Walsh County, North Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

Pioneer Olaus A. Dahl from Helleberg, Gudbrandsdalen, left a detailed account of the early settlement in Walsh County. According to Dahl, the first Norwegian settlers were Olaus Dahl himself, Bernt Askelsen, Ole Helgesen, Carl Anderson, and Ole Erdahl. The others took land about twelve miles west of the Red River, while Dahl continued another eight miles west and settled in the area where Nash was later established. This was in the spring of 1878, when the area still belonged to Pembina County. Along the Red River there were a number of mixed-blood Indians, but otherwise there were no settlers nearby.

Olaus Dahl as Mail Carrier

In the fall of 1878, a Scotsman established a store on the Red River, where there was also a post office. Dahl then visited all the settlers he could find and offered, for seventy-five cents for six months, to bring them their newspapers and letters. They agreed, since, as Dahl put it, they could hardly live there without hearing from the civilized world at least a few times a year. The agreement originally covered only letters and newspapers, which was understandable considering the modest fee. Before long, however, Dahl found himself carrying many other goods as well, including coffee, sugar, grain, flour, fish, herring, tobacco, matches, hinges, nails, locks, windows, axes, powder, buckshot, and various other necessities.

The journey was twenty miles each way, and Dahl sometimes carried as much as one hundred pounds on his back. Eventually he complained to a Swedish settler that the work had become too difficult and that he wanted to give it up. The Swede merely laughed and told him that there was nothing to complain about. Later, however, the Swede had to accompany Dahl on one of these journeys to collect a registered letter that Dahl could not bring as part of the ordinary mail. Only then did he admit that the trip was far from easy. On the return journey, he complained of aches and pains, giving Dahl, as he recalled with some satisfaction, his own opportunity to laugh.

More Settlers Arrive

Dahl identified the five men mentioned above as the first settlers who arrived in the spring of 1878. In the fall of that same year, they were joined by Martinus P. Dahl, Oluf C. Dahl, Anton C. Dahl, Hans C. Dahl, Iver Dahl, Samuel Erdahl, Henrik Hansen, Jacob Olsen, Ole Olsen, Ole Lee, Tobias Olsen, Amund Erlandsen, Even Helgesen, Ole Gursen, and Peder Gursen. Thomas Knutsen from Sunnfjord also arrived in 1878 and settled in the vicinity of Grafton. Anders Hellerud from Hallingdal and Edward Aas from Solør came at about the same time.

Churches and Congregations

Grafton Lutheran Congregation was established in 1889 and was the first Norwegian congregation in Walsh County. Its first pastor was Christopher Flaten of the Norwegian Synod. The first Norwegian church in the county was built at Grafton in 1882. By 1905, Walsh County had twenty-seven Norwegian congregations and nineteen churches. Thirteen congregations belonged to the United Church, four to the Norwegian Synod, three to Hauge’s Synod, three to the Lutheran Free Church, three to the Presbyterian Church, and one to the Baptist Church.

Public Office

When Walsh County was organized in 1881, Governor Ordway appointed Knut O. Skattebo, Ben Askelsen, and Dan. Talleiv to county office. Skattebo was appointed County Treasurer, while Askelsen and Talleiv were appointed Commissioners. They were therefore the first Norwegians to hold county office in Walsh County.

Norwegian-American Newspapers

Det Frie Ord, Nord Dakota Posten, and Norden, all of which were published in Grafton at various times.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Walsh County included Linstad, Nord, Voss, Gertrude, and Mandt.

Sources:

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