index goes here
Norwegian History
Blackhawk family
This area was populated with the Sac, Fox, and especially the Winnebago tribes. However, the Winnebago population started to decrease in this area after the Black Hawk War of 1832 in western Vernon County. On November 1, 1837, the Winnebago ceded all land east of the Mississippi to the United States.

Norwegian immigrants settled in the area in 1848. In 1867, Ole T. Westby built a general store here. Ole also served the Union in the Civil War. When the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad completed its line from Sparta to Viroqua, it made Westby a station, and named it after Ole T. Westby. The village was incorporated in 1896, and became a city in 1920. The current population of Westby is still mostly Norwegian. In fact, no nation, except Ireland, has provided the United States with as many immigrants in proportion to its population as Norway.

child with pot
For more information on Norwegian History, go to:
Vesterheim-Norwegian History (Decorah, IA)
Euro Docs
Wikipedia