Norman Leroy Lundorff - 1928

Norman Leroy Lundorff was born Aug 8th 1928 in Sandstone Mn. as the youngest son of Nels Lundorff and his wife Laura. He went to Grade School and High School in Sandstone and graduated in 1947.

When he was a kid, he and his sisters and brothers helped the parents on the farm.

Norman went to work for NorthWest Bell Tel Co. in the fall of 1947 and he married Evelyn Nelson on Jan 6th 1951. He was drafted into the Army in Feb of 1951 during the Korean War. He spent 2 years in the military and resumed work with the Telephone Co. and retired with 35 years service.While Norman and Evelyn are retired, Norman has been working on a strawberrie farm, and with an Auctioneer for 10 years.

They have lived in Sandstone, Cloquet, Barnum, Moose Lake, Sandstone again and Mora Mn. His Dad planted the farm into evergreen trees and Norman inherited 17 acres of trees and they harvested them for Christmas trees for about 20 years. In St Cloud they have 2 daughters close by and 2 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

I was born on a farm that my dad moved the family to just before I was born. Aug 8,1928. We were east to Sandstone and moved very close to town west of Sandstone. Our farm consisted of 160 acres. The town of Sandstone has a population of about 1600. The name came from the Sandstone rock, that was quarried there in the early 1900's. Mostly paving stone and building blocks were quarried there. The farm was a busy farm, and all the boys had to work at raising pigs and milking cows. We had 6 horses and many chickens for eggs, and we also had a big garden with fruit trees. We worked on the farm, when we were very small, and I remember playing in the sand box during lunch hour. We raised a lot of rutabagas and grain and hay. My dad has started a Feed Store by then (I Think in 1932) and with the rutabagas he washed and waxed and shipped all over the U.S. After a few years he quit that business and started a lumber yard and mill work.

When WW2 started, 4 of my brothers and one of my sisters were either drafted or enlisted, and that put an end to the farming. Dad tore the barn down, and out of the lumber he built 4 or 5 (can't remember) houses. During the war housing was hard to come by and the lumber yard and the feed store remained active. A friend of mine stopped at the feed store, where I was working, and said ....."lets try to get a job with the telephone Co. "which we did in fall of 1947. We went to work at Grand Maris Mn. On the shore of Lake Superior close to the Canadian border. Boy I thought I would meet Santa it was so far north and was there snow.

I started work as a ground man and then line man and cable splicer's helper,sub foreman and repairman and test board operator until I retired in 1983 with 35 years of service.While I am retired I have worked on a strawberrie farm,and with an Auctioneer for 10 years.We have lived in Sandstone,Cloquet,Barnum,Moose Lake,Sandstone again and Mora Mn. (and our house is for sale now again). My Dad planted the farm into evergreen trees. I inherited 17 acres of trees and we harvested them for Christmas trees for about 20 years.It was a good income, for about 10 years we went to Arizona (warm Place) every year after Christmas. We are about 70 miles from Minneapolis and St Cloud is about 50 miles from here. In St Cloud we have 2 daughters close by and 2 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

About my father Nels (by Norman Lundorff Marts 2010):
In 1928 Nels, Laura, Mike, Martha, Irvin, Ed and Nels Jr. moved to a bigger farm one mile west of Sandstone where Norman, Mae and Laura were born. In 1930 he started a Feed store and in 1934 started in the potato and rutabaga business. He built a large warehouse for those businesses and he also was farming 160 acres. In 1937 the Government built a Federal Prison in Sandstone which gave him the opportunity to open a lumber yard. This kept all 5 boys busy and also a few hired men. Laura had lots to do with feeding 8 children and the hired men and of course Nels and Laura. He had 24 cows,100 pigs, 6 horses,a flock of chickens and turkeys. At this time World War 2 was in full swing. Four boys and one daughter entered into the service and this ended our farm operation. The barn and out buildings were torn down and five small homes were built out of the lumber. There was a shortage of places to live ....thus the five homes. Because Nels was a carpenter he also built homes for other people.

