A INTENSIVE HISTORICAL SITE SURVEY OF THE WASHINGTON PRAIRIE SETTLEMENT
i
By the Winneshiek Historic Preservation Commission Courthouse Decorah, Iowa 52101
July 10, 1990
By Steven L. Johnson, principal investigator, Rev. Donald Berg, historian, and Charles Langton, photographer.
This project has been funded with the assistance of a matching grant-in-aid (i.e., Contract No. 19-89-40045A.007) from the State of Iowa, Bureau of Historic Preservation, through the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966; the opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Department of the Interior. Acknowledgements
This survey is a cooperative effort by the Iowa Bureau of Historic
Preservation, the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors (CLG),
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and Winneshiek County Historical
Society. A special thank you goes to Lowell Soike, historian for the state preservation office; Rev. Donald Berg, historian for the project;
Wayne Wangsness, David and Elaine Hegg, members of the Washington
Prairie Church Historical Committee; Rev. Richard Sansgaard, minister at
the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church; Charles Langton, project photographer. The Norwegian-American Museum deserves a thank-you for giving staff time to assist with the project. The survey crew would
like to express its appreciation to the members of the Washington
Prairie area for their time and work in completing this project. Table of Contents
I. Abstract
II. Introduction A. List of Si tes B. Map of Sites C. Elisabeth Koren's 1850s Map
III. Survey Research Design A. Survey Objective B. Description of Area Surveyed C. 1875 Map of the Area D. 1886 Map of the Area E. 1905 Map of the Area F. 1985 U. S. Geological Survey Map G. Methodology
IV. Survey Results A. 1886 and 1905 Plats of Nordness, Iowa B. United States Migration Map C. Iowa Norwegian-American Settlement Map D. List of Building Dates E. List of Building Types F. List of Building Materials G. List of Potential National Register sites
V. Survey Recommendations
APPENDIXES
Appendix A: Survey Letter and Questionaire Appendix B: Iowa Site Inventory Form Appendix C: Bibliography of Scandinavians in Iowa at the State Historical Society of Iowa Abstract The Washington Prairie project is an intensive-level architectural and historical survey of parts of four townships located in Winneshiek County: northeast Springfield <11 sections), northwest Frankville (3 sections), southwest Glenwood (1 section), and southeast Decorah (2 sections). The Washington Prairie area, with the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church as its hub, was the first settlement of Norwegian-Americans in the county, served as a "mother" community for other Norwegian-American settlements, and has remained a cohesive ethnic community for over 139 years. The area includes the sites of the first school (1852) and church (1855) in the county. The Washington Prairie log schoolhouse was built one year prior to the construction of a school in Decorah, Iowa. The Lutheran Church is said to be the first Norwegian Lutheran Church built west of the Mississippi river. Two buildings documented in this survey are significant enough to be included in the Outdoor Division of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum — the Egge log house and a log paroch i a 1 schoo1. This report deals with historical and architectural significances of the Washington Prairie settlement. The purpose of this survey is to collect information for determining the level of eligibility of this area regarding its nomination to the National Register. A total of forty sites are included in this survey: twenty-one farmsteads, five sites in the village of Nordness, four schoolhouses, three churches, two parsonages, two cemeteries, one slaughterhouse, one creamery, and a pioneer monument. The survey resulted in completing seventy-two new inventory forms, and incorporating existing data from five sites previously surveyed and two National Register sites. The principal theme for the surveyed properties is the ethnic Norwegian-American character of this region. Secondary themes would include settlement, architecture, and agriculture. Many of the farm buildings reflect the farm economy' which was orignally wheat production, but which had turned to dairy by the 1880s. The Jacobson farm, with its change from subsistance farming practices to dairy operation, is representative of this area. This change is also reflected by the three cooperative creameries in the settlement. The sites themselves, some of which have buildings of exceptional integrity, reflect common building practices and materials, builders' indentities, and architectural themes. Eight stone and six log structures were uncovered in this project, and these structures typically represent the earlier period of settlement in this area. The results Of this survey indicates a multiple property nomination of the Washington Prarie Settlement would be the best option for National Register status. Of the seventy-nine sites only eighteen properties should be classified as potentially key structures. The remainder of the sixty-one sites should be considered contributing to the project. The total number of non-contributing sites in the surveyed area would be two-hundred-forty. Future work for this project would be threefold: the survey of additional sites on the eastern portion of the settlement, further historical research work, and nomination of the eligible properties to the National Register. Introduction
The Washington Prairie Survey Project is sponsored by the
Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission, and the Iowa Bureau
of Historic Preservation. Walter Langland, chairman of the Winneshiek
County Board of Supervisors, represented the county certified local
government in requesting this grant. The Winneshiek County Historical
Society provided the local cash match in funding this project. The
minister and the historical committee from Washington Prairie Lutheran
Church, in part, provided the neccessary in-kind local matching funds.
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum contributed some staff time to
assist with the completion of this survey.
The purpose of this project called for the surveying of historical
properties in the Washington Prairie settlement. The properties were
recorded, photographed, researched, and evaulated, based upon their
architectural or historical significance. One of the aims of this survey was to determine if the sites merited district, multiple
resource, or individual status for nomination. Utilizing the existing historical knowledge of members from Washington Prairie, a priority list was formed containing forty sites from an area of seventeen square miles with the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church at its approximate center.
The village of Nordness, twenty-one farmsteads, four school sites, three churches, two parsonages, two cemeteries, one slaughterhouse, one
creamery, and one pioneer memorial were included in this survey.
The intensive architectural/historical survey of Washington Prairie was conducted in the eleven northeast sections of Springfield township,
three northwest sections of Frankville township, two southwest sections
of Glenwood township, and two southeast sections of Decorah township.
i. SITE LIST FOR THE WASHINGTON PRAIRIE PROJECT Spring 1990
Name *Location **Status 1) EGGE LOG HOUSE SITE T98N RAW 6 SWSW C 2) ROVANG PAROCHIAL SCHOOL SITE T97N R8W 15 NWSW C 3) NORTH WASH. PR. CHURCH SITE T98N R7W 3 1 SWSW C 4) BRANHAGEN SCHOOL SITE T97N R8W 11 SENW C 5) RED OAK CREAMERY SITE T97N R8W 12 SWSE C 6) FIRST SCHOOL(LOG) SITE T98N R8W 36 SESE C 7) SPILDE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SITE T97N R8W 3 NWSW C 8) Washington Prairie Lutheran Church T97N R8W 12 NWNW N 9) Church Parsonage T97N R8W 12 NWNW N 10) Arthur Branhagen Farm T97N R8W 11 NESW N/C 11) David Hegg Farm T98N R8W 35 SENW N/C 12) Joseph Berge Farm T98N R8W 36 SESE N/C 13) Bruvold North Farm T97N R8W 1 NENE C 14) Bruvold South Farm T97N R8W 14 NWSE C 15) Opdahl Cemetery(So. Bruvold) T97N R8W 14 NWSE C. 16) Howard Viste Farm T97N R7W 7 NESW N 17) Andrew Bakke Farm T97N R7W 5 SWNW C 18) Howard Johnson Farm T97N R7W 6 SESW N 19) Gene Sivesind Farm T97N R8W 12 NESE N 20) Ernest Soland Farm T97N R8W 12 NENE N/C 21) Torgri m Farm T97N R8W 11 SWNE N 22) John Hegg Farm T97N R8W 2 NESE C 23) Loman Farm T98N R8W 35 SWSE C 24) "Apple" Loman Farm T97N R8W 2 NWNW C 25) Davis Johnson Farm T97N R8W 10 SWNE N/C 26) Bergan Farm T97N R8W 2 NENW C 27) Clement Farm T97N R8W 1 NWSW C 28) Spilde Log House(Lyon) T97N R8W 3 SWNE N/C 29) Pioneer Monument T98N R8W 36 SESE C 30) Nordness Telephone Exchange T97N R8W 10 NWSE C 31) Wayne Huinker Farm T97N R8W 9 NENE N 32) North Washington Prairie Cemetery T98N R8W 36 SESE C 33) Nesheim Farm T98N R8W 34 NESE N/C SITES ALREADY SURVEYED IN THE AREA 34) Red Oak School T97N R8W 11 NESE C 35) Nordness Creamery T97N R8W 10 NWSE C 36) Nordness School T97N R8W 10 NWNE C 37) Nordness Blacksmith Shop/Residence T97N R8W 10 NWNE C 38) Nordness Johnson General Store T97N R8W 10 NWSE C
NATIONAL REGISTER SITES IN THE AREA 39) Washington Prairie Methodist Church T97N R8W 11 NESE N 40) Jacobson Farmstead T97N R8W 2 SENE N
* The quarter section is listed first in the above locations. ** Status indicates N for National Register or C for Contributing. SITE LIST FOR THE WASHINGTON PRAIRIE PROJECT Spring 1990 Originally the survey was to include a larger area defined by the historical records of the Little Iowa Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran
Congregation to which Washington Prairie settlement belonged. Because of the large area involved, the local advisory committee of Rev. Richard
Sansgaard, Rev. Donald Berg, Wayne Wangsness, and Steven Johnson reduced
the survey area to a core area immediately adjacent to the Church grounds. The book, The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, which contains a
1850s sketched map of the vicinity, was used in establishing the boundaries.
The project was divided into three separate components: the historical interviews and research, field photography/darkroom, and property evaluations. The committee felt that the background historical investigation needed to be given first priority. Beginning in late fall of 1989, Rev. Berg began compiling information of the seventy-three properties. The intention was that his data would assist with determining which sites would be selected for the field photography work. The field photography commenced in February, 1990, and was completed by the first of April, 1990. By mid-April, the principal
investigator, Steven Johnson began to evaluate the photographs and research data to determine each site's eligibility. Due to unexpected delays in compiling information from the historical materials and
interviews, the county requested an extension of two months to the new closing date of July 31, 1990.
The personnel for the survey have already been mentioned in this report. However, a number of volunteers should be mentioned in
this report. Duane Fenstermann, archivist for Luther College and
Winneshiek County Historical Society, provided consultant services and
7 Koren, Elisabeth, The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, 1853-1855. translated and edited by David T. Nelson, Northfield, MN.: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1955. the necessary archival supplies. The project would not have been successful without the cooperation of volunteers from Washington
Prairie: Amy Wangsness, Cheryl Wangsness, Earl Lyon, Arla Lyon, Robert
Sersland, Norma Hegg, Elaine Hegg, Jane Orvella, Jane Sivesind and Laura
Amdahl. A special thank you goes to Karlyn Cross of Decorah for her assistance in organizing the files and materials for this project.
The two sets of state inventory forms, photographs, negatives, contact sheets, photographic/catalog field sheets and maps will be deposited respectively at the Bureau of Historic Preservation in Des
Moines and at the Winneshiek County Historical Society's archives located on the Luther College campus, Decorah, Iowa. All documents, correspondence and field notes collected in the course of the survey will be deposited at the county's archives.
Objectives
The Washington Prairie district, with the Washington Prairie
Lutheran Church as its hub, was selected as a subject for this survey because it was the first settlement of Norwegian-Americans in Winneshiek
County, served as a "mother" community for other Norwegian-American settlements, and has remained a cohesive ethnic community for over one-hundred-forty years. This survey would bring to light many buildings that may qualify for individual National Register nomination, and survey research would indicate if the area warrants multiple resource nomination or rural historic district nomination status.
This survey is the first step in a historic preservation plan with the selection and inventory of potential properties which either are key or contributing sites. A second grant request would deal with either a multiple resource or district nomination of the area. This survey has assisted with the locating of these significant properties and will serve as the basis for further in-depth research for the area. Eighteen sites out of the seventy-nine properties are classified significant either on historical or architectural grounds and should have further i nvest i gat i on.
The Winneshiek County Historical Society would like to see further survey work on the area and as an end product some type of a National
Register nomination. The time period between the existing project and a proposed new project could be used to gather new data and to hold area meetings to inform the public as to the status of the Washington Prairie project.
Descri pt i on
The area surveyed for this project included seventeen sections of land located near the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church. The original intent of the project was to survey all the area within the geographical boundaries set by the minutes of the Little Iowa Norwegian Evangelical
Lutheran Congregation for the Washington Prairie settlement. After brief research of the area, over three-hundred potential properties were found within this region. A new basis for the geographical area was needed for the survey. The decision from the advisory committee was given to use the church as a hub and survey the land mentioned in the book, The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, written by the pastor's wife during their early years at the settlement. A map from the book drawn by
Elisabeth was the basis for the area covered in this project. Andreas Historical Atlas of Iowa, 1875. Methodology
The Washington Prairie Historic Site Survey consisted of three
components: a historian was used to collect primary information from
property owners in the community and to research published sources as to
the history of the specific properties; the principal investigator
coordinated all the related activities of the project and served as the
evaluator for the sites' criteria, significance and eligibility, and a
photographer/darkroom technician conducted the field photography,
darkroom work and copied any historical photographs uncovered in this
peri od.
The survey involved the recording of historic sites, which were
identifed by historical research and a local historical committee. Two sets of negatives and photographs were taken of each identified
property. Two sets of maps and Iowa Site Inventory Forms were also prepared. The recipient of these sets were the Iowa Bureau of Historic
Preservation and the Winneshiek County Historical Society's archives
located on the Luther College campus. The field workers gathered
information that was available about the sites from interviews with
owners and "local historians," and background research of published
histories about the Norwegian-American immigrant settlement of the area. The inventory forms, maps, and photographs were organized in acid
free folders by the sites' common and/or current landowner name.
A well received part of the survey was a series of public meetings
held either at Decorah or at the parish hall of the Washington Prairie
Lutheran Church. The first meeting in June, 1989, focused on the
settlement as the topic for the ILHMA Northeast Iowa Regional
Conference. The local public was encouraged to attend the meeting, and Plat Book of Winneshiek County, Iowa. Minneapolis: Warner & Foote, 1886. about ninety individuals participated in the event. The highlight of the conference was a bus tour of the Washington Prairie settlement.
Questionaires were sent to one-hundred local farmers concerning the upcoming survey, asking that they assist with the process of determining appropriate properties to be included in this project. The return response from this mailing was positive and the subsequent public meeting, held at the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in the fall of
1989, was well attended.
The collection of data for the survey involved a five step process:
1) identification of sites; 2) location of the sites on an appropriate map; 3) investigation of background historical data; 4) actual photography/field work of the sites; and 5) evaluation of the properties.
The survey based its selection of sites on their architectural and historical merits. The area was given an initial visual sweep to ascertain how many structures were of either National Register or at least contributing status. Norwegian-American and county histories were reviewed and interviews were conducted to give as complete of a historical perspective as possible. Reverend Donald Berg acted as the historian and liaison contact with the members of the local community.
Once the sites were identified, the systematic photography was undertaken by a professional photographer. Because of the variation in quality and format of the pictures that would occur if numerous volunteers were allowed to photograph individual sites, it was decided to have only an experienced photographer do all the photograpic work.
