Olaf Sivertson Oral History Interview, 1981 PDF
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Sivertson, Olaf
- Title
- Dates
- 1981 (inclusive)19811981
- Quantity
- 3 file folders
2 sound cassette
3 compact discs - Collection Number
- t063-069
- Summary
- An oral history interview with Olaf Sivertson, a Norwegian immigrant.
- Repository
- Pacific Lutheran University, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Pacific Lutheran University
12180 Park Avenue South
Tacoma, Washington
98447
Telephone: 253-535-7586
Fax: 253-535-7315
archives@plu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The oral history collection is open to all users.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Olaf Sivertson was born on December 15, 1884 in Raftsund, Norway to Sivert Saether and Johanna Mikkelson. Sivert was a farmer and fisherman, and there were four other children in the family: Inga, Sigrid, Magnus, and Marianna. Olaf finished school when he was fifteen years old and then began fishing in Lofoten from February to April and farming during the summer. Olaf intended to become a teacher and was even accepted to attend teachers' school in Tromso, Norway, but his friends convinced him to immigrate to America. Olaf left Norway on May 22, 1902 and settled in Tacoma, WA. Upon his arrival to Tacoma, Olaf first obtained a job a door factory and later began working for a sawmill. After he hurt his back at the sawmill, his friend, Clinton Flowers, helped him get a job as a tallyman (lumber grader), and Olaf went to Calameth, WA. He was later employed at logging camps in Lacey, Castle Rock, and in the Black Hills in Washington. However, after he was injured again, he became employed as a painter and later a cement contractor. Olaf met his wife, Helga Johnson in 1906, and they had seven children: Sigvard, Magda (Lipoma), Arthur, Bernice (Kleinschmidt), Olive (Entenmann), Helen (Forck), and Esther (Haugen). Olaf wanted to raise his family in the country, so he bought ten acres in Mountain View and built a home there. Through the years, Olaf evolved into a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to the timber industry, painting, and cement contracting, he has made traps, dug clams, berry farmed, and owned a chicken farm. Olaf was appointed Road Forman for the district in 1922, County Road Supervisor in 1928, has served on the School Board, and has also been involved in the Water Company and Telephone Company. In addition, he is a member of the Washington Co-Op Agriculture Association, the Washington Berry Growers, and the Mountain View Church. Since his retirement, Olaf has become interested in writing and has written the history of Washington and assembled the church's history. He has never returned to Norway and is also working on his family history.
Lineage
Full Name: Olaf Sivertson. Father: Sivert Haagensen Saether. Mother: Johanna Mikkelson. Brothers and Sisters: Inga Sivertson, Sigurd Sivertson, Magnus Sivertson, Marianna Sivertson. Spouse: Helga Johnson. Children: Sigvard Sivertson, Magda Lipoma, Arthur Sivertson, Bernice Klainschmidt, Olive Entenmann, Helen Forck, Esther Haugen.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Interviews with Olaf Sivertson were conducted on June 24, 1981 and July 15, 1981 in Tacoma, Washington. The interviews contain information on family background, emigration, employment, marriage and family, and church and community involvement. The interview also contains: a letter of appreciation from Olaf's granddaughter, Sally Morrison, a letter from Olaf, a memorandum concerning the Norwegian texts Olaf donated to PLU, an inventory of the Olaf Sivertson library, a copy of Olaf's family history, and two articles on Olaf writing the area history in his late nineties. The interview was conducted English.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The partial interview transcription highlights important aspects of the interview. Numbers may be used as guides to important subjects. Two numbers separated by a slash indicate that the first number is for cassette and the second for CD.
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Cassette/CD | |
| Cassette | |
| 63, side 1 | 013/08: PERSONAL BACKGROUND Born on December 15, 1884 in Raftsund, Norway which is the sound
which divides the two islands, Lofoten and Hinnøya. The farm was called
Raftstrand.
|
| 63, side 1 | 026: PARENTS Johanna Mikkelson and Sivert Haagensen Saether. He was a farmer.
It was customary to take the father's name.
|
| 63, side 1 | 034: BROTHERS AND SISTERS Inga married a farmer Olaf Vilhelmson (?). Sigurd became a
teacher and wrote books. Magnus became a shoemaker.
|
| 63, side 1 | 048: GRADE SCHOOL (Norway) Completed at age 15. Fished for cod in Lofoten after his
school days.
|
| 63, side 1 | 053: FATHER'S OCCUPATION Both a farmer and a fisherman that was the way to make a
living.
|
| 63, side 1 | 060: Brother in Lofoten helped him get a job. It was rough life, but
life of the young. Fisherman from February to April and a farmer in the summer.
