[53] Some of the early Mormon leaders were Norwegians, however, as Bishop Canute Peterson (Marsett), of Ephraim, Utah, who came to America in 1837 from Hardanger, Norway. The slooper Gudmund Haugaas became an elder in the church of the Latter Day Saints in La Salle County, Illinois; he died in 1849 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Haugaas. In 1849 a Norwegian-American, O. P. Peterson, first introduced Methodism in Norway.[54] After 1855 a regular Methodist mission was established in Scandinavia under the supervision of a Danish-American, C. B. Willerup.[55] While the Methodist church has not prospered in the Scandinavian countries, especially in Denmark and Norway, there are large numbers of Methodists among the Scandinavian immigrants in this country,[56] and the early congregations were recruited for a large part from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. [54] See a brief account by Rev. N. M. Liljegren in Nelson's _History of Scandinavians_, I, pp. 205-209. [55] Methodism had been introduced into Sweden from England early in the century. The efforts of steamship companies and emigration agents have been a powerful factor in promoting Scandinavian emigration. Through them literature advertising in glowing terms the advantages of the New World was scattered far and wide in Scandinavia. Such literature often dealt with the prosperity of Scandinavians who had previously settled in America. Letters from successful settlers were often printed and distributed broadcast. The early immigrants from the North settled largely in Illinois, Wisconsin, and, a little later, in Iowa. As clearers of the forest and tillers of the soil they contributed their large share to the development of the country. None could better endure the hardships of pioneer life on the western frontier. Knowing this, many western states began to advertise their respective advantages in the Scandinavian countries. [56] By far the larger number, however, are Swedes. CHAPTER VIII _Causes of Emigration continued. The Influence of Successful Pioneers. "America-letters." The Spirit of Adventure. Summary._