"It was a memorable pastime to listen to the three Hetland brothers reminisce, " wrote one of the numerous descendants, years later. Alfred often talked of the Reo automobile that was purchased by the three brothers and was one of the first automobiles in the area. It was a Reo two-cylinder machine with the crank on the side. They went joy riding one day and stopped to look their new auto over. One brother was cranking it and another was fooling around with the spark plugs. The brother who was cranking received a shock that went right through his body and gave him such a jolt that he fell back into the road. They became afraid of the car and walked home leaving the machine behind. The next day, they pulled it home with horses. They felt safer with horses. At least they knew what made them go.
They often spoke of the years when there was shortage of coal. When they heard rumors of coal coming, they would leave home at three AM to be sure of getting their share. When their turn came to get coal, they were given each a few shovels full. Families with small children were first on the list and the bachelors did not get as much. They would talk of eating frozen food for want of heat to warm the food up. They would spend as much of their time as possible in the barn with the cattle to keep warm.
The brothers would relate many stories of interest. Alfred talked of the first time he saw coffee cooked in Norway. He said that the ladies boiled the grounds and then poured off the water and ate what was left. They could not understand why Americans were so fond of coffee.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 313