Mathias Carl Tescher was born on
September 17, 1893 to
Peter & Maria Anna (Tschatwyler) Tescher
in the city of Montana, Wisconsin.

In his teens, Matt Tescher was paid to play baseball summers in Milwaukee, he came out to North Dakota to buy farm land in 1911. After a tough year, and a trip out to California to visit 2 sisters, he headed back to Wisconsin. His parents brought him back to ND to finish what he had started - (some of the $500 used to start the farm was theirs).
For many years he broke teams of work horses. He start the team training in the spring and in the fall he transported the "good" teams to Wisconsin to sell. Some teams brought as much as $350.
He hauled coal for $3/ton during the 1930's, using a 4 horse team, . If, in the morning, he was near the front of the line, he could get a second load hauled but he wouldn't return home until around mid-night. (Just to feed the family was around $100/month).
Matt also trucked vegetables & fruit to Miles City and Dickinson.

When my Dad became ill Grandpa took me in for a summer. I remember cleaning up the countryside and hauling scrapiron to his scrapiron pile at the old Tescher homestead. Grandpa and I had a standing contest; he would work hard, and I would try to outwork him. I never could. Grandpa was 70 years old, I was 13.

When I was 9, Dad took me deer hunting. We got up in the middle of the night and drove to Grandpa's. It was still dark when we arrived, so I went upstairs to Uncle Donny's room and tucked in. The next morning,early, I awoke to the smell of breakfast and hurried down to the kitchen. Sitting at the table with Dad and Grandpa was Governor Bill Guy, whom had arrived in the night and walked in and made himself at home!

In 1969, I got to sit with Grandpa at his station at the House Of Representatives while he voted in session - on a trip with my high-school classmates to the Capitol in Bismarck. Boy, was I ever proud of my Grandpa!

Richard Tescher

Grandpa called the grand-daughters "Sis" - rather than trying to remember all their names.  In his later years,
Grandpa had a great garden to the north of his house in Sentinel Butte.  He was particular about straight rows in  his garden and he took very good care of his yard.  He'd carry a glass and butcher knife around with him.  He'd
 use the butcher knife to dig out dandelions and then he'd put the uprooted flowers in a glass to throw away later.

Little Girl Memories....
I remember visiting Grandpa at his house in Sentinel Butte. He'd share hazelnuts with me - straight from the
freezer. I think he'd brought them from Wisconsin. He kept a candy jar in the corner cupboard in the kitchen.
It was plastic and had a wild, bright,  green and orange swirly design on it. He'd always get out the candy jar
when we visited, and it often contained soft, orange "Circus Peanuts" - a marshmellowy candy that was
shaped liked peanuts in the shell.
What I remember the most about Grandpa Tescher was that he was soft-spoken and kind.

Emily (Tescher) Johnston

Remembering Grandpa...
I remember he wore a felt, small rimmed, cowboy hat and necktie made with rope & an agate. During the summer of 1976, we sat talking in the shade at Tescher's Trail Rides, he asked me if I'd mind if he rode my horse in the 4th of July, Centennial parade.
His house in Sentinel Butte -- I remember an outhouse, interesting furniture, visiting after church, a jail, apple trees, a stone grinder, pebbles where the cars parked and all sorts of different objects nailed to the car port.
It was always a long wait to use the bathroom and we ate in shifts.

Mary (Tescher) Majka

*When I was still working for N.D. Tourism we were visiting the capitol in Bismarck and George Sinner was the governor and when our boss introduced everyone he told me that they called Grandpa Tescher "Landslide Tescher" because in one of the elections he only won by one vote.

Joanne Tescher

 

Antoinette died July 12, 1968.
Mattias remarried Sept 20, 1969 in St Michaels church in Sentinel Butte ND to Susan Smaglik.