The St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1883 under the name of "Standing Rock" by a group of Norwegian immigrants of the Lutheran faith who had settled in the area. Hans Miller called the first meeting at his home on June 2, 1883. It was decided that a cemetery was needed and it was placed on the Hans Miller land. Hans Miller died and was buried on his land.
The meeting also decided that the pastor's salary would be $150 per year, payable in two installments to the pastor, Rev. J. D. Bothne, who served a number of parishes up and down the Sheyenne River Valley.
On September 28, 1884, finding that it was very difficult to find room for the congregation to meet in the farm homes, it was decided to raise money to build a church. On June 2, 1887 the congregation was re-organized as the St. Petri Evangelical Lutheran Church. Ole Horton donated four acres of land as the site for the church and cemetery, and a building committee was organized.
The St. Petri Church was built during the summer of 1896 by a carpenter, Mads Haagenson, at a cost of $850.00 for lumber and $550.00 for labor. By 1898 the interior finishing was done and furnished, all by donations from the congregation. In 1902 a bell was installed in the steeple. Over the years, additional gifts and memorials and loving hands have kept the pace of modernization alive. On June 23, 1968, the eighty-fifth anniversary of the church was celebrated.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 305