Sharing her life story, Edna Johnson Atkins left a vivid account of her childhood years at Mountain View Farm, a commune near Granite Falls started in 1910 by Rev. Gustaf Albert Dahlstrom (1873-1964) and a group of Swedish immigrant families. A polygamist with as many as 32 wives in his past, Dahlstrom was found guilty in 1914 of violating the Mann Act in transporting a young Edna Englund across state lines for immoral purposes. He was given a five-year sentence and fined, with bail set at $3,000. Some of the commune members paid his bail, including Edna’s father. Upon release Dahlstrom fled to Sweden. While the commune ended in 1914, Edna’s family stayed in Snohomish County. The following account is taken from Chapter 2 of her memoirs which she shared online in an Ancient Faces posting. Granite Falls Historical Society passed it on in article, “A Commune in Granite Falls.”
Swedish Religious Sect
My parents had somehow got interested in a Swedish religious sect and joined a group who were going to Washington to form a colony. The leader was a very religious man who gathered all these people together and induced them to go to Washington where he had bought land, which was to be divided between each family. There was one whole train car full. Some came from Duluth, some from St. Paul as well as Minneapolis. Two families came directly from Sweden. Others came later from Chicago and places in the east.
I remember the night we left. The berths were all made up and we thought they were going to stay that way. I remember Mother as she told her relations "goodbye." How she cried. For us kids it was great fun especially getting acquainted with our new Swedish friends who could speak no English. I remember we had a black porter who was always happy and teasing us kids.
After many days of traveling we arrived in Granite Falls, Washington on April 9, 1910. It was a nice day and as we came nearer our destination, Mother fixed our curls and put clean clothes on us. We were met by a group of men who had gone on ahead, my brother Ernie being one of them. There was a one-horse buggy which they put Mother with Bert and another lady with her baby. The driver was our leader. Then there was the two-seated surrey with the fringe on top. There were five women with their little ones in it. Then came what they called the Boxwagon. They had put boards across it for seats.
Dad was with the rest of us kids and somehow they got us all down to this big ranch on the Stillaquamish River. There was one two-story house. One little new house had been built. There was a bunkhouse for the men. And a big revival tent had been put up with a kitchen as a dining place. By evening it was raining and cold. I really don't know where the men all slept but they made beds on the floor for the women and children. It rained and it rained so there was much unhappiness. Our furniture had been shipped by freight and when word came that it had arrived all wagons were sent into town with orders to bring beds and mattresses first. In the meantime one carpenter with the help of all the men had built a few more little houses. Each house was to be shared by two families and we were to eat at the cookhouse. Different women were appointed to do the cooking and kitchen work. The men were all to assist in clearing land, planting crops and in return when the land was all cleared each man was to get forty acres for his home.
Dahlstrom was the Boss
This religious leader, whose name was Albert Dahlstrom, was the boss. He had had a wife and two daughters in Seattle. She, knowing him better than anyone, had divorced him and he was married to another woman and they had three little girls. Tragedy struck as it so often does in the early years, and infantile paralysis struck. This man's girl was the first to die with it. He somehow managed to get permission to have our own cemetery on a hill nearby. The day of the funeral was a sad day. He conducted the service on his own little girl. Six girls my age were pallbearers with a man at each one to help. We carried her to her grave. It was an experience I'll never forget. Later, another little girl that had come from Sweden died. No one else died of that disease but many more died, some of pneumonia, tuberculosis and one house burned down burning two little boys. All these were buried in the little cemetery which has long been forgotten. Our family was lucky and all survived.
It then became known that this leader had wives everywhere. He didn't believe in the marriage vows. People became bitter and demanded their land and one by one families managed to build houses and move away. Some returned to their former homes from where they had come from. The people were allowed to tear down the little houses and divided the lumber. A big house was built for his wife and children but his wife had by this time decided to divorce him and take him to court. They tricked him and got him on the white slave act and he was convicted to McNeil Island for five years and $3,000 bail. A few of his old faithful, including my dad, managed to go his bail and he skipped bail and went to Sweden.
