Photo credit "Simply North Spring" June 8, 2011. In an article written by Bonnie Selberg.
Photo of Britta Skifstrom (Hol Brita.) Photo courtesy of Per-Ulf Allmo.
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Britta Skrifstrom was born in March 1842 in Sweden, where she learned to play traditional Swedish bagpipes, known as säckpipa.
In 1868, Britta immigrated Cokato, Minnesota, United States, alongside her husband Andrew Skifstrom. It is believed that she brought her beloved säckpipa with her to Minnesota. Britta's parents, Lars and Anna Larson, joined her in Minnesota in 1880, further strengthening their family and musical bonds in their new homeland, as Britta's mother was also a säckpipa player. Fast forward to a century later, a story about Britta and her mother surfaced on a bagpiping forum. According to the account, (which was later verified in a conversation with Britta's great-granddaughter,) "I only know that in Sweden they (Britta and Anna) played the pipes in the bars and the men would throw money at their feet. If they didn't pay well, the women would cuff their ears. I heard from my aunt that they kept sheep or cattle in Sweden and brought the pipes along and played while the animals grazed." It's interesting to note that Britta owned her own parcel of land alongside her husband and her son according to the U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1901. It fits with the trailblazing independent woman that Britta appeared to be. Her land sets on Skifstrom Lake, which is now affectionately known as "Mud Lake" in Wright County. Credit to Per-Ulf Allmo, Jan Winter, Olle Gällmo and the Norden Säckpipa Association of the Americas for providing valuable information for this story.
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