"The Other Swedes"
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist
1994 "Pioneer Cross: Swedish Settlements Along the Smoky Hill Bluffs"
~ The Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface, Introduction
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist
1994 "Pioneer Cross: Swedish Settlements Along the Smoky Hill Bluffs"
~ The Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface, Introduction
What a perfect introductory scene Mr. Holmquist has described so fluently for those readers who have lived in the Smoky Valley all of their lives, and for the rest of us who have not! His words are found here in "The Search for Land" chapter of Pioneer Cross, page 52:
"The Galesburg search committee arrived in Salina in late August of 1868. The next morning, just as the first rays of the sun were glimmering in the eastern sky, the men road south from Salina. Before them lay the land, misty in the morning light, with a constant haze that gave the valley its name. The grass stood as high as a man’s shoulder and teemed with the creatures of the prairie, a sign of good land. The Swedes passed numerous creeks and streams, marked only by cottonwoods, the only trees to be seen. From their vantage point they could follow the path of a great river, the Smoky Hill River, as it snaked its way across the length of the valley, heading in its unending flow toward the ocean.
"Every so often the men would bend down and scratch into the earth to touch the rich, black soil. They were amazed as they pressed the earth in their hands and smelled the thick rich aroma. These men of Sweden, used to the thin rocky soil of their homeland, could not believe that the earth could be as rich and fertile as in this valley.
"As they gazed through the midst, the men could see in the distance the blue – green Bluffs rising above the valley floor. Once the lookout of the Spanish explorer Coronado, searching for a treasure that he never found, the bluffs stood above the true treasure, the land itself. Little could they know that eventually a cross of stones would lie on the crest of the northernmost hill to commemorate the day they entered the valley and found themselves a home. Home not only for a few, but for many whose children still reap the riches that these five men discovered in the Smoky Valley of Kansas."
Thus ends Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist's description of what it must have been like to set your eyes on this virgin Kansas Smoky Valley land and the Smoky Hill Bluffs for the first time for these five men of the Galesburg Colonization Company Search Committee who were Olof Thorstenberg, President; John Rodell; Gustaf Johnson; William Johnson; and Pastor A. W. Dahlsten, whose photograph is shown near the end of the section, while three others are shown here. Missing is William Johnson. In his place is J. P. Stromquist, the Secretary of the Company Search Committee.
"The Galesburg search committee arrived in Salina in late August of 1868. The next morning, just as the first rays of the sun were glimmering in the eastern sky, the men road south from Salina. Before them lay the land, misty in the morning light, with a constant haze that gave the valley its name. The grass stood as high as a man’s shoulder and teemed with the creatures of the prairie, a sign of good land. The Swedes passed numerous creeks and streams, marked only by cottonwoods, the only trees to be seen. From their vantage point they could follow the path of a great river, the Smoky Hill River, as it snaked its way across the length of the valley, heading in its unending flow toward the ocean.
"Every so often the men would bend down and scratch into the earth to touch the rich, black soil. They were amazed as they pressed the earth in their hands and smelled the thick rich aroma. These men of Sweden, used to the thin rocky soil of their homeland, could not believe that the earth could be as rich and fertile as in this valley.
"As they gazed through the midst, the men could see in the distance the blue – green Bluffs rising above the valley floor. Once the lookout of the Spanish explorer Coronado, searching for a treasure that he never found, the bluffs stood above the true treasure, the land itself. Little could they know that eventually a cross of stones would lie on the crest of the northernmost hill to commemorate the day they entered the valley and found themselves a home. Home not only for a few, but for many whose children still reap the riches that these five men discovered in the Smoky Valley of Kansas."
Thus ends Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist's description of what it must have been like to set your eyes on this virgin Kansas Smoky Valley land and the Smoky Hill Bluffs for the first time for these five men of the Galesburg Colonization Company Search Committee who were Olof Thorstenberg, President; John Rodell; Gustaf Johnson; William Johnson; and Pastor A. W. Dahlsten, whose photograph is shown near the end of the section, while three others are shown here. Missing is William Johnson. In his place is J. P. Stromquist, the Secretary of the Company Search Committee.
