Koshkonong Prairie, with its twin churches at East and West Koshkonong, became one of the focal points from which Norwegian Lutheranism spread to many parts of the American continent. In 1844, at the request of pioneer Norwegian immigrants, the newly ordained Johannes Wilhelm Christian Dietrichson came to Koshkonong from Norway. Under his leadership, congregations were established and log churches were built at both East and West Koshkonong. During his pastorate from 1844 to 1850, Dietrichson traveled widely and organized a number of other congregations in the pioneer communities of Wisconsin and Illinois. As Norwegian immigrants continued to arrive, both community and church prospered. Koshkonong became known as the Queen of the Norwegian settlements in America, and for a time in the 1870's it was the largest single parish in the Norwegian Lutheran Church, with more than 4300 members in several congregations. Because of the predestination controversy in the 1880's, both Koshkonong congregations split, resulting in four congregations instead of the former two. The merger of three Norwegian church bodies in 1917 largely restored spiritual unity to the Koshkonong community.