Norwegian settlers in Wisconsin before 1848

In 1848, when the first settlers came to Coon Prairie, the emigration from Norway was just in its beginning. True, the first group of emigrants sailed from Stavanger for New York with 53 participants in 1825. But that departure was rather unique. The region these immigrants were shown in the northwest corner of New York was not suitable for farming without immense improvements, the members of the colony led a miserable existence. There was therefore no real emigration from Norway to America for another 10-12 years.

Cleng Peerson

In 1833 Cleng Peerson, emigration’s careful and persistent leader made a journey on foot of a thousand miles from New York to northern Illinois. This journey was of much importance to the history of Norsemen here as well as in Norway. He found out there in Illinois, which then lay outside civilization's outpost, the richest farm land ready for the pioneer’s plow. On Cleng Peerson’s advice, nearly all Norwegian settlers in New York moved to Illinois, and they were soon in good circumstances. Cleng Peerson and a man named Knud Anderson Slogvik went to Norway to report to the hard pressed common people about the beautiful land which was available cheap in America’s west. The result of this was that in 1836 and 1837 four ships left Stavanger and Bergen with about 350 emigrants bound for Fox River, the new settlement in Illinois. Thereafter, followed a large exodus which continued for most of a hundred years.

Immigration of Norwegian people to the northwest was about 12 years old when our Coon Prairie settlement was begun in 1848. To begin with, emigration was limited to the west coast areas of Norway, to people from Stavanger and Hardanger. Nearly all of these went to Fox River. But it was not long before the news of the American Goshen found its way over the mountains to the nearest neighborhoods in Telemark and Numedal. In 1838 the first from Numedal arrived at Jefferson Prairie near Beloit, the first Norwegian settlement in Wisconsin. In 1839 a large group from Telemark founded the famous Muskego settlement. In the same year settlers found their way to Rock Prairie, which became a center for people from Numedal, Hallingdal and Land. In 1840 immigration began to Koshkonong in Dane County, which became the primary destination for Norwegian emigrants.

In the southwest corner of Wisconsin, between Dodgeville and Dubuque, were many lead mines. This region was the first in the state to receive considerable population. Many Norseman went there to work in the mines as early as 1840. In 1843 a considerable settlement was founded near Wiota. Most of the Norwegians who settled there were from Land in Norway. The same year a settlement was established north of Oconomowoc which was named Rock River. The first from Sætesdal came there, together with people from near Skien.

A settlement was begun in 1846 south of Blue Mounds in western Dane County. This became very large and was the most important center for people from Valdres. Winchester settlement also began the same years. That is west of Neenah and became an area for people from Telemark.

These were all the noteworthy settlements established before Coon Prairie was colonized. There were many small settlements in the neighborhood of the larger ones.

Although all of these settlements counted many thousand Norsemen, there were very few pastors among them. In 1850, when there were about 20,000 Norwegians in American, there were only seven Norwegian Lutheran pastors among them; namely Elling Eiellsen at Jefferson Prairie, C.L. Clausen at Rock Prairie, Ole Andrewson in Fox River, Paul Anderson in Chicago, A.A. Scheie at Leland (near Fox River in Illinois), H.A. Stub in Muskego, and A.C. Preus at Koshkonong. All the pastors had a very large mission field which often stretched over a hundred miles. In spite of their untiring efforts to visit the widespread settlements, both a year and a day often went by between pastoral visits in many places.

This fleeting view is given to provide an idea of the spread of Norwegian settlements and their churchly service at the time when Coon Prairie’s history begins.