Charles Langton was selected to photograph all the sites and to develop the photographs and negatives to archival standards. Standard Atlas of Winneshiek County, Iowa. Davenport, IA: Anderson and Goodwin, 1905. The sites were photographed in duplicate on all four sides when possible. The film used was 35mm black and white with an ASA speed of
125. The roll number, frame number, date, site name, address, and view were logged on special forms provided by the Bureau of Historic
Preservation. Each roll of the film was consecutively numbered beginning with number one. One 5" x 7" black and white enlargement of the most revelatory elevation of the structure was put in the site inventory file. The negatives were placed in archival negative envelopes and retained in a separate file used strictly for negatives.
Contact prints of the negatives were also made placed in separate files.
Once the sites were photographed, Wayne Wangsness, along with the historical committee, assisted with the location of the sites on a plat of the immediate area. Legal descriptions, owners, and addresses were obtained from a current county platbook. Composite maps from the
1886 and 1905 county atlases were used to locate certain sites and are included in this report.
The final step in the data collection process was to research the sites' historical and architectural significance and record this information on the Iowa Inventory Forms. A copy of this form can be found in Appendix B. The amount of research on each site varies according to the information found through the conducted interviews and other secondary sources. Information on the public properties were found in local and county histories.
Once the data was collected, it was necessary to organize it in a manner that would allow its retrieval in an efficient and effective system. An acid-free file was used for each site. Each site file contains a Iowa Inventory Form completed to the extent time allowed, one Winneshiek County, Iowa, 1985 U. S. Geological Survey Map 1: 100,000 scale 5" x 7" black and white photograph of the sites' most revelatory elevation, a map locating the site, and anu relevant information found by researchers. These files were organized by the common or property owner's last name assigned to the sites.
The negatives, contact sheets, and photographic/catalog field sheets of the sites taken were kept in separate files. These files were organized and labeled numerically by film roll number. The inventory forms were cross-referenced to the photographs of these sites.
Each existing site was evaluated to classify it in one of the following categories: a) individually eligible for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places; b) a contributing property within the proposed district; c) a property of some historic interest, but either (i) of insufficient importance or integrity to meet National
Register criteria or Supervisors. He is on the Iowa list of acceptable historic site surveyors who have sufficient background to make this determination. He, in turn, consulted with the Washington Prairie Historical Committee which acted as the liaision contact with members from the community. History and Results of the Washington Prairie Survey The settlement of Washington Prairie, beginning in 1850, is significant in the Norwegian-American immigrant history. This settlement is the oldest existing and has the highest concentration of Norwegian-Americans in the State of Iowa. Its historical significance can be seen by the ethnic context of the community. The majority of the present farms are owned by third, fourth, and fifth generations of these immigrants who settled this frontier beginning in the summer of 1850. Religion played a significant role in the history of this settlement. Reverend Ulvik Vilhelm Koren, a key individual in the development of this area, was pastor of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church for fifty-seven years, commencing in 1853. Later, the church played an important role in land conservation practices carried out members of the congregation in the late 1930s. The agricultural make-up of this community has remained intact since its early days. While the early farm economy was wheat production, by the 1880s the farm practices had turned to dairy. This, in part, explains the rise and expansion of the three creameries in the settlement. Winneshiek County's Washington Prairie settlement is situated seventeen miles south of the Minnesota border and a distance of thirty miles west of the Mississippi river. The county platbook gives its legal description as Range Eight and Township Ninety-seven. The area is picturesque, with a diversified landscape of prairie, timber, hills and valleys. The various branches of Trout Creek are nearly all within its limits, making the surface uneven, yet the greatest part consists of a rich and tillable soil. On account of its many springs and streams of clear water, it is well adapted for raising stock as well as general farming. Prior to the advent of white settlers, the Native Americans were said to have a trail through the area. It has been said that the southern portion of the Centennial Road orignally was such a trail. A tree located near the public road at the the Jake Ludeking farm was a sign marker for the trail. The trail travelled northwesterly through the John Hegg farm, where a bent oak served as a marker. With the settlement of Washington Prairie, the natural landscape was altered by the introduction of roads, fence lines, farm yards and buildings. The first settlers to the area initially believed that the public land would not be all used. They thought that this public land could be used as common ground for pasturing livestock. The large strips of prairie without wood and water were to serve this purpose. As the land was surveyed and sold to the immigrants, a road system was developed, necessary for transportation. Land was reserved for schoo1 houses, churches, and cemeteries. About three miles to the southwest of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church, the village of Nordness was established in the late 1860s. The village grew and developed with the coming of the railroad in 1872. When the railroad left Nordness in the late 1960s, the community had a rapid economic decline. The old and present day maps of the road network in the Washington Prairie area shows that there have been no changes since at least 1875. This indicates that there have been "no" later transportation route changes to have compromised the historic authenticity of the area. The railroad line, which passes through the village of Nordness, doesn't 20 Plat Book of Winneshiek County, Iowa, 1886 Standard Atlas of Winneshiek County, 1905 show up in county atlases until 1886 when it was referred to as the Chicago and Rock Island Line. By 1905, the railroad had changed ownership to the Burlington and Cedar Rapids Line. According to local records the railroad line was built in 1872. The 1886 plat of the area shows a blacksmith shop located in Section 11 of Springfield Township. This building was built originally as the Branhagen Schoolhouse in 1862. In 1871, a new larger stone school, Red Oak, was constructed about one-half mile to the east. It appears that by 1886 the old school was converted into a blacksmith shop. The first creamery to be established in the area was built as an addition to the Knud Gudbrandsen Opdahl farm house, which is a brick building of substantial size. This creamery is clearly indicated in the 1886 Plat Book/Atlas of Winneshiek County, located in the extreme northeast corner of the NW quarter of Section 14, Township 97 (Springfield Township), Range 8 West. The next creamery was established east of the Red Oak School and was called the Red Oak Creamery. This is not evident on the 1886 Plat/Atlas, but is seen in the 1905 Plat/Atlas on the extreme southwest corner of the northwest quarter of Section 12, Township 97, Range 8 West. Whereas, the first Opdahl creamery was located close to a stream of water in Trout Run, the Red Oak Creamery did not have such access to water. Very probably it required a dug well and/or windmill. Its higher elevation would permit the latter. According to Joseph Jordahl, a local resident, both Opdahl and Red Oak Creameries ran until the third creamery in the area was started. This opinion is incorrect, for the 1886 Plat/Atlas does not show a creamery in Nordness, while the 1905 one does. 22 All three of these creameries produced butter. The buttermilk was sent back to the farmers who fed it to their hogs. There were several cream routes. One was run by Ole Strand which went past Ernest Johnson, the Gjevre farm, and follwed the creek back to Nordness. Peter Spilde had another run, as did William and Albert Linnevold, and perhaps two or three others. On average there were 10-15 cows or, at most, 20 cows per farm. The first public schoolhouse in Winneshiek County was built in 1852, where Decorah, Glenwood, Springfield and Frankville Townships meet. The Pioneer Cemetery, begun in 1850, was nearby. The log school building was located just east of the cemetery. The building was entirely in Section 31 of Glenwood Township. The school was oriented north and south, with the door on the south and one window on each side. The school proved to be too small and not located well for the people being served. Therefore it was vacated, and the districts were redrawn. During the time that the issue of building a new school was being debated, on a Good Friday evening, 18 , the first school house burned to the ground. This led to the building of the second school, Branhagen, in 1862. (Based on the date of the building of the second school, it is fair to assume that the fire was o Good Friday of either 1861 or 1862, more likely 1862.) The first school had dimensions of 14' by 16', the same dimensions as the Egge log cabin, also the standard size for a homesteading cabin. The present North Washington Prairie cemetery is located, in part, on the site of the first schoolhouse. A new schoolhouse was then built of stone across the road from the Branhagen farmstead, on a 20-acre field that Branhagen owned. It was 16 23 feet wide and 20 feet long; the walls were two feet thick. The schoolhouse was furnished with home-made desks. The structure was erected in 1862 and was named the Branhagen School. In those days it was customary to name the school after the nearest resident. Some of the first teachers were Mr. Hawkins and Abraham Jacobson; one of the first directors was Andrew Lomen; some of the later pupils that attended school there were Gilbert and Erick Soland, Ole Running, C. J. Torgrimson, Torger Sigrid, Nels, Martha, Andrew and Knute Hove, Edwin, Elizabeth and Martha Lomen, and Edgar Anderson. By the end of the 1860s this school was also outgrown. Another new schoolhouse was then built of stone in 1871 on a piece of land bought from Torgrimson for $30. It was built by Paul Warner, who hired Andrew Branhagen as his assistant. Later this schoolhouse was named Red Oak School, deriving its name, like the Red Oak Creamery across the road, from the many oak trees that grew around it. This school was about 20' by 30' in size. The first benches were home-made and the first heatment was by a box stove located towards the back of the room. The stovepipe ran the whole length of the room, as the chimney was located in the front part. This heating system was very unsatisfactory. Those near the stove were too warm and those farther off would freeze in cold weather. Around 1900, the oak trees were cut down and evergreens were planted on the west and north sides. Later a cellar was excavated and a furnace installed, and L. Wangsness built a new chimney on the north side. The woodshed, located on the north side, was moved west of the schoohouse. This improved the school grounds, and playground equipment was added. A large entry was built by Sig Hanson in 1923, and a furn- ace was installed there also. The history of parochial schools at Washington Prairie began on March 16, 1854. Pastor U. V. Koren presented "Proposals for Laws" for the Little Iowa Congregation. Par. 21 states, "School affairs will be conducted by the school council, consisting of the congregational council and trustees. The school council will decide the school term, districts, courses of learning, hire teachers, set their salaries, see that they carry out their duties, and dismiss them if they are unsatisfactory." Par. 22 reads, "Each confirmed member must contribute either freely or by assessment to the school treasury, which will be administered by the congregational treasury." (Minutes of Little Iowa Congregation, translated by Charlotte Jacobson, hereafter referred to as Minutes; p. 9). A school house was built on the northwest corner of the church property, north of the cemetery, near the road. This church school house was used primarily for confirmation instruction and as one of the congregation's parochial schools. We read in the minutes of a meeting on February 25, 1891 (Minutes, p. 126), "The congregation want to have Lenten services at the church and not at the school house." When a Sunday School was started (for which no date can be determined), some of the classes met at the school house. It was used for worship at times when repairs were being made on the church, such as in 1904. The church school building was sold and moved from its site north of the cemetery in the fall of 1950. It was a tall building 30' by 30', with a 10' ceiling. The church school house had three big windows on each side. Entrance was on the west end. A separate entrance, 6' by 6', with a window to the west and door to the south, was removed prior 25 to a later move of the building. The heating stove was probably in the middle of the one large room. A hole for the chimney was on the peak at the east end of the school house. The building had a second floor for which the opening was in the middle of the room; but it had no stairway, so it had to be reached via a ladder. There was a lid to be pushed up. The ceiling was wainscoted. The walls were solid pine, probably painted on the inside. Square nails were used in the construction of the building. There were no interior divisions, just one large room. The Rovang Parochial School was built in the southwest corner of SW SW, Section 15, Springfield Township. The date of its construction is believed to be 1879. According to materials used for the training of museum guides at Vesterheim, the Rovang School was built by the Washington Prairie congregation "almost as soon as Pastor U. V. Koren got the type of teacher he wanted." It was built not for the 3 R's, but for the "4th R", religion. In 1885, Pastors Sagen and Koren were delegated by the congregation to investigate the possibility of calling a permanent teacher (Minutes, p. 113). Johan Hagen, who had been in the United States previously and had taught at Spring Grove for some years but had then returned to Norway to teach there, was called as the permanent teacher. He came in 1888 and taught until July 1918. The Rovang School had a stove for heating the building at the back, near the one door. There were three windows on each side. The stove pipe extended the length of the room, thus providing more heat. The chimney was at the teaching end of the room. A "blackboard" was literally that, consisting of two boards painted black behind the teacher's desk. A kerosene lamp with reflector could provide some 26 illumination. The school terms were arranged by the school committee. The "common school" or public school or English school had an eight-month term. But planting and harvesting times were not good for school attendance, especially for the boys. The parochial school was held for two weeks in the fall and two weeks again in the spring. At these times the public school was dismissed. This time-off was written into the public school teacher's contract. The parochial school terms were held successively in the various locations of the parish. The Pioneer Cemetery was the first cemetery organized in the Washington Prairie settlement in August of 1850. Further information about this site is included later in this report. The cemetery was used by the immigrants until the establishment of a cemetery at the Lutheran church. The first Washington Prairie Lutheran Church was built in 1855, and was similar in design to the later Methodist church across the road. The site for the church cemetery appears to have been developed shortly after the construction of this frame church. The only family cemetery plot found in this survey was on the Opdahl family farm located in Section 14 of Springfield Township. The two graves are of a young boy and girl who died in 1853 from some epidemic at the time. The Opdahl family were by faith Methodists and there was no established Methodist cemetery in