In the summer of 1846 then, Valle and Kittelsland located in Clayton County,[409] buying a farm together, about three miles southeast of the present village of St. Olaf.[410] Through letters from Valle the locality was soon brought to the attention of Norwegian settlers in Rock Prairie and Koshkonong. In the spring of 1849 Ole Herbrandson and family came out there from Koshkonong; he was an immigrant from Mörkvold, Rollaug, in 1842 and had, it seems, visited Valle in Clayton County in 1848 and found the locality to his liking. In June[411] Halvor Nilsen Espeseth, Knut Hustad, Ole Sonde, and Ingbret Skarshaug, came from Rock Prairie;[412] going to the western part of the county, Nilsen selected land in Grand Meadow Township, becoming the founder of the Clermont extension of the settlement, which, as Norwegians began to come in gradually, expanded north into Fayette and Winneshiek Counties. Other arrivals of the same summer were Abraham Rustad and family, Bredo A. Holt, Jens A. Holt, all from Hadeland, Bertle Osuldson, Tallak Gunderson and family from Arendal, and Ole Hanson and family. These located in the Clermont region; Jens Holt on section 17, Marion Township, and Hanson on section 6 in the same township. About simultaneous with these, Fingar Johnson, Helge Ramstad and wife, Thorkel Eiteklep[413] Ole E. Sanden, with wife Guro and family, located in the eastern settlement.[414]
The founders of these settlements nearly all came from Rock Prairie, where they had lived the first few years after immigrating. During the years 1850–1851 a large number of immigrants joined the colony. The first of these were Lars Valle, Hellik Glaim,[415] and Austen Blækkestad, all from Numedal, Ole Engbrigtsen and Peter Helgeson from Sigdal in Numedal, and Ole Gunbjörnson and Knut Jæger from Hallingdal, while Halstein Gröth and family from Næs in Hallingdal and Kittil Rue located in the western part of the settlement. The Gröth family located in Marion Township, where also James and Jacob Paulson Broby, who came from Hadeland the next year, settled. Mrs. Holger Peterson and son (Peter Holgerson) came in 1851 and settled in Wagner Township. Sören O. Sörum and wife[416] settled in Farmersburg Township in 1850, being the first Norwegians there.[417]
But in the very beginning of this period the movement was directed to the counties to the North, Allamakee and Winneshiek. The immigration of Norwegians into Clayton County had practically ceased by 1855, the chief reason for this probably being that the Germans came in very large numbers, particularly to Clayton County, during the early fifties and soon occupied all the best land.[418] Northeastern Iowa was but little settled, and the development of the wilderness had only begun. Clayton County had in 1850 a population of three thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, while Fayette had only eight hundred and twenty-five, and Allamakee seven hundred and seventy-seven. The population of Winneshiek County had reached four thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven.
Allamakee was the next county in order of settlement.[419] This county was opened to settlement in 1848, but land was not put upon the market before 1850.[420] In 1849 Ole L. Rothnem, Ole O. Storlag, Ole K. Grimsgaard and Erik K. Barsgrind came from Rock County to Allamakee County and selected land. In 1850 they moved out with their families and in company with them came: Ole K. Stake, Arne K. Stake, Syver Wold and Thomas A. Grönna. Others who came about the same time were: Thomas Anderson[421] and wife Emilie, Sven E. Hesla,[421] Björn Hermundson, Nils T. Rue, Östen Peterson, Lars Jeglum, Halvor E. Turkop, Ole S. Lekvold, all from Hallingdal, and Nils N. Arnesgaard, who was from Numedal. Among others who followed the next year I shall mention: Knut Knutson,[422] G. H. Fagre and wife Katherine, and Ole Smeby (b. 1804), wife and sons Hans, Ole, and John. They settled on the prairie north of Paint Creek, living in their canvas-covered wagons until houses were built. Those here named formed the nucleus of the Paint Creek Settlement, which already the next year received large accessions.
