Christopher P. Bolkan, early settler and pioneer of Griggs County, was born in Trondheim, Norway in 1854. He came to America with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bolkan, three brothers and a sister in 1866. His parents settled in Iowa. In 1880 Christopher, together with John Dahl and Ole Havik, came to Fargo by rail. They took a steamboat up to Caledonia, a small town 1/2 miles from Red River. Caledonia was county seat of Traill County, which then included Griggs and Steele. From Caledonia they walked to the Sheyenne River Valley. The country was sparsely settled at this time. On this side of what is now Portland, there were practically no inhabitants.

Christopher Bolkan took out his claim on Section 34 in Washburn Township. In 1881 the land was surveyed and the claim officially recorded. In the winter of 1881-82 he taught a term of school for the children of the pioneers in the Sheyenne Valley. The lean-to on John Qualey's log house w ' as used as the schoolhouse.

There were about 15 pupils. He boarded 2 weeks with each family and the next summer they did some land breaking for him. This was his salary.

The people in the settlement were interested in local politics. In the fall of 1880, before election of county officers, election tickets and the like were sent to this part of the settlement as it was so thickly settled. At Election Day there were only 10 votes. The returns were handed over to Mr. Bolkan to take to Caledonia. He was paid $6.00 to walk 60 miles and it took him 21/2 days.

Mr. Bolkan was married in 1884 to Pauline Spelde. Nine sons were born to them:

Albert, Willie, Freeman, Edwin, George, all deceased

Rudolph, Parshall, North Dakota

Alfred, Mesa, Arizona

Carl, Fargo

Peter, Black-mountain, North Carolina. Five of the sons served in World War I. One son, Edwin, was Clerk of Court in Griggs County from 1922 until his retirement in 1957. He married Lillian Monson in 1923 who is residing in Cooperstown.

Christopher Bolkan was a member of the first North Dakota legislature, being elected a representative for the 1889 session. He worked hard to defeat the notorious "Louisiana Lottery Bill."

In 1907, Mr. Bolkan and his family moved to Cooperstown where he served as rural mail carrier until retiring. Mrs. Bolkan died in 1930 and Christopher Bolkan died in 1945.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 475