BIOGRAPHIES: AUGUST BJORK Town of Elk Mound, Dunn Co., WI ********************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Submitted by: Laura Abood 3/19/2006 ********************************************************************* AUGUST BJORK, who owns and operates one of the best developed farms in the town of Elk Mound, which he has been laboring to improve for the last 29 years, was born in Sweden, Jan. 20, 1865, son of Gustave and Mary (Olson) Bjork. Both parents died in Sweden, which was their native land. August as a boy attended school there and was confirmed in the Lutheran church. In 1882, at the age of 17, he came to America, locating in Chicago, where he secured employment in an organ factory. From there he came to Wisconsin and for one summer, 1884, was in Durand, Pepin County, Wis., spending two summers in Meridean, Dunn County. He next went to Eau Claire, where for three years he was employed in lumber mills. At the end of that time he left this part of the country for a while, going west to the state of Washington, where for 18 months he was engaged in carpenter work. Then returning to Wisconsin, he engaged in sawmill work for the summer, his next employment being at Bruce for Mr. Weyerhauser, he spending three years there. It was at the end of that time, or in 1895, that he bought his present farm of 210 acres in Section 1, town of Elk Mound, Dunn County. About 35 acres of it had been broken, the balance consisting mostly of woodland, and for buildings there was a small shack. Having married some years previously, he and his family took possession of the shack and made their home there for some years thereafter, in fact, until 1906, in which year Mr. Bjork built his present residence, a very good house, and, in its present condition, quite modern, having a full basement, being provided with a home waterworks system and hot air heating plant. In other respects he has made equal progress. In 1908 he built a barn of 34 x 58 feet in ground plan, with full basement and provided with the James patent equipment and drinking cups. He has also built a Netco tile silo of 12 x 30 feet, a machine shed of 20 x 48 feet and another of 16 x 30 feet, also a granary and chicken house. For his water supply he has two drilled wells and a cistern. Mr. Bjork's farm is the result of hard work for a considerable period of time, and shows good taste in the arrangement of the buildings, with convenient access from one to another. His driveways are amply large for the passage of teams, and he has plenty of yard space. He keeps a herd of good Guernsey cattle, with a pure bred sire, raises Duroc-Jersey swine, and has 90 acres of land cleared, broken and under cultivation. He is engaged in general farming and dairying and is a stockholder in the Elk Mound Cooperative Creamery and the Colfax Produce Co. Mr. Bjork was married April 28, 1888, to Mary Christenson, who was born in Norway, Aug. 20, 1864. He and his wife are the parents of three children: Gunder Adolph, born Feb. 25, 1891, now residing in St. Paul; Mabel A., born July 8, 1893, who is now Mrs. Milton Mathews of Chicago and has a son, Arnold; and Carl W., born Oct. 8, 1900, who married Nora Evenson of Colfax. The family are members of the Free Lutheran Church. They enjoy a good social standing, and their home, set off by a spacious lawn and ornamental shade trees, is one of the attractive spots in the northeast part of town.