Monroe County, Wisconsin

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settler in Monroe County was Chris Ericksen from Hurdal, who settled in the vicinity of Cashton in 1849. In the Rockland area, the first Norwegian settler was Erik Lie from Øyer, Gudbrandsdalen. He settled there in 1855, but later moved to Minnesota.

Churches and Congregations

Fish Creek Congregation, established in 1858 by Pastor A. C. Preus, was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Its church was built in 1873. By 1905, Monroe County had six Norwegian congregations and four churches. Three congregations belonged to the United Church and three to the Norwegian Synod.

Public Office

O. C. Berg, who later became Secretary of State of South Dakota, was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Monroe County. He was elected County Clerk in 1880.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Monroe County included Norway and Norway Ridge. The post office at Norway Ridge was still in existence when this account was written (1905).

Sources:

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