Clay County

Minnesota map showing location of Clay County

Tarje sold his holdings in Houston County and purchased 480 acres of rich farmland along the Buffalo River in the Red River Valley for $1600.

He and his family became part of the Buffalo River Settlement in 1874. Tarje was one of the oldest homesteaders in the community. He left a well established home (with his brother Ole just a quarter mile down the road) for a near wilderness at the age of 44.

1875 Minnesota Census

The Early Years

of the Buffalo River Settlement

Tarje's home was situated within a few hundred yards of the bank of the Buffalo, yet remained untouched by the infamous Red River Valley floods for over 100 years.
Although he delayed his move to the Buffalo, this simple fact - along with the same history for the original Kassenborg and Kragnes homes - lends credence to the oral history that indicates that these families of settlers were guided by the expert advice of a surveyor in determining the location of their homes.

Otto built a new home in the 1910's. It still stands, but it passed out of the family in the 1940's.

1899 Moland Township Plat Map

Tarje not only concerned himself with building his farm operation along the Buffalo, he also immediately took a leading role in building his community.
He was one of the first members of the Moland Township board.

Moland Township was organized by the settlers along the Buffalo River and named for their home district in Telemark, Norway. No longer a district, the village of Moland, Norway still serves as the administrative center of the Fyresdal district.

The location of Moland Township is indicated by the green area on the map at the top of this page.

Tarje was the enumerator in Moland Township for the 1880 Census

Tarje was a member of the organizing committee for the Clay County board and was later elected as a commissioner, serving from 1881-1883.

A staunch Republican, he remained interested and active in the politics of the county and served on a number of committees until shortly before his death in 1895.

Death Record

(149 KB PDF document opens in a new window)

With a houseful of school-aged children, it is not surprising that Tarje built the "Grover School" where the children in the Southern area of the settlement received their educations. He donated the materials and labor for the building and a number of family members served as school teachers at various times over the next 20 years!

The school remained open until 1935.

Tarje made use of the contacts he had made at the Stone Church in Houston County and arranged for and housed a traveling minister. The first services in the South settlement were held in Tarje and Geline's living room on November 23, 1874. Initially named the Glyndon Congregation, the name was almost immediately changed to Our Savior's. The church building was erected in 1884, and the wedding of Tarje's son Alex was the first to be held there.

Tarje was a strong advocate of the merger between the congregations of the North and South settlements that created Concordia Congregation in 1891. The Telesoga reported in 1909 that "...In the Buffalo River Settlement...they had the wisdom to join the two congregations together, even though they each belonged to their own community."