Benton County, Minnesota

Early Settlement

Ole Ingebrigtsen Gaustad of Lom in Gudbrandsdalen was the first known Norwegian settler in the county. He established his homestead at Glendorado in 1867. Later that same year he was joined by Martin Eriksen of Elverum, Ole Solberg of Ørskaug near Christiania, Even Thompson of Ringsaker, B. A. Frøiseth, and the brothers Engebret and Sylvester Stenersen Sulem.

Pioneer Life

The following account is adapted from a history of the Norwegian settlements in Benton, Mille Lacs, and Sherburne Counties published by Pastors P. Langseth, A. Larsgaard, and R. J. Meland:

During the first summer, food was so scarce that the government at St. Paul sent supplies of cornmeal and wheat flour. The settlers, however, had to collect the provisions themselves at Clear Lake. Even Thompson and Ole Solberg carried sacks of flour on their backs over the long distance, crossing the St. Francis River by means of an insecure log bridge.

Nearly every young man who owned a firearm hunted for game, and many of those old rifles could still be found in their homes years later. At that time, Indians frequently traveled through the area in large groups. At a place later known as Indianerhaugen, where Per Stae eventually built his home, as many as fifty or sixty camped during the summer and autumn months. From there they visited the settlers, asking for tobacco, bread, meat, and whatever else they could obtain.

Mrs. Ole Engebretsen was known for her kindness toward them. She often prepared a proper meal, laid a white tablecloth, and set the table with knives and forks. Her guests behaved courteously and showed particular affection for her young son, whom they often met while hunting. After the boy died, several of them came to his grave and wept.

Mrs. Perlinus recalled that the Indians always seemed to have plenty of meat in their own camp, although they seldom shared it with the settlers. She also remembered that when the chief's children became ill, he visited her to ask for eggs. On one occasion she visited their camp herself, where she was welcomed into a lodge and invited to sit on animal skins. She especially remembered the songs the women sang to their children, whose unfamiliar melodies sounded strange and monotonous to her ears. South of the camp, traces of an old workshop where stone tools had been made could still be seen, together with numerous pieces of flint.

An old settler by the name Holland claimed to have been the county's most successful bear hunter. During the earliest years, bears and deer were so plentiful that he could sometimes shoot them from the doorway of his cabin. Nils Gilbertsen likewise recalled that deer roamed the area in small herds and, for many years, greatly outnumbered domestic livestock. During the autumn of 1881, Olav Andersen reportedly shot sixteen or seventeen deer, while Jørgen Simonsen shot thirteen. Successful hunting required patience, careful observation of the animals' habits, a steady hand, and accurate aim.

Pioneer life also brought tragedy. One account tells of Lars Hegland, who fell through the ice while pulling a block from a frozen pond. Hearing her father's cries for help, his daughter rushed to the scene and reached out her hand to save him. Instead, she too was pulled into the water, and both father and daughter drowned.

Churches and Community Life

Santiago Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, organized in 1873 by Pastor H. G. Stub of the Norwegian Synod, was the first Norwegian Lutheran congregation in the county and, at the time of writing (ca. 1907), remained the only one. The congregation completed its church building in 1879.

In addition to the Lutheran congregation, the county was also home to a "Free-Free" congregation composed of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish members affiliated with the Anabaptist movement.

A post office bearing the name Ronneby (Rønneby) was located in the county.

Sources:

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