Lee County, Iowa

The First Norwegians in Iowa

Keokuk in Lee County was the first place in Iowa known to have been visited and settled by Norwegians. In 1840, Hans Barlien, Endre Simonsen, Anders Askeland, and the brothers Peter, William, and Hans Tesman, together with about half a dozen others and with Kleng Persen as their guide, settled there. The settlement, however, neither grew large nor lasted long. A post office with the Norwegian name Galland was, according to the author, the only lasting trace the Norwegians left in Lee County. 

Per Ommundson Gjejle

Quoted from an article written in 1903 for Skandinaven by his frequent contributor, attorney B. L. Wick of Cedar Rapids, Iowa:

Wick described Per Ommundson Gjejle as one of the best-known Norwegians in the West. He was born at Jæren near Stavanger around 1808. As a young man, he fell in love with Karina Bornevik from Nærstrand, who wanted to emigrate to America. Since Per had the means, he paid her passage of $31 and emigrated himself. They came to America in the summer of 1836 (on the brig Norden) and settled in the Fox River Settlement in Illinois. They tried to establish a home there, but progress was slow because times were difficult. Kleng Persen had explored Shelby County, Missouri, as a possible place for a Norwegian settlement, and Per, who shared much of Kleng’s restless desire to travel, soon followed. He remained there for three years, which he later remembered as long and difficult years. The area did not appear well suited for a Norwegian settlement. On one occasion, Per wandered through the forest for nine full days without finding another person. Early one morning he finally heard a rooster crowing and was able to locate a settlement. During those days in the forest, he survived on strawberries.

From Missouri to Iowa

When the Norwegians left Shelby County for Lee County, Iowa, Per was ready to follow. He therefore became one of the earliest Norwegians to settle on the fertile plains of Iowa. He acquired land there and remained until 1864, when he moved farther west to New Sharon in Mahaska County. New Sharon remained his home until his death in 1895. His wife died about a year before Wick wrote his account, at the age of eighty-six and blind. She had lived through almost every hardship associated with pioneer life during the first half-century of Norwegian settlement in America. Per had personally known Kleng Persen, Elling Eielsen, Per Mehus, Knud Slogvig, Hans Barlien, the Tesman brothers, Ommund Olson, Knud Eide, Erik Knutson, Endre Simonson, Endre Askeland, Ingebrit Narvig, and almost all of the Sloopers. He was one of the last survivors of that early generation.

A Restless Pioneer

Wick described “Ole Per” as an unusual man. During the winter he might sit quietly and rather sadly at home, but when spring arrived he became, in Wick’s words, like a wild goose that migrates with the seasons. One day he would put a pack on his back, place clean clothes in his valise, and set out across the prairie for the nearest Norwegian settlement. He might remain away for several months before wandering home again to resume work on the farm. Over the years, he covered on foot distances that Wick compared to several round trips between America and Norway. Even after he had passed eighty, Per said that these journeys among friends and acquaintances were what kept him alive, and Wick believed he was probably right. On hot summer days, when he became tired, Per would sit beneath a tree in the shade, resting his chin on his hands and looking across the endless prairie. Wick wondered what thoughts occupied him at such moments: the hardships and sorrows he had endured, disappointments in his western home, or memories of Norway. Per remained impulsive throughout his life. A bed, a friendly smile, and a good cup of coffee were enough to put him in excellent spirits. Wick emphasized that he remained thoroughly Norwegian until the day he died.

Cleanliness, Politics, and Photographs

Per was no tramp. He was always well dressed and clean, and Wick joked that he used more soap in a day than the finest city lady. Cleanliness, he wrote, was the first commandment of Per’s simple religion. He did not beg. He normally carried five dollars in his pocket and often returned home without having spent even a nickel. People willingly provided him with food and a bed, and he had little need for the railroad. Politically, he remained a Republican until the end of his life and had little patience with anyone who tried to deceive him at the ballot box. He also strongly disliked having his photograph taken without permission. Wick compared his attitude to the belief attributed to Indians that a man and his shadow could not exist at the same time, and that one of them therefore had to disappear.

The First Norwegian "Newspaper" in America

Wick recalled how monotonous life could be for young people on isolated western farms. There were few books, little social activity, and work continued from morning until night throughout the summer and well into the winter. For such families, Per’s arrival was like an oasis in the desert. After the day’s work ended, word that Per had arrived meant that everyone could expect a lively evening. After a good meal, he would begin by talking about the weather, family, and friends. Wick called him “the first Norwegian newspaper in America.” He brought news from one settlement to another and then moved on to stories of earlier times and the first emigrants. At times his tone became more serious and reflective as he spoke of the excitement surrounding their arrival in America. He might also criticize the younger generation for forgetting the Norwegian language and Norwegian customs, or for failing to appreciate men of his generation. As the evening wore on, younger listeners might fall asleep dreaming of the great forests, broad prairies, and the wider world that seemed to come alive in Per’s stories. After a day or so, the old wanderer would leave for another settlement and new adventures. When he returned the following spring or fall, he was still popular, rarely angry, and always welcome.

Wick concluded his portrait with the observation that Iowa’s first Norwegian citizen was gone, and with a final farewell to the old “Rover.”

Sources:

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