They fished out of an "ottring" which was an open boat.
|
| 63, side 1 | 096: PARTNERS IN FISHING ADVENTURE January 1901 caught herring along the north coast of Norway in a
sailing vessel. Went to Nordkapp.
|
| 63, side 1 | 105/09: MIDNIGHT SUN Really beautiful from late May to the first part of July.
|
| 63, side 1 | 112: FARM CHORES Raised hay for the cattle, had vegetables. The kids would herd
the cattle and milk in the evenings. In later years they would help with
cutting hay and getting ready for the winter.
|
| 63, side 1 | 151/10: FISHING EXPEDITION That was life, kind of a hard life. Close shaves, bad storms at
sea.
|
| 63, side 1 | 171: TEACHER Always his intention to become a teacher. He was accepted to
attended teacher's school in Tromsø, Norway. Friends talked him into coming to
America. Father gave him an English book to study.
|
| 63, side 1 | 191: FATHER Was a carpenter and a mason. He had spent five years in America.
He could speak English. In 1889 lots of emigrants were leaving for America.
Father fixed up the farm with the money he made in the U.S.
|
| 63, side 1 | 240/11: BROTHERS' OCCUPATION One teacher, one farmer, both decided to go to America. They came
back to Norway as he left for America. They worked on farms and in the
woods.
|
| 63, side 1 | 264: BOAT TRIP Left on May 22, 1902. Went from Trondheim to Bergen. Traveled on
a cattle boat which had been rigged up for immigrants (very primitive). Went
from Hull, England and by train to Liverpool where they stayed at an immigrant
hotel. They left from England on the Pretorian (?) of the Cunard Line, very
nice.
|
| 63, side 1 | 324/12/13: LANDED IN QUEBEC Took an immigrant across Canada to Sumas, Washington. A neighbor
from the old valley lived in Tacoma.
|
| 63, side 1 | 360: LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES Spoke little English when they arrived. The immigrant is pretty
much taken care of from the beginning to the end of the trip.
|
| 63, side 1 | 384: LANDED IN TACOMA Eight people in a cab to a friend's. Renting a house for all
eight.
|
| 63, side 1 | 411/14: FEELINGS LEAVING NORWAY No great feeling about it.
|
| 63, side 1 | 424: IMPRESSIONS OF TACOMA It was new. Met other Norwegians (a Norwegian colony around K
Street).
|
| 63, side 1 | 454: LOOKING FOR WORK Wheeler, Osgood Co., a sash and door factory. Learned English
from his work partner. Earned $1.50 per 10-hour day.
|
| 63, side 1 | 494/15: SAW MILL Ran the slab saw. Hard work. Earned $1.75 per day. Cousin went to
work at the Kapowsin Lumber Co.
|
| 63, side 1 | 533: ROOMING HOUSE 15th and D Street. $3 monthly for room. Berglund Brothers for
breakfast 5 cents to 10 cents for lunch. 10 cents for a hot meal at a Japanese
restaurant.
|
| 63, side 1 | 566: SUNDAY Got together with friends.
|
| 63, side 1 | 576/01: LUXURY Scandinavian bookstore owned by Wessle and Egbert (Swede). This
was on Pacific Avenue. Every Saturday night he bought a Norwegian book. He also
looked at the Decorah Posten, the Tacoma Tidene and the Scandinavian.
|
| 63, side 1 | 597: DEPRESSION Twenty banks were closed. The people were afraid of banks. Didn't
use paper money, but gold and silver instead. Olaf had a money belt he wore all
the time.
|
| 63, side 1 | : 647 Loaned money to a friend. (Continued on side 2)
|
| 63, side 2 | 016/02: CLINTON FLOWERS Olaf loaned him money so that he could keep his land. Olaf lived
with this family for one year. This helped improve his English. He took the
streetcar to work.
|
| 63, side 2 | 049: SAW MILL ACCIDENT Hurt his back and was laid up for one month. Clinton Flowers
helped him get a job as a tallyman (lumber grader). Went to Cathlamet,
Washington to do this too.
|
| 63, side 2 | 097/03: LETTER FROM SISTER IN NORWAY The family was coming to America. He built a home on J
Street.
|
| 63, side 2 | 139: CITIZENSHIP In 1910 he applied when he knew he wasn't going back to
Norway.
|
| 63, side 2 | 155/04: EMPLOYMENT Employed at lumber camps in Lacey, Washington, Castle Rock,
Washington and in the Black Hills in Washington. He was a knotter and cleaned
off all knots from the trees. He was injured and sent to the hospital.
|
| 63, side 2 | 186: EMPLOYED AS A PAINTER Learned to paint and hang paper. The union came in and he didn't
apply for apprenticeship so he was fired. The other family members were very
independent.