the area. The Washington Prairie Methodist Cemetery was established at approximately the same time as the construction of the church (1863-68). The North Washington Prairie Lutheran Church Cemetery was begun in the early 1890s adjacent to the Pioneer Cemetery. The North Washington Prairie Lutheran Church was built in 1891 and was a small frame church 27 with a centrally located steeple on its south elevation. Additional information on this cemetery is contained later in this report. The Pioneer Cemetery is located in SW SE 36-98-8, Decorah Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Mrs. Amelia Johnson Bakken, in the third of a series of articles, "From Olden Days", published in Decorah Posten (December 16, 1938, p. 6, cc. 4-5), tells about "The First Norwegian Funeral at Washington Prairie." Translation by Donald L. Berg: "Out in the summer of 1850, Tollef Simonsen AA came with his young wife from Koshkonong, Wis., to Winneshiek County, and settled on the land which lies right up to North Washington (Prairie's) old cemetery on the southwest. Tollef's wife had poor health, and the long trip from Wisconsin here with oxen was too much for her, and she lived just two weeks after their arrival here. This was a hard blow for him who thought so very much of her, said my mother who was his sister. Tollef had a brother, Aslak Simonsen AA, who had come two years before. His land lay right up to Tollef's and is now (1938) know as the Nels E. Ramsey farm. Aslak offered now to give a piece of his land for a cemetery - but then there was now the next big question: Where should they get boards from to make a casket for her? Tollef then went over to another settler by name of Nels Johnson and told his need to him. And Nels knew the way: 'We shall take down some boards from my home!' he said. So it was done, and Kristine AA got a casket. This was the first body which was placed in the earth here. It was in August 1850." Some families had burial plots on their own farms, while others used what became the Pioneer Cemetery, prior to the arrival of Pastor U. 28 V. Koren in late 1853. Burials were held quite soon after death, without embalming, and the graves were consecrated at a later date when a pastor could be present. Therefore records of deaths and burials in the earliest days are imprecise. Often the graves were marked with only wooden boards which quickly deteriorated. Cemetery maps were unknown, and the records of burials were not kept except in family Bibles, church records, and the memories of usually the. older people. Abraham Jacobson was a prime mover in the efforts to have the Pioneer Monument erected. The structure, weighing over 4000 pounds of granite, was built on a foundation of 40 loads of rock, at an overall cost of $350. Only 31 names with dates of life and death are inscribed on the monument, but over 60 people were assumed to have been buried in the cemetery. The monument was dedicated August 25, 1887, with ca. 800 people in attendance. An account of the day's events is found Decorah Posten, August 30, 1887. The account was translated by Hilman Sersland, including the dedicatory address by Pastor U. V. Koren. Only a few years after the Pioneer Cemetery was dedicated, the North Washington Prairie congregation was begun as a result of the Election Controversy. This congregation built its church building a short distance from the Pioneer Cemetery and established its cemetery adjacent to the Pioneer Cemetery. The demarcation between the two cemeteries is no longer clear. There is no fence or other barrier separating the two. The farm fence lines are evident both to the north and across the road to the south of the cemeteries. Whether the Pioneer Cemetery existed entirely within Decorah Township 36-98-8 or "spilled over" into Glenwood Township Section 31 is not certain. With 60 burials in the Pioneer Cemetery, according to estimates, and how many more 29 unknown, the question arises whether there was sufficient room for this number. What is needed is a thorough survey of the death records of Washington Priarie Lutheran Church and the cemetery records, as well as of neighboring congregations, such as Springfield Lutheran, and even Washington Prairie Methodist Church, and other congregations that once formed the Little Iowa congregation. The 1905 Plat/Atlas of Winneshiek County does show the two cemeteries in separate townships. Perhaps a surveyor's work is necessary today to reconcile the descriptions of the lands set aside for the respective cemeteries. The post office, at Woodside, and quarry, located in Section 17, were outside the area surveyed in this report. This area will be surveyed in the next phase of the project. The Lomen Washington Prairie Poultry and Fruit Farm will be covered later in this report under the name Ole O. Lomen. The village of Nordness was located in Section 10, Springfield Township. The village is believed to have been started in the early 1880s. Alexander's History of Winneshiek County (1882) doesn't mention the village but by the 1886 Plat/Atlas the village is shown with lots of street names. Five sites were surveyed in this village: schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, Johnson General Store, telephone exchange, and creamery. The village once contained a second general store, depot, grain elevator, and stockyard. The two plats of Nordness included in this study are from the 1886 Plat Book and the 1905 Standard Atlas. The first owner of the general store was Peter Johnson who may have operated it beginning about 1880. It is believed that the store was 30 built shortly after the railroad arrival about 1872. The list of owners from earliest to last are: Peter Johnson, Ole Rustan, Chalres Nelson, Thomas Haugen, Ben Rovang, --- Finholt, George Olson. There had been a second store for a short time ca. 1890s at Nordness. The creamery purchased it and used the first floor for storage and the second floor for the buttermaker's quarters. In the 1920s a portion of it served as the telephone exchange. The store closed in the early 1960s. The first telephone cooperative was begun around 1910. The area of service included a number of farmers, including G. A. Hegg, Soland, Torgrim, Clement, and Jacobson. Beginning in 1938 until its closing about 1960, the Nordness Telephone Company was located on Lot 11, Block 1, in the village of Nordness. The locally quarried stone creamery was located across the creek behind the Rock Island Depot. The building was built in 1892 as a farm cooperative. Some of the early managers included Will Linnevold and John Gragastad. The buttermakers were from earliest to last: Victor Johnson, Jim Block, George Reyerson, Clarence Kolsrud, Mayard Estem, LLoyd Monroe, and Thomas Monroe. The butter was shipped east to Chicago (the firm of Hanson & Matteson). There once existed a frame ice house located to the west of the existing structure. The ice for the creamery came from the Upper Iowa River near the Tavener Bridge located in west Decorah. The ice was cut and hauled by bobsled to the Rock Island Depot in Decorah and transferred to the Nordness Depot, where horse teams would haul it to the ice house. It was then packed in saw dust until needed. In 1911, the creamery had a fire which damaged the building. It was rebuilt and enlarged in that year. In the 1940s the creamery 31 changed from buying cream to buying milk. This encouraged business because the farmers did not have to separate the cream from the milk. The creamery closed in the early 1960s. The stone school at Nordness was built in the 1890s about the same time as the creamery. The school entrance is to the east. It had a wood stove until 1903 when a furnace was added to the building. The school served to teach all eight grades with children coming from the surrounding area. The school was also used for voting and village meetings. In recent years the building has been vacant with the re-organization of the school system in 1962. After its closing it was briefly used as a home but a fire destroyed a portion of the frame entrance. The blacksmith shop building has a core unit which is constructed of logs, likely dating back to the 1860s. The first owner of the building was Ole Quell. He was a blacksmith at Nordness for many years before moving to Cresco. Ole Quell did both horse shoeing and welding on the site. The older residents of Nordness believe the log house was converted by Ole into a blacksmith shop downstairs and living quarters upstairs. The house was bought by Ole Strand after Quell left, and it was used for storage. Ole's son, Arnold, purchased the building in the late 1930s and fixed it up as a living quarters on both floors. The recent owners have made some rennovations to the house. To understand the significance of the Washington Prairie settlement, some background history of the Norwegian-American immigration to the United States is necessary. To give a more contextual approach to this community and its development, the following historical narrative is included in this section of the report. The 32 earlier settlements found in America set the stage for the emergence of this district in Winneshiek County, Iowa. The author has taken the liberty to edit materials from the following sources: Flom, George T. , A_Historyof_Norwegian_Immigratio n to The United States. Iowa City, Ia.: Private Print., 1909. Haugen, Einar., The Norwegians in America. New York: Teachers College Press, 1967. Norlie, Olaf Morgan, History of the Norwegian People in America. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1925. Qualey, Carlton C., Norwegian Settlement in the United States. Northfield, MN. : Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1938. Swansen, H. Fred, "The Norse In Iowa To 1870," manuscript dissertation, Iowa City, Department of History, 1936. The Norwegian immigration to the United States in the nineteenth century began in 1825, when a forty-five ton sloop from Stavanger brought fifty-three passengers who landed in New York. This vanguard settled in Kendall, Orleans County, New York, where they remained until most of them later on moved out west and settled in Illinois. The arrival of Norwegians to America attained little significance numerically until 1836 with their settlement in Illinois. From then on the number of immigrants, while fluctuating, steadily increased. In 1840, there were only ten immigrants found in Iowa; by 1850 the number had risen to 361, by 1860 to 5,688, and by 1870 to 17,556. There were five principal factors attracting the Norwegians to Iowa: the lure of large, fertile tracts of land at a cheap price; 33 Haugen, Einar, The Norwegians in America. New York: Teachers College Press, 1967. letters written from Iowa immigrants to relatives and friends in Norway; similar letters to relatives living in other parts of the United States; favorable articles appearing in the Norwegian-American press; and finally, the contagious enthusiasm of Iowans traveling through the earlier immigrant settlements. In Iowa, there are considered four areas of Norwegian settlement. The earliest settlement was in the Sugar Creek district of Lee County in 1839. This settlement never became an important center, in part due the its location, which was far removed from the main current of the immigrant stream. The Norwegians settled at St. Ansgar, Mitchell County in the summer of 1853. It is noteworthy that the pioneer clergyman and pathfinder, C. L. Clausen, was the sponsor and pioneer director of this enterprise. From St. Ansgar the settlements spread to the west as far as Emmet County and also to the north and south into adjoining regions. Worth and Winnegabo counties of this area became the destination of hundreds of immigrants. The immigrants came to Story County in 1855. These immigrants, from Kendall County, Illinois, were organized as a Lutheran congregation before leaving for Iowa. From a modest site about a mile east of the present town of Huxley, Norwegian communities sprang up in Hamilton and Humboldt counties. Northeast Iowa is by far the largest and mosted long-lived Norwegian settlement in the state. Clayton County was first settled in 1846. By the 1850s, large and numerous settlements occurred in the four counties, particularly Winneshiek County. Here, Luther College and the Decorah Poster;, prominent institutions in the cultural development of 35 Bergmann, Leola N., "The Norwegians in Iowa," Palimpsest, Vol. XL, No. 8, Iowa City, Ia.: The State Historical Society, August, 1959. the group, were established. The first settlers, who came from Rock and Dane counties, Wisconsin, usually entered Iowa at McGregor's Landing, a town directly opposite the mouth of the Wisconsin River. From this point they proceeded as far as possible in the general northwesterly direction over the so-called Military Trail, which terminated at Fort Atkinson in Winneshiek County. The first Norwegians to arrive in Winneshiek County were Ole Halvorson Valle and Ole Tollefson Kittelsland, who came from Wisconsin on skis to Fort Atkinson, Iowa, early in 1843. Fort Atkinson waB erected in 1840 on the Winnebago Reservation, which until the summer of 1848 included almost the entire countryside around it. Valle and Tollefson got employment alternately at Ft. Atkinson and the nearby Indian agency and Indian school, where more than two hundred soldiers, supervisors, teachers, and workers kept busy working with 2,500 Native Americans. Ole Valle previously had worked as an agricultural teacher for the Native Americans at Fort Atkinson. Part of his responsibility included breaking up pieces of bottom land on the Upper Iowa river. One of the largest fields thus prepared for the Native Americans to plant their corn was situated just below the outlet of Trout Creek, located near the present Washington Prairie area. One record can be found that indicates that Peter Olson enlisted as a regular soldier in Captain Morgan's Mounted Dragoons at the fort in July 1847, and stayed in the company until September, 1848. Ole Valle left Fort Atkinson to farm in Read Township, Clayton County, in 1846. His reports to friends in the Koshkonong and Rock Prairie settlements in Wisconsin brought others in 1848. The Clayton County settlement frequently was known as the "Turkey River" settlement, 37 taking the name of a creek flowing through the county. At the same time, a large number of Germans were taking land in Clayton County and it was not long before good lands were gone and made further Norwegian settlement impossible. Census figures show that by 1850, only two Norwegian families remained in Clayton County. In 1849, the Paint Creek area in Allamakee County was settled as the result of explorations by scouts from Rock Prairie, Wisconsin, who were searching for desirable lands in Iowa. Four advance agents - Ole Larson, Ole O. Storla, Svend Hesla, and Nils T. Roe - crossed the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien and followed a trail along Paint Creek until they found a site that proved satisfactory in what became Paint Creek Township. They then returned to Wisconsin and in the following spring a party of eight settlers set forth from Rock Prairie and arrived on May 29, 1850. A sufficient number more arrived the same year to swell the census of 1850 to 106 Norwegians, including twenty-three families. The Paint Creek settlement began not far west of Lansing, stretching westward from that point for about fifteen miles. It had convenient access to the markets at McGregor and Prairie du Chien. The Norwegian element in Allamakee County grew in number to 1,187 in 1860 and 2,785 in 1870, concentrated in the townships of Paint Creek, Taylor, Center, Jefferson, Waterloo, Hanover, and Makee. The county of Northeastern Iowa that was destined to contain the largest number of Norwegian settlers was Winneshiek. A group of twelve families settled the Washington Prairie area in the summer of 1850. These and others who arrived before the census was taken in 1850 numbered 99, including 22 heads of families. A letter from a Glenwood Township settler, Nils Toven, to his father in West Toten district in 38 Norway, caused a prospective emigrant group there to go to Iowa instead of Texas. A large group left Olso in April, 1853, traveling via Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Racine, Blue Mounds, Prairie du Chien, and McGregor, to Glenwood Township, where they arrived on July 4, 1853. Thus direct immigration to Iowa from Norway began at an early date, and the completion of the railroad later in the 1850s influenced its continuation. "Emigranten" for July 1, 1853, reported the rapid growth of the town of Decorah, which was to be a center for Norwegian cultural and religious life. By 1856 there were 1,451 Norwegians in the county, according to the state census of that year. This number had grown to 4,207 by 1860, and to 8,302 in 1870, with