Fall 1870 -- The harvest season brought reminders of the hardships of pioneer women.

Their strong bodies were needed in the field. They made trips into nearby groves to fill the shed with elm logs, bark and sun-baked cow chips for the winter fuel supply.

They went into the country-side to brighten the family diet with wild plums, gooseberries, strawberries, grapes and crab apples.

They worked with animal hides to supplement family work clothes.

Outside their families it was a lonely life as they often were isolated by housekeeping chores, thus the infrequent visits with neighbors were something of holiday affairs.

Summer 1870 -- A Shelby County census showed about 200 Danes in the county with only a few of these in the new settlement along Indian Creek.

Fall 1874 -- Recent settlers in the Indian Creek area included Louis Johnson and Ole Therkelsen.

Fall 1873 -- New arrivals in the settlement along Indian Creek in Clay Township included Hans Larsen, J. P. Carlsen, Peder Hansen and P. P. Nelson. Some of the new settlers came from Omaha where they had worked on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad.

Summer 1872 -- A homeopathic physician settled near Indian Creek in Clay Township and combined his practice with farming.

Dr. P. B. Allen, the first physician in the settlement, practiced in that area of medicine based on the theory that certain diseases can be cured by giving small doses of drugs which would produce the disease symptoms in a healthy person.

Summer 1874 -- Pastor A. S. Nielsen of Withee, Wis., arrived in the settlement in answer to an advertisement in the "Scandinavian" newspaper, in Chicago, inserted by Ole Therkelsen.

Pastor Nielsen, the first minister in the settlement, agreed to remain on a temporary basis and conducted services in homes throughout the settlement.

You'll find in these pages some background on the Inner Mission-Grundtvigian split in the Danish Lutheran Church which played a role in Elk Horn's early history.

Dr. P. Soe was asked about the difference:

"Well, to me it seems something like this--you Inner Mission people seem to feel you must weep and grovel your way into heaven; we feel that a smile now and then might help."

October 1, 1875-- More Danes joined friends and relatives in the Elk Horn settlement along Indian Creek late in 1875. They included Thor Madsen, Hans Petersen, Chris Hansen, C. M. Hansen, C. O. Jensen and Nicoli Carstensen.

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Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, July, 2022, from Elk Horn 1868-1918, page 4.