Members of the Galesburg Colonization Company Search Committee
1994 "Pioneer Cross" Page 49
Following are Mr. Holmquist's continuing words of honor and respect on the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Pioneers of the Illinois Galesburg Colonization Company who were to found the churches of Salemsborg and Freemount and to establish their namesake settlements, a story not well known beyond the confines of the Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod until 1994. As well, are his words of gratitude to those who assisted him with this project, the first book of its kind recognizing these Lindsborg neighbor communities, their Swedish pioneers and leaders whose significant historical and cultural contributions of the past live on to this very year of 2023.
- The Words of Mr. Holmquist -
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to my father, Darrel Holmquist,
and to the memory of my uncle, Evan Holmquist. They
planted a seed, repeated the stories, and nurtured a sense
of history and the true heritage of the Smoky Valley of
Kansas in the heart of a small boy.
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Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
"I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all of the people who made Pioneer Cross possible. So many individuals and families have shared their family histories with me that I could not even begin to list them all. I would especially like to thank Arthur Olson of Smolan, who shared with me the immense collection of correspondents and scrapbooks that his late sister, Stella, kept during her lifetime. Jo Holmquist shared with me the many keepsakes and photo albums that belonged to her husband, Evan. Phillip 'Pip' Nelson and James Nelson shared so much information about the Brodine Family. Emory Frost, Roger Thorstenburg, Elaine Lundquist, Allan Lindfors and Mrs. Edna Dahlsten also supplied important information. Many thanks also go to Pastor Leo Combs-Lay for sharing his books and his thoughts on Lutheran Church history. The many hours of translations from Swedish to English were done by Dorothy Esping. Without her advice, criticism and encouragement, I would have never been able to complete my research.
"I also wish to express my appreciation to the Salemsborg and Freemont Lutheran Churches, the Swensson Swedish Immigration Center in Rock Island, Illinois, the Bethany College Library, the Saline Public Library and especially to Mrs. Mary Jane Mayfield of the Marquette Public Library who loaned me her rarest books for my research.
"Thanks to Dr. Thomas Isern who encouraged my work and directed me toward my own backyard to find a story worth telling and to Linda Hubalek, who worked so very hard to guide me through the many pitfalls of the editing and publishing process.
"Finally, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to my family. My children, Ryan, Majkin and John saw little of their dad for months on end, but always understood. My parents who gave me constant encouragement and to Mark, Mardel, Marla and Larry who believed in me--thank you. To my wife, Marlysue, who did so many things so that I could research and write. Her listening, criticizing, and continued encouragement were vital to the completion of this book. She always knew that someday I would write this story.
"The Swedish heritage of the Smoky Valley is worth the time it takes to pass it on to a child. Tell them the stories, teach them the traditions, and pass on to each one the legacy of the Pioneer Cross."
"I also wish to express my appreciation to the Salemsborg and Freemont Lutheran Churches, the Swensson Swedish Immigration Center in Rock Island, Illinois, the Bethany College Library, the Saline Public Library and especially to Mrs. Mary Jane Mayfield of the Marquette Public Library who loaned me her rarest books for my research.
"Thanks to Dr. Thomas Isern who encouraged my work and directed me toward my own backyard to find a story worth telling and to Linda Hubalek, who worked so very hard to guide me through the many pitfalls of the editing and publishing process.
"Finally, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to my family. My children, Ryan, Majkin and John saw little of their dad for months on end, but always understood. My parents who gave me constant encouragement and to Mark, Mardel, Marla and Larry who believed in me--thank you. To my wife, Marlysue, who did so many things so that I could research and write. Her listening, criticizing, and continued encouragement were vital to the completion of this book. She always knew that someday I would write this story.
