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Chapt. 9: My
visit to USA.
1. Family visit
in 1999.
Janne
and Nils Risa
Blomsterbakken
9B
(old address) Tøyenhaugen 1.09.1999
(See 2. for
new address)
To:
Kristen
Risa,
Orville
Davis,
(Curtis
Rise, (
David A. Haagenson,
Thelma
Risa, (RTE. 1,
Doris
Risa Koenen, Rr 2,
Mike Risa,
Arvid
R. Risa, Rr 2,
Ina
Risa (no address)
Ronald
Risa (no address) Hanley Falls
Lester Hyland, (Box 16), Rr 1, Spring Valley, MN 55975 - 9706
Carol
Peterson,
Roger
Anderson,
Charlotte
Anderson Munson,
(All with
some connection to Risa on Rennesøy).
Hi to you
all, who we met on our trip in 1999. This is just a summary, with thanks to you
all for meeting us. Now we are back in “gamlelandet”
(the old country) after 5 wonderful weeks in
We
started our trip in
We
started up with the old towns of
We stayed
a long weekend at Kristen and got a good view of
After
three days we arrived at Roland (“Velkommen til Roland”), and talked to Orville (87 years of age). We
also visited the graveyard in Redcliff where Ole and Olene
are buried. Curtis in Belmond was in
After
that we drove to David, and had a long conversation. In 1977 his grandmother
Agnes Anderson Haagenson wrote “A FAMILY HISTORY” (29
pages) which I got a copy of. There are lots of information I will put into my
note. (See Chapt.
7.).
David
with his wife and mother.
Then we
drove to Thelma (84 years of age) for the weekend. On Saturday we visited the
farms of Doris, Arvid, Mike, Aina
and Donald, and
Doris with her sons, Mike and Arvid.
Back: Todd, Jeff (sons of Ronald)
and Mike. Front: Terje, Ryan (son of
Mike), Ronald, Thelma and Ina. (See Chapt. 5.).
The "proof" at Mall of America!! Nils, Janne,
Randi and Terje.
Sunday
morning we drove to
Carol, Shirley and Les, at the motel. (See Chapt.
8.).
In
We drove
through
The day
after we went to
After
that we drove through
The note
I sent most of you will now be updated, the next 2 month. Then I will put it on
Internet under this search address:
where you
can read it. (I will mail it to you who don’t have PC or Internet). I will also
update the note if you send me correction and more information on the subject.
Still,
have a nice summer.
Best
Regards
Nils Risa, and family.
2. Cousin visit
in 2013.
Nils Risa
Gåsebyveien 1
1481 Hagan
NORWAY
Phone: +47 67075947
Mob: +47 95976450
Mail: nils.risa@gmail.com
Skype: Nils-Risa Hagan,
30.12.2013
To:
Roger
Dale Anderson, 18 E Larkspur Lane, East
Bristol,
Doris J. Koenen, 3872 250th Ave. Clarkfield,
Mchael
D. Risa, 1506
11th St Clarkfield,
Arvid
R. Risa,
4045 240th Ave. Clarkfield,
Dean Risa, 4340 192nd St. Montevideo, MN 56265. Phone: 320-269-2195. Mail:
drrisa@mvtvwireless.com
Ronald C.
Risa, 4584 250th Ave. Clarkfield,
MN 56223-3505. Phone: 320-383-2221.
Betsy
Colleen Sedivy,
14876 Timberglade Cir NE, Prior Lake, MN 55372.
Phone: 952-447-6196
Kristi
Anderson Lee, 4512 Bryant Ave,
Minneapolis, MN 55409 Phone: 612-824-2704.
Carol M.
Peterson, 1823 NE 84th Ave.
Owatonna,
Pat A.
Swenson, 606 25th St. SW Austin, MN 55912. Phone: 507-437-4947. Mob. 507-358-4936
Lester
and Shirley Hyland, Rr.
1 Box 16, Spring Valley, MN 55975-9706. Phone: 507-346-7572
(All with
connection to Risa on Rennesøy).
Hi to you
all, who we met on our trip in 2013. This is just a summary, with thanks to you
all for meeting us. Now we are back in “gamlelandet”
(the old country) after 4 wonderful weeks in
This time we started our trip in Nashville, on a
guided tour with 20 Norwegian tourist, on Friday 23.08. Then 14 days with bus
through Memphis, St. Louis, Hannibal, Decorah, Westby (Coon Valley), Milwaukee,
and ending up in Chicago on Friday 06.09.
In Chicago three of us rented a car and drove around
for another 14 days: Wife Marit Kalsem (60 years) and husband
Gunnar Line Risa (62), and cousin Nils Risa (69), see Chapt. 2. on Internet: http://Risa.50megs.com This car trip was about the same road from
Chicago and westwards as I, my wife Janne, and youngest
son Terje traveled in 1999, see 1. above, (Chapt. 9.).
Starting from O'Hara we first drove to Bristol to meet
Roger and his wife, and had a long talk there. His hobby now was old car. On
the picture below you see an beautiful Ford from 1951, with all the trophies he
has got for that car on many exhibition.
Roger and his Ford.
(See Chapt. 7.).
Then we stayed 3 nights in Moriss
(IL). On Saturday we drove "up" along the I & M Canal to Ottawa
and further north along the Fox River where Cleng
Person and his group settled down in 1836. This 96 miles long Canal, going from
Chicago to La Salle, parallel to the Illinois River, was built from 1836 until
1848. Then this waterway system went all the way from New York to Gulf of
Mexico, and was the main road for immigrants going westwards, before the
railroads were built later in the 18-hundred. 
