Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Kittitas County There are some Norwegians in and around Ellensburg. And Pastor M. H. Kittelson of the Lutheran Free Church has begun his work among them.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Assotin County Rolf Aune from Ørkedalsøren was the first Norwegian settler in the vicinity of Clarkston, where there are now a few countrymen. He came there in 1898. This little settlement lies by the Snake River on the Idaho border and not far from Lewiston. There is a post office called Hanson Ferry where it is possible for Norwegians to cross the river. That tells, at least, that the ferry's owner is a Norwegian, something the name also suggests.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Whiteman County At Hay there is a small Norwegian settlement. And a congregation was established there in 1902. Pastor Iver Andreassen of United Church was its first priest. This (Selbu) congregation built a church in 1904. It now belongs to Hauge's Synod. At La Crosse there are also a number of Norwegians. This settlement was established in 1900 by the author Elias Molee, whose parents came from Tinn, Telemarken. The next settlers at La Crosse were Peder and Jørgen Wigen from Selbu and Alex Hoyen from Hardanger.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Yakima County In 1895, a Norwegian settlement was established in the vicinity of Prosser. The first there was Martin H. Strandvold from Trysil, Østredalen. Next after him came M. M. Strandvold, Olaf Strandvold and Harald Strandvold as well as Ole Grambo and Henry Hansen. as far as is known all the here mentioned are from Trysil. Mixed farming is the settlement's main source of income. In Yakima County there is a post office with the name Wenas but whether that is Wenaas in Norway it gets its name from is not known. As one sees, most Norwegian settlements in Washington are still small but they are growing quickly.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Mason County There are some Norwegians in this county also and a couple of them have held political office. See the section, 'Norwegians in public positions in America'

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Jefferson County In and around Port Townsend there are a number of Norwegians. There are also two Norwegian congregations, one belongs to TheUnited Church and the other to the Methodists. In the vicinity of Nordland Post Office there are a number of Norwegians, which one can conclude from the name of the post office. They also have a congregation there.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Clallam County The Norwegian settlement in the vicinity of Swan, Royal and Ozette Post Offices was established in the 90s. The Alaska-farer Severin O. Jerstad, who lived in this county, writes, "The first Norwegians had to withstand many hardships. It was truly not easy to come to this thick primeval forest far from any steamship landing and far from any railroads. Everything had to be carried on their backs - for 10 to 25 miles and it took many days. At nights they had to sleep outside - often soaked to the skin." There are three Norwegian congregations in this county, all belonging to The United Church. The first Norwegian to hold public office here was Hans J. Bugge of Port Williams. He was elected Commissioner in 1904.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Stevens County H. O. Berg from Trysil was the first to settle in the vicinity of Clayton where there is a small Norwegian settlement. He came there in 1889. Next after him came Paul Olsen, also from Trysil, as well as Martin Olsen, Ole Nelson and Martin Iversen. Pastor T. H. Tønnesen of The Norwegian Synod established a congregation at that place in 1891. This (Trysil) congregation built a church in 1902. It is to be hoped that the congregation will not allow itself to be split.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Chehalis County In Aberdeen, where a number of Norwegians live, Nils H. Hansen from Fredrikshald was the firs, or at least one of the first. He settled there in 1889. Captain Knudsen from Christiansand and T Thompson also belong to the pioneers in Aberdeen. At South Bend there are similarly, a number of Norwegians. There are 4 Norwegian congregations and 2 churches in the county, 3 belong to The United Church and 1 to The Methodist Church. The Methodist congregation, that was established in 1891, was the first. Its church was built the same year (1891).

