From Wisconsin County Histories Waupaca County Edited by John M. Ware 1917	
Transcribed and submitted to the Waupaca County Website
by Paula Vaughan January 2002

Scandinavia is a sturdy little village of some 450 people in the western part of Waupaca County, located on the south branch of the Little Wolf
River and the Iola & Northern branch of the Green Bay & Western Railroad. The surrounding country is admirably adapted to dairy purposes;
is a good potato district and retains considerable stretches of timber. In the village are therefore found a flourishing plant of the
Silver Lake Co-operative Creamery Association, a fair-sized lumber yard and several potato warehouses. For sixteen years also the village has
had its own bank, and for nearly the same period has been building up a telephone system which has further enhanced its importance as a
center of trade and influence.

Even in a higher sense, Scandinavia is the center of Norwegian development in Waupaca County, for not only has it a very strong
Lutheran Church of many years' standing, but one of the best-known academies for the Christian education of American boys and girls of
Norwegian stock in the Northwest. The Scandinavian Academy is now in its twenty-seventh year.

The little village of Scandinavia therefore presents several features in which it may well take pride.

UNITED LUTHERAN CONGREGATION
There are two Lutheran churches in the village. The Synod Lutheran Church is supplied from Iola, but the United Lutheran organization has
a confirmed membership of nearly six hundred, in charge of Rev. O. Nilsen.

The latter was incorporated in December, 1854, although it had been served for some time by preachers from the southern part of the state.

The first settled pastor was Rev. O. F. Duus. After five years Rev. A. Mikkelsen  assumed the pastorate, and served for eleven years, being 
followed by Rev. J. C. A.  Musaus (eight years); Rev. N. J. Ellestad (about seven and a half), and Rev. O. Nilsen,  who has been pastor since 1892.

The Lutheran churches in Iola and Farmington townships, Waupaca County, and New Hope and Amherst, Portage County, have all orig- inated in the 
Scandinavia organization. The old church edifice, one mile north of the village, was built in 1856, and somewhat enlarged in 1865. The pioneers of the 
region brought the materials to the ground themselves, and were both architects and builders. That meeting house is said to be the oldest Lutheran 
Church in use in the western part of the county. Besides the 590 confirmed members connected with the society, over two hundred children have been 
baptized into the present church.

IN 1856
The following item appeared in print about the time that the Lutheran Church was  built: "Scandinavia, at the head of White Lake, is six miles from Ogdensburg, and
 is in the midst of an industrious and enterprising class of Norwegians, whose settlement extends up the valley to the distance of about twenty miles. 
Excellent. fish abound in the lake and are easily taken. Excellent mill sites may be obtained here. "

SCANDINAVIA ACADEMY
Under the control of the United Lutheran Church of America, the Scandinavia Academy was founded by the association thus named, which
was organized January 21, 1891, its articles of incorporation being signed by Rev. N. J. Ellestad, Dr. M. Ravn, C. O. Hellestad, Gunder Voie, T.
Thorson, Kittel Evenson, O. A. Olson, Herman Hotz, O. H. Kolden, Ambrose Gregerson, J. O. WrQlstad, K. O. Eidahl, Hans Johnson, L. E.
Gorden and L. L. Loberg. In 1892 the ground was bought for the site and subscriptions raised for the construction of the academy building.

The cornerstone was laid July 4, 1893, and on October 31 of the same year the school was dedicated by Rev. K. O. Eidahl; the academy was
opened to pupils on the following day. The original cost of the building was $20,000, and a heating plant has since been installed for $2,500.
The Scandinavia Academy is located on a beautiful campus a shortbdistance from the shores of Silver Lake, within the village limits, and
is surrounded by a delightful country of farms and wooded hills. The main building is three stories and basement, 50 by 80 feet, and is
equipped with modern systems of lighting and heating, with a special water supply and sewer accommodations. Some years ago the management
bought the village opera house and equipped it as a gymnasium. The building is located on Main street, is 40 by 80 feet, and serves the
purposes well for which it has been adapted.

