Nicollet County, Minnesota

The First Norwegian Settlers

The first Norwegian settlers in Nicollet County were the brothers Mathias Evensen and Peder G. Evensen, together with A. K. Skaro. They came from St. Paul to Rock Bend, now St. Peter, and claimed land there in 1853. Mathias Evensen and A. K. Skaro both enlisted in the Civil War. Captain Skaro was killed at the Battle of Nashville on December 16, 1864, while commanding his company. He died in the arms of his comrade, Sergeant Evensen. 

At that time when they arrived in Nicollet County, there was no sign of a town. There were, however, Indians in the area, and they were very troublesome. On one occasion, they whipped three Americans, placed them in a canoe, and sent them down the river. The men were never heard from again. This happened near the place where the aforementioned Norwegians settled.

The Norseland Settlement

The Norseland Settlement was established the following year, in 1854, by John Tollefsen from Toten, Tosten Østensen from Tinn in Telemark, and Lars Swensen Rønning from Hallingdal. They came from Wisconsin. They were followed by Ole Norman, Bryngel Norman, and Chas. Larsen, all from Voss.

The New Sweden Settlement

The first Norwegians in New Sweden were Ole Ostenson Bøen from Tinn in Telemark, together with Gunder Nerisen and S. Torgersen from Setesdal. As in other new settlements, they had to use oxen for plowing and transportation.

Pioneer Life

St. Paul, eighty miles away, was the settlers’ nearest market. During their first three years, however, they had nothing to sell. They planted wheat and corn, but grasshoppers consumed most of the crops before they ripened. The settlers therefore had to travel to St. Paul to obtain provisions.

The Indian Uprising

It was in Nicollet County that the Indians left their bloodiest mark. The killings at New Ulm were extensive. Fortunately, the Norwegian settlers lived farther east and escaped the worst of the violence, although they were forced to flee, especially the women and children. Many of the men took part in the fighting. John Peterson, who later became captain of the settlers’ defense company, participated in the battle at New Ulm. He wrote:

“While we were there, some of the Indians attacked our settlement farther east. They killed some of the settlers and forced the others to flee. When I returned after an absence of one week, the settlers from Norseland and New Sweden had fled to St. Peter. There I found my wife and children.”

Churches and Congregations

The Nicollet Congregation at St. Peter was established in 1858 by Professor Laur. Larsen of the Norwegian Synod. It was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Th. Johnson was its first permanent pastor. The congregation’s church was built in 1866. The building materials had to be transported all the way from Minneapolis.

By 1907, Nicollet County had six Norwegian congregations and five churches. Three congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod, two to the United Church, and one to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

John Peterson, who was elected Judge of Probate in 1873 and held the position continuously for twenty-five years, was the first Norwegian public official in the county.

Christopher Amundsen was the first Norwegian from Nicollet County to serve in the State Legislature. He was elected in 1879.

Norwegian Place Names

Places with Norwegian names included Solem, Granby, and Norseland.

It was also claimed that some royalist Norwegians helped the Swedes secure the name Bernadotte for a township and post office in Nicollet County.

Sources:

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