Hi Everyone - Ole called today from The Buffalo Gap Ranch. His PC crashed and the details are a bit fuzzy about who is reserved for our Reunion. He shows a reservation for:

• Ed & Pat Haugen
• Don & Susan Haugen
• DeeDee Larson & Family
• Kris Husar
• Bet & Wade Law
• Bob & Shirley - RV Site

Linda - He doesn’t show your reservation, so please call him before May 25th to re-confirm. Let me know if Marlea & Lyle Jr are attending.

Folks - He has only 10 rooms and shows 5 are reserved for our Reunion. He is getting requests for other reservations, so after May 25th, those rooms will no longer be available.

If you still want to attend, please Call Ole soon at 701-623-4200.

Click here for haugenreunionjuly08 schedule.

If you know of other relatives, please invite them to come too!

See you in July!

Bet Haugen Law
416 Fond du Lac Dr
Central, SC 29630
864-639-5523

Here are the directions from Pam at the Buffalo Gap Ranch:

*******************************

Hi Bet, If you are coming from Minot, go 6 miles west of Medora, get off interstate on exit 18, turn north and come in on the gravel road a little over one mile. The road will end right at the lodge. See you then, Pam

*****************************

Also - I have decided to order some ballcaps instead of T-Shirts. We will have 10 caps to give out that commemorate the 2008 Haugen Reunion with a group picture from our 2006 reunion.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Remember - we will start out by meeting at the Adolph Burkhardt Country Western Concert at the Medora Community Center on Sunday July 20th at 2pm.

If you don’t arrive until Monday, our next get together is Monday afternoon at 4pm for Bully The Play at The Old Town Hall Theater.

Monday evening we can all attend the Pitchfork Fondue. Tuesday folks can go golfing, horseback riding, shopping or drive through the Roosevelt National Park and see the buffalos.

Tuesday night we can all attend the Medora Musical at 8:30 pm at the Burning Hills Ampitheater. Seniors save 15%.

Uncle Lyle was a delightful man, the baby of the family. Because I grew up in New Hampshire, there is much I don’t know about my family from the Dakotas. Here is what I recall my mother telling me.

Uncle Lyle came East to visit my parents in the 1950’s and met a lady named Jane from either Boston or New York. Jane was a few years older than Lyle and apparently they were both ready to settle down and marry. Jane came from a Socialite, more wealthy background.

I remember going to visit Uncle Lyle & Aunt Jane in Minnesota when I was a little girl. In fact, my first memory in life was of my Father placing me on the back of a Shetland pony at their farm in Minnesota. My father and Uncle Lyle were pretty close, being the 2 youngest boys.

At some point, Uncle Lyle decided to leave Minnesota and move to British Columbia, Canada to homestead land. There was a program at that time that allowed American citizens to homestead in BC while retaining their American citizenship. My recollection is that they could file for free land and as long as they cleared 10% of it within 10 years, it was theirs.

My father and uncle spent many summers working together near Dawson Creek/Fort St John Area of British Columbia clearing the land. I don’t recall if Lyle had moved his family up to BC by then. I do recall my father would leave in the Spring and return in the Fall. He spent many summers “working in the bush” clearing land with a huge tractor and they would “windrow” the felled trees and burn them. Dad owned a Caterpillar up there with Lyle and it seemed to always break down and need repairs. My Mother & I would do daughter-mother stuff together in the summers and Mom would keep the house running while Dad was gone.

I don’t know how much land Lyle homesteaded, it must have been several thousand acres. I recall my Dad attempted to homestead 1600 acres; this meant he had to clear 160. He didn’t make it in time because it was tough country and the land ended up going back to the Canadian government I think.

Anyway…I digress. Uncle Lyle has 3 children: Linda Jane, Marlea and Lyle Jr. Linda is my age and I wish we could stay in touch better as we get along well. Linda married Rick Koechl and they have 2 children.  I am very much looking forward to seeing her again this July at our Reunion. Marlea married and divorced, she has a child named Morgan. “Little Lyle” now lives in Washington State I believe and I understand he will also be attending.

