The Foss Log Cabin: A Labor of Love

Michele Anderson

Rural Program Director, Springboard For The Arts

What do Sletta, Norway and Underwood, Minnesota have in common?

They’re both home to log cabins that were originally built in Otter Tail County in the 1860s by Norwegian settlers. One of the cabins remains at its original home on East Oak Ave in Underwood, while the other was taken apart and rebuilt at the Western Norway Immigration Center in Sletta, Norway.

If it weren’t for a few hard working and resourceful local history enthusiasts, this part of Otter Tail County’s Norwegian history would have vanished completely.  In 1977, Chester “Ted” Leitch, who owned the cabin at the time, sat in the dining room table in the home of local resident Delores Peterson, and asked members of the Underwood Women’s Study Club to take on the building’s preservation as one of their community service projects. With Underwood’s centennial approaching in 1981, the women decided they were up for the challenge, and quickly began the diligent work of purchasing the home, transferring ownership to the City, meeting with advisors from the Minnesota Historical Society, and restoring the cabin back to its original state.

The Foss Log Cabin is named after Ole and Anne Foss, one of three families who homesteaded in 1869 near Bass Lake in the area that is now known as Underwood. Along with two other families, the Medjaas and the Seems, these pioneers built their homes 12 years before the Northern Pacific Railroad was built.  The cabin is a one room dwelling with birch bark roofing. It rests stoically on the corner of a residential neighborhood as a reminder of the tenacious pioneer spirit.

The cabin is now visited by hundreds of Norwegian Americans traveling to Høstfest in Minot, North Dakota, as well as local families during Underwood’s Harvest Festival (labor day weekend), and Scandinavian tourists eager to learn about the American immigrant experience.

The town of Underwood is a short drive from Fergus Falls (15 minutes) or Battle Lake (12 minutes). A unique afternoon trip visiting this town should also include a stop at Centennial Park, which is another claim to fame project of the Women’s Study Club. Kids will enjoy exploring the caboose and new playground in this lovely park. And don’t miss the MGR-1 Honest John Rocket, located on the grounds of Underwood High School. It may be a little town, but Underwood has some unique treasures to behold and is worth your time.

[All photos provided Michele Anderson. Pictured in some photos: Delores Peterson]