Principal, Chris Nygard, Building Contractor, Sprague, WA, c. 1886;

Relocation

Chris Nygard was born in Ringkøbing, a town in the Region Midtjylland on the west coast of Denmark's Jutland peninsula. He immigrated to the US in the Spring of 1881, and found his way to Sprague, WA, by the Fall of 1883. He married in 1884 to Agatha Lyse, the daughter of a socially prominent family in the small farming town of Wilbur, WA. He prospered as a carpenter and building contractor in Sprague, WA, until a significant fire destroyed the town on 08/03/1895. The fire seriously depreciated property values, leaving Nygard with meager assets. He utilized his carpentry skills in the Coeur d'Alene silver, lead and zinc mines to earn money, and stayed there until about 1900. At this time, he came back to live in Wilbur, WA, and lived with his brother, Andrew, above his blacksmith shop. It was in the room above Andrew's shop that Chris Nygard killed himself with a revolver on 03/04/1903.

Parents

His father was Peder Christianson Nygard, a Danish citizen. His mother, Christina Jacobsdatter, remained in Denmark and survived him in 1903. Chris had two brothers living in the US, Ole Christian Pedersen Nygard (born 10/15/1861 in Ringkøbing, Denmark-d. 05/1941), a farmer and carpenter, and Andrew Nygard (1858-06/1914), a blacksmith. Andrew was naturalized in the Territory of Washington, Lincoln County, on 04/08/1889. Chris also had two brothers and four sisters in Denmark.

Spouse

He married Agatha Lyse in Sprague on 12/17/1883. She died just after childbirth, c. 1885.

Children

He and his wife Agatha had one son, Herbert Paul Toliver. Agatha died soon after his arrival, and Chris did not feel able to rear the boy, so he sent him to acquaintances, Paul and Maggie Toliver, in Sprague to be raised. The Tolivers may have felt that Herbert would be taken from them, and they decided to leave Sprague with the boy without informing Nygard of their destination. He never recovered custody of the child, who, according to Chris Nygard's great-niece, Cindy Voss, died in OR in 1968. (Email from Cindy Voss to the author, 05/11/2015. Thank you to Ms. Voss for her information.)

Biographical Notes

Nygard was noted in the 1887 and 1889 Censuses of Lincoln County, his occupation being that of a carpenter. At age 33 (in 1888), he enlisted as a member of Company A of the Washington National Guard's of the First Regiment. Nygard enjoyed fraternal societies and belonged to a number over the years. In 1899, a "Chris Nygaard" was listed a Master Mason, a member of the Sprague Masonic Lodge #40 in Spague, WA. He also joined the the Odd Fellows, Maccabees, Woodmen of the World, Knights of Pythias, and the Danish Brotherhood during the 1880s and 1890s. Nygard suffered a significant head injury when he was thrown from a wagon against a telephone pole in 1889. He lost his memory for months thereafter and his brother, Andrew, blamed this injury for his suicide.