C. A. Estensen Biography


	This biography appears on pages 530-533 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				C. A. ESTENSEN. 

	C. A. Estensen is prominently connected with the mercantile 
interests of Sherman as a member of the firm of Berg & Estensen, 
dealing in general merchandise and hardware. He is also a landowner in 
Minnehaha county, owning the old Estensen homestead. His birth occurred 
in Norway, August 27, 1865, and his parents were E. and Christina 
Estensen. The family removed to the United States in 1866 when the 
subject of this review was but an infant and located in the copper 
regions of Michigan. After some years the father came to South Dakota 
to investigate conditions here, leaving the family in Michigan. He 
decided to locate in this state and homesteaded ]and on section 29, 
Dell Rapids township, Minnehaha county. Two years later, or in 1873, 
when he had prepared a suitable home, his family joined him, and he 
continued to cultivate his farm, his labor being rewarded by harvests 
which supplied them with the necessities and many of the comforts of 
life. The conditions were not all bright, however, as dry seasons 
sometimes made crops almost a failure and as the common hardships of 
pioneer life had to be endured. The father passed away about 1902, but 
the mother survives. Through her reminiscences of early days the young 
men and women of today, who are in possession of so rich a heritage, 
have the means of learning something of the struggles and toil which 
have made possible the prosperous conditions of the present. 

	The elementary education of C. A. Estensen was acquired in the 
common schools of the neighborhood and he supplemented this training by 
a year's study at Red Wing, Minnesota, and by a year spent as a student 
at Lutheran College in Canton, South Dakota. After leaving school he 
remained with his father on the farm until he was twenty-two years old, 
at which time he removed to Sherman and entered upon mercantile 
pursuits. The store was of very modest proportions at the start, but 
the members of the firm have steadily and consistently followed 
progressive and straightforward business methods and theirs is now one 
of the leading mercantile houses in that section of the state. Berg & 
Estensen occupy two large buildings and their stock is valued at 
thirty-five thousand dollars. Everything in the line of general 
merchandise and hardware is to be found in their store and the buyer is 
assured that the quality is as good as is consistent with the price 
charged. Mr. Estensen is also connected with the agricultural interests 
of Minnehaha county, as he owns the land which his father homesteaded.  

	Mr. Estensen was married in September, 1892, to Miss Gertrude 
Vingness, a daughter of J. M. and Maret Vingness, pioneers of South 
Dakota, who are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Estensen are the parents of 
the following children, all of whom are natives of this state: Ernest, 
Guy, Stanley, Mabel and Helen.  

	The family are Lutherans in their religious belief and give 
practical evidence of their faith in their daily lives. Mr. Estensen is 
a republican and staunchly supports the principles and candidates of 
that party. He has been town clerk since his arrival in Sherman, and 
both as a public official and as a private citizen has always been 
ready to do everything in his power to aid in the advancement of his 
community. He is recognized by all as one of the representative men of 
Sherman and of Minnehaha county, and, as his success is due entirely to 
his own efforts, none begrudges him the prosperity that is now his.