Eleanor born Oct. 13, 1921 at Ladysmith, Wis. In
1940 she married Milton Steen. By: Marilyn Srp
THE PERRY NELSON FAMILY
Perry Nelson came with his parents when only a
boy from Caldwell, Kansas. They settled in Ver-
non County, Wisconsin, where he grew up with
two brothers and a sister. He married Minnie
Dustin in 1900. In 1919 they and six children
moved to Rusk County. The children were Ray,
Daisy, Austin, Eutha, Ardale, and Argle. They
moved by railroad; they loaded their belongings,
including a team of horses, on the train at
Hillsboro, Wisconsin and unloaded at New
Auburn. Herman Kramer was there to meet them
with his team and wagon to help haul their belong-
ings to a two-story log house in the town of Big
Bend near Potato Lake, in which they spent that
winter. Another child (Eula) was born there.
They rented a farm near Island Lake and
farmed there for about eight years. Two more
children were added to the family; they were Max-
ine and Nick. They then bought a farm near
Potato Lake, where they lived for the remainder of
their lives. Perry Nelson 8/25/1875-4/24/1942,
Minnie Nelson 8/25/1882-6/19/1965. By: Eula
Tubbs
THE GERALD ROGER
NEUBAUER FAMILY
Though we are new residents to Rusk County,
having moved here less than six months ago, we
are hardly strangers to the area. Our former
residence was just to the southeast; Gilman,
Wisconsin, in Taylor County. The majority of our
ancestors had immigrated to America from Ger-
many, some in the 1800s, and the rest in the early
1900s, all had somehow come to settle in the
Perkinstown area of Taylor County. The only
vague area of ancestry comes from my great-
grandfather, George Redwine, who was born in
this country, in 1876, and little is known about his
parents, save for the fact that they were of Irish
and French descent with apparently, a trace of In-
dian. One of my fondest memories of my great-
grandfather, is the time he told me how his parents
had taken him and his brothers and sisters on vaca-
tion one year. They traveled by covered wagon,
across the country to Florida, and back; a trip
which took them the entire summer.

The Gerald Roger Neubauer Family

Three of our parents were born in Taylor Coun-
ty, Carl Neubauer, Donald Westrich, and Enola
Meyer Westrich. The fourth, Thema Downing
Neubauer, was a native of the Mauston area. All
still reside in Taylor County, save for my father,
Donald, who has since moved to Tommahawk. I
am told there is a branch of the Redwine family
that migrated to Rusk County in the early 1900s,
and part of that branch's descendants still live
here.
My husband and I were both born and raised in
Taylor County, and except for a brief period when
we lived in Milwaukee, we have always lived there.
He is a construction worker, and oftentimes, has to
go where his work takes him. I, myself, am a strug-
244

