DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight. Now, when you think about the great waves of folks who came pouring into Texas from across the ocean, you might picture the Germans settling the Hill Country, or maybe the Czechs putting down roots across the Blacklands. Norwegians don't always get the first mention — and the marker's honest about that, noting they were never as numerous as some of the other national groups emigrating from Europe.
But don't let the numbers fool you, because the ones who came left a mark that outlasted plenty of bigger crowds. Hundreds of Norwegians sailed to the United States beginning in the 1830s, and some of them kept right on going until they found a piece of land that stopped them cold. That land was Bosque County, Texas.
And here's the thing about Bosque County — with its woods and its hills and its steep, sloping streams, it resembled parts of Norway. You can almost picture a man standing on a ridge above the Gary Creek valley, squinting into the distance, and feeling something he hadn't felt since he left home. In 1854, a man named Ole Canuteson started a settlement here, and what he started grew into Texas' largest Norse settlement.
That's not a small thing to say about a place. Until past the turn of the century, the settlers in that Gary Creek valley spoke mainly Norwegian and held onto the customs of their homeland. A little piece of Norway, tucked into the hills of Bosque County, holding on for generations.
Some places earn their names. Some places just quietly earn everything else.
What the marker says
Though never as numerous as some national groups emigrating from Europe, Norwegians left an imprint of rural life in Texas. Hundreds sailed to the United States beginning in the 1830's. For those who settled in Texas, Bosque County had great appeal, because with its woods, hills, and steep, sloping streams, it resembled parts of Norway. In 1854 Ole Canuteson started here what became Texas' largest Norse settlement. Until past the turn of the century, the Gary Creek valley settlers spoke mainly Norwegian and retained many customs of their homeland. (1969)