Lyle & Jane were married quite a long time until Jane passed away in the 80’s. Jane was a Librarian and I believe her daughter Linda is now a school teacher.

Recently, I found an old Christmas letter sent to me by Uncle Lyle from 1993. Lyle used to write the BEST Christmas letters and would always include a bit of family history at the end. I wish I had saved all of them! Here is an excerpt that he provided after our last reunion in 1992:

Ole Arnehaugen was born in 1828 in the Oslo area of Norway, later served as a fireman on a steamship, and migrated to Wangs, Minnesota where he filed for land. He felt the name was too long, so he dropped the “Arne”.

Nels Haugen was born in Wangs, Minnesota on February 16, 1872. He had no middle name so he took the O from his fathers name for a middle initial. Ida Nelsdaughter was born February 22, 1874 near Lund, Sweden. At fifteen, she migrated with her mother, sister Anne and brother Edward to Battle Lake, Minnesota.

Nels and Ida were married in 1893 and filed on land in Tolgen Township, Des Lacs, North Dakota in 1901. Three children were born in Minnesota and five were born in North Dakota.

Footnote: I found some old notes in a family bible written in either Norwegian or Swedish that was given to me by my Aunt Josephine. The notes are written in Norwegian (I think) and there is a reference made to her grandfather: Ole Nelson Haugen son of Nels Arnehaugen of Vaug-Valdrees, Norway (Sogning). Also something written that looks like: Tommar Mand with double dots over the o and a.

Victor was the 2nd male child, my father’s older brother. (Pictured at far left) Harold was the oldest boy (pictured far right), then there was Donald (my father, pictured Center) and Lyle the youngest shown front lower right). Victor married Alice and they lived near Berthold, ND and had 4 children: Shirley, Christine, Edwin & Claire.

As a child, I remember going to North Dakota and we stayed at Uncle Victor & Aunt Alice’s home. They had a farm across the road from the original Haugen Homestead in Ward County, North Dakota. This is about 20 minutes west of Minot. Alice was a lovely and quiet person who was always so pleasant…a petite Christian woman. Victor was a serious church-goer who played music and detested alcohol. This was probably because his father Nels was quite a heavy drinker who hid bottles in the dirt under the barn of his Livery Stables.

Shirley was their oldest daughter. She married Bob Larsen and they still live in Glendive, Montana. (Cannot recall how many children they have).

Christine married Jim Shipton and they lived in Dawson Creek, British Columbia (Canada). Jim died early and I cannot recall how many children they have.

Edwin is one of my relatives I have known the best. Eddie loves to play guitar and he is the one who continues to farm the original Haugen Homestead to this day. He is quite a family historian and works in Minot as a financial planner, selling insurance through a Lutheran agency. Ed was married to Mary Anne and they had 2 sons. They divorced back in the 80’s and Ed is now married to Pat (Dahl).

Clare married Jack Dendinger and they live in Fair Oaks, CA. They have no children and are very much alive and well.

While doing some other research recently, I located this information:

Norah Haugen married Kenneth Overby and they lived in West Concord, Minnesota. They had no children and both are deceased. I remember visiting them as a child. They were quiet and peaceful, a bit bland. Ed recalls they didn’t have much to do with the family and apparently Norah didn’t stay in touch very well.

Anne Pauline Heacock Arp - married to Earl Heacock of Stanley, North Dakota who died early. Later was friendly with a wonderful rancher named Ed Will of Stanley, North Dakota. My Cousin Ed tells me that Anne took care of Ed for many years until he died. She later moved to Minneapolis to be close to my Aunt Helen Gretz. She remarried to Dewey Arp and took care of him until he died. Anne had no children and died in 1987 after spending her final years in a nursing home. She left an Oil Royalty to her siblings that is still producing oil today. Ed recalls that Anne took care of her mother Ida out at the farm until she died.

Aunt Helen married Matt Gretz and lived in Minneapolis. They had one child Tommy who is still alive, but rather non-communicative. I recall Tommy had 2 children: Troy & Tanda.

