Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

Civil War veteran Jonas Nelson from Meråker recalled that after the war he returned to Goodhue County, Minnesota, where he found his family healthy and happy to see him. He was tired of war and wanted peace, together with a piece of government land and a home he could call his own. Nelson discussed the idea with his former war comrade John Thompson, also from Meråker, and the two agreed to try their luck farther west. They set out on June 2, 1866. Thompson traveled with his wife, while Nelson was accompanied by his wife and their four-month-old child. Each family had an ox team, and together they also brought three cows.

Jonas Nelson had also written a longer account of his Civil War service.

The Journey West

After leaving Chain Lakes, Minnesota, they encountered neither roads nor settlements. They navigated by the sun, and when clouds hid it, they had to proceed as best they could. The summer was dark and rainy, and streams and swamps were filled with water. Before crossing, the men often had to wade or swim through the water to determine its depth and the condition of the ground. Even with these precautions, the wagons frequently became stuck. They carried pieces of timber that could be used as levers to lift the wagons out of the mud, and on some days they made very little progress. The possibility of encountering Indians added to their concerns. Nelson wrote that they did not know when they might come upon a group and therefore had to remain alert both day and night.

Arrival at Sioux Falls

They finally reached Sioux Falls in July 1866. A company of soldiers was stationed there to watch the Indians, and Nelson and Thompson liked the area. They continued about eight miles north along the Sioux River and selected land there. The location offered the three things they needed most: forest, water, and grassland. Before they could formally secure their claims, however, the men had to travel to the Land Office, a journey that would keep them away for about a week. Their wives remained behind in a straw shelter beneath a tree. Each woman was left with a revolver and a good dog. Nelson and Thompson had offered to take them to Sioux Falls, where they could remain under the protection of the soldiers, but the women preferred to stay at the claims.

Food and Isolation

Obtaining supplies was difficult. A trip for food generally took about a week because they had to travel all the way to Sioux City, Iowa, or into Nebraska. Occasionally they could purchase some pork from the soldiers at Sioux Falls, but otherwise they relied heavily on wild game. Buffalo, deer, and smaller animals were plentiful, and Nelson remarked that it was fortunate they had learned how to shoot. John Thompson took land about two miles from Nelson. Their nearest neighbor in the opposite direction was eight miles away. Despite this isolation, Nelson’s wife sometimes remained alone at home for several weeks while he worked away from the claim. Whenever the opportunity arose, Nelson earned money by hauling supplies from Sioux City or Yankton to the soldiers stationed at Sioux Falls.

The Settlement Grows

After Nelson and Thompson had lived there for a little more than a year, two additional Norwegian families arrived from Minnesota and settled nearby. Nelson did not name them in his letter, but the author identified them from other correspondence as Ole O. Gilseth and John J. Aasen, both from Meråker. There were now four families from Meråker in Minnehaha County. About two years later, twelve more families came from Minnesota. Nelson happened to be visiting there at the time and brought them back with him when he returned.

The first couple married in Minnehaha County was Ole Gilseth and Anna P. Moe. The ceremony was performed by Pastor Emil Christensen.

Republican Post Office

In 1872, the settlers established a post office named Republican. Jonas Nelson became its postmaster and remained in that position until 1883, when he moved to Arlington, South Dakota. By the time he wrote his account, he expected Arlington to remain his home until what he called his “last long trip.”

Farming, Markets, and Milling

John A. Bjørgan, another early pioneer, recalled that during the first years the settlers had very little to sell. If they had a small quantity of butter or other minor products, they could take them to Sioux Falls, where the soldiers were stationed. Later, when the farms began producing more wheat than the families needed for their own use, the grain had to be hauled by ox team to Sibley, Iowa, or Worthington, Minnesota. Wheat intended for household use was threshed in the old Norwegian manner, except that instead of using a barn floor, the settlers sometimes threshed it on the ice of the Sioux River. Even after the grain had been threshed, they might have to travel as far as one hundred miles to reach a gristmill.

Relations with the Indians

Alfred Christensen of Renner recalled a story told by his mother from the pioneer years. According to her, Indians sometimes rocked him to sleep as a baby while she prepared coffee for them. This was after relations had become more peaceful. In return for the coffee, the family would sometimes receive a duck or goose.

Snowstorms and Claim Shanties

Ole O. Lefstad of Sherman and Pastor E. H. Midtbø once lost their way during a severe snowstorm and were forced to spend the night in a haystack. This occurred after South Dakota had become more settled, but the author noted that the storms could still become so dense that it was impossible to find the way even to a nearby house. The early prairie homes themselves were extremely modest. A typical “claim shanty” measured only about twelve to sixteen feet square and was often so low that a very tall man had to stoop in order to stand inside or pass through the doorway.

Churches and Congregations

Nidaros Congregation was established at Baltic in 1868 and was the first Norwegian congregation in Minnehaha County. Pastor Emil Christensen of the Norwegian Synod was its first pastor. The congregation built the county’s first Norwegian church in 1877. By 1905, Minnehaha County had twenty-two Norwegian congregations and twenty-one churches. Ten congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod, nine to the United Church, two to Hauge’s Synod, and one to Elling Eielsen’s Society. Minnehaha County had a larger Norwegian population and more Norwegian churches than any other county in South Dakota.

Public Office

The pioneers Jonas Nelson and John Thompson were the first Norwegians to hold county office in Minnehaha County. They were elected County Commissioners in 1868. John Thompson was also the first Norwegian to represent Minnehaha County in the Legislature. He was elected to the Dakota Territory Legislature in 1870.

Education

The first teacher’s certificate in the county was issued to Ole J. Aasen in 1871. He taught school in Sverdrup Township for twelve dollars a month. The first school in Highland was held in a sod house belonging to Ole O. Graves. Anna E. Ellefson served as the teacher.

Newspapers and Institutions

Newspapers: Folketidende, Vesterheimen, South Dakota Ekko, and Fremad,

The Normal School, and the Norwegian Hospital was established in Sioux Falls.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Minnehaha County included Sverdrup and St. Olaf.

Sources:

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