Logan County Colorado Pioneers

Ole J. and Annie (Pederson) Lovfald, brother Helge and Sophia (Mardell) Lofall, 9 North 49 West


Ole cash-claimed a quarter in 34, 9N 49W in 1893, and timber-claimed one in section 12 in 1896.
Ole is on the Great Register in Orland, California 1892-1898.

In 1900 Humboldt County, California, Ole is a longshoreman, born April 7, 1856 in Norway, married 12 years to Annie March 7, 1865 Norway. Peter O. June 1889, Christian Sept 1890, Annie March 1892, and Frederich Dec 1893, and Olga July 1895 were born i Colorado, Christina Dec 23, 1896 in California.
In 1920 Humboldt County, Ole is a laborer, 64, Annie 54, Fred 25, John21, Mabel 15, and Charley 13.

John Chris Lovfald registered for WWI in Fields Landing, California, a machinist for the railroad shops, born Sept 22, 1891 at Fleming, COlorado, married.
In 1958 he's president of the Bay Tank & Boiler Works in Humboldt County, with Matilda the secretary-treasurer.
John Chris Lovfald born Sept 21, 1890, died August 11, 1957 in Humboldt County.
Gerald K. (Dorothy) is a millworker, Howard F.. (Edna) a shop foreman, John (Zerbina) is a machinist for the NWPRR, Peter O. (Genevieve) is a foreman for Hammond-Cal.

Anna McKenzie born March 21, 1892 in Colorado, died June 3, 1954 in Humboldt County.
She's buried in Eureka # 110357823, with John R. McKenzie 182-1974.

Christina Peterson born Dec 23, 1897, died March 15, 1949 in Humboldt County, Father Lovfald, mother Pederson.
Olga North, per # 66933250, 1895-1929 is buried in Eureka, California.

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Helge and Sofia Løvfall came from Løvfallstrand in Kvin Heard. He transported the fish along the coast. Some years after they married in 1881, they traveled to America, first to Fleming in Colorado, where conditions were so bad that they traveled on with their nine children to Rockford in Washington where they lived for ten years.
The name was Americanized to Lofall. He longed for the sea, so they sold and went to Seattle. They came to Poulsbo in 1908 and bought a property at Hood's Canal north of Vinland. Approximately 1910 built Lofall one shop beachfront, and in 1912 he got a post office here. He also built the wharf for carrying boats. The post office was in business until 1934.


Lofall was originally developed by Helge and Sophia Lofall, who emigrated to Colorado from Norway in 1881. They finally settled in Poulsbo in 1908. The house they bought on the shore of Hood Canal, north of Poulsbo, was originally built by the Mikelson family and is still standing (though having undergone several remodels over the years). In 1910 the Lofalls built a store, post office and dock on the waterfront near their home. Sternwheelers made regular mail and supply stops here on trips from Seattle to Union City, south on Hood Canal. Logging was the main industry in the early days and the Moe Brothers’ logging track from Big Valley ended at the Lofall beach. From there logs were towed to the nearest lumber mills, including Port Gamble a few miles north of Lofall. In 1949, the Black Ball Ferry Line approached the Lofalls about building a ferry landing on their property for a run from Lofall to South Point, on the west side of Hood Canal in Jefferson County. The Lofalls agreed to lease the land to the Black Ball Line which, in turn, built the dock. The dock was opened for service in June 1950 and operated until August 12, 1961 when the ferry was retired due to the opening of the Hood Canal Floating Bridge (officially named the William A. Bugge Bridge). The property and dock were then turned back over to the Lofall family. In 1972, the Lofall Dock was still owned by Bill and Martha Lofall, though it was up for sale. The State proposed building a public boat launch at the dock site. In response to this proposal the Lofall Community Corporation was formed to purchase the property and create a private facility that is still in existence today. There is currently no public launch at this site.
Stamped Lofall, Wash. 1918. Helge and Sofie Lofall with kids, ca 1900. In 1950 Lofall elected terminal for ferry over Hood's Canal and Helge was on the first ferry ride. The stretch ferry was replaced by a bridge in 1961. Helge Lofall dead in 1950, at the age of 98 years. Sofia died 87 years old in 1941.
In 1910 Kitsap County, H. Lofall is 58, Sophie 54, Henry 26, Christina, John 23, Jennie 21 - all Norwegian. Annie 19, Sophie 17, Chirs 15, and Williaim 13 were born in Colorado.
In 1920 they have only Henry 37, Christ 25, and William 23.

