Immigrants also came to the prairies because of the untouched, rich, farmland. Terribly cold places like Winnipeg and Fargo had extraordinarily fertile soil, and while the growing season was short, the hours of sunshine in the summer were long. I don't think that immigrants sought out the cold, especially in day s before electricity and hot water, but put up with it because of the availability(free, in some cases) of land, good soil, virgin forests, and lack of persecution.
I've spent a fair amount of time in some very cold climates, and have my share of "war" stories about working and playing outside in them. At this point in my life, I can still take the cold, but get tired of the length of winter. I no longer coach hockey, don't ski anymore, and always hated ice fishing, though I've taken up winter hiking.
If winter were only 3 months long, then I'd be fine. 5-6 months is just tiresome, for me.
Oh, is this a Kaprizov thread?