Person:Harry Christenson (1)

When the children were small, Harry and Elna owned a Maxwell automobile.

Died at his home 1834 Grayfield, where he had lived from 1958-1964

Founded Christenson & Son roofing, then joined Burton Brothers general contractors.

WWI Draft registration card listed address at 326 Fifth Street, Manistee MI. Occupation was “Filer Saw” for the Louis Sands Salt and. Lumber Company. The saw filer kept the saws in the lumber mill sharp. Hair is black, eyes were grey, build was slender.

Inducted into the U.S. military June 22 1918. Serial number was 1482.

Battles: Selter Sept. 20-21/1918; Kadish (Kadiah?) Oct 12-23/1918; Toulgas Nov. 11-14/1918; Shegnovaris Jan 23-27/1919; Vistavha Feb. 28-Mar 5 1919; Krugomen April 25 ; Jensel 1919

Discharged May 14, 1919

Exhibit on The “Polar Bear” Division (U.S. Army 85th Division, 339th Infantry) at U. of M. Bentley Library Bentley showcases items from World War I 'Polar Bears'

By Joanne Nesbit News and Information Services A program from a reunion of the 'Polar Bears' of 1918. Photo by Bob Kalmbach

The current exhibit at the Bentley Historical Library sounds like it could be a documentary on arctic life, but the exhibit actually documents an episode of World War I involving an outfit dubbed The Polar Bears.

During the summer of 1918, the U.S. Army's 85th Division, made up primarily of men from Michigan and Wisconsin, completed training at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Mich., and proceeded to England. The 5,000 troops of the division's 339th Infantry and support units realized that they were not being sent to France to join the great battles on the Western Front when they were issued Russian weapons and equipment and lectured on life in the Arctic regions.

When they reached their destination in early September, 600 miles north of Moscow, the men of the 339th joined an international force commanded by the British that had been sent to northern Russia for purposes that were never made clear. The Americans were soon spread in small fighting units across hundreds of miles of the Russian forest fighting the Bolsheviks who had taken power in Petrograd and Moscow.

The day of the Armistice (Nov. 11) when fighting ceased for other American armies, the allied soldiers were fighting the Bolsheviks said to be led by Trotsky himself. After three days, the allies finally were able to drive off the Bolsheviks. While this fight was a victory for the Americans, the battle led to the realization that the war was not over for these men. As the weeks and months passed and more battles were fought, the men began to wonder if they would ever get home.

The men of the 339th generally were well equipped with winter clothing during the winter of 1918-19 while stationed near the Arctic Circle, where temperatures reached minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

There was little daylight for months at a time. Knowing that the war was over for other American soldiers, the morale of the troops declined throughout the winter.

Families and friends of the men began to clamor for their return. Politicians unwilling to support an undeclared war against the Russian government joined in their demand. A petition to Congress was circulated. Several of the British and French units mutinied and refused to continue fighting. In early April, the American troops learned that they would be withdrawn as soon as the harbor at Archangel was cleared of ice.

It was not until June of 1919 that the men of the 339th sailed from Russia and adopted the polar bear as their regimental symbol. After a stop in New York, the troops went on to Detroit where they took part in a gala July 4 homecoming parade at Belle Isle.

"Michigan Boys Fighting the Bolsheviks: Archangel, 1918-1919" contains letters, diaries, photos, postcards and maps, some drawn by the men fighting in Russia. Newspaper clippings, and a petition to the Congress also is in the exhibit, curated by Leonard Coombs, an associate archivist with the Library's Michigan History Collections. The exhibit will continue through May, but the artifacts contained in the exhibit are available after that time to anyone requesting to see them. The Library is open 8:30a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Coombs can be reached at 764-3482.

More on the Polar Bears from http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/p_bears.htm: Prior to the collapse of Russia in 1917, vast quantities of military supplies had been assembled in the northern part of that country at the ports of Archangel and Murmansk, the latter being an open port north of the Arctic Circle. The Supreme War Council believed that Allied troops should be sent to secure these ports for the use of the Allies and to save the supplies located there. The original objectives also included the establishment a rallying point for Czech troops who were roaming loose in Russia and to prevent the establishment of German submarine bases.

See also: Author Vincent Cortright describes the background and action in his article from Military History Magazine, Bloody Battle on Peace Day: [The Battle of Toulgas]

Account of Dorothy (Christenson) Hokanson: When Dorothy was 12-13 years old, Harry was the Manistee Township Clerk. At some time he worked at the salt plant. When Dorothy was 1.5 years old, parents moved to Detroit, built their house on Dexter, then rented a house on Birwood. They built a house at 17155 Griggs, sold it, then bought it back in the 1930s. Harry was roofing. Grandpa Erickson died of sunstroke while in the fields at this time. They moved back up to Wellston to the Erickson farm. The farmers wanted to hire a teacher and paid Harry to drive the kids to school every day. Elna said that was too much travel. Little Elaine was sick, so they moved back to East Lake. Harry was working at an orchard between Manistee and Onekema. They stayed in East Lake until 1938. Harry worked for Chrysler in Detroit for a while and only came home on weekends. Then Dorothy went to Grand Rapids for school-Davenport. The rest of the family moved to Detroit. Dorothy moved there too. Harry and Bob were roofing. Dorothy worked for Wheel Truing Tool Company at Dexter and Wildemere--wrote up tool orders. Then the war. Bob flew B-17s out of England and N. Africa. Dorothy met Ed in 1945. Everyone lived on Griggs in Detroit. They lived on Grayfield with Elaine when Dorothy was married.

1. ↑ Certified Copy of Birth.
2. ↑ Certificate of Death (2).
3. ↑ Buried in Oak Grove Cemetary, Manistee, MI