As one of a family of five brothers and two sisters, Ingvald A. Kampen was born in Biri, Norway January 3, 1869. At the age of 15, in 1894, he came with his parents, brothers and sisters to the United States. The family settled at Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin. In 1892, Mr. Kampen came to Griggs County, North Dakota, where he resided most of the time since that date.
In Norway, Mr. Kampen attended the district school for six years. While residing at Pigeon Falls, he attended the common school in the winter months. He took his high school studies and two years of college at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. Later he studied at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, where he earned his B. A. degree and also played on the University football team. In 1904, he got his master's degree with a major in English language and literature. To finance his schooling he worked on farms in the summer and taught rural schools in the winter.
While teaching in Medora, he met and married Estella Harmon in 1903. She was the daughter of a rancher living 10 miles south of Medora on the banks of the Little Missouri River. Her grandfather was Norman Levo, who was camp cook and guide for Theodore Roosevelt the years he was living in Medora. Story has it that Mrs. Lebo was not too happy about her husband being away so much with Theodore Roosevelt. So she had him sign a paper that if anything should happen to her husband while he was working for T. R., he would support her family. This is written in a book, Roosevelt in the Badlands, by Hermann Hagedorn. He quotes Roosevelt in several incidents and his description of Lebo is amusing. He does mention his good food.
In 1905, Kampen purchased a partnership in the Hannaford Enterprise, a weekly newspaper, and Mr. and Mrs. Kampen with infant daughter, Winifred, moved to Hannaford. He sold his interest in the newspaper to his brother, Paul Anderson, upon his election to the office of County Superintendent of Schools in Griggs County and the family moved to Cooperstown. He served in that office for 10 years. He began the practice issuing a monthly school bulletin. He also started an annual county school play day.
For several years Mr. Kampen was publisher and editor of the Hannaford Enterprise after the death of his brother. From 1939 to 1950, he was secretary of the Mjosen Oplands Bygdelag, a nationwide organization of Americans from the southeast districts of Norway. He was also a member of the Sons of Norway at Cooperstown.
During World War II teachers were hard to get, so went back to teaching in rural schools until the war was over.
Mrs. Kampen died in 1909. His four brothers and two sisters preceded him in death. In his later years he made his home with his daughter and family, Dr. and Mrs. O. H. Hoffman. Mr. Kampen died September 30, 1953.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 180