Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Turner County Torbjørn O. Ostrem from Skjold parish and his sons Ole and Tom, who came from La Salle Co., Ill. and settled in the vicinity of Centerville in 1872, were the first Norwegian settlers in the county. Later in the year came J. Groseth, L. O. Skotvold and J. O. Skotvold. They were Trønders, at least most of them. Right after, Albert R. Apland, Erik Eriksen, Martin E. Westad and Ole E. Lie came to the vicinity of Swan Lake. Gustav Gilbert from Hakedalen established the first store in the county. That was at Swan Lake in 1874. Iver Skotvold writes, "My wife came by oxteam (over 100 miles) from a town in Iowa by the name of Bonsboro. I say oxteam, but the fact is she walked almost the whole way. There were 32 persons in her group and a large number of them were sick. This was when she was a girl." Stephen Pedersen Solem, who died in Turner County in 1899 was the first or at least one of the very first emigrants from Hornningdal, Nordfjord. He came with his family by sailship in the 50s. When, after a long and arduous journey they reached Illinois, they were infected with cholera and no one would give them accomodation. They turned therefore to the river boats which they travelled on and slept under - 6 or 7 persons together. A boy and a girl died there and Solem himself was near death. A few years later he went to Califiornia where he worked as a gold digger but instead of finding gold, he became sick and every time he called a doctor it cost $10.00 so he soon became moneyless. He did not have enough money to buy food just once. One Christmas Eve he and two comrades only had 5 potatoes to share. However, he did get sufficienly well that he could begin his return to South Dakota - about the same way he had gone west - on foot and on occasion with an oxteam. That was! in that way they travelled in those days. A traveller who did not have oxen himself often met someone who did and thus worked his way across the immense continent. He finally got home, without money but rich in experience. In the course of a few years he became a prosperous farmer. Melhus Congregation, thet was established at Turner P.O. in the middle of the 70s, was the first Norwegian congregation in Turner County. Its first priest was G. Graven of Hauge's Synod. Elling Eielsen also worked among the newcomers here. The first Norwegian church in the county was built by the aforementioned congregation in 1882. Now there are 7 Norwegian congregations and 6 churches, 3 belonging to Hauge's Synod, 1 to Elling Eielsen's Society, 1 to The United Church, 1 to The Methodist Church and 1 to The Baptist Church. O. C. Stuart (Stuhaug), who was elected Probate Judge in 1883, was the first Norwegian official here. Albert Apland was the first Norwegian to represent this county in the State Legislature, he was elected in 1893. Norwegian place names: Norway and Freya.