The following was written for the Walsh County Heritage books by Ella Dahl:
Trondhjem in Norway, on rugged land between Trondheimsfjorden and the cliffs, was the early home of Anton C. Dahl, son of Christian Dahl and Antonette Svarte Dahl. The family loved their native land, but early in life they realized that the small fields in the area did not offer opportunities compared with those of open America. Relatives who had migrated earlier wrote glowing reports of the new land.
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It must have been difficult for the mother of twelve to see her children, one by one, leave their homeland. Still in their early teens, in 1874, Anton and Oluf sailed for New York. From New York they traveled by rail to Dalton, Minn., (named for the Dahl families) and to Fergus Falls, Minn., where they joined relatives who had earlier left Norway.
Anton, having completed in Norway the vocational trade school in painting and woodworking, obtained work in Fargo. During winters he attended school to study the English language and to learn the customs of Americans.
Children of Anton Dahl were told of his experiences while herding cattle from Fergus Falls to Winnipeg. Still in his late teens, he and his brother, Hans, made the first trip on foot, swimming the coulees and streams as they followed the trail. On a second trip Anton and a companion were provided with Indian ponies to ride as they herded cattle to Winnipeg where they were sold to the Hudson Bay Company. On his return trip by steamboat from Winnipeg in 1877, he stopped at Kelley's Point or Fisher's
Landing and walked westward toward Grafton.
Continuing along the middle branch of the Park River, he took took note of the rich farm land, and at an area about two miles south of Nash, he staked out a quarter section of the land. He did not file a homestead claim to the land.
In the decade of the 1870's large bonanza farms appeared north of Fargo. Old letters written by Anton to his sister ,Mrs. Martin Dahl, reveal that he and two brothers, Hans and Oluf, worked intermittently on some of these farms. An excerpt from one letter dated April, "We are no longer working on the Dalrymple Farms. There is not much opportunity for work in Fargo, west, but I will begin painting tomorrow at $1 per day plus maintenance. There are not so many laborers here as there have been other years; many people are looking for land." Another letter dated May 28, 1878, describes Fargo as "a lively little town. There are many kinds of people so a fellow must look out for himself when he comes here." All the letters show concern about news that others may have had from those left behind in Norway.
In Dahl's mind was the urge to "squat" on land that he could some day call his own. In 1878, he staked out and filed claim to a quarter section north of the middle branch of the Park River rather than to the south as originally planned. Hans, Oluf, and Anton, and a cousin, Martin Dahl, near-adjoining homesteads.
Dahl had to supplement his income by working elsewhere during fall and winter months. In a letter from Fargo, September, 1884, he wrote to his sister Caroline: "We have worked for a farmer near Buffalo River, ninemiles from Moorhead. We received $1.50 a day. We are sending you $10 to take up our potatoes."
Early life on the Dakota prairies was both difficult and challenging. Mail and supplies were first obtained from the steamboat at the landing near Acton. The railroad came through Grafton in 1881 when the population was about 400. As the homestead farms flourished, a meeting was held in 1882 to incorporate Grafton. Completed in 1883, this was a red-letter day for area residents.
Pioneer life demanded ingenuity and industry. Dahl's training in woodwork served him well. A handmade boat often proved useful, especially during seasons of high water. Many tools and implements were made from wood. Handles for axes and hammers, as well as gates, fences, walking plows, butter churns, benches, ladles and rolling pins were the result of woodworking skills. From wood, Mr. Dahl made skis, snowshoes, and hayracks. He planed runners for the home-made "jumper" and repaired the bob-sleigh. With rude equipment, he climbed up to paint the high steeple of North Trinity Church. In later years he applied stain and varnish to "wood-grain" the doors of the farmhouse. One winter he helped his wife in making piece quilts, and he also crocheted "fascinators" and scarves. Throughout the winter trees were felled and sawed or chopped for firewood to heat the home.
Each year, shortly before Christmas, the old "shanty" would get a good scrubbing. Soon the beef and hog dangled from the supports near the shanty to be prepared for winter use. The work continued into the late evening hours in the shanty, lighted by

kerosene lamps and lanterns. The old hand meat grinder, still in possession of the family, was used to grind pork and beef for sausage of all kinds. Hundreds of meat balls, roasts, steaks, "rolla polsa," "blod polsa, " head cheese, and link sausage were made ready for eating before being frozen.
In addition to hard labor, pioneers of the area experienced droughts, floods, tornadoes, and personal sorrows. There were the economic depression. But the life was also extremely rewarding. Here, Mr. Dahl had the freedom he had sought. He lived to see many industrial advances and inventions. The first automobile was a great excitement for the family, but he often said that he was equally enthusiastic about the first team of oxen. He lived to enjoy the convenience of the telephone, radio, and improved farm machinery.
Before his marriage, Anton Dahl returned to Norway to visit his parents and other relatives. The trip was enjoyed, but he knew that America was home to him. He also visited his sister, Constance, in Spokane, Wash., and was employed there for a time as a painter. He returned to Walsh County, convinced that this was where he wanted to make his permanent home. He was 36 when he married Emma, who was 19.
Mr. Dahl was an avid reader. Daily newspapers came when the first rural route was established in 1006.
The first mailman was William Coulthart. Politics, education, and current events were top items of interest. There was an eagerness to educate his family too. Happiness was apparent as he saw his children enter and graduate from high school and college. Interest in world affairs and in map study increased among all family members when the oldest son, Victor, served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I and with the Army of Occupation in Germany following the Armistice.
Anton Dahl held various offices in Grafton Township, in his local school district, and in North Trinity Church. His family retains possession of the Norwegian New Testament, presented to him by his pastor at the time of his confirmation in Norway, Oct. 1, 1871. Here his name is inscribed as Anton Kristian Aalberg; the family name was changed to Dahl upon their arrival in America.
Mr. Dahl was a jovial man and liked people; they in turn enjoyed visiting with him. He was respected in the community for his integrity and high moral standards. Anton Dahl and Emma Anderson were married at Grafton, Dec. 9, 1893. They continued to live on the homestead farm in Grafton Township and ownership is still held by their descendants. Anton's first shelter on the farm was little more than a sod-roofed dug-out. Eventually, this was replaced by a three-room frame house. With additions, the house has been partially modernized and is still in use.
Although still active and apparently in good health, Mr. Dahl died suddenly Nov. 19, 1925. He was stricken with apoplexy while in Grafton buying groceries. His sudden passing was a shock and deeply felt by the community where he had spent so many years and where he left a host of friends. His presence was sadly missed within his home. His life had been difficult but fruitful. He had retained within him the true spirit of a pioneer courageous, adventuresome, industrious, and God fearing. The following lines of verse are indicative of his family's feelings: “So proud of your children you became, And proud are they to bear your name; God grant that we will live like thee, honest and true, not seeking fame.