Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/410

 342 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY by Dr. E. Norelius and S. J. "Willard. The real beginning of the Swedish settlement in this county was in 1854. The Swedes have taken an important part in the development of Goodhue county and are now numbered among her best citi- zens. Their children and grandchildren are thoroughly American and are taking the places in official and business life to which they are entitled. The characteristics of the Swedish people have been admirably summed up by Colonel Mattson as follows : "Yes, it is verily true that the Scandinavian immigrants, from the early colonists of 1638 to the present time, have fur- nished strong hands, clear heads and loyal hearts to the republic. They have caused the wilderness to blossom like the rose ; they have planted schools and churches on the hills and in the valleys; they have honestly and ably administered the affairs of town, county and state ; they have helped to make wise laws for their respeetive commonwealths and in the halls of Congress; they have with honor and ability represented their adopted country abroad: they have sanctified the American soil by their blood, shed in freedom's cause on the battlefields of the Revolutionary and Civil wars; and though proud of their Scandinavian ancestry, they love America and American institutions as deeply and as truly ;is do the descendants of the Pilgrims, the starry emblems of liberty meaning as much to them as to any other citizen. "Therefore the Scandinavian'-American feels a certain sense of ownership in the glorious heritage of American soil, with its rivers, lakes, mountains, valleys, woods and prairies, and in all its noble institutions ; and he feels that the blessings which he enjoys are not his by favor or sufferance, but by right — by moral as well as civil right. For he took possession of the wilderness, endured the hardships of the pioneer, contributed his full share toward the grand results accomplished, and is in mind and heart a true and loyal American citizen." Dr. Eric Norelius some years ago wrote an account of the early Swedish settlement and consequent growth of their colonies, which is of deepest interest to all who have considered the beginnings of the Swedish influx, which has continued to have so important an influence on the life of the county. The contri- bution of Dr. Norelius follows : "The honor of having first directed the influx of Swedish immigration into Goodhue county belongs to Colonel Hans Matt- son. He was a young man with a military education, from Sweden, and had spent some time in Moline, 111., after his arrival in this country. The following is gathered from an article written by him in the early part of 1856 and published in 'Hemlandet,'' a Swedish paper, then at Galesburg :