Reverend Peter J. Reinertsen wrote "The first Lutheran churches in Dakota Territory" in August 1934, detailing the history of early Lutheran congregations in the Missouri River valley of the Dakota Territory. Reverend Reinertsen begins by discussing how rising land prices in LaSalle County, Illinois, spurred the westward movement of Norwegian Lutheran immigrants. According to Reinertsen, Kjel Ronne, a lay preacher, was sent from Illinois west to scout a new location. Ronne returned and led a group to the Missouri River valley near present day Vermillion, South Dakota. This first settlement of Scandinavian immigrants occurred between 1857 and 1858. Reinertsen writes that an unsatisfied group of these early settlers relocated to the Elk Point area of South Dakota between 1858 and 1859. This group included Christofer Lewison, Kjel Ronne and Lars Johnson. Reinertsen writes that is second Scandinavian settlement brought the first formal school to the Dakotas. Both the Augustana Synod and Norwegian Synod churches followed the pioneers. Pastor Krohn of the Norwegian Synod established the first Lutheran church in August 1963. This single congregation was divided into three churches a year later as the population in the Vermillion area grew. The section titled "Religious Services and Instruction" discusses the various methods and changes in religious education, church services, and preachers in these early Lutheran settlements. One particular event that Reinertsen details is the widespread rejection of a German Missouri Synod Reverend who was sent to the Dakotas. Reinertsen writes that the refusal of the Reverend was due to the congregation's anticipation of the Reverend's pro-slavery beliefs, which ran counter to Norwegian immigrants' typically rejection of slavery. The final section titled "The first church buildings" details the locations and construction of the early Church structures in the Dakota Territory. According to Reverend Reinertsen, the St. Paul church and the Gayville church were the first to be constructed.