Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Watonwan County John H Berdell (Berdahl), who was the first white child born in Watonwan County, says that his father Hans Johnson from Sogndal in Sogn and John Anderson† from the Bergen area were the county's first settlers. They came from Dane Co., Wis. and settled at Odin in 1856. There were only Indians in these parts at that time and the new settlers' children learned the Indian language rather well.* They bagan with wheat and cattle raising. Mankato and St. Paul were their nearest marketplaces. To the latter city it was 122 miles, a road that the oxen had to cover many a time. Day labour was paid at 50 cents a day. The first Norwegians to settle in the vicinity of Madelia were Ole Jørgensen†, the brothers Nils, Jens and Thos. Thoresen† and Lars Orvik†, all from Kragerø and Lars Halvorsen† whose birthplace is unknown to the author, they came from Waukesha Co., Wis. Later in the year came Salve Torgersen† from Telemarken, Helge Plamer† from Hønefos as well as Mads Boxrud†, S. O. Fjeldstad† and Mads Olsen†, the last three from Toten. (Old O. H. Howe in Echols says that there were more that came at the same time but he cannot remember more names) Dugouts and log cabins were the new settlers' first residences. About the pioneer's life, Ole Reinert of Butterfield writes, "As old and as forgetful as I am, I can never forget what we went through in the first years we were on these prairies. One can guess at the long trips we had with oxen - with no roads or bridges - in rain and snow storms. If there had not remained a bit of viking blood in our veins, the hardships would have been unendurable" In Watonwan County we find 11 Norwegian congregations and 9 churches, 6 of them belong to The United Church, 3 to The Lutheran Free Church, 1 to The Norwegian Synod and 1 to The Methodist Church. The first Norwegian to hold a county office was Jens Torsen†, he was elected Treasurer in 1871. Ole H. Howe was the first who represented the county in the State Legislature. (1873). Norwegian place names; Godahl, Norwegian, Odin and Nelson. *The redskins in this district were somewhat peaceful until 1862 but then they became unruly. The whites had to flee from their homes and everything they had built up and saved. Otherwise they could have lost their lives. The Berdahl family, for example, were away from their home for 4 years.