Family History
A History of Hylden Farms of North Dakota
The Hylden family immigrated to the United States from Norway
in 1865. They had farmed the terrace-like fields on the hills inland
from Ulvik, Norway. The small fields and many hills made it difficult
for the Hylden ancestors to provide a living for their family.
Ole and his wife Anna heard of the vast prairies that were to be
found across the ocean in the United States. They also had heard
about the New Land, where the right to “life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness” was written into the constitution.
They believed that the government “by the people” was
dedicated to upholding these rights. Seeking to better themselves
and their family, they gathered five of their six children and
started on their long journey from Norway to the New Country. They
sailed down the majestically beautiful Hardanger Fjord to Bergen
where they booked passage on a sailing ship to America.
After a stormy 5 ½ week crossing, the immigrants finally
arrived at the Port of Entry to the United States of America. They
traveled inland and first settled in Iowa. While in Iowa, more
children were born to Ole and Anna. The lush green hills of Iowa
became dotted with cabins and barns, but the settlers started talking
of a new land...the Dakotas. After church on Sunday, the men would
gather and talk of Dakota...the land of promise, a prospect, a
new horizon...a place where they would give you land if you had
the endurance and determination to work it and live on it for two
years. Mikkel Hylden (Ole and Anna’s son), his wife Brita
and their children made the decision to move to the Dakota Territory.
In the later part of March in 1881, the family packed up all its
worldly goods and started north. Mikkel and Brita arrived in Grafton,
Dakota Territory, later that spring. Leaving Brita and the children,
Mikkel walked the land, searching for a fertile valley with rich
black soil. On a cold, windy spring day, Mikkel entered a golden
valley, which would later become known as Vernon Township. It was
here that he found the soil and land that had been his dream.
Together Mikkel and Brita selected a site for their cabin, and
started to chop down trees for the construction of their new home.
Their cabin consisted of one room, open on the south side. The
roof was made of sod and wood slashings. Mikkel and Brita worked
hard to open the land and expand their farm. In their first year
of planting, they only had one ox, so they would take turns pulling
the breaking plow hitched to the ox.
Mikkel and Brita’s hard work paid off, as their farm gradually
grew to provide both a comfortable home and a 
profitable business.
Together, they raised a family of 9 children. Their son David continued
the family’s heritage of farming. He grew prize-winning grain
on the land that his father had settled. In the 1930s his grain
won first place at the Chicago International Grain Show.
The Golden Valley of North Dakota continued to provide a family
living for three of David’s sons, Mike, Duane and Don. They
expanded the farm into a dairy business, producing Grade A milk
for the community.
Hylden Farms continues into the fourth generation of farmers.
Mark, son of Don and LaVonne Hylden, and his wife Esther started
farming in 1979. In 1982, Mark received the 
Young Farmer and Rancher
of the Year Award for North Dakota, as awarded by The American
Farm Bureau Federation. Mark and his father, Don, continue to operate
their portion of Hylden Farms. Their farm produces hard red spring
wheat, soybeans, sunflowers and Golden Valley Omega Flax.
Mark and Don seek to preserve their rich heritage of excellent
farming and strong work ethic as they work together, with Mark
and Esther’s sons, to produce the best flax crop possible.
Esther Hylden is a Registered Nurse, with 23 years of experience
in health care. A few years ago Mark and Esther came to realize
that flax was more than just another crop to grow in their rotation.
Esther and Mark’s family health history included close family
members with diabetes, colon and breast cancer, heart disease and
elevated cholesterol. As they explored health promotion activities
to follow in order to prevent these many diseases, they noticed
that flax kept coming up in their research. It was not long before
Mark and Esther were absolutely sold on the health benefits of
flax.
After adding flaxseed to their diet, and noticing its positive
effects, they determined to share this little seed with their family,
their friends, and with the world. Calling upon their rich farming
heritage and health expertise, Mark and Esther are committed to
producing the highest quality flaxseed and making it available
to those people who share their interest in obtaining their best
possible health.