"The Swedish heritage of the Smoky Valley is worth the time it takes to pass it on to a child. Tell them the stories, teach them the traditions, and pass on to each one the legacy of the Pioneer Cross."
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Preface
Preface
"As the morning sun rises on the eastern horizon, I often walk the fence paces from the farmhouse door to the edge of the nearest field of growing crops. This land upon which I stand was first turned by my great grandfather 125 [now 157]* years ago and is now entrusted to my care. My gaze starts with the progress of the ripening crops before me, but soon my attention is drawn beyond the field and even the distant trees. The twin towers of a country church can be perceived in the distance. It is not the small white framed wood church that usually comes to mind when one thinks of a rural church building. It is, instead, a great red brick cathedral, bright in the morning light, standing alone in the center of the Smoky Valley at the crest of an ancient alluvial hill.
"This church stands not in the square of a busy town but alone in a valley among the gently rolling fields and pastures. It is the ultimate symbol of the hard work, sacrifices and devotion the early Swedish immigrants made when they arrived here in 1869. The construction of this building was their way of thanking and praising God for their new life on the virgin prairie of Kansas. These pioneers of the past now keep a lonely vigil from their graveyard beds in the shadow of the giant structure.
"This church stands not in the square of a busy town but alone in a valley among the gently rolling fields and pastures. It is the ultimate symbol of the hard work, sacrifices and devotion the early Swedish immigrants made when they arrived here in 1869. The construction of this building was their way of thanking and praising God for their new life on the virgin prairie of Kansas. These pioneers of the past now keep a lonely vigil from their graveyard beds in the shadow of the giant structure.
- Salemsborg Lutheran Church -
Source: Online farmersday.com
"The Swedes who arrived here in 1869 called this hill Salemsborg, meaning "fortress of peace." Little did they know when they named their first crude earthen shelter, that a later church would truly become a fortress on the prairie and that it would become the spiritual home of five [now 6] generations of people, as vital today as it was at its founding 125 [now 157]* years ago.
"Looking past the church in the distance, I can see the Smoky Hill Bluffs towering above the Smoky Valley. This four-mile-long stretch of hills is the most dominant feature of the terrain. Upon the crest of the northern most hill, visible for many miles in the morning light, stands a monument to the courage, hardship, privation and suffering of the Swedish pioneers. Built in 1941, this white cross, painstakingly constructed of white-painted stones embedded in the side of the hill, reminds all who see it that in the shadow of these hills, a hardy people planted their roots, grew in the fertile soil, and blossomed into the strong people, who live there today.
"A Swedish Lutheran pastor from Galesburg, Illinois, and four other men from area congregations, first saw this region in 1868. They were searching for land for a group of Swedish immigrants from their churches that wanted to move out of crowded Illinois. A group of over 300 families formed the Galesburg Colonization Company and these men were given the mission to find enough land to settle all of these people into a new community.
"Little did they realize when they first gazed through the midst at the blue-green bluffs, that a monument would be placed on the crests of the northern-most hill to commemorate the day they entered the valley and found themselves at home.
"Twenty miles to the southwest of Salemsborg, over the Smoky Hill Bluffs and down into the fertile valley along the Smoky Hill River stands another great rural church, Freemont Lutheran. In front of this brick building, nearly hidden by a grove of towering cottonwood trees, is a small stone church, built by part of the Galesburg group that settled in the southern area of the land bought by the committee. This lonely whistle stop along the Missouri Pacific Railway is named Fremont, so named after the great explorer John C. Fremont. But the immigrants called it "Free Mount," which translated meant the "liberated place." They were now free to live and worship as they pleased on the prairie of Kansas.
