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.

Radio Historical Post Office on Irvine Flats west of Polson Montana

I've downloaded a picture of the Radio post office which was once located on Irvine Flats near Polson, Montana.  The Radio post office no longer exists and is listed as a Montana historical post office.

My dad, George Halverson, gave me a a picture of the Radio post office to scan which was taken by my great-grandmother Rose in the 1940's.  I finally was successful in posting the picture on this blog. The original picture was quite big, about a 5x7, however, due to technology today it was re-sized by the computer - hooray!

The Radio post office located on Irvine Flats near Polson, Montana.  The picture was taken by my great-grandmother, Rose Halverson. My grandmother, Lilly, said that the lady in the picture is Mrs. Nelson, the post master at the time.

My Grandma Lilly (maiden name is Kasseroler) said -

The lady in front of the Radio Post Office building is Mrs. Nelson, the Postmaster.  The Nelson family lived in the back of the post office building. 

Before there was a Radio Post Office I believe the area was named Seines, after a man with a last name of Seines.

The Nelson kid"s names were August, Lilly, and Evelyn They all had the bluest eyes and also quite fair skin. 

I have not heard much about their (the Nelson's) father.

August, as an adult, was accused of stealing money out of the some of the mail at the post office.  He served some time in Federal prison for this crime. 

Lilly thinks that perhaps her brother Charlie and sister Anna may have had some money stolen as they would send money home from money earned from their jobs after they left the homestead.
Charlie sent money home quite often.

A neighbor, Anton Bjork, would carry mail from Polson to Hot Springs after the Radio Post Office was closed. 

Anton Bjork lived in a house near the post office with his mother.  His mother smoked a pipe. Sometimes she would throw the pipe under a dishcloth in order to hide it.  Lilly and her sisters would go over there and listen to the radio.  Mrs. Bjork would always fix coffee. 

Anna Kasseroler, Lilly's mother, loved Mrs. Bjork; they were the best of friends. Anna would speak in German and Mrs. Bjork would speak Norwegian, but somehow they knew what each other was saying!

Anna Kasseroler, my fraternal great-grandmother, (Grandma Lilly's mother) was an industrious homesteader. Perhaps because of the fruit busness which they left in Bozen, Austria, (now Balzano, Italy) she would can fruit every year. The family would store the fruit in the cellar. Sometimes, they would see Mrs. Bjork taking a jar of fruit from the cellar, however, it did not bother them.

There were not very many houses around the post office 

The weeds around the post office may look like knapweed, however, it was not.  They did not have knapweed on Irvine Flats at the time my relatives lived on Irvine Flats.

Grandma Lilly thinks that the posters on the front of the walls in the picture are signs for an election.  I was wondering if they were "wanted posters" but she didn't thinks so.  Patty, my aunt, did not think they were "wanted posters" as she thought that era had already passed.

Selling eggs from Irvine Flats homestead in Polson during the 1930's and 1940's

My dad (for this blog - Georgie Halverson) was telling me a story little while ago about selling eggs on the Irvine Flats ranch.

The Halverson homestead had a chicken house (which I still remember fondly) which housed many chickens. 

The Halverson's would collect about 300 eggs periodically and take them into town, Polson. Polson was about 17 miles from the homestead.

They would also take about 6 live chickens into town along with the eggs.

Rose and Georgie and perhaps George would take them to Mallorys store and they  would buy the eggs and in turn sell them to customers. The store would also buy the chickens to sell, also. 

Taking the eggs and chickens into Mallory's allowed them to exchange for groceries. 

The store was owned by a Mr. Mallory. Mr. Mallory was the grandfather of Georgie's best friend Elliot Johnson (his maternal grandfather. I believe that Mallorys was on Main Street in Polson.

Mallorys was located on Main Street about two blocks up from the highway.

7-11-14

Note: I need to check on the name of the grocery store.

 Later - I talked to George (Georgie) and he said that the name of the store was Mallorys.

PAUL FUGLEBERG: Polson's first city election a wild one Missoulian article in the November 14th, 2013 edition

PAUL FUGLEBERG: Polson's first city election a wild one

PAUL FUGLEBERG: Daredevil, aerial photographer’s work still shines 104 years later Missoulian article published on March 3, 2014

Click on the link below to read an article about Polson history.




PAUL FUGLEBERG: Daredevil, aerial photographer’s work still shines 104 years later