Arnt Olsen Halseth

HALSETH HOXENG

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/27/2010 at 20:24:10

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Arnt Olsen Halseth
By Christine Haugen

In the middle of May 1869, a party of at least thirty people from Opdal, Norway, arrived in Sioux City, Iowa. The lively young men in the party felt obliged to celebrate their advent to the promised land. When the 17th of May (Norway’s Constitution Day) approached, they found an opportunity for a real holiday. The report goes that from Prospect Hill, the city’s highest point, on the 17th of May, 1869, patriotic Norwegian songs sounded over town and country and the enthusiasm was so high that the next day the young chaps were quite subdued.

Building contractor Arnt Olsen Halseth was also in this group in 1869. He literally became the leading builder of these pioneers. He first saw the light of day the 26th of March 1845, in Opdahl. He was a Nordic Type in full measure, with a tall, muscular statue – a leader who attracted attention on the streets.

A young town which was just beginning to recover from poor times certainly had use for a man so well equipped for the hard work of the building trade as Halseth. He began at once in a carpenter shop and soon learned the language and work relations. Ten years later, he had his own shop and was a contractor. This was at the sme time as the town’s boom. This capable, honest Norseman with the winning personality won the confidence of the pioneer leaders, most of who had emigrated from the eastern states. He soon became recognized as the town’s biggest building contractor. He employed regularly forty men and sometimes more.

Halseth had the contrct for many of the largest ventures – Union Stockyards, Silberhorn Packing Houses, Exchange Bank, Union Depot, Central High School, Unitarian Church, Baptist Church, and many others. Besides these, he built a great many patrician homes – castle-like residences with their cupolas and towers distinctive among the modernistic architecture beginning to come in.

Halseth was also owner of the Sioux City Fuel Company and president of Sergeant Bluff and Sioux City Cotta Tile and Brick Company. He was a charter member of First Lutheran Church and had the foresight to plan the prestigous stone ediface which housed the church at Sixth and Virginia for many years. Church membership grew rapidly because of the many immigrants from Norway and the mortgage was soon paid off.

The year after Halseth came; another large group of Norweginas arrived. Among them was the Hoxeng family who went out to South Dakota. But one daughter, Sigrid, returned to Sioux City and soon married Arnt Halseth. This was the culmination of a romance begun in the homeland. She was a capable wife, mother of a large family. After some years a fine home was built on the heights, 7th and Jennings, called Codfish Hill. The home became the cultural center wehre hospital reigned. Many who came were inspired and enjoyed the collection of art and books.

Halseth brought many of his countrymen to the new world, not only sending them passage money, but giving them a friendly welcome when they arrived homeless and friendless.

Mr and Mrs Halseth had six children. 1-Marie, born 1871, married Charles Harstad, born 1864, in Eidsskog, Norway in 1891. Harstad, together with his brother-in-law was owner of H & H shoe store. Mr and Mrs Halseth took the newlyweds on a wedding trip to Europe – England, France Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Harstads have three sons, Arthur, Milton and Raymond.

2-Haakon married Jennie Thelander.

3-Inga married Lars Ness form Hardanger, Norway. Their three children were Laurence, Clifford and Ilene, Mrs Emmet Fricke.

4-Oscar married and lived in Los Angeles, California.

5-Simon married Carrie Hillman, daughter of Sioux City pioneers.

6-Norman married Calma Ingebrigtsen and they had one daughter, Norma.

This is from the Tronder Yearbook translated from Norwegian by Julia Anderson.