Cottonwood County, Minnesota

Early Norwegian Settlement

Haagen Anderson from Sigdal was the first Norwegian known to have taken land in Cottonwood County. The first to build homes, however, were Gullick Pedersen, Carolius Pedersen, Ole Pedersen, and Joe Christensen, all from Helgeland. They came from Dakota County, Minnesota, and settled near Westbrook in 1868.

Their first homes were partly dugouts and partly log cabins. Wheat soon became the principal source of income, although hunting and trapping also provided some income during the early years, when wildlife was still abundant. New Ulm, about sixty miles away, was the nearest market town.

The Indian War of 1862

Knud Nilsen Langeland, recalled the losses he suffered during the Indian War of 1862. He wrote that his wife and four children were killed and that he lost everything he owned. Several of his Norwegian neighbors were also killed. See the section on Jackson County for further information, since the killings mentioned by Langeland took place there.

Grasshopper Years

The grasshopper plague of 1876 caused severe damage in Cottonwood County, destroying crops almost completely. Conditions were somewhat better the following year, when the grasshoppers left at least part of the harvest untouched.

Churches and Congregations

By 1905, Cottonwood County had seven Norwegian congregations and five churches. Four congregations belonged to the United Church, two to the Lutheran Free Church, and one to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

The first Norwegian known to have held public office in the county was Erick Sevatsen from Hallingdal, who was elected Sheriff in 1870. He was also the first Norwegian from Cottonwood County to be elected to the Minnesota State Legislature, in 1887.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in the county included Dale and Storden. Dale was the name of a township, while Storden was both a township and a post office.

Sources:

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