Tollef Thompson

Tollef Thompson was born on September 11, 1884, in Lyons, South Dakota, as the sixth child of Thorsten and Anna. Raised in the Baltic region of South Dakota alongside his siblings, Tollef was baptized and confirmed at Willow Creek Lutheran Church in 1900.

In March 1906, Tollef joined his older brother Edwin in establishing his homestead in Clyde, North Dakota. Following this, Tollef seems to have worked as an itinerant farmhand. He prepared cattle for dairy companies and traveled from the South to the North, assisting farm crews with the harvest.

Harvesting crops in the early 1900s tested the endurance and resilience of farmworkers like Tollef. Modern machinery and technology were unavailable, so they relied heavily on manual labor and rudimentary tools, such as scythes and horse-drawn reapers. This physically demanding process required long hours of backbreaking work under often harsh conditions.

Crews like the ones Tollef likely joined began their journeys in the southern states, where warmer climates prompted earlier planting and harvesting seasons. As the season progressed and the crops in the south of fields were brought in, the crews traveled northward. This migration allowed them to maintain steady work throughout the harvest period.

In 1946, after the year’s harvest, Tollef contacted his sister Selma from Hannah, North Dakota. He had been involved in a severe automobile accident there. In a letter to Selma and Dan Eitrheim, Tollef described how the accident had severely injured his collarbone and several ribs. The farmer’s family took care of him for over two months. Eventually, he returned to New York to resume milking cows, but he was no longer physically capable.

Little is known about Tollef following his last communications with his sisters in the late 1940s. He led a solitary life, never marrying or having children. It is believed that Tollef passed away in 1960; however, without records to verify this, his final resting place remains unknown.

While Tollef’s story may be one of many untold tales of farmworkers during this time period, it serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by those who worked tirelessly to provide food for their communities.