"The Other Swedes"
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Mr. Bill Carlson
~ Chronicling Lindsborg's earliest and later histories with a personal connection,
since 1867
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Mr. Bill Carlson
~ Chronicling Lindsborg's earliest and later histories with a personal connection,
since 1867
Mr. Bill Carlson
1930-2018
1930-2018
"History not recorded, is perhaps history lost!"
Mr. Carlson was born in Lindsborg in 1930. He was a 1952 Bethany College graduate, followed by nearly two years in Korea with the Army, then married Lindsborg's Doris Soderstrom in 1955, while earning a Master's Degree in Education in 1956 from Emporia State University. They would have three children: Sara, Brad and Andy. They were members of the Lindsborg 1910 Messiah Lutheran Church, a member church of the 1860 Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod.
Before his career as the administrator at Lindsborg's Bethany Home from 1974 to 1994, Mr. Carlson was also a Smoky Valley educator for twenty years in the Salina, Kansas, public schools, holding the positions of assistant football coach at the Salina High School for 16 years and at the new Salina High South as head football coach and athletic coordinator for 4 years. Also included in his Salina career, he was a NCAA (Big 8) Basketball Referee. (Salina is 20 miles north of Lindsborg.)
Before his career as the administrator at Lindsborg's Bethany Home from 1974 to 1994, Mr. Carlson was also a Smoky Valley educator for twenty years in the Salina, Kansas, public schools, holding the positions of assistant football coach at the Salina High School for 16 years and at the new Salina High South as head football coach and athletic coordinator for 4 years. Also included in his Salina career, he was a NCAA (Big 8) Basketball Referee. (Salina is 20 miles north of Lindsborg.)
Mr. Carlson was a third Swedish American Smoky Valley descendant being the grandson of Swedish pioneer Magnus Carlson who entered the Valley with his new bride Maria in 1867, who were to be members of the Swedish Bethany Lutheran Church when it was founded in 1869, by friend Rev. Olof Olsson, who had married them on April 17, 1867, the day before they were to sail for America from Sweden, to begin a new life in a new land of the Kansas Smoky Valley. Thus, he certainly had a personal connection to the very beginnings of Lindsborg, to its founder Rev. Olsson and the Sunnemo Värmland Swedes who helped established the church, also a member church of the 1860 Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod.
Not only was Bill's Swedish grandfather's emigration and Smoky Valley story impactful enough for him, but his twenty year association with Bethany Home as its administrator was almost equally important to his commitment and passion toward preserving and promoting the history of Lindsborg and the Smoky Valley.
Years later when I invited him and Lindsborg News-Record owner and editor John Marshall for a tour of the old Deere farm (Peaceful Acres), when I was calling upon the Kansas State Historical Society in regard to preserving and restoring the ruins of the stone house (Swede House) and the stone stable "The Smoky Valley Outdoor Classroom," Bill told me his grandfather Magnus Carlson who had been a stone mason and bricklayer built Pastor Olof Olsson stone house. Bill thought his grandfather surely could have built Swede House because it looked almost exactly as Pastor Olsson's house. He also exclaimed that Swede House may be the last of its kind in the Smoky Valley.
With this Swedish background, Mr. Carlson devoted his retirement years to giving his readers an accurate understanding of "how it was," for his Swedish grandparents and their contemporaries emigrating to the Smoky Valley of Kansas, and settling there.
Mr. Carlson was a man very concerned with the preservation of Lindsborg's history especially, and his writings reflect that. His membership in the Svenska Vänskapsgruppen aka Swedish Friendship Group, the American Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains, and the Smoky Valley Historical Association (SVHA) are true reflections of this concern, as each promoted projects and programs of community preservation of history and culture.
For example, the SVHA continues with the ongoing work on the "Coronado Heights" project that began in 1919. To that, they started and finished the 1980s-1990 "Hogland Dug Out" project, the 1993 "Where Did They Live" project, the 2006 "Välkommen" project of which Mr. Carlson played a major role as well as with this joint 2011 book project, "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now."
