Norwegian Colony was a Norwegian community in Thousand Oaks, California, in the 1890s and early 20th century. They were among the first pioneers to settle in the Conejo Valley, and was perhaps the most successful colony in Ventura County at the time. The group of Norwegians had emigrated from Norway due to lack of land and widespread starvation, and had first settled in Santa Barbara in 1885. After being told about the cheap land in the Conejo Valley, they relocated to what became the Norwegian Colony in 1890-91.[1] The colony consisted of five families: the Olsen, Andersen (Anderson), Pedersen (Pederson), Nilsen and Hansen families.
The settlement was short-lived. The Olsens lost seven of their ten children, while Ole Andersen, George Hansen, and Lars Pedersen all died within a week of each other during a diphtheria epidemic in 1901.[2][3]
One of their major contributions was the Norwegian Grade, which connects the Conejo Valley to the Santa Rosa Valley.[4] The narrow, winding one-mile (1.6 km) road was built over two years by men and boys of the colony.[5]
The 7-acre (2.8 ha) Spring Meadow Park in Thousand Oaks was dedicated to the early Norwegians who settled the area.[6]