Marshall County, Minnesota

The First Norwegian Settlers

The first Norwegian in Marshall County was Halvor Gundersen from Veggli, Numedal. He settled in Oak Park Township in 1878 at a place now known as Halvor Post Office. The names of the first Norwegian settlers in other parts of the county are given below.

Bigwoods

The first settlers in the Bigwoods area were Mathias Swensen, S. Swensen, B. M. Swensen, and H. M. Swensen, as well as John Helland, all from Telemark; John J. Enden, Martin J. Enden, John H. Enden, Hans B. Imdahl, and Ole T. Imsdahl, all from Ringebu; O. P. Oseth from Stor-Elvdal; Charles Larson and H. A. Larson, both born in Wisconsin; and A. Tondrum and John Gjelhaug, both from Land parish.

Warren

K. Tharalsæth from Nordfjord was the first Norwegian settler in the Warren area.

Newfolden

The first settlers in the Newfolden area were Hans O. Folden and Ole J. Folden from Skjervøy, Finnmark; Even A. Schie from Rakkestad, Østfold; Ole Hevle from Oppdal; Ole O. Lie from Hallingdal; Hans H. Saugen and Mathias Hansen from Hedmark; and Anton Stokke and Ole Madsen.

Other Settlements

Elias A. Haarstad from Gudbrandsdalen was the first Norwegian settler at Ellerth. Gulick S. Vedme from Sogn was the first at West Valley. John Berg from Grue, Solør, was the first at Excel. Elling Halvorsen from Sigdal was the first at Apple. Gulbrand Haugen from Ringsaker was the first at Strip. Jørgen Knudsen Moen from Vegårshei, Telemark, was the first at Ingalls. O. T. Odegaarden was the first at Juvik. Anders Malvik from Strinden and M. G. Broten from Toten were the first settlers at Ware. Anders Malvik was struck and killed by a train near Crookston in 1902. Otto P. Lee, whose parents came from Gudbrandsdalen, was the first at Liner. Emil Sigerud from Åsnes, Solør, was the first at Germantown. Saave Brokke from Setesdal was the first at Thorwick. Herbrand Helgesen from Gol, Hallingdal, was the first at Fir. A man named Dahl from Folldal, Østerdalen, was the first at Foldahl.

Illness and Poverty

One of the first settlers wrote:

“My story as a new settler is hardly a cheerful one. I came here in great poverty, and there was no one I knew to whom I could turn.

During my first fall here, I became ill and remained sick for five months in a small shanty measuring eight by twelve feet. I slept on a few boards nailed to the wall as a sort of bed. My wife slept all winter in an old, rounded immigrant trunk.

We lived far from a doctor and had no money with which to pay for medical assistance, for all we had was debt. But thus far, the Lord has helped us.”

This account illustrates how little opportunity there was for a new settler to obtain medical assistance when illness struck.

The Journey to a New Home

Another settler described his journey of approximately 150 miles from his former home to his new one. He traveled with an ox team, a sick wife, four children, and some household goods loaded in the wagon. There was almost nothing that could be called a road. When bad weather came and the route became nearly impassable, the family had little choice but to remain in the wagon. On one occasion, the wagon became stuck in a slough where there appeared to be neither people nor oxen nearby to provide assistance. Fortunately, a German lived in the neighborhood. When the settler called for help, the German arrived with his team and pulled the Norwegian family out.

Churches and Congregations

The Lutheran congregation at Bigwoods, established in 1882 by Pastor Andreas Øfstedal of the Norwegian Synod, was the first Norwegian congregation in the county.

At about 1907, Marshall County had twenty-eight Norwegian congregations and twenty-one churches. Eleven congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod, six to the Lutheran Free Church, six to the United Church, three to Hauge’s Synod, and two to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

Esten E. Royem, who was elected County Auditor in 1881, was the first Norwegian to hold public office in the county.

Andrew Grindeland, who later became a district judge, was the first Norwegian from Marshall County to serve in the State Legislature. He was elected in 1898.

Norwegian Newspapers

Norwegian newspapers published in Marshall County included Red River Dalens Sol in Warren and Bud og Hilsen in Newfolden. Red River Dalens Sol existed only for a short time.

Norwegian Place Names

Places with Norwegian names included Agder, Augsburg, Elmbo, Englund, Esplee, Fodvang, Foldahl, Fram, Grygla, Halvor, Hellem, Holt, Idun, Jevne, Jonstad, Juvik, Klep, Koland, Lund, Løveid, Nelson Park, Newfolden (Nyfolden), Ny Solum, Opdahl, Oslo, Ringbo, Rockstad, Skog, Sørum, Thorwick, Valborg, Viking, and Wanger, thirty-four in all. Marshall County took first place in the number of Norwegian place names, having more than any other county in America.

Sources:

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