Benson County, North Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

The Norwegian settlement established at Churchs Ferry in Ramsey County in 1883 also extended into Benson County. It was therefore the first Norwegian settlement in both counties. Several of the pioneers mentioned in the account of Ramsey County settled on the Benson County side of the county line. For a fuller account of the settlement’s early history, see Ramsey County.

Churches and Congregations

Big Coulee Congregation was established at Churchs Ferry in 1884 by Pastor O. H. Aaberg of the Norwegian Synod and was the first Norwegian congregation in this area. Lake Ibsen Congregation at Leeds, belonging to the Norwegian Synod, and Immanuel Congregation at Albert, belonging to Hauge’s Synod, both built churches in 1897. These were the first Norwegian churches in Benson County. By 1905, Benson County had twenty-two Norwegian congregations and ten churches. Eleven congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod, four to the United Church, three to Hauge’s Synod, and three to the Lutheran Free Church.

Public Office

Wm. Anderson was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Benson County, serving as Commissioner. George Ingebrigtsen was the first Norwegian from the county to be elected to the State Legislature.

Norwegian Place Names

Places with Norwegian names in Benson County included Viking, North Viking, Normannia, Lake Ibsen, Albert, and Klara.

Sources:

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