Clay County, Minnesota

Early Settlement

Ole Thompson of Ål in Hallingdal was the first known Norwegian settler in Clay County. He came from St. Ansgar, Iowa, and established his homestead at Holy Cross, Minnesota, in 1869. (He later moved to Kurtz, Minnesota.)

Later that year he was joined by P. Nøkken of Sogn and Bernt Anderson of Hedemark. Anderson settled at Hickson, North Dakota, accross the Red River from Ole Thompson. Narve Moen also arrived about the same time. The settlers began raising wheat and oats, but they had to travel all the way to Alexandria to market their crops and purchase supplies. As one pioneer recalled, "The oxen certainly had to keep moving."

The first Norwegian settlers in the vicinity of Rollag and Hawley were Martin Olsen of Beitstaden in (Nord) Trøndelag and Johannes Tetli of Frosta. They came from Winneshiek County, Iowa, in 1870. Soon afterward they were joined by Tom Gundersen of Moland, Telemark, Claus Olsen of Telemark, Petrus P. Solum and Sevrin P. Solum of Namsos, Erik Hansen, Tov Herbrandsen, and Torsten Arneson of Rollag in Numedal, A. Rusfelt of Finmark, Knut O. Myrbø of Telemark, and Jørgen (?) of Toten.

About the same time, John O. Tansem of Eidsvoll, Amund Røgle of Nannestad, and Iver Ranum of Oppdal also arrived. Tansem settled near the post office that later bore his name, while Røgle and Ranum established their homes closer to Norwegian Grove. The first Norwegian settler in the vicinity of Stockwood was Martin Thomson, who arrived in either 1870 or 1871.

Pioneer Life

The railroad had not yet reached the prairie, but Indians still traveled through the area and occasionally visited the settlers' homes, often alarming the women and children.

Looking back on those early years, one pioneer reflected on the remarkable transformation that had taken place. Where there had once been open prairie, there were now cultivated fields, substantial homes, railroad stations, schools, and churches. Norwegians, he believed, had contributed more than any other immigrant group to that development. The grasshoppers and the Indians, once regarded as the settlers' greatest obstacles, had disappeared, and the struggle for control of the land had become part of the county's early history.

Another pioneer recalled the torment caused by mosquitoes:

"I was returning from town with supplies when I lost my way after nightfall. It was warm and humid, and the mosquitoes were so thick that I could not open my mouth without filling it with them. My horse rolled on the ground in agony and struggled to break loose. I tried lying down and rolling myself, but it brought no relief. I shall never forget that night. For several days afterward my body remained badly swollen from the bites."

Churches and Community Life

Grong Norwegian Evangelical Congregation, organized at Rollag in 1872 by Pastor B. Hagbø of the Conference, was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. By about 1905, Clay County was home to twenty Norwegian congregations served by seventeen churches. Eleven congregations belonged to the United Church, four to the Norwegian Synod, four to the Lutheran Free Church, and one to the Adventist Church.

The first Norwegian to hold public office in the county was John Thorsgaard of Gudbrandsdalen, who was elected County Treasurer in 1876. Peter E. Thompson of Barnesville became the first Norwegian to represent Clay County in the Minnesota State Legislature when he was elected in 1890.

Townships and post offices bearing Norwegian names included Kragness, Lund, Hitterdal, Viding, Moøand, Rollag, Hagen, Morken, and Tansem.

Concordia College, a Norwegian educational institution, was established in Moorhead in 1891.

The Norwegian-language newspaper Nye Nordmanden began publication in Moorhead in 1894. Shortly afterward, Dagen was also established there.

Sources:

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