Rich Land Abounds!

Driven by the promise of a better future, immigrants left their homes and made their way to America. An immigrant agent served as a salesman for Minnesota's rich resources, recruiting entire communities from Europe to move to this prosperous land. For a fee, the agent provided everything an immigrant needed to settle there. People arrived by train, steamboat, and wagon, bringing their language, furniture, decorations, and recipes to make their new life feel like home. The Wilke House, built in 1880 at Cleary Lake, Minnesota, has rosemaling on its walls and furnishings, a Norwegian style of decorative painting that may have reminded Norwegian immigrants of home.

Shakopee, Minnesota · United States