Volume 153 Spring 2014 A Newsletter From the NAHA Office to Association Members Inside This Issue From the President The NAHA Board of Directors met the end of April in Northfield to review the Archive Highlight: 2-3 financial statements for the year 2013, and begin implementation of the strategic Centennial Exposition plan approved in preliminary form last October. With strong support from our Scrapbook members and a healthy return on our invested funds, we ended 2013 well situated for an ambitious 2014, including a new publication, several member events and updated Book Review: Norsk 4-5 marketing materials. utvandringshistorie The strategic plan is a three year effort focused on strengthening our core functions Club 2014: Campaign 6-7 of membership, archives and publications. While all three areas are important, the for Archive Climate board identified the preservation of our archival assets as our highest priority. Toward Control that end, the board approved a fundraising campaign to finance the installation of a climate control system in the NAHA archives. Building on the momentum of the 200th Book Review: 8 anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution, in May we launched Club 2014 with a goal Nordmenn i Amerika of raising $160,000 by May 2017. I proud to announce that to date the NAHA’s current and past board members along with several other NAHA members have committed Model Life of Borger 9 over $73,500 to the effort. We are working with our hosts at St. Olaf College to Hanson determine the best location for the climate controlled archive, as our current space, with its exterior wall, is less than ideal for attaining our goal of moderating temperature Bridging Continents, 10-11 and humidity fluctuations. Once the college determines the best location for the Bridging the River Tour NAHA archives and other special collections housed there, we’ll be ready to fund our part of the project. From the Front Desk 12 On May 9th, at the Norwegian Heritage Day event at St. Olaf College, we recognized members in attendance who committed to the project, and we now invite the larger NAHA community of members and friends to participate in Club 2014. Donors with commitments of $20.14/month for 36 months ($725.04) or higher, will received a commemorative pin created exclusively for Club 2014 members. All donors will received recognition for their support at the conclusion of the effort. Inside this Norwegian-American newsletter, you’ll find more information on why climate control is needed, and how Historical Association you can help our effort succeed. 1510 St. Olaf Avenue Northfield, MN 55057 www.naha.stolaf.edu [email protected] Phone: 507-786-3221 Brian Rude, NAHA President Page 2 Archive Highlights: A Centennial Celebration At the Storting Building, the Mindegave, or Memorial Gift, amounting to 245,000 kroner, was formally presented by Dr. H.G. Stub and accepted on behalf of the Storting by its president, Mr. J. Lövland, to be administered for the benefit of sufferers from great national calamities, and so be forever a token of the love of emigrated Norwegians for their homeland. A list was also read of the various gifts to particular districts in Norway, amounting in all to 237,000, thus almost doubling the total sum. A monster banquet in the evening was successfully arranged Program cover from the July 4th, 1914 by the American Club and America day celebration Nordmannsforbundet in the great Hall of Song on the Exhibition Preserved in the Waldemar Ager “In the wooden slopes of the park grounds. Two thousand six hundred Collection of the NAHA archives, below old Frogner Mansion, in the people took part, while many editor and author Ager compiled a heart of Christiania, a bronze bust hundreds were turned away for lack scrapbook of memorabilia collected of Abraham Lincoln stands framed of room. Norway’s democratic king during the 1914 Centennial in two large pines, a permanent was present to welcome American Exposition in Christiania (Oslo). memorial of America’s day at the visitors and to send greetings Some of the treasures to be found Centennial Exposition of Norway. through them to their kinsmen within the covers include postcards, The Stars and Stripes mingle their who, though present in spirit, were photographs, menus, passenger folds with the Norwegian cross on lists from the Norwegian America the Fourth of July, when the bust Line on which he traveled to and was formally presented by [North from the Exposition, clippings, Dakota] Governor L. B. Hanna programs, speeches, calling cards, to the Norwegian people. With ticket stubs and commemorative them stood a precious relic now on items, just to name just a few. Here exhibition in the pavilion of “Norway are a several highlights: Abroad”, the bullet-riddled banner with a Norse inscription which led the Fifteenth Wisconsin Regiment, “The Fourth of July In