Editing Little Chute, Wisconsin (section)

===Later Dutch immigration===

[[File:Dutch homestead, Little Chute, Wisconsin (19th century).jpg|250px|thumb|right|Typical Dutch homestead, {{circa|1855}}]]
Despite the hardships, including the death of Father Van den Broek in 1851, the village prospered. Waves of Catholic Dutch emigrants followed from all over the Netherlands, with whole families and neighborhoods moving to join family and friends already established in Little Chute, Hollandtown, and the outlying farming communities. It is estimated that, by 1927, as many as 40,000 Dutch Roman Catholics had immigrated to the United States—an average rate of 10 per week for 80 years. While many headed for cities or individual farms across the country, Little Chute and the surrounding area represented the largest concentration of Catholic immigrants.<ref name="VanHinte">“Nederlanders in Amerika”, Van Hinte, Assen, 1928</ref>

From the start, St. John Nepomucene Church served as a focal point, although other churches would soon spring up in the other communities. The first settlers would have devoted all energies to clearing land, planting, building small homes and barns, fencing and raising livestock. The private Fox River Canal was a failure. The State "Fox and Wisconsin Improvement Company" took over operations in 1850 and finished the canal and adjoining dam by 1856.<ref name="Committee" /> Railways approached from the south and steamship lines were established on Lakes Michigan and [[Lake Winnebago|Winnebago]].<ref name="Verwyst">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030921111056/http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues03/Co09062003/CO_09062003_Verwyst_2.htm Reminiscences of a Pioneer Missionary]}} by Rev. Chrysostom Verwyst. Wisconsin Historical Society Separate No. 173 - From the Proceedings of the Society for 1916,</ref> The 16 feet of water head at La Petite Chute and other falls was used for mills, a practice that continues. Little Chute [[post office]] was established in 1849.<ref>Helbock, Richard W. (1999) ''United States Post Offices, Volume III - The Upper Midwest'', p. 146, Lake Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications</ref> In 1898 the fiftieth anniversary of the founding was commemorated and the surviving "48'ers" recognized.<ref name="Sentinel">''Milwaukee Sentinel'', July 15, 1898</ref> In 1898, residents of La Petite Chute petitioned the State of Wisconsin for incorporation as the Village of Little Chute, which was formally granted on March 8, 1899.

While there are several other Dutch American cities—[[Oostburg, Wisconsin]]; [[Pella, Iowa]]; [[Orange City, Iowa]]; and [[Holland, Michigan]]—these were largely settled by [[Protestants]]. Little Chute and some surrounding area was largely settled by Catholics. By the early twentieth century it was the largest Catholic Dutch community in the United States.<ref name="Lucas">“Netherlanders in America” Lucas, 1955</ref> Little Chute remained a Dutch-speaking community—known locally as "speaking Hollander"—into the twentieth century. As late as 1898, church sermons and event announcements were in Dutch.<ref name="Sentinel" /> Dutch newspapers continued in the area—mainly in [[De Pere]] by Catholic clergymen—were published up until World War I.<ref name="DeBoer" /> Speaking Dutch as a first language was common in the area among second and third generation even as late as World War II.<ref name="Conversations">Conversations with several Little Chute residents, one resident since 1915</ref> The Dutch festival of [[Sinterklaas]] was celebrated as "St Nick’s Day" (December 6). This practice continues in many households today. St. John Nepomucene was the primary educational institution with the local public high school not opening until 1966.<ref name="Committee" />