In 1930 Helge and Sophia have only Jennie 41 and Christopere 35.
In 1940 there's just the four of them.

Christina Lofall married Austin B. Wadman November 28, 1911 in Aberdeen, Washington - First Lutheran Church of Poulsbo, Washington.
In 1915 Austin, an engineer, and Chirstina live at 1722 Minor Avenue, Seattle.
Austin is married to Sarah in 1920 Seattle - she's 32 born in Montana.

William Lofall, # 21702784, 1896-1985 is buried in Kitsap County, with Martha )Paulson) Lofall 1907-2002.

Chris Morningstar Lofall registered for WWI and Lofall, Wshington, born Juen 23, 1894 at Fleming Colorado, a fisherman, single.

Jennie Beham 1888-1954 is buried in Kitsap County # 146875103.
She was the daughter of Helge Lofall and Sophie Meidell.
Her will left one dollar to her husband Wesley Beham, and the rest of her estate oto brother William Lofall, the executor of her will.

Ann Thompson, born July 11, 1890 at Sterling, COlorado to Helge Lofall and Sophie Madell, died Feb 4, 1975.

2005 Kitsap, Washington
Dale Lofall Age: 70
Quote: "My grandfather's name was originally Lovfald, but one of his daughters didn't like the Norwegian sound and asked him to change it to Lofall. He built a store, the post office, and what remains of the old dock down there."
When you gaze out the big bay windows of Dale Lofall's living room, your eyes can roam more than 180 degrees up and down Hood Canal.
But what really draws your attention is a relatively new dock almost directly in front of his place and the remnants of an old dock just to the left. Both of these docks are major symbols of the history of this North Kitsap area, which was named after Lofall's grandfather, Helge Lofall.
The old dock was built by Helge, a Norwegian immigrant, who originally fled from Colorado to Rockford, Wash. (near Spokane) in a covered wagon when the dustbowls occurred in the Midwest in 1907.
In 1908, Helge visited Norwegian friends in the Ballard district of Seattle and, having been a fish buyer in the old country, decided to look around this area. He bought an 80-acre waterfront tract of what became known as Lofall, raised his family of nine children with wife Sophia, and lived to a grand old age of 98.
"My grandfather's name was originally Lovfald, but one of his daughters didn't like the Norwegian sound and asked him to change it to Lofall," says Dale Lofall. "He built a store, the post office, and what remains of the old dock down there."
Lofall was a thriving, bustling community of mostly farmers, though some worked for the Port Gamble mill and others worked for the Moe Brothers lumber company in Big Valley. The brothers unloaded and rafted their timber in the water near the dock before it was towed up to Port Gamble or other spots to be milled.
"Like many other waterfront communities around here, Lofall had it's heyday when the mosquito fleet buzzed in and out of our dock, bringing supplies and mail and taking out produce, milk and other products," says Lofall, who reports he has loganberries descending from some of the original vines planted back then.
Lofall's dad, Bill, lived in Lofall but was a commercial fisherman who owned a 50-foot purse seiner he used to fish for salmon in Alaska. His mother, Martha Paulson Lofall, was from another pioneering family — her dad, Knute Paulson was a homesteading farmer in the Vinland area of North Kitsap.
"My parents met at a dance at the old Breidablik Hall —she wasn't supposed to go because her parents were opposed to dancing, but her brother, Ole, took her," says Lofall.
Lofall, now 70, helped to mind what had by then become a "gentleman's farm" with a few cows, pigs and chickens. He started out in Breidablik Elementary but was among the first to go to Poulsbo Elementary, next attending Poulsbo Junior High, then becoming a graduate of North Kitsap High School.
And, like his father and grandfather, Lofall had a yearning to see some of the world. So he joined the Army after two years of work as a Lofall ferry deckhand and a stint at Boeing as a draftsman. He had six-month tour of duty in Adak, Alaska, then resumed the same job again at Boeing for five years. But he found his real niche at Keyport where he was an electronic technician for 29 years before retiring at age 55.
Along the way, he and his former wife Gaye had seven children — all with first names beginning with the letter "D." He laughs as he counts how many children each of his children has, then he totals them. He now has 20 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
And he says the whole family enjoys that "newer" dock you see directly in front of his house. It's part of a community recreation area he founded but originally was used as a dock for the ferry that transported passengers to the Olympic Peninsula before the Hood Canal Bridge was built.


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