The Dream of Prosperity

The story of this quilt and its maker is representative of many families who followed their dreams to North Dakota. Marit Seilstad and her husband came to Pelican Rapids, MN, in 1880 from Norway. They stayed with relatives that winter, and Marit pieced her Drunkard’s Path quilt at that time. The following spring they loaded all their possessions, including the unfinished quilt into a covered wagon and traveled the Big Stone Trail to homestead in Walsh County, Dakota Territory.

The quilt top was put away while the family proved up their claim while they lived in a sod hut. As the family prospered, they left their soddie and built a more enduring frame house. At last Marit could afford a sewing machine, which she used to finally quilt the top that she had made by hand.

Her descendants still farm the old homestead.

This story was preserved as part of the North Dakota Quilt Project