Contemporary Grassna Pictures
History Information on Grassna, North Dakota
By Michael Alden Peterson
November 9, 2005
 This writer for some time has struggled with the origin of Grassna, Emmons County, North Dakota because of the variety of references found on the internet. A conclusion, albiet maybe a temporary one, is that Grassna was originally Krasna and discussion of that conclusion is herein.
In an article by Elizabeth Reinbold Ohanneson, she indicates that the Holy Trinity Catholic Church was a place where many families in the Krasna area whorshipped and that these people came from the Catholic colony of Krasna, Bessarabia, in South Russia. She indicated there was a cemetery adjacent to the church.
This is a rural community centered at the junction of Sections 10, 11, 14, & 15-130-77, eight miles southwest of Strasburg. The first settlers came here in 1890 from Krassna, Bessarabia, and the change in spelling is thought to be intentional, noting the prairie grass growing at their new home while remembering their old home. The focal point of the community is the country church and cemetery dating from the early twentieth century. The community still appears on some maps.
From Ted Beck, 2005: "The location of eight miles southwest of Strasburg is actually the location of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church built in 1901. In 1916, another church building was built on the same location with the former church structure being used as a metting hall, and later removed. The church was closed in 1965, and burned down about 3-4 [2001-1002] years ago. [2005].
BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH
Blessed Trinity Catholic Church
Currently A Restoration Project
Surnames: Ohanneson, Hayes, Reinbold, Imhoff, Selder, Kumar
HOLY TRINITY KRASSNA CEMETERY
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