the largest concentration in the townships of Pleasant, Springfield, Glenwood, Hesper, Highland, Lincoln, Madison, Military, Calmar, Decorah, and Frankville. The earliest Norwegian settlement in Winneshiek county was formed at Washington Prairie in June, 1850, when a number of families moved in from Racine and Dane Counties, Wisconsin. Those who came in the latter part of June, 1850, and settled in the area were: Eric Anderson (Rudi), the brothers Ole and Staale T. Tostenson (Haugen) from Flekkefjord, Ole Gullikson (Jevne), Ole A. and Andrew O. Lomen, Knut Anderson (Bakken), Anders Hauge, John Johnson (Quale), and Halvor Halvorson (Groven), all from Valders,Norway, and Mikkel Omli from Telemarken, Norway. Another party from Wisconsin headed by Nels Johnson, arrived in the county on July 2, 1850, and these selected claims in what is now Springfield, Glenwood, and Decorah townships. The party included Tollef Simonsin (Aae), Knud G. Opdahl, Jacob Abrahamson, Iver Peterson (Qvale), Gjermund Johnson (Kaasa), and John Thun. The history of the Washington Prairie settlement focuses upon their first pastor, Reverend Ulrik Vilhelm Koren. In 1852, the congregation issued a call to a committee of the Church of Norway for a minister. In December of 1853, the Korens arrived at the Washington Prairie settlement where he served as a pastor for fifty-seven years. During his ministry he planned the construction of the two churches and both parsonages. It is of some interest that the Chicago architect who drew plans for the second Washington Prairie Lutheran Church also was responsible for the plans for the Glenwood Church, Stavanger Church, and the old Luther College Main. This may have occurred due to Reverend Koren's close contact with the area churches and the fact that Koren was one of three founders of Luther College. During the early years of his pastorate, Koren ministered to Norwegian Lutherans throughout northeastern Iowa and in the adjacent counties in Minnesota. It has been said that he assisted with the creation of over fifty local Lutheran churches in this area. By 1883, his ministering was reduced to Washington Prairie and two neighboring communities. In the meantime, he had assumed the leadership of the Norwegian Lutherans in America. Because of this larger influence of its pastor, Washington Prairie Lutheran Church became closely identified with the early history of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. It has been considered the "mother" church of this denomination. It was under Pastor Koren's leadership that the small denomination decided to build a college in nearby Decorah. The decision to proceed with the plans for the college was made in Washington Prairie Church at the first synod meeting to held west of the Mississippi, in October 1857. Through the efforts of Reverend Koren and others, $150,000 was I. « raised to locate the college in Decorah. In 1888, Ulvik Koren was joined in the parish work by his son, Paul, a graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Paul's arrival may have contributed to the split of the church. During the late 1880s there was a theological conflict over the predestination issue. Abraham Jacobson and others from the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church broke off their contact and began a new North Washington Prairie Church in 1890. Abraham did not agree with the Korens, who favored predistination. Ulvik Koren died in 1910 and his son carried on the ministry until 1941. The consecutive pastorates spanned eighty-eight years and this may explain the firm implanting and growth of the Washington Prairie tradition. Another minister at the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church who played a significant role in the areas history was Pastor Oscar Engebretson. The committee charged with selecting a pastor learned of a young minister who wanted to devote his life to rural church work. This circumstance led to the acceptance of their call by Oscar E. Engebretson, who came equipped with eleven years' experience and a devotion to country church work. The Evangelical Lutheran Church had come to look to him for leadership in Christian education and in rural work. He served as a member of the denomination's rapidly developing board of education since 1944. He played an active role on the Evangelical Lutheran Rural Life Commission. As a preacher, his style and accent were reminiscent of Peter Marshall's. One of the amazing things about Pastor Engebretson was his complete identification with the farmers he served. While at the church, he and his sons farmed the 67 acre plot of land which was part of the parsonage. Pastor Engebretson preached to the area farmers his belief that conservation of the soil is a moral issue, a matter of Christian stewardship. His interest in raising the level of farm life made him an advocate of special rural leadership training in liberal arts colleges. He felt that the number of farm youth who attend agricultural colleges would always be small. It was his belief that liberal arts colleges, particularly the denominationally supported schools, should provide a shorter course of study for farm youth, designed to contribute to the enrichment of life in rural communities. Pastor Engebretson was liberal in his social and economic views. He was ultraconservative theologically. In a smaller man, these apparent contradictions could lead to confusion and distraction. In Oscar Engebretson they blend and balance. The congregation followed him in his conservative theology and his liberal practices. The following quote from Rev. Engebretson reflects his belief in good conservation practices: "Church people must neccessarily look upon the land as a gift of God put in our trust, to be used wisely. Impoverished land makes for impoverished farm people, with all the attendant ills." Another significant religious individual connected to a historic site at Washington Prairie is Pastor Ole Peter Petersen. The Washington Prairie Methodist Church, which is listed on the National Register, is considered the mother church of Methodism in Norway. The founder of the congregation, Ole Peter Petersen, returned to Norway in 1853 and founded the first Methodist congregation in that country. The members of the immigrant congregation contined to meet in homes for another ten years and then constructed, with their own hands and from the surface limestone in the area, the church which is now preserved by the Norwegian-American Museum. Ole Petersen later returned to the United States and continued to have periodic affiliation with the historic congregation in Iowa. From the same congregation came also Asle Knudsen, one of the great Methodist preachers of the pioneer period. The esteem in which the Methodists of Scandinavia hold the pioneer church at Washington Prairie was exemplified by the fact that the Bishop of the North European Methodist Conference journeyed from Stockholm to participate in the rededication of the building in 1972, when it was placed under the auspices of the Norwegian-American Museum. The architectural significance of the church lies largely in its exceptionally original condition. Having been used only quarterly from 1888 to about 1920, when the church was officially closed, it never underwent the modernization which has occurred in most early religious structures. Most of the major loose inventar--organ, lamps, altar table, chalice, etc.--had been stored in the boiler room of a church in the city of Decorah. All was made available to the Museum when it brought the Church back to its original state in the early 1970s. Some historical background should be given to Ole Peter Petersen and his ministry. Much of the following history comes from Arlow Andersen's book, The Salt of the Earth. Petersen and his wife arrived in America in June of 1850, and later that year he became an assistant at the Bethel Ship. In the fall of 1851, he was transferred to the Iowa Conference. On November 10, 1851, he arrived at the Nelson Johnson cabin and preached the first sermon under his new orders. A congregation was organized in the spring of 1852. Johnson's log cabin was probably the first Norwegian Methodist meeting house west of the ^3 Mississippi River. It was during his visit to Cambridge in April 1853, that Petersen received a letter from Bishop Waugh, calling him to missionary service in Norway. Petersen's decision was momentous. Upon it depended, in large measure, the future development of Methodism in the European homeland. Not all was patriotic celebrating in the little Washington Prairie community on July 4, 1953. On that day, Petersen left the flock which he had served for only a year and nine months. The ever faithful Nelson Johnson drove the Petersens to McGregor, where a tearful parting took place. Henry W. Reed, the presiding elder, expressed the feelings of many when he reported to Bishop Waugh his doubts as to whether the Norwegians in Iowa would ever be privileged to have the equal of 0. P. Petersen in their midst. Petersen, then a member of the Iowa Conference, retained his membership in it. He was the first missionary to represent that body overseas. Since he had to leave before the annual meeting, the Wyoming Conference, then in session, recommended him for ordination as elder. He arrived in Christiania (now Oslo) in December, 1853. The other National Register site at Washington Prairie is the Jacobson farmstead. The historical significance of the Jacobson farm is threefold: the continuity of development which it reveals from the period of settlement in 1850 through three generations to 1949, the extent of remaining physical and written documention of the farm's history, and the significance of the second generation owner and operator Abraham Jacobson. The Jacobson family was very literate and conscious of history. 44 Detailed records remain in the form of letters, diaries, tax receipts, photographs, etc. which make it possible to document rather precisely the time of construction and alterations of the buildings and to understand their place in the social and economic context of the farm. Much of this documentation is still on the site, and that which remains with the family or has entered archives is accessible. The fact that photography became a hobby in the Jacobson family as early as the 1890s is one of the many circumstances which makes th historical documentation of the farm unique. Though the farm represents a culture and way of life typical for a large percent of immigrants from rural Norway who continued to reap their livelihood directly from the land in this country, the owner and operator from 1878 to 1910, Abraham Jacobson, was a figure of considerable historic interest. He arrived in America as a child with his parents in 1848, but he was quick to enter American intellectual and political life. He made connection with the Lincoln family while studying theology in Springfield, Illinois, from 1852 to 1859 and remained in contact with Robert Lincoln later in life. He did social and missionary work in the Dakotas and Canada before accepting a call to a Norwegian Lutheran parish in southern Wisconsin in 1877. After leaving it to take over the family farm in Iowa ten years later, he served as president of a mutual insurance company, carried out horticultural experiments, wrote on historical, cultural, and purely practical subjects in periodicals and newspapers, and served as district representative to the state legislature of Iowa from 1903 to 1905. Pastor Jacobson was an instrumental member of the Old Settlers Association which was formed as part of the county's centennial ^5 observance. Their effort to collect information about early settlers may have prompted the call to have a monument raised to list the names of those otherwise forgotten people who had been buried at the first cemetery in the county. Abraham Jacobson was a prime mover in the efforts to have the monument erected. The structure, weighing over 4,000 pounds of granite, was built on a foundation of 40 loads of rock, at an overall cost of $350. Only thirty-one names with dates of life and death are inscribed on the monument, but over 60 people were assumed to have been buried in the cemetery. The monument was dedicated August 25, 1887 with about 800 people in attendance. Only a few years after the Pioneer Cemetery dedication, the North Washington Prairie congregation was begun as a result of the Election Controversy. Pastor Abraham Jacobson along with others from the community became members of this church. This congregation built its church building a short distance from the Pioneer Cemetery and established its cemetery adjacent to it. The demarcation between the two cemeteries is no longer clear. There is no fence or other barrier separating the two. The farm fence lines are evident both to the north and across the road to the south of the cemeteries. Further work is needed to do a thorough survey of the death records, as well as of neighboring congregations, such as Springfield Lutheran, and even Washington Prairie Methodist Church, and the other congregations that once formed Little Iowa Congregation. One of the founders of the Washington Prairie settlement in Winneshiek County, Iowa, was Nelson Johnson Kaasa, known simply as Nelson Johnson after dropping the farm name, Kaasa. He first made his h6 living in the new world as a railsplitter in the vicinity of Milwaukee, thus paying for his ocean voyage. That was in 1839, when he was also paying for a farm in Yorkville Prarie, Racine County. His earliest religious experiences synchronize closely with the beginnings of Methodism in Racine. When new land was opened for settlement west of the Mississippi, Nelson Johnson was chosen to lead a caravan from Muskego to Iowa in May of 1850. The group reached Washington Prairie area in early July, 1850. Nelson Johnson settled in the SW of the NE, section 36, Decorah Township where he farmed for a number of years. Nelson Johnson's home became the first Norwegian Methodist meeting house west of the Mississippi river. Here 0. P. Petersen organized the Washington Prairie faithful in April, 1852, with seven charter members. From the Johnson home itself went forth seven well educated sons and daughters. All attended Methodist colleges. Martin, United Sates Senator from North Dakota at the time of his death in 1909, and his brother Louis, committed themselves to the Christian life while attending Upper Iowa University at Fayette. James A. Sanaker, veteran preacher, tells of being received into membership with them at Washington Prairie on a Sunday morning in 1868, the pastor then being Arne A. Johnsen. Nelson Johnson himself preached the gospel as a deacon for 25 years, ministering mainly to congregations in Iowa. He was seriously handicapped in the pulpit, however, by a speech difficulty resulting from two throat operations performed while he was serving Cambridge, Wisconsin, in the years 1855-57. The name of Erick Anderson is closely connected with the early pioneer history of Washington Prairie. He came to the county in 1850, and for the remainder of his life was connected with mercantile and agricultural pursuits. Alexander's History of Winneshiek County contains a brief history of the first settlement to Washington Prairie. The Anderson party emigrated from Dane County, Wisconsin in the summer of 1850. The group found land in Springfield Township that suited them and took up their claims in June, 1850. But it seems that another party, Thor Peterson's group, had preceded them by a few days, and had laid claim to the very land on which Anderson's company had squatted. At that time there was a county organization for the protection of settlers against claim-jumpers, if such they were called. It was an imperative law with this association that the man who first registered his claim at Moneek had a perfect title to the same. The Peterson party demanded that the Anderson party move off what they called their claims; but the other party was determined not to surrender their claims until obliged to, and consequently they immediately dispatched a representative to Moneek, whose duty it was to ascertain if the Peterson party had registered their claims. On examination he found that no registration had been made, and he took advantage of their tardiness and registered the claims for his party. The matter was finally compromised; the Anderson party paying some indemnity for their usurpat i on. Erick Anderson entered land in the southern part of Springfield township with his arrival. However, he did not engage at once in its cultivation but accepted a position as clerk in a general store at Frankville and remained there two years. He then made his way to Ossian, where he established himself independently in general 48 merchandising business, and was so engaged until 1861, when he was elected