Valby Lutheran Church (Ione, Or.)

In the early 1880s a number of Swedish people with strong Lutheran backgrounds settled in the eight-mile Gooseberry area of Morrow County in north central Oregon. When Dr. Erik Norelius, a pastor of the Augustana Synod, came on April 16, 1888, he conducted services in homes in the area and a meeting was held to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a congregation.

Rev. Peter Carlson visited the area and conducted services in October and November of 1886. At a special business meeting, the congregation voted to accept a five-acre site (which had been donated) as the place to locate the church and cemetery. A drive was begun to raise funds. On May 27, 1897 the church was built, with dedication following on October 24.

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