Home<Twin Lake

Benson County North Dakota Genealogy

Twin Lake Township North Dakota

Township 155 North, Range 70 West

Early Pioneers

Taken from Seventy-five Years Leeds/York 1886-1961 Jubilee book

and

"Early history of Beaver Township reprinted from Leeds News June 6, 13 & 20, 1935" Benson County Farmers Press March 10,2004

It was during the summer of 1889 that this territory was surveyed. The surveyors camped near the Dokken farm, now owned by A.E. Tufte, where there is a spring. Their camp somewhat resembled a road camp of today.  They used a long chain in surveying, and marked the section and quarter lines with stakes, mounds of dirt and rocks. The township lines had been marked previously. The township was organized on February 28, 1901. On March 3, 1901, 37 voters petitioned the county commissioners to recognize the township under the name Twin Lake. This name was chosen because of the two lakes which are situated in the township. The first election was ordered for March 12, 1901. M.K. Nybo, Sherman Brunton and Ed Dean were elected supervisors; E.L. Kingsley, clerk; and O. Ridenour, treasurer. In 1938 the township had four eight-grade schools which provided eight months of school during the year. The population as 222.

Ed Shock was the first settler in Twin Lake township. He came in 1896. Mr. Laman and family were the second to homestead and in 1897 Mr. Asbjorn E.Tufte arrived. A.E. Tufte was born in Hallingdal,Norway and came to this country in March of 1893 at the age of 17.  He traveled first on skis, then by wagon and train to Oslo, by ship to Hull, England, and arrived fourteen days later in Halifax, Nova Scotia. From there he traveled to St. Marie and on to Dakota where he got his first glimpse of the wide prairie. He worked on farms near Leeds and Churchs Ferry the first three years he spent in this county. In 1896, he started farming north of Leeds. Early in the spring of 1897, not being old enough to take a homestead, he squatted on a quater of land which is still a part of his farm.  He arrived with five oxen, three broncos and enough lumber to build a 12 by  12 foot hut. He tells us his first home was a wagon box. He planted the first tree in the township that same year.  He married Birgit T. Tufte in 1904. Mr. Tufte and family moved to Cando in 1912 to farm, but returned to this vicinity in 1916. A.E. attributed his culinary ability to his experience as a bachelor in those pioneers days. A.E Tufte moved to Harlow in 1946. One of their sons Paul Berhnhard or Bennie, married to Fern Crum, took over the home farm in 1946. He retired in 1981 and his son, Gary and his wife Linda, took over farming the land.

Henry Broe and Iver Bakken were also early settlers in Twin Lake Township.Henry Broe was born near Ossian, Iowa. When he was three years old his parents moved to Buxton, N.Dak., where his father filed on a homestead. When Mr. Broe was 21 years of age, he was lured westward to seek home and fortune coming directly to Broe Township where he filed on his homestead in the year of 1897.

Iver Bakken was born in Norway and came to this country in 1885. He filed on his homestead west of the church (St. Petri) in 1897, where he lived in his sod house until 1919 when he moved to a farm in Butte Valley township.

Jens & Boletta Davidson Eide 50th Wedding Anniversary

J.R. Eide was born in Olden, Nordfjord, Norway, immigrating to America in 1893. He went to Montana and here he related his thrilling experiences as a cowboy. He came to North Dakota and worked in the vicinities of Hope and Churchs Ferry. In 1901, he bought two quarters of land in Twin Lake Township. He married Boletta Davidson and they became members of St. Petri Lutheran Church. Jens served the St. Petri congregation as "klokker" for 39 years. He was a member of the Twin Lake township board for 40 years and also a chairman of the Benson County A.A.A. Committee. In 1920 they adopted a son, Malvin, who lived on the home place with his wife Elsie.

Ole Blegen was born at Stewartville, Minnesota in 1881. When he was four years old, his parents moved to a farm near Churchs Ferry where he spent his boyhood. He came to this community in 1905, purchasing the four quarters of school land in Twin Lake Township. He married Pernille Kirkiede. Mr. and Mrs. Blegen moved to Leeds upon retirement in 1945. Their son, Harold, and his family lived on the farm until his retirement when they built a new house on the farmstead.

Ole Froholm came to the United State on 27 April 1892. He worked on a farm near Benson, Minnesota for two years. He came to Churchs Ferry in 1894, purchasing land which he farmed for ten years. He came to Twin Lake Township in 1909 and farmed until his death in 1954..

George Jacobson was born at Glencoe, Minnesota. When he was three years old, his parents moved to Churchs Ferry and here his father homesteaded in 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson moved to a farm in Twin Lake Township in 1908.