While searching for some other paperwork the other day, I stumbled upon a fabulous list my Mom must have assembled back in 1987. Apparently Mom was doing research on Dad’s siblings when my Aunt Anne passed.

I never met any of my Uncle Harold’s family. Harold was always referred to as Dute. He was the oldest child and my Dad was the 2nd youngest child. There was quite a spread in age and I think Harold’s children were just a bit younger than my Dad.

Here is what I found in my Mother’s file:

Harold Haugen married Catharine Groninger; possibly in Carpio, ND. They had 11 children: Anna Rademacher, Robert Haugen, Gary Haugen, Harold Haugen Jr., Ruth Detlaff, Bonnie Patterson, Joyce Fjeldahl, Ida Haugen, Gloria Cox, Faye Haugen, Jean Haugen.

Anna Rademacher lived in Foxholm, North Dakota and was born June 4, 1931. She was married to Walter for 55 years and passed Sept, 26, 2007. She had 5 children, 13 grand-children and 5 great-grandchildren. You can see her Eulogy on line by clicking here.

Robert Haugen of Des Lacs, ND

Gary Haugen of Minot, ND - my mother notes he is deceased.

Harold Haugen, Jr - Deceased. Had 3 children: Jacqueline K. Waters of Coon Rapids, MN. James H. Haugen of Cape Coral, FL, Gerald R. Haugen of Buffalo, MN.

Ruth Detlaff of Glenburn, ND

Bonnie Patterson of Minot, ND

Joyce Fjeldahl of Minot, ND

Ida Haugen of Minot, ND - Deceased as written in my Mothers notes.

Gloria Cox of Surrey, ND

Faye Haugen - Deceased - No survivors

Jean Haugen - Deceased - No survivors

It is worth noting, that I will attempt to start locating any living relatives of Harold Haugen. So if any of these relatives should come across this blogsite; kindly email me: Bet@Freshbet.com

Honestly, I cannot remember everyone’s names. But this is because we just haven’t had enough reunions for everyone to really get to know each other. Essentially we have family on the East Coast, West Coast & Canada. That is a huge barrier that prevents us from really getting together often.

There are branches of our Family that are not represented here. This photo represents the families of 2 original Haugens: Donald & Victor.  Lyle’s family is not shown, however they will be attending our 2008 reunion.

Other immediate siblings from the original family are: Josephine, Harald (Dute), Norah, Ann and Helen.

Josephine - see Sargeant.

Harald - the oldest - now dead but has family in Florida that we cannot locate.

Norah married Ken Overby and they lived in Concord, MN - no children, now deceased.

Helen married Gretz in Minneapolis. Tom Gretz her only son lives in Minneapolis but we have lost touch. Tom had 2 children who now probably have children of their own.

Anne was a stylish woman who never married. She had a sharp boyfriend who bought oil leases who kept her in style for many years until her death.

As a child growing up in NH, I remember driving to Minnesota to visit Aunt Norah and Aunt Helen. We visited Uncle Lyle in Minnesota before they moved to Canada. I never met Uncle Dute - he was the oldest of Dad’s family.  I don’t honestly remember meeting Aunt Anne. My dad always talked about one of his sisters who played the piano so beautifully. We have alot of musical family members, including Ed who still plays guitar today.

Clare is the youngest child of Victor & Alice Haugen. Clare & Jack have been married a very long time and have no children. They live in Northern California and travel alot. Clare is a high energy teacher and Jack works at the Gas company and loves to golf.

One of the reasons we got together in July 06 for a Haugen Family Reunion was to celebrate Bob & Shirley’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. Their children put together a lovely powerpoint slide show of pictures over their 50 years together.

Ed wrote a song and sang it accompanied by Vic’s old guitar. The kids did a great job of making it a very memorable anniversary for Bob & Shirley. Below picture is Bob & Shirley Larsen’s family. Shirley is the oldest child of Victor & Alice Haugen.

These are Bob & Shirley’s children who were so delighted to have everyone there to celebrate their parent’s 50th Anniversary!