Hans Broten
from interview by Hannah Lende
I was born March 24, 1858 on the farm, Holland, south of Stavanger, Norway. My parents are Lars Rierson Brosten and Malena. When I was two gyears old my parents moved to Brosten and here I lived til I was twenty-four years old, when I got the notion to come to America. I bought a ticket to go on Danish line, Tingvalla. The name ship was Geiser; it went direct from Norway to New York. I left Norway the first part of March, 1882. There was a terrible storm on the sea during the whole trip. The journey took nineteen days. The ship rocked so much, I was afraid we were going to sink, and I made up my mind if I ever got to New York alive, I would never cross the ocean again. That thought was soon forgotten. Since then I have crossed the ocean twelve times.
I arrived in Valley City the last part of March. I had an uncle living thirty-five miles north of Valley City. I was lucky for I met someone in town who was going north. Snow having thawed quite a bit, water stood all over. My uncle, Sven Lunde had come to Dakota the year previous and had taken a homestead near the Sheyenne River. He wanted me to take a homestead also, so I settled down one mile from his place on the side of a little hill. The walls were made of sod, and twigs and bark for a roof. I lived in this sod house for two years when I built a house. I proved up the homestead and got the title.
I borrowed $400 with 8% interest, taking me twenty years to pay it back. In 1898 I rented out my farm to a neighbor. I then rented a half section a few miles from there. I had this for five years. In 1904 I bought a quarter of land in the same section my homestead was on. I got good crops for many years and paid all my debts and I owed no one.
In 1909 I rented my farm out. I have had and still have my home at Sven Erickson. Mr. Erickson is married to a daughter of my uncle, Sven Lunde.