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Jens Loken, a well known citizen of Clitherall, is the first white child born in the township of Nidaros, Otter Tail County, Minnesota. He was born September 3, 1872, the son of Haagen and Guri (Helseth) Loken, both natives of Norway, and cam to America in 1870, taking them seven weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They first settled in Rock County, Wisconsin, where they lived until the spring of 1872, when Haagen Loken and his family accompanied by Andrew Nösen family and Ole Hestad family started out with horses and covered wagon, and came to Otter Tail County, Minnesota, where Haagen Loken homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Nidaros township. After arriving here Haagen Loken began clearing his homestead of trees and planted small patches of wheat, potatoes and vegetables. They were kept very busy and the first summer they lived in the covered wagon. It was in this covered wagon that Jens Loken was born. He was the first white child born in Nidaros township and also the first to be baptized in that township. Later in the fall of 1872 Haagen Loken built a dugout which they lived in for ten years. After which he improved his homestead with good buildings. His wife died December 5, 1905.
On March 16, 1909, he retired to the Village of Clitherall, and in 1911 he was killed by a train at Clitherall. They had a family of four children, they are: Johanna, born in 1860, living at Saskatchewan, Canada; John, born in 1867, living at Hibbing, Minnesota; Josephine, born in 1869, deceased; and Jens, born in 1872
On November 22, 1898 Jens Loken was united in marriage with Anna Berg, who was born June 18, 1877, in Norway, the daughter of Anders and Karine (Anderson) Berg, and came to America in 1884.
Mr. and Mrs. Jens Loken have two children: Clifford Arthur, born January 7, 1900, married to Edna Myers of Buffalo, New York. They are now living in Sarasota, Florida; Guy Harold, born August 24, 1905, married Alice Ramberg of Henning, Minnesota. Guy is now in the U.S. Navy and he and his wife are living at Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands
Mr. Loken has served as clerk of the Village of Clitherall for ten years.
Mr. and Mrs. Loken are members of the United Lutheran Church of Battle Lake, Minnesota
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