Ragnild Laura Amlie

Ragnild Laura Amlie was born November 25, 1859 near Ridgway Winnashak Company Iowa.  Her father died when she was five years.  In spite of handicaps she was successful in securing an education for teaching.  Taught schools in Iowa and South Dakota before coming to North Dakota in 1886 and homesteaded on Section 32 North East corner, new Lenora Township Griggs County.  She taught schools for 23 years, one located near Ottawa Church.  Mrs. Stokkeland (Sophia Gunderson), Mrs. Herberg (Mabel Gunderson), Elvina Torgerson, Clara (Torgerson) Seim, Clara Trostad Selberg were some of her students.  Also owned a house in Cooperstown and often would bicycle into town from the farm.  At one time she had bought lumber to build on an addition to the house on the farm and one day two men drove in with a team and wagon.  Thinking no one lived there, they began loading this lumber.  But lo and behold out came Laura with her pistol.  The lumber was quickly unloaded and the men left in a hurry.

When retiring from teaching she moved to Cooperstown, to care for her aged mother, her nieces and nephews and took interest in furthering their education.  A nephew Thomas became a lawyer and representative to Washington from Wisconsin.

Miss Amlie saw much of the hardships of pioneer life in Iowa and the Dakotas.  This Griggs County Pioneer teacher died October 1934 in Cooperstown, North Dakota.

Emil Amundson was born in Aamodt Osterdalen, Norway January 21, 1869.  He was 14 years old when, with his parents, Erik and Lisbeth Amundson, two sisters and two brothers they came to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1881.  Few years later arriving in which is now Lenora Township Griggs County and homesteaded with his parents on the NW quarter of Section 32.

Emil was married to Martha Urness at her sister's home, Mrs. Andrew Rusten, on December 9, 1874.  They homesteaded a half-mile North of the present Ottawa Church, west half of Section 30 Lenora Township Griggs County.

They built a small home and there Emil began farming for himself.  Later they built a new and larger home, where they lived until retiring to Jessie, North Dakota.  There Emil passed away November 25, 1942 and Martha passed away July 1, 1940.

There were two daughters, one died in infancy and Lilly married Ed.  Arnt and resides at Little Falls, Minnesota

Amundsons had three grandchildren: 

Edna Arndt married to Gordon Carlsen, Finley, North Dakota, Eugene Arndt of Las Vegas, Nev., LeRoy Arndt of Rochester, Minnesota

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976  Page 335