In 1944 the directors of the Sandstone State Bank asked Nels to be the new President to keep the bank in local hands. Nels went to Minneapolis and barrowed 25 thousand dollars and became the new Banker. He was in the bank from 1944 to 1984. When the War was over and all came home Mike worked in the Feed store and Lumber yard , Martha was a school teacher, Irvin did house building and bought the Lumber business from his dad. Ed worked in the Bank and Nels Jr. went “to college”. After college Nels also worked at the Bank. At that time Norman, Mae and Laura were in school. Nels built many boats. Fishing boats, a sail boat and a Cabin Cruiser to sail down the Mississippi River. The cabin cruiser was 27 feet long and 7 feet wide. It weighed about 3 ton.With a 100 horse power motor inboard. It has 2 copper gas tanks that held 40 gallon each. It had a small galley (kitchen) up front and a small was room with a toilet.Sleeping arrangements were in the main cabin where the operating insterments were stationed. In 1957 Nels and Laura , Norm Evelyn, Denise and Craig took the cruiser to Hudson Wisconsin where it was put in the St Croix River witch flows into the Mississippi River. Nels and Laura went down the rivers to Memphis Tenn., where they tied up the cruiser and Laura came home by train. The work was hard and she couldn't keep the cruiser from the side of the locks. So Nels stayed in Memphis and his brother in law Chris Ingamanson (laura's sisters husband) met Nels in Memphis and they continued down the Mississippi River to the Golf of Mexico.Because they were low on gas they followed in the wake of a large ship to Clear Water Florida. Laura took the train to Florida to meet up with Nels and Chris.The cruiser was left in Florida for future use, and the next spring word was sent back that the worms were eating the mahogany planking, and that made Nels mad because he said that couldn't happen. He contacted his nephew who owned a boat works in Mpls.to go get his boat home to Minnesota.

After the trip down the Mississippi Nels built an eight unit apartment near his house in Sandstone. (he was a man who was alway busy ). The apartment is still going strong. Nels stayed in the Banking business until 1984. Laura died in 1965 and Nels stayed in the house he and laura built in 1952, Norm took care of the trees Nels planted. He harvested trees for 17 years and sold them at Christmas time. The property that had the trees was sold to Norm after Nels died in 1987. A Duluth Hospital bought acrage next to Nel's home and a Clinic was built there. The street going to the Clinic was named Lundorff Drive. At the present time they are thinking of building a Hospital by the Clinic, and Lundorff Drive will be made longer. After Nels died, Martha,(his daughter) lived in his house untill she died. The house has now been sold to some out side of the family. Before the house was taked over by the new owners, we had a party in the house for the last time. We had lots of fun. A Christmas tree was put in the living room and we all sang around the tree. The month was April but it was one of the things we did in that house for the last 60 years.

Norman and Evelyns 3 children:
Denise born Sept 14,1952. Graduated from High School at Cloquet Mn and attended UMD. Married Willis Hanenburg in 1979. They have 3 children. Ryan (adopted and is from Korea) was born in Aug 11,1985, graduated from Iowa State University in 2010. Katie is the second child (also from Korea) born June 16,1987. She is now attending St.Cloud University. The third is Scott. He was born to them on Aug 29,1988. He is attending North Dakota State University. Denise has always been a house mother.

Craig, born March 24 1954.
He graduated from High School in Cloquet Mn and directly went into the Marines for two years. After the Marines he went to University of Duluth and Forestry School in St. Pau. Mn. He was married to Cathy Sullivan and had 2 children. Sarah who was born Dec 26 1977 .Went to Washington State University after High School. Second Child Justin, was born March 17,1980. He died March 1986. Cathy and Craig were devorsed. Craig and Susan Frey were Married Nov.5th 2009.They live in Ark. Craig worked for the U.S. Forest service in The Black Hill South Dakota.

Cindy, born Dec 20 1956.
She also graduated form High School in Cloquet Mn. Attended University in Duluth Mn. She Married Russ Brenna and they had 2 daughters. Oldest one is Stacy, born Feb 29,1978. Stacy married Greg Kalthoff and the have a daughter Faith, born May 6th 2005. Amy is the other daughter and married Tom Gerads . They have 3 children. Oldest one is Cooper, Born Jan 21,2001. Second child is Jackson Born April,11,2004. Third is Brynn Born May l, 2006.