"The Swedish settlers who came to live in the southern portion of Saline County, and the northwestern quarter of McPherson County, Kansas were strong willed, adventurous and pious. They came to Kansas in the years following the American Civil War and were among the flood of migrants from the east and immigrants from across the sea that had moved, looking for an opportunity to build homes, create businesses and find the happiness and security that had been denied them in their European homelands. It was here, in Kansas, that they found that opportunity; here they decided to stay. Today, [in 2022 as well] the descendants of those hearty Swedish pioneers are still here in the Smoky Valley-- prosperous farmers and businessmen, educators and musicians, homemakers and laborers.
"Questions arise in the mind of an observer admiring these two great churches and wandering around the cemeteries reading the names of so many born in Sweden and having died in Kansas. What brought these people, the lifeblood of Sweden, to these plains? Why did they settle here? Who were these daring pioneers, and what made them leave their ancestral homes, travel halfway round the world, and settle on an unknown prairie?
"Many books, articles, and papers have been written about the Swedes that settled the Lindsborg community of northern McPherson County. Their story has been documented and related fully in every way. The Lindsborg community remains, because of its location, the center of Swedish culture in Kansas. The contributions of Lindsborg Swedish heritage have been significant and long lasting.
"However, little thought or time has been spent documenting the settlement and history of the communities of Swedish people who settled directly north and west of Lindsborg. The Salemsborg community to the north, and the Freemount community to the West emerged as centers of an entirely separate colony of Swedish pioneers, a group of people whose history was similar in many ways to that of the Lindsborg Swedes, and yet also very different. Those who made up the Salemsborg and Freemount communities also contributed much to the Swedish culture of the Central Plains and the cultural diversity of the state of Kansas. Unfortunately, the contributions and history of the colony of pioneers of Salemsborg and Freemount have been neglected.
"This book seeks to recognize the pioneers of Salemsborg and Freemount and to recount the history of their journey "to the peaceful mountain." They are now at rest, but their memory and accomplishments live on.
"The cemetery at Salemsborg contains a very small, gray obelisk among the great memorial stones erected for the pioneer families. It is so unobtrusive that you have to search for it. On that stone, nearly unreadable after years of weathering, are the words: "A. W. Dahlsten." It is fitting that his monument is so humble, and underneath it lies the remains of a modest, yet great man. This book has been written to recognize A. W. Dahlsten: Pastor, builder, a man of great vision and ceaseless energy. He was always too busy doing God's work to ever garner any recognition for himself. It is for this reason the story of the Galesburg Colonization Company and Pastor Dahlsten should be told.
"A Swedish Lutheran pastor from Galesburg, Illinois, and four other men from area congregations, first saw this region in 1868. They were searching for land for a group of Swedish immigrants from their churches that wanted to move out of crowded Illinois. A group of over 300 families formed the Galesburg Colonization Company and these men were given the mission to find enough land to settle all of these people into a new community.
"Little did they realize when they first gazed through the midst at the blue-green bluffs, that a monument would be placed on the crests of the northern-most hill to commemorate the day they entered the valley and found themselves at home.
"Twenty miles to the southwest of Salemsborg, over the Smoky Hill Bluffs and down into the fertile valley along the Smoky Hill River stands another great rural church, Freemont Lutheran. In front of this brick building, nearly hidden by a grove of towering cottonwood trees, is a small stone church, built by part of the Galesburg group that settled in the southern area of the land bought by the committee. This lonely whistle stop along the Missouri Pacific Railway is named Fremont, so named after the great explorer John C. Fremont. But the immigrants called it "Free Mount," which translated meant the "liberated place." They were now free to live and worship as they pleased on the prairie of Kansas.
"The Swedish settlers who came to live in the southern portion of Saline County, and the northwestern quarter of McPherson County, Kansas were strong willed, adventurous and pious. They came to Kansas in the years following the American Civil War and were among the flood of migrants from the east and immigrants from across the sea that had moved, looking for an opportunity to build homes, create businesses and find the happiness and security that had been denied them in their European homelands. It was here, in Kansas, that they found that opportunity; here they decided to stay. Today, [in 2022 as well] the descendants of those hearty Swedish pioneers are still here in the Smoky Valley-- prosperous farmers and businessmen, educators and musicians, homemakers and laborers.
