Norwegians in Lee County, Illinois
The Norwegians have done much to develop
the resources of Lee comity and to bring the price of land to
its present generous proportions. A strip of country in the east
end of the county and extending over into DeKalb county, is so
very largely settled by Norwegians that one may say it is owned
by Norwegians. This strip is about ten miles long by about five
miles wide and takes in Willow Creek, some of Reynolds and some
of Ogle County on the north, and part of Milan to the east, in
DeKalb County.
These hardy, industrious and ambitious
people are said to settle always on nothing but the very best of
land. In Lee County, that is true literally. The lands held by
them in this county are of the very best and with their splendid
improvements, command the highest prices.
The Norwegians are good homebuilders and
without a single exception they are secure in the enjoyment of
comfortable fortunes.
Most of them emigrated from Hardanger,
in Norway. They learn the language readily, and while they love
to cling to the mother tongue, they speak it only at home or
when together.
Realizing that the younger generation
may soon forget the old home ways and tongue, three years ago, a
Hardanger society was formed of all the Hardangers in America.
The first meeting was held at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The
second was held in Iowa and this year, the meeting was held at
Lee in this county. From coast to coast almost, the loyal
Hardangers flocked to Lee to visit for two days and depart for
another year. Over 1,500 Hardangers met at Lee and they were
housed and fed bountifully after the old home customs by the
hospitable citizens of Lee and vicinity. This meeting was the
most interesting of old country meetings I ever have attended.
Norwegian dishes were served; beautiful Norwegian songs were
sung; folklore stories were repeated and a banquet was served at
which speeches were made.
This notable gathering at Lee was held
Wednesday and Thursday, September 17 and 18, 1913, and long will
it be remembered.
The first Norwegian to come to Lee
county, was Ommen Hillison, Americanized from Amund Helgeson, a
Hardanger who left Norway in the year 1835. Like so many of his
hardy countrymen, he was a sailor. Arrived on these shores, he
made a few coastwise trips aboard ship, in fact until the year
1837.
Iq that year he walked from New York to
Chicago with the avowed purpose of taking up land which he had
heard was to be thrown open to settlement and sale, very soon.
At Chicago, he heard of a little Norwegian settlement in LaSalle
County on the banks of the Fox River, now known as Norway. To
this point he walked.
On the way along the road he was
overtaken by a team in which several men were seated, going out
to enter land as they stated. When they overtook Mr. Hillison,
they invited him to get in and ride, which he did at once with
the expression of many thanks.
But it took no time at all to discover
that the men in the wagon were members of a gang of desperadoes,
and that so soon as the first auspicious moment should arrive
they proposed to rob him. He attempted to get out but between
protestations, and almost force, he was prevented. Biding his
time patiently, the moment arrived at last when he found himself
enabled to jump out. Throwing off the mask, the men tried to
catch him, but he escaped and duly reached the Norway
settlement.
In that year, 1837, the Inlet settlement
was enjoying a boom notwithstanding the panicky times everywhere
present in financial matters. The land was reputed to be of the
very best and but little of it had been taken up and ''deeded.''
As a matter of fact when he reached ''The Inlet,'' not an acre
of the country had been thrown into market, but it was expected
to come in any day.
Mr. Hillison walked to Bradford
Township. Almost the first piece of land he looked at, pleased
him, and conformably with custom, he proceeded to hedge it about
with evidences of a claim, which were respected in those days.
To get some more money, he worked for
the settlers in the vicinity for wages which would raise a laugh
to repeat at this point, until by saving every penny, he felt
himself able to go ahead to make his first crop and abide its
harvest.
His first evidence of establishing a
claim was to erect a sod house on the quarter section which he
enjoyed as his home until his death in the year 1854.
Subsequently he erected a frame house nearby which by reason of
its elevation was a sort of landmark for the traveler for great
distances around.
This house attracted a family named
Reinhart, then passing Melugin's Grove further east on the
Chicago road and the father drove to it and passed the night
with Ommen.
One member of that family, Miss
Catherine E. Reinhart, attracted the eye of the young bachelor,
and subsequently they were married. In 1850, Henry W. Hillison,
was born of that marriage, the first Norwegian child to be born
in Lee County. Mr. Hillison lives today not far from the
original homestead. And that homestead is situated just across
the road, north from the home farm of Reinhart Aschenbrenner,
another son of Mrs. Hillison, by a subsequent marriage, and
Reinhart Aschenbrenner owns the same old homestead today, one of
the best pieces of land in Bradford town-ship and in Lee County.
Ommen 's glowing accounts written back
home attracted other Hardanger friends, especially those from
Sofjorden, and they began coming to this country, invariably
reaching Ommen 's house as an objective point. From ones and
twos the numbers increased, in each instance, the Hillison home
receiving and directing the strangers into new homes and as the
sequel proved, very profitable ones. Not one of them left Lee
County, and thus in course of time, Lee County, and later, the
village of Lee became the focal point for the Hardanger emigrant
and from Lee the younger generation went out into Iowa,
Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Minnesota until their number now is
legion. Lee is regarded with almost as much veneration as the
mother country.