Mathias K. Nybo was born in Nordfjord, Norway in 1864 and came to America with his family in 1881(or 1885) at the age of 16 and settled at Hope, North Dakota.. He is one of the earliest immigrants to the area. He worked on the railroad in different parts of Minnesota and at other employment until in 1884, when he came to North Dakota. He lived at Churchs Ferry for eight years and here he had the dray line. Mathias married Corrine Jacobson of Churchs Ferry. She passed away and Mr, Nybo married Rakkel Froholm. They lived at Churchs Ferry until they settled on the homestead in section 23 of Twin Lake township. He came to this vicinity in 1898 and filed on land in Twin Lake Township, on which he lived. Roald Nybo, their son and his wife, Caroline next lived on the farm and later their son Donald Nybo farmed the original Nybo farm.

Gabriel Lokken filed on a homestead in Broe Township in 1889. He sold this land and a few years later bought his present farm in Twin Lake Township. He had a well-digging machine, so did that line of work for some time.

Alfred Wurgler Sr. was born in January, 1877, in Bern, Switzerland. He came to the United States in 1905. He married Anna Mueller, and after having lived in Wisconsin, they moved to North Dakota and purchased a farm in Twin Lake township. Both were active members of the community and members of the Church of the Brethern.

George A. Jacobson homesteaded in Twin Lake township before 1908. He married Tillie Adahl. They donated the land on which Twin Lake school number four was built. George was Twin Lake township clerk over 20 years and served as County Commissioner for Benson County eight years. Both George and Tillie were active members of St. Petri Lutheran Church.

Hans Halvorson was born in Norway in 1890. He came to the United Sttes in 1909 and married Eileen Nybo in 1914. They lived on the Nybo farm from 1917 until 1929 when they moved one half mile east to their present location. Later Hans lived on the farm with his daughter Lorraine Davy.

Thomas and Mary Allan moved with their family of five to a homestead that Thomas had filed a claim on eleven and a half miles south and west of York. This was in March of 1899. In1900 Tom and Kate as they were called, became members of the "Hill Church". Tom was elected to the ministry in 1903 and served for 35 years as a free pastor. In 1969 he sold it to his youngest son, Owen, and moved to Rugby.

Everett Allan was born in North English, Iowa, in 1895. He came to Twin Lake township July 8 1899, and attended school in Twin Lake Number Two. He farmed the family farm until his marriage to Lily Randle. He bought the farm in 1917. In 1956 Ira, his son married Elvina Peterson, and they moved to the farm in the fall of that year.

Mike Hrabe was born in Prague, Bohemia. He married Frances Pecinausky in 1880. They moved to South Dakota in 1883, but the crops were so poor so they moved to York and farmed the Dean place. In 1909 he bought the James Payne farm in section seven of Twin Lake township. His youngest son, George, and his wife, Frances, farmed the home plce from 1925 to 1951. Elburn and Lois Dumdai then took over the farm.

Emanuel and Rachel Burns along with their nine children came from Indiana in 1901 and homesteaded in Section 14 of Twin Lake township. Their son Art, and his wife Ethel, lived all their married lives in Twin Lake. One of their sons, Cecil, continued to farm the homestead until his retirement.

Alex DeGrout came to North Dakota in 1899 from Three Oaks, Michigan, and homesteaded that same year. In 1908 he married Mary who came from Ontario, Canada. Their son William took over the farm.

J.F. Graham homesteaded the northwest quarter of Section 9. Succeeding owners have been Charles Witz, George Weisheck and Pete Weisbeck. Louie and Mildred Hoffert purchased the farm in 1962.

Edward Peterson came to Knox from Finley, North Dakota in 1900 and homesteaded a quarter of land in Section 30 of  Twin Lake township. Edward died in 1953, and this land was sold to the Clarence Church family. Edward's son, John, bought the 40 acres in Section 18 that was homesteaded by Frank Fonda in 1926. The land was then owned by his wife, Myrtle Peterson.

Oscar Tigner came from Indiana and homesteaded the southeast quarter of Section six of Twin Lake township in 1901. Tom Watland bought the farm in 1905. He sold it to Lloyd Pierson, son of Olaf and Mary Pierson in 1940. Lloyd's son Dennis and his wife Darlene were the next owners.

Gabriel Loken was born in Olden, Nordfjord, Norway in 1874. He came to this country when he was 14 years old. Gabe married Lisa Nelson in 1905, and they lived in Broe township. Later they moved to the farm he purchased in Twin Lake township.

Bernt and Svanhild Axness were married in 1917 and farmed in Twin Lake township until 1952 when Laurence and Arleen Axness began farming.

There are others who have lived in Twin Lake township: Floyd and Arlene Allan, Gordon and Charlotte Loken, Elburn and Lois Dumdal, Elvina Allan, Owen and Judy Randle, Charles and minnie Wurgler, Hugo and Blanche Wurgler, James and Sherry Wurgler, Rodney and Linda Wurgler, Paul and Karen Tufte, James and Diane Tufte and Gary and Linda Tufte.

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