El Campo

El Campo

(Severin)

Biographies Alf. L. Scott and T. J. Westerberg

The Swedish coastal communities differ from other Swedish communities in Texas in that colonization did not happen directly from Sweden as happened in Central Texas. Most of the settlers came from the northern states, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and other places. Many of the oldest settlers of El Campo and other coastal communities were pioneers in the North, and have become pioneers in Texas as well. It is to them that a younger generation can look up to and give thanks for the advantages and improvements in all areas they can now enjoy.

The first Swedes in El Campo settled there in the fall of 1892. The first ones came from Beeville, where they had moved from Nebraska in 1891. They were caught in a severe drought that forced many to leave the place as early as the following year. One of these families, Olof Bergvall, first came to the Victoria settlement, but he became interested in El Campo through the Methodist Pastor John Ovall, who was visiting Victoria where some pioneers had settled. Pastor Ovall said that Bergvall described the good land around El Campo and was indirectly the cause of the first Swedish immigration there. Mr. Bergvall may have been the first to settle in El Campo and buy land there. He was a carpenter by trade and built the first Swedish house in the city that was used as a hotel for the Swedish land-company.

At the same time as the Bergvalls arrival, there were more members of the Beeville colony arriving in El Campo. They travelled there from Beeville across the prairie by oxcart. The small Beeville company of sixteen people: Mrs. Olof Peterson with five children, Olof Larson, his wife and three sons, A. Swedlund and wife, John Lindblom and Jonas Alftin, bachelors also Mr. Peterson, a carpenter, held their first Christmas Service in Olof Larson’s home. These sixteen people all lived first in Mr.Larson’s small home with only two rooms. The crowded conditions did not keep them from celebrating Christmas in the true nordic manner with a Christmas tree. This was in 1892.

The first of the settlers to die was Olof Peterson of Beeville. He had arrived in El Campo before his wife and had started building their little settlers house. The roof was almost finished when he became ill. He wrote to his wife and asked her to come, told her that the house was soon finished, but that he did not feel well. Mrs. Peterson started out by wagon on the more than 100 mile long trip across the prairie to El Campo, but she did not arrive until he was dead and buried. At this first funeral attended by Swedes were; Pete Westman, Olof Larson, J. E. Larson, Mr. Erikson and one other Swede. Another family, the Mobergs, arrived from Beeville at the same time as the others.

The climate on the coast was rather sickly at this time because the land was rather flat and badly drained. They say that thirteen people died in thirteen weeks. The move from the north happened at the same time as the Beeville colony was formed. The first excursion of prospective land-buyers arrived in the fall of 1892. It was led by the “Southern Land Company” with Jonas Adiing as the local agent. Abner Hanson, Emil Carlson, Hans Peterson, Ellwood Leafgren, N. E. Nelson, Aug. Syren, Wennerberg and P. J. Peterson are said to be the first to buy land and move there.

A second excursion came in 1894 and it was led by Oscar Shult. Among those in this excursion who still live in El Campo are the Axel Bard family, Adolph Danielson, Oscar Nelson, Oscar Shult and his parents, Elof Olson, Victor Larson and F. J. Danielson, a bachelor.

Most of them settled outside and around El Campo. Many of those who came with the large excursion and who came the same year settled in an area called Gobler Creek. In this company there were not less than 28 families. Here, like in many areas where there was settlement, they soon got tired of the hard pioneer-life after a few years, particularly in 1901, when most of them moved from this community. Some moved back to the north, and others tried their luck in other communities along the coast. There are only ten families left now. The first families here, Carl Aug. Bergstrom, and August Van had settled in 1893. Those that stayed have been successful and are now well off.

The main industry in the very beginning was the production of hay. There was rarely a crop failure with hay, but because of the low price, the profit was low. They soon discovered that this land was fertile and they started growing corn and later, cotton. In 1901 they started growing rice which has been one of El Campo’s main products. A.E.Carlson, J.B. Carlson, Abner Hanson and Oscar Shult were the first to create a water-works as early as 1901, but A. Danielson and Mr. Blomquist got their pumping stations ready that same year.

El Campo, the small flag station, has now grown into an important little town of about 2000 inhabitants. Considerable large rice storage and mills are located in El Campo, and important cotton-gins. There are some Swedish businesses and industries like Isackson’s cotton-gin and store, Chas. Shult’s auto-shop, Lindberg’s mechanical workshop, and Oscar Charnquist’s blacksmith’s shop. Two Swedish churches are located there, one Lutheran and one Methodist.

Extracted from: Swedes In Texas In Words and Pictures,

English Translation, 1838 - 1918