Peder J. Gaasland was born February 22, 1903 to Peder O. and Elizabeth Gaasland on the family farm in Meadow Lake Township East ½ of Section 13, where he grew up and went to school in a one room school house at Clark City School. He did not get a chance to finish his school as he was needed to help with the farm work. In 1923 he rented the quarter northwest of Section 36, Meadow Lake Township, from his dad who had bought the land in 1918 at a school land sale. This was all sod then so Peder and his brother broke it up, using eight horses pulling a two bottom gang plow. In 1926 Peder bought the land from the estate after his father's death and rented more land along with it, besides helping with the work on the home farm for his mother. His father had built a small barn and granary on the farm.

In 1923 Peder built a small one-room house, 12 x 20. In 1945 he bought the quarter northeast of Section 36, Meadow Lake Township. This land still owned by Peder and in 1947-48 he planted over 4000 trees for a seven acre farmstead wind break. This was done by hand with the help of his wife. Peder married Florence Otos of Mapleton, North Dakota, April 24, 1943. She passed away in March 1968. In 1952 he built a new story and a half house, doing most of the work alone. In 1956 he bought a 36x56 barn and had it moved to his farm seven miles. Besides farming Peder did carpentering, house e moving and was a thresher man for many years. His first job helping with threshing was spike pitcher on a steam threshing rig and later on he ran both the separator and engine when they changed to gas engines. He was also a trucker for a short while but that took up too much time from farm work which he liked better. Horses were used as late as 1945 to do most of the farm work. Peder is retired from active farming but still lives on the farm which is being farmed by his brother-in-law Harry Van Hal.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 74