Sacks to Success

A lot can change in one generation. A family living below the poverty line in Northern Minnesota has the chance to change their destiny and become defined as middle class in a single lifetime. With hard work and the luck of being raised in America, my family accomplished this mighty feat. But, such a change is social status does not come without toil and the history of my family's plight to live in Minnesota is one that begins in Norway.

My great-great maternal grandparents moved from Norway to the United States of America as children. My great-great grandmother Aletta Anderson traveled alone when she was only 16 to reach relatives already living in Minnesota. My great-great grandfather Sievert Anderson arrived with his mother as a newborn, in an attempt to escape a life of indentured servitude in Norway. In the late 19th century, Norway's agricultural economy suffered and many families were forced into servitude as the only means of survival. Sievert's mother became pregnant after she was raped by the farmer who owned her in Norway. With very little money, but a strong will, she managed to cross the Atlantic ocean with a newborn and begin a new life in America.

Left: Aletta and Sievert with their 11 children. Right: Aletta and Sievert on their wedding day.

After meeting and marrying in Minnesota, Aletta and Sievert raised 11 children on their farm in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. My great aunt JoAnne remembers summers spent on her grandparent's farm, flying airplanes off the sun porch and getting perms at the local salon with her sister, my grandma Betty. They always felt like their grandparents had really made it in life because they could afford to purchase their home from the Sears Roebuck catalog for $2,000. 

The Sears Roebuck home

Visiting their grandparent's house was a treat and they often stayed for weeks at a time, while their parents earned money cutting lumber. Betty and Joanne's parents, Aaron and Agnes, raised five children in Pony Lake, MN. Their life was anything but easy, but always filled with joy. Aaron and Agnes' relationship began in utter rebellion. Each came from a strict Lutheran family, where dancing was forbidden and men and women sat on separate sides of the church each Sunday. On Saturday nights, Aaron and Agnes would sneak away and meet at the local schoolhouse dance for a taboo night of spinning and slow dancing. When Agnes' father, Sievert, was eventually introduced to Aaron he was appalled to see that Aaron's family was eating fish. He thought, god forbid, they were Catholic. Once it was cleared up that they were simply eating fish, not a member of a different religion, Sievert blessed the union and allowed Agnes and Aaron to wed. 

Aaron and Agnes Lewis raised a family of seven in a tar paper home that barely protected them from the harsh winters. The three boys would squeeze into one bed and the two girls slept in the bed with their parents. Winter mornings would welcome them with a snow covered floor. After Agnes washed the floors in the morning, the kids would have to be careful, because it would become an ice rink in a matter of minutes. The warmest place in the house all winter was sitting on the door to the open oven. Aaron would attempt to keep the family frost-free by filling the cracks in the walls with manure and newspaper, but the home never did seem to heat up until April. 

The Lewis family

Once it began to warm up, it became Betty and Joanne's favorite time of the year. They would accompany their parents to the local store and pick out the pig, cow, and horse feed with intense interest. Once the animals had emptied the sack, they would get to sew a new dress. Feed sacks came in a wide variety of patterns and were an economical alternative to buying fabric. Flour sacks were the next best thing to feed sacks, because they could be reused as dish towels and sheets. The labels affixed to the sacks were difficult to remove, but that didn't stop women across the country from using a combination of lye, lard, bleach, and elbow grease to get their new fabric clean. Eventually, manufactures wised up to the resourceful American woman and made it easier for the labels to be removed. They even went as far as stamping the bags with stitching lines for dresses and towels. Manufactures knew ambitious women could persuade their husbands to buy the best looking patterns, so they would increase profits if they appealed to the American woman. A typical woman's dress took three feed sacks; being able to boast that you were a two-feed sack girl was the equivalent of being a size two today. I am certain that Joanne and Betty's ingenuity with their dress creations has factored into their lives today. They both have an uncanny ability of creating something from nothing and seamlessly blending into our every day life. 

Left: Two women in feed sack dresses, National Geographic, 1947. Right: Instructions from a chicken feed sack.

As the five Lewis children grew into adults, there lives began to diverge from one another but they never forgot their roots. The three brothers still live in and around Pony Lake and have all found success in farming. Joanne and Betty's paths came together when they each moved to Staples. Joanne and I traveled to Pony Lake in August to spend time with her brothers and hear the tales of their childhood. As adults, they can now recognize the poverty in which they raised, but never once did I hear a tale about the difficulty of their life. The times they remember are when they were laughing so hard as they watched Betty get her front tooth knocked out while boxing with her brother - even though the cost of a dentist meant she went without a tooth until she was in her late teens. Joanne remembers how she was the lucky child, because she got to eat every meal on her dad's knee - it didn't matter that they only owned six chairs in a family of seven. 

