PAUL FUGLEBERG: Flathead’s east shore road built by convict labor - Article from the September 15th, 2014 edition of the Missoulian

PAUL FUGLEBERG: Flathead’s east shore road built by convict labor

Click on the link below to read about some Flathead history, the area of my homesteader ancestors.

Harold Halverson with his sled in the early 1900's on Irvine Flats west of Polson, Montana

Harold Halverson with his sled on Irvine Flats west of Polson Montana in the early 1900's The picture was taken by either his mother, Rose, or his father, George

This picture was made into a post card and has a post card format on the back of it. This is the reason the picture is crooked - it was crooked on the post card.

It looks like there is a river to the left of Harold. Perhaps this was not on Irvine Flats - I will have to ask my dad. It must have been close by if not.

Rose had a big collection of post cards which my dad still has in his possession.

Karl and Anna Kasseroler's wedding picture in Bozen, Austria

Anna Fortunata and Karl Kasseroler's wedding picture in Bozen, Austria before immigrating to the United States and Irvine Flats near Polson, Montana

My grandma Lilly has this picture which she let me scan. Anna and Karl settled in the Irvine Flats area after spending some time in Kalispell.

Karl Kasseroler's family was in the orchard and fruit business in Austria. His family lived in a very fertile area of the eastern portion of Austria, I believe in Tirol.

Today Bozen has been renamed Balzano, as in a war the Italians took over Bozen.

It is my understanding that Karl had hoped to go into the fruit business on Irvine Flats, however, it is very dry land and the trees did not grow as well there as they did in Austria.

Anna and Karl had five children: Anthony (Tony), Charlie, Anna, whom were born in Austria, Rena (born in Kalispell), and the twins, Lilly (my grandmother who at the time of this writing is 98 years old) and Lena. Lilly has outlived her entire family.

Anna had two sisters who are pictured in another blog post and Karl had many brothers. One of Karl's brothers, Joe, came to America for a time and then returned to Austria (but missed America after returning) Karl had a couple of sisters, also. One sister was a disagreeable sort and ended up taking the inheritance of the Kasseroler children when both the parents died in Austria.

Many of Karl's brothers, if not all, died in a war - I believe the First World War.

Rose Halverson with her mother and their white dog in Chicago

Rose Halverson and her mother, Mrs. Nelson, at the apartment in Chicago with their white dog 

My Grandma Lilly gave me this picture a while ago. I believe this would have been  taken on a visit back to Chicago after Rose and George got married and moved out west. I will have to ask my grandma  - I don't think this picture was taken before she was married to George Halverson.

Green Mountain School - school of Harold and Georgie Halverson on Irvine Flats west of Polson

Green Mountain School - the schoolhouse which Harold and Georgie attended on Irvine Flats west of Polson, Montana

The Green Mountain School located on Irvine Flats was moved to the Miracle of America museum in Polson, Montana,  which is where this picture was taken on November 16, 2013.

It needs a coat of paint and we hope to help paint it next summer!

Georgie Halverson on tricycle in front of the ranch house with the family dog at his side

Georgie Halverson on tricycle by the family dog in front of the ranch house

Rose and son Harold on Irvine Flats with a vintage car behind them.

Rose Halverson with son Harold on Irvine Flats 

This picture must have been taken by George Halverson, husband and father to Rose and Harold. The picture was taken next to the house as the road going by their ranch house can be seen in the background.  I believe Harold was born in 1908 so a guess as to how old he is in this picture would be 20 years old or so which would have been in 1928.

I am unsure what kind of car is pictured.

I talked with my Grandma Lilly today (September 9, 2014) and asked if she knew what type of car this would have been.

Lilly said that the only car she remembers Harold owning was a nice blue and white convertible. She thinks that George and Rose bought it for Harold. There may have been one payment for which  Harold had to earn the money. 

Lilly said that she remembers a canvas material on the back of the car  and if one looks closely at this picture one can see some sort of material on the back of the car so I believe this is the same car my grandmother remembers.

It appears the top of the car is white and perhaps the back panel may also be white. The rest of the car must be blue.

Of interest, is that after Harold and Lilly were married they converted the car into a truck so that they could put boxes in it to haul things.

Georgie Halverson with his sled on Irvine Flats in the early 1940's

Georgie with sled on Irvine Flats with the ranch house in the background probably in the early '40's

Georgie would sled down the hill going up to the ranch house in the winter. I believe we have a picture of Harold, his father, with a sled in the same vicinity many years earlier.

School Days on Irvine Flats at the Green Mountain School

Georgie Halverson with his Green Mountain School classmates on Irvine Flats just west of Polson Montana in 1946

I believe this may be the last class of the Green Mountain School as when Georgie was in 7th grade the country school was closed and the children were bused into Polson for school.

