Cavalier County, North Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

D. A. Oakland from Haugesund and Aanund Aanundsen Thorsdalen were the first Norwegians to take up land in Cavalier County. Oakland came from Jackson County, Wisconsin, while Thorsdalen met him on the train from Grand Forks. They settled in the vicinity of Milton in 1882.

Later that same year came Ole T. Oie, Enok Olsen, Rasmus Tronset, Gunder Hammer, and John Hammer, all from Ytterøy near Trondheim; Gulbrand Gravengen from Solør; Ole Olsen Stensru from Valdres; Ole O. Florenden, Thom Florence, Petter Johnson, and Ole Axvig, all from Setesdal; John Taarud from Gudbrandsdalen; Ole O. Neste, Gulbrand Ulbosen, Bjørn Tveiten, Ole Stave, Ole Skare, Helge Grønhovd, Tollef Tollefsen, Elling Ellingsen, Thor Vetren, Steingrim Nelson, and Elling Sønstegaard, all from Hallingdal; Ole Aasit, Petter Thompson, Thomas Vangsnes, Christen Olsen, Bottolf Flom, and Torjus Flom, all from Sogn; Ole Romso from Trøndelag; Thore Vold from Heddal; Erik Meling from Sunnhordland; Knut Molvær from the Ålesund area; Jens Andersen, Isak Eriksen, and Lars Eriksen from the Bergen area; Søren Limick; John Dalvang from Østerdalen; Syver Berger and Edward Berger from Solør or the surrounding area; as well as Elias Nilsen and Andrew K. Johnson, whose birthplaces is unknown.

These settlers spread over a wide area. Dakota was still a territory at the time, and the land had not yet been surveyed. Cavalier County was not organized until three years after these settlers arrived. St. Thomas was their nearest market. According to one of the old settlers, what they brought there was often “frozen wheat.” Their nearest neighbors included both full-blood and mixed-blood Indians.

Churches and Congregations

Dovre Congregation was established in 1883 by teacher Ole J. Romso and extended across several townships in the vicinity of Osnabrock. It was the first Norwegian congregation in Cavalier County. Pastor Jens Skugstad was its first pastor. The congregation was later divided into South Dovre and North Dovre, both of which came to belong to the United Church. By 1905, Cavalier County had fifteen Norwegian congregations and eleven churches. Five congregations belonged to the United Church, four to the Lutheran Free Church, three to the Norwegian Synod, and three to the Baptist Church.

Public Office

Ole Gjevre, who served as Commissioner, was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Cavalier County. Ole Axvig was the first Norwegian from the county to serve in the State Legislature.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Cavalier County included Storlie, Nummedal, Romso, and Vang.

Sources:

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