In 1879, the large Gausdal Municipality was divided into two separate municipalities: Vestre Gausdal (population: 2,362) and Østre Gausdal (population: 5,911). Vestre Gausdal Municipality included the larger, more rural parts of the old municipality and Østre Gausdal was much smaller and more densely populated and it was located in the southwestern part of the old municipality. During the 1950s, there was a boundary dispute between the neighboring municipalities of Vestre Gausdal and Sør-Fron. On 27 July 1956, a land court determined the final boundary between the two municipalities and a small part of Vestre Gausdal (population: 7) was transferred to the neighboring Sør-Fron Municipality.[5] During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the two municipalities of Vestre Gausdal (population: 2,590) and Østre Gausdal (population: 3,942) were reunited as Gausdal Municipality.[6]
Name
When the large Gausdal Municipality was divided into two new municipalities in 1879, the western part was given the prefix vestre which means "western". The municipality is named after the Gausdalen valley (Old Norse: Gausdalr) since the municipality is located in the valley. The first element is named after the river Gausa which flows through the valley. The river name comes from the verb gjósa which means to "gush", "burst out", or "stream forcefully". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[7]
The municipal council(Herredsstyre) of Vestre Gausdal was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
^Helland, Amund (1913). "Østre Gausdal herred". V Kristians amt. Tredie del. Norges land og folk (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norway: H. Aschehoug & Company. p. 399. Retrieved 18 July 2022.