gling writer, and it was mainly because of my
desire to go back to school and get my degree, that
we came to Rusk County. We have live children,
consisting of three sons; James, Jerry, and Rick,
and two daughters: Lisa and Trisha, all of whom
are still in school.
There are many common denominators that run
through both sides of our families. We come from
a long line of woodsworkers and construction
workers, all very much involved with hunting,
fishing, and camping. Our roots run deep in the
country, and where can you get more country than
in Wisconsin? We enjoy the country life, and have
found that same friendly, country experience here
in Ladysmitb. The people have made us feel very
welcome, and one only has to walk down the streets
to find a friendly smile, and a welcoming wave. I
think I can honestly say, this is the nicest place I
have ever lived. By: Linda Gale Neubauer
OLAF NEWHAGEN
In the year of 1929 Olaf Newhagen began
traveling as a Bible teacher. Olaf was born in Nor-
way in 1888. At the age of 19, he came to Min-
neapolis. Here he worked at the Saw Mill and at-
tended the Norwegian Lutheran Church. There he
met Carrie Somsted; in 1910 they were married. In
1912 they moved to Shell Lake. Four miles from
town they built their farm. Olaf helped to build a
Norwegian Lutheran church there. In those days,
if the minister would not be able to come, many
friends would say, "Olaf, you come an speak!" and
he became as a second preacher for the area. He
had two older children that lived with them. Their
mother had asked for help before she died; Lydia
was 5 and brother Arthur was 2; my sister, Euline
was born in 1912 and I in 1915 at Shell Lake. Olaf
often worked during the winter in Winter, Draper,
Loretta, and once in Brainerd, Minnesota, he got
lost in a blizzard, crossing the lake, bringing a
young man to a doctor. As they were on the lake
they could hear wolves close to them. Olaf just
called out to the Lord for a way to go and to keep
them safe. Somehow the men always came home
for Christmas. Those were wonderful days. Olaf
would have his pockets full of white and pink mints
and would bring apples and a few oranges. Carrie
made new gloves, sox, new dresses for the children
for Christmas, and even a doll for the youngest of
the family. How beautiful they were; I can
remember. The Norwegians met at different
homes every night for two weeks. Olaf made skis
for the children, from barrels staves, for all to ski
during Christmas time.
In later years, Olaf took a team and hauled milk
from many homes around there to Shell Lake. In
1921 or 1922, he bought a new Ford which cost
$265. In 1925 we drove to Illinois, to work for a
year or two, intending to return to Shell Lake.
They wanted to take the family to Norway to see
their relatives, and in a year, we were able to go for
3 months - a wonderful memory.
In the year 1929, very many had hard times, no
employment. Carrie, Olaf's wife, went out cleaning
homes, sewing many things for people. In January,
they attended a service where the missionary spoke
on the verse in Ezekiel 22:30 - "I sought for a
man to stand in the way ane follow and found no
one." This was the Call and became Olaf's need to
go out as a minister. Carrie helped him pack his
suitcase and a Bible and the next day he boarded
the train from Wilmette, Illinois. He arrived at
Spooner on January I1, my birthday, in 20 below
zero weather. The first place he stayed was with an
elderly man who needed help as he was dying of
cancer. Olaf stayed until he died. Then he stayed
with the Melvin Roe family near Shell Lake for
the winter. They began having services in country
schools and he began going from Shell Lake to
Barron, Rice Lake, and then to Bruce. He had a
tent in the park next to the Railway Station in
Bruce. He felt a need to help children with summer
Bible School and asked for women to help teach
for the summer. Several came from Minneapolis
Bible School, Winnetka Bible Church, and many
from the area close to Bruce. Just to name some
school houses they used: Weyerhauser, Apollonia,

Donald, New    Auburn, Exeland, Weirgor,
Radisson, Winter, Couderay, Stone Lake - too
many to remember.
Olaf began to pray for property to build a
Camp, to have a place for children to come
together for Bible study and wonderful fun time
for all. He then found a sign wanting to sell 60
acres on the beautiful Chippewa River, and a
wonderful Christian woman from our Illinois
Church helped make the first payment for the pro-
perty. Olaf began to build his Camp. Mr. Miller
helped in building the roof. Then to build a small
house for Mr. and Mrs. Hanson, retired from
Salvation Army. Olaf still traveled and was away
to many places during the winter so they helped
speak in church as it began. Olaf used the back
room of his Camp - called it his room. Carrie
would come in the Spring and stayed up North all
summer, cooking for the Camp, and returned to
Illinois to work during the Fall and Winter
months. In 1941, Philip Adams with his boys
hauled lumber to use for kitchen, dining room and
cabin. There was no fresh water for about two
years, and I remember helping during the summer
to go to the Scheel's home or John Hoeft's to haul
good water. On the day we got our own pump we
all sang, "Praise God from whom all blessings
flow." In winter times neighbors would cut ice
from the River and kept big blocks in a sawdust
basement room - so good to make ice cream for
summer days. Olaf got his first cow, a few
chickens, and as time went on he had 8 or 10 cows,
sheep, pigs, and lots of other animals. These sup-
plied food for Camp.

Olaf and Carrie Newhagen

When the Hansons left the country to go to their
daughter, two women came and worked for many
years at Camp and Church, they Norma and
Marion Jay shall be remembered by many of you.
Olaf began to build a large rock building, always
hoping for a place for a Christian School. It was
used for Women's and Girls' Camp and special
rooms for study. In the latter part of October,
1940, the Talman house burned up completely.
They had I I or 12 children and Olaf took them to
the Dining Hall. They stayed for the winter and
became good friends to all of us.
Many young people, after Camp, became
pastors and missionaries.
Olaf and Carrie went to Norway three different
times. There he would travel with relatives and
preached in many places.
The Imalone Church and Camp still stand and
shall continue.
Olaf died of cancer in 1962; Carrie in 1973. One
day in 1962 they read, "Olaf Newhagen died at
Bruce, Wisconsin." Don't you believe a word you
read! At that moment he was more alive than ever
before. He had gone up higher, that is all, out of