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.