Andrew Tronrud
By Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns
Courtesy photos
D
fingers
vicinity of Melville, Montana, a sizable
grip the fingerboard of his
and healthy Norwegian colony flourished
great-grandfather Andrew’s
there in the early 1880s. His particular
violin, which traveled by
branch has been there since 1883.
uane
Tronrud’s
boat from Norway. The calves he weans each September have white faces from Andrew Tronrud’s Herefords. While the family looks ahead to leaving a legacy for future generations, they take time to appreciate the legacy left for them. Statistics tell us more than 4.5 million Americans are of direct Norwegian ancestry. Montana is home to a notable gathering of the sturdy pioneering race.
Duane, present patriarch of the multigenerational Montana Centennial Ranch the Tronruds own and operate, credits his Norwegian lineage to
Ingomar
Hilson, born in 1817. Her future husband, Anders Christian Tronrud, was born a year later. That couple grew up, married and birthed two daughters and five sons. The one named Andrew became Duane’s great-grandfather.
According to Duane Victor Tronrud, who
Tronruds were born to the land,
ranches near the Sweet Grass River in the
but all Norway’s land was claimed
͢
The Tronrud brothers brand a beef critter. Left to right: Morris Tronrud Sr., Victor Tronrud Sr. (with branding iron), Anton Tronrud.
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