Stories about Chrisotpher Camp by Ken and Bob

"In the winter, sometimes we'd take the sled maybe a mile or two down the road to the school house.  We'd take hay in the bottom of the sled box and a blanket over the top and a lantern under the blanket to keep warm. Dad had a big robe and he had a coat made out of it.  he used to tell us that he had taken the hide off of old Made (their horse that had died) to make the coat.  We didn't know how true it was but that's what he used to say.  Anyway, he would stand up in that cold weather with this coat on, and drive the team over to the dance.  We'd pick up neighbors, the Giesike's and so on.  Except for the Christensen's, they weren't speaking to us at the time.  We went by their place, I don't think they had any dancers anyway.  Chris, I don't they he danced.  So anyway w went on our way and got to the corner by Jablonski's and Orstens. and spend the night dancing.  They always had a place to put the horses. Either that or we'd blanket them good.  Then when we came out after the dance, the horses would be just white with frost.  Oh, it was good for us kids, we could get under the blanket if we got cold, or else, run behind.  that was quite an evening in those days."

"In the summertime, we'd want to spend out time outside mostly.  One great thing for us to play in was the corn field.  Just like the old song goes..."Chasin' up and down the corn ruins."

"One time in the summer the family went over to Crystal springs about 6 miles from home to spend the night camping.  They were going to fish for bullheads and perch.  If you got a perch, you got a prize, but the bullheads were pretty numerous.  They drove their team of horse, King and Queen over and they camped there overnight with the mosquitoes. That night, Queen got lose and went home.  They proceeded down the road on the highway with all of the kids in the wagon.  The tourists and others would go by probably thinking, "Oh look at those poor people, they can only afford one horse."  But they made it home all right and there was Queen standing out by the barn."

Peterson Township section of the Medina Citizen Newspaper, Medina N.D.

Carl wrote about his Peterson Township  neighbors and his own camp for many years as the family grew.  Some of the entries show his sense of humor as well as giving us an insight as to what the family was doing::


"The Christopher Camp has been growing of late:  A summer kitchen, granary and garage has been added and they seem to fill a much needed want  The work was done by the camp farmer and his crew."

"For sale:  a 1917 model Ford and a couple of hay stacks.  Inquire at the Christopher camp, but not too early in the morning or you may find the owner in bed."

"Wanted at the Christopher camp, a good as new cream separator at the price of a second hand one."

"For sale or exchange:  Two or three small lakes.  Apply to Christopher & Todd, and take them at your own price.  Hurry as they are in the way of our work."

"Mrs. Carl Christopher departed Sunday evening for Rochester, Minn. where she goes to receive further treatment from the Drs. Mayo."

"Carl Christopher has take charge of the trapping department of the Camp now, as the boys will be too busy with schoolwork to look after it."

"Carl Christopher and family started this week for Pequot, Minn via auto, and intend to spend a couple of weeks fishing, spending the time with relatives and friends at that place.  Now look out for some big fish yarns when Carl gets back."

Inga Lydia Olsen Christopher

     Inga was born June 28, 1882 in Hurdal, Akershus, Norway.  She turned  one years old in mid-Atlantic when her mother, Mina Kristine and father Ole Kristian Olsen, were coming to American from Norway.

     Ole was a shoemaker in Nannestad, Norway.  The Olsens came first to St. Ansgar, Iowa, then to High Lake, Iowa, then to Graettinger, Iowa and finally to Pequot Lakes, Crow Wing County, Minnesota, in 1898.  Ole and Mina are buried there in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota behind the Lutheran Church they attended for years.  For many years Ole was know as Christ Olsen.  The census records of 1900 show Inga living in Brainerd, a nearby town where she was working as a servant in a boarding  house.  She was only 17 at the time.  Carl is also listed on the 1900 Census for Crow Wing County. He apparently sold his property in Iowa to buy section 24 of Peterson Township, Medina, North Dakota where they moved to after they were were married in Pequot Lakes Lutheran Church on March 31, 1902.
     Raising the eleven children and helping on the ranch kept Inga very busy, yet she maintained a calm and quiet manner, never complaining.  She suffered from a knee injury during much of her life.  She was on crutches and wore a brace for fourteen years.  This didn't seem to stop her as she still went everywhere to help the neighbors and friends around them  They took many trips back to Rochester, Minnesota to the Mayo Clinic for medical help for her leg.  They also took many trips back to Pequot to visit relatives and attend funerals.  The doctor bill for her surgery caused them to sell all of their furniture and farm machinery and move to the Olsen family homestead in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota around 1933.  They were then closer to the clinic.  Their son Bob remembers attending High School at Pequot Lakes with the Evans boys, Inga's sister Clara's children.  Then to be close to most of their family, they retired to Arlee, Montana around 1936. They lived near the Jock River and enjoyed being near many of their children and grandchildren. Inga died on July 13, 1949.

     Stories from Bob and Ken: "We boys always told our mother we wanted a blackbird pie like we heard in the rhyme: "Four and Twenty Blackbirds baked in a pie." So we kept after her to make us a blackbird pie. So finally one day she said, "You guys get the blackbirds, I'll make you a pie."  So we went out and got twenty blackbirds.  It was easy to get blackbirds then we just kept shooting until we got enough.  We cleaned them with her help.  She made us a pie out of those blackbirds and it wasn't bad."

"After they moved to Arlee, mother had a hobby of making hooked rugs out of anything, even old jeans.  She had hooked rugs all over the place and she believed in saving everything.  In those days there wasn't much money to go around."

Ken tells the story of when they had lots of skunk grease around the place.  "All of us kids trapped skunks.  We used it like goose grease to rub it on our shoes.  It sounds like it would smell, but it doesn't smell anymore than goose grease.  Mother used to rub it on our chests.  Bob is glad he was down the line, because he doesn't remember getting any skunk grease on his chest!"

Inga with grandchild Ester