Morrison County, Minnesota

The First Norwegian Settlers

The first Norwegian in Morrison County was Martin Christensen from Sarpsborg. He settled among the Indians near Little Falls in 1870. Lars Olsen from Kongsberg was the first Norwegian settler in the vicinity of Royalton. John Knudsen from Evje parish was the first in the vicinity of Ausland.

Paying Taxes with Wolf Bounties

An early Norwegian settler recalled:

“One day, an American neighbor came to me and asked whether I had paid my taxes. ‘No,’ I replied. ‘I do not yet have the money.’ ‘Listen,’ he said. ‘You have two pigs, and I have none. Give me one of the pigs, and I will give you two wolf heads that I have at home. Take them to town, and you can collect the bounty.’ Naturally, I accepted the offer, and in this way I paid my taxes that fall.”

Churches and Congregations

By about 1907, Morrison County had ten Norwegian congregations and four churches. Seven congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod and three to the Lutheran Free Church.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in the county included Ausland, Dovray (Dovre), Freedhem (Fridheim), and Strand.

Sources:

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