Bennie Martin Haugen was born January 21, 1883 to John and Kari Haugen at Ada, Minnesota. The year he was born the family came to Griggs County and homesteaded in Greenfield Township. They lived in a sod shanty and as the story goes it was so cold that as a baby Bennie's hair froze to the wall while he was sleeping. These staunch and hard working Norwegians were very determined to make the best of a situation.
When only nine years old Bennie with his older brother, Henry, began to ride the oxen out in the field and began to learn how to farm from their father.
Bennie married Oline Harvey who had left Norway March 10, 1909, and after three weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean came to Hannaford where her sister Bertha, Mrs. Henry Haugen, lived. Bennie married Oline December 11, 1909 at the Union Church.
They began farming by renting land. They rented it through 1917. Then in 1917 they bought 320 acres for $45.00 per acre. A new house was built with a full basement under it.
The land was bought from the landowners on the deal that one half the crop would go to the person the land was purchased from and the other half was what Mr. Haugen kept. He had to pay taxes, the expense of farming and still make a living for his family out of that one half income. He was to keep doing this until the land was paid for. In 1930 the prices dropped in the depression and he could not make it so he let the land go back in 1932. Depression prices were so low that they sold wheat for twenty cents a bushel, oats for five cents and cattle at $20. a head. Drought and hail also took its toll of crops.
In 1932 the family moved to Bald Hill Township renting the farm of John Mills. Here he farmed until 1937. During this time the government set up a project to help through the depression. It was called C. C. C. , (Civil Conservation Corps). Two sons joined the C. C. C. going to Minnesota and Idaho camps working in forest and road building. Their pay was $30.00 a month and they sent home $25 of that check to help the family.
In 1937 Bennie bought a farm in Dover Township and settled there. In 1945 they bought more land. He farmed with horses until 1940 when he purchased his first tractor.
For entertainment he played the fiddle. In his younger days he also played a Alto-Bass horn in the community band.
Eleven children were born to this family, they are:
Bennie died May 10, 1960 and Oline is presently a resident of the Griggs County Nursing Home.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 286