Mathias P. HANSEN

HANSEN, KOOKEN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/11/2011 at 15:56:00

November 23, 1880 --- January 13, 1948

Death came suddenly to Mathias P. Hansen at a Minot hospital at 2:37 am Jan 13, 1948. He was ill a few days before being taken to the hospital ten days before he passed away from inflammation of the pancreas. Always a hale and hearty man his passing was a terrible surprise to all. Matt, as he was known to us all, was born in Sycamore, Illinois on November 23, 1880 and at the time of his death was 67 years, 2 months and 20 days of age. He was married to Lottie Launetta Kooken, at Garner, Iowa, May 25, 1903 and to this union thirteen children were born. The Hansen's made their home in Iowa for several years after their marriage. They homesteaded in 1906 in Towner, Mountrail Co., North Dakota. Matt was more or less a self-employed man. He plowed land for himself and other homesteaders. He covered territory form 10 miles north of Van Hook to on the reservation south of Van Hook before Van Hook was on the map. He had a Minneapolis Steam engine with at least 4 plows, maybe more. When the harvest was ready he had a threshing outfit, cook car, water tank, a hay rack, and also lots of bundle wagons. He did his own blacksmith work, like sharpening plow shares. Matt dug wells in Van Hook and Sanish. About 1914 & 1915 he ran a dray line with Mr. George Loftquist when Van Hook started building. The dray line hauled ice from the Missouri river in Winter for peoples ice houses and for the train storage ice house. When Sanish started to build they hauled lumber and other supplies to Sanish until the Soo Line railroad went through in 1915 or 1916. Starting in 1916 near Sanish Matt farmed for other people, hauled mail and worked for the Soo Line Railroad. In Winter he dug coal from the river banks. In 1925 the family settled on a farm in Knife Creek Territory north of Sanish. Mathias was a Christian man being raised in the Lutheran faith but as an adult he was a member of the Methodist Church. Matt would hold services in their home if a church wasn't available. Mathias was a beloved Husband, Father, and Grandfather.