The Passing of the Prairie by a Fossil
Biographical Sketches of Central Iowa Pioneers and Civil War Veterans
by
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Nils Anderson
Transcribed by Peter Tjernagel Harstad
People used to do a great deal of walking in the olden days. It is true they did it largely from force of circumstances, but not always. For they often took little trips on foot for the mere pleasure of it as well as for the healthy exercise it gave. Then, too, the forest held its ancient lure and drew its devotees out on long invigorating hikes. It was good for body and soul; also, through the understanding gained in questing through Nature’s mazes came a fuller appreciation of God’s creation. The pioneers were not too busy to live. In some ways they were wiser than we.
To interpolate, let me say that I do not remember ever having seen Sivert Knutson (Meltvedt), for instance, using any other means of locomotion than his own good legs. Though he spared his horses and walked about a great deal, he performed as much physical labor as anyone. His robust, massive form was a familiar figure as seen moving along the lanes in going to and from work, or when peeping in upon the neighbors’ children, all of whom he loved and who in turn worshiped him.
Our maternal grandfather, Nils Anderson (Follinglo), upon coming from
Our pedestrian would get good and hungry on some of his lengthier walking trips, and on one occasion, having visited his old friend Baard Henryson (Beroen), our neighbor, he slipped into our cellar on the way home and, without our knowledge, sampled our milk and cream. As he could spare no time to extend the visit, he had no intention of apprising us of his presence; but it came about that our hired girl happened to go down cellar just in time to surprise a previous comer in the very act of hoisting the choicest of milk jugs to his lips. She was startled nearly out of her wits at the towering presence suddenly discerned in the gloom, nor did it reassure her in the least when the intruder released the jug from his mouth sufficiently to gasp: “If you say anything about this to the folks you’d better look out.”
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About the Book
Three major themes—immigration, pioneering, and preservation of the
The first wave of pioneers tended to be Yankees who settled near the rivers, many of whom moved on with the advancing frontier. Then came the foreigners, most of them west coast Norwegians who started coming to
While the frontier process was still playing out, the institution of slavery and the election of Abraham Lincoln disrupted the American democracy.
The goal here is to present Nehemias Tjernagel’s biographies accurately and in a format that people of the twenty-first century will find readable and informative.
About the Author
The author, Nehemias Tjernagel, was born on Follinglo Farm near Story City, Iowa, in 1868 and died there ninety years later. He was a musician, composer, writer, world traveler, and farmer. His greatest recognition came in Norway when officials asked him for a band composition to honor “Teddy” Roosevelt for having won the Nobel Peace Prize. The May 5, 1910 ceremony honoring the former President opened with Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever followed by Nehemias’ Roosevelt Overture.
A man of diverse talents, Nehemias became interested in the lives of the pioneers and Civil War soldiers living near Story City. His parents had come from Norway and carved a farm out of the native prairie. On the eve of World War I Nehemias began collecting information on the aging pioneers and veterans. He envisioned a massive, two part book. One part was to be a series of biographies; the other a topical approach to pioneering. For reasons explained in the introduction, the magnum opus never materialized. Only portions of it appeared in print during Nehemias’ lifetime.