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Skamania County The first Norwegian settler in this county was John Kanikkeberg from Hardanger. He settled in Home Valley, where there is a small Norwegian settlement, at the end of the 80s. A Norwegian congregation was established there in 1891 by Pastor Peder Tangjerd, belonging to The United Church. There was once a post office called Nilsen in Skamania County.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Spokane County In the Norwegian settlement at Rockford, Martin Syvertsen from Tromsø was the first. He settled there in 1886. The first in the vicinity of Deer Park was John Dahl from Trysil, He came there in 1888. That same year the Valdris smith J. O. Loe came and settled in the village of Fairfield, in which neighbourhood the Indians lived until that time. It is possible that the Indians' departure was becasue of Loe. Smiths are strong, muscular fellows that are not to be fooled with since (as we have read somewhere) "der var en gang en by, i byen var en smed, som farlig var naar han blev vred" (Once there was a town, in the town there was a smith, who was dangerous when he became angry). The Methodist congregation that was established in Spokane City in 1889 by Pastor C. J. Larsen was the first Norwegian congregation in this county. This congregation built a church the same year, thus this was the first Norwegian church in the county. Now there are 8 congregations and 5 churches, 3 belong to The Norwegian Synod, 2 to The United Church, 2 to the Methodists and 1 to The Lutheran Free Church. In the 90s there was a Norwegian newspaper, 'Tidende' published in Spokane. Now (1905) The United Church has decided to build a high school in Spokane.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. San Juan County At Friday Harbor, where there are some few Norwegians. Benjamin Jensen from Hemnes in Ranen was the first. He settled at that place in 1884. O. Wold is another old settler. Farming and fishing are the Norwegians' main source of income. Much of the fishing is done on the Pacific Coast. August Wold was the first Norwegian to hold public office in the county. He was elected County Treasurer in 1896.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Douglas County The first Norwegian settler in this county was Ole Rud from Ringerike. He came from Iowa and settled at Waterville in 1884. Next after him came Chr. Okland from Tysnes and Haldor and Sam Anderson from Os (which Os is not mentioned). They began at mixed farming. The newcomers' nearest marketplace was Spokane, ca. 150 miles away! In the vicinity of Quincy, there is a small Norwegian settlement now. The brothers Ingebrigtsen and a Mr. Odingaard, who came there in 1901, were the first. The aforementioned Ole Rud has held office as County Surveyor. See also, 'Sammenstilling af norske Sambygdinger i Amerika'

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Chelan County The first Norwegian settlers in this county were Anders Mundem from Hardanger and Nils Nelson from Øvrebø near Christiansand. They settled in the vicinity of Leavenworth in 1884. Ellensburg was the first settlers nearest marketplace and to it it was ca. 50 miles.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Whatcom County Anton C. Larson from Trøndelagen was the first Norwegian at Fern. He came there from the vicinity of Fargo, N.D. in the 70s. If anyone else had settled in Whatcom at that time is not known. It seems then that Larson was the county's first Norwegian settler. Anders Anderson from Fredrikshald was the first Norwegian to settle among the Indians at Rome, where there is now a small Norwegian settlement. He came there in 1884. The County's leading source of income is wheat and cattle raising. The first Norwegian congregation in this county was established at Lawrence in 1885 by Pastor Chr. Jørgensen, belonging to The Norwegian Synod. The congregation built the county's first church. Now there are 16 Norwegian congregations an 10 churches, 5 belong to The Norwegian Synod, 4 to The Lutheran Free Church, 3 to The United Church, 2 to the Metodists, 1 to the Baptists and 1 to the Adventists. See also, 'Norwegians in public positions in America and 'Norwegians in American wars' Post offices with Norwegian names (in Whatcom County): Everson and Wahl.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Clark County Martin Christensen from Vadsø was the first Norwegian settler in Clark County. He settled at La Center in 1875. Potatoes, butter, eggs and fish are the leading items for sale in this settlement. E. Hoff from Helgeland was the first in the vicinity of Washougal, where there is also a small Norwegian settlement. There are 2 Norwegian churches and 3 congregations, 2 belong to The United Church and 1 to The Methodist Church.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Kitsap County Ole Stub from Førde was the first Norwegian settler in this county. He settled at Poulsbo in 1875. Next after him came Fred Landstone, Jørgen Eliassen and J. B. Moe. Adolph Høstmark was the first shopkeeper in Poulsbo. There are 8 Norwegian congregations and 4 churches in Kitsap County, 3 belong to The United Church, 3 to The Lutheran Free Church and 2 to The Baptist Church. Martha and Maria Orphanage was established in Poulsbo in 1891. The newspaper 'Morgenstjernen' was begun at the same place in 1902. Norwegian place names in KItsap County: Breidablik, Poulsbo, Pearson (?) and Vinland.