The principals who have served the Scandinavia Academy are C. Aubol, L. M. Larson, E. C. Nelson, N. N. Esser, E. M. Wagnild, E. H.
Westgor and Rev. H. A. Okdale. The academy is now in the twenty-fourth year of its usefulness, and more than three hundred pupils have
graduated from its courses. They are to be found in all parts of the country, and quite a number are ministers of the gospel.
The school is under the control of a board of directors, composed of twenty members, and a board of trustees, consisting of seven. Rev. O.
Nilsen, pastor of the Lutheran Church of Scandinavia, has been president of the board of directors from the first, and has been rightly called the
"father of the school." Among others who stanchly labored for the academy during its early years were M. Ravn, Herman Hotz, L. L.
Loberg, C. 0. Hellestad, J. 0. Wrolstad, Hans Johnson, Thorson Brothers, L. E. Gorden, A. L. Dahl and Rev. K. 0. Eidahl. Active in the work of 
the school during the later years may be mentioned such neighboring ministers as Reverends Thompson, Masted, Kolste and Hoel, and such
local laymen as R. M. Hanson, A. M. Peterson and R. J. Bestul, as well as S. M. Myhre and J. L. Wrolstad, of Iola.

THE VILLAGE CORPORATION
Scandinavia was incorporated as a village in 1894, its first officers being as follows: President of the board of trustees, Thor Thorson;
members, John 0. Wrostad, Ole 0. Wrolstad, H. B. B. Poppe, 0. A. Olson, L. S. Jacobson and Ole N. Waubon; clerk, Thomas Paulson.

As far as the records show, the following were the successive officials of the village: Presidents-L. S. Jacobson, 1895, 1896; A. M. Peterson,
1897, 1898, 1899; H. Thorson, 1900; R. M. Hanson, 1901, 1902; T. Thorson, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906; R. J. Bestul, 1907; T. Thorson, 1908;
C. H. Anderson, 1909, 1910; R. J. Bestul, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914; F. J. Anderson, 1915, 1916.

Clerks-Theodore Paulson, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900; R. J. Bestul, 1901; T. A. Peterson, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907,
1908; J. O. Oas, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913; G. E. Jole, 1914, 1915, 1916. Treasurers-Nels Danielson, 1895; John Paulson, 1902; 0. H. Iver-son,
1903; O. N. Waubon, 1904, 1905, 1906; G. E. Jole, 1907, 1908, 1909; T. Thorson, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914; John Otterson, 1915, 1916.
Superintendents-T. Thorson, 1895; Theodore Paulson, 1902, 1904; R. M. Hanson, 1905, 1906; J. L. Tollefson, 1907; R. M. Hanson, 1913,
1914, 1915, 1916.

BANK OF SCANDINAVIA
In October, 1900, R. J. Bestul opened a private bank at Scandinavia, as named above, and in September, 1903, it was incorporated as a state
institution, with a capital of $10,000. The first officers were: A. M. Peterson, president; C. C. Zwicky, vice president, and R. J. Bestul,
cashier. The building now occupied was completed in September, 1904. In February, 1910, the capital was increased to! $25,000, at which it
remains. The Bank of Scandinavia has a surplus and undivided profits amounting to $7,000 and average deposits of $335,000. Its present
officers are: R. M. Hanson, president; E. A. Hotz, vice president; R. J. Bestul, cashier. The management of the bank has been largely in the
hands of the cashier, Mr. Bestul having held that position since the commencement of business in 1900.

THE TELEPHONE COMPANY
The Scandinavia Telephone Company was organized in August, 1903.Its main office is in Scandinavia, with a branch exchange at Iola. The
company owns buildings at both these places, and serves the villages and the surrounding country through 500 telephones, 160 miles of pole line
and 380 miles of circuit. Connection is had with the Wisconsin Telephone Company for long, or toll line service. At the beginning of 1916
the property of the company was valued at $16,761; cash on hand, $1,988; capital stock paid in, $9,225; surplus, $9,524.

The officers of the Scandinavia Telephone Company are: A. M. Peterson, president; E. A. Hotz, vice president; R. J. Bestul, secretary
and treasurer. Messrs. Peterson and Bestul have served in their respective offices since the organization of the company. C. A. Peterson is manager
of the Scandinavia exchange building and lineman of the company.

SCANDINAVIA LUMBER COMPANY
During the summer of 1912 the Scandinavia Lumber Company was incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000, of which $6,700 had been
paid in by the fall of 1916. No change in the management has been made since organization. The officers: R. J. Bestul, president; R. M.
Bestul, vice president; K. M. Buer, secretary and treasurer, the last named being also general manager in charge of the company's retail
lumber yard at Scandinavia. The annual amount of business now transacted is about $18,000.