Zion’s History

The Short Version

Zion was born as a congregation on November 7, 1866 as a group of Swedish immigrants gathered together at the home of Sven Erickson. Led by Pastor John S. Nelson of Watertown. The first meeting of Carlslund Evangelical Lutheran Church (now Zion) was held. That first congregation included 58 members, 27 adults and 31 children.
The Swedesburg or Marysville Church was also organized by Pastor Nelson in 1873. One pastor served both churches until 1950 when the Marysville Church joined in with Zion.

In 2011, Zion includes 4000 members with a wide-reaching program for all ages. The Gospel message of Jesus Christ has been heard by countless people throughout the years.

The Long Version

Newsletter Articles

• Augustana Heritage Gathering VIII "A Living Legacy" Knowing our family roots is important for our self-identity. Their genes and traditions are big factors in who we are as individuals today. The same is true for a congregation — knowing the story of the people who founded the congreg...
• The Life of a Saint: Life Celebrations This is an excerpt from The Life of a Saint, the sixth chapter of  the book A Farmer All His Life by Linda M. Mainquist. The book is about her father Evert Mainquist, who became a member of Zion (then know as Carlslund) at age eight, when his family moved...
• The Life of a Saint: Swedish Heritage This is an excerpt from The Life of a Saint, the sixth chapter of  the book A Farmer All His Life by Linda M. Mainquist. The book is about her father Evert Mainquist, who became a member of Zion at age eight, when his family moved from Nebraska to Minneso...

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