<!&ak 1Leabe5 Newsletter of the ELS Historical Society Volume 2 Autumn 1998 Issue 3 r·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·- ·-·-· One hundred years ago, in 1898, Pastor Bjug Harstad set ~ sail from Seattle, Washington for the gold fields of the ~ Klondike during the gold rush of 1897-99. He later would become the first president of the re-organized Norwegian Synod (ELS). On leave from his Mayville, North Dakota congregation he had been instrumental in organizing both Parkland Lutheran Church and Pacific Lutheran Academy and Business College [now Pacific Lutheran University]. Rev. Harstad felt a personal responsibility for the indebtednes of the school. On February 9, 1898 he left for the Klondike in an attempt to "solve financial problems" for the coiJege. During his journey, Rev. Harstad wrote a series of letters to the Pacific Herald newspaper. This issue of <!&ak 'E.£abe.S is devoted to a summary of Bjug Harstad's life from birth until that day in 1898, a century ago, when he boarded the steamer City of Seattle. Excerpts from his early letters also are included. The letters were translated by Bjug's son, Oliver Harstad, and the biography was prepared by his grandson, Dr. Peter T. Harstad. -·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·J Bjug Harstad first president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our subject was as unusual as his name. Bjug (pronounced like "bugle," but without the "le") was relieved when he was old enough to realize that his name simply meant "bent," not "bent nose" or "hooked nose." Late in life he admitted that his nose did have a hard lump, but the point of it did not turn down. "Indeed, I had to accept my fate as regards both name and nose." The eighth of ten children in his family, Bjug Aanondson was born Sunday 17 December 1848 in Valle, Setesdal. The Otra River drains this beautiful valley of southern Norway and empties into the North Sea at Kristiansand. Because it was high above the valley floor and steeply sloped, the family land had little potential beyond the grazing of livestock during the summer months. ~utumn 1998 - ,lBage 2 Other than church records, the earliest In 1855 Bjug's oldest brother Kittil known family documents relate to immigrated to America. Within six years grazing and haying rights at a locality he sent enough money back home so called Gangshei where the family had a that, with the sale of Gangshei, the family small dwelling. Here Bjug's crippled could come to Illinois. Aanond, Torbjoer, father, Aanond, and eight children attempted to (one stayed supplement the behind for a family income few years) by tanning Vl.ctl::)Yta.-, 'BYLt""~C~ sailed from 10 Fib:, 1898 sheepskins, Vecu- Herald!. Kristiansand in 1861 making "skin tlerewitht (;t;frie-ttdl:Y w~ to- aUt l'"ectd.erl-: on the Kongeoernen Y~er~ Ct/ 'Utt;let swaddling­ before,- 9 Ctl.1111., Wet left (King Eagle) and T~01'\Ithe- ~City ofSea.ttU701'\Iour clouts, • and arrived way to-Vyea, A~ It" wc;q- hani-to-~thet in Quebec nine repairing ~ L,wfcx.yeweU;to- wife-, cha.dre.w ~{r~ weeks later. They shoes. His for ~ Ct/ ~tcm.e.- a4' Ct/tvLp Wl:to-thet vet¢ traveled by canal boat L.fl.terior of A~ mother, Yequinw. through Montreal, by Were--o-n.e-to- ~over ~ofhard4hip Torbjoer, . steamer via Detroit ~w~ ~¥~~that»Ul:Y * worked at q~ e«t:thet~of"U{e;, the-w the-he,a.yt and Milwaukee to spinning and woul.d.-yee«i-to- ~~ wryow; but" whew Chicago, then by the weaving. 01'\e.- Y~¥thatthet~~d.uty thcc;t O"Y1£I Rock Island Railroad ~~u:p01'\lwltht{r~~""e.latt»EW Bjug often told to Seneca, yequir~~ l(;(.(;Yifi,ce, the-wOi'\e.- ~thet better Illinois, his own to- hWtiuw~ Fetiher ~to-tlw~~ where Kittil lived with children about m.erey, ~~~t1.e-\ler~py~~ his mother's brother. tl ~power the meager w to- .\t"Ct+'1..d.- by Ct/ poor That fall Bjug's father w~er L,wallttlwwayl': ~we--cwe--(.w~ fare of his died. There !pi¥~ We- hcwet yece(Ned,. n.e.ed.edtfood,-~ ~ being no family when he * botJv ~ Ct+'1..d.-I'J'tittd; ewe- L,w thet but" of Lutheran clergyman in was a ~ the area, a lay shepherd boy "Tft.etCY~~~heret~¥allt Baptist, Ole Heyer cie-K¥Lp~ ... in Setesdal. (who We- cwrwedt here-at 9 c/cloc1(;. ~walt lea>ve-- at converted to His mother 12. Le:tnw¥ walt nutdi.I!A4' at Vyect~, A~ Mormonism), would d.ur~ thet ~two- week4-: We- w~ aUt we.Ut. conducted the funeral. God; bet witht ~ place a .