By the 1870s, Norwegian immigrants
began to settle in large numbers in the Cooksville area. Some had arrived in southern
Wisconsin about1838, settling in Rock County on the Jefferson, Rock and
Koshkonong prairies and elsewhere on the fertile fields of the American frontier,
joining other area settlers from the British Isles, Scandinavia, Germany and
eastern America who had already arrived.
Many of these settlers of the
newly-opened land in what once was named “Ouisconsin” came as a result of
potato famines and revolutionary wars in 19th-century Europe, And,
of course, Americans had moved westward from New England and New York to the
new frontier in the 1830s and ‘40s in pursuit of a more adventurous and prosperous future.
For Norwegians at the time,
restrictive land ownership, rigid inheritance laws and stifling social structures
left little hope of individual improvement or of success in their home country
in the 19th century and led to the increased emigration. Like many other immigrants, Norwegians were determined
to find a country where they could build a better future for themselves and
their children. America beckoned.
Norwegian immigration to southern
Wisconsin greatly increased after 1850 because of favorable reports sent back
to friends and relatives in Norway by the earlier settlers. And new railroads in
America made travel quicker, easier and cheaper for the long journey from the
east coast to mid- America.
By the 1870s, Wisconsin had the
most Norwegian settlers of all the states.
By the 1880s some of the early Yankee settlers
had already moved further West in pursuit of new prospects, leaving prime land
available to new immigrants, like Norwegians, Swedes and Danes, and these industrious
and thrifty new-comers were able to buy village homes ,educate their children, and
eventually buy their own farms.
The Norwegian settlers in the Cooksville
area quickly put down roots and became leaders in Cooksville and other area
communities, especially in nearby Stoughton. The Norwegian Lutheran Church was
built in Cooksville in 1897 (the second such structure after the first was
destroyed by lightning and fire), with lutefisk and lefse dinners served there
for many years. The immigrants’ heritage is still evident in their names that
resonate in area communities.
A brief, succinct account of the
immigration pattern from Norway to Cooksville and the Town of Porter was
written in 1947 by Arvid M. Romstad, Pastor of the Cooksville-Evansville
Lutheran Parish at the time. He titled it, “A Short History of Ole Amundson and
of How He Came to Leave his Homeland, Norway, and Come to the United States,
Particularly to Rock County, Wisconsin.”
As Romstad wrote:
“The
name is fictitious, but the history here briefly detailed is that of a resident
of the Town of Porter, who died some years ago. The economic situation in
Norway during the days of the 19th century made it very difficult
for the average man to succeed and get anywhere. Landowners remained landowners
and tenants remained tenants.
“Ole
Amundson lived on a tenant farm—he saw no future in his own country—there was
little money—the living was scant—no chance of ever owning any land. Norway had
scarcely begun to be industrialized. There was some work in the forests and
fisheries, but there was little opportunity for a tenant.
“Ole
decided to come to America having heard of its vast resources and limitless
opportunities. This was in 1880 when he was 33 years of age. His father was
living and came with him, also his wife, and three children. Mrs. Amundson had
a brother in America who sent them a letter one day—it had tickets and some
money.
“Before
leaving they sold all their goods at auction. This was near Kristiania, now
Oslo, in the community of Ullensaker.
“The
North Sea showered and shook them with a terrific storm so much so that the
children toppled out of their bunks and the trunks slid back and forth. It took
them three weeks and they were seasick most of the time. They remained in
England for a week, which time was occupied with sight-seeing, one of the
marvels being a treadmill that was run by cattle walking and walking and yet
standing still.
“In
England the ship took on a lot of Irishmen, most of whom remained in New York.
Amundson and family went from New York to Chicago to Milwaukee, and to
Stoughton by train.
“The
steamship agent met them at the depot in Stoughton, received them most
cordially, and took them to his home. An uncle came from Cooksville to get them
and they came to what was the Charley Miller farm (now operated by Roy
Kloften).
“Amundson
raised tobacco on shares for three years.
“Then
rented a 60 acre farm where he remained for three years…. Before Ole died he
had bought and paid for a 120 acre farm and at last had achieved in a large
measure the ambitions he had for his future in the land of promise.”
Romstad’s story about “Mr. Amundson”
is typical of the first generation of Norwegian immigrants. But every Norwegian or Danish or Swedish family
that settled in or near Cooksville has its own personal story to tell. The
Cooksville Archives has a few of these stories, or parts of them—parts of a
greater jig-saw puzzle that is the history of the many immigrant settlers in
the Cooksville community with names like Anderson, Berg, Brunsell, Erickson, Furseth,
Fursett, Haakenson, Hanson ,Hatlen, Hegge, Julseth, Kloften, Larson, Olson,
Severson and more.
The Cooksville Archives always
welcomes more written stories—more pieces of the puzzle. Contact: Larry Reed in
Cooksville, (608) 873-5066, by mail: 12035 W. State Road, 59, Evansville, WI
53536.
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