Friday morning found us at the Scandinavian Cultural Center. Minot is a friendly city of 35K and the Nordic influence is evident. The city sponsors a Host Fest at the Fair Grounds every October (we are staying on the grounds) which attracts cultural acts from Scandinavia. Apparently 60K attend. We were greeted by a cheerful blue eyed blond who asked about our situation. When I explained as to why we are in
Minot,, she responded, "I have to call George." George arrived at the center in 20 minutes. He sat down at a table with us and I explained the Aune story regarding Ryder. George and his wife Janise were born and lived their whole life in Ryder until retirement. George was not aware of any Aunes living in Ryder and did not know of my uncle Gilbert's grave. George had a big book with the plat maps from as early as 1860. GG Aune, my grandfather, was not listed anywhere. After talking for an hour, George left for another commitment but wanted to meet us again in the p.m. Barb and I went to the Trinity Home Center to meet with Alta Hove. She was sitting in a wheel chair eating lunch as we walked in. I respectfully introduced myself and asked how she is doing. "Oh well, I am here." was her response. Alta is physically handicapped (stroke victim?) and is in her mid 80's. She is very sharp. After living most of her life in Ryder she headed a committee to document the history of Ryder. She listened to my Aune story and reflected. She knew the Aune name but she was not aware of any ever living in Ryder. She did not know the location of Gilbert's grave. She did suggest that we spend some time in the little museum in Ryder which she helped establish.We went to the county courthouse to search records. Again, the recorder was so helpful but we found no GG Aune in any deeds, homestead records, or listing of my Aunt Gladys birth.
We met George and Janise
back at the Cultural Center at 1:30. He was one of the major contributors, in time and energy, into the establishment of the center. He and Janise walked us through a log house and a house from Stabbur (grass roof) both imported from Norway and reassembled here. There is also a Stave Church (you can google this) which is the pinnacle structure in Minot. It is a beautiful cedar structure modeled after churches built in Norway in the 1200's. Before entering the church we passed through the "gate house". It is a structure around 15 feet tall and and 15 feet square. A large bell hangs inside. Its significance is that when a child is brought to baptism, the child is carried through the gate house to the church. The bell rings during this process. This symbolizes the entry into the sainthood of believers. The next time a person goes through the gate house is from the other direction at his/her funeral. The bell is again rung and this symbolizes the sending of saint onto heaven, "mission accomplished".We bid farewell to George and Janise and they informed us that they will meet us in Ryder on Saturday. They feel called to help us find Gilbert's grave. I was a bit overwhelmed by the day's events and look forward to our trip to Ryder tomorrow. Pastor Galloway, from St. John's Lutheran in Ryder called to say that people are expecting us, that they have a place for us to hook up the RV, and that church is at 8:30 on Sunday.
Barb and I took a break from our detective work and went for a relaxing bike ride around Minot. The sun was shining and the traffic was gracious. It was a pleasant ride, a good way to end a very full day.
We very much look forward to tomorrow in Ryder.
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