2/9/2009:
While he may not be often remembered today, Bjug (Bee-you-g) Harstad was one of North Dakota's most prolific church and school planters of the 19th century. Born in Setesdal, Norway in December of 1848, Harstad moved with his family to Seneca, Illinois in 1861. From an early age Harstad felt a deep calling to bring God's Word to others. Following his ordination as a Lutheran pastor in 1874, Harstad began his work as a missionary in Traill County, Dakota Territory. Living in a cave and far from family, the first year on the Dakota frontier was rough for Bjug. Yet, like so many others who settled the wild northern plains, Bjug persevered and successfully established eighteen congregations throughout Dakota Territory and eastern Minnesota.
Bjug's concern for those he ministered to extended beyond their spiritual well-being to include educational opportunities as well. He planted three educational institutions on the northern plains, including North Dakota's first dedicated high school.
In 1891, Harstad and his family left North Dakota, settling further west in Parkland, Oregon. By January of 1892 Harstad already had his next big project started; the creation of a school to help new immigrants find jobs and adapt to living in their adoptive country. Harstad opened the Lutheran Academy in 1894; just before the severe economic downturns of the later 1890s. Even though the Lutheran Academy was only in its cradle, the school sunk quickly into dept, and simply could not find enough support to keep the operation running 'in the black.'
But Bjug Harstad was not deterred, and to find funding, he concocted perhaps an overly creative method to pay off his school's debts. Like the rest of the nation, Harstad learned of huge gold deposits recently found in the Klondike; gold deposits just sitting around, waiting for someone to discover them. Harstad was certain that someone was him. On this date in 1898, the fifty-year-old president of the Lutheran Academy set sail from Tacoma, Washington for the gold fields of Alaska. Braving crowded ships, bitter cold, dangerous wilderness, and angry school board members, Harstad made a valiant effort to strike it rich for the school he loved so deeply. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. After 18-months he returned to Oregon, without any gold.
While Harstad wasn't personally able to revive his school's prospects, the improvement in the nation's economy did. The school survived the lean years, and as the economy rose from its slump, contributions to the school increased, ensuring its financial solvency.
Bjug Harstad’s Lutheran Academy, now known as the Pacific Lutheran University, isn’t found within the borders of North Dakota. However, the school owes its existence to the hard work and commitment of one of North Dakota's most dedicated clergymen and one of its earliest educators.
Written by Lane Sunwall
Sources
Eriksmoen, Curt. "Bjug Harstad (1848-1933): Prolific Church Founder & Religious Leader." In Did You Know That...?: 47 Fascinating Stories About People Who Have Lived in North Dakota, One. United States of America: McCleery & Sons Publishing, 2006.
Lawver, Nathe. "Alaska!" Pacific Lutheran Scene1998.
Narveson, B.H., "The Norwegian Lutheran Academies", The Norwegian-American Historical Association http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume14/vol14_9.htm (accessed June 2, 2008).
University of North Dakota, "Bruflat Academy, Portland, North Dakota Records", University of North Dakota, http://www.und.nodak.edu/dept/library/Collections/og131.html (accessed June 2, 2008).