Not only was Bill's Swedish grandfather's emigration and Smoky Valley story impactful enough for him, but his twenty year association with Bethany Home as its administrator was almost equally important to his commitment and passion toward preserving and promoting the history of Lindsborg and the Smoky Valley.
Years later when I invited him and Lindsborg News-Record owner and editor John Marshall for a tour of the old Deere farm (Peaceful Acres), when I was calling upon the Kansas State Historical Society in regard to preserving and restoring the ruins of the stone house (Swede House) and the stone stable "The Smoky Valley Outdoor Classroom," Bill told me his grandfather Magnus Carlson who had been a stone mason and bricklayer built Pastor Olof Olsson stone house. Bill thought his grandfather surely could have built Swede House because it looked almost exactly as Pastor Olsson's house. He also exclaimed that Swede House may be the last of its kind in the Smoky Valley.
With this Swedish background, Mr. Carlson devoted his retirement years to giving his readers an accurate understanding of "how it was," for his Swedish grandparents and their contemporaries emigrating to the Smoky Valley of Kansas, and settling there.
Mr. Carlson was a man very concerned with the preservation of Lindsborg's history especially, and his writings reflect that. His membership in the Svenska Vänskapsgruppen aka Swedish Friendship Group, the American Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains, and the Smoky Valley Historical Association (SVHA) are true reflections of this concern, as each promoted projects and programs of community preservation of history and culture.
For example, the SVHA continues with the ongoing work on the "Coronado Heights" project that began in 1919. To that, they started and finished the 1980s-1990 "Hogland Dug Out" project, the 1993 "Where Did They Live" project, the 2006 "Välkommen" project of which Mr. Carlson played a major role as well as with this joint 2011 book project, "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now."
The Words of Mr. Bill Carlson
Mr. Carlson became a book author first when he published his delightful "From Socks and Jocks to Maalox" in 1997. It, of course, was about his career experiences coaching high school football in Salina, followed by his administrator position for the elderly at Bethany Home. Yet, with his retirement concern of preserving Lindsborg's history, he was to produce many articles for the Lindsborg News-Record and for the Sweden and American Magazine and authored several books, the titles of which are listed below.
2011, Lindsborg Then And Lindsborg Now
The work on Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now was a joint effort by the author Mr. Carlson and the Smoky Valley Historical Association.
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2014, The Founding of Lindsborg
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2016, "Special Visitor to Lindsborg, April 17, 1976, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden"
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Mr. Carlson, as the Bethany Home administrator,
would have a leading role in the joint effort of staff, in the writing of the
1986 "Bethany Home Story."
//
The work on Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now was a joint effort by the author Mr. Carlson and the Smoky Valley Historical Association.
//
2014, The Founding of Lindsborg
//
2016, "Special Visitor to Lindsborg, April 17, 1976, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden"
//
Mr. Carlson, as the Bethany Home administrator,
would have a leading role in the joint effort of staff, in the writing of the
1986 "Bethany Home Story."
//
"History not recorded, is perhaps history lost!"
--Bill Carlson (His signature phrase.)
--Bill Carlson (His signature phrase.)
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- Bill Carlson at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery -
He is standing next to the Swedish pioneer Sandzén painting
of his
Swedish pioneer grandfather Magnus Carlson's Smoky Valley Stone House
Source: 2011 "Lindsborg Then Lindsborg Now" by Bill Carlson, page ii
How I Met Mr. Bill Carlson at the Bethany Home,
ground zero for researchers, recorders, historians and authors,
with corridors filled with renowned Swedish Sandzén's art students works.
The Home buzzed with excitement!
At age 30, I met Mr. Bill Carlson, during a long layover of international Southeast Asia and European travels from July 1976 to April 1977. This was while working at Bethany Home (for the Aged), the 1860 Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod established Home of 1907, where Mr. Carlson was the Lindsborg new administrator.
