Fonds 755 - Robsart Community fonds

John Asplund was born sometime around 1870. Asplund and his brother-in-law, P.L Petersen arrived in what is now the Robsart district in 1910. According to the early Robsart History book (1955), the two men erected the first homestead shack, two miles east of the future village, with the assistance of Evan Christianson – Asplund also developed his own homestead. He either brought with him or had custom-built after his arrival, an enclosed wagon-box to hold his photographic equipment and materials. Once settled, he traveled the countryside in his special wagon capturing images of the daily life of the settler, the laying of the rails, and special events/activities such as the first school (Luce) in the district, the Glee Club at Chris Risvold’s farm and pulling fish (suckers) from the creeks draining from the Hills.

With the arrival of the rails in 1914 and the establishment of the village, (albeit some building had begun the previous year), Asplund established a small photograph studio on Quita Street in the heart of the village. From this little studio he chronicles the growth and development of Robsart, showing the construction of streets, buildings, streetscapes and sidewalks, as well as special events. He was on hand to capture the arrival of the first Train into Robsart, the first theatrical event, the first band, the opening of the new hospital, the annual Norwegian celebrations and many other moments in the thriving community.

John Asplund and his wife Mary did not have any children, but were known throughout the small community as “Uncle John” and “Aunt Mary”. The late Archie Smiley from the Robsart district remembered Asplund well and recounted his showing slides of the Chicago World Fair on a magic-lantern projector at the school in the early 1930s. In 1927, Mary passed away and according to Smiley, John left the community at some point in the 1930s but did return for a couple of visits. Asplund’s life following his years in Robsart remains as much a mystery as the years previous to his arrival.