|
| 63, side 2 | 215: CEMENT CONTRACTOR Cement finisher and onto foreman, he worked himself up the
ladder.
|
| 63, side 2 | 223/05: MEETING WIFE December 1906 he married Helga Johnson.
|
| 63, side 2 | 238: BOUGHT LOTS New 23rd Street, he built a family home. In 1907 his brother came
to America and they went into business together and formed Sivertson Brothers
and Williams (contracting cementing firm). This lasted until 1917.
|
| 63, side 2 | 263: ALASKA Friend asked him to be kind of an understudy to him and worked
with setting up the gear for the fish traps. They went to Cook Inlet and to
Seldovia, Alaska. This was a five-month season. He went because during WWI the
prices went crazy here in trying to get materials for contracting work.
|
| 63, side 2 | 287/06: 1910 Bought 10 acres in Mountain View. Tells the story behind how
Mountain View got its name. They cleared the land and built a home. He lived in
a tent until the house was ready. Nels Merk (?) thought that the activity was
from Indians in the woods. Norwegian community.
|
| 63, side 2 | 373/07: MOUNTAIN VIEW CHURCH Used to be called Puyallup Lutheran Church. In 1909 they built a
small church. Elected secretary of the church in 1912. The members were
Norwegian. In 1918 they had their first English Sunday school.
|
| 63, side 2 | 430: IMPORTANCE OF CHURCH TO COMMUNITY It was the center of Mountain View, a social center.
|
| 63, side 2 | 444/08: CHRISTMAS Always had Sunday school program. 1912 the church added on. In
1965, a new church was built. Church is an important part of Scandinavian
life.
|
| 63, side 2 | 523/09: CHILDREN Sigvard, Magda, Arthur, Bernice, Olive, Helen, and Esther. His
mother was a practical nurse. A midwife delivered the first three of them and
the rest had doctor's care.
|
| 63, side 2 | 568: NEVER RETURNED TO NORWAY Really didn't think of it. Wife refused to go. Corresponds with
his brother in Norway.
|
| 63, side 2 | 607: SPEAKING NORWEGIAN Out of practice.
|
| 63, side 2 | 615: IMMIGRATION Satisfied with the move he took. Had an interesting life. Wife is
now deceased.
|
| 63, side 2 | 658/10: Not as active in church. Superintendent for 42 years. School
director for nine years. Community activities included the Berry Association,
the Water Company and the Telephone Company.
|
| 69, side 1 | 011/11: HOW HE CAME TO MOUNTAIN VIEW Wanted to raise his family in the country where the air was clean
and there was plenty of room.
|
| 69, side 1 | 029: CLEARING THE LAND Bought a team of horses and used them to pull the stumps. Also
used dynamite. Cleared an acre year.
|
| 69, side 1 | 100/12: Plowing for the neighbors with the team. Went back to cement work
and cleared land part time. Tells a story about his dog that survived a stump
blast.
|
| 69, side 1 | 120: SELLING CORD WOOD Former owner of Olaf's land retained rights to the timber. Not a
great deal of money to be made, 50/50 deal.
|
| 69, side 1 | 140/13: LIFE FOR THE FAMILY AS THE CLEARING PROCESS WENT
ON Built a two-room house and later built on. It was a lot of hard
work, but an enjoyable life.
|
| 69, side 1 | 170: ACTIVE TIME - FALL OF 1910 Young People's Society organized. It was a center for community
social life. Choir organized, still singing today. Sunday school was
organized.
|
| 69, side 1 | 189/14: WOMEN'S RESPONSIBILTIES AND LIFE Ladies Aide in conjunction with the church. Busy with the
children and they had much to help with.
|
| 69, side 1 | 200: BARN AND CHICKEN HOUSE Lumber for them was taken from his woods. Raised chickens, sold
eggs, and later sold milk.
|
| 69, side 1 | 224/15: JOURNEYS TO ALASKA Uncertain weather, 1917 in Alaska. Worked for NW Fish Co. (see
tape 69 Side 2 263) Family stayed home. Employed at Fort Lewis. Cement
contractor after Alaska.
|
| 69, side 1 | 285: GREAT DEMAND FOR LUMBER Neighbors got together to build a sawmill. Mr. Murphy headed
this. This was mostly a Norwegian community.
|
| 69, side 1 | 318/01: 1919 WENT TO ALASKA AGAIN Offered a good deal. Jack-of-all trades. Did painting, fishing,
making traps, etc. The founder of this area, Peter Bushman graduated from
Pacific Lutheran College. This area was known as the little Norway of Alaska.
