St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Ledger, Montana, Records, 1913-2012 PDF
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- St. Olaf Lutheran Church (Ledger, Mont.)
- Title
- St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Ledger, Montana, Records
- Dates
- 1913-2012 (inclusive)19132012
- Quantity
- 1 file
- Collection Number
- OPVELCA7a3_110 (collection)
- Summary
- Collection contains the records of St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Ledger, Montana.
- Repository
- Pacific Lutheran University, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Pacific Lutheran University
12180 Park Avenue South
Tacoma, Washington
98447
Telephone: 253-535-7586
Fax: 253-535-7315
archives@plu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is available for research
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.Processing funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Historical NoteReturn to Top
St. Olaf was started by homesteaders who came into the area in 1910. In 1911 a traveling pastor, Rev. Lunde, rode the train from Great Falls to Fowler, checked off his bicycle, and rode it to the farm homes for services. In 1913 the congregation was organized. Because of distances, the congregation divided itself into East and West St. Olaf, served by the same pastor. In the same community a Hauge Synod congregation was also meeting in homes when they built a church on the “Bootlegger Trail.” This trail was used for smuggling alcoholic beverages into the United States from Canada. It has been said that during Prohibition, the booty was hid in St. Olaf’s belfry.
The church door closed many times due to various factors. St. Olaf reorganized in 1928, closed in the mid 1940s, and in 1953 reopened when served by Clarence Jacobson, then of Joplin.
A new church was built across the road from the old one in 1958. Regular services have continued since then, served by a pastor who comes from Chester, 33 miles away.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This folder includes a congregational historical record, a written church history, letter from Iva Kolstad, and letter to and from Milton Nesvig.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Property rights reside with Archives and Special Collections Department at Pacific Lutheran University. Copyright resides with the creator of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the University Archivist. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder
Preferred Citation
From the St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Ledger, Montana, Records, OPVELCA7a3_110, Archives and Special Collections, ELCA Region I Archives, Pacific Lutheran University, 12180 Park Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98447
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
- Subject Terms :
- Circuit riders
- Lutherans--Montana--History
- Personal Names :
- Engh, Harold, 1930-1934
- Johnson, Ocee, 1943-1944
- Mason, J. M., 1934-1936
- Romstad, 1938-1941
- Ronsberg, J. O., 1914-1918
- Vaaler, K. B., 1913-1916
- Barker, Dave, 1976-1981
- Bungum, Wayne, 1981-
- Greibrock, 1916-1918
- Jacobson, Clarence, 1953-1955
- Lee, Orlando, 1941-1942
- Lunde, A. G., 1911-1913
- Otte, 1929-1930
- Peterson, Noel, 1968-1975
- Thompson, Leonard, 1936-1938
- Thompson, S. T., 1918-1921
- Walla, Joseph, 1955-1967
- Corporate Names :
- Evangelical Lutheran Church -- Montana Synod
- Evangelical Lutheran Church--History
- Hauge Synod (Ledger, Mont.)
- Geographical Names :
- Fowler (Mont.)
- Great Falls (Mont.)
- Joplin (Mont.)
- Bootlegger Trail Site (Mont.)
- Canada
- Chester (Mont.)
- Ledger (Mont.)
- Pondera County (Mont.)
- Occupations :
- Clergy