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Snohomish County The Norwegian O. H. Brekhus was the first white man to settle by the Stillaquamish River. In 1858 he came to Utsalady in the company of some Indians but soon after he came here to Sylvana, where he still lives. He is now (in 1905) 79 years old. But the real settlement in this area was not established until 1874-75, as we will see. The pioneer O. B. Iversen, who we will besides find among the Norwegians in public office elsewhere in the book, has written, "Norwegians are a roaming people, they can be found almost anywhere in the world. To fight and defeat natural obstacles seems to be a characteristic of them. It is probably the viking blood. The first* and - except for the large cities - still the first Norwegian settlement in the State was in the Stillaquamish Valley in Snohomish County. As a government surveyor, I visited this region in 1874. I found the land to be fertile - and it was virgin. I bought some of it myself and told some of my friends in Dakota about it. The following year a dozen families came. They also found the land satisfactory and told their friends etc, and as a result the area is now almost overpopulated by almost exclusively Norwegians. They found something to struggle with here. Therefore they are probably happy. Some built dikes to keep the sea off the lowlands, others attacked the virgin forest which was also something to take on! Trees 20 to 30 feet in circumference - from a dozen to a half hundred per acre and between them an impenetrable underbrush. In the first years all transport was on the water up the river by canoe or rowboat. In many places there were rapids, in others the river was filled with log jams and therefore impassable. Past these jams, paths had to be cut through the forest and the boats skidded overland a half mile or more and goods carried on their backs. Several years passed before there were any real roads. It was no child's play to build roads over a landscape that was almost covered with huge fallen trees - many so thick that no saw existing at that time was long enough to cut through them. The mail came every now and then when someone fetched it from Utsalady, a half or whole day's trip depending on whether the weather and river current was favourable - or not. But these pioneer days were happy days nevertheless. All were friends an all worked to the common end. After time a priest came. A church was built and around it a small town. Roads opened, the land was cleared, steamboats came up the river, the railroad came. Civilisation with its good and evil was here. The wilderness was for the most part gone. The pioneers could now take it easy, at times they could look west with a longing. But that is the ocean." Trefoldigheds Congregation, that was established in Stanwood in 1875, was the first Norwegian congregation in Snohomish County - and in Washington State. And the County's (as well as the State's) first Norwegian church by that congregation in 1877. Nehem Christensen was the congregation's first priest. Chr. Jørgensen came to Stillaquamish as his helper as early as 1878. Christensen went back to the East for a time, while Jørgensen served as the only Norwegian Lutheran priest on the Pacific Coast. Now there are 15 Norwegian congregations and 11 churches in Snohomish County, 7 belong to The Norwegian Synod, 3 to The Lutheran Free Church, 3 to The United Church and 2 to The Methodist Church. In this county there also those Norwegians who took the political path on the Pacific Coast. See the section, 'Norwegians in public positions in America'. Norman (Post Office and Railway Station) has obtained its name from the Norwegians. *The State's first Norwegian settlers we have though (as previously mentioned) found in Island County.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. King County There are several who agree that it was a man by the name of Christopher Christophersen, who settled 4 miles from Kent where a little station bears his name, was the first Norwegian settler in King County. However, the year he settled there is unknown. He was from Mandal. The settlement at Woodinville is also relatively old. Emanuel Nelson from Horten and Gustav Jacobsen, Lars Wold and Ingebrigt Wold settled here in 1876. A person who worked and travelled in King County in 1877 wrote, "I met only 6 Norwegian families, namely the Olsons, Hansons, Wolds, Henry Bestrøms, Andrew O. Lunds and Christopher Christophersens, the first four right in Seattle, the two last a little away. These were thus the first settlers (of Norwegian origin) in the Seattle area. The following came to the vicinity of Bothell in 1882: Jacob T. Hammer and Ole Justen from Lom, Johannes Olsen† from Sogn as well as Jacob Mohn and Gerhard Ericksen from Molde. Peter M. Benson and Hans Moe from Sogn and Julius Johnson from Fet Parish were the first in Kent. They settled there in 1889. The settlement at Redmond was founded in 1890. H., K., J., O. and G. Steensland as well as Christian Rabstad, William Helstad, Peter Kittelson and Robert Solberg, all from Kristiansand, Lars S. Herberg from Biri, John Petersen and John Outley from Kristiania, Ole