Looks like a friend of Signe’s, Laura Sigurdson, was a teacher in Nome, North Dakota.

I recently went across the ditch to Australia, and while there, I called on another Hampden. I wrote about this visit in our local monthly newspaper (www. hamrakirag.blogspot.com).
I republish it here, just in case you are interested:—

About 70 km north of Adelaide is a settlement called Hampden.

Physically, it appears to look a bit like Duntroon {Duntroon being a small settlement not far from here} (but far smaller) – houses down one side of the street (about 20 of them) and a railway line down the other side. There is a strip of land about 20 metres wide between the street and the railway where once were goods sheds, grain silos, rail sidings and a station. The only houses in the area are all on this one street, there is no other.

Amongst the houses is a building that once housed a farm machinery sales and repair shop, and another that was once a general store.

There is also a robust building that is the Town Hall, which is still in occasional use. Part of the rear of the Town Hall is used regularly for a children’s play group, and adjacent are a couple of tennis courts. The play group area was once the local school.

Five kms away is the town of Eudunda. This is now the closest rail stop, but the railway is used only at grain harvesting time. Passenger trains are extinct. The station building at Eudunda still stands, but is derelict. Alongside it are the familiar grain silos and attendant buildings.

Eudunda looks to be about the size Alexandra, but most of the commercial buildings appear pre-1920s.

The schools though, look to be no more than 20 years old. The primary and secondary schools are side-by-side, and both are very tidy looking.

I visited Hampden (SA) and Eudunda on behalf of the people of Hampden (NZ). I took with me Greetings from some of our local inhabitants and businesses. Also, our Mayor, Mr Familton provided me with his personal letter of Best Wishes, and a book on the Waitaki District, to give to the inhabitants of Hampden (SA).

I did not know what to expect in Hampden (SA), and when I arrived in the “town” on September 29th, I knew only what I had read in the child’s School Project of 40 years ago, that is available in the Hampden (NZ) Library. I could find no-one out and about as I drove through, except a middle-aged couple carrying out some section maintenance on one of the few sections with no structure on it. On speaking to them, I found they didn’t live in the town. Their daughter owned the house next- door and they had recently purchased this empty section with a view to putting a house on it sooner or later.

They advised me to call next-door the other way, where the town’s longest (not necessarily the town’s oldest) resident lived. I met her. Unfortunately, I did not catch her name. I explained the purpose of my visit was to deliver Greetings from one Hampden to another, and I passed her the relevant papers. She promised to share them with all the other residents in the town and expressed appreciation for me taking the time to deliver the greetings and best wishes. She spent a bit of time explaining the history of the town, its ups and downs – which in recent years have been all downs.

As there was now no school in Hampden (SA), I took the papers relevant to the school into Eudunda. Unfortunately, it was School Holidays. I had emailed the headmaster a week prior to tell him I would be coming, but I assume he never received the message, for at the Eudunda School, there were but 2 people present. One was a contractor putting in some tiled steps, and the other was the Office Manager, to whom I introduced myself. I passed on to her, the well-prepared project book put together by all the pupils of the Hampden (NZ) School, and the message and book from the Mayor. She promised to make sure the School Headmaster received it all.

The message of Greetings and Best Wishes from the Hampden Volunteer Fire Unit, was received too late to travel with me – it caught up with me a week later in Perth. I mailed the page from Perth to the Officer-in-Charge of the Eudunda Fire Brigade, C/- of the local Shire Council. I hope he (or she) has received them.

May I thank all the townsfolk of Hampden (NZ) and our Mayor, for the contribution they made in helping to cement a closer relationship with a town that appears to be near the end of its existance, that shares our name (though not named for the same reason).

There are about 4 or 5 other Hampdens in the world. Let’s make ourselves known.

Isn’t this what international relations are all about?

About 20 years ago I acquired a printers stone (used by newspapers and print shops). I bought it from the Mott Pioneer Press and they had it for at least 60 years.

I was moving the stone and notice on the bottom the name J. H. McDonald, Hampden, No. Dak.

Does the name mean anything.

Thank you for your time.

Dennis

I am inquiring whether you have any Hampden history books left. Also, do you have any Storlie cemetary books available for sale. If you do, please me know how I can purchase and pay.

Regards,

Don Clock