Murray County, Minnesota

The First Norwegian Settlers

Iver Pettersen, Petter Pettersen, Albert Pettersen, and J. Ingebrigtsen, all from Valdres, were the first Norwegian settlers in Murray County. They came from Winneshiek County, Iowa, and settled near Slayton in 1868. They were followed by Sven Nelson, H. Nelson, P. Sakrisen, Claus Clausen, G. Gulbransen, Sakris Thompson, Peder Thompson, Hans Simonsen, Erick Larson, Lars Solem, Gulbran Johnson, and Christian Christiansen. They settled near Hadley.

The first Norwegian settlers near Avoca were Christ Larson, Ole Olsen, Brede Tanner, and Arnt Larson, all from Odalen.

Pioneer Life

During the first years, the settlers lived partly in dugouts and partly in log houses. Wheat farming was their principal source of income. Their nearest markets were Heron Lake and Marshall. One of the early settlers described prairie fires as one of the greatest dangers faced by the pioneers. When a fire approached, the situation looked bleak, especially when only women and children were at home, since the men were often away working. Those who remained calm could usually protect themselves, but they had to fight hard to prevent the flames from reaching their dwellings and haystacks.

Churches and Congregations

The Beaver Creek Congregation at Mason was established in 1873 by Pastor L. Lund and was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Its church was built the following year, in 1874.

By about 1907, there were thirteen Norwegian congregations and twelve churches in the county. Eight congregations belonged to the United Church, two to the Norwegian Synod, one to Hauge’s Synod, and one to the Free-Free.

Public Office

Peter Petersen from Valdres, a cavalryman during the Civil War, was the first Norwegian to hold public office in the county. He was elected Register of Deeds in 1874. He was also the first Norwegian to represent the county in the State Legislature, in 1885.

Norwegian Place Names

Places with Norwegian names included Dovray (Dovre) and Ibsen.

Sources:

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