Skip to content

Frigstad Shed a part of Meota’s history

By Arlene Walker Ivan Frigstad built a well-preserved log building located in Meota in about 1925. Frigstad was born in Norway in 1885 and emigrated to Iowa, then to Saskatchewan. He was a master log builder.
Frigstad Shed
Frigstad Shed, constructed in about 1925, is a part of Meota history. Photo submitted

By Arlene Walker

Ivan Frigstad built a well-preserved log building located in Meota in about 1925.

Frigstad was born in Norway in 1885 and emigrated to Iowa, then to Saskatchewan. He was a master log builder. On his farm near Robinhood all his buildings were made of logs. He was also hired to build lodges in Waskesiu and the Royal Canadian Police barracks in Maple Creek. Frigstad and his family moved to Meota in 1923 and the shed was built shortly after.

In October 2004, I purchased the shed, as the lot had been abandoned for some time. My brother Larry loaded it onto a small, two-wheeled cart and brought it nine miles to my farm.

We re-shingled it with pine shingles, lined the ceiling with v-joint then placed in a plank floor. We also installed two small windows and a larger door. The shed became part of my “homestead” theme along with a restored log house in my yard.

When I moved to Meota in 2015, I bought the lot on which this shed was first built and the shed came with me. It is named the Frigstad Shed and is part of Meota History.

(Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the News-Optimist in 2016. It has been reprinted at the request of Meota correspondent Lorna Pearson, as she makes her contribution to giving readers something alternative to read during the COVID-19 dominated news cycle.)