Sargent County, North Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegians in Sargent County were the brothers Thomas Hall and Martin O. Hall from Romsdal. In the early 1880s, they settled in the vicinity of De Lamere, where a township was later named after them. The first Norwegian settler at Hamlin was John Herman from Sogn. Hans Johnson from Lærdal settled in the vicinity of Ransom in 1882 and was the first Norwegian there.

In 1883, the following settled in the Perry area: John Johnson Olstad from Øyer, Gudbrandsdalen; Hans Ager from Dovre; August Sporpind from Drammen; Gunder Odland from Stavanger; Erick H. Wien from Hadeland; Peder Gullesen from Alta, Nordland; as well as Martin Miller and Andrew Miller, both born in Brown County, Minnesota.

The Hon. Theo. Johnson Haga from Ullensaker was the first Norwegian settler in Milnor Township.

In Harlem Township, the first Norwegian settlers were Albert Pedersen from Sogn and Ole Andersen, John Hasdal, Peder Hasdal, Ole Antonsen, and Nils Nilsen from Vardal, Nesna parish.

The Author’s Own Experience on the Prairie

While writing about Sargent County, the author recalled an experience of his own that illustrated the isolation of the area, where neighbors were far apart and towns even farther away. One cold autumn evening, he was traveling westward toward De Lamere. Darkness fell while he was still a considerable distance from the station. He lost the trail and drove into a ditch that appeared to him almost like a small ocean. It took all his strength to free his pony, and in the process he became completely soaked. Unfamiliar with the terrain and unable to see a light anywhere, he could not continue. He therefore had to spend the entire cold night outdoors under the open sky. The experience led him to remark that he had, in a small way, learned what pioneer life could be like. (It is not clear who the author was, whether it was Martin Ulvestad himself or one of his correspondents.)

Churches and Congregations

Concordia Congregation at Ransom and Immanuel Congregation at De Lamere were established in 1883 and were the first Norwegian congregations in Sargent County. Concordia was established by Pastor S. T. Rondestvedt, while Immanuel was established by Pastor R. J. Wisnæs. E. G. Seltveit was the first Norwegian pastor to settle in the area. The first Norwegian church in the county was built in 1886 by Milnor Norwegian Lutheran Congregation of the United Church. By 1905, Sargent County had eight Norwegian congregations and three churches. Five congregations belonged to the United Church, two to the Norwegian Synod, and one to Hauge’s Synod.

Public Office

L. O. Berg was the first Norwegian to hold county office in Sargent County. He was elected Probate Judge in 1883. Andrew Helgesen was the first Norwegian from Sargent County elected to the State Legislature. He was elected in 1890.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Sargent County included Eland and Rutland.

Sources:

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