La Salle County, Illinois

The Fox River Settlement

The Fox River settlement in La Salle County was founded in 1834 by Norwegian immigrants who had previously lived in Orleans County, New York. Most belonged to the group known as the Sloopers and had become dissatisfied with conditions there. They moved west under the guidance of Kleng Person, who had explored the area and helped prepare the way for settlement.

Kleng Person played a central role in the early history of Norwegian immigration. He helped open the way not only to Illinois, but later also to Iowa and other western states. His sister, Mrs. Cornelius Nelson Hersdal, was among the first settlers at Fox River. Her husband had died at Kendall, New York, in 1833, and the log cabin she and her family occupied became the first Norwegian home in the settlement.

The Growth of Norwegian Emigration

Two other important figures in the early migration were Knud Anderson Slogvig and Gjert Gregoriussen Hovland. Slogvig had emigrated aboard the Restauration in 1825 and returned to his home district in Skjold Parish ten years later. His visit attracted considerable interest, and people came from far away to meet and speak with “the American.” 

Hovland remained in the United States but wrote frequently to Norway, first from the Kendall settlement and later from Fox River. His letters described conditions and opportunities in America and were copied and circulated through western Norway from Bergen to Kristiansand. Together with Slogvig’s visit and similar reports, these letters contributed to a new wave of emigration.

About 200 people left Norway in 1836, mainly from the Bergen, Haugesund, and Stavanger regions. They sailed from Stavanger to New York aboard the brigs Norden and Den Norske Klippe, which had been fitted out for emigrant transport. In 1837, a similar number followed aboard Enigheden from Stavanger and Ægir from Bergen. Most came from western Norway, although some were from Telemark, Numedal, and Trøndelag. Most of the emigrants arriving in 1836 and 1837 continued directly to Illinois. Some settled at Fox River, others at Beaver Creek, and a few in Chicago. Only a small number remained for a time in the Kendall settlement before they too moved west.

Elling Eielsen and Religious Life

Elling Eielsen arrived at Fox River from Norway in 1839 and soon began holding religious meetings. A meeting house was built that same year and was later used as a church. The source describes it as the first Norwegian meeting house in America. At the urging of friends, Eielsen was ordained on October 3, 1843, by F. A. Hoffman, D.D., a German Lutheran pastor at Duncan’s Grove near Chicago. Eielsen nevertheless continued to regard himself mainly as a lay preacher in the tradition of Hans Nielsen Hauge. He traveled extensively among the Norwegian settlements, often on foot and carrying only basic equipment such as an axe, compass, coffee pot, and rain clothing. He frequently slept outdoors and visited isolated Norwegian settlers throughout the region. Eielsen was born at Voss on September 19, 1804, and died in Chicago in 1883.

Churches and Congregations

According to statistics collected in 1900, La Salle County had sixteen Norwegian congregations and fourteen churches. Ten congregations belonged to the United Church, four to the Methodist Church, one to Hauge’s Synod, and one to the Evangelical Free Church.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names appeared early in the Fox River settlement. A post office named Norway was established, along with another named Stavanger, reflecting the origins of many of the settlers. Stavanger Post Office was later discontinued after the introduction of Rural Free Delivery, while Norway remained in use.

Public Office, Press, and Education

A. A. Klove from Voss was the first Norwegian known to have held public office in La Salle County. The Norwegian-American newspaper Kirketidende was published first at Leland and later at Norway, while Illinois Posten was published at Ottawa. Pleasant View Lutheran College, a Norwegian educational institution, was also located at Ottawa.

Sources:

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