Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Hennepin County The first person of Norwegian origin that settled in Hennepin County (the county that makes up the center of the Norwegian northwest and that includes Minneapolis - Norway in America's capital) was a woman and her name was Ingeborg. In 1850, she came to Meomny (about 8 miles north of St. Anthony) where for a time she had employment in a small hotel. The City of Minneapolis was founded later - in 1855 - it took St. Anthony's place and it has, as we know, grown very large - yes, now it reaches almost up to the place where Ingeborg settled. She has herself told that it was not many years before she met people from the Land of the Midnight Sun, where she had come from. About that time she married an Irishman by the name of Clark. However, her destiny was that she would get a Norwegian husband. It went so, Mr. Clark died after a short marriage, and. thus, the Norwegian woman became a widow. And further out in Minnesota there was a Norwegian by the name Michael Johnson, who after a couple years stay at Smith Lake (Wright County) had moved to Acton (Meeker County) in 1860, and who lost his wife while he lived at the that place. A bit later (the spring of 1864) he went to Hennepin County to seek work and came by chance to the aforementioned widow, who had a farm, horses, livestock etc and who needed a working man. To this post then, the Norwegian Michael Johnson (from the Moen farm in Selbu, near Trondheim) was the very man. We can guess the result of this meeting. But we can certainly write it down. These two then became man and wife - in the fall of 1864. Their home was in Brooklyn Township, to which, in the course of time there came several people from Norway - likely from Selbu - and where they e! stablished a Norwegian Lutheran congregation in 1876. Ingeborg died some time ago. However Michael is still alive and lives with his son, J. M. Johnson, 720 8th Ave. S., Minneapolis. (I will add that Mr. Chris. Swensen, one of Michael Johnson's earlier neighbours, who now lives in Robbindale and who got the task of finding him and paid almost a dozen streetcar fares before his mission succeeded. This is an example how difficult it has been to get hold of such persons, who could give reliable information about the old days. Auth.) In this connection, it is told that at this time, a Norwegian, who stayed temporarily in St. Anthony in the 50s, and who was for a time the owner of Nicollet Island (now Minneapolis' centrum). He claimed the land by pre-emption. Later he sold it for $500,000, which he thought was well done, since he had obtained it free from the government (that is, by using his homestead rights). Now, it is worth several millions. Further information about the man cannot be found. Even his name is unknown. All that is known of him is that he moved westward to become a farmer. But later (in the 60s) Norwegians began to settle in Minneapolis, that is now the most Norwegian city in America in relation to its size, since ca. 45,000 of its 300,000 citizens are of Norwegian ancestry. The Norwegian Lutheran Trefoldigheds Congregation in Minneapolis, that now belongs to The Lutheran Free Church and was established in 1867 by Pastor Nils Olson (who at that time lived in the Christiania Settlement in Dakota County), is the oldest Norwegian congregation in Hennepin County. Its first church (that was also the first Norwegian church in the county) was built at the corner of 3rd Street and 13th Avenue South, in 1868. Pastor Ole Poulsen was Minneapolis' first Norwegian priest, since he had taken over the service of the aforementioned congregation by 1868. Both he and Nils Olsen (the congregation's founder) were Augustana men. Vor Frelsers Congregation was established in 1869 by Pastor Nils Ylvisaker, belonging to The Norwegian Synod. Its first church was built in 1871, where the Great Western Railway Station now stands. The number of Norwegian congregations has now grown to 23, while the churches have reached the number of 22. The congregations are divided so;! The Norwegian Synod - 9, The Lutheran Free Church - 4, The United Church - 2, Methodists - 2, The Evangelical Free Church - 1, Hauge's Synod - 1, M. Falck Gjertsen - 1, The Brethren - 1, Baptists - 1 and Unitarians - 1. 'Nordisk Folkeblad' that was begun in 1870 by Hjalmar Eger, a student from Kristiania University, was the first Norwegian newspaper in Minneapolis. Later there were started, 'Norsk Maanedstidende', 'Budstikken' (a continuation of 'Fedrelandet og Emigranten', now 'Daglig Tidende' and 'Minneapolis Tidende'), 'Minnesota', 'Normanna', 'Norsk Maanedskrift', 'Folkebladet', 'Familie-Vennen', 'Felt-Raabet', 'Kvartal-Skriftet', 'Luthersk Børneblad', 'The North', 'Saamanden', 'Samfundet' (now 'Lutheraneren'), 'Ungdommens Ven', 'Det Frie Ord', 'Krydseren', 'Viking', 'Typografstidende', 'Lynilden', 'Nye Nordmanden' (now 'Politikken', 'Santhalmissionæren', 'Gasseren', 'Luthersk Børneblad', 'Den Lutherske Missionær', 'Missionsvennen', 'Den Forente Kirkes Missionsblad', 'Vingaardsmanden', Northland Weekly', 'Children's Companion', 'Sønner av Norge', 'Gaa paa', 'Vor Tid', 'Den Kristelige Lægmand' and 'Kvindens Magasin'. For more information about these and other newspaper ventures, see t! he section 'Norwegian-American Newspapers and Periodicals'. Augsburg Seminary, that was founded in its own building in 1872, was the first Norwegian school in Minneapolis. Later came Wraamann's Academy, Minnesota Normal School, The United Church's Seminary and Skørdalsvold's School. For further information, see the section 'Norwegian-American Teaching Institutions'. The Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home, that was started in 1889, was the first of that kind. Now money is being collected for hospitals. In the '90s, the Norwegians erected several society buildings, The Norwegian Christian Youth Society and Normanna Hall, but both were lost because of debts. The Ole Bull Statue, that was designed by sculptor Jakob Fjelde and that was raised in Central Park in 1897, will be permanent, since it was paid for in advance. * Of societies that work in comprehensive activities, one can mention 'Sønner av Norge', 'Døtre av Norge', the Christian relief societies and temperance societies. The first Norwegian to hold public office here was George H. Johnson, elecetd as Sheriff in 1870. Civil War veteran Albert E. Rice was the first Norwegian to represent Minneapolis in the Stae Legislature (1870), he moved to Willmar that same year. Later he became Lt. Governor. For further information about these and others who have had official positions, see the section 'Norwegians in Public Positions in America'. *But have Norwegians over here only done that which is creditable? No. Take for example, the bank scandals that took place in Minneapolis a few years ago. A half dozen 'prominent' Norwegians and some other 'smart' fellows went into the banking business with more debts than money. They managed to get some references, and after trusting people, likely Scandinavian workers, deposited their savings, these went as 'loans' to the 'bank directors' themselves and their friends - and so the bank went bankrupt - to a pecuniary loss for the depositors and damage to the Norwegian name in America.- and especially in Minneapolis.. After that time here, it has been rather difficult for Norwegians to obtain positions of trust of any significance. Now a similar scandal has taken place in Chicago. What a single person has done cannot rightly be laid to a people as a whole. The facts still say that the Norwegian immigrants as a whole conduct themselves well. As ann example it can be mentioned that in a newly prepared crime statistics for Chicago that Norwegians (compared with other nationalities) are listed with the least number of law-breakers.