Early Progress

By the end of the first week, the new arrivals had gained experience in swinging an axe and preparing land for cropping. They chopped down trees and planted potatoes between the tree stumps for a fall harvest. The Danes also took time to inspect their lots, which had been drawn by ballot. A store was organized and religious services were arranged. Soon the immigrants began working on settlement roads. The government, in keeping with the agreement, contracted out the promised chopping and burning on the settlers' lots.
By summer's end progress had been made, and some of the men had found part-time work haying and harvesting crops in nearby Grand Falls. In the fall, they began building a second immigrant house in anticipation of the arrival of more Danish settlers the next spring. As well, that summer Captain Heller had brought another small group of Danish settlers, consisting of about five families, to join the original group. In December the number of colonists totalled 59. The birth of one child had been celebrated and the deaths of three children from scarlet fever, mourned.