Connecting the dots on a family’s immigration story This is a story of connections that span an ocean. In Norway there’s Simon Bjørklund and in America there’s his third cousin, Sara Torvik, an Underwood native now living in Maryland. Last year, Simon came to Minnesota to see where members of his family immigrated in the late 1870s. Sara called on her cousins and their wives – Chet and Marlys Habberstad and Richard and Elle Habberstad all from Underwood – to assist. They migh

Dale Johansen was a carefree Underwood farm boy when he joined the Army in 1963, but he changed after a tour of duty in Vietnam. A short temper, jumpy nature and hyper vigilance continue to be some of the traits he experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The condition, the result of his war experiences, has not only affected him, but also his wife, Betty, and their two sons. The family says they are lucky. When Dale Johansen returned home after three years ser

It was built with the best of intentions, but Fort Juelson saw little, if any, use. The sod structure, constructed by Otter Tail County settlers in 1876, brought hope and thoughts of safety during a period of Indian attacks and rumored conflicts in the region. All that remains of the structure are the fort’s footings that remain visible on the grassy hill near Underwood along State Highway 210. At the time it was built, settlers were in a panic. Hostilities between Indians an