Lonsdale in Rice County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Nicolaus Gustafson
Photographed By McGhiever, September 30, 2015
1. Nicolaus Gustafson Marker
Inscription.
Nicolaus Gustafson. . On September 7, 1876 Nicolaus Gustafson, a recent immigrant from Sweden, was fatally shot by Cole Younger during the notorious Jesse James Gang's aborted raid on the Northfield bank. Gustafson had ridden into town that morning with Peter Youngquist who lived next to the present church and owned the only span of mules in the Swedish community. After the shooting, the Swedish immigrants met in Youngquist's house and agreed to establish the Christdala church at this site. The criminals escaped through Dundas and Millersburg along the road in front of the church and were captured two weeks later near Madelia. Cole Younger and his brothers pled guilty to four indictments, including the murder of Nicolaus Gustafson, and were sentenced to life terms in the state penitentiary. John Olson, Christdala's carpenter, witnessed the shooting and testified against the Youngers. Nicolaus Gustafson was buried in the Northfield Cemetery and his brother Peter, along with Peter Youngquist, became founding members of Christdala.
On September 7, 1876 Nicolaus Gustafson, a recent immigrant from Sweden, was fatally shot by Cole Younger during the notorious Jesse James Gang's aborted raid on the Northfield bank. Gustafson had ridden into town that morning with Peter Youngquist who lived next to the present church and owned the only span of mules in the Swedish community. After the shooting, the Swedish immigrants met in Youngquist's house and agreed to establish the Christdala church at this site. The criminals escaped through Dundas and Millersburg along the road in front of the church and were captured two weeks later near Madelia. Cole Younger and his brothers pled guilty to four indictments, including the murder of Nicolaus Gustafson, and were sentenced to life terms in the state penitentiary. John Olson, Christdala's carpenter, witnessed the shooting and testified against the Youngers. Nicolaus Gustafson was buried in the Northfield Cemetery and his brother Peter, along with Peter Youngquist, became founding members of Christdala.
Erected 2006 by Christdala Preservation and Cemetery Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Jesse James series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 7, 1876.
Location.
Click or scan to see this page online
44° 25.932′ N, 93° 21.453′ W. Marker is in Lonsdale, Minnesota, in Rice County. Marker is on Millersburg Blvd (County Route 1), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4695 Millersburg Blvd, Lonsdale MN 55046, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2016, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 516 times since then and 25 times this year. Photo1. submitted on April 4, 2016, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
