Helga Estby

Helga Estby and her 19-year-old daughter, Clara, were Norwegian immigrants who tried to save their family farm in eastern Washington state in 1896 by walking 3,500 miles across North America in an effort to win a $10,000 prize. On Christmas Eve, 1896, the New York World reported their arrival in New York City. On arrival in New York the sponsor of the contest refused to pay, saying the women had missed their deadline. Helga managed to return to her farm only to find that two of her children had died of diphtheria in her absence.

Helga was considered a deserter of her family and was shunned by the Norwegian community. Helga went on to become a suffragist and wrote down her story later in her life. Her notes were destroyed, but her story was carried on through oral tradition through her family and through newspaper clippings saved by her daughter-in-law.

External links

* [http://www.boldspiritacrossamerica.com/ Bold Spirit Across America]
* [http://ww3.startribune.com/blogs/oldnews/archives/49 Yesterday's news: Minneapolis newspaper interview from 1897]