Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Polk County The first Norwegian settlers in this county were Leif Steenerson from Telemarken, Ole Estensen† from Tønset, as well as H. Simon, P. Simon, G. Spokkeli and Tollef Tollefsen, who settled in the vicinity of Climax and Nielsville in 1871. They came there from Houston Co., Minn. Their nearest marketplace was Alexandria, 150 miles away. This was then, before the iron horse and other swift horses began to be used in these parts. They had to be content with oxen, no matter how far it was. The new settlers began cattle raising, but wheat growing soon became the county's main source of income. The first Norwegians in the vicinity of Crookston were Peter Cornelius from the Kristiania area, the brothers Arens and Isak Simmons, as well as O. S. Johnson, Knut Brandvold and Bernhard Sampson. Jeweller Nels Olson† tells that he came there as a travelling salesman in 1873. At that time there was neither a town nor post office. They fetched their letters from Grand Forks. Knute Nelson from Bolstad, Voss (not the Senator, but another good Knut) was the first white man to settle in the area of Fertile, and the first person he met was an Indian on a horse. The first in the vicinity of McIntosh was K. R. Newton, whose parents came from Sætersdalen, as well as Knut A. Helle, Ole H. Hosto† and O. S. Sannes also from Sæterdalen, Gunnar Husby, John J. Torske and Martin Iversen† from Trondhjem, John D. Knutsen from Stavanger, Fredrik and J. B. Hansen from Gudbrandsdalen, H. Helgesen from Valders, Tobias Støbraaten† and A. P. Envold from Toten as well as Ole O. Stenmoen and Ole P. Rukke from Hallingdal. Mrs. Ingeborg Bee from Opdal and Inger Bee were the first to take land in the vicinity of Granville. Next after them came Johannes Bee* and Lars Eriksen, Rolf Olsen, A. Syrstad, A. Heierstad, Ole Hendriksen, Thomas Hendriksen and Hendrik Hendriksen. My correspondent in the aforementioned area writes, "I do not know anything that is interesting to tell about the pioneer's life unless it could be the manner in which the first wheat harvests were threshed. It was late in the fall and it was cold. Then water was poured on the ground and allowed to freeze until it was stone-hard, next the wheat bundles were laid on the ice and the cows and oxen set to tramp on them until the wheat was separated from the straw. This did not go fast, nevertheless if they were done by Christmas Eve, it was considered well done." Halstein Lade from Søvden, Søndmøre, one of the old settlers in the so-called Thirteen Towns writes, "Yes, I came truly into the wilderness, 56 miles from the nearest railway station. I began immediately to clear a little patch for a new settler's cabin for the family and myself. The forest was both thick and tall, so that a day's work did not make much difference. After work the first day, I was going to a neighbour, who lived about a 3/4 mile away. I felt certain that I was going in the right direction. Though, after I had walked for an hour, I began to wonder why I had not reached my destination. But soon I came to a place where some clearing had been done. Yes, I thought, here some new settler has thought to raise his pavilions, but where was I now? I had no idea. I examined the work and it came to me how like it was to that I had done that day. The tools also seemed to be like mine. Then it came to me, instead of travelling straight, I had walked in a circle and had thus come back to my own nest." About Halvor H. Aarhus from Laurdal, Telemarken, the first settler in the vicinity of Melvin, the following is told, that fits many others as well, "In 1868, he emigrated on the sailship 'Amalie' from Skien, a ship that was barely seaworthy. They were not so particular about what kind of ship the emigrants were transported in, and at this time they had to bring their own provisions and be their own cook. After a few days sailing, a fierce storm blew up, the ship developed a leak and it was only through great exertion that it was saved from sinking. After the crew had worked themselves dead-tired with the pumps came the turn of the male passengers. After 14 weeks sailing, they reached Quebec. The journey continued further to Lyle, Minn., where they lived for a time. From there they travelled in the usual way up through Minnesota, to Detroit took 4 weeks. Four weeks in a row, the family was bound to their wagon box with canvas as a roof. The canvas was stretched over some bows that were fastened to the wagon box. It is clear that it was tight and uncomfortable in there, where they also had their furnishings. Even worse, when the roads were such that every moment one feared the wagon would tip over. And they often met frost or rain and mud, that increased the trip's unpleasantness significantly. After stopping for a time in Detroit, the journey continued to the Red River Valley. Across the prairie lay masses of buffalo bones as a reminder that the buffalo as well as other animals and the Indians had ruled the land, and that now was the end of their dominion. On the 17th May, the whole company were to take permanent residence on their homesteads, but the roads were, as usual, not much, one after another got stuck in the mud, and when they were going to cross a river, both the livestock and loads threatened to float away. On arrival at Wild Rice, a furious snow storm blew up, but they still got to their land, where they immediately began to plow up turf for their sod huts, in which they soon began to feel at home." Next they would go to work clearing, plowing, sow - and harvest. And when this was done, they began to protect themselves against the settlers' worst enemy - the prairie fires. It happened not infrequently that fire broke out in the dry prairie grass and that an area of several miles circumference was a sea of flame. But as long as it was still, they felt somewhat safe. But if a strong wind came the fire would come at a furious pace and a deafening roar and spared neither life nor property if one had not insulated himself so it could not reach buildings and hay. Naturally, they also made use of all the water they could obtain and wield. When the most important work on the farm was done, they would travel to older settlements to earn the money for other expenses. Everything was expensive. A cow cost $50.00, an oxteam $200.00, a horse team $400.00 to $500.00 - wheat $1.50 and oats 50 cents per bushel, meat 15 cents per pound etc. Much of what a family needed to live, they had to buy. It took time before they could produce all that was needed for their own use. Neither was getting these things an easy matter for the roads to the market were long and the winters hard. Sand Hill Congregation, that was established at Neby in Vinland Township in 1872, was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Pastor B. Hagbø of The Conference was the founder. There are now 50 Norwegian congregations and 44 churches, 21 belong to The United Church, 11 to The Norwegian Synod, 7 to Hauge's Synod, 6 to The Lutheran Free Church, 3 to the Methodists and 2 to the Baptists. The first Norwegian to hold public office in the county was John Christiansen†, he was elected Auditor in 1872. Bernhard Sampson, whose father was a Norwegian and mother of Swedish origin, was elected as a Member of the Legislature from Polk County in 1880. The Swede O. N. Nelson of Minneapolis has written about this Sampson, who built the first house in Crookston, and gives an interesting account in his book, "He saw great deal of frontier life here in the early days. It was no uncommon thing when teaming throught this region, prior to the erection of bridges, to unhitch his oxen from the wagon, jump on one of them and swim them across the stream, holding in one hand the end of a rope that was attached to his wagon, and after getting the animals on the other side, he would fasten the line to the yoke of the cattle and haul the wagon over". 'Red River Dalen' was the name of a Norwegian newspaper that started in Crookston in 1889. In 1895, it got the name 'Red River Tidende'. Later came 'Vesterheimen', 'Bud og Hilsen' and 'Arbeidsmanden', the latter in Fertile. Bethesda Hospital, Norwegian, was built in Crookston in 1898. There is also a Norwegian school (Crookston College). Places with Norwegian names in Polk County; Aldal, Espetvedt, Helgeland, Meos (Møaas), Roholt, Neby, Higdem, Tynsid (?), Brandsvold, Onstad, Johnson, Knute, Olga, Theodor, Sletten, Solie, Sheldahl, Wig, Scandia, BYgland, Rindal, Winger, Lengby and Vineland. *Johannes Bee is known for the pratical manure spreader he invented.