On This Date in Minnesota History: February 21

February 21, 1871 – “The earliest record of settlers in the [Ham Lake] area goes back to 1855 when a number of [Scottish¹] men were living in the southern portion.  They were mainly hunters.”²

“Ham Lake was a part of Grow Township [(now Andover)], but it was detached and separately organized by the Anoka County Commissioners on [this date].  The Scandinavian settlers found it difficult to pronounce [its then] Scottish name of Glen Carey.  Since no name had been chosen by the people, the commissioners named it “Ham Lake Township”, after the lake which had acquired that name due to its shape.

Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ham Lake, Minn.

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Feb. 21, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.

Religious meetings were held for several years by the Norwegian and Swedish pioneer families in private dwellings. Due to language differences each group decided to build their own church in the [mid-1870s].”² 

In 1872, Swedish immigrants Johan P. Magnuson and his wife Fredrika donated land for the construction of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ham Lake, which was added to the list of National Register of Historical Places on December 26, 1979.

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Feb. 21, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.

The following is the text of a plaque hanging on the front of the church:

"This church, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ham Lake as it is called on the National Register of Historic Places, has a rich history. Founded in 1872, the building was constructed on land donated by Johan and Fredrika Magnuson shortly after their daughters Alida and Emilia died of typhoid fever and a need for a cemetery was realized. Originally laid to rest in their front yard, when the church was completed the two coffins were moved and became the first graves in the cemetery.

When the church was first built there were no local pastors, thus, whenever the families in the church wanted to hold a service someone would have to travel to Anoka to pick up the pastor and bring him back. Since that time the church has expanded and required new buildings, but despite its now limited use, the "Old Church" remains an important part of the history of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church."³

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Feb. 21, 2014, 

as long as acknowledgement included.

Today the church building on Swedish Drive in Ham Lake is called Our Saviour’s Chapel. Worship is conducted there on Christmas morning, the Sunday morning before Memorial Day, and Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. throughout the summer (from the Monday after Memorial Day through the Monday prior to Labor Day).⁴

¹http://activerain.com/blogsview/87120/a-historical-look-at-ham-lake-minnesota
²http://www.ci.ham-lake.mn.us/?q=about/history
³http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_(Ham_Lake,_Minnesota)
⁴http://www.oursaviourslc.org/WhoWeAre/CelebratingthePast.htm