Among the party first to come to Lee
County, were Lars Larson Risetter, the richest man in the
county, when in 1907, he died, Lars Helgeson (Hillison)
Maakestad, Helge Helgesen, Ingeborg Helgesdatter, a sister of
the last named who married Lars Olson Espe, Lars Olson Espe,
Sjur Arneson Bly, Torgels Knudson Maakestad, Lars Larson Bly and
Gertrude Helgestadder Lonning.
From New York city, this little colony
went up the river to Albany in the year 1847; by rail they went
on to Buffalo; by lake they continued on to Chicago where Ommen
Hillison met them and brought them direct to his house in
Bradford Township, and an ox team from Chicago was the mode of
transportation. They stopped over at Norway.
Subsequently Bly returned to Chicago.
Ingeborg returned for awhile to Norway, but subsequently she
rejoined the Lee County colony.
From the home of Ommen, these young men
scattered, some to go to Sublette Township; Lars Larson Risetter
was among the number, others to Lee Center Township and so on,
to any place not far away, to work and earn money with which to
take up land. The first ambition was to become a landholder and
a home builder. In making the trip from Norway, Lars Larson
Risetter became the second Norwegian to enter Lee County and he
truly was a remarkable man. With his first money he bought land
and built a log cabin on it. This was in Bradford Township.
Later he sold the place to a German who had come to join the
thrifty class of emigrants who had began to settle in Bradford,
and he removed over to the East End country, Alto Township, to
which point he has been followed by almost every Norwegian of
Lee County and now Lee is the center of the colony.
With every dollar Risetter got, he
bought land, the very best land in the world. At his death he
was buried at the Norwegian Lutheran church a mile and a half
southwest of Lee. His estate footed up almost three quarters of
a million of dollars.
His two sons live at present in Beloit,
Wisconsin, but very soon they expect to return to Lee.
Espe who came over with Lars Larson
Risetter was a carpenter, and soon after his marriage, he built
a frame house, the second to be built by a Norwegian in Lee
County.
Lars Larson Risetter's log cabin was the
third house to be built by a Norwegian. It was a log cabin and
was built in a single day.
The first Norwegian to settle in Willow
Creek was Amund Hillison Lonning, the second son of Helge and
Ingeleif Amundson, who was born at South Bergen, Stift, Norway,
June 20, 1821. At home his first year's wage was five dollars
and clothing. He went to work in Sublette Township where Lars
Larson Risetter's brother-in-law was working, and he entered the
employ of Thomas Fessenden at $11 per month. In 1852 he bought
for $200 the north-east quarter of section 15 in Willow Creek
Township, but still hired out for five years after that. In 1855
he began improving his land. In 1857 he married Ingeborg Larson
Maland, who in 1855 had emigrated to Sublette. On June 25, 1896,
he died. Mrs. Hillison (Lonning) died Dec. 16, 1866.
On the same ship with Mr. Hillison (Lonning)
last mentioned; there came to America, two splendid young
Norwegians, named Ole Vasvig and Omman Hill. These two young men
took land north of Franklin on what subsequently became known as
''Norwegian Hill,'' by reason of the tragedy which befell the
young men. They lived together in a log cabin. Under the bed
they kept their little hoard in a box.
One night men broke into the house and
with their own axe killed both the young men in a shockingly
brutal fashion. Indications pointed out that one was killed
while asleep, but the other awakening and trying to defend
himself was struck down dead at last
Several arrests were made for this
shocking murder, along about 1854, but nothing ever came of
them. The box was fingered by the bandits, as their bloody
finger prints disclosed, but so far as could be ascertained,
none of its contents had been taken.
The records which have been preserved
show the emigration from Norway to Lee County to have been as
follows:
In 1851, Haldor Nelson Borland, Jacob
Olson Rogde, living at Lee today, Haakon L. Risetter, brother of
Lars Larson Risetter, Agatha Oldsdatter Espe, sister to L. O.
Espe.
In 1854 there arrived Amund O. Kragsvig,
Wiglik P. Pederson Akre, Helge Pederson Maakestad, Johannes
Pederson, Agatha Maakestad, Jacob Pederson Blye, Helge Blye,
Elsa Pedersdatter Blye, Christopher C. Kvalnes (Qualnes).
In 1856 there came Sjur Qualnes, Jens C.
Qualnes, Martha Qualnes, Brita Olsdatter Kvaestad, John Johnson
Maakestad and Christian Sexe.
In 1857 came Elias O. Espe, Peter O.
