Early History of Scandinavians in SD This history of Scandinavians in South Dakota appears in Chapter LXXXVII of "History of South Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904), pages 506-508 and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm CHAPTER LXXXVII SCANDINAVIANS IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND THEIR WORK IN CHURCH AND STATE. BY P. H. DAHL The Norwegians commenced to settle in the Dakota territory in 1859 and the first settlements were made on the Missouri bottom between Vermillion and Dakota rivers. On the 8th of August in that year Ole Olson, Sr., and Halvor Svenson with their families came across the Missouri from Nebraska and squatted on some land about one and a half miles southwest of Meckling. With them came Hon. Hans Myron, then a young boy, and they have since resided here. Mr. Olson is still living on the place which he first selected. On August 17th Syvert H. Myron arrived with his family and settled about three miles south from Mr. Olson, near the river, where he has since had his home. The same fall and in the spring of 1860 there were quite a number of new arrivals, among which may be mentioned Aslak Iverson, Ole Bottolsfon, Ole Sampson, John Aalseth, and others. With few if any exceptions, these Norwegians were Lutherans. Having secured for themselves temporal homes, where they by perseverance, industry and frugality were able to make a living and could hope for future prosperity, they soon began to feel the want of a spiritual home. At their former homes they had been accustomed to assemble on Sundays in their churches for public worship and now here they were, not only without suitable places for worship but also without ministers and in this regard the prospects for the future were not very bright, poor as the most of them were and so far out on the frontier. A few men among them began to gather their neighbors on Sundays at some private house, where they would sing hymns, read portions of Scriptures and sermons from the postils of Luther, Arnd and others and private schools were provided at different places for the children, in which they were instructed principally in reading and religion and occasionally also in other branches, as writing, arithmetic, etc. As early as in the fall of 1861, they were unexpectedly visited by a young Lutheran minister, Abraham Jacobson. For the purpose of seeking recreation, he had joined a company of immigrants from Iowa and arrived with them at the settlement. At the request of the people, he remained with them for a while, preached at several places, baptized some children and solemnized two marriages. Later in the fall he returned and the settlers were again left in the same circumstances as before. Quite early, attempts were made to organize a church society, but as they did not all adhere to the same general body of Lutheran church, they failed. On January 11, 1864, a well attended meeting was held at the house of Jacob A. Jacobson, near Meckling, at which meeting a resolution was adopted by a large majority to the effect, that an effort should be made to get a minister from the synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church of America to visit them and that, if they in the future should feel able to call a minister, he should be called from that synod. Accordingly, a request was forwarded to the church council of the above named body, commonly called the Norwegian synod, which request was complied with and Rev. J. Krohn, of Chicago, was sent. He came to the settlement in the month of October, 1864, and on the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th days of that month he conducted services at different places, held confirmation service at the house of Peter Nelson, east of Vermillion, and baptized in all forty-five children. On the 8th day of October, service was held at the house of Anders Ulven, near Vermillion, and immediately after a meeting was called for the purpose of organizing and then there was the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Dakota territory organized with sixty seven voting members and with the following persons elected as trustees, viz: Helge Mathiason, Aslak Iverson, Ole Sampson, Peter Nilson and Lars Olson Fanestol. This organization included all that territory in which the Norwegians had then settled, from Brule creek, Union county, to Dakota river. Rev. Krohn visited the congregation again in the month of September, the following year, and this time he came as far west as to Dakota river, where he preached at the house of Torger Nelson. In the summer of 1866, Rev. O. Naes made them a visit, preached several times and administered the sacraments. By this time the congregation began to consider in earnest the question of calling a minister, On February 11, 1866, a meeting was held by the congregation at the house of Peter Nilson, at which Lars J. Rud was elected secretary and Aslak Iverson treasurer and on the 17th of the same month another meeting was held at the house of Syvert H. Myron, at which it was decided to call a minister and the church council of the Norwegian synod was authorized to issue the call. Rev. K. Magelssen was called but did not accept. The call was then sent to Emil Christenson, a graduate from Concordia Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He arrived at his charge in the month of August, 1867, and held his first service on the 1st day of September. The congregation was soon divided into three districts, called Vangen, Bergen and Brule Creek. Later two new districts were formed, Clay Creek and Lodi. Brule Creek district was the first to separate from the mother congregation and form an independent church. Later, Clay Creek and Lodi did the same and united with Brule Creek into one parochi or circuit. The remaining two districts, Vangen and Bergen, have been incorporated separately but are still connected as one charge. In 1869, Vangen district erected a church building near Mission Hill. The Bergen church was built in 1870. These churches are old land marks and the oldest Lutheran churches in the Dakotas. Part of the material used in the construction of these buildings was hauled from Sioux City with teams. The finishing lumber used was paid for at the rate of eighty dollars and shingles at nine dollars per thousand. Besides serving his congregation, Rev. Christenson also performed missionary work and visited the settlers in Lincoln, Minnehaha, Brookings and Moody counties, this state, and in Cedar and Dixon counties, Nebraska, and other places and organized many congregations. He had as his assistants successively Rev. G. Gulbrandsen and Rev. N. G. Tvedt. In 1876, he resigned as pastor for this church and accepted a call as missionary to the Pacific coast. The work of the Scandinavian churches has kept pace with the growth of population from the first settlement of the territory and no other single nationality has contributed so much to the state's population as has the Scandinavians. By the last census there were 33,473 Scandinavians in the state, who, together with the native-born of Scandinavian parentage, aggregated thirty eight per cent of the entire population. They are in the main a thrifty farmer people and wherever they are found established the spire of a Lutheran church points heavenward, nearby. In addition to the very numerous churches, numbering several hundred in all, the Lutherans maintain the splendid Augustana College at Canton, an excellent normal school at Sioux Falls, and orphanages at Bereford and Beloit. No other class of the people are so liberal and systematic in their benevolences nor have done more for the moral uplift of the community. An exceptionally large percentage of the Scandinavians are prohibitionists and have been strong factors in the promotion of temperance legislation. They too have uniformly stood for a reform in the divorce laws of Dakota which have brought so much scandal to the community. In this connection it may be proper to note the large number of able men which the Scandinavians have contributed to the public service in South Dakota. Governor Andrew E. Lee, Governor Charles N. Herreid, Secretaries of State Amund O. Ringsrud, Thomas Thorson and Otto C. Berg, Land Commissioner C. J. Bach, Mr. Brandt, regent of education, Dr. Finnerud, in same office, Burre H. Lien, commissioner of charities and corrections, O. S. Swenson, warden of the penitentiary, and a host of others in legislative and county affairs are recalled as honorable representatives of the race.