Knute Johnson Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 830-831

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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KNUTE JOHNSON. The agricultural and dairying interests of Mt. Vernon 
township, Davison county, find an excellent representative in the 
gentleman above named. His fine estate is well situated, thoroughly 
improved and for some years under careful tillage. The improvements 
upon it include a substantial residence, barns, sheds and every other 
structure that will add to the convenience of those who are carrying on 
its work. 

Mr. Johnson was born in Stavanger, Norway, October 31, 1845. His father 
was a carpenter by trade, was born in the year 1803, and died in 1895. 
The mother, Sarah (Olson) Johnson, is still living, and is about 
.seventy-four years of age. The family came to America in the year 
1860, landing in Quebec, and from there made their way to La Salle 
county, Illinois. There the father plied his trade for a number of 
years, and our subject secured employment as a farm laborer until he 
reached the age of nineteen years, when he purchased eighty acres of 
land in DeKalb county, Illinois, and there pursued the calling of a 
farmer until 1879, the date of his settlement in Dakota. During the 
year above named, our subject and his two brothers moved to Dakota, 
being among the earliest settlers of the state, and they have all three 
met with remarkable success, and each has a large farm highly improved. 
One brother, Joe Johns Johnson, has a farm in section 4, Mt. Vernon 
township, and Hon. J. R. Johnson, ex-state representative, has a model 
farm in Davison county, consisting of one section of land, all of which 
is irrigated by an artesian flow of great volume, while from the lagoon 
or reservoir he furnishes his table with the finest of fish. The 
subject of our sketch, Knute Johnson, has devoted his attention, to 
considerable extent, to the raising of horses, but is now disposing of 
his stock in this line, with a view to developing his farm into a dairy 
farm, it being well adapted to this, and is also situated near the Mt. 
Vernon creamery. Mr. Johnson is a man of the very best character, 
thorough and systematic as a farmer, pleasant to meet, and is held in 
high esteem by all with whom he comes in contact. He has an excellent 
farm, comfortable and commodious home, and has a pleasant family. In 
political affairs he is identified with the Populist party, and on that 
ticket he has been elected to the office of township treasurer and also 
a member of the board of trustees. 

In 1880 Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Gunda Danielson, and 
their wedded life has been made happy by the presence of a bright, 
helpful family of six children, upon whom they have bestowed the 
following names: Mary, Joseph, Martin, Rudolph, Alvin and Clara.