Background
Wahl was born at Storvahl in Nærøy parish, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.
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James Wahl
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He served as the first legislator of Lincoln County, South Dakota in the Dakota Territorial Legislature. He was the son of Fredrik Andreas Jenssen (1814-1866) and Johanna Maria Mikkelsdatter (1825-1917). Wahl emigrated to Louisiana Crosse, Wisconsin in 1867 from Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway.
He attended West Salem Seminary in Louisiana Crosse, Wisconsin and upon completion moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
He served as a guide to immigrants coming to Lincoln County, South Dakota from Norway for many years. He later moved to the Sioux Valley arriving on April 23, 1868 in Canton, South Dakota.
He filed for a homestead on the very piece of property on which the county courthouse stands today. He died in 1939, a citizen of the United States for 73 years.
