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ground near Almena and has remained here continuously ever since.
He now owns one of the finest two hundred and twenty acre farms in Norton county which he has in a high state of cultivation.
Jim thinks the laws of our country bear heavily on the honest farmer, but his condition does not indicate it as he rented his farm last year and bought a fine residence in Almena where he now lives surrounded by all the comforts that are necessary to make his declining years happy.
He was one of the commissioners appointed by Gov. Harvey at the organization of the county and at the first election chosen sheriff.
He was the first post master of Almena. He relates an incident of subpoenaing, the first jury ever drawn for district court in this county.
After riding five days he found but four of the men, the others being in the east or out on a buffalo hunt.
Otto M. Dannevik was born August 29, 1822, on an island in the coast of Norway called Hambury where he lived until 1849; he was married to Miss Sarah Nelson March 1846.
He was almost raised in a pilot boat until he was confirmed in 1837; then he shipped on board the
ship "Winter" and sailed in her in 1838 as cabin boy. He went to a navigation school, took an examination then followed the sea till he emigrated the last seven years
he sailed as first mate when he received a dispatch to report to the ship company as captain, but had made up his mind to emigrate.
Shipped on board an immigrant from Christianstand to New York, then by rivers and canals till he landed in St. Joe and settled on a piece of land three miles from there.
In the spring of 1862 he started overland for California with a herd of cattle and horses belonging to Wood & Homer.
It took him from May 1, till September 16, 1852. In California he was boss of a
littles (sic) train of eight wagons freighting from Calusa to Shasta, which was as far as the wagons could go.
He worked at that till the flood drowned twenty-two head of cattle one night on the Sacramento bottom, and the wagons were all afloat loaded with flour.
The flour cost $18 per cwt. and sold for $1 per pound on account of no transportation.
Then he went to fishing Salmon like Grover but he says he didn't have such good luck for a steamboat run over his nets one night and destroyed them; they cost $600.Then he went to San Francisco and hired out to a firm there and worked with them for sixteen months when he received the news that his wife was dead. He returned home on a steam ship via Panama, crossed the isthmus on foot, and mule back, and 44 miles by rail to Aspinwall, from Havana and New Orleans, up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to St. Joe. After he came home he started to farming on the old place and kept bachelor's hall. He had three children Nat E., born November 15, 1847; he resides in Harper county. Peter, born May 1850, resides in Doniphan county, William born May 15, 1852, resides in |
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