This Central MN City Has a Swedish Heritage

Upsala is situated in southwestern Morrison County in Central Minnesota.  It’s a city with Swedish heritage and it has a present inhabitants of 487 individuals.  Upsala is surrounded by Elmdale Township.  Minnesota Freeway 238 (in any other case generally known as Important Road) passes via the middle of the neighborhood.  To assist inform the story of Upsala I used to be joined by longtime resident and Historian, Dan Hovland and former Mayor Rollie Johnson.

Hovland says within the late 1800s many individuals from quite a lot of nations got here to Central Minnesota however the settlement that grew to become Upsala consisted of a giant Swedish heritage.  He says the Swedish settlers might have selected the world as a result of it reminded them of their residence land.  Hovland explains the world provided a river, hills and land to farm.  He highlighted John Henry Peterson as was one of many first Swedish settlers selecting to settle south of Upsala.  Hovland says John Swetback operated a noticed mill, creamery and normal retailer.  He says for awhile the settlement was know as Swetback settlement.  Hovland says postmaster John Anderson is credited with giving the settlement the identify Upsala naming it after a big College in Sweden.

Butter making was vital within the early days with Swetback Settlement after which Upsala.  Hovland says farming was the principle trade within the space within the early years.  He says John Borgstrom got here to Upsala in 1893.  He was a farmer but additionally had a photograph studio, confectionary store, offered furnishings and likewise labored as an undertaker.  Borgstrom additionally performed a job in establishing their first financial institution in 1914.

The railroad by no means got here via Upsala whereas as a substitute selecting to go north via Sobieski, Burtrum, Bowlus and Royalton.  Hovland says the city was integrated in 1916.  Gus Nelson was the primary mayor of Upsala.  State Freeway 238 in 1945 got here via Upsala.  Hovland says Upsala is not too removed from bigger populations like Little Falls and Albany.  Early companies in Upsala included a phone firm, lumber seller, blacksmith, meat market, implement seller and auto storage restore store.

Hovland says church buildings have been all the time an enormous a part of the city.  The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church was on of the primary ones on the town, it’s now Gethsemane Lutheran.  A Swedish Mission Church was there and it is now the Covenant Group Church.  Hovland says there was a Baptist Church there for awhile however that now not exists.  In 1953 St. Mary’s Catholic Church opened and continues to be there immediately. (pictured above)

The most important employer in Upsala is the varsity District.  Each Hovland and Rollie Johnson say the neighborhood actually helps the varsity and Hovland says his children received a terrific training with Upsala Public Faculties.  He says there had been discuss over time of consolidating with different space faculties however nothing ever materialized and the varsity district continues to do a superb job of going it alone.

Town comes collectively the 2nd week in August for Upsala Heritage Days.  Rollie Johnson says it is a 3-day occasion that brings lots of people into the neighborhood.  Occasions embody a 5K run/stroll, bean bag match, baseball match, classic automobile present, mountaineering wall, petting zoo fireworks, and musical leisure together with different points of interest.

If you would like to hearken to my dialog with Dan Hovland and Rollie Carlson, it’s accessible under.