Lyon County, Iowa

Early Norwegian Settlement

Halvor Nilsen from Hallingdal was the first Norwegian settler in Lyon County. He came from Clayton County, Iowa, and settled at Beloit in 1867. A short time later came Arne Helgesen from Ål, Hallingdal; Hans Naglestad from Hægebostad; Peder Korstad from Valdres; as well as Ole Nelson, Simon Birkeland, and Aanen Syvertson. The latter settlers established themselves in the vicinity of Inwood and Larchwood.

Sod houses and log cabins served as their first homes, while wheat farming became their principal source of income. During the first three years, however, they had little to sell because grasshoppers and drought destroyed nearly all their crops. The oldest living Norwegian in the Beloit area (about 1905) was Christian Jensen, who settled there in 1870. He was from Gran, Hadeland.

Churches and Congregations

By 1905, Lyon County had seven Norwegian congregations and three churches. Five congregations belonged to the United Church, one to the Norwegian Synod, and one to the Lutheran Free Church.

Charitable Institutions

The Children’s Home at Beloit.

Norwegian Place Names

A post office named Krogness once existed in Lyon County.

Sources:

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