Update:  My dad, Dave (my husband), and I met at McDonalds the other day and he told me the names of the students in the picture - hooray!

They are: 

Back row: Georgie Halverson, Alvin Merritt, Mickie Davis, Everett Parsons, Joan Wigfield, and Joan Thompson.

Middle row:  

Wayne Thompson, Walt Vermadahl, Marcia Parsons, and  Joyce Wigfield

Front row:  Duane Eveland, Rex Merritt, Jimmy Burton, and Paul Parsons

Georgie loved this country school. He rode his horse to school every day. The school had a shelter for the horses while the children were in school. The school was about three miles from the ranch house.

He said he loved the books from which he learned his lessons. The books they used told history by using stories. He said that he learned more in this little country school than from the schooling at Polson High School from where he graduated in 1952.

This picture was taken by Rose Halverson. Rose took may pictures on the ranch. My dad, George (Georgie) calls her the Ansel Adams of Irvine Flats.

Sadly, (I think) the Green Mountain School was closed after this school year (1946-47). The Irvine Flats students were bused into Polson, therefore, Georgie finished his grade school years in Polson attending a Polson school for eighth grade.

1934 picture of baby Georgie with Harold, his father, his great-grandmother, and grandmother Rose

Picture taken around 1934 - Rose Nelson's mother, Rose Halverson, Harold Halverson, and Georgie Halverson

This picture was most likely taken on the homestead on Irvine Flats - I'm not sure what homestead. Harold and Lilly had their place near the orchard and then there was the George Halverson homestead.

Georgie, the baby, was born December 11, 1933 and looks to be about nine months or so.

Wedding picture of George Henry Halverson and Rose Nelson taken in Chicago in early 1900's before coming out to Montana

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The Halverson kids (the fourth generation) in the Irvine Flats orchard in 1961

Jeanne, Heidi, and Kenny with their dad George Halverson visiting the Irvine Flats orchard

George Henry Halverson, the original homesteader, planted an orchard on his homestead which became a great place to gather fruit for the Halverson family. 

The above picture is the fourth generation of Halversons.  The picture is of Jeanne, around age 6, Heidi, around age 5, and Kenny, around age 3. Tom was born in Missoula and was a baby when this picture was taken. 

The younger George (in the picture and is often known as Georgie on this blog) is the son of Harold (who died in 1935) and Lilly Kasseroler.

George (Georgie) moved his family to Missoula in 1959 in order to attend the university. The family lived in the married student housing (known as "the strips" while George went to school. The family still visited the ranch on week-ends and also visited George who lived in Polson until his death in the 1960's.

My dad would take the strands of barbed wire and separate them and we would take turns crawling through the fence. There wasn't always a gate near the places we wanted to go on the ranch.

One of the most prolific types of trees in the orchard were the plum trees.

We would pick plums and fill 2 or 3 or more brown grocery bags  - dozens of plums and take them home to Missoula. My mother, Joyce McAlear Halverson, would make jam with the plums. 

Us kids would also take plums in our lunch bags/boxes for quite awhile after we picked them as they lasted quite well. 

These plums were dark purple and oval in shape with a dust-like covering on them. The inside of the plums were a yellow color and were quite delicious!

Rose, George, and Harold Halverson on the Irvine Flats homestead west of Polson Montana - with visiting Chicago relatives

The George Halverson homestead on Irvine Flats with visiting relatives from Chicago  - guessing around 1920's

The picture above was from some pictures that my dad, George (known Georgie as a child) of his dad, Harold, his grandmother, Rose, and his grandfather, George.

Rose and George Halverson came to the Polson area and homesteaded on Irvine Flats in 1910 (around that time).

Almost every year, Rose's mother and sister, Evelyn, came to visit. They rode the train into the Milwaukee depot in Missoula and the Halverson's would drive to pick them up and drive back to the homestead west of Polson (about 17 miles).  

Anna Kasseroler and her sister migrated to Montana from Austria - Anna settling in Irvine Flats with her husband Karl and children

Anna Kasseroler and her two sisters in Bozen, Austria

Anna Kasseroler and her sister, Marie, (maiden name Fortunata) migrated to Montana from Austria - Anna settling in Irvine Flats near Polson, Montana with her husband Karl and her children who were born in Austria - Toni (Anthony), Charlie, and Anna. 

Marie settled in Kalispell. When the Karl and Anna Kasseroler family came to the United States from Austria they first came to Kalispell. They moved to Irvin Flats later.

Three more children were born in Montana - Rena in Kalispell, and the twins, Lilly(my grandmother) and Lena in Polson. My grandmother and her twin was born in Flathead County as Lake County was not created at the time she was born in 1916.