The early settlers of Allamakee and neighboring counties experienced all the trials and hardships of pioneer life in an unsettled country. There was no railroad nearer than Milwaukee. At McGregor there were a few stores where the necessaries of life could be had.[423] The process of home building and the clearing of the forests was slow and often attended with many difficulties. The pioneers generally brought with them no other wealth than stout hearts and strong hands, and it was only by industry and severe economy that they were able to make a living for themselves and their families. Those who hired out to others received very small wages, and as there was little money among the pioneer farmers this was paid in large part in food or other articles. It may serve as an illustration that in the winter of 1850–51 a pioneer in Clayton County[424] split seven thousand rails of wood for fifty cents a hundred; for this he was paid $3.50 in cash and the remainder in food.[425]
Most of the Norwegians who first settled in Allamakee County came from Rock County, Wisconsin; later, some came from Dane County, Wisconsin, and also from Winneshiek County, where a settlement was formed in June, 1850. Several, however, came from Norway by way of New Orleans and the Mississippi, as did Gilbert C. Lyse in 1851.
In 1856 there were in the whole county five hundred and five Norwegians; one hundred and eighty-one of these had settled in Paint Creek (then Water-ville) Township, the rest being located mostly in the neighboring towns of Center, La Fayette, Taylor, Jefferson and Makee. In the meantime a new settlement had been established in the northwestern part of the county, in Hanover and Waterloo, which soon extended into Winneshiek County. But the earliest Norwegian settlement in Winneshiek was formed on Washington Prairie in June, 1850,[426] when a number of families moved in from Racine and Dane Counties, Wisconsin. Eastern Winneshiek County received in the following year a large Norwegian population.
Those who came in the latter part of June, 1850, and settled on Washington Prairie were: Eric Anderson (Rudi),[427] the brothers Ole and Staale T. Haugen from Flekkefjord, Ole G. Jevne, Ole and Andrew A. Lomen, Knut A. Bakken, Anders Hauge, John J. Quale, and Halvor H. Groven, all from Valders, and Mikkel Omli from Telemarken. On July third another party headed by Nels Johnson[428] arrived, including Tollef Simonson Aae, Knud Opdahl, Jacob Abrahamson,[429] Iver P. Quale, Gjermund Johnson (Kaasa),[430] and John Thun.
Of the coming of this party Reverend Jacobson has given the following account: In the spring of 1850 his parents and a number of other families left Muskego to move out west. The leader of the party was Nels Johnson; he had a large military wagon drawn by six oxen. “This had a big box on, filled with household goods and covered with white canvas. On the outside was placed, lengthwise, the wagon box, several joints of stove pipe, so the outfit, with a little stretch of imagination,” says Rev. Jacobson, “looked like a man-of-war; this was the so-called ‘prairie-schooner.’ Then there were other vehicles of all sizes and shapes, from truck wagons, the wheels of which were made of solid sections of oak logs, down to the two-wheel carts.” At Koshkonong, Dane County, so many more joined them that they were in all over one hundred individuals; the caravan included furthermore now two hundred head of cattle, a few hogs and sheep, a mare and a colt. They drove on via Madison, then a little village, to Prairie du Chien, where the party divided one-half going to Vernon County,[431] Wisconsin, the other half to Iowa. Reverend Jacobson says of the journey at this point:
The Wisconsin river had to be crossed on a small ferry boat, the propelling power was furnished by a horse placed on a tread-power which worked the paddle-wheels. Only one wagon and a team at a time could be taken aboard. The herd of loose cattle had to swim over the river, all of which was accomplished without any accident worthy of note. The ferry boat at Prairie du Chien was larger and propelled by four mule power, but the water being high, the Mississippi River was nearly two miles wide, and much time was taken to get all to the western bank. Thirteen miles northwest from McGregor at Poverty Point, since called Monona, another halt of a creek was made. The scouting party before alluded to had visited several localities, and opinions were divided as to which was the best point to settle down. The company was now divided into three divisions, we going with the original leader to the vicinity of Decorah, landing on our claims on the third of July. The journey had taken five weeks, counting from the time of starting. Those who had room enough slept under the wagon covers, the others slept on the bare ground under the wagons.[432]