James M. Wahl (Given name: Jens Magnus Wahl) (January 7, 1846 - February 9, 1939) was a pioneer Norwegian American settler in South Dakota. He served as the first legislator of Lincoln County, South Dakota in the Dakota Territorial Legislature.[1] Wahl named the city of Canton, South Dakota.[2]

Biography

Wahl was born at Storvahl in Nærøy parish, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. He was the son of Fredrik Andreas Jenssen (1814-1866) and Johanna Maria Mikkelsdatter (1825-1917). Wahl emigrated to La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1867 from Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway. He attended West Salem Seminary in La Crosse, Wisconsin and upon completion moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He served as a guide to immigrants coming to Lincoln County, South Dakota from Norway for many years. He later moved to the Sioux Valley arriving on April 23, 1868, in Canton, South Dakota. He filed for a homestead on the very piece of property on which the county courthouse stands today.[3]

Among many contributions to the community, Wahl assisted with the organization of Bethlehem Lutheran church (now Canton Lutheran Church), organized bringing the Augustana College from Beloit, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and wrote a 277-page record of local settlement. He died in 1939, a citizen of the United States for 73 years.[4] [5][6]

References

  1. ↑ South Dakota Historical Listing Legislator Detail James M. Wahl Archived 2008-01-09 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Norwegian-American guide 2006-07 Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "The History of Lincoln County South Dakota". The Lincoln County History Committee. 1985. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ "A Brief History of Canton Lutheran". Canton Lutheran Church. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  5. ↑ "The History of Augustana University". Augustana University. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ James M. Wahl: Earliest Co. Pioneer Dies (Sioux Valley News, Sioux Falls South Dakota) February 9, 1939


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