Knute W. Bergen was born in Sacred Heart, Minnesota, in 1895. Bergen lived in Minnesota as a child, but moved away when he attended college at Lutheran in Decorah, Iowa. After finishing his degree, Bergen moved back home to complete a Master's degree at the University of Minnesota. In 1920 Bergen married Ruth Nelson of South Dakota. The couple soon moved to Montana, where Bergen worked in the field of education. He served as Superintendent of Schools in Cascade for 10 years, then in Browning for another 15. The K.W. Bergen Elementary School in Browning is named in his honor.
Bergen came to Helena in 1949 to work for the State Department of Public Instruction under Mary Condon as head of Indian education. He is credited for the improved organization of the school bus transportation system in Montana. Governor John Bonner appointed him as Montana Coordinator of the Department of Indian Affairs. Bergen lived in Helena and worked for the Bureau for the rest of his life. Much of Bergen's focus was on education, and his legacy continues today in the form of a scholarship for Native Americans at the University of Montana. Former governor Tim Babcock once said, "He was perhaps the best informed man on Indian affairs in the state of Montana." Bergen died in 1968 at the age of 73.
From the guide to the Knute W. Bergen Papers, 1962-1964, (Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
