Interview with Mrs. Norman (Alice) Ogdahl

April 19, 1997

Norman and Alice’s decedents as of 1997

Alice had two children but one died in infancy. Her one son, Norman James (Jim), lives in Minneapolis. Jim is not too healthy and he has had two triple heart by-passes. Jim’s wife is Marion.

Jim and Marion have three girls, Marion, Joan, and Darla. Joan died a year ago last October [1995] from breast cancer. The cancer went into the lymph nodes. She suffered for over two years. Joan was a dear girl and Alice misses her very much. She was married to Steven Brown and they lived in Lino Lakes. Now he lives in Andover, Minnesota. Steven & Joan had two boys and the oldest has just entered college. Steven works in law enforcement. Alice did not know much about the other two girls, Marion and Darla, except that Darla is not married.

Alice and Norman moved to Glenwood to retire in November of 1964. Norman had been in the feed and hatchery business in Farwell, Minnesota. When they came to Glenwood they built their new house on the Lake Minnewaska. He really had only 1965 to enjoy fishing in the lake and their new house as he died in 1966 and had been sick most of the year. He had been a smoker most of his life, and died cancer of the lungs which went into the brain.

Memories of Sophie and the hatchery business

Alice made some comments about Sophie, her mother-in-law (who was my aunt). Sophie was a very ambitious woman. She would never sit down unless she had some handwork to do. She would give every family the same thing. If she was giving pillow cases, they all got pillow cases. She sold her hand work and also exhibited it at the county fair. Alice said that Sophie would have liked to be a sales woman. She was good at selling. However, she never got to do that as she was busy raising a family.

Alice remembers the Ogdahls celebrating many anniversaries. She remembered them celebrating at Sunset Beach which is near the Peter’s Resort on Lake Minnewaska. I remember being at one of these reunions when I was in grade school. It must have been Sophie and Theodore’s 60th anniversary.

When the Norman and William were young they lived on a farm that was near a small lake or slew. It was good enough for the boys to play in and learn to swim. Highway 104 south of Glenwood now goes through the slew. The Bentrud farm is on one side of the road and the Ogdahl farm on the other side.

During the depression Alice remembered the problem with the baby chickens. Norman and Wally were together in the hatchery business and farmers didn’t have any money to pay for the chickens so they had to take the chickens out to Sophie and Theodore’s farm and care for them until the farmers could pay for them. Alice and her son Jim moved to the farm to help take care of the chickens. At this time Jim was only 2 years old and they lived upstairs. In the mornings Jim would go downstairs and grandma Sophie would feed him. After this he would go outside and they would always find him in the chicken house. Since Jim was born in 1931, this must have been in 1933. Norman’s youngest brother Leland was also there helping with the chickens.

An Ogdahl reunion in the early 1990s

Three or four years ago, Jim’s cousin Bill Scrimgeour and his wife Jeanie wanted to have a reunion at Glenwood. They rented cottages on the lake and invited other Ogdahl relatives. They had a celebration at the Minnewaska House. Wally and his daughter came, and Jim and Marion and daughter Darla were there, too. Five Scrimgeour children attended—two daughters, Laurie and Judy, and three sons.

Other Ogdahl family news

Norman and Alice’s great neice, Bill Ogdahl’s daughter, got married on May 10, 1997. Bill is Wallace’s son.

Alice also had news about Norman’s cousin, Joe Grove’s family.  Edna and Joe daughter Janet is married to Tom Hill. Gretchen, their oldest daughter has MS. She lives close to Minneapolis. Joey, their other daughter, comes up from Blaine to visit Edna every two weeks. Joey takes care of Edna’s financial things. Edna is in Parkview home now were she has a bedroom and a living room . All of her things have been taken out of the apartment she had and there may be a sale of her things this spring. Janet and Tom Hill will probably take care of this after school is out. Tom teaches school in Worland, Wyoming. Tom has had surgery for prostate cancer and he plans to retire in 1998.

Jim Dalager