“Frontier Log Cabin Served A Variety of Purposes”

In 1876 Hans Rovig traded Eric Trygstad a milk cow for the hand hewn logs to build this cabin. Originally located two miles south of Brookings, this home served as the first Norwegian school in the area. The school convened for about a month at a time and was permanently closed when authorities decided that the students should attend formal American schools.

A similar structure was built on this site to house supplies for two companies of soldiers who erected breastworks and camped here in 1859. The site also served Fort Sisseton, 90 miles to the north, as an Indian scout camp in the 1860s.

Brookings County, SD30/ 4 miles west of Bruce in Oakwood Lakes State park (2006)