Clara Marie Haser…I took care of myself and didn’t run around a lot

By Eva Hallam Solberg

Published in the PCN December 14, 1978

After living sixty-five years in rural Phillips County, it’s hard to believe that 94-year-old Clara Marie Haser was once a big city girl. Born in Chicago on March 8, 1884, to John and Fredricka Palm, Clara was the middle child in a family of thirteen children.

Her father was born in Wisconsin and her mother came from Germany when she was 14 years old.

While delivering meat to his customers, John Palm often saw the pretty girl with black hair almost down to her heels. She came to know his fondness for certain foods, and met him one day as he came to the house with meat, with her apron full of raw-fried potatoes. Taking off her apron, she handed it to John, potatoes and all. Clara smiled as she recalled the oft-repeated story, “He knew I was a good cook.”

Read the rest of the story in "Looking Back Again: Life Stories from the Prairies of Montana"
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