Listening to such stories as a young adult who grew up complaining if the temperature in our home dipped below 72 degrees in the winter, I feel thankful and proud. Thankful my family persevered when life handed them hardships. Proud that they worked hard for happiness. I only hope I can continue the family tradition. 

The Lewis family

Life in the Brainerd Lakes Area

Along the road, we have met people from across the world who have shared bits and pieces of their lives with us. Now it’s our turn to share a few tales with you about what it’s like to spend summer on the lakes. Our short time home has been filled with the usual excitement that accompanies the lucky few who have grown up in this beautiful part of the country. We have celebrated weddings, spent time on the boat, and attempted to improve our golf skills.

The first wedding took us back to the farm, The Farm on St. Matthias to be exact. On a warm evening near the end of August, Jocelyn wed the love of her life at her parent’s farm. Jocelyn and I grew up together in the water. Summertime meant two things: swim practice and lake living. For a couple hours every morning we swam laps back and forth across the pool. We would get home at 10:30am and spend the rest of the day swimming in the lake, diving off the boat and tubing. We had a blissful childhood. After attending Jocelyn and Scott’s wedding, I am certain they will have a marriage filled with bliss. Jocelyn and Scott wrote a wedding ceremony that was filled with harmony and honesty. The dinner and dance swept us up and left us feeling like we had traveled to Europe. All of this was within the serene setting of a peaceful farm. 

Our first week home happened to land on my favorite holiday - Peach Pie Day! Peaches in Washington ripen to perfection in late August and each year we receive boxes filled to the top with the luscious, delectable treats. Traditionally, Alexa and Mom spend hours making pies and jam, while I relax in a comfortable chair and entertain them with my charming personality. This year, Alexa was busy building happy communities in Costa Rica, so it was my turn to get up and lend a hand. Mom and I had a peachy keen time pealing peaches, filling pie crusts and making peach jam. For the next week I gorged myself on peaches - every meal included at least one peach. I woke up craving oatmeal covered in peaches and cream. Even though I can still taste the tangy peach juice as I type these words, I will have to wait until next year's holiday to experience such peach-filled satisfaction.



The next wedding on the agenda was between Chase's cousin, Katy, and her fiancée, Mac. They looked incredibly excited to spend their lives together and the reception that followed proved to Chase that I actually do have some dance moves. Chase has a large, close-knit extended family and what a better way to get to know them, then to boogie with them all night long. When it came time for Katy to toss her bouquet, all of us single ladies ran up to the dance floor with arms outstretched. I am not quite sure what kind of deal had been struck ahead of time, but somehow the bouquet landed in my hands - after it had been caught by a couple other girls. Chase ran up to the dance floor, kissed me, and was just as excited as I was to be holding the bride's bouquet.

In typical Minnesota fashion, we have been getting our fair share of days on the lake while being home. Our days have been spent boating through the Whitefish Chain where we stop every couple of hours for drinks at one of a dozen bars and restaurants that line the shores. Gull Lake is another favorite destination where we gawk at the mansions and build dream homes in our mind. What's nice about the lakes up here is that they all still have wilderness. Although mansions and resorts fill a portion of the land, every lake still has land protected from any development. This ensures that wildlife has a safe home. Just last week, as Dad and I were crossing Gull, we came across 45 loons huddled together. I said they were probably in the middle of a lake association meeting, but Dad thought it more likely that they were getting ready to fly south for the winter. It felt like winter already when we were cruising across Gull yesterday on our way to pick up pizza at Madden's. We watched the sunset from the lake, huddled under blankets and eating our pizza as fast as we could, before it turned cold. The chill was an unexpected feeling after spending our day golfing at the Legacy. It was the perfect day of golf, if I ignore my poor performance. The air was crisp, the sun was warm, and the setting was spectacular. The course winds around lakes and through forests and yesterday there was not a single bug in site.  

If any of you are tempted to move to Minnesota after reading about our summers, remember that the snow will start to fall in about a month. Make sure that you come visit during both seasons, before committing to a lifetime in Minnesota. For me, winter just means that I have to put on a few extra layers before I step outside to enjoy the weather. Winter means cross country skiing, hot chocolate, snow ball fights and no bugs! Come enjoy the changing seasons of Minnesota sometime, it will be an experience you will never forget.