Memories

I am going to return my article this time to another homestead family, which after reading about in the "Shifting Scenes," I found very interesting and informative and feel you readers will also.

This article is about Anton "Tony" Quam, his wife Maria and their family. Most of the information was written by Ruth (Quam) Berg, their only daughter. I may have to write two or three articles to cover this early homestead family.

Let's look at lots of quotes by Ruth.

"Anton Quam was born October 13, 1885, at Steinkjer, Norway, the son of Martin and Karen (Hevle) Kvam. His boyhood was spent in Norway until the age of 19 when he emigrated to the United States. He was the second oldest of eight children, four boys and four girls. As an eight year old child, he started herding cows and goats in the summer months up in the mountains of Norway, many times spending the entire summer away from his parents and home. He later worked in the sawmill where his father and grandfather had worked before him."

Ruth reports that he could see no future in Norway and saved enough money to pay his passage to America. He had just enough money to pay his fare by boat, so he purchased the cheapest fare possible.

Tony quotes the trip: "I came steerage, riding on the boat with the freight or cows."

"When he emigrated to the United States in 1904, he joined an uncle in Chicago. He couldn't speak a word of English when he came, but he soon learned the language from his relatives and by attending night school in Chicago."

Ruth also reports that he worked in his Uncles hardware store and attended night school to learn the machinist trade, later employed in a foundry. Like many, he didn't want to spend his life in Chicago, so he traveled to Yankton, South Dakota to work.

Now the entrance of Maria Hanger: "It was at Yankton, South Dakota where he met and married Maria Hanger on May 5, 1909. Mrs. Anton Quam was born on October 8, 1881, in Trondheim, Norway, the daughter of Ole S. and Marit (Langlo) Hanger. She was one of eight children, two of whom grew to adulthood. Her brothers and sisters died in infancy from tuberculosis. Her father married a second time after the death of his first wife, and two half-brothers were born to that union."

I wonder as I read these articles how many individuals came from foreign countries (as these did) at a young age to the U.S. and then ended up in what is now Carter County. Many learned a trade from the "Old Country" or learned one as Tony did after arriving in the United States.

Now, more history and life on this interesting homestead family.

"Mrs. Quam came to America in 1900, to the home of her brother, Sigurd Hanger in Yankton, South Dakota. He was the Norwegian Vic-Council to South Dakota. She made her home with him and his family for nine years before she was married to Anton Quam. Following their marriage they moved to Deadwood, South Dakota, where their oldest son, Arthur, was born."

Ruth reports that her dad was employed by the shops of the Homestake Mining Company for two years, but when the workers went on strike he didn't want to join the "scabs," so adventure took him to his present homestead site.

"He, together with two friends, came to Montana in 1910 to look the homestead situation over. In 1911 he filed on a 160 acre homestead, located five miles west of Ekalaka on Little Beaver Creek."

Next, I will write about their task of moving the new home and activities that followed.