Espe, Thomas Helgeson Lonning and wife, Synva, Amund Sexe,
Halsdur G. Maakestad, Viking Gosendal and Einar Winterton.
In 1858 came Ingeborg Olsdatter Eide,
Einar Einarson Buer and wife, Johanna, Lars Salomonson Risetter
and wife, Ragnilda, Sven Isberg, Einar Vasvig, Margretha Sandven,
Ormond O. Lonning and wife, Christie, Hans Strand.
.In 1859 came, Ingebrigt Qualnes, Gyrie
Qualnes, Sigri Qualnes, Christopher Ingebrigtson Qualnes, Gynie
Qualnes and wife, nee Rogde, and Peder Tjoflaat and family. In
1860 came Nels Peder Maakestad.
In 1864 came Ole J. Prestegaard, now one
of the richest men in the county, Lars Pederson Maakestad, Jacob
Opheim, Arne Opheim, Lars Aga, Ole Aga, Daniel Wignes and Viking
Winterton.
In 1865 came Peder P. Hill and Kleng
Osmondson.
In 1866 came Conrad Knudson, Peder O.
Hill.
But when I come down later, space
forbids further details. Those hardy old pioneers, coming from a
country teeming with roses, have made the east end of Lee County
blossom as the rose indeed. Most of them are gone now, but the
children, who still occupy the old homesteads, keep up the
pretty old home customs in their home life.
The Norwegians of Lee County are a very
temperate, religious people. Both Willow Creek and Alto are dry
towns notwithstanding the fact there are two villages in Willow
Creek, Lee and Scarboro. Nearly every Norwegian has a beautiful
voice and the settlement is musical morning, noon and night.
Off a mile and a half to the southwest,
they have built a beautiful church. Just to indicate the musical
tendency, in this church, out in the country, a $1,800 pipe
organ has been installed. Just now too, the choir consists of
fifteen voices; four sopranos, three altos, four tenors, four
bass voices.
The cemetery is close at hand and
clustered around the church so dearly loved in life, the men and
the women who took this country as a wilderness and brought it
into a wealthy community, are lying. One noticeable feature of
this cemetery is the exquisite care taken of it and the respect
shown the memory of the dead by the erection of so many handsome
monuments.
Over to the northwest, another Norwegian
Lutheran church has been built, and like the other to the
southwest, it is crowded with worshippers every Sunday. Eight
voices compose the choir in this beautiful church.
Another very noticeable feature of this
Norwegian settlement is making itself felt and that is the
universal custom of sending all the children to school, then to
the college or the university. In one family, I found three
sons, all college professors, one in Harvard, one at
Northwestern, Evanston, and the other at another noted college
which for the moment I have forgotten.
The bank at Lee is owned largely by the
Norwegians around the place; they control it. Its cashier, Mr.
F. A. Bach, told me that they held a majority of its stock. It
was organized so late as Nov. 34, 1903. Now its deposits are
above $200,000.
At the present moment, Lee is under
village government. Mr. S. M. Maakestad is the mayor and a very
efficient one too. The aldermen are Barney Jacobsen, George
Beels, Sr., Marshall Edwards, L. A. Plant, Oliver Halsne and
Robert G. Nowe. The treasurer is F. A. Bach and the clerk is
Kinnie A. Ostewig, who has contributed much about the history of
the east end of Lee County for this book.
The merchants largely are Norwegians and
they enjoy a wonderful prosperity.
Lee believes in municipal ownership to a
large extent. The village owns its own water plant and it has
the very best of fire protection. Hydrants have been placed all
over the city limits and a village fire department, of which
Henry Eide is chief, has kept the damage done by fires down to a
trifle ever since the system was installed.
In the year 1902 the place was visited
by a devastating fire; it burned down the best part of the town.
But with characteristic spirit the merchants replaced those
burned, with splendid new brick buildings, and today Lee owns
the best buildings of any of the smaller villages in Lee County.
It has a splendid electric light
service, day and night up to mid-night. Every inch of town lot
space has a neat cement walk in front of it. The streets are
kept with exquisite cleanliness.
One unusual condition exists in Lee, the
county line runs right through the middle of the main street so
that the west and larger part of the place is in Lee County and
the eastern part is in DeKalb County. And for all these
commendable conditions, the Norwegians of Lee County are to be
thanked.
In this day of the motor car, Lee is
nothing behind. There are 150 machines tributary to Lee and Lee
contains the largest garage and machine shops for repairing
autos, in the county. Its proprietor, Swan Ostewig, draws trade
in welding and vulcanizing, from a distance of thirty miles.
I have taken considerable space to
mention the village of Lee, because it is an unusual place,
surrounded by an unusual people.
There are of course some big farmers,
Americans and Germans, notably, J. M. Herrmann, a director of
the bank at Lee, but the Norwegian very large preponderates in
the east end of Lee County.
Lee County
History
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