"Questions arise in the mind of an observer admiring these two great churches and wandering around the cemeteries reading the names of so many born in Sweden and having died in Kansas. What brought these people, the lifeblood of Sweden, to these plains? Why did they settle here? Who were these daring pioneers, and what made them leave their ancestral homes, travel halfway round the world, and settle on an unknown prairie?
"Many books, articles, and papers have been written about the Swedes that settled the Lindsborg community of northern McPherson County. Their story has been documented and related fully in every way. The Lindsborg community remains, because of its location, the center of Swedish culture in Kansas. The contributions of Lindsborg Swedish heritage have been significant and long lasting.
"However, little thought or time has been spent documenting the settlement and history of the communities of Swedish people who settled directly north and west of Lindsborg. The Salemsborg community to the north, and the Freemount community to the West emerged as centers of an entirely separate colony of Swedish pioneers, a group of people whose history was similar in many ways to that of the Lindsborg Swedes, and yet also very different. Those who made up the Salemsborg and Freemount communities also contributed much to the Swedish culture of the Central Plains and the cultural diversity of the state of Kansas. Unfortunately, the contributions and history of the colony of pioneers of Salemsborg and Freemount have been neglected.
"This book seeks to recognize the pioneers of Salemsborg and Freemount and to recount the history of their journey "to the peaceful mountain." They are now at rest, but their memory and accomplishments live on.
"The cemetery at Salemsborg contains a very small, gray obelisk among the great memorial stones erected for the pioneer families. It is so unobtrusive that you have to search for it. On that stone, nearly unreadable after years of weathering, are the words: "A. W. Dahlsten." It is fitting that his monument is so humble, and underneath it lies the remains of a modest, yet great man. This book has been written to recognize A. W. Dahlsten: Pastor, builder, a man of great vision and ceaseless energy. He was always too busy doing God's work to ever garner any recognition for himself. It is for this reason the story of the Galesburg Colonization Company and Pastor Dahlsten should be told.
Rev. A. W. Dahlsten
(1836-1918)
(1836-1918)
Source: 1994 Pioneer Cross
"The pioneers of southern Saline County, and northwestern McPherson County, are worthy of receiving recognition for fulfilling their hopes and dreams through great trials and difficulties. They came to Kansas looking for the "liberated place" and once there, they built the "fortress of peace." Their story is common to many of the ethnic groups who settled Kansas during the second half of the nineteenth century, yet it is also a unique tale of hardship, courage. and the ultimate victory of a people of great faith. It also enriches our knowledge of the cultural diversity of Kansas and adds to our historical and cultural understanding of the pioneer experience. Here then, is the story of Pioneer Cross."
Photography by Melinda O'Leary, June 2022
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Introduction
"The Galesburg Colonization Company was a very unusual tool to bring a group of people to a new land. The Swedish pioneers who made up this company were strong, willful, and independent. They expected no help from any outside source and relied wholly on their own abilities to solve any problems they faced. These Swedes formed an informal committee company, sent representatives they could trust to search for promising land, and used their own resources to find a home for themselves and their children.
"They found that place in Kansas and a settlement was started. Within a few years, one of the largest concentrations of ethnic Swedes anywhere in the United States had developed from this group. Today, their culture is preserved, and it continues to flourish in the central Kansas area. In some cases, the land, chosen for them by a lottery, has been farmed continuously by the same family for over 125 [now 157]* years, extending now to the 4th [now 5th]* and 5th [now 6th]* generations.
"The Galesburg Colonization Company played a vital role in the settlement of one small part of the Great Plains. It provided a means for the Swedish settlers to find a home among their own ethnic group, ensuring the preservation of their distinctive culture and traditions. The migration to Kansas allowed for a temporary release from the religious turmoil afflicting the Swedish Lutheran Church during the late 1860s. The Galesburg Company gave rise to the spread of Lutheranism in the new region. Eventually Galesburg people, and especially Pastor A. W. Dahlsten were responsible for founding 11 new Lutheran churches and 3 Mission Covenant churches.
