HISTORY OF TRINITY AND
FOUNTAIN LUTHERAN CHURCHES
By Thyla Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the year of 1850, Norwegian immigrants began to settle in the vicinity of the Lemonweir River in the present township of Lindina in Juneau County and surrounding area. The oldest record concerning these Norwegian settlers is a letter sent to the District President, Rev. H. A. Preuss, who lived in Spring Prairie. Dated May 22, 1854, this letter read in part:
"Being that we live here in a small colony far from other Norwegian settlements
and have not since
we began to settle here been visited by any Norwegian clergyman, we, therefore
with one accord,
heartily wish that we might have the joy of having a clergyman visit once
or twice a year. We have
begun to erect a schoolhouse and near it we have chosen a location for a
churchyard which
we wish to have dedicated. We are twelve settlers and about forty-three
individuals."
Rev. Preuss accepted the call and served for eleven years. He came about six times a year to the Lemonweir area. He also visited many other settlements in seven or eight counties. Among them were Portage, Kilbourn (now called Wisconsin Dells), Roche a Cree, Greenwood, Shennington, Polk and Grand Counties.
Travel in those days was very difficult. It was mostly wilderness with few roads. Horse and buggy was the mode of transportation and many parishes were accessible only by walking. The first time Rev. Preuss came to Lemonweir, he had to be carried across Brewer Creek as there was no bridge between East Lemonweir Church and New Lisbon. A man from the parish remained on the other side of the creek to guard the minister's horses during the night so the Indians would not steal them.
The countryside was much different than we see it today with the beautiful cultivated fields of grain and hay and the paved roads winding throught the valletys and around the hills to every homestead. The immigrants had to cut down trees that were used to build their log homes and barns. The land had to be gruvved so crops could be planted.
The pioneer pastors who served the settlements suffered many hardships in getting from one parish to another. One of them who was walking to Wood County (a long distance from Lemonweir) in the winter lost his way in the woods. It was not until the next day that the frost bitten pastor reached a logging camp.