My dad was one that still believed in him and he told it in the story of his life, which was lost how he spent one whole night wrestling with his mind as to what he was to do. He decided he would rent the ranch with all equipment and let Mrs. Dahlstrom live in the new house. We lived in the old house. Somehow he managed to get a lease for five years and a bill of sale for all the stock and equipment. This must have been done before this man went to Sweden but not one of our family have any knowledge how it came about.
School, Holidays, Happy Times
In the meantime, come September 1910 we all had to start school. They were building a new school but did not get it finished so we had to walk three miles to a little one-room schoolhouse where two had to share a seat and desk. Our first teacher was Mrs. Howard. She was strict and managed to keep order with a very unruly bunch. Before the terms were over, the new schoolhouse was finished. What a big place it was. Two rooms but we only needed one for school. The other was used for programs, meetings and parties. What wonderful parties and programs we had, especially at Christmas with a tree and Santa Claus. Halloween parties were next best.
Our next teacher was Mrs. Gardner. What a time she had with the boys. Boys can be cruel and at times she even resorted to tears but she was a good teacher. Our next teacher was a man – Mr. Thorndyke. We all loved him. He and his wife lived in the other schoolroom and what parties they put on for us. Even the boys loved him for he would come out and play ball and games with us. Then our only "Miss" was our next teacher, Miss Nord. But she was dismissed by the school board for whipping a couple of boys but they no doubt needed it. Then came Mrs. Van Lieu. I was in the eighth grade by then. Two boys and myself made up the class. Dick had quit school when he was 15. We had to go into Granite Falls to take our final exams and of course I was the only one who graduated. My diploma came by mail.
We had many happy times down on the big ranch. We had a lot of work to do but we could go swimming in the river whenever we finished our work. We enjoyed the cows and the newborn calves, the horses and mares with their little colts, the chickens, turkeys and ducks. We had one little banty rooster and hen. They were our pets. We always had dogs and cats but they were taken care of at the barn. We had many big picnics down at the river. It had the nicest sandy beach and bottom just like the ocean.
One of the great days was when we had the threshing crew. How interesting. And Mother had to feed the men and me being the oldest was to help. A little frightening but now when I look back what fun it all was. We had lots of garden to weed. We never had to feed or milk cows but Mother took care of the milk. And we had to weed the long rows of vegetables. One day when we were on our knees in the garden we looked up and saw Ernie with his girlfriend coming. We all ran and hid. After getting cleaned up we came out to meet our Martha. We had quite a time to get acquainted but we loved her. She liked to sleep in the morning and Mother got us up early to go and pick blackberries. Oh, those luscious berries.
And to our great surprise Ernie carried Martha's bucket and helped her over the logs. We began to see what the duties of a gentleman were after being around those crude schoolboys. But we had a lot of fun with the boys and girls around the neighborhood. One night we persuaded the folks to let us walk into Granite Falls to see a show. We were supposed to bring back a gallon of kerosene. Coming home was a different story. It getting chilly, we decided to stop and use a little kerosene to start a fire and get warm. We were very careful with the fire but it is surprising how often we got cold so had to stop and use a little more kerosene. The youngest boy had the greatest imagination. He had us girls scared to death telling he could hear bears and cougars all the way. It was late when we got home and I'm afraid the kerosene can was half empty.
It was customary for the farmers to go visiting on Sunday nights. Us kids always wanted to know if we could have a bonfire to roast potatoes. We never knew what marshmallows or hot dogs were. New Year's Eve was always a big night at a different place every year. This particular night was at a farmer who lived on the hill above us. Their children were all young but we all came with our homemade sleds. What fun coasting and snow fights and then inside to all the good things to eat.
Still Standing
[Editor's note: Fred Cruger of the Granite Falls Historical Society read Edna's comment, “Before the terms were over, the new schoolhouse was finished. What a big place it was. Two rooms but we only needed one for school. The other was used for programs, meetings and parties." "We generally don’t think of a two-room school as very big," Cruger wrote, "But that is precisely the description of the second School #83, built to replace the original that sat about a mile farther north. School #83 is now [2023] a private residence, but maintains the external appearance with which it was built!”
