McMahons Arrive

Summer 1883-- Irish John Thomas McMahons joined the Danes--on 320 acres three miles west of Elk Horn.

Thomas and Anna (McGanney) McMahon came to the settlement from Davenport, Ia. Thomas came to the United States in 1842 and his wife in 1845.

They brought to the Elk Horn settlement the first Boston bulldog seen in the area.

Fall 1884--A couple of Danes were making good showings at the Shelby County Fair--Chris Johnson and P. I. Petersen of Clay Township.

Johnson's holsteins and Petersen's pair of Clydesdale stallions and Morgan-Messenger pacing stallion took top honors.

The 2nd College

Tells of Sea Passage

Summer 1880-- An eventful passage from Denmark to this country was that of a young girl (who became Mrs. Svend Larsen) on the ship "Thingvalla" with more than 700 other immigrants.

The ship struck an iceberg, lost its propeller, and floated 28 days--helpless without power and with a leak.

Passengers said those who were not ill feared the ship would sink and those who were seasick often wished it would.

The ship could not send distress signals. The main concern of the crew was to remain in the shipping lane where it might be sighted by a passing vessel.

Days ran into weeks--the crochet thread and knitting yarn were exhausted, games monotonous and the food supply low. Passengers were on a diet of boiled potatoes and hard tack.

Even the more optimistic passengers showed strain. Lifeboats hung ready.

After 28 days, the fog horn was heard in the night by another ship. Passengers were transferred and "Thingvalla" was taken in tow to Halifax.

The immigrants were taken from Halifax to New York in barges. Women huddled at one end opposite the men in the barge. They slept little because they "feared the big black Negro attendants."

Businessmen Build

The first business building as such on the Elk Horn town site (1882) housed a general store (C. O. Jensen said it stocked "a little of everything and not much of anything").

The first merchant, said one source, "was Lars Hansen, brother of Niels A. Hansen of Kimballton. The same source said Lars Hansen sold the store to George James and Nis Larsen. Elsewhere it was said Nels Hansen owned a store at Elk Horn, sold it to Nis Larsen, wanted it back and when refused, moved to the Kimbalton site and opened a new store.

The first smithy was Peter Holm, who died and was succeeded by Niels Steffensen.

George James and Nis Larsen sold their general store to Rasmus Hansen. James and Larsen then opened a hardware store.

Except for the smithy and the Steffensen residence across the road from the school, Elk Horn's buildings into the mid-1880's were on the east side of the public road--the church school grouping to the north, linked by a few residences to the commerial [sic commercial] interest at the corner to the south.

Rasmus Hansen then moved across the road and built a store building. The old general store building was leased by Chris M. Hansen and Chris Hansen. Chris became the town's pioneer implement dealer and the other Chris opened a harness shop.

Petersen to Elk Horn

1889-- John Petersen joined the Elk Horn business community with one-half interest in the Rasmus Hansen general store.

Hansen had borrowed money from Petersen. Hansen then lost money in the Atlantic bank failure and he told Petersen that the only way the debt could be paid was if Petersen would take one-half interest in the store.

Petersen had arrived at Des Plaines, Ill., from Denmark in 1871 when about 23 years old. He worked at the mason trade a few years, then as a coachman three years for a private family. He was married in Chicago, in 1876, and went into the ice ceam [sic cream] selling business. later he was in the feed business.

His first trip to Elk Horn was in 1883. He moved to the settlement in 1884 and farmed two miles east of the village.

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Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass from Elk Horn 1868-1918, July, 2022, page 10.