Knut Torkelson Biography


	This biography appears on page 1024 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and 
	was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				KNUT TORKELSON. 

	Knut Torkelson is engaged in the cultivation of his farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres located on section 18, Harmony township, Spink 
county. Although the last thirty years of his life have been passed in 
this state, to which he came in 1882, he was born in Stavanger, Norway, 
on the 22d of September, 1841, a son of Torkil and Aasa (Knutson) 
Torkelson, the former a farmer in his native country. Both parents are 
deceased and are buried in Stave anger, Norway. 

	Knut Torkelson obtained a good education in Norway and then 
followed various occupations for some time. He engaged in both fishing 
and shipbuilding before coming to this country, but eventually decided 
that better opportunities awaited an ambitious young man in the new 
world. He therefore crossed the Atlantic, landing in the United States 
in 1880 with no capital but health and strength. The first thing he did 
was to find work and for two years he was employed as a railroad 
section hand in Ford county, Illinois. He then came to this state and 
took up a homestead in Clifton township, Spink county, which he 
improved, but, as he had several crop failures, he gave up that farm 
and rented land for some years. He carefully saved his money and 
subsequently bought the farm where he now lives, then raw prairie land. 
He has expended much time, labor and money on its improvement and it is 
now worth seventy-five dollars per acre, although he paid but seven 
hundred dollars for the quarter section. He follows mixed farming, as 
he believes that method insures the least waste and the greatest 
returns. In addition to his field crops he raises stock, including 
cattle, hogs and horses. He is interested in local business affairs and 
is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator at Frankfort. 

	Mr. Torkelson was married at Ashton, this state, on the 1st of 
June, 1883, to Miss Martha Nelson, a daughter of Andrew and Dena 
(Petersen) Nelson, the former a pioneer farmer of Wisconsin. Both of 
her parents are now deceased, her mother dying in 1874 and the father 
twenty years later. The former is buried-near Chaseburg, Wisconsin, and 
the latter in Minneapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Torkelson have three children: 
Thomas, an engineer and carpenter residing at home; Anna, the wife of 
John Beard, a farmer; and Melvin, a farmer at home. Politically the 
father is a democrat and his religious belief is indicated in the fact 
that he holds membership in the Lutheran church. He is the owner of a 
valuable and well kept farm and his residence is well arranged and 
comfortably appointed, the place being widely different from the farm 
which he purchased many years ago. His prosperity is the result of hard 
work, intelligently directed, and of perseverance in the face of 
difficulties and discouragements, and Mr. Torkelson attributes his 
success in part to the cooperation and loyalty of his wife, whose 
determination to succeed has been as great as his own.