1912-12-07-sr-p6-peter-carstens-50th-anniversary

December 07, 1912 Spokesman-Review Page 6:

Raised Five Children Without Doctor

[photo] Mr. and Mrs. Peter Carstens

Peter Carstens and his wife, who live at 829 Fairview avenue, Spokane, and who celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding at the home of their eldest son, Oscar Carstens, north of Reardan Tuesday, the same day that their granddaughter, Miss Emma Carstens, became the bride of Robert Joslin, a Davenport meat man, have had the unusual experience of living together a half century and raising five children without the necessity of a physician entering their home. For nearly 11 years the couple have resided in Spokane, whither they retired after 22 years of ranch life on the homestead where they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary a few days ago.

Married in Schleswig, Germany, in 1862, Mr. and Mrs, Carstens decided upon a home in America eight years later, disembarking at New York city June 4, 1870, having made the trip on a sailing boat that consumed 50 days

After five years in the Empire state they went to Ringgold, Iowa, and three years later by prairie schooner to Kansas The hot winds of the Kansas plains drove them to Colorado after a residence of but six weeks in the Sunflower state.

At Denver, in the summer of 1878, Mr. Carstens organized an emigrant train of 100 wagons, such a number at the time being necessary because of the outrages of hostile Indians between Denver and Boise City, Idaho, where they were held six weeks by the government officials, who warned them of an outbreak among the Snakes. From Boise City the train made its way by easy stages to Baker City, Ore., then to Walla Walla, where the Carstens lived for a year, In the spring of 1879 the Carstens came to the homestead north of Reardan.

Four sons, Oscar, Henry, Earnest and Charles, are married and have farms in Lincoln and Spokane counties. There are 14 grandchildren.

Mr. and Mrs. Carstens are hale and hearty, neither having been sick a day. He is 71 years old, while she is five years his senior.