Christine Slind Emerson was born on February 22, 1914 in Selbu, Norway. Her father owned a small dairy farm, and there were six children in the family. Christine's father had lived in Minnesota as a single man from 1904-1908, and married her mother in 1910 after returning to Norway. Christine's father thought that it would be easier to support a family of eight in America, and in 1922, the whole family emigrated. The family arrived in Lacrosse, Washington in June, and in September, they rented and moved to their own farm outside of the town. Lacrosse was a Selbu community, which made the transition easier for the family. In Lacrosse, Christine attended a one-room schoolhouse and quickly learned English with the help of a good teacher and her bilingual Norwegian-American cousins. Christine completed the eighth grade and planned on continuing on to high school, but her mother died when she was sixteen, and, being the oldest daughter, Christine had to stay home and take care of the family.
From the description of Christine Slind Emerson Oral History Interview 1982. (Eugene Public Library). WorldCat record id: 183004812
