Ashland County, Wisconsin

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegians in Ashland County were Martinus Moe from Trondheim, Henrik A. Lohmann from Kristiansund, Ole Ellingsen from Nordland, as well as Tobias Thompson and Ole Stormoen. They settled in Ashland in 1872.

Carl Lohmann’s Journey and Early Years in Ashland

Carl Lohmann, who arrived in Ashland two years later, recalled:

“We left Kristiansund on May 16, 1874, and Bergen on June 1 aboard the steamship Kong Sverre. There were five hundred emigrants aboard. The ship sailed directly from Norway to America, so we did not stop in England. When we reached the middle of the Atlantic, a hurricane arose. A pipe in the engine room began leaking, and some pipes and fittings broke loose and were washed overboard together with many other things. Panic broke out aboard because it appeared that we might sink. One woman became mentally disturbed and had to be placed in the sail locker. Finally, after much sickness and misery among the passengers, and after having been without meat and water for a long time, we reached New York. The following year, the same steamship capsized and sank in the Atlantic, although the people aboard were rescued.”

Lohmann continued:

“We then came to Ashland, which was our destination. At that time, there were scarcely more than 150 people living there and only a small sawmill. There was hardly any work, and everything we needed to survive was expensive. I have paid as much as eleven dollars for a barrel of wheat flour, four dollars for a bushel of potatoes, and forty to fifty cents for a dozen eggs, while wages were no higher than $1.50 a day. In this Promised Land, life was not particularly splendid during the first years, especially for those who had a wife and many small children to support. In 1877, the railroad reached Ashland. Conditions improved after that. Now the city is large, and there are many Norwegians.”

The High Bridge Settlement

In 1878, a small Norwegian settlement was established at High Bridge. Henrik Lohmann, Carl Lohmann, and Ole Pedersen moved there from Ashland. They were followed by Lorens Anderson, Peter Justen, and Andreas Steffeensen from Edø in Smølen, as well as John Johnson from Leksvik near Trondheim.

Churches and Congregations

The Nidaros Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was established in Ashland in 1884 and was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Its first pastor was Paul O. Amundsen of the Conference. The congregation built a church in 1886. This was not, however, the first Norwegian church in Ashland County. A Norwegian Methodist congregation was established in Ashland in 1886 and also built a church that year. The Methodist church was completed first. Ashland County had seven Norwegian congregations and six churches. Three congregations belonged to the Lutheran Free Church, two to the United Church, and two to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

Thomas Edwards was the first Norwegian to hold a county office in Ashland County. He was elected County Commissioner in 1888.

Sources:

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