Kragero one room school came alive for a few days this past week in Santiago township for an annual program offered through Becker Community Education and hosted by the Erickson family. 

Teachers and some students came dressed in period clothing. Children were taught daily lessons including the three “R”’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) by former Kragero students Judy (Erickson) Larsén, Karen (Erickson) Sakry and Gloria (Erickson) Palmer, who attended the one room school in the 1950’s and 1960’s until it consolidated with Becker schools in 1967. At that time, there were 16 students enrolled at Kragero.

The students also sang old time and patriotic songs, made daily crafts, played games of a bygone era such as The Old Brass Wagon and Red Rover, pumped water near the school house, washed clothes on a board, made butter, enjoyed a nature hike and a picnic by the creek on the school property. 

The annual summer program is hosted by the Erickson family, whose relatives emigrated from Kragero, Norway to Santiago Township (north of Becker) in the 1880’s. There was a need for a school in the area and the schoolhouse was built near the Jens Ellefson farm. The original log cabin Jens and Sigrid lived in was recently relocated next to Kragero School.

The school building was also used as a church for several years. The loan for the school building was $450, at four percent interest for 10 years. The first teacher who taught at Kragero school (District 47) earned $100 for the entire school year. That first year, school was only in session for five months.

Local resident Tom Barthel purchased Kragero School from Becker School district in 1995.

Barthel and his wife, Gail Wilkinson, have worked hard to keep the school in its original condition and have graciously allowed the historic school to be used for the past 30 summers, with the first authentic one-room school class in 1994.