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Dreams of America
Hej! My name is Brigitta Brynjar Anderson and I am 13 years old. My family and I lived in Denmark, but the financial depression, crop failure, and overpopulation caused by the war with Prussia in 1864 made surviving very diffiult. The crops in my father's farm are all dying and business is slow. Many Danish are talking of the new world called America where there are rich fertile land and more business oppurtunities. They are also giving land out for free! -
We Set Off To America
My father, mother, older sister Alexandra, and I was starving and our farm absolutely can't support us anymore. Therefore father decided to immigrate to America. I didn't want to leave, but I must in order to survive. We took the steamboats as steerage class. We would be meeting my uncle's family when we get there. It was a long painful three month journey to Independence, Missouri. The boat was very cramped and dirty. I got very ill halfway. Hundreds of people were stuffed into a room. -
Arrival In Independence Missouri
Finally, we reached Independence, Missouri. Once we got to the customs, we had to wait for another four hours in line. The people in first or second class didn't have to wait as long as we did. We then had to do a medical and legal inspection. It was terrifying because my English was not very good, and they kept on shouting at me. I could hear little children crying all around me. It was absolutely terrifying, but we managed to pass the inspections and continue on our journey. -
Living In The City
Once we reached America, father got a job in a coal factory. We had expected that mother and Alexandra would be able to find a job and that I could maybe get a job as a paper girl, but nobody wanted to hire us because our English was not good and we're Danish. America was not what we'd expected. Father only got three dollars after working from five in the morning to eleven at night everyday. We didn't have anywhere to sleep.Finally, we couldn't take it anymore and we decided to move to the West. -
The Homestead Act
Father used what we had left of our money and bought two oxen, a sheep, a cow, seeds, a covered wagon, and some food for our journey on the Oregan Trail. We also brought along some clothes, blankets, seeds, rifle, axe, kettle, and a tent from Denmark. We joined a wagon train of over 50 wagons, and followed the Oregan Trail which was about 2,000 miles for a 6 month journey to Oregan City. The Homestead Act provides 160 acres of free land and you just have to live and care for it for 5 years. -
Reached Oregan City
The journey was torturous and long. We only stopped to rest for short periods of time because we had to reach Oregan City before the heavy snows came. One of our sheep died along the way, and nights were freezing cold but affternoons were extremely hot. There were also a few graves of loved ones who died on the long journey along the sides. We travelled with other immigrants, homesteaders, and farmers. When we arrived, many wept with joy and some collapsed in exhaustion. -
Settling On Our New Land
We finally got our land thanks to the Homestead Act and joined my uncle's family. We purchased land from railroad companies because they had already bought the best plots fo land. We set to work and planted our seeds and built a sod house. Lumber was scarce so we used long tough sod grass for our house. It kept us fairly warm in winter and cool in summer, but heavy rain penetrated the weak roof and often made a muddy mess. Buffalo chips (bison dung) were used as fuel. -
The Grasshopper Invasion
Due to the Grasshopper Invasion, many farmers had all their crops destroyed. Luckily, my family's farm was farther away but a third of our crops got destroyed. Business was slow and we woked hard to make ends meet. Mother was forced to sell her silver necllace. My cousin Amleth joined the Union Army for benefits like lower taxes and higer income to support his family. Joining the army was very dangerous, for there were many stories of the wild savage Indians who were angry we got their land. -
Battle of Little BIghorn
Amleth died in the terrible ambush by Sioux leader, Crazy Horse which was later named "Battle of Little Bighorn". George Armstrong Custer (the general of the army) underestimated Crazy Horse's army and his whole army was wiped out in a bloody battle. The conflict between the Indians and the government concerning the land was vey inense. -
The American Dream
Despite Amleth's death, life was finally looking up and we were living the American Dream. My sister and her fiance delayed their marriage so that they can each claim 160 acres of land. Married couples can only claim one plot of land. Our American Dream was to be able to own our own land, have a warm and safe home, have food in our stomachs, and be able to have our whole family together. Despite all the hardships we encountered, we were finally able to live our American Dream,
