Swen Olgaard (Aalgaard) was born July 29th, 1854 on a farm (Aalgaard) a few miles east of Stavanger, Norway. His parents were Swen and Janine Aalgaard. The youngest of four brothers he worked on the home farm until he was seventeen when he left to work in a machine shop in Stavanger. He felt that he had to move on being that tradition left the home farm to the oldest son in the family.
Mr. Olgaard worked in Stavanger two years for his board and room. He then moved to Christiania (now Oslo) where he worked for three years earning seventy-five cents per day. He then decided to go home and got a job running a steam engine to become a steam engineer.
In April 1880 Mr. Olgaard left Norway and came to Lake City, Minnesota. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where he worked in a machine shop during the summer and winter. The shop closed down for two months every fall so the men could go harvesting.
In the fall of 1883 Mr. Olgaard made a trip to North Dakota with the purpose of filing a homestead. He took a train to Hope, North Dakota. From Hope he walked to the Spencer Crossing, (now the Martin Ueland farm). He found his way by using a watch and compass. He had learned compass reading while working on a steamship.
In July 1884 Mr. Olgaard was married to Mathea Ramseth from Stange, Hedemarken, Norway. They moved to North Dakota where he bought railroad land five miles southeast of Cooperstown, North Dakota. They built a frame house and a sod stable. On the 16th day of August, 1888 a heavy frost killed all of the crop. The winter was a hardship so in the spring of 1889 he sold his land. With a team of horses and his threshing machine he continued to work in the area until 1899 when he filed a homestead that became their home until their death. Being a steam engineer he was away from home for long periods repairing machines around the county.
Another hardship encountered was the prairie fire in the spring of 1898. The fire swept from Valley City towards Cooperstown on the east side of the Sheyenne River. It jumped the river near what is now the Bible Conference grounds where it was finally halted. Many of the homesteaders had to plow around their buildings to save them. An old file shows that in the year 1892 the earnings from threshing was $527.90. Mr. Olgaard threshed for Vatne, Ueland, Chalmers, Aarestad, Klubben, and Brosten to mention a few.
Swen and Mathea Olgaard raised a family of four boys and three girls. Swen S. was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, March 7, 1885. He came with his parents to the Cooperstown area in 1886 and lived here all his life. Oscar was born February 2, 1887. He worked on area farms and at one time had a tire shop with his brother, Harry, in Cooperstown. Oscar also lived in Fargo and finally settled in Seattle where he lived until his death May 25, 1968. He was a veteran of World War I. Harry was born August 1, 1888. He worked for Kohler Works, Kohler, Wisconsin. He served in World War I where he was gassed and in ill health until his death September 1, 1927.
Clara Olgaard was born March 5, 1890. She married E. M. Near. They lived in Cathay, Fairmont and Mott, North Dakota. She died on October 26, 1941 when hit by a car. Margaret Olgaard was born April 11, 1892. She was married to -Vernon Hoover and lived in Waterville, New York. They had one son, Darrell. She now resides in Glendive, Montana. Olga Olgaard was born April 20, 1897. She lived at home, working in many stores in Cooperstown until her marriage to Sam Helland in Glendive, Montana where she still resides.
Albert was born October 5, 1894. He grew to manhood at home and worked on farms until his death July 30, 1964. Arthur was born July 20, 1899. He grew up on the farm, living on farms until his marriage to Alyce Peterson. They now reside in Tacoma, Washington.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 437