St. John's Lutheran Church (Nezperce, Idaho)

The opening of the Nezperce Reservation to white people in 1895 was the beginning of the settlement of the Nezperce Prairie. Many of the early pioneers became the founders of St. John’s Lutheran Church. As early as 1899 German and Norwegian Lutheran services were held in homes whenever a visiting pastor could make it by horseback or buggy. The date of organization is indefinite, but evidence indicates that it took place in 1905. Rev. O. K. Anderson served the congregation at that time. The charter membership was 56 baptized persons. In 1913 the “Old” Brethren Church was purchased and moved to its present site on the east side of Nezperce. Over the years the edifice has been added to and remodeled. In 1941 the Brotherhood built the tower, and in 1946 the interior was remodeled. In 1951 an annex, kitchen and Sunday School rooms were built and a heating plant installed. A new parsonage was built in 1954. for many years the congregation was composed of predominantly Norwegian people with a few Swedish and German families. The Ladies’ Aid was organized in 1906 and is to this day very active. The Brotherhood organized in 1940 but is no longer in existence. The church was remodeled in 1974.

From the guide to the St. John's Lutheran Church, Nezperce, Idaho, Records, 1905-2012, (Pacific Lutheran University)