This is the Henry and Lena Kluver farm house in Lake Mary Township, Alexandria, Minnesota. The people in the picture are: Herman Ell, Sophia Ell, Martha Steinhorst, Walter Ell and Alwina Ell. These people owned the farm when this photo was taken. They sold it to William and Mary Deluhery who in turn sold it to Henry and Lena Kluver on Dec. 31, 1946.
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This farmhouse eventually burned down, but its memories linger with the Rolfsrud children. That's because Henry and Lena had 14 kids, aged all around the Rolfsrud six. Whenever the Rolfsruds were bored, they could ask parental permission to walk the mile to this Kluver home where there was always something to do and where you always felt welcomed. They just showed up to play unannounced, there was no telephone. They played together in the house, in the grove, in the haymow, behind the corn crib. The Kluvers didn't have much in those days but they shared everything they had. Water came from an outside pump house located approximately where the photo above was taken. Heat came from a wood-burning cookstove. When she had enough sugar, Lena would make them brownies. The Kluvers had a long, long convoluted driveway. When it was time to go, one of the Kluvers would invariably offer to "fetch" their guests to the very end of it, a simple gift of companionship that was always accepted.-------------------------------------
So many times over the years, Stan has driven past that long and convoluted driveway. Saturday he was breezing about town for his class reunion, a time of nostalgia and interest in the past. So this time, on a chance, he drove that long zig-zag driveway unannounced, remembering each turn, wondering what he would find at its end.
He found a newer ranch home with a man on his back, painting a red Farmall tractor parked on the apron of a detached garage.
"Are there any Kluvers living around here," Stan asked the burly, crew-cut man in a sleeveless tee-shirt.
"Who wants to know," he responded brusquely, hardly looking up from his work.
Stan scrambled for words that would assure the man that he wasn't selling magazines or Jesus Christ.
"My name is Stan Rolfsrud, I am an old family friend. I played with Roger, Marlow, Doris, Mary, Rosella, Jimmy. . ." rattling off as many names as came to mind. "And I want to offer my sympathies on the passing of Delbert..."
The ice was broken. The man smiled broadly now.
"Oh, you'll want to speak to Marilyn, his widow, she's in the house," he offered, now giving Stan his full attention.
Sure enough, an elderly woman, looking to be about Delbert's age, was heading out the door on an errand. Introductions were made on the sidewalk, the conversation was joined and a delightful flood of memories spilled out.
Her name is Marilyn Johnson Kluver. She didn't attend country school with any Rolfsruds, but she was in the first graduating class from Jefferson High School in Alexandria. She did remember Erling Rolfsrud and had kind things to say, though he never taught her English. Erling did teach her daughter ninth grade English, however. And Marilyn has a North Dakota book written by Erling, it was autographed, she said.
Inviting Stan to come into her house, Marilyn turned out to be a trove of old photographs and memories.
Among many treasures, she has the 1951 photograph of the Oak Grove School District one room country school where Stan's oldest sister is seated among area farm kids of all ages. In the Kluver tradition, Marilyn gave Stan a copy of it to keep, and we'll feature it here soon.
