06/01/2026
As Westby C**n Prairie Lutheran Church prepares to celebrate their 175th anniversary, a look back at some of the significant milestones of the congregation:
Members of the Norwegian Synod attended the dedication of the first church built on C**n Prairie in June of 1858. These members included the Synod’s president from Koshkonong (Norweigian settlement in south eastern Wisconsin), Spring Prairie, Manitowoc County, Rock River near Milwaukee, and Pierce County.
The C**n Prairie congregation was impressed by the Synod’s pastors during the dedication and decided to invited the Synod to hold its next annual meeting at C**n Prairie.
The invitation was accepted with the Synod’s next meeting held at C**n Prairie from October 14th -18th, 1859.
It was at this meeting at C**n Prairie that the following motion was approved:
“The Synod resolves that it will strive within three years to be able to establish its own educational institution.”
This resolution lead to the foundation of Luther College located at Decorah, Iowa.
Photo: C**n Prairie continued to host Synod meetings with this photo taken in 1899 in the second C**n Prairie church, ten years before it was destroyed by fire. In the background, you can see the altar painting “Baptism” that was saved from the fire and still hangs in Country C**n Prairie today.
Source: Photo from Country C**n Prairie Church Preservation, Inc. Infomation from “C**n Prarie: An Historical Report of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congreation at C**n Prairie”, written in 1927 by Hjalmar R. Holand.
