Editing Thousand Oaks, California (section)

===Norwegian Colony===
{{Further|Norwegian Colony}}
Thousand Oaks was home to a [[Norwegian people|Norwegian]] community in the late 1890s and early 1900s, known as Norwegian Colony. Norwegian settlers were among the first to settle in Conejo Valley. The Norwegian Colony was located at today's intersection of Moorpark- and Olsen Roads, now home to [[California Lutheran University]] and surrounding areas. The Norwegian Colony constituted of over 650 acres and stretched from [[Mount Clef Ridge]] to Avenida de Los Arboles.<ref name="conejovalleyguide2">{{cite web|url=https://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/building-of-the-norwegian-grade-from-conejo-valley-to-camari.html|title=Building of the Norwegian Grade from Conejo Valley to Camarillo 1909 to 1911 – Conejo Valley Guide {{pipe}} Conejo Valley Events|website=conejovalleyguide.com|access-date=November 28, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921050244/https://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/building-of-the-norwegian-grade-from-conejo-valley-to-camari.html|archive-date=September 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="vcstar">{{cite news|url=http://archive.vcstar.com/lifestyle/norwegian-grade-built-by-hand-is-turning-100-ep-367526892-347951021.html|newspaper=Ventura County Star |title=Norwegian Grade, built by hand, is turning 100|access-date=November 28, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415012126/http://archive.vcstar.com/lifestyle/norwegian-grade-built-by-hand-is-turning-100-ep-367526892-347951021.html|archive-date=April 15, 2017}}</ref> The son of Norwegian immigrants donated his ranch to California Lutheran College in the 1950s.<ref name="callutheran">{{cite web|url=https://www.callutheran.edu/about/quick-facts.html|title=Cal Lutheran at a Glance|publisher=Cal Lutheran|access-date=November 28, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921045702/https://www.callutheran.edu/about/quick-facts.html|archive-date=September 21, 2017}}</ref> California Lutheran University is now home to the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and the Scandinavian Festival.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Many place names are named after Norwegian immigrants such as the Olsen and Pedersen families.<ref>O'Brien, Tricia (2017). ''Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village''. Arcadia Publishing. Page 80. {{ISBN|9781439661956}}.</ref> The first Norwegians came from the village of [[Stranda, Møre og Romsdal|Stranda]] by [[Storfjorden (Sunnmøre)|Storfjorden]]. Ole Anderson bought 199 acres here, while Lars Pederson owned 111 acres. Other Norwegian pioneers also included Ole Nilsen, George Hansen and Nils Olsen. A major contribution was the construction of the handmade [[Norwegian Grade]] in 1911, a mile-long road leading from Thousand Oaks to [[Santa Rosa Valley, California|Santa Rosa Valley]].<ref>Bidwell, Carol A. (1989). ''The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers''. Windsor Publications. Page 30. {{ISBN|9780897812993}}.</ref>

With no doctors or hospitals nearby, the Norwegian Colony was short-lived. The Olsen family lost seven of their ten children, while Ole Anderson, Lars Pederson, and George Hansen all died in 1901 due to a diphtheria epidemic.<ref>Bidwell, Carol A. (1989). ''The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers''. Windsor Publications. Page 31. {{ISBN|9780897812993}}.</ref>