Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, later known as First Lutheran Church 

1866 Organized October 6, 1866 by Professor Haselquist, President of the Scandinavian Augustana Synod.  First Trustees were:  T.G. Mandt, J.G. Baker,  C. Hanson and L.T. Lawson.  October 7th the first services were held.  Rev. O.J. Hantlestad was chosen pastor, he resigned in 1867. 

Luke Stoughton donated a lot and the church was completed in 1872 at the corner of E. Jefferson and Sixth Streets. 

1874 Parsonage purchased. 

1877 Church enlarged. 

In 1894, the first church building was sold and removed and a new building was constructed under the direction of Rev. T.H. Dahl.  When Rev. Dahl was called to serve as president of the United Lutheran Church in 1903, he was succeeded by Rev. M.H. Hegge who ministered to the congregation for 33 years. 

Three years after the celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of its founding, the church building was destroyed by fire on Oct. 22, 1944.  On October 26th, the congregation met and voted to rebuild.  Due to conditions brought about by the war, construction could not begin at once.  A new site was purchased on the northeast corner of West Washington and North Fourth Streets, and the old location was sold. 

Ground was broken for the new church on March 29, 1946 and the cornerstone was laid October 6th, 1946 with the Rev. A.W. Stolen, the present pastor, officiating.