Martin Dahl

Martin Dahl was born in Torp, Rölanda parish, in the province of Dalsland on February 5,1867.
He had 10 siblings and young Martin had to leave home at 9 years of age to try and earn his
own living.
At 15 years of age he went to Norway hoping to find work and he staid there for two years.
In 1994, at 17 years of age, he decided to emigrate to America. He arrived in New York where
he staid for a couple of years working in whatever jobs he could find and learning the language.

Around 1886 he travelled to Minnesota to join his siblings and parents who by then had also
emigrated. They had found land in the Red River Valley near St Hilaire and had started a farm
there. Martin staid on that farm with his family for 16 years. While there he started to take on
contracts in logging and railway construction. He also worked on drainage canals and had up to
150 people working for him.
In 1905 Martin decided to move to Canada. He went to the vicinity of Winnipeg and started to
work on railway construction for the CPR. He staid for 6 years in Winnipeg .

When the Grand Pacific Trunk Railway was going to be built in British Columbia, Martin
decided to go west and got a construction contract east of Prince Rupert.

In 1911 Martin moved to Smithers and became a farmer. He bought 320 acres of fine
agricultural land and forest that he developed in to a fine farm.This land also had a possibility
for finding oil and other minerals to mine, unfortunately there is no information on how Martin
fared in that direction.
There is a Dahl Creek named after Martin in the vicinity of Smithers, named after Martin.Dahl
This creek drains in to Bigelow Lake south of Smithers.