Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Pipestone County The first Norwegian in this county was Thos. Thompson from Stavanger. He settled in the vicinity of Ruthon in the 70s. The first in the vicinity of Pipestone City was Erik Larsen. The southern part was settled at about the same time as Rock County (see Rock) That the Indians were also had their shelter here here and that the whites came in contact with them is obvious, for this county lies right in the Sioux Valley, where the Sioux Indians had their headquarters and from whom the valley gets its name. That civilised people go into the wilderness battle and hunting fields to seek their homes can be interesting to hear or read about and there is much romance in it for us. But what the new settlers had to undergo, however, was anything but romantic. One can say that, actually - life in the wilderness, where they were cut off from civilisation and also had to struggle for survival, was not just play and illusion. I say that one can try to comprehend this but understand, that only those who had tried it, knew and understood how hard and sad it was. There are 7 Norwegian congregations and 3 churches in Pipestone County, 4 belonging to The United Church and 3 to The Norwegian Synod. The only Norwegian place name in the county is Ibsen.