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Norman County Minnesota Wild Rice Children's Home

Check out the Wild Rice Children's Home Newsletter

Much of the following information is taken from "An Orphan's Saga, Life at the Wild Rice Children's Home, Twin Valley, Minnesota, 1898-1931" written by a former resident of that home, Mr. Carl R. Narveson

The Wild Rice Children's Home was founded in 1898 by the Norwegian Lutheran Synod. It was located near Fossum, four and a half miles south and east of Twin Valley in Norman County, Minnesota. The reason for founding the Children's Home was because at that time the Synod had no place to take care of children outside of the Stoughton, Wisc. Martin Luther Orphans Home. Several offers were considered but the best offer came from Twin Valley, MN. The first manager and matron were Rev. and Mrs. H. A. Blegen. They took over on March 22, 1899. The first child was admitted on April 13th, 1899 and five more children came soon after. From 1899 until it was destroyed by fire in 1931, 616 children lived at the Home. Children came from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana, Nebraska and Saskatchewan and Ontario in Canada.

The Home farm was sold in June, 1948 to Art Lee. Insurance proceeds, disposal sales, and other factors helped determine that there should be build a Lutheran Retirement Home in Twin Valley. So we have, in place of the Children's Home, this Home for the aged which celebrated its Silver Anniversary in 1975.

J. R. Orvedahl wrote in the Sept. 1931 issue of the "Wild Rice Children's Home News", "The night of March 18, 1931 will always be remembered by all the children and employees of the Wild Rice Children's Home. At eleven o'clock p.m. a dreadful shriek of the fire siren aroused everyone in the dormitories, and all arose quickly and marched out of the building clad only in their nightclothes. Everyone was calm, thinking that it was only a fire drill but when the order was given that all children must be taken to the superintendent's residence, they knew that it was serious. The attic near the ventilation shaft was roaring with flames. In a few minutes we realized  the Home would soon be in ashes; yet we are all so thankful that every child passed out safely without even being excited. So completely did the fire do its work that there was nothing left except part of the foundation. We are all thankful that all lives were saved.".

Children living at the Wild Rice Children's Home during the 1910 Census

Children who were residents of the Wild Rice Children's Home
April, 1899-November, 1930

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Last modified Friday February 04, 2005

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