to the position of sheriff of Winneshiek County. In 1863, at the expiration of his term, he again moved to his farm, which contained two hundred and sixty-five acres. He left his mark upon the settlement by his diverse work as sheriff, school teacher, merchant, farmer and local preacher. Erick Anderson passed away on June 23, 1906, after an illness and was buried in the family plot at the Washington Prairie Methodist Church. Erick Anderson came from the Rude farm in Voss, Norway. It was he who, together with Nelson Johnson and others who had come from the Fox River settlement, requested Henry W. Reed, presiding elder of the Upper Iowa District, to appoint a man fluent in the Norwegian language to Washington Prairie. The response cam in the person of Ole Peter Petersen. Erick and Helena Egge represented one of the old well known and highly respected pioneer families at Washington Prairie. Erick came to the United States in 1848, locating first in Wisconsin, where he resided near Racine for a bout a year, after which he came to Winneshiek County, Iowa. He purchased the farm on section 6, Frankville Township, and that remained his home throughout his life. He was a carpenter by trade, following that occupation for two or three years after his arrival in the United States, but later he took up agricultural pursuits. He was married in Winneshiek County to Miss Helena Egge, and they became the parents of eight children. Both of the Egges were very active members of the Lutheran church, in the work which they were deeply interested. He was also a stanch supporter of higher education and gave liberally of his money and labor 49 toward the building of Luther College, which was founded by the Rev. Vilhelm Koren. Rev Koren, who was the organizer of the Lutheran congregation at Washington Prairie, spent the first six months after his arrival in this district at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Egge. The reason for the lodging of the Korens with the Egges has never been determined, but it may have resulted from the Egges ties to the church. The original farmstead included one hundred and sixty acres upon where Erick first located upon arrival to Winneshiek County. The original home of the family, built by Erick in 1850, was given to Luther College as part of their outdoor collection in 1913. The log house, 14' by 16', was given to the college by Paul Egge. A prominent member of the Washington Prairie community was Johan Hagen, a parochial school teacher. A proposal to employ a permanent school teacher was made in December 1884. A home for this teacher, with 5 to 10 acres of land, would be necessary. Such land and house was to be located close to the church. Abraham Jacobson, a member of the committee named to choose a place, reported in 1886 that the committee found the only suitable sites to be the former Johnsrud's house or the southwest corner of the church property. As it turned out, both locations were used, in a sense. The building site was offered by John Hegg and money was raised in 1893 to build a house there. In 1885 Pastors Sagen and Koren were delegated by the congregation to investigate the possibility of calling a permanent teacher. Johan Hagen, who had been in the United States previously and had taught at Spring Grove for some years, but had then returned to Norway to teach there, was called as the permanent teacher. He came in 1888 and taught until July 1918. 50 Johan Hagen taught at the Rovang School in the southwest corner of SW SW, Section 15, Springfield Township. The date of its construction is not certain. According to materials used for training of museum guides at Vesterheim, the Rovang School was built by the Washington Prairie congregation "almost as soon as Pastor U. V. Koren got the type of teacher he wanted." It was built not for the 3 R's, but for the "4th R", religion. Hagen was very strict as a teacher. He taught only in Norwegian, and did not permit the use of English either in the school or the school yard. He occasionally used books on the heads of pupils, and rulers on their hands, as well as grabbing them by the hair. Boys were to have long sleeved shirts, with sleeves rolled down and buttoned. After Hagen's retirement in 1918, probably over the issue of using English only in the schools (because of anti-foreign language sentiment associated with the war), he moved to Oecorah where he died, July, 1936. One of the more progressive horticulturalists in the Washington Prairie area was Ole O. Lomen. He was the son of Ole Anderson Lomen and Marit Knudsdatter, who immigrated from Vang, Valdres, Norway. Ole A. Lomen, along with his brother Andrew, were members of Erick Anderson's group of settlers who came in June of 1850. The son, Ole 0. Lomen, never cared for either Pastor U. V. Koren or Paul Koren. This was due in part to the church issue, and the doctrinal controversy of the late 1880's. Over a period of 25 years, starting in 1898, Ole O. Lomen planted an orchard of upwards of a thousand trees, comprised of nearly 100 varieties of apples. This led to his receiving the nickname of "Apple Lomen." (In distinction from "Heste" or "Horse" Lomen, who lived a 51 short distance away). Apples provided 1/4 to 1/3 of the family's annual income. Up to 500 barrels of apples were sold per year. Because of the risk of rust on the apples, there are no cedar trees on the Lomen farm. (The cedar tree hosts the spore for the disease.) Ole O. Lomen was one of the founders of the Winneshiek County Horticultural Society and served as its secretary for 26 years. He also was a member of the Northeast Iowa and Iowa State Horticultural Societies. All the records of the Winneshiek County Horticultural Society were given to the Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah ca. 1980-82. Ole's son, Erlin, carried on his father's interest in horticulture. As a student at Iowa State, Erlin often took part in horticulture shows. One year he supervised the exhibit and therefore felt he should not have an entry. His professor noticed Erlin's absence and insisted that he take part. Although the fruits available for entries by the students had already been "gone over" by the others, Erlin chose from what was left and ended up with 15 blue ribbons out of 17. In 1924-25 Erlin took 65 varieties of apples for display and fair entri es. Another noteworthy member of the Washington Prairie was Cornelius (C. J.) Torgrimson. His father, Jacob Torgrimson, came from Telemark, Norway, to the Muskego Settlement in Wisconsin in 1850. There he married Ragnhild "Randi" Knutsdatter and moved to Winneshiek County in 1851. Ragnhild was also from Telemark and had come to Muskego in 1848. Jacob bought land in Springfield Township for $1.25 an acre. Cornelius (C.J.) Torgrimson was educated at Marshall Academy near Madison, Wisconsin. He married Elena Jacobson at Clinton, Wisconsin, 52 February 26th, 1880. When they were married, her father gave them two Holstein heifers and a bull as a wedding present. These were shipped to Ossian and eventually became the nucleus of C.J.'s herd and of many other herds in the county. C.J. may have been a charter member of the Holstein-Frisian Association of America. In the family "archives" is a Certificate of Transfer of a bull, from Vol. 2, #1745. C.J. Torgrimson was one of the founders of the Nordness Creamery in 1889, serving as manager and later as secretary/treasurer. His work as manager entailed shipping butter to distant cities. C.J. apparently attended the Buttermakers' Convention at Sioux Falls on January 25th, 1899. C.J. Torgrimson was instrumental in establishing a rural telephone service in the early 1900's. He helped organize the Winneshiek County Equity Shipping Association in 1916. He also served as president of the Board of Education of Springfield Township, beginning in 1903. Cornelius built a new home some distance from his parents in 1880. The construction of this new house was an invention for young C.J. He crushed limestone from a quarry owned by his uncle, mixed it all himself, and built his house up by his own manufactured limestone cement. Although no history of the Washington Prairie congregation, nor of the Washington Prairie Methodist congregation, nor of the North Washington Prairie Lutheran congregation, has been written, there are considerable sources of information about these. In the research done for the sites selected, personal interviews with the current owners of the sites were conducted. In several of these situations there already existed a Family History, sometimes in relation to a Century Farm 53 designation. The quality and depth of these family histories varied considerably; some were well done; others had considerable error. The Diary of Elisabeth Koren was a valuable primary resource. However, it is limited in its scope to those families with whom the Korens had contact; the Methodists are mentioned only briefly and then not in a complimentary way. The footnotes in Diary, relying on the knowledge of the translator, Dr. David Nelson, and Mr. Linnevold, were very helpful. These are often in the nature of reminiscenses and are subject to error. The minutes of congregational meetings of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church are also an excellent resource. The first minutes are those of the Little Iowa congregation (Lille Iowa Menighed) which was divided at the end of 1863 into six separate congregations: Washington Prairie, Glenwood, Calmar, Stavanger, Madison, and Decorah. The first minutes were kept by Pastor U. V. Koren. These obviously reflect what he considered important to include. After the division into six congregations, the minutes of the other congregations were often kept by lay persons. Since Pastor Koren continued to serve Calmar and Glenwood for some years, he did continue to record many of those minutes. Thus, the six congregations share the earliest minutes. In the mimeographed translations of the minutes, prepared for Glenwood by Stella Grinna and for Washington Prairie through the efforts of Hillman Sersland, the same early minutes are in both. After Glenwood became a separate congregation, it had its own minutes, and these are distinct and separate, from 1883-1933, translated from Norwegian by Charlotte Jacobson. Miss Jacobson also did much of the translation of the minutes of Little Iowa and Washington Prairie; these are continuous, with no indication except by contents of the separate congregation affairs. Yet another source was the Ministerial Acts of Little Iowa and Washington Prairie Lutheran Church (es). These include baptismal, confirmation, mariage, and burial records, as well as some communion attendance. The earliest such record book has been microfilmed and is part of the archives of the ELCA; another copy is in the Luther College Library. This first record book was also photocopied by Pastors Richard Sansgaard and Donald Berg, with one copy bound and placed at Washington Prairie and a second copy bound and placed in the archives of the Winneshiek County Historical Society housed at the Luther College Library. Pastor Donald Berg worked with one of these photocopied volumes to prepare an index by families of all the baptisms, then sought to fit in such other materials as confirmations, weddings, deaths, etc. The heads of families, by pairs, were also indexed, making it possible to find a family record sheet for a given family within a short time. This indexing was by first or given name of the father, first or given name of the mother, and farm names, when these were learned. There was no indexing by patronyms. When Decorah Lutheran and First Lutheran congregations, both in Decorah and separated since the late 1880's because of the "Election Controversy", decided to celebrate their centennials in 1989, they chose to prepare a common or shared history of the first twenty-five years, i.e., 1864-1889. Thus, they chose to not include the history of the Little Iowa congregation. The history of the Glenwood congregation, prepared in connection with the anniversary of the church building in 1975, does include some of the early history. Pastor Donald Berg has not investigated what has been done in the earlier years, such as 50th, 55 75th, or 90th anniversaries by the other congregations that once comprised the Little Iowa congregation. Dr. O. M. Norlie, in the two volume set, De Norske Lutherske Menigheter i Amerika, prepared in anticipation of the merger that formed the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America in 1917, does show the common ancestry of the six congregations from the Little Iowa congregation. He also lists those congregations that "splintered off" as the result of the doctrinal disputes of the 1880s, such as Pontoppidan and North Washington Prairie. The Luther College Library has on microfilm the English language newspapers of the Decorah area, beginning with the Decorah Republican from the 1860s. Further, there is on microfilm the Decorah Posten newspaper, beginning in 1874 and continuing to 1972. Although newspapers carry what is provided to them, such as in obituaries, yet these are close to primary sources of information. A project to index the obituaries, marriages, and baptisms, in Decorah Posten is underway. A similar indexing of obituaries in the English language papers has been carried out through ca. 1965, and is being updated periodically. A resource that has not been tapped at all is the collection of Symra articles. Many of Pastor Koren's "reports" are included. Yet another resource that needs to be explored much more thoroughly is the Koren Collection, housed at the Luther College Library. Pastor Donald Berg has been privileged to see and make copies of several letters and documents that have been in the possession, unidentified, of families in the Washington Prairie area for many, many years. I am sure there are many more "out there." We must recognize that many of the families whose names appear in the records of the Little Iowa congregation and its successor congregations were "passing through" on the way to points farther north and west of Decorah and Winneshiek County. Many of these became subscribers to Decorah Posten and reported back via correspondence, anniversary write-ups and obituaries. Pastor Berg did not have access to the more recent minutes of the Washington Prairie or North Washington Prairie congregations. These are in English, except for the first years of North Washington Prairie. But these too have now been translated to English in 1989 by Kathleen Stokker of Luther College. The Diary of Christopher Evans, the translation of which was commissioned by the grandson of Christopher Evans, Rev. Robert Evans of Minneapolis, was a source of considerable information about the North Washington Prairie congregation's beginnings and subsequent life. Yes, it is biased. The diary was translated for Rev. Evans by Carl Narvestad of Granite Falls, MN. In some instances it suffers because of lack of familiarity with the Decorah area by the translator, but otherwise it is an excellent source of much information. The land records in the Winneshiek County Courthouse are readily available, and were used considerably. Several of the families had their land abstracts available, from which key information, especially dates and descriptions of land, could be gleaned. The vital statistics recorded in the office of the clerk of court with marriages from the earliest days of the county, births and deaths from ca. 1900, and probates from the very earliest days of the county, have also been helpful. The histories of Winneshiek County, by Sparks, Alexander and 57 Bailey, are of little help. The biographies found in Vol. 2 of Bailey's History of Winneshiek County were of some help, but are filled with errors and inadequate information. Unfortunately, not all people had their biographies included; only those who agreed to purchase a volume or set of the books could be included, apparently. The compiler of these was not of Norwegian descent; this fact becomes very evident in his treatments of the people's stories. Many more articles, such as anniversaries of marriages, from Decorah_Posten and similiar Norwegian language newspapers, need to be uncovered and translated. The Roberg file of such items, housed at the Norwegian-American Historical Association in the Rolvaag Library at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, provides some of this type of material. Most of it is in Norwegian, untranslated thus far. It begins, however, in ca. 1914, and is thus rather late for much of what needs to be learned earlier. Time limitations and distance from Decorah prevented Pastor Donald Berg from using the materials assembled by a seminary intern in the summer of 1989 via interviews with many older members of the Washington Prairie congregation. Some of these people have since died. These