The West Lake Massacre

The West Lake Massacre. . Rev. Andrew Jackson had two services arranged in his Norway Lake Swedish Lutheran Parish for Wednesday, the 20th of August, 1862. In the forenoon a meeting was held at the Lundborg cabin at West Lake, now known as Monson Lake in Swift County. Here a new contingent of people had just arrived from Sweden and were bid welcome. There was an air of joyous expectancy, for there was a wedding to be held within a few days, preparations for which were being made in true old-country style. , At the close of the service, a little boy, Peter Broberg, son of Daniel P. Broberg, came running all out of breath, and told that the Indians had arrived at the Broberg cabins about two miles away, and that they were abusing the children that had been left at home. The visit of the Indians was nothing new, and no particular alarm was felt. , Andres P. Broberg and the four Lundborg brothers, however, started at once for the Broberg cabins by a short-cut through the woods and over the meadow along the lakes. Daniel Broberg placed the women and children in a wagon hitched to an ox team, and took the regular prairie trail for home. The good pastor warned the Lundborg boys to leave their guns behind, so as not to unnecessarily provoke the Indians, which they did. Accounts of the tragedy do not agree upon this detail, as most assert that the boys nevertheless did take their rifles. Mr. A. P. Oman of Anoka, who as a boy was an eye-witness, told the writer last summer that the boys did not have their guns. He also ventured the opinion that if they had, there would have been some dead Indians there, for the boys were all crack shots. , Be it as it may, Anders Broberg and the Lundborg boys arrived at the cabins and found the band of Indians there, all of whom were known and familiar to them. They pretended to be on a friendly errand, greeting and chatting with them. All at once the Indians on some, pre-arranged signal gave simultaneous fire, killing A. P. Broberg where he sat at ease at the table in his cabin. Johannes Nilson, a half-brother of Mrs. Broberg, and four small children were slaughtered in the cabin, or in the yard as they tried to escape. Anders, Gustav and Lars Lundborg were all shot and killed. Their younger brother, Samuel, was also shot and received a flesh wound. He fell to the ground and so successfully pretended to be dead that the attacking Indians, after rifling his pockets and striking him with the butt of his gun left him. He escaped and lived for many years thereafter. , The Elder Lundborg came into sight just in time to see his boys shot down. He had his gun, but seeing the futility of trying to cope with so many enemies, turned and fled into the brush. The Indians fired several shots after him, but just then Daniel Broberg with the women and children in the wagon caught the eyes of the savages and they abandoned the chase of the elder Lundborg and started for the wagon. They shot Daniel who was driving his oxen and an Indian leaped up into the wagon. The two wives of the Brobergs jumped from the wagon and ran for their lives, but were caught by the savages and tomahawked. Mrs. A. P. Broberg clung to her ten months old baby boy, John Albert, but the redskins had no pity for women or children. Mr. A. P. Broberg, two daughters and little Peter Broberg also jumped from the wagon and made a break for the woods. , Only one member of each of the two Broberg families escaped alive from the terrible massacre, Anna Stina from the A. P. Broberg family, and Peter from the D. P. Broberg family. Space will not permit us to tell the thrilling escape of the survivors, how the Norway Lake settlers rendezvoused on an island in Norway Lake, known as the Isle of Refuge to this day, and finally made their escape by way of Lake Prairie, Paynesville and St. Cloud. , That massacre wiped out the Norway Lake Parish. However Rev. Jackson also had another parish further east into Kandiyohi County – this parish had the name of Nest Lake which later became the Lebanon Lutheran Church in New London Village. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . , The above is taken from the Beginnings and History of the Minnesota Swedish Lutheran Conference (Augustana Synod) and written by Victor E. Lawson, the pioneer historian of Kandiyohi County and condensed from the eye-witness story of the lone survivor Anna Stina Broberg mentioned above. , The names of the 13 victims are found on the state monument located in this inclosure.