The first settlers from Norway and Sweden arrived in the area in 1854, and by 1858 the village of Norseland had formed, with Norwegians gathering for church east of town and Swedes to the west. That same year, the Burke brothers opened a general store that came to include a post office and barber shop, later owned and operated by the Emil Swenson family until it closed in 2007. In 1872, Bernt Peterson started a blacksmith shop that was soon sold to Anton Olson and his son Ole Anthony. In 1896, the Norseland Cooperative Creamery was organized. By the 1930s, the village had an implement dealer, auto dealer, feed mill, café, auto repair shop, locker plant, baseball team, band, and tavern. Although economic and demographic changes in the 20th century gradually forced several businesses to close, Norseland remains the symbolic heart of the community.