The Bogdan family
Old-timers still tell tales of Martin Bogdan’s amazing strength, capacity for hard work, and legendary appetite at the dinner table.
Bogdan was born in Poland around 1851. He arrived in this area sometime before 1880. Single-handedly, he began clearing an 80-acre homestead near today’s Tiger Mountain Store.
He worked hard, planting orchards and raising animals. He also acquired property in town. The Bogdan Building stood on Front Street where the grocery store parking lot is now. He was skilled as a surveyor, and people are still finding his benchmarks south of town more than 100 years later.
In 1910 with his farm well established, Bogdan wrote home to Poland and told his nephew to “bring me back a girl.” The nephew arrived here a short time later with 20-year-old Antoinette Pomian.
The couple married and raised six daughters-Mary, Catherine, Ann, Helen, Leona and Alice-on the farm south of town. Martin was 74 when the youngest one was born.
The oldest and youngest daughters, Mary Jolk and Alice Swanson, still live on the homestead. And, they and their families enjoy the fruits of Martin Bogdan’s labors every summer out in the old orchard.
