In the fall of 1902, a number of men living in the Omaha, Nebraska area decided to build homesteads in Western Canada. An agent from the Canadian government told the men to settle in Alberta because of the many acres of land available from the Canadian government. Two of these men, Henry and Jim Larsen, went to Alberta to look at the land. Once they arrived, they were satisfied with the rich farmland and returned home to Nebraska to organize their departure.
The original settlement of Dickson was made up of 17 Danish individuals. As a result, the Dickson area became the first Danish settlement in Western Canada. The settlers arrived in hopes of owning land and building a future for their families. Like most homesteaders, they experienced many hardships. The homesteaders were physically isolated in terms of distance, rough trails, and their language. Many of the settlers did not speak English, only Danish. This helped save their Danish heritage, as they did not feel the need to learn English or adjust to Canadian cultural ways of life because they were the only settlers in the area. Yet despite all of their troubles, they worked together to build the small village of Dickson.
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