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Family History - Rud Anderson,
Pioneer and Homesteader
 Rudolph G. W. Anderson came
to America from Copenhagen, Denmark when he was 17 years old. He
located in the vicinity of Glenwood, Minnesota where he worked on
several farms and attended Glenwood Academy. After the Academy, he
taught rural school for several years. He then worked in the bank at
Wheaton, Minnesota for four years.
 He married Julia Stenson
of Glenwood in 1903. They moved to North Dakota in 1904, lived in
Flaxton until 1906, then moved to Ambrose Township and bought a farm. A
few years later they sold the farm to C. J. Stout. They then
homesteaded near R. W. Black's farm, and in 1913 sold the farm to Mr.
Black. Julia passed away in 1918 leaving her husband with three
children: Lorraine, Walter, and Rudie. (Lorraine and Walter
may be seen below to the right.
Rudie is the lad holding a toy dog
below to the left.)
Incidentally, the image of Lorraine
and Walter below is taken from an un-mailed postcard addressed to Mrs. Albert
Erickson of Aberdeen, S. D. The message reads:
Dear Cousin, Yes, I did
receive the postal of the boys and it's very nice. At the time I
got it I was very busy, and afterwards I was ashamed to write you as I
had let it go so long already. I now send you the likeness of our
little tots - it's really good of both. What do you think about
little Lorraine? She is doing 3rd grade work in school now and
when it comes to reading physiology and history she can beat the 5th
grade pupils right now. I am now starting Walter reading - he
knows 20 pages in his book. Your cousin, Julia
 Rud moved his family into Ambrose
where he lived until he passed away in 1953.
Rud kept busy selling trees
and other nursery stock to the residents of Divide and Burke counties.
He is responsible for the nice groves that appear on many of the farms
today. During that time the method of travel was on foot. Rud was one
of the passengers to ride the first train out from Flaxton to the end
of the branch line in Ambrose.
In 1919, Rud traveled
through the rural areas and sold shares, organizing the Farmers State
Bank, which opened in August 1919. This bank was the only one in Divide
County to survive the days of the depression. In 1934 the bank was
moved to Crosby where it continues to thrive.
Rud was Ambrose postmaster for 12
years.
Rud, Julia, Lorraine and Walter Anderson
Family history taken
from page 8 of the
Divide County History 1974, Crosby, North Dakota
(Edited for content)
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Trees and flowers were always Rud's
hobby and it was essential to him that Ambrose have the trees and parks
that make it so nice and green during the summer. Rud Anderson
Park, west of Main Street and south of Fourth Avenue, is named in his
honor.
This poem can be found
posted in Rud's park:
Monument
by Helen
Kjelland Ness
The sun shines
warm,
The sweet rains fall,
On empty house and old brick wall,
On quiet street that used to feel,
The rush of wheels, the clack of steel.
A dying town, sad toy of fate,
No progress there - it came too late.
AND YET THEY STAND
STILL GROWING FAIR
THE TREES THAT OLD
RUD PLANTED THERE.
The old school stands a hollow shell,
Where children read and learned to spell,
Whose halls resounded with the din,
Of bells that called the students in,
Its old brick walls, a smiling face,
To hide the ruin within the place.
AND YET THEY STAND
STILL GROWING FAIR
THE TREES THAT OLD
RUD PLANTED THERE.
The main street stores,
The old hotel; the Lumberyard
All burned and fell,
And even as I write this verse
When all had thought the bitter curse
Of slow ruin now abates,
The Miller store disintegrates.
AND YET THEY STAND
STILL GROWING FAIR
THE TREES THAT OLD
RUD PLANTED THERE.
Written in 1969
Used by permission of Jon A. Ness |
  Rudie
Anderson
The image of Rudie Anderson on the right is
taken from a postcard which was mailed September 8, 1913 to Mr. Carl Ebbeson,
Ambrose, N. Dak. The message was:
Dear friend, Should like to get a job
during threshing.
Please let me know if you need a man.
(Signed) Little Rudolph
Anderson
From The Journal, Crosby, North Dakota
June 2000
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Journal photo by Don Anderson
CELEBRATION OF
TREES... Rudie Anderson is framed by the Ambrose trees his father planted and
nurtured.
Trees and their planter honored
at Ambrose park
By Lisa
Steffan
For a prairie town,
Ambrose has a lot of trees, particularly in the city park now called Rud
Anderson Memorial Park.
A ceremony held
Friday finally dedicated the park to the man responsible for the trees in
it. Ambrose native, and now Good Samaritan Center resident Rudie Anderson
accepted the award in honor of his late Father, the tree planter.
Milton Olson, who
helped get the event started explained. "The trees were planted around 1915
and were probably shipped in from somewhere."
Randi Knutson, who also helped organize
the event said, "He loved flowers and trees, and this dedication had been
talked about for years,'' she said, "and we finally did it."
A wood sign was put
up in appreciation from the community. It included the years of Rud's
life and the name of the park.
A poem entitled "Monument"
was written about the park and its trees, by former Ambrose resident Helen
Kjelland Ness in 1969.
In the poem she
refers to the beauty of the trees throughout the poem, “And yet they stand
still growing fair the trees that Old Rud planted there.”
The entire poem was
mounted onto a piece of bark and placed on a tree in the park for everyone
to enjoy.
The story goes that
as Rud was planting the trees the weather was scorching. When a friend asked
him why he was doing the hard work while it was so warm, Rud said, “You
can't kill weeds when it’s cloudy.” His dedication to the task brought
about the beautiful trees and foliage of today.
Journal Publishing Inc.
Crosby, North Dakota
www.crosbynd.com/journal
Used with permission
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Omer and Anna "Aunty" Stenson - 1959
 This 1943 photo from the collection of Helen Almos Biorn pictures
Omer
Stenson*, Roy Arnold, and
Andrew Almos.
Note from Rud's
granddaughter, Shirlee Anderson Lee: “Omer Stenson was Julia’s brother. After
Julia passed away, Omer and Anna helped raise Rudie, my dad, until he was grown.
I don’t think grandpa Rud's health was that good so they took dad in to help
out. At the time, Rud lived next door to Omer and Anna. They were just like our
own grandparents. They never had any children of their own. They were both the
most loving, caring, generous people anyone could have ever known, and Anna was
a wonderful cook. Everyone in town called her Aunty.”
The Students of A. H. S.
Class of 1955 dedicated their Annual to Omer. <Click
here>
Photos from the collection of Shirlee
Anderson Lee except where otherwise indicated.
* Important note: After
much discussion with Shirlee Anderson Lee, Helen Almos Biorn and Ruth
Thomte
Hansen at the Ambrose Centennial on July 8,
2006 it was concluded that the gentleman identified as Omer Stenson in this 1943
photo was most likely
Anton Thomte,
father of Ruth
Thomte
Hansen.
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