Chapter XXXII · Long Prairie in Boone County, Illinois; a Sogning Settlement.

In the vicinity of the present village of Capron, Illinois, a few Norwegians located in 1843, forming the nucleus of what later came to be known as Long Prairie. This settlement is located only a few miles south of Jefferson Prairie (which extends into Illinois) and is about sixty-five miles distant west from Chicago. The earliest Norwegian settlers here were Thor Olson Kaasa and Thov Knutson Traim, his wife Ingebjorg and sons, Knut, Kjetil, and Ole, from Siljord in Upper Telemarken. Thor Kaasa was the son of Ole Kaasa and wife Margit, who immigrated in 1843 with a family of nine children, of whom Thor was the oldest. We have spoken of their coming on page 235. Among the other children the sons, Gjermund, Jens, Jörgen, and Kittel, and daughters, Guro, Aase, Emelie and Kristense, also moved to the settlement in 1845. Both Ole Kaasa and his wife died of cholera in 1854; Jörgen Kaasa settled in Winneshiek County in 1852, while Thor Kaasa moved to Filmore County, Minnesota; Jens located permanently in Chicago.

In 1844 there came five persons from Siljord, Norway, namely Björn Brekketo[278] and wife Guro, her brothers Jens and Steinar, and Johannes Kleiva. Björn Brekketo died early and the widow married Ole Oreflaat. Not many more immigrants from Telemarken located at Capron. In 1844–45 natives of Sogn took possession of Long Prairie, and the settlement has ever since remained preëminently a Sogning settlement.

We have observed above that of those who came from Sogn on the ship Juno in 1844, Anfin Seim and family did not locate in Koshkonong, but went to Boone County, Illinois; they were the only ones of Juno’s passengers to settle in Illinois. On the other hand a considerable number of those who came on Kong Sverre and Albion located at Long Prairie. Among them were the following who came with the Albion: Ole J. Aavri, wife Britha and daughter Inga and sons Johans and Andres.[279] Ivar S. Rislauv and wife Eli, a daughter of Ole Aavri; Lars Johnson Haave, wife Randi, daughter Britha, and two sons Joe (John) and Ole; Andrew Olson Stadhem (Staim), wife Sigrid, two sons and four daughters, Olina, Britha, Aase, and Inga; Ole Stadhem and family; Ivar I. Haave, wife Barbro and sons Ingebrigt and Elling; Endre H. Numedal and wife Helga, daughter of Ivar Haave; Ole Berdahl and family; Ingebrigt N. Vange, wife Britha, and three daughters, and Ole Vange.

With the Sverre came: Anders H. Numedal and wife Aagot, Ole Tistele, Ole O. Tenold and wife Sigri, Ole P. Tenold, Ole J. Orvedal, wife Ragnilda, and three daughters,[280] Lars O. Fölie, Joe Fölie, who died of cholera in Chicago, Ivar Fölie, Lars Jensen Haave, with family and Ingebrigt J. Fuglegjærdet. Besides these there were on both ships a number of young unmarried men and women whose passage was paid for by Lars Johnson Haave and Joe Fölie, who may perhaps be regarded as the leaders of this party. Most of those named were men of means, and some of them were owners of valuable estates which were of course sold and converted into cash upon emigrating to America. Albion took eight weeks for the voyage. Kong Sverre took twelve. The former arrived in New York about July 25th.

From New York they took the usual inland route to Chicago, their destination being Wiota. But at Belvidere in Boone County, they met Thor Olson Kaasa, who advised them strongly against going to Wiota, which, he said, was two hundred miles from a market. La Fayette County was moreover nothing but hills, and he gave such an unfavorable description of that locality, that the immigrants decided to accept his suggestion and go to Long Prairie, where they were told there was plenty of level and fertile land only seventy miles from Chicago. A few were deputed to wait at Belvidere for those who were coming on Kong Sverre, and inform them of the change in plans, the rest accompanied Kaasa to Boone County,[281] where also soon after the second party came. Thus by the autumn of 1844 the settlement numbered about one hundred individuals.[282]

In the year 1845 about fifty persons settled near Capron. It has already been observed that the Kaasa family moved out there that year from Chicago.[283] Others came directly from Sogn, Norway, the recruiting region being Vik Parish exclusively. In that year three ships left Bergen again with immigrants principally from Sogn, especially Aurland and Vik. Those who came from Aurland went to Koshkonong, as also many of those who came from Vik. One of these ships was Albion, Captain Brock, the passengers of which went, most of them, to Long Prairie.

Relative to the voyage of Albion, Elim Ellingson of Capron, who was on this ship, tells me the following incident which occurred in mid-ocean.

“One day a boat carrying seven or eight men, rather ugly in appearance, evidently Spanish pirates, approached us from the west, and their leader demanded to speak with the captain. They said they came from the New Foundland coast and wanted to send some letters back. Thereupon they veered about and rowed back to their ship which lay some distance to the west, put out nine boats with a large number of men and rowed back toward our ship. The captain, suspecting their purpose and realizing that we would be helpless before an attack of pirates, turned the ship around and sailed back for one whole day and night. In the meantime a considerable tumult arose on board, axes and guns being gotten in readiness and many carried up stones from the ballast. We succeeded, however, in escaping, and, after sailing a day and a night, we turned back and arrived safely in New York. Here we learned that recently a ship had arrived at port, the masts of which had been entirely destroyed by guns from a pirate attack.”

Mr. Ellingson in telling this, added that it is doubtful what fate might have awaited them, had not the captain promptly turned the ship about and succeeded in escaping what most certainly would have been a similar attack.

Among those who came on that ship at the same time, and who located at Capron, were: Johans Dahle from Voss, his wife, Ingebjör, and son, Ole;[284] Lasse Ellingson Aase (b. 1808), wife Gjöri Ravsdal and five children, Ragnild,[285] Elling (Elim), (b. 1835), Nils, Endre and Britha; Andres E. Aase, wife and two sons;[286] Anders O. Torvold, Johannes Lie (now living in Goodhue County, Minnesota), and Johanna Stadhem. John Benson of Capron tells me that his grandmother, Martha Numedal, a widow, came there in 1845 or 1846, and also the following: Joe Sande, who was married to a Miss Aase, Edlend Myrkeskog, wife Eli and daughter Ingebjör,[287] and Ole Myrkeskog, who is living at Capron yet at the age of eighty.

The Long Prairie Settlement continued to grow for a decade. Space does not, however, permit printing here the complete list of later arrivals, kindly supplied me by Elim Ellingson and John Benson.[288] We shall now speak briefly of the growth of the old settlement of Muskego.