The first Kashubian families reached Winona, Minnesota in 1859. They settled there because they had reached the American frontier. They had been farmers in the Old Country, and they hoped to become farmers in their new homeland, too. However, most if not all of the farm land in the immediate vicinity had long since been bought. In addition, many of the Kashubian families had exhausted their resources during the emigration process, and lacked the money to start a farm. Fortunately, Winona was a booming town, with plenty of jobs for men and women who were willing to work hard, and most of the Kashubian families settled there permanently But by 1862, a group of Kashubian families had saved up enough money to buy farm land in the settlement of Pine Creek, ten miles away and across the Mississippi River in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. To this day, Kashubian American families from Pine Creek (now better known as Dodge Township) retain close ties with their kin across the Mississippi River and effectively make up one community.