A Man From Montana: Memoirs of My Life in Western Montana

Freeman A. Halverson, a son of Norwegian immigrants was born in Barron County, Wisconsin in 1889 near the town of Dallas. His mother died when he was barely a year old, and he was taken in and raised by close relatives. At the age of 21 years he, along with his cousin Fred, decided to see the world, so they trekked west on the Great Northern Railroad to a place called Kalispell, Montana. Having the youthful wide-eyed intentions of venturing to Alaska, the Far East or other far-off worldly places, the two young men, instead, ended up homesteading in Montana, where the territory was open range and dominated by Native Americans, large cattle ranches, mining, and forest logging operations. After a lifetime in the Little Bitter Root Valley of "Big Sky Country", and retiring fifty years after arriving there, Freeman took pen in hand with a typewriter at his side, and wrote his memoirs. A Man From Montana is rich in the tales of adventure, fortitude and endurance which westward bound young men and women experienced during that time. Freeman and Fred started out life with absolutely nothing but a few dollars in their pockets and a spirit of adventure.

My father, Freeman Arthur Halverson, as a memoir for his children, wrote this book, but it is too rich a treasure in the history of homesteading in the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana not to be shared. His story starts in 1910 and tells of the fortitude and endurance of young men and women of that time who started with absolutely nothing but a few dollars in their pockets and a spirit of adventure. They left their homes in other states to start a new life in a country unbroken, a country when Native American Indians still lived in tepees, no paved roads or automobiles, but stage coaches, horses and wagons were the mode of transportation. A camera, with no fancy lenses, and the pictures my dad took with it will help readers see a world gone by with no conveniences, but alas, wonderful people who individually and collectively, performed tasks which seem to me today unthinkable. They made their own fun and enjoyed life to the fullest. Esther A. Halverson-Hull March 25, 2011