Around Swedish America in 548 Days - Day 76

Day 76 - Afton

When the first Swedes arrived to the Chisago Lake area or Kichi-Saga, as the Chippewa Indians and the first colonists called it, there was already an “Indian Swede” there. In Afton you can see his grave as well as the farm where he lived.

Jacob Fahlström (1795-1859) who was born in Stockholm, went to sea as a cabin boy on a merchant ship captained by an uncle when he was quite young. Somewhere along the line, he got lost in London and was subsequently hired by Lord Thomas Douglas Selkirk who had started organizing emigration to Canada. When Jacob went ashore on the south coast of Hudson Bay with a hunting party, he once again got lost in the wilderness. He was eventually adopted by a band of Chippewa Indians. This was in 1807, or no later than 1810. The Indians named the young boy Yellowhead because of his blond hair. Jacob quickly learned their language and roamed with the Chippewa Indians for many years, later assisting them in their trade with British and French fur companies. He married Winona or Margaret Bungo from the tribe, and they had nine children.

In 1837 Jacob became the first Methodist convert in Minnesota and he worked on as a missionary among the Indians and in the logging camps. It was said that he spoke the Chippewa language and other Indian tongues with a Stockholm accent and when he later helped his countrymen with interpreting or giving them advice, it was in “halting Swedish”.

Jacob Fahlstrom settled on South Indian Trail Road in southern Washington County’s Afton, named for a poem by Robert Burns. Memorial Lutheran Church, 15730 Afton Boulevard (651-436-1138), replaced the older church in 1992. Stained-glass windows from the former sanctuary are found in the Fellowship Hall, and old photographs and Bibles are in the library The cemetery around the sanctuary contains many Swedish graves from the original Swedish members.