Ballard merits the appellation, City of Smokestacks. No small town west
of the Rocky has more factories. Saw mills and shingle mills are sending
clouds of smoke into the air day and night, and brigades of industrious
men are busily engaged. The city has been regarded by many as a suburb
of Seattle, but this is a misinterpretation. True, Ballard is near
Seattle, and is connected to it by a well-equipped street railway, but
has its own government.
The first Scandinavian who touched Salmon Bay, half a mile below
Ballard, was probably Peter Friberg. In 1875 Gustaf Anderson pitched his
tent on a green spot near the rippling water where he yet resides. He
was born in Sweden, crossed the Atlantic in 1864, and spent several
years in Chicago before coming to the Pacific. He is a man of
intelligence and holds a respectable rank among the people. Ole
Schildstad, a native of Norway, and highly respected, arrived
simultaneously.
In those early days Ballard was undreamt. The smoke which now curls
above its bustle did not enter the calm of the pioneers' hearts.
They were contented with the peregrination of daily necessity. Few
Scandinavians then stalked the dense forest which clad the turf where
five thousand people now dwell midst noise and progress, but today over
one thousand Vikings mingle in the various walks of life in the town.
[Illustration: JOHN JOHNSON.]
John Johnson, the leading merchant and an intelligent and honored
citizen, is a native of Norway, being born March 26, 1862, midway
between Trondhjem and Levanger, where he received his early education.
At the age of ten he emigrated to America, locating at Muskegon,
Michigan, attended the public schools three years, worked in a saw mill
four years, and clerked in a grocery store seven years. In 1886 he
launched into business for himself which he is pursuing with marked
success. During the same year he was married at Muskegon to a cultured
young lady, Miss Magna Nelson, whose parents hail from Tromso, Norway.
In 1893 Mr. Johnson moved to Ballard and immediately embarked in grocery
business. His large establishment and business method plainly reflect
his ability, and a multitudinous circle of friends bespeaks his
generosity and integrity of character.
[Illustration: FRANK ENGQUIST.]
Frank Engquist, the well-known merchant tailor of Ballard, was born in
Sweden, 1861, received a fine education in his native country, and in
1882 crossed the Atlantic for the United States, settling at Moline,
Illinois, where he remained one and a half years. His next journey
was to Minneapolis, where he found employment in one of the largest
tailoring establishments in the city. In 1888 he migrated to Seattle,
Washington, and shortly after resumed his chosen occupation. He was
attracted by the fascinating aspect of the Sound, and abandoned his
business to try his hand at agriculture in Rolling Bay. The gigantic
trees and stubborn stumps plucked the laurels of his fancy, and in
1896 started business in Ballard, where he is permanently located. Mr.
Engquist is an expert workman, honest and intelligent, and what is still
loftier, a perfect gentleman.
P. E. Paulson, a genial business man, was born in Norway, 1865. His
father was a prominent educator, having been engaged in school work
about forty years. Mr. Paulson enjoyed the benefit of an excellent
education, and in 1882 sailed for America, locating in Rock county,
Minnesota. After two years of various occupation he arrived in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, where he stayed two years. The Pacific exercised a
peculiar charm, and thither he emigrated, making Skagit valley his first
stopping place, and afterward located in Ballard, where he now resides.
Mr. Paulson is a leading member of the Foresters of America and other
organizations. He is a man of a kind disposition, and universally
respected.
I. C. Olson is a true type of honesty and individual character. He was
born in Norway, and for years resided in Minneapolis. He came to the
coast in 1893, settling in Ballard. In 1898 he was elected to the
legislature, where he distinguished himself as a man of integrity and
sound judgment.
Thomas Anderson is a rising grocer, and a prominent member of the
Norwegian Baptist church, Revs. O. L. Hoien and G. Berg are well liked
and earnest ecclesiastics. Rev. Martin Berg is editor of Kongeriget and
an eloquent advocate of Christian principles.
[Illustration: A RUSTIC BRIDGE AT POINT DEFIANCE PARK, TACOMA.]
SCANDINAVIANS IN TACOMA.