Every year hundreds of people spend a part of their vacation time at the Clauson Springs Recreation Park east of Hastings; little realizing the historical background of this place.
Here is a spot that has known the teepees and pow-wows of the Sioux Indians; the searching eyes of the explorer; the camps of the army infantry and cavalry; the lonely vigil of the army dispatch rider; the solitary camp of the fur trapper; the buffalo hunting camp of the Chippewa and Assiniboine hunting party and the carol of the army supply train on its way to some distant frontier army fort.
Clauson Springs first became known, at least in writing, in 1839 when General Fremont and Joseph Nicolas Nicollet visited the spot and camped here for two days in July of 1839. Here they found a large group of Indians and half-breeds camped, engaged in slaughtering buffalo and making the food known as "Pemmican." Pemmican is composed of dried buffalo meat, laced with fat, berries and fruit, of which there was plenty at Birch Creek at that time. The group was nominally commanded by Chief Waneta, a Chippewa from Pembina. Waneta was very friendly as he knew most of the members of the party and they were invited to participate in the hunt or "surround" as it was called. Fremont, always game for fun and excitement, accepted the invitation and in chasing the buffalo, he became lost. It was necessary to send someone out to find him at the end of the day.
The party remained here for several days and then pushed northward, following the river and passing west of what is now valley City in the vicinity of Hobart Lake. The party arrived at Devils Lake on July 27, 1839. The return journey took them to the east of the Sheyenne River and back to St. Paul. The most concrete result of this exploration was the map which Nicollet drew upon his return and the scientific observations made by Nicollet as to the flora and fauna of the area.
With the passing of the Nicollet-Fremont expedition, Birch or Tampa creek reverted to its role as a camping spot for the passing Indians, fur trappers and hunting groups from Pembina. However, it was soon to be the scene of one of the largest gatherings of Indians ever to be in one place peacefully.
The United States Government had concluded several treaties whereby Indian lands were ceded to the United States Government for the payment of cash, arrangements for the education of the children and annual gifts of food, clothing and other items. None of these treaties had been lived up to by the Government and there was great dissatisfaction on the part of the younger members of the tribes. They, then, called a meeting of the wandering Sioux tribes of the area at Birch Creek or Clauson Springs. The
meeting took place during the summer of 1853 and approximately 5,000 Indians came. Little is known of the meeting except that they remained at Birch Creek for some time. The Indians gave the place a new name, ''Shan ka-ata-kata-pi" or "The Place Were We Ate Many Dogs" and renamed the creek "Shanka Creek" or Dog Creek. Apparently, although the Indians of that time did eat dog meat, the new name was in reference to the great number of prairie dogs there at the time, whose meat was considered a delicacy. What took place in the Councils we do not know for sure but very likely the elders were able to calm the younger braves, as it was nearly ten years before the real outbreak against the whites took place in Minnesota.
Actually, the above meeting was unknown to the white man until, in 1923, when Louis LaBelle, a French half-breed mail carrier between Fort Ransom and Fort Totten in the early days, identified the spot. Will Dixon, a guide and a relative by marriage to Chief Waneta also identified the spot to a member of Col. McPhail's command when they stopped at Birch Creek on their journey back from General Sibley's expedition in 1863. Col. McPhail and his command re-named the spot "Camp Johnson" in honor of one of the officers in his command.
Four years later, in 1867, Tampa Creek, or Birch Creek, or Dog Creek, or Camp Johnson (take your pick) again rang with the shouts of teamsters, the commands of the officers and the banter of the foot soldier. The Government, at the urging of the the ever-westward moving population, had decided to establish strategically located forts throughout the area from Minnesota through North Dakota into Montana to protect the wagon trains on their way to the goldfields of Montana, the settlers along the Red River and the railroad workers on the projected railroad across the plains to the Pacific Coast. General Terry was ordered to make the survey for the location of the forts, and he began at Fort Abercrombie on the Red River. His party consisted of one company of infantry, a troop of cavalry and 25 wagons pulled by six mules each. There were also two ambulances (sort of covered buckboards).
The site for the first fort was selected at Bears Den Hillock. Why here no one knows for sure except that perhaps water was available and the top of Bears Den Hillock afforded a wide view of the countryside. In retrospect, it seems a poor place to establish a fort. At any rate, after selecting the site, the party turned northward along the river, stopping at Birch Creek or Camp Johnson for the water available there, plus fire wood and tree cover. Once again the sound of woodcutting was heard, with horses chomping at the picket line and "chow call" ringing up and down the valley.
