Wahl was born at Storvahl in
Nærøy Municipality in
Nord-Trøndelag county,
Norway. He was the son of Fredrik Andreas Jenssen (1814-1866) and Johanna Maria Mikkelsdatter (1825-1917). Wahl emigrated to
La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1867 from Nord-Trøndelag County,
Norway. He attended West Salem Seminary in
La Crosse, Wisconsin and upon completion moved to
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He served as a guide to immigrants coming to
Lincoln County, South Dakota from Norway for many years. He later moved to the Sioux Valley arriving on April 23, 1868, in
Canton, South Dakota. He filed for a homestead on the very piece of property on which the county courthouse stands today. Among many contributions to the community, Wahl assisted with the organization of Bethlehem Lutheran church (now
Canton Lutheran Church), organized bringing the
Augustana College from
Beloit, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and wrote a 277-page record of local settlement. He died in 1939, a citizen of the United States for 73 years. ==References==