Sibley County, Minnesota

Early Norwegian Settlement

Neri Nerisen, Jørgen Nerisen, and Ole Auersen, all from Setesdal, were the first Norwegians in Sibley County. They settled in the southern part of the county, directly along the county line, in 1855. The settlement became known as Norwegian Grove, but it was connected with, and established at the same time as, the New Sweden Settlement in Nicollet County.

Pioneer Life

One of the old settlers recalled:

“When we went to the mill, we had to prepare for a journey of three weeks. We often became stuck in sloughs, and then we had to carry our sacks over to the other side before struggling to get the oxen and wagons across. From time to time, we also broke a wheel, since we traveled through the wilderness where there were neither blacksmiths nor tools available. It was not always easy. When we went to visit neighbors, who usually lived quite far away, we put the family into a work wagon and let the oxen amble along with us. But we had many enjoyable moments when we reached the homes of our neighbors. They lived in dugouts, just as we did. In those days, we were all dugout dwellers. Now there are fine houses, good roads, good wagons, and fast horses everywhere. The dugouts, draft oxen, and all the other equipment of pioneer life belong to a closed chapter. Yes, even the sloughs are gone.”

Churches and Congregations

At the time this account was written, Sibley County had two Norwegian congregations and two churches. Both belonged to the Norwegian Synod.

Sources:

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