On Sunday we drove up to Sandwich for the annual Sandwichfair, with lots of old and new farming equipment,
animal and shows. And there also Roger was standing with his old Ford, on
exhibition. Afterwards we drove through Plano and back to Moriss.
The day after we drove to Ames (IA) for 2 nights. From
there we visiting Huxley where Marit met a Kalsem relative just beside the Nord-Kalsem
Park.
Mrs. and Mr. Kalsem, and Marit.
Then we drove to Roland where we went into the cemetery
to look for Norwegian names. Cornelious Anderson, the
first immigrant from a Risa farm (3) was buried there
in 1902, (See Chapt. 7.). He was one of the first
settlers in that area.
We also drove to Radcliffe and went into that
cemetery, and found the grave of Ole and Olene Risa, (see Chapt. 5.). We tried
to find his farm some few miles north of Radcliffe, but that was not easy.
On our way from Ames to Montevideo (MN), we stopped in
Belmond (IA) just to look into Curtis B. Rise Apartments, (see Chapt. 7.). This is a home for old people where also his wife Bernice Marguerite lived her last years,
according to Connie S. Eckhoff a retired leader of
this Lienbach Center. Curtis had been her mentor in
early years.
We also stopped in Forest City (IA) and looked into
the Library of Forest City. There is Jacob A. Rise Collection of books, marked
with a blue circle, (see Chapt. 7.).
We stayed 3 nights in Montevideo (MN), the nearest
place to Clarkfield, and the three big Risa farms in that area. Doris and Marvin were our host
both days. Her daughter Anette Vissman
was on visit from South Dakota, with her grandchild. Anette
wanted to meet Gunnar who she had met in Norway in 1974, when she was only 15
years of age.
Anette with granddaughter, and
mother Doris. (See Chapt. 5.).
We visit lots of places in this region. L.M. original
farm in Henley Falls, the school house which now was Minnesota Machinery Museum,
the cemetery where Doris parents (Erickson) are buried, and the cemetery in
Hazel Run where most of the Risa family are buried.
We visit the Ronald farm (son of Ina and Olav) and did
see all equipment that was prepared for the coming harvest of 3,500 acres with
corn and beans. A big changes even this 14 years since last time I was here.
Nils, Ronald, Gunnar and Marit.
We also visit the Arvid farm
(son of Doris and Arlen) and did see equal equipment as Ronald had. Arvid and Mike (Risa Bros.) are
farming together the two farms where Arvid and Doris now
are living, some few miles apart.
Arvid, Marvin and Gunnar.
We also visit Dean's farm in Montevideo. He is the
eldest son of Doris and Arlen. He has been working in a local bank for many
years, but now he had bought a small farm and grow ecological vegetables which
he sold on the marked in Willmar, a bigger neighbor town. He also had some
sheep and goats. Quite an experience compared to earlier bank work.
Dean.
The last evening in Clarkfield
we had barbecue in Mikes garden, which also is neighbor to Jeff's house. Below
is the cousin picture. But also their wife's, and Doris and Marvin,
participated in this barbecue, of course.
In the back: Ronald with his two sons, Todd and Jeff,
and grandson. In front: Dean, Arvid, Gunnar, Nils,
Mike and his son Ryan.
The next day we drove to Owatonna (MN) for another 3 nights
stay. We passed Mankato where Robert C. Rise, son of Curtis, and our second
cousin, should be living. But he had just moved to Minneapolis, and we did not have
the time to visit him there, this time. (See Chapt.
7.).
On Sunday we had called on Carol Peterson to be our
guide to Austin. Carol lived on a farm just east of Owatonna. We first drove
out to that farm just to meet her daughter and husband who was pig farmer,
before we headed south to Austin and Pat Swenson.
We had booked in advance, so Shirley and Les Hyland
had arrived from Spring Valley, (see also Chapt. 8.
and 9.). There we had a long lunch before we returned to Owatonna.
Pat, Carol, Shirley and Les.
The
day after we drove north to Prior Lake to visit Colleen and Joseph Sedivy. (See Chapt. 7.). There we
had lunch before we went on sightseeing in that area, and later into center of Minneapolis.
In Minneapolis we should meet Kristi Anderson Lee at a
restaurant, after her work, see below. I meet both Colleen and Kristi in Oslo
when they visit Norway in 2003.
This was the last visit before we drove to Wisconsin
Dells (WI) for 2 nights. This is a famous tourist area, but these days it was
going to close down for the winter.
On the last day we drove up and down Suldal Road, and into Elroy, a small town in that area.
This is a very Norwegian area in Wisconsin. Suldal
got the name from the first settlers coming from Suldal
in Norway, where also Gunnar's father and my father were born, (see Chapt. 2.).
This picture is from the entrance to the Suldal Cemetery from Suldal Road.
Gunnar is holding the local Norwegian newspaper "Suldalsposten"
from Suldal, a place nearby Stavanger. This picture
was also printed in that Suldalsposten some weeks
after our trip to USA.
Gunnar has a cabin in Suldal
near the birthplace to our fathers.
The day after we drove back to Chicago for one last
night, nearby O'Hara. The next day (Friday 20.09) we returned the car at the
airport, and flew back to Norway.
This was a very memorable trip, thanks to you all.
And to all of you, still have a nice Happy New Year,
2014.
Best Regards
Nils Risa,
Gunnar Risa and Marit Kalsem.