Dodge County, Wisconsin

The Ashippun Settlement

The first Norwegian settlement in the vicinity of Ashippun was established in 1843. The first settlers were Hans Gasman, Nils Gasman, and Daniel Simonsen from Gjerpen; the agronomist Ellef Bjørnson and Halvor Akerhougen from Sauherad, Telemark; Ole Ourøe (?) from Solem; Peder Ness, G. Loeberg, and Erik Helgesen, all from Siljan; and Hans Stinsen from Kongsberg. They were followed by Halvor Salveson Rosvald, Christen Høier, Hans Danielsen, Peder Danielsen, Hans Røe, Christen Røe, and Rasmus Jensen, all from Gjerpen; John Johnson from Siljan; and Christen Sørensen from Bamble. When the first Norwegian settlers established themselves in the area, there were only Indians living nearby.

The Journey to Dodge County

One of the old settlers mentioned that the bridges over the canals used by the emigrants were often so low that passengers had to bend down inside the boats to avoid being struck. A young man from Ulefoss who traveled with him to America in 1846 was struck so violently on the head while passing under one of these bridges that he died instantly.

Churches and Congregations

The St. Olaf Congregation at Ashippun was established in 1845 by an Episcopal priest and was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Its church was built in 1848. The county had two Norwegian congregations and two churches. One congregation belonged to the United Church and the other to the Methodist Church.

Sources:

[Ulvestad, Martin. Nordmændene i Amerika. Utg. History Book Company's Forlag. Minneapolis, Minn. 1907.]