Sonja Hathaway
Storyteller: Sonja Hathaway,
Doctoral Student in History, UND
Email: bobbyjoe_sj@hotmail.com
Phone: 701-775-8105
Will Portray Mathilda Engstad,
wife of Dr. John Engstad
Mathilda Engstad first came to Grand Forks in 1887, shortly after marrying her husband Dr. John Even (J. E.) Engstad who was one of seven doctors who established the first Grand Forks hospital, St. Luke’s. He was also a founding member of North Dakota’s first medical society. As such, Mathilda knew many of the key players in Grand Forks economic and social scene.
Her early remembrances focus on the years between 1887 and 1905 when she moved with her husband and girls to Minneapolis. She returned to Grand Forks in 1917, but she remarked that the character of the city had changed dramatically by that time. Mathilda left behind a record of some of her early recollections in a speech written for the Franklin club in 1941, just before her death in 1943. This speech forms the basis for much of the knowledge of Mrs. Engstad as well as my portrayal of her. The themes on which she focused in the speech were those of culture and sophistication, which she captures in the image of white kid gloves.
My portrayal of Mrs. Engstad will date from 1905, just before she left the community. The topics I cover will be related to the social aspects of the upper and professional classes in these early years. I will also discuss some of the general social realities that many residents lived with during this time. The information is easily adaptable for age levels, especially as it covers a large range of topics including aspects of early settlement, social development and practices, and local people of importance. For the older ages, my presentation will focus on social interplay and the city’s growth. It will make use of maps and pictures from the period. Possible class activities include a Q & A session or a brainstorming session on how to find information to recreate a historical character.
For younger age groups the topics can be simplified and condensed. Activities that may work for the younger to middle age classes are those of creating visiting cards and using this as a way to look at the importance and practice of visiting. Another option is playing a game from the period.
What I really like about Mathilda Engstad is that she complicates the picture of North Dakota’s settlement. I think many of us grow up with a belief that North Dakota’s settlement was more like Little House on the Prairie, a lone family striking out on their own. Though this is a part of this state’s heritage, there are other stories to be told like the opening in 1890 of Grand Forks’ opera house. It is stories like this that Mrs. Engstad takes great pleasure in sharing.
