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Winneshiek County IAGenWeb Bruvold Farm Burial Site this page was last updated on Friday, 23 December 2016 |
This spot needs a Bruvold Farm entrance picture, If you have one please contact your county coordinator |
Sunday, March 13, 2005, Ross Hanson became an Eagle Scout at the Ossian Lutheran
Church after a two-year project of restoring an old cemetery located in a
neighbor's field. He remembered how crops were planted and harvested around
disheveled tombstones. In early summer 2003, Ross and his parents, Greg and
Dianne Hanson, checked out the cemetery located on top of a field hill, barely
visible from County Road W 42 south of Nordness.
Ross received permission
from landowners, Lillian, Paul and Sue Bruvold to restore the Pioneer Cemetery,
and he began his project. He also contacted the Winneshiek County Pioneer
Cemetery Commission and they agreed to work with him on his project.
Ross completed plans for his project and while waiting for
project approval, he revisited the site. He discovered two tombstones, one
broken in half. Ross realized he needed to work around the farmer's crops of
corn and soybeans, so he completed research during the summer months.
Susan Jacobsen of the Winneshiek County Pioneer Cemetery
Commission helped Ross with his project. Because of a lack of funding, the
number of cemeteries the group can restore is limited. The "Bruvold" cemetery
was on their list for future projects. Ross learned about a large number
of pioneer cemeteries in the county.
Ross' Grandpa Schwartz had been restoring cemeteries for years
in Benton County. He was pleased to learn his grandson had similar interests.
The first job was to locate the missing part of the broken gravestone. Schwartz
suggested probing the ground around the graves. Ross began by randomly probing
and when he hit a fairly large rock, he began digging. His first attempt
produced the missing half of the stone completely intact under a foot of dirt.
Ross took the piece home, and after a lot of soap and scrubbing, left the stone
outside to bleach. Grandpa Schwartz brought epoxy for gravestones, and he
and Ross were able to mend the marker and reinforce it.
The inscription on the two stones are legible, and Ross
discovered the two graves were for children, Laura Garden born August 17, 1855
and died May 9, 1857 and William Opdahl born September 26, 1855 and died May 13,
1857. Both markers were written in Norwegian.
More research determined that Laura was the daughter of Pastor
Halvor Garden and Ingeborg Opdahl. Pastor Garden was one of the first ministers
of the Washington Prairie Methodist Church built between 1863 and 1868.
Ross was not able to find information about William Opdahl's
family. Through information obtained from the Decorah Genealogy Society in the
Decorah Library, Ross learned that Knud Guldbrandson Opdahl, Laura's
grandfather, owned the farm where the graves are located.
Ross believed there could be two other graves at the cemetery
and again called on his granddad for help. Schwartz brought dowsing or witching
rods and taught Ross how to search for the unmarked graves with them. The rods
are L-shaped pieces of metal that will cross over each other when held outright
in front of a person. Through this process, Ross determined there were indeed
two more graves, most likely graves of children.
When the next spring arrived, Ross and his dad returned to the
site and installed a chain-link fence with the help of fellow scouts, Devin
Brincks, Michael Zweibahmer and Derick Nesvik. The area was seeded with grass
and ,although impossible to maintain in the middle of the field, Ross feels this
will help keep the weeds down.
Ross turned in his paperwork and participated in an intensive
interview with the Boy Scouts board of review, necessary to receive the Eagle
Award. The entire project took about 50 hours and was funded from a share of
popcorn sales and from various donations. Ross said he learned several things
from his scout project, including how to research, write good reports and the
art of "witching." He has discovered that descendents of the deceased have since
visited the pioneer cemetery.
Several articles were written about Ross Hanson because of
his efforts. The above information is based on those articles.
Please, contact the County Coordinator to submit additions or corrections.
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this page was last updated on
Friday, 23 December 2016
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