General Terry and command then proceeded northward, passing to the north side of Hobart Lake and making camp at the old site of the village of Eckelson. From here they wended their way along the outer edge of the valley until they came upon the trail of General Sibley after crossing the river at what we now know as "Sibley Crossing."
With the establishment of Fort Ransom and Fort Totten, Birch Creek took on a new importance. It became the camping place for the supply trains, dispatch riders and cattle drivers which supplied not only Fort Ransom and Fort Totten but Fort Stevenson and Fort Buford on the Missouri River. It continued to be the camping ground for the wandering Indians from the Fort Totten and Sisseton Indian Reservations. The trail became a road . . . in fact, a highway between two centers of population qn the prairie. Deep ruts were cut in the prairie and in spots the remains of the old military road can still be seen, especially in the area of Birch Creek or Clausen Springs.
With the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad, the need for Fort Ransom ceased and in 1875 it was ordered abandoned. Fort Abercrombie had already been dismantled and there also ceased to be any military traffic via Fort Ransom. Birch Creek became a ghost spot except for passing Indians and an infrequent trapper.
With civilization coming, the fur trade had ceased and a way of life had passed.
Settlers had begun to filter into the Valley of the Sheyenne following the building of the railroad. The railroad had sent promoters to the European countries to tell them of the chance to get what amounted to free land in the Dakotas. By 1879 the emigration from the old country was just beginning to be felt in the valley and among those appearing were three young brothers by the name of Clausen. Ludvig, 31 years of age, was the oldest, followed by Gustav, 23 years old, and Nels, the youngest at the ripe age of 17. None of the three were married and none ever did get married. It is likely that the three walked from Valley City south along the river valley, searching for just the right land to settle on and make their fortunes.
Since they were among the first settlers in the area, they had a wide choice of land. It is likely that they were looking for land with the same characteristics of the land that they had farmed in Norway. The prairies were new to them and they tended to keep to the valley in their search. They felt much more at home among the hills, trees and near the water.
The three brothers were the sons of Claus Clausen who resided at M'Jo'ndalen, Eiker, Norway. In addition to the three brothers, there were three sisters; Elise, Henrietta and Fredrikke, and another brother called Claus. Claus was the eldest of the seven children and had been named after his father. Claus preceded the three brothers in death, leaving two children; Leonard and Signe.
After looking over the land, the brothers chose 160 acres bisected by the waters of Birch Creek and including a deep glen covered with a thick blanket of trees. They, or rather Ludvig, filed on the interior 160 acres of Section 18, Oak Hill Township. Just why more land was not filed on is a mystery, since each was entitled to file on a quarter section in his own right. Very likely, having in mind the small farm of their father in Norway, they thought that 160 acres was a great amount of land and all they would ever be able to farm.
Returning to their claim, they proceeded to build a "dugout" home in the side of valley of the creek, selecting the tree-covered glen for its location. Here they were to live for many years, adding only a small addition for a kitchen somewhat later. A small barn was built below the house on level land by the creek. Several trees were cut from the hill side to the west of the small wood-fronted dugout to provide for a crude road out of the glen. Apparently there were few close neighbors at first, but as the days of the year passed, other settlers began to file on land in the vicinity and, as was the custom then, each helped the other in getting settled. Life began to settle into a pattern and the three brothers, by mutual consent, fell into a way of life that was to exist for many years.
Ludvig, the eldest, was the acknowledged leader. He made the large decisions and kept the peace. Gustav and Nels were not on the best of terms and Ludvig was forced to be the peacemaker.
This role was played for many years and Ludvig was, according to one story, supposed to have remarked that when he died, he wanted to be buried between the two brothers so that they could not continue their bickering after death, regardless of where they went.
Gustav was the cook and wrote poetry, which, according to those still alive who knew the brothers, was accepted and printed in the "Decorah Posten," a Norwegian newspaper printed in Iowa and widely read by the Norwegian settlers in the Dakotas and Minnesota. According-to Mr. Henry Anderson, who lived just south of the home of the brothers, and who visited them with his father, Gustav had been a sailor before coming to the Dakotas and after having been at the wheel of a ship caught in a storm for over 48 hours without relief, he had become a bit peculiar. Mr. Anderson remembers that Gustav's sailor uniform hung just inside the door of the kitchen for many years, but that Gustav would not talk about his experiences as a sailor. He seemed a rather dour sort of man, not given to casual conversation, but living in a world of his own.
