Myron Evan Sveum

Dakota Tales Myron Evan Sveum

Dakota Tales is a collection of stories heard by Mr. Sveum growing up on the North Dakota prairies. Some are based on his experiences, others on stories gleaned from old-timers. The lead story is a biography of Mr. Sveum's maternal grandfather, an extremely dangerous criminal! He was an educated peasant in czarist Russia! Such people are dangerous to despotic governments, true then as now. He converted to the Baptist faith, making him a criminal in Orthodox Russia, and he was promptly imprisoned. The war with Japan was going badly, and his two sons were of military draft age, perfect cannon fodder. The family had to escape! Jewish people smugglers got them out of Russia. The family landed in Canada and eventually homesteaded in North Dakota. The next story is the escape from a doll's perspective. some stories are of youthful transgressions, cheerful pranks, chiveries, lutefisk (ugh), Halloween tricks, and of course the ubiquitous outhouses.