Ed Elefson is the last Mr. Blank
...for the 1939 issues of the Stanley Sun
The gentleman with the beautiful flowing silky beard1 is Ed Elefson who has served Mountrail County as county commissioner for the past 21 years, and was last week's Mr Blank.
Ed was 26 years old and homesteading near Lostwood when this picture was taken. He's 63 now.
Ed hails from Pelican Rapids, Minnesota where at the age of 12 he helped his father cut wood after he had graduated from the "Seventh" reader. After the wood was cut there still remained the job of hauling it to town for sale. Ed. recalls that the road to town lead past Lake Lida and the spot where A. L. Anderson, Stanley merchant, now has his summer cottage,
"Didn't make much money in those days." says Ed, "but we had a lot of fun, landed my first job when I was 17 years old. The job lasted for two months and I was paid $5.00 a month. That was in 1894 and I thought I was lucky because lots of men were working hard for their board and a place to sleep.
"Jobs in those days were a hit or miss proposition. Sometimes I had a job and sometimes I was needed at home, I worked three years for one neighbor. Those were the horse and buggy days and, of course, I acquired a horse and buggy. Its..
……(missing a couple sentences) …..
Pelican Rapids. Remember that the price for delivering a cord of wood to any place in the city was 25 cents and I considered that quite a piece of change. Oh, yes we swapped horses a lot. The main object was to get the best of the deal, I know I tried just as hard to drive a good deal as Bill Reycraft used to when he was buying cattle and trading me out of my best cows."
It was in 1902 that Mr. Elefson filed on his homestead near Lostwood, Ed says that the farming business was also a hit and miss proposition.
In 1911 Mr. Elefson got a job from Jim Dolan. Yes, Jim Dolan was my boss and Ira Wooster was the block man. Between the two of them they managed to keep me pretty busy.
Back to the homestead at Lostwood again until his election as county commissioner 21 years ago when the family moved to Stanley. A dairy herd that supplies many families in Stanley with milk and cream, and it seems only a few years ago that Ed himself was bringing the milk bottles morning and night. He county commissionered in between times besides looking after the farm. Not much time for loafing.
And looking back, it seems but a few years ago that Ed. came down town one morning, handing out cigars right and left and stated that he had a pair of boys at home. The boys are grown up, out of high school now and we watched them playing basketball with the independent Cardinals the other night and could hardly realize that they were the same twins that Ed was so excited about only a few years ago.2 Time evidently has been doing some double timing.
Ed's job as county commissioner takes him around Mountrail county a lot and of course he knows every voter in his district. And Ed gets a lot of satisfaction out of having friends invite him in for a chat and a cup of coffee.
I would like to be situated so that I could say yes to every person, but that is out of the question." says Ed. "We commissioners would like to build a graded road to every house in the county but we’re merely custodians of the county's business."
Hardly a day passes but that some person is looking for Ed Elefson to get aid. Among other things Mr. Elefson is a member of the Mountrail County Welfare Board. In that capacity he is merely the custodian of others people's money and it’s a thankless job that makes few friends. In spite of his wide experience with people, Fd, states that he has found the vast majority of people to be both reasonable and honest. During all these years of feed loans, seed loans, and relief in its various forms, he has found that most people want to do the square thing and will if it is at all possible.
Mrs. Elefson, Ed and the twins are home now, Evelyn teaches and is away the greater part of the time. The other four children are married. There are seven grandchildren.
"Thirty eight years", remarked Ed. "That I've been in Mountrail county. Sounds like a long time, but these 38 years have flown by like nobody's business. The first thing we know, we'll be getting old. Looking back, there have been hard times and some good times in that period. Anyways our friends are here and we like them. There may be other places that are better, but there are lots of places that are worse places. For those reasons I'm going to stay right here in Mountrail County."
Troubles, worries. Oh yes, Ed Elefson has a few of these too. There is the little matter of trying to keep money in the county treasury when the majority of people cannot pay their taxes.
During these years when folks can't pay their taxes and money is short in the county treasury, many argue that the natural thing to do would be to cut down operating expenses. But that seems to be easier said than done. At a time when people have lots of money, things run along nice and smooth at the courthouse. When the reverse happens, farmers are compelled to make various loans and this means extra work in all of the offices. When a farmer gives up the ghost and lets his land go back to the county for taxes, it makes a lot of work for all hands in the offices at the courthouse. After the county gets title to the land, somebody must look after it. In spite of everything that can be done, the cost of county government mounts in such times. And then there's the matter of the Welfare Board, another child of hard times. Holding an office on the Welfare Board would be a difficult job even if said board had plenty of money. but trying to do something for poor people when the treasury is busted is a job that well ---Ed Elefson can have it.
Hobby? What does he like to do besides work? Well, he does a lot of reading for one thing. We'd say that a good home and a well organized household where harmony and cooperation prevall would constitute Ed's main hobby. Of course, this hobby of a good home is shared in a large measure by Mrs. Elefson. And in the winter, when the basketball season is on, the Elefson's are front seat fans. Ed exerts as much energy as any player on the floor ---watch him at the next game. You can tell how the game is going by watching his face.
And that, folks, is Ed Elefson. When he’s Diaryman Elefson, he’s dairy in heart and soul. If it’s farming he’s doing, the farm gets his wholehearted attention. The same ability to concentrate applies to the commissioner’s job, and when he plays basketball he makes a business of it.
Edward E Elefson, 1876-1966
Thea Ekstam Elefson, 1886-1968
Unfortunately the photos on the microfilm are really poor quality.
The boys are the twins Waldo and Wallace, graduates of Stanley High School.
There is military record for Waldo showing he enlisted in October 1942 and served in the “Army Branch Philippine Scouts”
Wallace has a memorial grave marker that indicates he was a Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class in the Navy in WW2.
Both of these guys lived in Washington state after the war.