DAY 13 – JUNE 24, 2013 – Crookston Area

Sunny day…again out maneuvered the rain.

We met Art around 10:30 and over the course of the day, we found all the remaining cemeteries. Marsh River was the most difficult to find as it was up in the farm land and had no markers indicating where it might be.  Art took us down to my g-grandfather’s old place that is now referred to as “Jacobson’s Woods”.  There are no structures on the land any longer but most of it is now being farmed by Jamie Tronnes (a shirt-tail relative).  Jacob Thorson had the farm next door to my g-grandfather and, according to his granddaughter, Anna Mae Palm (daughter of Annie Thorson Rodal), Jacob received this land with the help of my g-grandfather. We did stop by Jacob’s farm and later met Anna Mae at a nursing home in Fertile, Minnesota.

G-Grandfather's land currently planted

Red River - Property in front, North Dakota across the river



 

We had lunch at a place in Fertile after bypassing Ada and Beltrami and before visiting the nursing home. We tried to meet cousin, Arlene, but she was not having a good day so we moved on and back to Climax to continue our search for the remaining cemeteries. NOTE FOR ROLF: I have enough headstone photos to fill a photo album. J

Anna Mae

It was a very long day of driving through farms…the farms are very large and flat with black soil and primarily grow corn (for ethanol), soybeans, edible beans, sugar beets, and wheat.  At the Jacobson’s Woods, I could actually see the Red River flowing north. It’s one of only a few rivers that flow north. On the one side of the river is Minnesota and the other side is North Dakota.



Red River flowing north

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day ended with dinner at the corner bar and meeting Jerry, another shirt tail relative. I am now up to 18 new cousins!