Brown and Doniphan Counties, Kansas

Norwegian Settlement

The Norwegian settlement in this area extended across eastern Brown County and western Doniphan County. Its founder was Ole Ericksen, from the Arendal or Kristiansand area, who settled between Everest and Leona during the 1860s. The nearest market towns were St. Joseph and Atchison, and wheat growing became the principal source of income.

In the vicinity of Robinson in Brown County, the first Norwegian settler was Ole Nilsen from Grimstad. At Dentonville in Doniphan County, the first Norwegian settler was Daniel Anderson from Sogn.

Early Conditions in Kansas

Pastor Roernæs wrote that some of the first Norwegian settlers came from Missouri to Kansas during the period when the Free-State and pro-slavery factions were struggling for political control of the territory. He recalled that the conflict was intense, but also produced many unusual and sometimes humorous incidents that the settlers continued to recount in later years.

Churches and Congregations

Øvre Wolf Congregation at Robinson was established in 1870 by Pastor N. C. Brun, then affiliated with the Conference. It was the first Norwegian congregation in Brown and Doniphan Counties. The congregation’s church was built in 1877. By 1905, the Norwegian communities in the two counties had three congregations and two churches. Two congregations belonged to the United Church, while one belonged to the Lutheran Free Church.

Norwegian Place Names

For a time, Doniphan County had a post office named Norway.

Sources:

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