Halle Steensland, Madison businessman and leader in the Norwegian-American community, was born in the province of Rogaland on the west coast of Norway on June 4, 1832. He was reared on a farm, confirmed in the Lutheran Church, and educated in a country school. After working as a farmhand and a tutor, he began working as a fisherman on the island of Karmoy. By the age of twenty, Steensland had taken up residence in Stavanger where he worked as a shop assistant and as a sailor. Later he held a job with Sivert Gundersen, a merchant of Ostervaag.
With financial backing from Gunderson, Steensland set sail for America on April 16, 1854. Landing in Quebec he made his way via Montreal to Chicago. During a four-month residence Steensland worked as a grocer, carpet salesman, and a dishwasher. In October 1854 he moved to Rockville, Wisconsin where he once again worked as a farmhand. Disliking this, he moved briefly to Janesville, and in May 1855 arrived in Madison.
In Madison he worked as a shop assistant while attending Bacon's Mercantile School from which he graduated in 1858. The following year, in partnership with George Huntley, he set up a crockery and grocery store on King Street. Steensland eventually purchased Huntley's share of the firm and began investing in real estate. In July 1863 Steensland bought 175 acres of land known as Maple Lawn where he built the home referred to by its next owner, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., as Maple Bluff Farm.
In 1871 Steensland sold his store and formed the Hekla Fire Insurance Company. By 1889 the firm had assets estimated at 1/2 million dollars. In 1890 as a result of dissension among the stockholders, the Hekla Company was sold to the St. Paul German Fire Insurance Company of Minnesota. In the same year Steensland launched the Savings, Loan and Trust Company Bank. By the time of Steensland's death, the firm had assets of 1.5 million dollars.
Steensland served on the Madison Common Council for six years. In addition, he served as vice-consul for Sweden and Norway in Madison from 1872 to 1910. He was also a knight of the orders of Wasa of Sweden and St. Olaf of Norway.
Steensland was married to Sophia Halvorsdatter from Telemark, Norway in 1857. They had one daughter, Helen Amalie, and six sons, Henry, Edward, Halbert (who died in infancy), Morton, Emil, and Halbert. More detailed biographical information about Steensland is available in the biography by Byron Ostby in the first folder of the collection.
