Greenwood County, Kansas

Early Norwegian Settlement

Charles Christiansen from Østre Toten, Nels Ladd from Sogndal, and Mathias Johnson from Biri were the first Norwegian settlers in Greenwood County and, according to the source, the first Norwegian settlers in the state of Kansas. They came from Dane County, Wisconsin, and settled at Eureka in 1857.

In 1858, six additional Norwegians arrived from Dane County. They were Helleck Brandson and Syvert Syvertsen from Numedal, as well as Ole Ladd, Amund Eriksen, Gjert Anderson, and Gjert’s brother, all from Sogndal. Kansas City, Missouri, about 150 miles away, was their nearest marketplace. The settlers transported their corn and wheat there for sale and purchased their supplies on the same trips. Oxen were used both for plowing and transportation, while a day laborer earned between twenty-five and fifty cents per day.

The settlers’ nearest neighbors were Indians, whom were described as far from friendly at that time, along with a small number of American settlers.

Churches and Congregations

The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, established in 1870 by Pastor G. Erdahl of the Norwegian Synod, was the oldest Norwegian congregation in Greenwood County. Its church, built in 1884, was the oldest and, by 1905, the only Norwegian church building in the county. By 1905, Greenwood County had two Norwegian congregations, both belonging to Hauge’s Synod.

Sources:

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