-;::---o Aanond is buried in an bowl of tl. unmarked grave in a thick Catholic cemetery in sour milk Seneca. on the table with portions marked. "Each child had his own spoon and all would eat The adult Bjug castigated the state out of the same bowl." In 1969 a Valle church of Norway for neglecting the resident recalled that she cried as a little Norwegian diaspora to the American girl when her grandfather told stories of heartland. It is no accident that he spent the large family of "gifted and talented" much of his life ministering to the spiritual children living in poverty at Gangshei needs of Norwegian-Americans on the above the Harstad farm. Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington, and Alaskan frontiers. Q&ak 1Leauess ~utumn 1998 • ~age 3 The firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861 people were Baptists," wrote Bjug, who brought Civil War and, along with it, allowed their farm hand to attend his wages beyond emigrants' dreams. Even own church. After Pastor Rasmussen Bjug, the youngest male in the fatherless joined the Norwegian Synod, H. A. Preus family, earned a $5 visited the gold piece before parish the year was out. and re­ The next spring he FortWv~ catechized worked as a farm 13 Feb:, 1898 Bjug. Other laborer until he Vear Hen:d~· Norwegian Synod broke his arm and God--be-~forg.oodt~~~ leaders (including to-the-pv~t'~~{ortvve{Y~~· had to quit. What T~ at' halfp~ ¥i4v we- vide- at' IM\.Chor at' B. J. Muus, F. A. transpired next is a Wr-~ Here-WlOW ~ {,ce- la:Y Ott/the- d.eck.t, but Schmidt, and clue as to the the- weather w quite- m.c:.l.dt, ~we- walt Tobias Larsen) values and ~fjet"moretW\OW. So-m.e-p~~ came too, ~tv l.itti.e-fy~ were-pur ~e.- her~ resourcefulness of L~~whewi we.t'\.tto-~ I w~qu.it"et influenced Bjug, this pioneer family. etppr-~et~didt net fjet"to-ileep tU'\:tiL after and solicited What better way ~ Theve-ewet t'\0" hea-vy~ the-boat funds for synod to use the healing ~q~ Or\IP~ ~wcmrv, butLtw causes. Bjug pLtc:Jv dcLrkt ~t'heret ewe-~ Ct+'\.d; time than to ~;;cy where-ver <m£~ ~ The-- boat mcv~at'half ~~ contributed a prepare for Ct+'\.d; of'te-w w:>p~ cilt"~ ~if to- fe.el; i4' WC1.1)1 dollar (two days' confirmation? Off forwewd.t i.w orde-r net to-!tYLket tv voc1ct or r-uw wages) to a Bjug went to ~0«-rui: It: ~be-L.tnp~to-n.cw~~ special offering wcmr~ .:.w{ot;r ~they ewe- ~{t,Ul!of ~ Ct+'\.d; Lisbon, fifteen miles tu¥'~ ... for the first from Seneca, to T~ wthe-~S~ be{oret Le.t1.t. Ou.r building at Luther study under The ~~.:.w~~ .:.w~, eadvwith-hW College in fc;tm4y, Rev. P. A. i.wGodJ~ ~to-~ u.pO't\/GodJ~ Decorah, Iowa. ~c;tCe/ ~ pr-~ H w w01'1.d..er{uL work¥, Ct+'\.d; we­ Rasmussen. When ewe- iftt capt-Wi:ty or ~far {Yom,- r-el.atW~ Ct+'\.d; confirmed a year fy~ We- g<r{nthe.r GtMIC1.1)1 i-f\.to- ~ Ct+'\.d; In spring 1865, later, he placed ~r-~ It:wW\OW~M¥~ tn.e­ Bjug's mother second in a class ~ewet ~clme-~ that Lt wcUffi.c«k moved most of to-.see-~~ Lt wcime-01'\/ both-~ of about twenty I111 PewkUt.nd-th€:)1 walt lOOf1/ ~for~~ i.w the iamiiy to boys and girls pec;te8t Ct+'\.d; ccm:{ort: WMt" tv~ Ct+'\.d; comfort Fillmore County, Lt wto-be- .:.wtn.e- boiomt of <met'~ fc;tm4y Ct+'\.d; e¥1Joy Minnesota, then Bjug soon earned a the-~oftv~~ We-would-that-wet on the cutting pur tv~ v~Ot\/ Lt~ wet do: CCLt'l/ man's wages. How I beCU" w~of~ ScvvLor-~7 Thevetewetover edge of the While working for a 800 per~~~ tvfe,w Wom.e.t\1 Ct+'\.d; cha.d.r~ ag ricu ltu ral Yankee family near the- r-~ m.et'\1. Every t'l.O'Okt ~ corn.e.r w{«U.t of frontier. Bjug people-. '1"h8t t"ctb-Uw i.w the- m.eW ~ cabi.w Lisbon he ewe- was among the improved family members letter continues ...... his who rode the language train to the end facility and of the line at eventually learned to speak English Ossian, Iowa. He walked across without an accent. These "otherwise fine Washington Prairie where The Rev. U. V. l&utumn 1998 . lE)age 4 Koren had his mission, then proceeded "Harstad" (hard place), that bordered into Decorah amidst a celebration for the the family property, may have fall of Richmond to the Union Army. The encompassed it, and certainly described next morning he viewed Luther College's it. From then on he went by Bjug "Old Main," Aanondson then under Harstad.