Watonwan County, Minnesota

Early Norwegian Settlement

John H. Berdell (Berdahl), who was the first white child born in Watonwan County, stated that his father, Hans Johnson Berdahl from Sogndal in Sogn, and John Anderson from the Bergen area were the county’s first settlers. They came from Dane County, Wisconsin, and settled at Odin in 1856. At that time, only Indians lived in the area, and the children of the new settlers learned the Indian language quite well. The children of the early settlers learned the Indian language quite well.

The settlers began with wheat farming and cattle raising. Mankato and St. Paul were their nearest markets. St. Paul was 122 miles away, a journey that the oxen had to make many times. Day labor was paid at fifty cents a day.

The Madelia Settlement

The first Norwegians to settle near Madelia were Ole Jørgensen; the brothers Nils, Jens, and Thos. Thoresen; Lars Orvik, all from Kragerø; and Lars Halvorsen, whose birthplace was unknown. They came from Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Later that year came Salve Torgersen from Telemark, Helge Plamer from Hønefoss, as well as Mads Boxrud, S. O. Fjeldstad, and Mads Olsen, the last three from Toten. Old O. H. Howe of Echols stated that others arrived at the same time, but he could no longer remember their names. Dugouts and log cabins were the first homes of the new settlers.

Pioneer Life

Ole Reinert of Butterfield wrote of pioneer life:

“As old and forgetful as I am, I can never forget what we went through during our first years on these prairies. One can imagine the long journeys we made with oxen, without roads or bridges, through rainstorms and snowstorms. If there had not still been a little Viking blood in our veins, the hardships would have been unbearable.”

Churches and Congregations

By 1907, Watonwan County had eleven Norwegian congregations and nine churches. Six congregations belonged to the United Church, three to the Lutheran Free Church, one to the Norwegian Synod, and one to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

Jens Torsen was the first Norwegian to hold a county office. He was elected Treasurer in 1871.

Ole H. Howe was the first Norwegian to represent Watonwan County in the State Legislature, in 1873.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names included Godahl, Norwegian, Odin, and Nelson.

Sources:

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