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a.
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Note: In 1905, Gunhild met a boy from Straumsnes who promised to take her to America. True to his promise, he went to the western United States and, within a year, sent her money for passage to Tacoma in America. She took a small ship to Hull, England and transferred to a larger ship (Invernia) to reach Boston. Her ticket said she went by train to Tacoma, Washington, a 5 to 10 day ride. She was hearty and a good worker. Eastern Tacoma had a large Norwegian community and there she found work as a housekkeeper and maid. This income allowed Ole to build and sell two homes between 1910 and 1920. The third home was built in 1924 but Ole died there in 1927 before beginning a fourth. Gunhild relied heavily on Oscar, her only son and source of security. However, Oscar had to finish high school and go to work at the lumber store where Ole had traded for years. The Tacoma Lumber Company remained a successful business even during the depression (1930-1940) but Oscar needed a better job to care for his mother and his new wife (1935). Gunhild became obsessed with avoiding the public and had to quit work and move to Steilicoom Mental Hospital to get the care she needed. After three decades there, she died in her sleep at age 72, alone.
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