and Gabriel Rosford from Rosfjord, John Eversen from Enebak, Peder Ericksen from Trondhjem as well as C. B. Westby and Mathias Monsen, born in this country, were the first Norwegian settlers in the vicinity of Redmond. The Norwegian Lutheran Congregation that was established in Seattle by Pastor Iver Tollefson of The Conference was the first Norwegian congregation in King County. The first Norwegian church was built by that congregation in 1890. There are now 14 Norwegian congregations and 14 churches, 4 belong to The Norwegian Synod, 4 to The United Church, 3 to The Lutheran Free Church, 2 to The Methodist Church and 1 to the Baptists. Information about Norwegians in public positions can be found elsewhere in the book. For information about 'Washington Tidende' (that started in 1889) and 'Papagøien', 'Fram', 'Washington Posten' and 'Normanna', all in Seattle as well as 'Konge-Riget', 'Den Ev. Herold' and 'Ebenezer' in Ballard, see the section 'Norwegian-American newspapers and periodicals'.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Pierce County Judge J. M. Arntsen, one of Washington's pioneers reports, "The first Norwegian settlers in Pierce County settled in Tacoma, at that time a town, now a big city. They were not farmers nor was it farms they were looking for. As far as it has been possible for me to find out these things, it was Anton Anderson from Aalesund whoi was the first to find a home in Tacoma. He lived in a shack on the seashore and supported himself by fishing. This was in the beginning of the 70s. His daughter Annie Anderson was the first Scandinavian child born in Tacoma. Later, when this was proven, she received a building lot on D. Street as a present from the Tacoma Land Company. Her father was killed during a battle between the police and a band of opium smugglers. Next after Anton Anderson came E. R. Ring, a carpenter, and Mike Anderson. The first couple to be married in Tacoma were that same Mike Anderson and Mathea Johnson. That was in 1874. Mathea was the first Norwegian girl to come to Tacoma. She came from the vicinity of Trondhjem in 1874, thus the same year she was married here. Next after these came Mathias Lund and John Anderson, both from Kvæfjorden in Nordland. They came in 1877 and found employment in a sawmill in the 'old town'. But after that time a great number of Norwegians have moved to Washington and not the least to the City of Tacoma. Fishing, logging and work in sawmills has been their leading source of income. Some came directly from Norway and some were seamen. But the greatest part came from the Norwegian settlements in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and other states in the east. They were known to be diligent workers, honest businessmen, good American citizens and most of them have comfortable homes. That many of them have obtained good positions is to be expected." In the Norwegian settlement at Tanwax the first was Terje Petersen from Tjømø. He came there in 1886. Next came Torwald Halvorsen, John Larson, H. Kjeldstad, Salve Johnson, Charley Johnson and the families of Ed. and H. Anderson. The founder of the Norwegian settlement at Bee was Hans Kommen, a veteran of the Civil War. He settled there in 1888. The first Norwegian at Parkland, one of Tacoma's suburbs was mason Martin Glassøe from Stordalen, he built his home here in 1891. Here there is a Norwegian newspaper, as mentioned elsewhere, a Norwegian High School and many other things Norwegian. The first permanent settler in the vicinity of Roy was G. A. Harstad from Sætersdalen who settled there in 1895. Next came Ole Aaberg, Erik Anderson, Peter Veien and Knut Hong, all from Nordre Aurdal, Valders, Peter Loney from Namsos, Asbjørn Myhre from Telemarken, T. Gund and Peter Gund from Ringsaker, Sam Ravnum from Faaberg, as well as Lars Klomby and B. K. Fodness. They supported themselves with mixed farming. In 1885, 2 Norwegian congregations were established in Tacoma, one a Methodist congregation by Pastor C. J. Larsen and a Baptist congregation by Pastor Knud Nilsen. The Methodists built a church the same year and the Baptists the following year. These were the first Norwegian congregations and churches in Tacoma - and in Pierce County. The first Norwegian Lutheran congregation in this county was established in Tacoma in 1887 by Pastor Iver Tollefsen of The Conference. This congregation built the City's and County's first Norwegian Lutheran church in 1889. Now there are 15 Norwegian congregations and 10 churches in the city and county, 3 belong to The Norwegian Synod, 3 to The United church, 1 to The Lutheran Free Church, 1 to The Seaman's Mission, 1 to the Evangelical Free Church, 1 to The Free Mission, 1 to the Methodists, 1 to the Baptists and 1 to the Adventists. For information about 'Tacoma Tidende' (started in 1890), 'Tacoma Folkeblad, 'Tacoma Budstykke', 'Waisenhus Tidende' and 'Vestkysten', all in Tacoma as well as 'Pacific Herold' in Parkland, 'Pacific Emisæren' (now in Everett), see the section, 'Norwegian-American newspapers and periodicals' For information about Pacific Lutheran Academy and The Children's Home (both in Parkland) and The Seaman's Home, see those institution's espective sections. In the section, 'Norwegians in public positions in America' Pierce County is represented with the others.