Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Stevens County The first Norwegian in this county was Erik Harstad from Odalen. He settled in the vicinity of Donnely and died in 1874. One of the first settlers is said to have told the following, "A bear peeked in at me one Sunday morning while I was frying bacon. Another time it visited my neighbour and pulled a flour sack on his head while he slept, similarly it took a ham, a syrup bottle and a pail of sour milk and ran off with them." (Even though the account seems to be exaggerated, it is repeated here - as an example of what the lonely newcomers tried to cheer each other up with when, after long periods, they got together. Life was otherwise sad enough) In Stevens County, there are 5 congregations and 4 churches, 3 belong to The Lutheran free Church and 2 to The Norwegian Synod. Norwegian place names; Synnes and Framnæs.