My international travel plans had been initiated in February 1976, after I had finished a teaching assignment from May 1974 to January 1976 for the Victorian Department of Education in Melbourne, Australia. This first trip, by bus mostly, with the Aussies lasted nearly three months, traveling through fifteen countries. While waiting for the next trips with the Aussies in London, instead, the plan was to work at Bethany Home and help my mother, Lois Fry Cochran at the Deere home with her newly acquired Sohlberg Deere Estate (of Lydia Sohlberg Deere and Dr. Emil O. Deere) that became hers when her mother, Nina Sohlberg Fry passed on in January 1974. (This was the Nina that Lydia took many photographs of with her friends in the early 1900s.)
Little did I realize, until much later, the historical impact of working at this Swedish established Bethany Home would have on me. On the job, I learned very quickly that the Home was "ground zero" for researchers, recorders, historians and writers to come to meet the residents, many who were Swedish descendants, to hear and to record "the early history" of Lindsborg, Bethany College and neighboring Smoky Valley communities, such as Freemount and Salemsborg, which had been founded in the same year as that of Lindsborg, in 1869. It could have been that a few of these descendants were related to the earliest leaders of these Smoky Valley communities.
The Home buzzed with excitement!
Then there was the eye-opening daily experience, while walking through the corridors with the "meds" for the residents at the Home, of viewing "gallery halls" of the original paintings of Bethany College students whose professor had been the renowned artist Swedish Sven Birger Sandzén! (For more on this, go HERE.)
My international travel plans had been initiated in February 1976, after I had finished a teaching assignment from May 1974 to January 1976 for the Victorian Department of Education in Melbourne, Australia. This first trip, by bus mostly, with the Aussies lasted nearly three months, traveling through fifteen countries. While waiting for the next trips with the Aussies in London, instead, the plan was to work at Bethany Home and help my mother, Lois Fry Cochran at the Deere home with her newly acquired Sohlberg Deere Estate (of Lydia Sohlberg Deere and Dr. Emil O. Deere) that became hers when her mother, Nina Sohlberg Fry passed on in January 1974. (This was the Nina that Lydia took many photographs of with her friends in the early 1900s.)
Little did I realize, until much later, the historical impact of working at this Swedish established Bethany Home would have on me. On the job, I learned very quickly that the Home was "ground zero" for researchers, recorders, historians and writers to come to meet the residents, many who were Swedish descendants, to hear and to record "the early history" of Lindsborg, Bethany College and neighboring Smoky Valley communities, such as Freemount and Salemsborg, which had been founded in the same year as that of Lindsborg, in 1869. It could have been that a few of these descendants were related to the earliest leaders of these Smoky Valley communities.
The Home buzzed with excitement!
Then there was the eye-opening daily experience, while walking through the corridors with the "meds" for the residents at the Home, of viewing "gallery halls" of the original paintings of Bethany College students whose professor had been the renowned artist Swedish Sven Birger Sandzén! (For more on this, go HERE.)
My last email from Mr. Carlson was on January 29, 2016.
This was from his and his wife Doris's email address.
The subject was: Wonderful Project You Have Going.
(He was replying to my previous email in which I had told him about SWEDES.)
Have just now quickly read your email and am excited for you and for the Smokey Valley of Kansas.
Why sure, if needed, any of the info included is ok with us. Have at it.
Writings by Swedes & non-Swedes. Sounds exciting.
Congrats on the good work,
Bill C.
He was kindly giving me permission to include his King of Sweden's article in SWEDES which is found HERE,
titled Mr. Bill Carlson's 2016 "Special Visitor to Lindsborg, April 17, 1976, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden."
(He was replying to my previous email in which I had told him about SWEDES.)
Have just now quickly read your email and am excited for you and for the Smokey Valley of Kansas.
Why sure, if needed, any of the info included is ok with us. Have at it.
Writings by Swedes & non-Swedes. Sounds exciting.
Congrats on the good work,
Bill C.
He was kindly giving me permission to include his King of Sweden's article in SWEDES which is found HERE,
titled Mr. Bill Carlson's 2016 "Special Visitor to Lindsborg, April 17, 1976, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden."
