Meet The Authors

Wayne R. Ostlie - is a 25-year professional in the natural resources conservation field (currently serving as Director of Land Protection with the non-profit Minnesota Land Trust in St. Paul), a professional photographer and local historian. He has authored numerous scholarly publications including: From Time Immemorial: the Herbarium of Lycurgus R. Moyer; Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present and Future; and was a contributing author to Chippewa County History: A Century of Change. Although he has worked across the globe, one of his deepest passions lies with his hometown roots and the history of the Upper Minnesota River Valley.

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Odell M. Bjerkness - is Professor Emeritus of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, former Executive Director of Concordia Languages Village, and former Director of the Study Abroad Program at Concordia College. This widely recognized author has received (among others)  the prestigous Order of St. Olav medal from King Olav of Norway, and Luther College's Distinguished Alumni award. Some of the books he has written include: History of the Valdres Valley; The 28 Stav Churches of Norway, and The Prince and the Nanny: The Life of Prince Harald, now King of  Norway.

Paul E. Ostlie - is a former Doctor of Dentistry in Decorah, Iowa. Paul has a keen interest and long background in historical study. In his formative years, he was mentored by noted Chippewa County historian and mother, Evelyn Ostlie. He has worked at a number of historic sites in Chippewa County (Lac Qui Parle Mission, Chippewa County Pioneer Village, Swennson Farm) and with the Minnesota Historical Society at Fort Snelling.  Paul curates the Ostlie Archives, a repository of Minnesota and Midwest history.