Knox County, Nebraska

Early Norwegian Settlement

Ole Hendriksen Kuslien from Førde, Sunnfjord, was the first Norwegian settler in Knox County. In 1872, he left Wisconsin with his family of twelve and set out for Nebraska in two wagons drawn by four oxen. The journey took ten weeks. The family settled at Winnetoon and remained the only Norwegian family in the area for five years. In 1875 and 1876, grasshoppers destroyed all of their crops. Of Ole Hendriksen’s grown sons, Henry, Rasmus, and Gunder, Rasmus died in 1882. He was the first person buried in the Norwegian cemetery at Winnetoon.

Churches and Congregations

Pastor N. G. Tvedt of the Norwegian Synod was the first pastor to visit the settlement. By 1905, Knox County had two Norwegian congregations, both belonging to the Norwegian Synod.

Sources:

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