The was Scow Bay which is south of St. Petersburg, Alaska.
|
| 69, side 1 | 410/02: Worked at home at a sawmill and then back to Alaska, almost a
routine. Depression set in.
|
| 69, side 1 | 524/03: CLAM DIGGING (ALASKA) Cannery went bankrupt and was taken over. This was the last year
he went to Alaska, he had had enough. Had a Chinese crew which stayed on, but
they had no food and no credit so they had to live off the land.
|
| 69, side 1 | 611: BERRY FARMING Good price during the war. Now 28 cents a pound. In 1902
raspberries were 3 cents a pound and blackberries were one cent a pound.
|
| 69, side 2 | 005/04: Member of Washington Berry Growers. Mr. Murphy sold the mill got
co-op. Contracted to do some logging.
|
| 69, side 2 | 020: COMMUNITY ACTITIVITIES Active in the church. Telephone Company and how the Mountain View
Telephone Company received its' name. Director of the school board.
|
| 69, side 2 | 045: EDWARD SCHOOL Used to be the only school in the area. Mountain View held school
at church in 1909. In 1910 they built the first schoolhouse.
|
| 69, side 2 | 067/05: SPEAKING NORWEGIAN Oldest son spoke Norwegian until his school days. After this the
children began speaking English at home.
|
| 69, side 2 | 074: CHILDREN Sigvard, Magda, Arthur, Bernice, Olive, Helen, and Esther. Olaf's
mother was a midwife. (see also tape 63 side 2 523)
|
| 69, side 2 | 107: CHILDREN'S DUTIES All busy. Picked berries and whatever needed to be done around
the farm, no idleness.
|
| 69, side 2 | 120/06: 1922 ELECTION OF COUNTY COMMISSIONER Appointed Road Foreman for the district. In 1928 he was appointed
County Road Supervisor. Terminated in 1932.
|
| 69, side 2 | 145: STAYED ON THE FARM Had 2500 chickens and some cows. Full time farmer. Joined the
Washington Co-op Agriculture Association (since 1926).
|
| 69, side 2 | 165: WASHINGTON BERRY PACKER'S ASSOCIATION Director in the late 1940's. Became involved in the water
company.
|
| 69, side 2 | 191/07: BERRY FARMING A lot of work, little money. Later concentrated on the chicken
business and selling eggs. Had a hire hand, John Funk, who was later drafted
during WWII.
|
| 69, side 2 | 239/08: SON SIGVARD Wanted to join the Army (1941). He damaged his lungs and went
into the chicken business. Was a machinist.
|
| 69, side 2 | 281: Retired in 1956 at the age of 72. Wife is deceased. Has never
returned to Norway. Grandson, Carl Entenman visited Norway. Family associated
with PLC, became teachers and a nurse.
|
| 69, side 2 | 365/09: INTERESTED IN WRITING Wrote the history of Washington. Assembled the churches history
to preserve it.
|
| 69, side 2 | 396: INTERESTED IN FAMILY HISTORY Started writing it 20 years ago. Received information from
Norway.
|
| 69, side 2 | 424/10: EARLY HISTORY OF WASHINGTON STATE Early immigrants, Hudson's Bay Co., Olympia, Steilacoom, Seattle,
Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Edwards community, Parkland, and PLC.
|
| 69, side 2 | 479: SPECIAL THOUGHTS OF THE AREA Beautiful, good community. Church started out of six families,
today there are over 1,200 members.
|
| 69, side 2 | 530/11: AFTER RETIREMENT Sold land and have one acre today. Talks about his wife's illness
before her death.
|
| 69, side 2 | 563: REFLECTS BACK ON THE OLDEN DAYS When you get older you look back and remember. The reasons why
he's interested in early history. He's part of the land, history, and feels
close to the development.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
- Subject Terms :
- Emigration and immigration
- Family--Norway
- Marriage service
- Naturalization
- Norwegian-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews
- Norwegian-Americans--Social life and customs
- Ocean travel
- Railroad travel
- Personal Names :
- Entenmann, Olive
- Flowers, Clinton
- Forck, Helen
- Haugen, Esther
- Johnson, Helga
- Kleinschmidt, Bernice
- Sivertson, Arthur
- Sivertson, Olaf--Interviews (creator)
- Lipoma, Magda
- Mikkelson, Johanna
- Saether, Sivert
- Sivertson, Sigvard
- Corporate Names :
- Mountain View Lutheran Church (Puyallup, Wash.)
- Pretoria (Steamship)
- Family Names :
- Entenmann family
- Forck family
- Haugen family
- Johnson family
- Kleinschmidt family
- Lipoma family
- Mikkelson family
- Saether family
- Sivertson family
- Geographical Names :
- Mountain View (Wash.)
- Raftsund (Norway)
- Tacoma (Wash.)
- Form or Genre Terms :
- Oral histories
- Occupations :
- Loggers
- Painters
- Sawmill workers
- Trappers
