History of Little Norway Church
OUR HERITAGE – As it was, is now, and ever shall be . . .
Preeminently, Norse immigrants were a religious people and wherever they settled, they built churches, educational, and charitable institutions. Their first pastor, Elling Eielson, was ordained in 1843. They built their first church in 1844 in Racine County, Wisconsin, and organized their first synod in 1851.
July 1856 – Pastor H.A. Stub of Coon Prairie preached the first sermon for the Norwegian Lutherans in a barn at the Martin Mattson home in the town of Irving, a half mile west of the present Little Norway Church. He came about three times a year until 1861 when his health failed and he returned to Norway.
The “call” served by one pastor was divided in 1861. The portion north of La Crosse formed its own “call”. Dr. P.L. Larsen, President of Luther College, then located in the Halfway Creek parsonage, served this territory. He probably conducted the Christmas services in 1861 and Easter services in 1862.
July 1862 – Pastor J.B. Frich, who had just arrived from Norway, accepted the call and served until the summer of 1866.
1862 – The Little Norway Congregation was formally organized. It included members from Black River Falls and Squaw Creek. Services were held in centrally located homes, mainly those of Martin Mattson, Peter Peterson, and Jacob Hanson.
1865 – The earliest record of ministerial acts begins with November 1865. Services were held once a month after that. The book is kept in the vault of the ELC in Black River Falls. It includes a list of members of the congregation beginning in 1862. It lists baptisms, confirmands, weddings, communicants, and deaths beginning with November 1865. Earlier records may have been destroyed in a fire that destroyed the Halfway Creek parsonage in 1865.
1866 – The congregations in Jackson and Trempealeau counties were made into one “call”. The first resident pastor was Ole Waldeland from Norway. Pastor Frich gave his farewell sermon, followed immediately by the installation of Pastor Waldeland, on July 19, 1866.
1869 – The “call” was again divided into two parts. Beaver Creek, Trempealeau Valley and Black River Falls made up one “call”. It was without a pastor until March 1870.
April 1870 – Pastor Erik Jensen from St. Louis, accepted the call and served until May 1873. During his illness in 1872, Pastor A.O. Alfsen served as his assistant.
1870 – The land for the Little Norway Lutheran Church was bought from Martin Mattson for $5.00.
1873 – On February 6, the meeting was held regarding the building of the church. The church was built later that year with Niri Hanson as head carpenter. Peter Peterson furnished all the nails.
1874 – The steeple was built to complete the original church.
1873 – 1875 – The congregation was served temporarily by Pastors Turmo, Moller, Alfsen, Burge, Hovde, and Halvorson.
1875 – 1877 – Pastor Lobben.
1877 – 1879 – Pastor I.P.L. Dietrickson.
1879 – 1884 – Pastor Harald Haakonson. There were about 70 families in the congregation.
1879 – The Little Norway Ladies Aid was organized under Pastor Haakonson’s leadership.
1880 – Ludvig Foss, a seminary student, organized the first choir.
1881 – An organ was purchased for the church. George Gilbertson played the new organ the first time on the day his sister, Amanda, was baptized. He was about 12 years old then and continued to play for many years.
In the 1880s, there was an active Young People’s Society. They worked for a long time to earn money for a picture above the altar. Then Anna Karoline Gilbertson (Sommervold) and her cousin Annie Gilbertson took the train to Saint Paul to a place where they painted pictures. They chose to buy “Christ on the Cross”. It is a real oil painting.
October 23, 1883 – The church was dedicated.
1884 – 1890 – Reverend A. Ronneberg became the first resident pastor. He served until his death in 1890. Rev. Thalberg assisted during Ronneberg’s illness and until Gierre arrived.
(He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Black River Falls.)
1890 – 1904 – Pastor N.A. Gierre
1891 – Squaw Creek formed a separate congregation in the parish.
1904 – 1912 – Pastor H. Engh
1906 – Semi-centennial celebration. The 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in this county was celebrated July 15 and 16. This event was celebrated by appropriate services both at Little Norway and in the city; 600-700 people were present. Pastor Engh made opening comments and read a message from Pastor Stub who was unable to attend. Pastor Gierre delivered the morning sermon; Pastor Engh delivered the afternoon sermon.
1913 – 1925 – Pastor L.S. Marvick. During Pastor Marvick’s Pastorate, the transition from the Norwegian language to English took place. Most of the Sunday services were held in the afternoon every other Sunday due to the pastors having three or four churches to serve.
1921 – Transition from Norwegian to English in Confirmation Class. More of the services were in English. All church records, reports, and minutes were written in Norwegian through 1921.
Two pastors, C.E. Skoien and Arne R. Carlson, were ordained in our parish. Our parish was the first charge for each. The Ordination took place at the church in Black River Falls. Installation services were conducted at each church.
1925 – 1932 – Pastor C.E. Skoien. Pastor Skoien had a fine voice. At this time a new choir was organized.
1929 – The Little Norway Sunday School was organized.
1933 – 1943 – Pastor A.M. Romstad
1943 – 1952 – Pastor Raymond P. Huss
1946 – The name of United Norwegian Church was changed to Evangelical Lutheran Church.
July 1952 – Congregation divided. Black River Falls Parish became independent. Squaw Creek and Little Norway became a new parish.
July 20, 1952 – Installation service for Pastor Carlson.
1952 – The Simon Olson property in Black River Falls was purchased for a parsonage.
1953 – Burning of the mortgage and dedication of the parsonage.
1954 – Remodeling of the kitchen and social room in the basement.
1956 – Student pastors served until Pastor Rusten arrived.
1956 – 1962 – Pastor A.M. Rusten
1957 – New front doors were installed, art glass windows were placed in the tower, an outside lighted bulletin board and yard light were installed. These were all memorials.
November 15, 1959 – Special offering for building fund.
May 29, 1960 – Dedication of new addition – Fellowship Hall and Sunday School rooms. Reunion of confirmands from past to present. A large tract of land adjoining the cemetery was given to the church by Mr. and Mrs. John Wyss.
January 27, 1963 – Installation of Pastor Robert Salveson
.
1966 – Purchase and dedication of new organ. A new constitution for the church was adopted.
1973 – An indoor remodeling project took place which greatly improved the appearance of our country church. This was paid for by a special offering, memorials, and a large gift from the ALCW.
1974 – Celebration of 118 years of our Lord’s grace at Little Norway and a century of worship in the Little Norway Lutheran Church.
January 1963 – August 1979. Robert M Salveson service.
December 1979 – August 1990 – Pastor Paul Reiff
1990 – 1991 – Thorwald Rykken, Interim Pastor
August 1991 – June 2013 – Pastor Calvin D Thoreson
June 24, 2012 – Little Norway celebrated 150 years as a congregation with a large picnic, program and cemetery walk.
2013 – 2014 – Paul Tobiason, Interim Pastor
June 2014 – June 2021 – Pastor Denise Anderson.
2017 – 2018 – Building Project – New addition at Little Norway. Extending church building to the north. Adding space on both levels, a second-floor restroom and an electric lift providing handicapped accessibility to both floors.
September 2021 – July 2024 – August Hohl, SAM, Intern.
June 8, 2025 – Allen Harvey Johnson receives Rite of Authorization as a Synodically Authorized Minister (SAM) from the NW Synod of WI of the ELCA for the Little Norway / Spirit Creek Parish.
With this resume of our church history, we give thanks to God for the ministry of the Word and Sacraments that have been conducted for over one hundred years. We are thankful for the faithful pastors we have had to serve us. Let us take the hand of the Savior in faith and follow His leading as we move forward to face the second century of existence as a Lutheran congregation.