Martin N. Trygstad Biography This biography appears on pages 760-761 in "History of South Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here Inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm MARTIN N. TRYGSTAD was born in Norway, May 27, 1843, his parents being Nils O. and Kristiana Trygstad. When eighteen years old he enlisted in the army of Norway and served till 1867, when he came to Minnesota. He lived there till 1869, when he, with his parents and brothers, moved to Dakota territory. He selected a piece of land in section 9, Medary township, but as the government had not surveyed any land in that locality it was not until 1872 that he could file his preemption papers on that tract of land. In 1870 he married Caroline Johnson, who has been a good and true wife to him, and they have been blessed with eight children. The oldest boy, Norman, and the oldest girl, Ida, are married and have their own homes in the neighborhood of their parents. The other two girls, Emma and Catharine, are at home, as are also Carl and Ferdinand. Wilhelm, a graduate from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, is studying theology at the United Norwegian Lutheran church, St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, Minnesota. Michael, the youngest son, studies at the Augustana College, Canton, South Dakota. In 1871 the subject succeeded in getting a post office established at his home and was made postmaster, it being called Medary. The same year Brookings county was organized and he was appointed county commissioner, an office he held for twelve years. In the interesting election of 1872 he was elected a representative from his district to the territorial legislature, and in 1878 he was again elected to the same office. In 1902 he was elected state senator from Brookings county. In all these years he has taken the deepest interest in the development of South Dakota, and has contributed by words and deeds to the upbuilding of schools and churches. Although he has always been a hard-worked farmer and stock raiser and extensively employed, as we have seen, in the public administration of his county, he has always found time and means to encourage moral and religious growth and development. Brookings county was but a stretch of undulating prairie when he came here, no one but Indians and a few trappers being met with, but soon a few families came and made their home, and then Martin N. Trygstad opened his home for them on Sundays for the reading of God's holy scriptures, the singing of the grand old Lutheran hymns and listening as he read Dr. Martin Luther's sermon for the day, delivered three hundred years ago, but yet as bright and -inspiring of faith and hope as when the great man preached it in Wittenberg. Martin Trygstad taught the young to read, to pray to God, to be obedient to their parents and good to their neighbors. He is still the superintendent of the Sunday school in Lake Campbell church. The founding of this church on the then wild and bleak Dakota prairies was one of the first public acts he undertook and it has grown from a small beginning till it now stands in our public records under the names of Brookings, Volga, Lake Sinai and Lake Campbell Norwegian Lutheran churches. He has been the promoter of many enterprises for the betterment of the people in financial matters as well. The Volga Elevator Company, the Brookings Shipping Company, several creameries and many other enterprises for the common welfare have found in him an earnest advocate.