| Summary: | out to Cartwright and filed on their homesteads. Roy settled on the bottom lands, north of Cartwright and eventually was able to take advantage of irrigation. Art and Alex had their land on the divide which was good soil but did not produce as well during the dry years. The brothers each lived by themselves. The neighbors hadn't seen Alex for several days so a few men decided to walk over to his place. It was a stormy day and they had to stay close to the fence so they could find his place. When they got there, he was ill, so they loaded him into a bobsled and with a good team of horses, took him to Buford to the doctor but he passed away. It was thought he had food poisoning. His land was later sold to Emil Lassey, a neighbor. In 1896, Arvilla Elletson was born on December 10. Her brothers were Perry and Adney Elletson of the Cartwright area and Dan Elletson of Montrose, Minnesota. Her two sisters were Mrs. Ray Laughton of Pingilly, Minnesota and Mrs. Thomas Hughes of Chicago, Illinois. Her parents passed away when she was six years old so she lived with an aunt at Lake City, Minnesota. She taught school at Sisseton, South Dakota for many years, and then came to Fairview to visit one of her brothers. It was then she met Art McColl and they were married in Sidney in 1932. Their attendants were Roy McColl and Mrs. Perry Elletson. Mrs. Adney Elletson served the wedding dinner. At that time, Art McColl was a State Senator for McKenzie County and they made periodic trips to Bismarck in line with his duties. Following a major operation the first of June, complications set in and Arvilla passed away June 14, 1940 despite all the medical aid and tender care given her. Services were in Bethel Lutheran Church and interment in Riverview Cemetery in Williston. They had no children. Perry, of Fairview and Adney of Billings are the only survivors of the Elletsons. When Art and Roy decided to retire, Art sold his land to Julius Lassey and Roy to Leif Tjelde. They both moved to a rooming house in Sidney. Roy preceded Art in death. Art passed away August 10, 1961 and is buried by his wife. FRANK AND IDA ERICKSON The Frank Erickson family moved to Sioux Township in 1940 from Charbon Township where they had made their home for thirty years. They continued their farming and ranching as a family operation. Later, the couple moved to Williston where they maintained their home and business interests. Frank Erickson and Ida Tucker were married in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They began on a homestead some 45 miles northwest of Edmonton, cutting a sizable acreage from the timbered area. Here their first son, Frank, Jr. was born in 1904, followed by Dick in 1906 and a baby sister Gladys, in 1907. Warren (Bus) arrived in 1909 and Alice was born in 1910. The move into the United States and the fertile farm land of the Charbon Township home in 1910 was prompted by Frank's father, Aaron Erickson, who saw opportunity in North Dakota, and who was always an enthusiastic helper and family member. The first children to be born in the United States were Bill in 1911, Pearl in 1913 and Bob in 1914. Ruth was born in 1916 and Mary in 1920. The last and youngest family member was Jim in 1924. A year or two later, the family built a large and comfortable home on higher ground and this home became a hospitable center of ball games and winter and summer fun for old and young alike over a period of many years. After the parents moved to the Millhouse Ranch on the Missouri River bottoms in Sioux Township, Frank, Jr., and his wife Ellen and their children made their home on this farm and attended to the land. Frank Erickson is remembered as a community leader from a young age onward. He operated the grain elevator in Charbonneau for several years. He served as a member of his township board and also the school board. He was a Representative of the North Dakota Legislature for two sessions. He was a willing helper to all his neighbors and to any idea for the betterment of his community. Frank Erickson, Sr. Family. Back from left: Warren Ida and Frank, Pearle and Mary. Richard, Bill, Alice, Frank, Jim, Robert. Front: Gladys, Ruth, (83) Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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