Marquette County, Michigan

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settler in Marquette County was Fredrick Brastad from Gudbrandsdalen. He settled at Marquette in 1868 but moved after a short time to Ishpeming, where he opened a store in 1873. His business eventually became one of the largest in the state. A substantial Norwegian community developed at Ishpeming, including many settlers from Trøndelag.

Settlement at Michigamme

At Michigamme, where a small number of Norwegian families settled, the first were Lars Halvorsen from Hedrum near Larvik, Ole Elsnes, and the brothers Christian Olson and Jacob Olson from Stiklestad. They settled there in 1873.

Churches and Congregations

By 1905, Marquette County had two Norwegian congregations and one church. One congregation belonged to the United Church and the other to the Lutheran Free Church.

Public Office

Fredrick Brastad, mentioned above as the county’s first Norwegian settler, was elected State Treasurer in 1890.

Norwegian Place Names

Northland Post Office may have been of Norwegian origin.

Sources:

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