Archival and Archaeological Investigations of a Norwegian Farmstead in Bosque County, Texas

Abstract

In 1871, a Norwegian immigrant, Ole Finstad, and his family settled near the Norse community in Bosque County, acquired 160 acres of land, and built a rock house. For 84 years, the Finstad-Bakke family farmed and raised cattle, and eventually built a larger home on the property. Today, the rock house is in ruins, but much has been learned about this family through archival research, archaeological survey and testing, and artifact analysis. This thesis presents the results of these investigations by discussing and comparing the history and culture of Norwegian-Americans, the history of the Finstad-Bakke family, and the artifacts recovered by the archaeological investigations. The sum of this research leads to conclusions about the lives of Norwegians who immigrated into the well-formed Norwegian-American community in Bosque County.