksmith from Voss who had settled at Spring
Prairie, was to drive the Korens to a point on the Wisconsin River near
where it empties into the Mississippi. When Herman Preus and his wife
first arrived in Spring Prairie in September, 1851, they were housed with
Lars Moen, whose cabin was the one nearest to the site for the parsonage;
Linka's Diary, 193.
<6> "Tavern" was the usual designation for the kind of inn found on the
frontier.
<7> The vehicle was probably a lumber wagon, but the terms used by Mrs.
Koren make it difficult to identify it.
<8> Dodgeville, Wisconsin, is forty-three miles west of Madison.
<9> Moundville (spelled Mountville in the original) was twenty-five miles
west of Madison. In 1881 the name was changed to Blue Mounds.
<10> The mounds are a little to the west and north of the village of Blue
Mounds and reach an elevation of 1300 feet.
<11> They were inquiring for either A. C. Preus or H. A. Preus; the
context does not indicate which.
________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
This thread: