Rock County, Wisconsin

Editorial Introduction

Rock County occupies a unique place in the history of Norwegian immigration to the United States. It was here that Wisconsin's first permanent Norwegian settlement was established in 1838, and during the following decades the county developed into one of the principal centers of Norwegian-American settlement, agriculture, and religious life. Immigrants from Numedal, Hallingdal, and other districts of Norway transformed the open prairie into thriving farming communities, while the county also became the birthplace of several of the most influential Norwegian-American Lutheran organizations. The history of Rock County therefore reflects not only the experiences of its own settlers but also the broader development of Norwegian America.

Jefferson Prairie and Rock Prairie

Wisconsin's first permanent Norwegian settlement was established at Jefferson Prairie in Rock County in 1838, when Ole Knudsen Nattestad built his log cabin near present-day Clinton.

Ole Nattestad and his brother Ansten had emigrated from Veggli in Numedal the previous year. After arriving in America in 1837, they first joined Ole Rynning and other Norwegian immigrants at Beaver Creek, Illinois, where they remained for several months. They later moved to Davis in Stephenson County, Illinois, before their paths temporarily diverged.

Ansten returned to Norway to settle personal affairs and to oversee the publication of Ole Rynning's Sandfærdig Beretning om Amerika (A True Account of America) together with his brother's diary, both of which described conditions in America and encouraged further emigration. During Ansten's absence, Ole crossed into southern Wisconsin and established the settlement at Jefferson Prairie.

When Ansten returned to America in 1839, he was accompanied by a number of emigrants from his home parish. Most remained temporarily in Illinois, but Christopher Nyhus accompanied Ansten to Wisconsin, where they settled near Christopher's brother.

Later that same year, Gullick Olsen Gravdal, another immigrant from Numedal, established a homestead at nearby Rock Prairie, becoming the founder of the Norwegian settlement there. He was soon joined by Lars Skavlem, Gullick Laugen, and many other settlers, most of them also from Numedal. The Norwegian community expanded rapidly, and according to local tradition, the growing settlement encouraged the remaining Native inhabitants to leave the area.

The Nattestad Brothers and the Expansion of Norwegian Emigration

Ole and Ansten Nattestad, who established Wisconsin's first permanent Norwegian settlement, were also the first emigrants from Numedal. In that sense, they helped open the way for emigration from Norway's inland districts.

The publication of Ole Rynning's Sandfærdig Beretning om Amerika (A True Account of America) together with Ole Nattestad's diary further encouraged emigration by providing prospective emigrants with firsthand descriptions of conditions in America. Both publications became widely read and contributed to the growing interest in emigration during the late 1830s.

Until 1838, with only a few exceptions, Norwegian emigration had been largely confined to the coastal districts between Bergen and Kristiansand. During the years that followed, increasing numbers of emigrants also began leaving the inland valleys of eastern Norway, marking a new phase in the history of Norwegian emigration.

Life on the Wisconsin Frontier

The settlers at Jefferson Prairie and Rock Prairie depended primarily on wheat farming for their livelihood. Oats, rye, and other crops were grown in smaller quantities, but wheat remained the principal cash crop.

During the early years, the nearest markets were Chicago and Milwaukee, each nearly one hundred miles away. Reaching either city required a journey of one to two weeks by ox-drawn wagon over primitive roads and open prairie. Because wheat often sold for no more than fifteen cents a bushel, even modest travel expenses could consume much of a farmer's earnings.

To avoid unnecessary costs, the settlers carried food from home and slept beneath their wagons rather than paying for lodging. The money they saved allowed them to return with flour, tools, clothing, and other necessities that were difficult or impossible to obtain on the frontier.

Employment opportunities outside the farm were limited. Men who hired themselves out for farm labor or timber cutting typically earned twenty-five cents a day, together with board. Despite these modest wages and the hardships of frontier life, the settlement continued to grow as increasing numbers of Norwegian immigrants arrived from eastern Norway.

The Journey to America - Two Firsthand Accounts from Wisconsin Pioneers - Mrs. T. G. Myhre Recalls the Journey from Hallingdal to Wisconsin and Dr. J. S. Johnson Remembers His Grandfather's Journey.

The Development of Church Life

The rapid growth of the Norwegian settlements in Rock County was accompanied by the organization of churches that would play a lasting role in Norwegian-American religious life.

The first Norwegian Lutheran congregation in the county was Luther Valley Congregation, organized at Inmansville, now Orfordville, in 1844 under the leadership of Pastor Claus Lauritz Clausen. In 1847–1848, the congregation completed the first Norwegian church building in Rock County.

According to statistics compiled for Norge i Amerika, the county was home to eight Norwegian congregations served by nine churches. Five congregations belonged to the Norwegian Synod, while three were affiliated with the United Norwegian Lutheran Church.

Rock County occupies a unique place in the history of Norwegian-American Lutheranism. Three major church bodies were organized here during the nineteenth century: Elling Eielsen's church organization in 1846, the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly known as the Norwegian Synod, in 1851, and the Augustana Synod in 1860, which later became part of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church.

The county also became an early center of Norwegian-American publishing. Among the newspapers and periodicals published here were Emigranten and Maanedstidende for den norsk evangelisk-lutherske Kirke i Amerika, both issued for a short period at Inmansville during the early 1850s. Later, Vort Blad, subsequently renamed For Kirke og Hjemmet, was published in Beloit between 1890 and 1894.

Although Rock County never acquired many Norwegian place names, one reminder of its early settlement remained in the post office named Bergen, the only Norwegian place name that Ager-Hansen identified within the county.

Sources:

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