//
Now over seven years later:
"The Bill Carlson Family has kindly extended permission to share these selections from
his 2011 Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now in SWEDES, 4-29-23."
//
Now over seven years later:
"The Bill Carlson Family has kindly extended permission to share these selections from
his 2011 Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now in SWEDES, 4-29-23."
//
"The Words of Bill Carlson"
Below find the selection subsection links.
Go HERE for 2011 "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now" ~ Contents & Illustrations
Go HERE for "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now"
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
(Please NOTE that Part 1 is for "Lindsborg Then" and Part 2 is for "Lindsborg Now.")
Go HERE for Part 1 "Lindsborg Then"
Chapters:
1 Dreams and Visions
2 Land Agents in Sweden
3 Arriving in New York and On West to Chicago
4 Land Agents in Chicago
5 Settling in the Smoky Valley
Go HERE for Part 2 "Lindsborg Now"
Chapter 24: Lindsborg Now In 2010
Go HERE for The "Conclusion" Chapters:
Part 1: "Conclusion of "Lindsborg Then"
Part 2: "Conclusion" "Lindsborg Now"
Mr. Carlson's writings in his 2011 book "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now," are also found in the following sections of SWEDES:
Go HERE for Author Bill Carlson, Smoky Valley Historical Association member, reports on Coronado Heights history.
Part 1: Chapter 22: "Coronado Heights" and Part 2: Chapter 28: "Coronado Heights Today"
Go HERE for Their 1869 "Bethany Lutheran Church"
~ Accounts by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist, Part 1 of 2, and Mr. Bill Carlson, Part 2 of 2
Go HERE for Their 1879 "Swedish Mission Church" formation by former Bethany Lutheran Church members
due to the "atonement" issue ~ An account by Mr. Bill Carlson:
Chapter 11: Church Division and Controversy
Go HERE for 2011 "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now" ~ Contents & Illustrations
Go HERE for "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now"
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
(Please NOTE that Part 1 is for "Lindsborg Then" and Part 2 is for "Lindsborg Now.")
Go HERE for Part 1 "Lindsborg Then"
Chapters:
1 Dreams and Visions
2 Land Agents in Sweden
3 Arriving in New York and On West to Chicago
4 Land Agents in Chicago
5 Settling in the Smoky Valley
Go HERE for Part 2 "Lindsborg Now"
Chapter 24: Lindsborg Now In 2010
Go HERE for The "Conclusion" Chapters:
Part 1: "Conclusion of "Lindsborg Then"
Part 2: "Conclusion" "Lindsborg Now"
Mr. Carlson's writings in his 2011 book "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now," are also found in the following sections of SWEDES:
Go HERE for Author Bill Carlson, Smoky Valley Historical Association member, reports on Coronado Heights history.
Part 1: Chapter 22: "Coronado Heights" and Part 2: Chapter 28: "Coronado Heights Today"
Go HERE for Their 1869 "Bethany Lutheran Church"
~ Accounts by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist, Part 1 of 2, and Mr. Bill Carlson, Part 2 of 2
Go HERE for Their 1879 "Swedish Mission Church" formation by former Bethany Lutheran Church members
due to the "atonement" issue ~ An account by Mr. Bill Carlson:
Chapter 11: Church Division and Controversy
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The creation of "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now" was a historical preservation project
of the
Smoky Valley Historical Association and member Bill Carlson
as noted in the introductory pages.
//
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//
The creation of "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now" was a historical preservation project
of the
Smoky Valley Historical Association and member Bill Carlson
as noted in the introductory pages.
//
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Carlson
Historian, Preservationist, Educator, Administrator, Author
- a heart for preserving, restoring, and promoting local history -
"History not recorded, is perhaps history lost!"
Historian, Preservationist, Educator, Administrator, Author
- a heart for preserving, restoring, and promoting local history -
"History not recorded, is perhaps history lost!"
Lindsborg Bethany Home Administrator
1974 - 1994
1974 - 1994
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"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