interview-verbatim reports are to be typed and made available for future use. Pastor Berg suspects that there is a wealth of information in a collection by Professor David Nelson, the translator of IHary__of Elisabeth Koren. Unfortunately, too, when the Koren family left Washington Prairie in the early 1940s, they "cleaned house" and many valuable resources were destroyed. As indicated by Holand in De Norske Settlementers Historie, and 58 evidenced by study of the 1875 Gazeteer of Winneshiek County, as well as the plat book of 1886, Erick Anderson (RUDE), originally from Valdres but moved to Voss, settled in Section 1 of Springfield Township, but also owned considerable other land, including some in Sections 11 and 14; Andrew O. LOMEN, also from Valdres, apparently is the one who was in Section 11 of Springfield Township; Ole A. LOMEN, from Valdres, was in Sections 2 and 3 of Springfield Township; Halvor Halvorson GROVEN, from Valdres, seems to be in Section 24 of Springfield Township (he was not researched for this project); Knud Anderson BAKKE or BELSHEIM, from Valdres, settled in Section 23 of Springfield Township; Anders (patronym missing) HAUGE, from Valdres, (also not researched for this study) seems to have located in Section 2 of Springfield Township; Ole Gulliksen HEVNE, from Valdres, settled in Section 8 of Springfield Township; Mikkel OMLIEM from Telemark, owned land in Sections 23, 24, and 26 of Springfield Township; Ole T. HAUGEN and his brother, Staale T. HAUGEN, from Heggebostad near Flekkefjord, are probably found in Sections 14 and 23 of Springfield Township. Staale died early, so the land ownership is not shown for him on the map plat. Nor were these brothers subjects of this research. It is difficult to determine at this point where Johannes QUALE, from Haugesund, settled. There were other QUALE/KVALE/QUALLEY settlers, many of whom were from Valdres. None of these were directly related to this study. John H. BRAKSTAD, from Voss, settled in Decorah Township, Sections 35 and 36. The second group of settlers, all from Soknedal in Ringerike: (SKOTLAND, LAND, and SANDAGER) settled near Whiskey Grove, near Calmar. They were outside the purview of this study. The third group settled as follows: Nils Johnson KAASA, from 59 Hitterdal, in Section 36 of Decorah Township; Gjermund Johnson KAASA, also from Hitterdal, believed to be in Section 31 of Glenwood Township; Jacob Abrahamson, from Tinn, Telemark, in Section 2 of Springfield Township; Aslak S. AA, from Kviteseid, Telemark, in Section 36 of Decorah Township; Ivar QUALE, from Valdres, according to Mrs. Bakken's account, died young. It has not been included in this survey where he settled. Knud G. OPDAHL, from Valdres, was in Section 14 of Springfield Township; John W. THUNE, also from Valdres, settled in Section 30 of Glenwood Township; and Tollef S. AA, who came a bit after the others, also from Kviteseid, Telemark, was in Section 1 of Springfield Township. The various legal descriptions of the sites surveyed are included in the report. Many of these were not among the very first to settle here, but came within a few years, almost all before 1860. There seem to be several factors in the decisions of the earliest settlers as to where to locate and buy land. The background BYGD (district) of Norway, particularly for Valdres and Telemark at the beginning and Sogn somewhat later, kept the settlers fairly close together. It should be noted, however, that many of these settlers had come from Wisconsin, and therefore, had become acquainted with each other. So their BYGD of origin was less significant than for those who came a bit later, such as the Sognings. A second factor quite clearly was the church affiliation. Although not all of those who were to be the minority group that founded the Washington Prairie Methodist congregation settled very close to the church site, there were many who did. Some of those not surveyed were affiliated with the Springfield Lutheran Church; yet there was often interchange of members between these two Lutheran congregations, Springfield and Washington Prairie. 60 The examples of Abraham Jacobson and the Lomens come to mind, but there were others whose names appear in both ministerial acts books. A third possible factor, which has not been investigated in depth thus far, would be the occupational background of the settlers, e.g. buttermaker, blacksmith, farmers of different types. This would determine to some extent the type of terrain the people would seek. Yet another factor could be the prior relationship from the previous settlements where they lived in Wisconsin. The story that is told in Holand's History of the Norwegian Settlers (pp. 339-40 in the Norwegian text) illustrates this point well. The survey results indicated that the ethnic heritage of the community was the principal theme. As already cited in this paper, this area has retained its ethnic heritage for one-hundred-forty years. The existence of eighteen Century Farms within the original Washington Prairie settlement attests to the rich Norwegian-American history and lore associated with this community. A review of the farm owners' names from a current county platbook indicates that the area is still predominantly Norwegian-American in character. This cohesive community has been fortunate because the economic forces such as urban expansion and industry have not encroached upon this agricultural scene. The annual Nordic Fest supper held at the church reveals the community's proud association and identity with their Nordic heritage. The two secondary themes, which have been discussed earlier in this paper, are the strong religious force of the church and the rural farm economy of the region. Since Rev. Koren's arrival to Washington Prairie in 1853, the pastor's role and influence has had a major impact on the people and the land. This influence can be seen in the late 1930s, when 61 then Pastor Oscar Engebretson of Washington Prairie preached for good land stewardship and soil conservation practices. Soil conservation had its beginnings in the United States at Coon Valley, Wisconsin, in the early 1930s. Washington Prairie began soil conservation practices in 1937, and was the first in the county. Perhaps this may be the first such work done in the state of Iowa. Another example of the closeness of the community is revealed by the construction of the parish hall at the church. Members of the congregation quarried the same limestone for this addition from the Bruvold and Hegg quarries which had been used for the construction of the church in the early 1870s. All the labor was volunteered by members of the congregation for the completion of the hall by 1948. Of the surveyed properties, eighteen sites should be considered for further research and National Register nomination. The Washington Prairie Lutheran Church and parsonage qualify under criteria consideration A as a religious propertys, and have ethnicity and religion for their themes. In addition, the ministry of Rev. U. V. Koren at Washington Prairie clearly fits under criterion B: properties that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Criterion B allows consideration of properties associated with individuals whose specific historic contributions to our society can be identified and documented. The church and parsonage would also fit under criterion C where they embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction by illustrating the way in which a property was conceived, designed, or fabricated by a people or culture in past periods of history. The Viste log house would qualify under the above stated criterion 62 C, and criterion A, as a property associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. The use of the site in December 1853, to hold the first Norwegian-American worship service is historically significant for this settlement and for Norwegian-American history. The other fifteen properties qualify for criterias A and D, and have ethnicity, architecture, and settlement as their themes. These properties are listed later in this report as potential National Register nominations. They qualify under the above stated criterion A, and criterion D where they have the potential to yield important information about some aspect of prehistory or history, including events, processes, institutions, design, construction, settlement, migration, ideals, beliefs, lifeways, and other facets of the development or maintenance of cultural systems. Seven of the sites have either been moved or razed. These properties are significant in the history of the community and may yield further information once an archaeological survey is conducted in this area. It is known that a Native American site once existed on the Jacobson farm. A collection consisting of varying sizes and forms of projectile points and knives, which range in time from the Archaic period (6000 B.C - 1500 B.C.) through the Woodland period (Early 1500 B.C. - 500 B.C.; Middle 500 B.C. - A.D. 300; Late A.D. 300 - A.D. 1200/1300) is now in the Vesterheim collection. Since all these materials were found in one place its could be hypothesized that this area was consistently used as a processing station where butchering and hide working activities were conducted. 63 SITE NAME STRUCTURE CONTSTRUCTION DATE Andrew Bakke Farm Barn c. 1880 Granary c. 1880 House 1865 Daryl Bergan Farm Barn c. 1910 House c. 1875 Outbuildings c. 1900 Joseph Berge Farm Barn c. 1880 House c. 1892 Arthur Branhagen Farm Barn c. 1880 House c. 1875 Icehouse c. 1870 Springhouse c. 1870 Branhagen School Site (razed) c. 1862 Paul Bruvold North Farm Barn c. 1880s Paul Bruvold South Farm Barn c. 1880 House c. 1860 Edward Clement Farm Barn c. 1880-1900 Granary 1888 House 1901 Egge Log House Site (moved) 1852 First Schoolhouse Site (razed) 1852 David Hegg Farm Granary c. 1890 House c. 1870 Icehouse 1860s Outhouse/woodshed c. 1870 Tobacco Barn 1908 6k John Hegg Farm Barn 1872-73 Hagen House Site c. 1888 House 1860 Quarry Site 1869 Wayne Huinker Farm Barn 1867 Log house c. 1860 Davis Johnson Farm Granary 1900 House c. 1908 Storage Shed c. 1900 Howard Johnson Farm Barn c. 1870 Granary c. 1870 Apple Lomen Farm Barn 1895 House early 1850s Ice/milkhouse 1916 Orchard 1898 Erlin Lomen Farm Barn c. 1890 House c. 1900 Howard Nesheim Farm Barn c. 1873 Log Calf Barn 1850s Nordness Telephone Exchange Residence 1938 North Washington Prairie (razed) 1890 Church Site North Washington Prairie Cemetery 1891 Cemetery Opdahl Cemetery Cemetery 1857 Pioneer Monument Pioneer Monument 1887 Red Oak Creamery Site (razed) c. 1890 65 Rovang Log Parochial School (moved) 1879 Site Gene Sivesind Farm Barn c. 1880 Granary c. 1875-80 Hay Barn c. 1880 House c. 1890 Pumphouse c. 1880 Ernest Soland Farm Barn c. 1880 Granary c. 1880 House c. 1876 Stone Horse Shed c. 1870 Andrew Spilde Farm Chicken House c. 1870 Log House c. 1860 Slaughter House (razed) c. 1924 Greg Torgrim Farm Barn 1892 House c. 1880 Corn Crib c. 1950 Howard Viste Farm Barn c. 1880 Granary c. 1880 Log House 1850-1852 Washington Prairie Lutheran Church 1869-1873 Church Washington Prairie Parsonage Parsonage 1874 Analyzing the properties as to their construction dates, one finds that forty of these sites were built from 1879 through 1890. Between 1850 and 1870, fifteen properties were constructed at the settlement. From 1890 to 1950, seventeen properties appeared on the Washington 66 Prairie landscape. These results would indicate that a possible time boundary of 1870 through 1890 should be considered in a future "Multiple Property Documentation Form" of the Washington Prairie settlement. The consideration if including the earlier time span of 1850 to 1870 in the proposed nomination deserves careful thought. The list below identifies the building type for the surveyed propert i es: 1) 18 houses 13) 1 outhouse/woodshed 2) 20 barns 14) 1 pumphouse 3) 8 granaries 15) 1 corn crib 4) 3 schools 16) 1 ice/milkhouse 5) 2 churches 17) 1 chickenhouse 6) 2 parsonages 18) 2 outbuildings 7) 2 cemeteries 19) 1 telephone exchange 8) 1 creamery 20) 1 memorial monument 9) 2 icehouses 21) 1 orchard 10) 1 springhouse 22) 1 quarry 11) 1 slaughterhouse 12) 1 tobacco barn The following list identifies the building material of the properties surveyed: 1) 7 log 6)1 unknown 2) 7 stone 7) 2 cemeteries 3) 48 frame 8) 1 memorial monument 4) 2 concrete 9) 1 quarry 5) 2 brick 10) 1 orchard The above three lists do not not include the five sites surveyed in 6? 1984 by Steven Johnson for the Winneshiek County Historical Society. These sites are: 1) Red Oak School 4) Nordness School 2) Nordness Blacksmith shop 5) Nordness Creamery 3) Nordness Johnson General Store The two National Register Historic Sites, Washington Prairie Methodist Church and Jacobson Farmstead, also are not included in the lists above. These sites have been copied and are included in the folders along with new properties surveyed. The findings of this survey have resulted in a mixed match to the objectives of the project. The amount of historical information collected as the result of this survey has exceeded the survey's goal. The number of properties inventoried indicates that a multiple resource nomination may be more appropriate than a rural district nomination. There are pockets of potential National Register properties in the area which was surveyed. Sites that need further investigation for potential National Register status are: 1) Washington Prairie Lutheran Church (Criteria Consideration A) 2) Washington Prairie Parsonage (Criteria Consideration A) 3) Branhagen's Stone Icehouse and Stone Springhouse (Criterion A and D) 4) Hegg's Tobacco Barn and Outhouse/Woodshed (Criterion A and D) 5) Berge's House (Criterion A and D) 6) Viste's Log House (Criterion A and C) 7) H. Johnson's Barn and Granary (Criterion A and D) 8) Sivesind's House (Criterion A and D) 68 9) Soland's Stone Horse Stable (Criterion A and D) 10) Torgrim's House (Criterion A and D) 11) D. Johnson's House (Criterion A and D) 12) Spilde's Log House (Criterion A and D) 13) Huinker's Log House and Stone Barn (Criterion A and D) 14) Nesheim's Log Calf Barn (Criterion A and D) The findings from this report would indicate that further work should be conducted in the Washington Prairie Settlement area. Volunteers should canvas the adjacent sections of the area not covered in this project. Additional public meetings should be held to inform the community as to the status of the survey. These meetings could also encourage members of the community to participate in the further work necessary to nominate the areas' properties. The best course of action for the Washington Prairie area toward a future nomination would be a "Multiple Property Nomination" of the settlement. The list of eighteen potential National Register properties should be considered in such a nomination. The historical integrity of the area is exceptional; however, the architectural integrity is spotty in this settlement. Some of the farms in the area have lost significant buildings in the past twenty years. For example, the Orval Bruvold and Ray Rucker farms each lost early immigrant style barns similar to the present barn on the Howard Johnson farm. The first had the barn torn down for a new pole barn, and the other let the local firefighters burn it down as a field exerc ise. The findings of this survey have determined that the Washington Prairie settlement would not qualify for a rural district nomination. The consensus of the survey committee is to recommend a multiple 69 property nomination for the area as its first choice. The lesser choice would be individual nominations of specific sites listed in our report. As the map of the inventoried sites illustrates, the majority of the properties surveyed in this project were located around and west of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church. Further survey work should be concentrated in the eastern area of Elisabeth Koren's map. A survey of this area would add significant information on the already existing history of the settlement. One could reasonably expect to find another forty to fifty sites. The proposed area would be canvassed by the Washington Prairie Historical Committee to locate potential properties before initiating this second stage of surveying. In regards to further historical research, a thorough survey of the death records of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church and the cemetery is needed, as well as of neighboring congregations, such as Springfield Lutheran, and even the Washington Prairie Methodist Church, and the other congregations that once formed the Little Iowa congregation. Research needs to be carried out in the locating of memoirs, articles and obituaries of the individuals who settled at Washington Prairie. The Luther College Library has on microfilm the English language newspapers of the Decorah area, beginning with the Decorah Republican 1860s, and the Decorah Posten newspaper, beginning in 1874 and continuing through 1972. Potential information from these sources would be invaluable for this project. Two areas of further research are the collection of Symra articles and the Koren Collection housed at the Luther College Library. These collections are in Norwegian and would require a great deal of time to translate the appropriate materials. 