Ole Natesta staked his claim of eighty acres in Section 20, Township 1 north, Range 14 east, Clinton township, Rock County — the beginning of the Jefferson Prairie settlement, described as the first Scandinavian settlement in Wisconsin (and fourth Norwegian settlement in America).

The evidence

• “AVith the foregoing summary of the situation in mind, we are again ready to start out with Ole Natesta in search of his ideal land and location for a Scandinavian settlement. His brother, Ansten Natesta, departed for Norway early in the spring of 1838, going by way of New Orleans to Liverpool and thence to Norway. Ole had now, by the diligent study of his lexicon and the assistance of Ole Rynning, who read and spoke the English language, acquired a fair vocabulary of English, as he expressed it years afterwards, he "was now out of the woods as he could talk with anybody." From Beaver Creek he went back to Chicago and there he heard of the Rock River country and soon headed that way. Stopping on the way at several places where he found work, from these home stations he would take long walks and exploring trips when work was not pressing. On July 1st, 1838, he staked his claim of eighty acres in Section 20, Township 1, north of range 14 east, Clinton township, Rock county, Wisconsin territory. He made his home at first with Stephen Downer while he cut the logs for his cabin.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/18-scandinavians.md, Vol. 1, PDF p. 457 / book p. 423

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

  

• “P. 0. Clinton ; born in Norway Dec. 24, 1807 ; came to America in 1837, first to Rhode Island, and then to New York ; went to Beaver Creek, 111., same year, and about July 1, 1838, came to Clinton, Wis. ; made a claim of eighty acres ; through his industry and honest labor he has now a fine farm and residence ; had at one time 318 acres ; now has 198 acres. When he first came here, he worked for Stephen Downers for his board.”

  1879-history-of-rock-county/20-bios-clinton.md, PDF p. 778 / book p. 782

  Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources