Following World War I, a rash of robberies occurred throughout North Dakota. Banks and stores were burglarized. For its protection Hannaford enlarged its police force by employing a night marshal to make regular rounds and to discourage or capture any would-be robbers. Ole Hanson, very obviously of Swedish origin, was given the job.

He dutifully made his rounds carrying a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun. People slept well knowing that Ole was on the job and that any criminal he accosted would be in most deadly danger.

One incident in the performance of his duties enhanced his reputation and earned Ole a very appropriate nickname. In the dark of night he came upon a burglar backing out of a basement window at the Hannaford Mercantile. Jamming the two 12-gauge barrels against the intruder's backside, Ole yelled, "Yew yump once, yew yump no more!"

Needless to say, the burglar didn't jump - except to the conclusion that the jig was up.

Immediately word got around that Hannaford was dangerous territory for outlaws, and from that time on, that no-nonsense law man was known as "Yump Ole."

This cognomen might have been appropriate for Ole for another reason, too. Back in Sweden he had been quite an expert ski-jumper. Here in America, his son Hans, of Minneapolis, was a national champion, the record holder in long-standing jump. However, local people knew exactly why they called him Yump Ole Hanson.

Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 256