Caroline Budke-Pepke
(Back row, second from right,
pictured with her family)
Renville 1901
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After homesteaders had met government requirements for gaining title to their land, they were required to publish in a local newspaper their intent to make "final proof." At that time, if anyone questioned their rights to the land, they could be contested.

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Caroline's brother and a cousin were the first members of the family to come from Minnesota to North Dakota in 1901. Later that same year, Caroline and her older sister, Anna, came to establish their claims. In 1902, their parents joined them on a nearby homestead. Caroline published her intent to "prove up" in 1905. She is remembered by her niece as "a gracious and a most unforgettable character."

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Institute for Regional Studies
North Dakota State University Libraries
Fargo, North Dakota, 58105
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