I paid all my debts: A Norwegian-American Immigrant Saga of Life on the Prairie of North Dakota - Softcover

Lloyd Svendsbye

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1932688412 ISBN 13: 9781932688412

Publisher: Lutheran University Press, 2009

Synopsis

The prospect of 160 acres of free land enticed thousands of Norwegians to immigrate to America, with high hopes for a better, more prosperous life. Those who settled in North Dakota never expected they would need several times that amount of land, nor did they imagine the high costs involved in meeting the homestead requirements. This is a story of two families for whom the promise of America miscarried. As they reached a point of borrowing money to move their dream forward the depression hit, as did a drought on the prairie. But the family spirits never died, and the immigrants never wished to be elsewhere.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This is the story of two families—Anders and Gudrun Svendsbye and Thor and Gjertru Birkelo—for whom the promise of America miscarried. For several years they had to borrow money for almost everything: the seed they planted, the hay that had to be shipped in to feed the animals, the food and clothing needed by the family just to exist. Bills mounted. Taxes went unpaid. And the top soil of the parched earth blew away, airborne for hundreds of miles as strong winds pummeled the earth.

About the Author:

Dr. Lloyd Svendsbye has served as editor-in-chief at the former Augsburg Publishing House; a member of the Church Council of the American Lutheran Church; as president of Luther Northwestern Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota; as academic dean of St. Olaf College, Northfield Minnesota; as president of Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is affiliated with a number of Norwegian-American organizations.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lutheran University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1932688412
• ISBN 13: 9781932688412
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• Number of pages: 168