Allamakee County, Iowa

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settlers in Allamakee County were Ole Larsen Rotnem from Gol, Hallingdal, together with Ole Strala and Thomas Anderson, also from Hallingdal. They came from Rock County, Wisconsin, and settled in the vicinity of Harper’s Ferry in 1850. Later that same year came Nils Bottolfsen from Ringerike and Ole Grandgaard from Hallingdal.

As soon as their log cabins were completed, the settlers began clearing land that was partly covered with forest. Wheat farming became their principal source of income. They sold their wheat at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, across the Mississippi River, where they also purchased supplies. The journey was made by ox team, since oxen were the only draft animals available and even served, as the author humorously remarked, as their “show horses.” There was little room for either show or wealth in those early years. The new farmers had little to sell, while those who worked for others earned only about fifty cents a day.

Ingebrigt Hansen from Kongsvinger was the first Norwegian settler in the Quandahl area, while Nels Smedsrud from Torpen, Nordre Land, was the first in the vicinity of Church.

A Pioneer Home

L. O. Larson, a son of one of the county’s first Norwegian settlers, came with his parents and five siblings. He recalled that their first home was a “brush shanty,” a shelter made of brush. For several weeks, a rattlesnake lived beneath the boxes that served the family as both table and bed, although none of the children was harmed.  L. O. Larson worked as a teacher in Iowa, while his father had been a teacher in Norway.

Churches and Congregations

Paint Creek Congregation was established at Dalby Post Office in 1854 by Pastor V. Koren of the Norwegian Synod. It was the first Norwegian congregation in Allamakee County and built a church in 1856. By 1905, Allamakee County had seven Norwegian congregations and seven churches. Five congregations belonged to the United Church and two to the Norwegian Synod.

Public Office

Gulbrand Sætrang was the first Norwegian to hold political office in the county. He was elected County Supervisor in 1875.

Norwegian Place Names

Post offices with Norwegian names included Dalby, Bergen, and Quandahl. The Dalby and Bergen post offices had been discontinued by 1905.

Sources:

[Ulvestad, Martin. Nordmændene i Amerika. Utg. History Book Company's Forlag. Minneapolis, Minn. 1907.]