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1838, Norwegians became to establish themselves in Wisconsin. Ole Knutson Nattestad from the ill-fated Beaver Creek Colony came to Rock County, Wisconsin and settled at Clinton on July 1, 1838 where a few American families had built homes. He was the first Norwegian to set foot on Wisconsin soil. While Ole was exploring, his brother Ansten went back to Norway and brought a group of settlers back to join Ole. They arrived in September of 1839 and Clinton grew quickly. This became the important Jefferson Prairie Settlement. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 114.
1838, Ole Rynning wrote that the Fox River Settlement is up to 16-20 families. He wrote that the "infamous slave traffic" in America would inevitably lead to a Civil War. Blegen, The American Transition, p. 418.
