Lincoln County, South Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

J. M. Wahl from Nærøy in Namdalen was the first Norwegian settler in Lincoln County. He came from La Crosse, Wisconsin, and settled at Canton on April 23, 1868. In May of the same year came Jacob Holter from Toten and John Ovre from Gudbrandsdalen. Later that year, many more Norwegians arrived from Clermont, Iowa. Among the leaders of this group were Halvor Nilsen from Ål, Hallingdal, and Jens Paulsen. Halvor Nilsen had already visited Lincoln County in 1867 to examine the land. Others who came from Clermont to the Canton area included Thron H. Lunder, Ole H. Hvattum, Paul G. Schlager, Simon Schlager, Peder A. Brenna, and Christian Sogn, all from Hadeland; Hellek O. Strand, Nils Torkelsen, Ole Torkelsen, and Ingebrigt Torkelsen, all from Numedal; Tollef Brynjulfsen and Neri Torstensen from Telemark; Arne Helgesen, Ole Strand, and Ole Mikkelsen Hage, all from Ål, Hallingdal; Lars Arnesen, Ole Arnesen, and Peder Christophersen, all from Gol, Hallingdal; Salve Olvesund from Arendal; Gudmund Osmundsen and John Steensland from Stavanger; Olaus Holter from Toten; and Lars A. Syverud and Austin Syverud from Ringsaker. Also among the early settlers were Isak Mathisen, Ole Mathisen, Gabriel Lorentzen, Anders Johnson, Anders Shulson, Erick Shulson, and Sivert Shulson from Vefsn, as well as Ole Larsen Sætre, whose birthplace is unknown.

John Hansen Ovre and his wife were the first white couple married in Lincoln County.

Pioneer Life

During the first years, the settlers lived mainly in dugouts. Wheat farming became the county’s principal source of income, but their harvest had to be hauled by ox team to Sioux City, Iowa, about eighty miles away. Austin Olsen brought the first threshing machine to Lincoln County. Pioneer Tore T. Strand, who came to Dakota in 1870, later recalled that he had endured many difficult years. He summed up the experience with the saying: "After a long wait comes sweet Christmas". Many pioneers left the area, he observed, and may have remained poor elsewhere, while those who stayed eventually became well established.

The James Brothers near Canton

A Norwegian unknowingly gave shelter to the James brothers, among the most notorious robbers and murderers in North America. After the James brothers had committed their well-known crime at Northfield, Minnesota, they traveled west across the Sioux River. On reaching the Dakota side, they spent the night with an elderly Norwegian named Mongstad, who lived about eight miles northeast of Canton. Naturally, they did not reveal their identities. At five o’clock the following morning, they walked about a mile and stole two horses from Peter Wahl and Austin Shulstad. With these horses, they crossed the Sioux River again only moments before the Minnesota sheriff and his armed posse arrived. During the pursuit from the river and up over the bluff toward the south, Mongstad’s horse was shot in the neck. Peter Wahl joined the pursuers without even taking time to put on his hat and followed them into Sioux County, Iowa. The pursuit continued relentlessly until about four o’clock in the afternoon. A heavy fog remained throughout the day, however, and the robbers managed to escape.

Churches and Congregations

Canton Norwegian Lutheran Congregation was established in 1868 by Pastor Emil Christensen of the Norwegian Synod and was the first Norwegian congregation in Lincoln County. Pastor Ellef Olsen, also of the Norwegian Synod, was the first resident pastor. He was already living in the area by 1869. By 1905, Lincoln County had eleven Norwegian congregations and nine churches. Six congregations belonged to the United Church, three to the Norwegian Synod, and two to Hauge’s Synod.

Public Office

Ole Larsen Sætre was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Lincoln County. The county was organized in 1868, and Sætre was elected County Commissioner the following year, in 1869. J. M. Wahl was the first Norwegian legislator from Lincoln County. He served in the Dakota Territory Legislature from 1872 to 1875. His first electoral district included Lincoln and Minnehaha Counties, as well as all the counties in the Sioux Valley northward to the Red River. John Falde, a Norwegian who served as Register of Deeds for Lincoln County, was among the county officials who signed Wahl’s election certificate.

Education

Augustana College moved to Canton in 1884.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Lincoln County included Norway, Moe, Odin, and Harstad.

Sources:

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