Literary History of Duluth: Helen Jenswold Dahle

Google tells me John “Jack” Dahle was “born in Duluth, Minnesota, to Minnesota State Senator Clarence Arthur and Helen Jenswold Dahle.” But I have no idea who Helen Jenswold Dahle is. Does anyone else have any ideas? As I build a literary history of Duluth, I am missing information about this author.

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3 Comments

hbh1

about 1 week ago

I had surgery this week, so I'm not probably up to a real search. Here's what I did find about Helen Catherine Jenswold Dahle: 

Dad (John Jenswold Sr.) was a local lawyer of Norwegian descent (Jenswold, Jenswold and Dahle located in the Palladio Building). Mom named Lena. I can't parse out the differences right now, but there's John Jenswold Sr. (her father) and John Jenswold Jr. (her brother). Either or both of them were prominent Duluthians who have the shortest street in Duluth named after them. It's the little curve of street that connects West Superior Street to West Michigan Street between Wade Stadium and I-35. There's also a Jenwold Motor Company historic building located at 200-206 E. First St., which is across Second Avenue East from the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial. 

John Jenswold Sr. ran for mayor in 1894. (Didn't win, because he was a Democrat? Local power at the time was Republican.) John Jenswold Jr. (her brother) was on the first county board of poor commissioners circa 1901 and ran for Congress in 1902 (also defeated).

Helen was born on Feb 16, 1895, and died Jan 21, 1989. Buried in Forest Hill Cemetery. She clearly grew up in relative privilege compared to most Duluthians of Scandinavian descent (maybe because they were second generation and not immigrants like most). She played violin. The family had a nice car they would drive to the Twin Cities to the state fair in 1917. She graduated from Monticello Seminary (college) in Illinois in 1916, and with a bachelor of arts from University of Minnesota in 1918. In 1920, when she was 24, she was still living with her family at 5820 London Road (a pretty Victorian that's still there), working in her dad's law office as a stenographer. She married Clarence A. Dahle on May 22, 1922 in Duluth. They lived at 4505 McCullough St. He was a lawyer (the third partner in the family law office) and a member of the Minnesota legislature from 1933-1949. They had two children, Natalie and John. Clarence died relatively young and she never remarried. Lived in their home with her adult daughter, who worked for the public library. 

Helen appears to have worked for the Duluth News Tribune as a writer on the women's pages circa 1948. And here are a few pics and articles, including her obit.

hbh1

about 1 week ago

Her college yearbook photo.

hbh1

about 1 week ago

And an article in the DNT upon her graduation, 1916

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