Minnesota’s Norwegian history: A primer as the crown prince visits
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The Crown Prince of Norway is in Minnesota this week.
He’s stopping by Norway House, a heritage and culture organization; meeting with Gov. Tim Walz and the National Guard; visiting one of two churches in the United States that still hold services in Norwegian; and conversing with Norwegian Minnesota Wild player Mats Zuccarello on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he’s headed to St. Olaf College, which has a long Nordic history.
For a primer, or perhaps a refresher, on Norwegian history in the North Star State in preparation for the prince’s visit, visiting assistant professor of Norwegian at St. Olaf College Caitlin Sackrison joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Tuesday.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button.
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How big a deal is the crown prince’s visit?
It's a really big deal for us. So in 1825, the first organized group migration happened from Norway to the United States. And this is the 200th anniversary of that celebration. So it’s very much commemorating that history. And that’s partly why the prince is here.
What was the driving force for so many Norwegians to come to Minnesota?
I’d say the No. 1 factor was definitely land. So, at the time that Norwegians were coming to Minnesota and becoming Minnesotans, they were looking for arable land, so farmable land that they could have. And Minnesota happened to have it. That’s partially because the treaties that were signed in the 1850s opened up land. But the 1862 Homestead Act especially enabled a lot of poor immigrants to claim land and then settle on it.
Is it true that Minnesota looked a lot like Norway to those new immigrants?
Some of it did; some of it didn’t. We don’t have an ocean, which is partly the difference. But, yes, there were definitely those who were doing things in the timber industry as well as farming, and many of them were just really amazed by how much land was available, because the plots of land in Norway were much, much smaller than they were in spaces like Minnesota in the upper Midwest.
Did anything happen in Minnesota to commemorate the centennial back in 1925?
Yes, there actually was. At the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, there was this big celebration called the Norse-American Centennial, which happened in 1925, based on the 1825 organized migration. About 10,000 people showed up, both of Norwegian heritage as well as Minnesotans interested in learning more. The president of the United States at the time also visited. So it was a really big deal.
If anyone wants to learn more, I highly recommend you actually visit the Norwegian-American Historical Association on St. Olaf’s campus. They have a whole collection about that centennial.
What is St. Olaf’s connection to Nordic history?
In 1874, St. Olaf College, it was technically St. Olaf School at the time, was founded by a Norwegian immigrant, Bernt Muus. Muus wanted to create this school for Norwegian immigrants and their children, especially with the Lutheran Norwegian tradition. And so that’s how St Olaf was founded.
And even to this day, there are many Norwegian heritage students — those whose great-grandparents, grandparents, or parents may have immigrated from Norway — but there are also many students who are not of Norwegian descent. So I think everyone, whether they’re connected to Norway or not, is really interested in this connection, and especially these interesting opportunities, like when royal family members visit or other leaders from Norway.