Norway” — composed almost entirely of Written by Hanna A. Larsen, editor Norwegian immigrants — in the of the American Scandinavian bloody battles of the Civil War. Review and published in September Successive speakers emphasized the 1914. Ager included a copy of the similarity of ideals which made the Commemorative stamp issued in article in his scrapbook. Lincoln monument appropriate. conjunction with the 100th Jubilee. Page 3 July 4th, 1914 in Kristiania, Norway unable to come in person. The ever held outside the United States.” maps showing the position of visiting Norwegian-American male Ager prepared a post Exhibition the regiment in different battles, chorus led the singing of the national report from the Committee for the Andersonville prison, monuments, anthems, and it would be difficult to Wisconsin Exhibit at the Norway etc. was a great drawing card. We say whether “My Country, ‘Tis of Centennial Exposition. In it he also had the regimental colors that Thee” or “Ja, vi elsker dette landet” observed, “We did not have as many had belonged to the regiment and was sung with greater vim; while farm pictures as North Dakota and also the tattered old silk banner equally thunderous applause greeted Minnesota but we had more than presented to the regiment by Consul H.F. Gade’s speech on “The 200, and it was all that most people Norwegian ladies in Chicago. All Spirit of America”, and Governor cared to see. Besides we had special this we had in a specially made Hanna’s eulogy of Norway. A city exhibits to show how people large show case and it advertised message from President Wilson lived. From Eau Claire we had 50 our exhibit more than anything completed the most imposing homes photographed - workmen’s else. No other collection received celebration of Independence Day as well as others from all stations as much attention as this did.” of life. From Stoughton we also Ager reported donations had a complete set of pictures of and income of $2,037.00 and public buildings, parks etc., also old expenditures of $1,943.44, pictures to show progress made.” excluding travel expenses, as well as “Our exhibit of civil war relics and a list of individual and institutional about 200 photographs of officers donors who contributed to the and soldiers of the well known effort. 15th Wis. Vol. Regiment with war Ager saved the passenger lists of fellow travelers to and from the Exposition. He sailed round trip on S.S. Bergensfjord leaving Tuesday, May 26, 1914 from New York to Christiania, with stops in Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand along the way. He began the return trip on Saturday, the 25th of July from Bergen, arriving in New York Newspaper clipping showing the Wisconsin Exhibition at the Norway on August 4th. Centennial Exposition Page 4 Different ways of reading Norwegian history Nils Olav Østrem’s book on without suggesting names of Norwegian emigration history, successive schools of thought, yet he first published in 2006, has been is leading us in that direction. In an published in a new and revised effort to systematize his presentation edition. Østrem is a professor in addition to the Oslo school, it of history at the University of may be useful to apply such terms Stavanger. His book is not a retelling as “the Midwestern school,” “the of details in Norwegian emigration Bergen-school,” “the Vesterheim history. It is a much needed analysis, school,” and the “Stavanger-school” in Norwegian, of ways to interpret of Norwegian emigration studies. the history of emigration from The geographical terms should not Norway to the United States. We be taken too strictly. An American do not need another retelling of scholar may for instance find him- the Cleng Peerson story. We need or herself within the Bergen school to know how this and other stories of thought. The five schools are from Norwegian emigration have not separate entities. One scholar been applied. may indeed be inspired by all; all Book Review: have contributed to make the study of Norwegians-American history Østrem, Nils Olav The study presents different schools of interpreting Norwegian mass such a fruitful and expanding field Norsk utvandringshistorie emigration to the United States of study. We should use Østrem’s [Norwegian history of emigration] since the beginning in 1825. There is book to pay attention to schools of Second edition, 147 pages not much difference between these thought within our field. Oslo: Samlaget, 2014 schools of reading, yet emphasis may vary and nuances should be Østrem points to important noticed. First Østrem sets up what nuances between different ways of he calls “the Semmingsen-school,” reading the history of Norwegian after Ingrid Semmingsen’s study, emigration. Sometimes variations entitled Veien mot vest [Journey can be explained according to to the West], volumes I and II where studies are published (published in 1941 and 1950).