"The immigrants who came to America left a harsh and very poor homeland in Sweden. Even though life in Kansas proved to be very difficult and full of hardship, it was a good decision for most of the people. A large percentage of the Swedes who came with the Galesburg Company to Kansas found economic prosperity greater than they could have ever imagined in their homeland. Within five years, they were landowners with prime farmland. Within a generation they had achieved financial success.
"There were many groups in colonies that founded settlements on the Great Plains. Most were only a 'specialized response to a temporary situation.' These decisions were made with gravity. 'They had to adapt. This step they took to . . . Kansas was a very long one, spiritually and physically, and for them there was no turning back.'
"The Galesburg Colonization Company was an informal tool that one group of potential settlers used to find a place for themselves on the Kansas prairie. It is significant that these individuals were not recruited by a railroad company land agent, nor anyone else. They found a place for themselves and created a community of ethnic Swedes who have preserved their culture and heritage of their homeland, while adapting to a new environment, and a new land. In this way the Galesburg Colonization Company contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the Great Plains."
* Calculated from year 2022
"They found that place in Kansas and a settlement was started. Within a few years, one of the largest concentrations of ethnic Swedes anywhere in the United States had developed from this group. Today, their culture is preserved, and it continues to flourish in the central Kansas area. In some cases, the land, chosen for them by a lottery, has been farmed continuously by the same family for over 125 [now 157]* years, extending now to the 4th [now 5th]* and 5th [now 6th]* generations.
"The Galesburg Colonization Company played a vital role in the settlement of one small part of the Great Plains. It provided a means for the Swedish settlers to find a home among their own ethnic group, ensuring the preservation of their distinctive culture and traditions. The migration to Kansas allowed for a temporary release from the religious turmoil afflicting the Swedish Lutheran Church during the late 1860s. The Galesburg Company gave rise to the spread of Lutheranism in the new region. Eventually Galesburg people, and especially Pastor A. W. Dahlsten were responsible for founding 11 new Lutheran churches and 3 Mission Covenant churches.
"The immigrants who came to America left a harsh and very poor homeland in Sweden. Even though life in Kansas proved to be very difficult and full of hardship, it was a good decision for most of the people. A large percentage of the Swedes who came with the Galesburg Company to Kansas found economic prosperity greater than they could have ever imagined in their homeland. Within five years, they were landowners with prime farmland. Within a generation they had achieved financial success.
"There were many groups in colonies that founded settlements on the Great Plains. Most were only a 'specialized response to a temporary situation.' These decisions were made with gravity. 'They had to adapt. This step they took to . . . Kansas was a very long one, spiritually and physically, and for them there was no turning back.'
"The Galesburg Colonization Company was an informal tool that one group of potential settlers used to find a place for themselves on the Kansas prairie. It is significant that these individuals were not recruited by a railroad company land agent, nor anyone else. They found a place for themselves and created a community of ethnic Swedes who have preserved their culture and heritage of their homeland, while adapting to a new environment, and a new land. In this way the Galesburg Colonization Company contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the Great Plains."
* Calculated from year 2022
Go HERE for 1994 "Pioneer Cross: ~ The 1869 Swedish Christmas Ljuskröna Story, from "The Peaceful Mountain" chapter.
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These shared selections of Pioneer Cross have been shown to author Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist for approval as of 9-12-22.
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These shared selections of Pioneer Cross have been shown to author Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist for approval as of 9-12-22.
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1994 Published, 128 Pages
Cover photo by Linda K. Hubalek
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Read it
> HERE<
1994 Published, 128 Pages
Cover photo by Linda K. Hubalek
---------------
Read it
> HERE<
* * *
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
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