70 A potential wealth of information in the col lectio by Professor David Nelson, the translator of Diary of Elisabeth Koren should be researched. Unfortunately, too, when the Koren family left Washington Prairie in the early 1940s, they "cleaned house" and many valuable resources were destroyed. Finally, time limitations and distance from Decorah, prevented Pastor Berg from using the materials assembled by a seminary intern in the summer of 1989 via interviews with many older members of the Washington Prairie congregation. Some of these people have since died. As yet, no transcripts have been made from these videotapes. Because of the number of razed properties and abandoned farms, an archaeological survey of the settlement area is in order to give a broader and complete history. This survey could also provide information on the Native American trails and sites which would give a unique perspective on the area's history. Many of the early farm buildings from 1860 to 1890 have been kept in good condition by their descendants; however the trend in corporate farming with large land holdings may eventually be felt in the Washington Prairie area. Already, some of the older farmsteads have been absorbed by neighbors who are sympathic for historic preservation but have no funds for up-keep or repairs. Further survey work should completed on these farms before this form of rural vernacular architecture disappears from the present landscape. 71 Appendix A Page One September 22, 1989 Gjevre RR # 1 Box 136 Decorah, Iowa 52101 Dear Norman & Marian, We are asking you to join the Winneshiek County Historical Society and the Washington Prairie Lutheran Congregation in a cooperative effort to establish what may become the first rural historical district in the State of Iowa. We are asking for your assistance by completing the enclosed questionnaire which will help in determining the historical significance of various buildings in the Washington Prairie Community. In order to complete the first steps in this process, a photographer would like to do a detailed "4 elevation" study of a number of these buildings. A historian may contact you for a history of the buildings selected. It should be noted right from the beginning that if the historical district is established this will not affect your future use of the buildings. The photographer and historian will he present at an open meeting at the Washington Prairie Parish Hall to be held Monday evening, October 9, at 8 P.M. They will handle any questions you may have about this project. You may bring your questionnaire to this meeting or mail it in the enclosed envelope. Sincerely, Wayne Wangsness Chairman Washington Prairie Congregation Steve Johnson President Winneshiek County Historical Society Appendix A Page Two WASHINGTON PRAIRIE AREA FARM SURVEY NAME: DATE ADDRESS TOWNSHIP Is this farm a Century Farm YES NO Do you have a family history relating to this farm site YES NO Could you fill out the following information concerning the building type(house, barn, granary, etc.); date of construction, builders name, and material(log, frame, etc) TYPE DATE BUILDER MATERIAL 1) HOUSE 2) BARN 3) 4) 5). *>) 7) 8) 9) 10) Comments on nay historical material, events, personalities assocaited with the farm or family members? OVER Appendix A Page Three Property Characteristic Form Sketch of Farmstead Layout. Please sketch a rough diagram of the farmyard. Our interest is in the general relationship of the farm buildings to one another. The symbols below are suggested ways of indicating different elements in the farmyard. Appendix B IOWA SITE INVENTORY Survey ID Number Database ID Number Location and Functional Information Nonextant . Historic Name(s) ^2. Common Name(s) Street Address City Vicinity [] 5. County Subdivision 7. Block(s) 8. Lot(s) Legal Description: (If Rural) Township Range Section Quarter of Quarter of Description Code 10. Historic Function(s) 11. Current Function(s) 12. Owner Phone # Address City/State ZIP BHP Sources: Cty. Resource M HABS ]] Photo \ NR Tax Act \1 Grants f DOE R&C [ (Plat Map) (Sketch Map) (Integrity Notes) Roll/Frame Photographer View Location of Negatives: (3X5 photograph) IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM EVALUATION SHEET Architectural Significance and Associated Context(s) Applicable National Register Criteria: [ ] A []B [ ] C [ ] D National Register Eligibility: Individual: Yes No District: Contributing Non-Contributing Reviewed by/Date: Continuation Sheet Historical Significance and Associated Context(s) Applicable National Register Criteria: [ ] A [ ] B []C [ ] D National Register Eligibility: Individual: Yes No District: Contributing Non-Contributing Reviewed by/Date: Continuation Sheet [ Prepared by Date Address Telephone Affliation —— Appendix C - 1 - SCANDINAVIANS IN IOWA BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MATERIAL AT THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA MONOGRAPHS AND SERIALS Ahlstrom, Louis John, Eighty Years of Swedish Baptist Work in Iowa, 1853-1933. (Des Moines, Ia.: The Swedish Baptist Conference of Iowa, 1933) 479p. American-Scandinavian Review, v. 51- , 1963- . Published by the American- Scandinavian Foundation. (New York, 1913- ). American Swedish Historical Foundation, Philadelphia. Yearbook. 1944- . Ander, Oscar Fritiof, The Cultural Heritage of the Swedish Immigrant; selected references. (Rock Island, Ill.: Augustana College Library, 1956) 191p. Andersen, Arlow William, The Immigrant Takes His Stand; the Norwegian-American Press and Public Affairs, 1847-1872. (Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian- American Historical Assoc, 1953) 176p. Andrews, Clarence, Christmas in Iowa. (Iowa City, Ia.: Midwest Heritage, 1979) 126p. Apland, Anfin, A Brief History of the First Norwegian Settlement of Story and Polk Counties in Iowa 1845-1945. (Des Moines, Ia.: Apland, 1945) 15 leaves. Babcock, Kendric Charles, The Scandinavian Element in the United States. (Urbana: The University of Illinois, 1914) 223p. Barton, Albert Olaus, The Beginnings of the Norwegian Press in America. (Madison, Wis.: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1916) 212p. Bedell, L. Frank, Quaker Heritage. (Cedar Rapids, Ia. 1966) 306p. Benson, Adolph Burnett, Americans from Sweden. (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1950) 448p. Bergmann, Leola Marjorie (Nelson), Americans from Norway. (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1959) 324p. Billie, John H., A History of the Danes in America. (San Francisco: R & E Research Associates, 1971) 48p. BjoYk, Kenneth, Saga in Steel and Concrete; Norwegian Engineers in America. (Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian-American Historical Assoc, 1947) 504p. Blegen, Theodore Christian, The "America Letters." (Oslo: Dybwad, 1928) 25p. Blegen, Theodore Christian, Grass Roots History. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1947) 266p. Blegen, Theodore Christian, Land of their Choice; the Immigrants Write Home. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1955) 463p. - 2 - Blegen, Theodore Christian, Norwegian Migration to America. (Northfield, Minn.: The Norwegian-American Historical Assoc, 1931-40) Bogue, Allan G., "The People Come" in Patterns and Perspectives in Iowa History. Edited by Dorothy Schwieder. (Ames, Ia.: Iowa State Press, 1950) pp.81- 104. Boysen, A. and Frederiksen, N.C., Skandinavisk Koloni i Iowa. (Milwaukee, Wis.: n.p., 18??) 12p. Carlisle, Maxine Fallers, The Family of Swan Levine Anderson and his wife Selma Louise Johnson of Sweden and Page County, Iowa. (San Francisco, Calif., 1974. Childs, Marquis William, Sweden; the Middle Way. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1936) 17p. Christensen, Thomas Peter, Dansk Amerikansk Historie. (Cedar Fall, Ia.: Hoist, 1927) 192p. Christensen, Thomas Peter, A History of the Danes in Iowa. (Solvang, Calif.: Dansk Folkesamfund, 1352) 281p. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Genealogical Society. Research Department. Research Papers, Series A-. (Salt Lake City, Utah, 1966- ) Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly. Vol. 1--, April 1928-- (St. Louis, Mo., 1928- ) Danborn, F.A., Our Swedish Pioneers in Swede Point, (s.l.: s.n., 19??) 16p. Dennis, Marian Brownlie, History of Norway, Iowa. (Compiled for the Centennial, 1963) 247p. Evangelical Lutheran Church. Norwegian Synod. Salmebog. (Decorah, Ia.: Lutheran Publishing House, 1903) 304p. Flom, George Tobias, Chapters on Scandinavian Immigration to Iowa. (Iowa City, Ia.: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1906) 150p. Flom, George Tobias, A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States from the Earliest Beginning down to the Year 1848. (Iowa City, Ia.: Private Print., Flom, George Tobias, A History of Scandinavian Studies in American Universities, Together with a Bibliography. (Iowa City, Ia.: State University of Iowa, 1907) 66p. Galland, Isaac, Galland's Iowa Emigrant. (Chillicothe: William C. Jones, 1940) Gjerset, Knut, Luther College Museum. (Decorah, Ia.: Posten Press, 1923) 23p. Haugen, Einar Invald, The Norwegians in America; a Student's Guide to Localized History. (New York: Teachers College Press, 1967) 40p. - 3 - Hawkeye Heritage. Vol. 1- , Winter 1966- (Des Moines, Ia.: Iowa Genealogical Society) Hillbrand, Percie V., The Norwegians in America. (Minneapolis: Lerner, 1967) 79p. History Book, Sheldahl, Iowa. (Sheldahl, Ia., 1974) Holand, Hjalmar Rved, Norwegians in America, The Last Migration: Bits of Saga From Pioneer Life (Sioux Falls, S.D.: Center tor Western Studies, Augustana College, 1978) 240p. Hovde, Oivind M., Norwegian-American Newspapers in Luther College Library. Decorah, Ia.: Luther College Press. 1975) 82p. Iowa: The Home for Immigrants. (Des Moines, Ia.: Mills and Co., 1870) Jacobson, Abraham, The Pioneer Norwegians, Springfield Township, Winneshiek Co., Iowa. (Decorah, Ia.: Republican Print, (n.d.) ) 16p. John Price Jones Company, New York, Fund-Raising Potentials of Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa; a Survey, Analysis and Plan of Action. New York: JPJ Co., 1965) 199p. Johnson, C.J., History of the First Swedish Pioneers who Settled Otter Creek Valley, Situated in Otter Creek and Stockholm Township, Crawford County, Wheeler Twshp, Sac County and Hayes Twshp in Ida County, Iowa, known as the Kiron and Community/ From 1867 to present time, 1915. (Denison, Ia.: The Dennison Review, 1915) 39p. Johnson, Merrill Wells, The Saga of a Norwegian Immigrant Family: Jacob and Anna Johnson. (Cedar Falls, Ia.: Corning, 1974) 31p. Knaplund, Paul, Moorings Old and New; Entries in an Immigrant's Log. (Madison, Wis.,: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1963) 276p. Kolehmainen, John Ilmari, The Finns in America; a Student's Guide to Localized History. (New York: Teachers College Press, 1968) 42p. Koren, Else Elisabeth (Hysing), The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, 1853-1855. Trans lated and Edited by David T. Nelson. (Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian-American Assoc, 1955) 381p. Koren, Else Elisabeth (Hysing), Fra Pioneertiden; Uddrag af Fru Elisabeth Korens dagbog og breve fra femtiaarene. Udg. af Hendes Born. (Decorah, Ia.: Udgivernes Forlag, 1914) 210p. Larson, Laurence Marcellus, The Changing West and Other Essays. (Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian-American Historical Assoc, 1937) 180p. Larson, Laurence Marcellus, The Log Book of a Young Immigrant. (Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian Historical Assoc, 1939) 318p. Lekwa, Verl Loren, The Lekwa Family; Familien Lekva. (Columbus Junction, Ia.: Lekwa, 1973) 129p. - 4 - Letters from the Promised Land: Swedes in America, 1840-1914. Edited by H. Arnold Barton. (Minneapol is: University of Minnesota Press, 1975) 344p. Luther College, Decorah, la. Concert Band. Norgesfaerden, Luther College Concert and Og Chorus; Koncertturneen, 1914. Udgivet af en komite. (Decorah, Ia.: Udgivernes Forlag, 1914) 430p. McDonald, Julie, Amalie's Story. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1970) McDonald, Julie, Petra "on this rock I will build...". (Ames, Ia.: Iowa State University Press, 1978) 186p. Mid-Anerica. vol. 1-11, July 1918-April 1929; vol. 12- , July 1929- (Chicago, 1918- ) Moeller, Hubert L., They Came to Iowa; a Brief History of Ethnic Groups. (Palmer, Ia.: Moeller, 1976) 57p. Montag, Leona Mackie, From Denmark to Iowa; the Story of Frederick Petersen. (Nora Springs, Ia.: Montag, 1978) 90p. Nelson, E. Clifford, The Lutheran Church among Norwegian Americans; a History of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1960) Nelsbn, Olof Nickolaus, History of the Scandinavians and Successful Scandinavians in the United States. 2nd rev. ed. (Minneapolis: O.N. Nelson & Co., 1901) Newhall, John B., A Glimpse of Iowa in 1846. (Burlington, Ia.: W.D. Skillman, 1846) New World Immigrants: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists and Associated Data from Periodical Literature. Edited by Michael Tepper. (Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1979) 2 vols. Nielsen, T.M., How a Dane Became an American. (Cedar Rapids, Ia.: TorSh Press, 1935) 305p: Norelius, Eric, Early Life of Eric Norelius; Journal of a Swedish Immigrant in the Middle West. (Rock Island, Ill.: Augustana, 1934) 320p. Norlie, Olaf Morgan, He Made Good: a Centennial Sketch of Ole Halvorson Norlie, 1845-1896, a Norwegian-American Pioneer. (Northfield, Minn.: Eilron, 1945) 87p. Norlie, Olaf Morgan, History of the Norwegian People in America. (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1925) 602p. Northeast Iowa Oral History Project, Conversations with the Recent Past. Edited by Luis Torres. (Decorah, Ia.: Luther College Press, 1975) 266p. Norwegian American Immigration Anniversary Commission. Book Committee, From Fjord to Prairie: Norwegian-Americans in the Midwest, 1925-1975. (Chicago: N.A.I.A.C, 1976) l66p. Norwegian-American Museum, Norwegian Recipes. (Decorah, Iowa) - 5 - Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa, Vesterheim Directory of Membership, (1977) 43p. Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 1- , 1926- . (Minneapolis: The Norwegian-American Historical Association) Norwegian Settlement at Dunbar, Iowa. Sept. 11, 1908. (s.l.: s.n., 1908?) 70.: microfilm copy. Our Norwegian Immigrants. Edited by Jon Thallaug and Rolf Erickson. (Oslo, Norway: Dreyers Forlag, 1978) 192p. Qualey, Carlton Chester, Norwegian Settlement in the United States. (New York: Arno Press, 1970) 285p. Reed, Robert D., How and Where to Research Your Ethnic-American Cultural Heritage: Scandinavian Americans. (Calif.: Reed, 1979) 28p. Ringsted, Iowa. Diamond Jubilee Book Committee, Ringsted, Iowa, 1899-1974; History of Our Heritage. (Ringsted, Ia., 1374) 160p. Rohne, John Magnus, Norwegian American Lutheranism up to 1872. (New York: MacMillan, 1926) 271p. Rutt, Anna Hong, Our Norwegian Ancestors. (Decorah, Ia.: Anundsen, 1968) Samband. no. 1- , Dec. 1903- . (Minneapolis, Minn.) Scandinavian Genealogical Helper, vol. 1- , July 1969- . (Logan, Utah, Everton). quarterly. Semmingsen, Ingrid, Norway to America: a History of the Migration. Translated by Einar Haugen. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1978) 213p. Skardal, Dorothy Burton, The Divided Heart: Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Through Literary Sources. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1974) 393p. Stephenson, George Malcom, The Religious Aspects of Swedish Immigration; a Study of Immigrant Churches" (Minn.: University of Minnesota Press, 1932) 542p. Swan, Gustavus Nelson, Svenskarna i Sioux City, Nagra Blad ur der as Historia. (Chicago: Jacobson Printing Co., 1912) 262p. Swedesburg, Iowa. Evangelical Lutheran Church. "Sketch of Church Building" Swedesburg, Iowa. Evangelical Lutheran Church. Yearbook. 1923- (Winfield, Iowa: Press of the Beacon) Swedish-American Historical Bulletin...vol. 1- , March 1928- . (St. Peter, Minn.: Swedish Historical Society of America, 1928) Swedish Baptist Church. Center Township, Allamakee County, Iowa. History by Mrs. Edgar F. Medary. - 6 - Swedish Baptist Church (Four Corners). Jefferson County, Iowa. Clippings. The Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 1- , July, 1950- , (Rock Island, Ill.: Swedish Pioneer Historical Society) Symra, vol. 1-10, no. 5/6. 