Emmet County, Iowa

Early Norwegian Settlement

Ole Pedersen Eide from Tolga; Bottolf Pedersen Brugjeld and Nils Pedersen Brugjeld from Sogn; schoolteacher Mathias Aasved from Stod Parish in Trøndelag; Lars Paulsen from Hallingdal; Ole Fladland from Telemark; and Ole Ranum from Valdres were the first Norwegian settlers in Emmet County. All except Bottolf Brugjeld were married men, and their families accompanied them. They came from Koshkonong, Wisconsin, to Estherville, Iowa, in June 1860. They and others who arrived somewhat later built cabins, partly of sod and partly of timber, and began clearing and grubbing the land in preparation for growing wheat.

Grasshoppers and Indian Conflict

The settlers soon faced severe hardships. Grasshoppers destroyed their crops, and later Indians drove them from their homes after several white settlers were killed. Among the dead was a relative of Ole Olsen Eide from Tolga, who by the time this account was written was the only surviving member of the group of pioneers mentioned above. After soldiers drove the Indians away, some of the settlers returned to reclaim their homes and bury their dead. Their isolation added to the hardship, as the nearest mill and marketplace were about eighty miles away.

Wallingford

The first Norwegian settler in the vicinity of Wallingford was Lars Nelson from Sogn.

Churches and Congregations

Estherville Norwegian Lutheran Congregation, established in 1861, was the first Norwegian congregation in Emmet County. Pastor C. L. Clausen of the Norwegian Synod was its first pastor. By 1905, Emmet County had six Norwegian congregations and four churches. Four congregations belonged to the United Church and two to Hauge’s Synod.

Public Office

Helge Olsen Eide was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Emmet County.

Norwegian Place Names

Post offices with Norwegian names in Emmet County included Brevik, Bergen, and Voss. All had been discontinued by 1905, which the author attributed to the introduction of Rural Free Delivery (R.F.D.).

Sources:

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