Norse-American Centennial
Encyclopedia
Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the 2nd largest fair in the United States, and the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, though the State Fair of Texas runs...
from June 7–9, 1925.
The event served to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival during 1825 of the Norwegian immigrant ship Restauration
Restauration (ship)
Restauration was a sloop built in 1801 in Hardanger, Norway. It became a symbol of Norwegian American immigration. Historical sources may contain several variations on the name of the sloop, including Restauration, Restoration, Restaurasjonen, and Restorasjon.-History:On what is considered the...
. The arrival of this ship is generally considered the first organized emigration of Norwegian-Americans to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Gisle C. J. Bothne, Department head and professor of Scandinavian languages and literature at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, was President of the Norse-American Centennial celebration. Johan Andreas Holvik
Johan Andreas Holvik
Johan Andreas Holvik was an author and professor at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.-Background:Johan Andreas Holvik was born in Miner County, near Howard, South Dakota to immigrants Peder Holvik and Eli Jonsdatter from Nordfjord, Norway. Holvik attended Madison State Normal School in...
, professor at Concordia College
Concordia College, Moorhead
Concordia College is a private liberal arts school located in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and offers bachelors' degrees in the arts and music, as well as a master's degree in education. The college was founded by Norwegian...
in Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
served as the Secretary of the national administration committee of the Norse-American Centennial. Knut Gjerset
Knut Gjerset
Knut Gjerset as a Norwegian-American author and historian. He was a professor at Luther College and served as curator of the Norwegian-American Historical Museum.-Selected works:*English Grammar...
, professor at Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
and curator of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa is the oldest and most comprehensive museum in the United States devoted to a single immigrant ethnic group. The collection contains over 24,000 artifacts reflecting the experience of Norwegian-Americans, particularly in the Upper Midwest...
, served as Director of the Norse-American Centennial celebration. The committee of advisors included author O. E. Rolvaag .
During his appearance at the Norse-American Centennial, President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
gave recognition to the contributions of Scandinavian-Americans and noted Leif Erikson as the Discoverer of America. Music was provided by musical groups from a number of Norwegian Lutheran colleges including St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
, Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
, Augustana College
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...
and Augsburg Seminary. A pageant at the celebration centered on the life of war hero Colonel Hans Christian Heg
Hans Christian Heg
Hans Christian Heg was a Norwegian- American politician and soldier in the American Civil War from Wisconsin.-Background:...
. Colonel Heg, a Norwegian immigrant, served as brigade commander 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
The 15th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, more popularly known as the "Scandinavian Regiment", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Norse-American Centennial Art exhibited works by a number of prominent Norwegian-American artist including Lars Jonson Haukaness
Lars Jonson Haukaness
Lars Jonson Haukaness was a Norwegian born American-Canadian impressionist painter and art instructor who was particularly noted for his landscapes.-Background:...
, Karl Ouren
Karl Ouren
Karl Ouren was an American artist best known for his paintings of Norwegian landscapes and scenes, particularly those featuring winter and snow.-Background:...
, Svend Rasmussen Svendsen
Svend Rasmussen Svendsen
Svend Rasmussen Svendsen was a Norwegian American impressionist artist. Svendsen is most known for his rural scenes, marine views, and snowy landscapes of Norway.-Background:...
, Paul Fjelde
Paul Fjelde
-Background:Paul Fjelde was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota the son of Jacob Fjelde, a sculptor who emigrated from Norway. Jacob Fjelde was a well-known sculptor in Norway when he emigrated to the United States in 1887. After Jacob’s untimely death at age 36, the Fjelde family moved to North Dakota...
and Benjamin Blessum
Benjamin Blessum
Benjamin Blessum was an American painter, graphic artist and illustrator. He was primarily known for his Norwegian landscapes.-Background:...
.
The United States Post Office issued two commemorative stamps in conjunction with the Norse-American Centennial. The illustration on the two cent stamp was an artist's rendition of what the ship Restauration probably looked like based on a drawing of its sister ship. The design on the five cent stamp was from a photograph of the Viking
Viking (ship)
The Viking is an exact replica of the Gokstad ship, a Viking ship found in a burial mound near Sandefjord, Norway in 1880. The Viking was featured at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893....
, a ship that sailed from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in time for the Columbian Exposition of 1893.
Norse-American Centennial medals were also authorized by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Four different octagonal-shaped medals were produced by the U.S. Mint. Minnesota Congressman Ole J. Kvale
Ole J. Kvale
Ole Juulson Kvale was a U.S. Representative from Minnesota.-Background:Ole Juulson Kvale was born near Decorah, Iowa. He attended rural schools in Winneshiek County, Iowa. He was graduated from Luther College in Decorah in 1890, from Luther Theological Seminary, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1893...
, a member of the Congressional Coin, Weights, and Measures Committee, was instrumental in the production of the Norse-American medal series. Congress authorized the production of 40,000 silver medals and 100 gold medals, all to be produced at the Philadelphia Mint
Philadelphia Mint
The Philadelphia Mint was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national mint a main priority after the ratification of the Constitution of...
.
The celebration helped provide the impetus for a memorial church which resulted in the building of The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church of Minneapolis better known as Mindekirken. This Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
Lutheran church was dedicated on May 4, 1930.
Other sources
- Norlie, Olaf M.Olaf M. NorlieOlaf Morgan Norlie , also referred to as O. M. Norlie, was a Lutheran minister, educator and scholar. He was a prolific author who is most remembered as the translator of the Simplified New Testament.-Background:...
Why We Celebrate (Minneapolis, MN. Norse-American Centennial. 1925) - Arneson, Oscar Norse-American Centennial 1825-1925 (Minneapolis, MN. Norse-American Centennial. 1925)