1905-0ct./Dec. 1914. Symra Society, Decorah, Iowa. Published in Norwegian. Annual. U.S. Bureau of the Census,...Census of Religious Bodies: 1926. Norwegian and Danish Evangelical Free Church Association of North America. Statistics, Denominational History, Doctrine, and Organization...(Washington: U.S. Gov't. Printing Office, 1928) 9p. Wellauer, Maralyn, Tracing Your Norwegian Roots. (Milwaukee, Wis.,: Wellauer, 1979) 70p. Wick, Barthinius Larson, The First Swedish Settlers in America and Some of their Descendants. An Address delivered by B.L. Wicks at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 7th, 1926. 4p. Wist, Johannes Benjamin, Norsk-Amerikanernes Festskrift, 1914. (Decorah, Ia.: Symra, 1914) 352p. - 8 - PERIODICAL ARTICLES Ahern, L. Dale, "Decorah Museum Preserves Norwegian Heritage", The Iowan, vol. 11, no. 4, (Summer 1963) p. 6. Anderson, Carl A., "The Saga of Swedesburg", Annals of Iowa, vol. 35, no. 3, (Winter I960) p. 187. Anderson, Joseph A., "Swedish Lutheran Church in Iowa", Annals of Iowa, vol. 11, no. 8, (January 1915) p. 590. Anderson, Myron S., "My Swedish Heritage", The Palimpsest, vol. 47, no. 5, (May 1966) pp. 193-224. Anderson, Myron S., "Story of a Country School", The Palimpsest, vol. 59, no. 5, (Sept/Oct. 1978), p. 130. Bakken, Amelia Johnson, "I Gamle Daga Fra Den Foste Norske Settling av Winneshiek County, Iowa", Hallingen, vol. 157, (December 1951) pp. 15-20. (Not available in Iowa City—try interlibrary loan). Barton, H. Arnold, "A Bibliography of Writings in English by or on Recent Swedish Emigration Historians", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 27, (July 1976) pp. 215-223. Bergmann, Leola Marjorie (Nelson), "The Norwegians in Iowa", The Palimpsest, vol. 40, no. 8, (August 1959) pp. 289-368. Bergmann, Leola Marjorie (Nelson), "Scandinavian Settlement in Iowa", The Palimpsest, vol. 37, no. 3, (March 1956) pp. 129-160. Barry, Mildred Freburg, "Memories of a Swedish Christmas", The Palimpsest, vol. 59, no. 1, (Jan/Feb 1978) p. 20. Bohach, Leona J., "Settlement of St. Ansgar: Miniature Melting Pot", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 46, no. 3, (July 1948) pp. 296-315. Brandt, Mrs. R., "Social Aspects of Prairie Pioneering", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 7 (1933) p. 1. Burgh, Gustaf, "Reminiscences (ca. 1954) of an Iowa Pioneer", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 6 (Jan. 1954) pp. 18-25. Cadbury, Henry Joel, "Four Immigrant Shiploads of 1836 and 1837", Norwegian- American Studies and Records, vol. 2,(1927) p. 20. Calkin, Homer L., "The Coming of the Foreigners", The Palimpsest, vol. 43, no. 4, (April 1962) p. 145. Carlson, Eskil and Quist, Oval, "Early Swedes in Iowa (1845-1882)", American Swedish Monthly, vol. 42, no. 6, (June 1948) pp. 78-9, 102-4. (available at the University of Iowa libraries) Carlsson, Sten, "From Mid-Sweden to the Midwest", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 25 (July-Oct. 1974) pp. 193-207: - 9 - Chrislock, Carl H., "Name Change and the Church, 1918-1920 (Norwegian Lutheran)", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 27, (1977), pp. 194-223. Christensen, Thomas Peter, "The First Cream Separator in the United States", Annals of Iowa, vol. 34, no. 1, (July 1957) p. 56. Christensen, Thomas Peter, "Frederik Lange Grundtvig", Annals of Iowa, vol. 15, no. 2, (Oct. 1943) p. 105. Christianson, J.R., "The Golden Age of Luren", The Palimpsest, vol. 56, no. 5 (Sept/Oct. 1975) p. 141. Christianson, J.R., "Vesterheim", The Palimpsest, vol. 56, no. 5, (Sept/Oct. 1975) p. 131. Clausen, C.A., "An Immigrant Shipload of 1840", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 14, (1944) p. 54. "Conversation With the Recent Past", Annals of Iowa, vol. 43, no. 3, (Winter 1976) p. 192. Dahlberg, Robert Nelson and Dahlberg, Charles Leonard, "Pehr Dahlberg and the First Swedish Settlement in Iowa", Annals of Iowa, vol. 16, no. 5, (July 1928) p. 323. Daniels, George H., "Immigrant Vote in the 1860 Election: The Case of Iowa", Mid-America, vol. 44, (July 1962) pp. 146-162. Ericson, Hon. Charles J.A., "Memories of a Swedish Immigrant of 1852", Annals of Iowa, vol. 8, no. 1, (April 1907) p. 1. Estrem, Andrew, "An Early Norse Settlement in Iowa", Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 39, no. 4, (Oct. 1941) p. 387. Fletcher, Margie Hahn, "Vesterheim: Showplace for a Heritaqe", The Iowan, vol. 26, no. 2, (Winter 1977) p. 4. Flom, George T., "The Coming of the Norwegians to Iowa", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 3, no. 3, (July 1905) p. 347. Flom, George T., "The Danish Contingent in the Population of Early Iowa", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 4, no. 2, (April 1906) p. 220. Flom, George T., "The Growth of the Scandinavian Factor in the Population of Iowa", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 4, no. 2, (April 1906) p. 267. Flom, George T., "The Scandinavian Factor in American Population", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 3, no. 1, (Jan. 1905) p. 57. Friman, Axel, "Swedish Emigration to North America, 1820-1850", Swedish Pion eer Historical Quarterly, vol. 27, (July 1976) pp. 153-177. Gildner, Judith, "Iowans in the Arts: Joseph Langland", Annals of Iowa, vol. 43, no. 7, (Winter 1977) p. 515. -10- Hale, Frederick, "Marcus Hansen, Puritanism, and Scandinavian Immigrant Temperance Movements", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 27, (1977), pp. 18-40. Hale, Frederick,"Nordic Immigration: The New Puritans?", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 28, (Jan. 1977) pp. 27-44. Hambro, Johan, "The Centennial of Luther College (Decorah, Ia., 1861-1961)", American-Scandinavian Review, vol. 49, (Sept. 1961) pp. 272-278. Haugen, Einar Ingvald, "Norwegian Migration to America (1825-1925)", Norwegian- American Studies and Records, vol. 18, (1956) pp. 1-22. Haugen, Einar, "Symra: a Memoir", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 27, (1977), pp.101-110. Heaton, H., "Jefferson County Pioneers", The Iowa Historical Record, vol. 15, no. 3, (July 1899) p. 500. Hedblom, Folke, "The Swedish Speech Recording Expedition in the Middle West", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 14, (April 1963) pp. 47-61. Henderson, A.M., "My Years in Story County", Annals of Iowa, vol. 30, no. 8, (April 1951) pp. 604-616. Herrick, John P., "Oleg Nelson--An Unforgettable Character", Annals of Iowa, vol. 15, no. 2, (Oct. 1943) p. 117. Herriott, F.C., "Alfred John Pearson, an Appreciation", Annals of Iowa, vol. 22, no. 7, (Jan. 1941) p. 515. "Historic Decorah", The Iowan, vol. 21, no. 2, (Nov. 1972) pp. 45-50. Hodnefield, Jacob, uThe Story County Colony of 1855", Annals of Iowa, vol. 33, no. 1, (July 1955) pp. 34-43. Jaqua, John, "Luther College", The Iowan, vol. 3, no. 4, (April/May 1955) p. 14. Koren, Elisabeth, "Christmas in a New Land", The Iowan, vol. 25, no. 2, (Winter 1976) p. 44. Krontoft, Torben, "Factors in Assimilation: A Comparative Study", Norwegian- American Studies and Records, vol. 26, (1974) pp. 184-205. Kuhns, Frederick I., "Many Kinds of Baptists", The Palimpsest, vol. 36, no. 9 (Sept. 1955) p. 358. Larsen, Beverly, "Danish Heritage", The Iowan, vol. 18, no. 4, (June 1970) p. 10. Larson, Victor C, "A Swedish Immigrant in Iowa", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 4, :no. 4, (Oct. 1953) pp. 3-10. Louis, John J., "Shelby County--A Sociological Study", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 2, no. 1, (Jan. 1904) p. 83. - 11 - Louis, John J., "Shelby County—A Sociological Study", The Iowa Journal of His tory and Politics, vol. 2, no. 2, (April 1904) p. 218. Lovoll, Odd S., "Decorah-Posten: The Story of an Immigrant Newspaper", Nor wegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 27, (1977) pp. 77-100. Lyon, Bessie L., "Gunda's Coffee Pot", The Palimpsest, vol. 13, no. 10, Oct. 1932) p. 416. Mcintosh, Lois A., "Biography of a Church", The Palimpsest, vol. 29, no. 5, (May 1948) p. 129. Melloh, Ardith K., "New Sweden, Iowa", The Palimpsest, vol. 59, no. 1, (Jan/ Feb. 1978) pp. 2-19. Naeseth, Gerhard B., "The 1842 Immigrants from Norway", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 25, (1972) pp. 225-257. Naeseth, Henriette C.K., "Kristian Prestgard: An Appreciation", Norwegian- American Studies and Records, vol. 15, pp. 131-139. Naeseth, Caroline Mathilde Koren, "Memories from Little Iowa Parsonage", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 13, (1943) p. 66. Neal, Harry Edward, "Danish Legacy in America", American-Scandinavian Review, vol. 64, (March 1976) pp. 55-63. Nelson, David Theodore, "Kunt Gjerset", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 25, (1972), pp. 27-53. Nelson, David Theodore, "Luther College (Decorah, Ia., 1861-1961), The Palimp- . sest, vol. 46, no. 8, (Aug. 1961) pp. 321-384. Nelson, David Theodore, "Norwegian-American Museum", The Palimpsest, vol. 46, no. 12, (Dec. 1965) pp. 609-639. Nelson, David Theodore, "Norwegians Found the College", The Palimpsest, vol. 42, no. 8, (Aug. 1961) p. 321. Nelson, Paul C, "The Norwegian Lutheran Churches of Northern Story County, Iowa: A History of Their Synodical Differences", Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly, vol. 46, (Fall 1973) pp. 112-134. Oppedal, Al, "The Scandinavian Heritage in Our Country Churches", The Iowan, vol. 20, no. 4, (June 1972) p. 25. Paananen, Eloise Engle, "Finns from Alaska to Florida", American-Scandinavian Review, vol. 64, (March 1976) pp. 17-26. Petersen, Peter L., "Language and Loyalty: Governor Harding and Iowa's Dan ish-Americans During World War I", Annals of Iowa, vol. 42, no. 6, (Fall 1974) p. 404. Peterson, D.A., "Fom Ostergotland to Iowa", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quar terly, vol. 22, (July 1971) pp. 136-52. - 12 - Peterson, D.A., "From Ostergotland to Iowa", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 22, (Oct. 1971) pp. 221-235. Peterson, N.G., "The Danish and Norwegian Lutherans in Iowa", Annals of Iowa, vol. 11, no. 8, (Jan. 1915) p. 589. Peterson, Walter F., "Swedish Christmas in Iowa in 1879", Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, vol. 12, (Oct. 1961) pp. 160-161. Robeson, George F., "The Early Iowans", The Palimpsest, vol. 4, no. 9, (Sept. 1923) p. 285. Ryan, Thomas G., "Ethnicity in the 1940 Presidential Election in Iowa: A Quantitative Approach", Annals of Iowa, vol. 43, no. 8, (Spring 1977) pp. 615-635. Schwarz, Geraldine, "A Norwegian Immigrant Family", Annals of Iowa, vol. 43, no. 3, (Winter 1976) p. 194. Seashore, Carl Emil, "The Dayton Swedish Settlement", The Palimpsest vol. 22, no. 11, (Nov. 1941) p. 347. Seashore, Carl Emil, "Pioneering in Iowa", The Palimpsest, vol. 22, no. 6, (June 1941) p. 178. "Some Aids for Genealogical Research in Scandinavia", Hawkeye Heritage, vol. 10, (1975) p. 41. Storing, James A., "Palestine Settlement", The Palimpsest, vol. 21, no. 5, (May 1940) p. 151. Swansen, H.F., "The Norwegian Quakers of Marshall County, Iowa", Norwegian- American Studies and Records, vol. 10, (1938) p. 127. Swansen, H.F., "A Pioneer Church Library", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 11, (1940) p. 57. Swansen, H.F., "The Sugar Creek Settlement in Iowa", Norwegian-American Studies and Records, vol. 9, (1936) p. 38. Swanson, Roy W., "Iowa of the Early Seventies as Seen by a Swedish Traveler", The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 27, no. 4, (Oct. 1929) p. 564. Tjernagel. N., "The Sheldall School", The Palimpsest, vol. 12, no. 9, (Sept. 1931) p. 359. Tjernagel, N., "Angels of the Sick Room", The Palimpsest, vol. 23, no. 9, (Sept. 1942) p. 298. Tjernagel, N., "Immigrants' trying experiences", Annuals of Iowa, vol. 31, no. 1, (July 1951) p. 64. Tjernagel, P.G., "Erik Kjyten", The Palimpsest, vol. 12, no. 4, (April 1931) p. 160. - 13 - Veblen, A.A., "At Luther College, 1877-1881", The Palimpsest, vol. 56, no. 5, (Sept/Oct. 1975) p. 150. Videbeck, Richard, "The Elk Horn, Iowa community: an experimental study in acculturation", Plains Anthropologist, vol. 4, (July 1955), leaves 21-26. (owned by the University of Iowa) Wick, B.L., "The Earliest Scandinavian Settlement in Iowa", Iowa Historical Record, vol. 16, no. 1, (Jan. 1900), p. 21. Wick, B.L., "Early Cedar Rapids Swedish Churches", Annals of Iowa, vol. 29, no. 6, (Oct. 1948), pp 468-472. Wick, B.L., "Pioneers of the Norway Community", Annals of Iowa, vol. 29, no. 5, (July 1948) pp. 366-378. Zug, John, "Nordic Fest", The Iowan, vol. 21, no. 4, (June 1973) p. 45. - 14 - MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION American Emigrant Company. Papers, 1864-1865. Includes circulars, broad sides, agreements, Swedish language circular, 4 p., 1865. Anderson, Carl A., First Swedish Settlement in Hancock County, 31 p. 2 copies. Anderson, Carl A., The Little White Town with the Big Brown Church, 1956. 5 p. Bergmann, Leola Nelson, Questionnaires on Scandinavian Lutheran Congregations in Iowa, 1955. One folder. Christensen, Thomas Peter, Little Copenhagan (sic). Hamilton County, Iowa. 17 p. carbon typescript about banish settlements. Danish People's Society in America. Records, 1904-57. Clinton, Iowa. 1 ft. Fritson, Andrew Peter. Papers, 1878-1951. Durant, Oxford, Kellogg, Iowa. 79 p. photocopies, 1v. Includes diary, 1939, 1948; naturalization record. Name is Frederiksen on Danish birth record. Hansen, Hans, "Dairy of an American Trip", February 1899. 3 p. photocopy of a typescript translation. Haugen, Gilbert N. Papers, 1882-1940. Northwood, Iowa, Washington D.C. 80 ft. Congressman with Norwegian constituency. Includes many Nor wegian letters. Hawley, Charles Arthur, Grundtvig and Danish Theological Educationiin the Middle West. 8 p. typescript. Kern, Jean B., A Folk School in Iowa. 1950's. 8 p. Koren, Dikka Hjort. Memories from Paint Creek Parsonage, Allamakee County, 1862-1879. 1 folder. New Sweden Methodist Church. Ninety Years of Service, 1850-1940. 13 p. photocopy. New Sweden Methodist Church. Records, 1872-1900. 1 folder (100 p.) photo copy. Oral History Project, State Historical Society of Iowa, Rural Iowa Life, 1890-1920. Interviews conducted by Rebecca Conard, etc., 1976- . Tapes and Abstracts. Peterson, D.A., Emigrating to American; Early Days; An Autobiogrpahy. Webster County, ca. 1877-78. 29 p. typescript & carbon. Proescholdt, Kevin, New Sweden, Iowa; a narrative history, 1845-1880. An Honors thesis submitted to the Dept. of History for B.S., Iowa State University, Ames, 1977. 82 p. Bibliography. Rutt, Anna Hong, The Saga of a Pioneer, Engebret Nelson (Sebo) Hong. 264 p. typescript. - 15 - Samuel son, Agnes. Papers, 1905-1962. 5 ft. Supt. of Public Instruction. Photos of trip to Sweden, home of parents, 1935; family Bible. Steffanson, Steffan, "Letter written from Jefferson Co., Iowa, October 9, 1849, to relatives in Sweden". 4 p. Stromsten, John M., Memoirs of My Life. Written about 1940. Corydon, Iowa. 50 p. typescript. Reminiscences about home in Sweden, journey to Amer ica, ca. 1875. Swansen, H.F., A Singular Chapter of Quaker History. 21 p. typescript. Marshall County. Swanson, Oliver (Olaus Svenson), Autobiography, ca. 1880. 15 p. holograph in Swedish. Translation by Ardith Melloh, 8 p. Swanson, Swan, Diaries, 1864 andl884. 2 v. Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church, Swedesburg. Records, 1866-1927. 7 fol ders. Xerox of original with translation. Tjernagel, Nehemias. Papers, 1868-1976. Story City. 3 ft. Farmer, musi cian and author of historical articles. Includes some church records, family history, naturalization record, etc. dick, Barthinius L. Papers and Scrapbooks, ca. 1853-1947. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Director of American-Norwegian Historical Association). SOUND RECORDING Oster, Harry, Folk Voices of Iowa. (Iowa City, Ia.: University of Iowa Press, 1965). - 16 - VERTICAL FILE SUBJECT HEADINGS PERTAINING TO SCANDINAVIANS IN IOWA American-Scandinavian Foundation, New York American Swedish Historical Museum Emigration and Immigration Luther College, Decorah, Iowa Nationalities in Iowa see also the name of each nationality group Nordic Fest, Decorah, Iowa Norwegian-American Museum. Decorah, Iowa Scandinavia--Periodicals Scandinavian Days, Story City, Iowa Swedesburg, Iowa NEWSPAPER CLIPPING FILE SUBJECT HEADINGS PERTAINING TO SCANDINAVIANS IN IOWA Danes Norwegians Swedes - 17 - NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN EITHER NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH, OR DANISH FOUND AT THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY TOWN NAME OF PAPER LANGUAGE Boone Svenska Herold Swedish Cedar Falls Dannevirke Danish Decorah Decorah-Posten Norwegian Decorah Decorah-Posten og Ved Arnen Norwegian Decorah Fra Fjornt og Nar Norwegian Des Moines Iowa Posten Swedish Des Moines Svithiod Swedish Sioux City Barometern Swedish Sioux City Svenska Monitoren Swedish