Barron County, Wisconsin

Early Norwegian Settlement

Lars Pedersen emigrated from from Solør, Norway and took a homestead three miles from Cumberland in 1863. He was then fifty years old. For eight years, he lived alone in his cabin. Since Cumberland did not yet exist, he had to purchase his necessities at Rice Lake, twelve miles away. He carried many sacks of flour and other supplies home through the dark forest, where there was always a danger from wild animals, of which there were many. Pedersen maintained good relations with the Indians because he treated them kindly and did them many favors. Some years later, two other white settlers moved into the area, but the Indians drove them away because they did not like them. By about 1907, the land was well settled and crossed by railroads, and old Lars Pedersen was still living there.

The Canton Settlement

Peder Olsen from Ringsaker and Andreas K. Morterud from Lillehammer settled in the vicinity of Canton in 1870. They were the first Norwegian settlers there.

Prairie Farm

In 1871, Anders Stensaas from Sør Trøndelag, together with Christian Voxen and Johan Iversen from the Kristiania (Oslo) area, settled near Prairie Farm. About the same time came Nils Eggen from Tolga in Østerdalen.

The Rice Lake Settlement

In 1874, Ole A. Dahle from Luster in Sogn settled in the Rice Lake area together with T. J. Oleson, K. J. Oleson, Ole J. Oleson, and K. R. Fadness, all from Voss. They were followed by A. G. Strand and R. Eversen from Trøndelag; M. Larsen from Kaldestad, Voss; Chris Skar and Mr. Holtan from Kristiania (Oslo); O. Andersen from Verdal; as well as O. Kringle, Otto Hansen, and H. Hansen, who had been born in America.

When these settlers arrived at Rice Lake, the local population consisted mainly of Frenchmen and Indians. The Norwegians soon became the majority. Their principal occupations were hay production and logging. Eau Claire was the nearest market, approximately sixty miles away, and the settlers traveled there by ox team.

Karen Sophie Olsdatter

Barron County was also home to a woman who lived five miles east of Cumberland and was named Karen Sophie Olsdatter. She was the mother of five generations and was still in good health and able to look after her own home. She was born at Mosjøen in Nordland on April 1, 1800, and died on September 20, 1906, at the age of 106½.

Churches and Congregations

The Faaberg Lutheran Congregation, established in 1871, was the first Norwegian congregation in Barron County. Its first pastor was C. J. Heksem, then of the Conference. The first Norwegian church in the county was built at Rice Lake in 1881 by the Conference congregation there. By about 1905, Barron County had twenty-two Norwegian congregations and nineteen churches. Fourteen congregations belonged to the United Church, six to the Norwegian Synod, and two to the Lutheran Free Church.

Public Office

J. A. Johnson of Dallas was the first Norwegian to hold a county office in Barron County. He was elected Treasurer in 1871. 

Lars Gundersen of Cumberland was the first Norwegian to represent Barron County in the State Legislature. He was elected in 1880.

Norwegian Place Names

Post offices and townships with Norwegian names in Barron County included Eng, Arland, Haugen, and Dovre.

Sources:

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