( From http://www.decoraharea.com/contentdisplay2.asp?id=history5&level=560 ):

Immigrant History...

Like other parts of the United States, Winneshiek County received its share of immigrants from a variety of ethnic groups. The 1850 county census, for example, showed 500 individuals in 100 households with foreign-born represented by Upper Canadians, Norwegians, Rhinelanders and Irish. Three such groups are noteworthy in the history of Decorah. The Norwegians were important leaders in the creation of Luther College. The local churches, Luther College, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and the Decorah Posten newspaper are testimonials of the 19th century impact of the Norwegian immigrants. The annual Nordic Fest, first held in July 1967, is an ongoing reminder of their heritage.

The “English Colony” of the late 19th century began arriving in 1867. For the most part, the men of this group were the younger sons of English gentlefolk, or would-be gentry, seeking their fortune among the riches of Iowa’s natural resources. They were undoubtedly a stimulus to the city’s business and industrial life. But a combination of unrealistic expectations, the hardships of life in Winneshiek County at the time and the collapse of the wheat market in the 1870’s caused most of these settlers to move elsewhere or to return home.

The Irish were a successful minority. Unlike the Norwegians, whose standards were often cultivated by an intellectual elite, or the English Colony’s would-be gentry, the Irish were industrious, hardworking laborers who made good as farmers in Decorah and Bluffton Township northwest of the city and in business and professional occupations as they chose. Again, unlike the two other groups, they tended to be members of a Catholic Church rather than Protestant.