Norway to Washougal: An Unusual History Book Inspired by Washington Homesteaders Anna and Engel Engelsen

Just how far is it from Norway to Washougal? That depends on when and how you traveled. From Norway to New York took months by steamship and weeks by sailboat. From New York to Washougal by a horse or oxen-pulled wagon took six or more months and weeks by early trains. Susan's ancestors made that journey, and Susan set out to trace their story. The more she learned, the more the book grew. The book starts at the beginning of everyone's genetics, with a brief account of the first modern humans. It then moves quickly through Norway's history touching on related world history. Significant people and events in American history are noted before the book arrives in the Pacific Northwest. The reader meets fur trappers, missionaries, Native American tribes, explorers, pioneers, and settlers. Along the way, there are British forts, battles, and struggles over land ownership. Geology and natural disasters tell stories as the book narrows to Oregon and Washington Territories. Donation land claims, homesteads, river transportation, and early trains grow towns into incorporated cities and territories into states. Just as her great-grandparents, Anna and Engel Engelsen, traveled from Norway to settle in Washougal, Washington, this book does the same. Readers view life in the 1800s through Washougal family trees. The book wraps up with a close look at Washougal today. Over 400 illustrations guide the reader through the text.