Vernon County, Wisconsin

Early Norwegian Settlement

In 1849, Christian Lind, Ole Lind, and Hans Jacobsen came from Illinois and settled along the Bad Axe River, not far from Purdy. The name "Bad Axe" is said to have originated from an incident in which a Native American man killed his wife with an axe. Christian Lind and Ole Lind were from Kristiania (Oslo), while Hans Jacobsen was from Ringerike.  

The following year, in 1850, the Coon Prairie Settlement developed in the vicinity of Westby. It is said that when Ole Lindeland and his group, arrived in 1855, they were told that the first Norwegian to cross the Coon Prairie region had been Thomas Brolen from Kongsberg. On his journey, Brolen came to the place where Sparta was later built. At that time, it consisted of only a blacksmith shop and three or four log cabins. The land between Sparta and Coon Prairie was open country, and Brolen settled at the edge of the forest beside a creek. There he found prairie, forest, and water, the three things pioneers, and especially Norwegian pioneers, sought when choosing a place to settle.

The First Settlers at Coon Prairie

Among the earliest settlers were Hans J. Kinsedal from Hafslo; Hans Neperud, Even Gullord, and Henrik Gullord from Biri; Kjøstel Øium from Fron; Amund Paulhaugen from Gausdal; Bernt Konmark, Haaver Ovendal, Sivert Midtfjelds, and Christian Tæsaa from Bakke in Siredal; Enock Rødland, Trond Konstali, Lars A. Nedland, Aslak Sandsland, Halvor Egeland, and Kittel Egeland, all from Helleland; Mikal Fladstøl, Gullik Dybing, and Nils Røiland from Lunde, Dalene; Chr. H. Egenes from Kvinesdal; Østen Kjelland from Sokndal; and Hans Libakken, whose birthplace was unknown. Brown Libakken was the first white boy born at Coon Prairie. By the time this account was written, he and all the other immigrants listed above, with the exception of Enock Rødland and Christian Tæsaa, had died.

Pioneer Life

Most of these settlers came from Koshkonong. They built log cabins and began preparing the land for wheat farming, which, together with raising hogs and cattle, became one of the county’s principal sources of income. Prairie du Chien was the nearest market. The settlers hauled their produce there by ox team, using the same animals for farm work at home. Considerable labor was required before the land could produce a harvest, and transporting the crops to market was equally difficult. The distance was long, and in the early years there were no roads. Daily wages were about fifty cents, but the greater problem was that paid work was almost impossible to find. On their own claims, however, there was never any shortage of work.

Upper Coon Valley

Upper Coon Valley, in the northwestern part of the county, was for a time known as “Helgedalen,” after Mr. Helgesen, who was the first white settler there. Mrs. Martinus Lisbakken was the first white woman born in the valley. Simon Lier, from Fåberg in Gudbrandsdalen, had served as postmaster in Coon Valley since the death of President Garfield.

Christian Helleberg’s First Home

Christian Helleberg, another early settler in Vernon County, recalled the primitive shelter he first occupied on his homestead. He dug a hole into a hillside large enough to lie down in and spent his first winter night there with only some rails to sleep on. Early the following morning, two men arrived carrying a bed. One of them was Nils Næperud. Their presence also served an important legal purpose, since they could testify that Helleberg had established a home on his claim and thereby help prove his right to the homestead. Looking back many years later, Helleberg remarked that he was still in good health, with a good appetite and sound sleep, but that the bed of rails was long gone and the hole in the hillside had become part of history.

Churches and Congregations

Coon Prairie Congregation, established in the early 1850s, was the first Norwegian congregation in Vernon County. Pastor H. A. Stub Sr. was its first pastor and accepted the call in 1855. The congregation also built the first Norwegian church in the county. By 1905, Vernon County had twenty Norwegian congregations and twenty churches. Ten congregations belonged to the United Church, six to the Norwegian Synod, two to Hauge’s Synod, and two to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

Ole Johnson Linderud and Nicolaus Preus were the first Norwegians elected to public office in Vernon County. In 1869, Linderud was elected to the State Legislature, while Preus was elected Register of Deeds.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Vernon County included Bergen, Christiania, Lovass (Løvaas), Odin, and Westby.

Sources:

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