"History and Description of Lyon County, Minnesota", 1884
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Town of Westerheim.
Westerheim is one of the north tier of towns, lying south of the line of
Yellow Medicine county and bounded east by
Vallers, south by
Grandview, west by
Nordland. By government survey it is town 113, range 42.
The town is watered by the
Yellow Medicine river which runs into the town from the west and flows across the town, going out at the northeast corner.
The town is well watered by this and the small water courses that lead into it, and it is one of the best tracts in the county for either grazing, dairying or general agriculture. Though it has several miles of river there is no native timber except one large cottonwood on section 19, a land mark known as the lone tree. There was another similar tree on section 8, but it fell a sacrifice to hard times during the blockade and fuel famine of
1881.
The first settlement was made by
Halvor A. Nyland in
1871 on section 30. The same year
Thorbjin Aadson settled on the same section.
No town organization was effected till
1876, the first election being held at the house of
P. Johnson
May 9th of that year. The first town officers were
Halvor Nyland, chairman;
O. J. Moe and
Hans Samuelson, supervisors;
O. L. Orsen, clerk;
Andrew Lee, treasurer;
Thorbjon Huso, assessor;
John Ilstad and
H. P. Johnson, justices;
R. Hanson and
T. Opdahl, constables.
In
June 1874 the first marriage, a double one, was celebrated,
H. A. Nyland and
Inger Olson, and
T. A. Huso and
Carrie Olson being the parties most interested. Mr.
Nyland's wife died in
September of the same year, being the first death in the town. The first birth was a daughter to
John Ilstad in
1873.
No public school was taught in the town till
1877 when
Knud Fodnes taught a term.
The nearest railroad station and trading point to
Westerheim is
Minneota.
Prior to the taking of several sections of railroad land in this town by
Bishop Ireland for the use of his
Minnesota colony the settlement of
Westerheim was almost exclusively Scandinavian, mostly from
Norway. Some lcelanders have settled in the town, and in the south and southeast portions a few Americans. Belgian and French have located homes.
There are now two organized school districts. All of the east half of the township except sections 34, 35, 36 constitute school district No. 3, with a reported scholarship of 47. District No. 54 is formed of sections 4, 5, 8, 9, 16,17, 20, 21, 28, 29 with 27 pupils. The school officers of the district are
Snori Hognason, director;
O. L. Orsen, treasurer;
O. I. Leeland, clerk. Both districts have built school houses, and the educational interests of the town are properly looked after.
District No. 3 has a school house on section 11 which is 18 by 24, seated with the Racine perforated seats. Capacity 40 pupils. District organized in
1877. Present enrolled scholarship, 41.
The name of the town, meaning Western home, was very appropriately chosen by a people who appreciated the word home, and who saw in the fertile acres of the town the requisites of successful farm life. There are many thrifty farms in the town, and good buildings, which indicate that the settlers have come to stay.
The assessor's report of
1883 gives the town 2,905 acres under cultivation, of which there are 1,607 in wheat, 514 oats, 208 corn, 528 barley, 26 potatoes,22 flax. There were by same report 70 acres of cultivated trees, 415 rods set on highways.
The last assessed valuation of
Westerheim was 839,236.
Its present town officers are
Ole L. Orsen, chairman;
J. C. Rogde and
Snori Hognason, supervisors;
Ole I. Leeland, clerk;
Oluf L. Orsen, treasurer;
O. J. Moe, assessor;
Geo. Richardson and
Ole I. Leeland, justices;
Wm. Marshall and
Elling Oxaas, constables.
Near center of east line of section 8 the
Yellow Medicine river is spanned by a truss bridge 128 feet long. This bridge was built by
L. Jacobson. Funds were appropriated by the state legislature in
1883, under supervision of
O. L. Orsen,
O. I. Leeland and
Snori Hognason.
O. L. Orsen has on his farm in section 18 a flowing well, perhaps the only artesian well in the county. It is, however, but ten feet deep, and the water was found after boring through a stratum of soapstone underlying six or seven feet of blue clay. The water is strongly tinctured with iron it is said.