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As a translator of many of the letters Ole Ruud sent back to his family in Norway, I got to know this remarkable man quite well. Unlike so many letters of 100 or more years ago, letters having little information about anything outside of the writer’s immediate surroundings and the physical and spiritual health of the family, Mr. Ruud’s letters paint a much broader picture. You learn that his was an unusually fertile, forward-looking mind, teeming with ideas and plans for the future. At times, it feels as if his life was an embodiment of the development of the state itself. Still, in spite of his abundance of vitality, he never loses sight of reality. Everything he gets involved in is carefully evaluated before he makes a commitment. His feet are always planted on solid ground. It has been a joy to read, as well as to translate the letters of this fascinating man. Bjarne Breilid, Translator AMERICAN FEVER is a welcome addition to the history of Eastern Washington. Esther Ruud Stradling has drawn heavily from family correspondence to produce this readable and engrossing biography of her pioneer ancestors. The use of extensive quotes from family letters conveys a deep and personal sense of the hard work and dreams that many European immigrants brought with them when they settled the American West. As an archivist, I am pleased to see the effective use made of this collection of family papers. AMERICAN FEVER is a valuable contribution to the history of the Waterville, Washington area, and the history of Norwegian immigration to the United States. Charles V. Mutschler, Archivist and Historian
