Rice County, Minnesota

Early Norwegian Settlement

The part of Rice County adjoining Goodhue County near Kenyon was settled at the same time as the Goodhue settlements. See the section on Goodhue County. The first Norwegian in Rice County outside the Goodhue settlements was Ole Torgusen from Setesdal. He settled near Walcott in 1855.

The Indian Scare of 1862

One of the pioneers recalled:

“One day in August 1862, an urgent message passed from house to house warning us to leave as quickly as possible because the Indians were on the warpath. Shortly afterward, word came that it had been a false alarm. Even so, people felt very insecure. There was war in the South, while here at home the Indians were considered an ever-present danger. Those were not pleasant times. Eventually, however, both the rebels and the Indians were defeated. On December 26, I was in Mankato and witnessed the hanging of thirty-six Indians. They were buried like animals on the prairie beside the Minnesota River. But the people, the times, and the land have all changed for the better.”

Churches and Congregations

By about 1907, Rice County had thirteen Norwegian congregations and eleven churches. Five congregations belonged to the United Church, three to the Norwegian Synod, three to Hauge’s Synod, and two to the Lutheran Free Church.

Public Office

Osmund Osmundsen was the first Norwegian in the county to be elected to a higher public office. He represented Rice County in the State Legislature from 1872 to 1873.

Schools and Religious Organizations

St. Olaf College was established at Northfield in 1874. It was also at Northfield that the Anti-Missouri Brotherhood, which marked the beginning of the United Church, was organized in 1886.

Newspapers

Kinamissionæren was the name of a Norwegian missionary newspaper published by Hauge’s Synod in Faribault during the 1890s.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Rice County included Trondhjem, Moland, Urland, and Nerstrand.

Sources:

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