Custer County, Montana

Early Norwegian Settlement

Bernt Mælum and Christian Andersen, both from Lillehammer, and Enok Sve from Orkdal were the first Norwegians to settle in the county. They came from Union County, South Dakota, and settled at Capitol in 1884. They were followed by John Buan and Sivert Moltuen from Orkdal, James Garberg from Selbu, and John Teigen from Jostedalen. The settlers devoted themselves exclusively to cattle raising. In the early years, their nearest railroad station and marketplace was at Miles City, about 150 miles away. Whenever they needed to buy supplies or sell their produce or livestock, they therefore faced a journey of considerable distance.

John Buan’s Journey to Montana

John Buan later described his own journey to the settlement. He and Sivert Moltuen left Union County, South Dakota, on May 14, 1886, accompanied by their families and some livestock. Each family traveled with a wagon. While crossing the large Sioux Reservation between Fort Pierre and the Black Hills, they were overtaken by the worst hailstorm Buan had ever experienced. The storm arrived so suddenly that they did not have time to unhitch the horses. Women and children cried, the frightened horses became almost uncontrollable, and the livestock were scattered by the storm. Afterward, the men had to travel several miles to recover the animals. Buan and Moltuen finally reached their destination on July 8, after a journey of slightly more than two months.

Life on the Cattle Frontier

The settlers encountered Indians numerous times both during the journey and after their arrival, but Buan emphasized that they were never harmed by them. When the Norwegians first settled in the area, the open range was filled with Texas cattle and cowboys. Buan considered the cowboys almost as dangerous as the cattle they handled. Violence was not uncommon. In 1887, one cowboy was shot and killed by another near Buan’s house. According to his account, four additional murders were later committed in the area by drovers, who were also accused of stealing horses and cattle. Buan recalled that these conditions made frontier life far from pleasant.

Fear of an Indian Attack in 1890

During the unrest of 1890, the settlers lived in constant fear of an Indian attack. For protection, they constructed what they called a fort, although Buan explained that it was actually a large cave dug into a high bluff and fortified as well as circumstances permitted. The settlement then consisted of only fifty to sixty people, including just eight adult men. About a week before Christmas, a message arrived from Camp Knock, South Dakota, warning that an attack might come at any time. That evening, the settlers gathered at Bernt Mælum’s home and prepared to defend themselves. The following day, they moved into their improvised fort. 

The feared attack never came. News soon reached them that Sitting Bull had been killed together with several of his followers and that the remaining Indians had fled. According to Buan, Sitting Bull had been killed the night after the warning reached the settlement. Looking back on these difficult pioneer years, Buan concluded that conditions had finally begun to improve. The settlers could now hope that the period of insecurity was coming to an end and that permanent settlement and what he described as “civilization” had reached this remote part of Montana.

Sources:

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