Nels, the youngest, alternated between working for another settler close by or remaining at home, very likely fighting with Gustav. Although a fine looking man, Nels was not on the marriage market. Of limited education, he preferred the life of a hired man.
Little is known of the farming operations. Mr. Henry Anderson's father, and later Mr. Anderson himself, farmed the tillable land on shares with Ludvig. Some horses were kept but after the railroad
was built, which crossed a part of the farm, no horses were kept on the premises. Part of the income of the trio came from the sale of wine made from the wild berries which grew in great profusion in the valley. Ludvig is supposed to have planted some apple trees but few, if any, survive to this day. Chokecherries, gooseberries and wild plums were mainly used in the winemaking. Ludvig asked friends to make use of the un-needed fruit and settlers in the vicinity were happy to take advantage of his generosity. Of course, since this was the age of prohibition, the sale of wine was strictly illegal. However, no complaint was made by the neighbors.
Despite the frugality of their living, they were able to send some money home to Norway at times. Likely, the youngest sister, Elise; was the receiver of this money, since she had never married. Some money was received from the sale of the right-of-way to the Northern Pacific Railroad and it appears from the estate papers of Ludvig that this money was put in Certificates of Deposit at the State Bank of Hastings, where it remained until the last brother, Gustav, passed away.
So passed the life of the Clausen Brothers . . . known to their contemporaries as hermits, wine-makers and in the main as "characters," not given to hard work but still able to take care of themselves. Ludvig was the first to pass away in 1915 at the age of 67. Nels followed within a few months. Gustav was left to carry on the farming. According to contemporaries, he then built a small house just to the south of the original dug-out home and here he lived by himself for ten years and here he died alone on October 25, 1925, at the age of 69.
True to the request of Ludvig made some years before, the three brothers were buried in the Spring Creek Cemetery on the North edge of Hastings, and Luvig was buried between Nels and Gustav, hopefully to keep the peace in the hereafter.
Upon the death of Gustav, an administrator was appointed to administer the estate. His name is not important but his actions were. The administrator was appointed on the 23rd day of November, 1925, and served in that capacity until his death on March 18, 1931. On June 26, 1931, another administrator was appointed to complete the settlement of the estate. The new administrator began to audit the work of his predecessor, and found that the estate of Gustav had been mishandled and that after payment of some of the claims, the sum of $1,335.27 was missing and unaccountable. Claim was then made against the estate of the former administrator and the State Bonding Fund. There being no funds in the estate, the State Bonding Fund was forced to replace the missing movies, not, however, without having to go to the Supreme Court for a judgment. A total of $1,497.94 was recovered from the State Bonding Fund and this, plus some interest due the estate, brought the total estate before administration to $1, 605.05.
The administrator then began to pay the claims against the estate and to try to ascertain the rightful next of kin to make distribution of the estate. Since all of the relatives concerned lived in Norway, it became a long and tiresome period of corresponding through the American Consul in Norway. Finally, on the 18th day of November, 1936, the administrator filed his final report. Thus ended the story of the Clausen Brothers.
Upon the death of Gustav, the land included in the estate was purchased by Torger Syvertson, son of Claus Syvertson, who owned the land to the west of the Clausen property. Mr. Syvertson then tore down the small house and the dugout home of the Clausen Brothers and the barn and the property became a picnic spot for the people of the immediate area. In fact, it was such a popular place that Mr. Syvertson decided to build a small dance pavilion just to the north of the location of the home of the Clausens and for a period of years, during the thirties, dance bands were brought in periodically and dances were held.
The spot continued to be a picnic place during the late thirties and into the forties and with the advent of the county park system, and after prolonged discussion, it was decided to acquire additional property and convert the place to a county park. Several state and federal organizations and the National Guard were brought into the picture . . . a dam was built and today we have the possibility of The Clausen Springs Recreational Area being converted to a State Park.
Thousands of people now use Tampa Creek, or Birch Creek, or Dog Creek, or Camp Johnson, or Clausen Springs (call it what you may) for their recreation and fishing, little realizing the historical background of the area..
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 307