Mike Hanson

Inexplicable Frank Chapter 4 In a long-detailed letter sent to his daughter Alice in June of 1912, Frank notated that his neighbors had strongly stressed that the “mosquitoes can be quite bad but it had been a breeze so far as it has been cool for this time of year.” Later in his missive he reported that big black horseflies had arrived yesterday, the locals call them bulldogs on account of their ferocious bite so now they had to keep a good smoke going at night and the house tight or “oh boy” and those little ones, you can’t keep them out they just go zip and then bite. Frank claimed he could tell the time of the day easily just by looking out the door and judging the thickness of the mosquitos.

Inexplicable Frank, Part 3 Frank and his son George lived eight miles south of Stratton, Ontario, and on the way to their homesteads there were miles of muskeg and moss or tamarack swamps from shoe-mouth to boottop deep. Frank penned in a letter to home that “we are back to nature all right,” other ruminations included that there isn’t a horse in here nor can one get one in here until it freezes up but some neighbors have oxen.

Inexplicable Frank It takes some musing and gauzy imagination to come to a realization that where we live was once one of America’s last frontiers, yeah explorers and fur traders traveled our area centuries ago but it was not until the early twentieth century that certain parts of our area were kinda tamed by settlers and it’s still arguable that elements of it still remain. With the advent of the Nelson Act of 1889 the Chippewa ceded an area southward from the Rainy River towards the Red Lake Reservation but fifteen years went by before the Rivers South bank was opened to homesteading because of the time the federal bureaucracy took to complete examination and classification of the ceded lands.

Big Sam Bjerre, Loman, Minn. Chapter 4 A few of the favorite amusements of our area pioneers included dancing and playing cards.

‘Big Sam’ Chapter 3 “Big Sam” served in both the Danish Army when he was just 18 years old and after emigrating to the United States and proving up a homestead, he enlisted in United States Army and was stationed overseas during World War I. After the War Sam returned to northern Minnesota and resumed his logging business.

Big Sam Bjerre, Loman, Minn. Chapter 2 “Big Sam” was still a teenager when he immigrated to America choosing it over Africa because of a political revolution.

Chapter 1 “The Danes have to stick together.” Those words were often heard by the folks living in Loman, Minn., and most heard from Sam Bjerre. By the late 1940s Mr.

George and Mary Loman were pioneers but very progressive for their means and how they operated in those early days without funds was viewed as a real accomplishment to the local historians. One can postulate why the community was eventually named after the Lomans and apparently just being one of the first homesteaders in the area along with a stellar reputation became the basis for its affirmation.

56654 became their zip code and they indeed earned it The folks who talked about George Loman used reverential tones; held in high esteem by his neighbors. Historical portrayals described him at various times as “beloved,” “no man in the country round has been held in higher respect,” “a man of God,” “an honorable man,” “all that he saith cometh surely to pass,” “a good husband, a loving father and faithful friend.” George was born in Pennsylvania in 1851, he married his wife Mary in Ohio in 1874, from there they moved to Kansas where he was engaged in the newspaper and drug business.

I’ve ruminated about Mrs. Ham since I read about her 30 years ago. Mrs. Ham lived in Fairland, Minn., an isolated hamlet in Northwest Koochiching County. It would be a long walk from Baudette: make sure you go left when you get to the Fiero Truck Trail because it’s a long way to Big Falls. From International Falls, it’s 20 miles to Loman and then west on The Black River Road. Originally it was named Feldman for one of its first settlers but later referred to as Fairland where a Post Office was located until 1936. There were so many folks and commerce in the Fairland area at one time that some sketchy historical accounts claim there was consideration given to Fairland when the Koochiching County seat was established.