Dederman Cabin

On May 23, 1866, 124 German Lutheran settlers representing 42 families set out for Northeast Nebraska from Ixonia, Wisconsin in three wagon trains. The group arrived a few months later on July 15, and laid claim to land about four miles north of where the North Fork of the Elkhorn River joined the main branch. The area is now the town of Norfolk Nebraska. (Home of Johnny Carson)

Interestingly enough most of the group built log cabins. Norfolk had very few trees at that time so the settlers had to traveled far to collect the logs. The cabin pictured here was built by Fredrick Dederman and his family. The Dederman’s lived in a dugout cave for two years as they worked on the cabin.

After retiring from the military I happened into restoring the cabin for the Elkhorn Valley Museum and Research Center. It was really a learning experience, a lot more work than I expected, and a great deal of fun. One of the neatest experiences was finding Mr. Dederman’s name written in a Germanic like cursive on top of one of the logs. An experience like this gives you a feel for what it was like for those early settlers.