| Summary: | Mr. and Mrs. Mike Varner with Melvin, Ray and Marjorie Kemmis, Irma Brodhead and Leon Brodhead in front. Ruben on November 6, 1903. Victor died on December 14, 1902. They decided to move to North Dakota in 1906 and settled at Drake where Dad owned and operated several water well- drilling machines. Some of the old windmills with M. S. Varner printed on the tail still stand today, as does our home in Drake. Four children were born there. Mildred Magdelina ( "Babe") on November 6, 1905, Harry William on November 15, 1908, Dorothy Minnie on December 9, 1910 and Ruth Marie on November 30, 1913. Dorothy died February 6, 1911. In the spring of 1914, Dad decided he would like to go west. After selling his business and home, Dad, Mother and five children left for Cartwright, North Dakota where Dad had filed on a half section of land in the Horse Creek area. They loaded an emigrant car of machinery, a couple of cows and their household goods. Mother and the three younger children, Harry, Mildred and baby Ruth took the train. Royle and Lester went with their father across country with a covered wagon, trailing four horses. This trip to Charbonneau took eleven days, through rain and on muddy roads. When we got to the Missouri River, it was over its banks, as the June raise was on. Two Indians came on horseback and led us to the ferry at Charlson, North Dakota, north of Watford City. Needless to say, we were three very scared people. We arrived at the Billy Moos home south of Charbonneau in good spirits. Bill was mother's brother. After resting a few days, we traveled on to Horse Creek where the men soon roughed up a shack to live in. On April 17,1917, another son Donald was born and October 27, 1919 Laura Nettie arrived. Charles died at birth in 1924. At first, Dad raised sheep on the claim, but later ran cattle and horses. When the beet farmers first came into the Yellowstone Valley, Dad broke horses and sold them to these farmers to use in their fields. The cattle had to be shipped by rail to South St. Paul, Minnesota in those days. Dad and boys, along with hired help, built roads and bridges for the county. One major job was building the road down the Thorson hill north of Cartwright. Cutting the big hill down with horses and hand equipment was a long and hard task, but the road is still in use. This was done in 1926. In 1919, Dad bought land from Miles Elletson which was about three miles from us. This was closer to school and on the main road so we moved into that house. He moved the homestead house over into our yard, took out most of the partitions and used it as a bunk house, storage room and a meeting place for neighborhood get togethers. Many dances were held there, starting before dark and lasting until daylight. The women brought food which was put out on a long table and everyone danced, youngsters as well as the grownups. The babies were taken into our house and put to bed. Along with two neighbor men, John Winter and Lem Burns, Dad organized a Community Club. They organized picnics, horse races, Fourth of July celebrations, etc. The large grove on our place was the site of many picnics. We can remember helping mother bake buns by the dozen and frying potato chips by the box full for these events. Our folks always sent off for the year's supply of groceries from the M. W. Savage Catalogue. When it came, Dad would load up a sleigh full of wheat and go to Cartwright to meet the "freight." It would take him all day and what excitement it was when he got home! Mother would check the list while everyone helped unload. There was always a treat added; once a case of gum which was doled out at half a stick at a time to each of us. The folks and the neighbors found out that they could buy apples much cheaper if several boxes were ordered. When they came into Sidney by rail, our brother Lester would get them and distribute them out from the old house. Our mother made everything we wore and coats and dresses for others in exchange for homemade bread, butter, meat or whatever. I'm sure she never bought a pattern, just a newspaper, a picture from the catalogue, a kerosene lamp and the old treadle machine which our brother has now. Since our home was just across the road, the teachers would stay at our house, small as it was and as large as our family was, there seemed to be room. I'm sure mother never got more than $15.00 a month for board and room, but a teacher's salary wasn't very much, either. In 1940 Mother, Dad and Donald moved back to Pennington, Minnesota where they bought timber land. They operated a sawmill and sold lumber. After Dad was unable to work, Donald kept it going until the folks died, at which time he sold out and moved his family to Terry, Montana. Mother passed away in 1951 and Dad followed in 1954. They are buried at Buffalo, Minnesota, their birthplace, alongside of their two infant children, Victor and Dorothy. Baby boy Charles is buried at the Highland Cemetery in McKenzie County. Royle, Mrs. Math Koch, Sr. lives in Sidney, Montana; Lester in Terry; Mildred is Mrs. Art Kemmis of Sidney; Harry of Robbinsdale, Minnesota is deceased; Ruth, Mrs. Wendell Brodhead lives in Fairview, Montana; Donald lives in Terry and Laura, Mrs. Orville Pierson of York, North Dakota is deceased. ARCHIBALD O. VARNER A. O. Varner, brother of M.S.M. (Mike) Varner worked as a telegraph operator at Leeds, North Dakota before being transferred to Drake, North Dakota. He then went into the well drilling business with his brother Mike. He came to McKenzie County and filed on a homestead west of Horse Creek. After proving up his land, he went to Canada where he married and spent his remaining years. He passed away many years ago. There is one son, Robert, who lives at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who is a realtor. NEI-S AND SELMA PEDERSON Nels Pederson came from Kjerrengoy, Norway in the spring of 1908. He worked on the Van Cleve Ranch in Melville, Montana until that fall, when he heard about homestead land (158) Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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