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Browse Items (5 total)
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Ole Glesne papers, 1851-1943
Correspondence, reports, and a scrapbook of a Lutheran clergyman. The correspondence and reports concern chiefly the activities of the board of publications of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, of which Glesne was a member. The clippings in the scrapbook are chiefly from "Norden" and "Amerika" and concern the controversies between the two newspapers regarding Ragnar M. J. Monrad at Luther College, the anti-Missourian movement within the Norwegian Synod, and politics in Wisconsin. The scrapbook contains letters and articles by Gisle Bothne, John N. Kildahl, Laur. Larsen, Ragnar M. J. Monrad, Herman A. Preus, and L. A. Stenholt. -
Nicolay Andreas Grevstad papers, 1892-1925
Correspondence, articles, reports, and clippings of a Norwegian-born journalist, diplomat, and financier. Grevstad was a practicing attorney and editor of Dagbladet (Oslo) before emigrating in 1883. In America he was editor of Nordvesten (St. Paul); leading editorial writer for Minneapolis Daily Tribune; editor of Skandinaven (Chicago) (1892-1911); United States minister to Uruguay and Paraguay (1911-1915); publicity director of Minnesota Safety Commission; chief of the foreign language press publicity service for the Republican National Committee (1919-1925); agent of a Chicago bank syndicate for Uruguay; and editor of Skandinaven (1930-1940). Articles by Grevstad on courts of conciliation in Norway and in America appeared in the Atlantic Monthly (September, 1891 and November, 1893).
The correspondence includes dispatches to the United States Department of State and letters concerning American interests in Uruguay and Paraguay, national political problems, Norwegian settlement, and investment opportunities. Among the correspondents are William Jennings Bryan, Gilbert N. Haugen, Nils P. Haugen, E. H. Hobe, Hanna Astrup Larsen, Medill McCormick, Knute Nelson, Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, and William Howard Taft. Primary election reform, patriotism of the Scandinavian press and church, the wheat farmer during World War I, Non-Partisan League, and women's suffrage are some of the topics discussed in the articles, press releases, and letters. -
Andrew Fossum papers, 1887-1941
Correspondence, manuscripts, articles and records of a teacher, author, Greek scholar, and archeologist. Fossum, born in Allamakee County, Iowa, attended Luther College, Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.), and the American School of Classical Studies, Athens, Greece. He was the author of The Norse Discovery of America (1918) and of articles on the theater in ancient Greece. His correspondents include George O. Berg, Gisle Bothne, Albert E. Egge, O. G. Felland, J. F. Fries, Hjalmar R. Holand, Olaf Huseby, Th. N. Mohn, Anna Mohn (Mrs. Th. N.), Knute Nelson, George A. Torrison, Andrew A. Veblen, and H. T. Ytterboe. -
Odin Lyceum Bureau, Inc., records, 1917-1918
Papers of Norwegian-American Chautauqua and Lyceum, Minneapolis. Gisle Bothne, Nicolay Grevstad, Jacob A. O. Preus, and Theodor S. Reimestad were among the promoters and lecturers. The catalog includes photographs of Odin Male Quartette (led by Reimestad); Senator E.E. Lobeck; Ragnhild Holmquist; Mathilde Hansen-Raunborg; Leone J. Berge; Gisle Bothne; Arthur Markve; I.M. Kalnes. -
Norse-American Centennial papers, 1923-1927
Biography/History:
The centennial of organized Norwegian migration provided an opportunity for Norwegian-Americans to celebrate their heritage and, more importantly, to demonstrate their American-ness. The celebrations, held in many North American cities and culminating in a major festival at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in June 1925, showed how Norwegian-Americans had already contributed, as well as how well they fit in their new homes. The celebrations constituted a complex process of identity building and a tricky balancing of old culture and new.Advertised as “The World’s Largest Gathering for 1925,” promoters described the Twin Cities celebration as “stupendous” and “monumental.” Events over the four-day period included speeches by Norwegian, Canadian, Icelandic, and American dignitaries, including U.S. President Calvin Coolidge; religious services; musical performances; displays of handcrafts, fine arts, and natural resources; and sporting events. The high point with a lavish “Pageant of the Northmen.” With a cast of 1,500, the melodramatic account of a thousand years of Norwegian history featured stories of heroic settlement, noteworthy individuals, and triumphs in the "new" world.
The Norse-American Centennial was a historical moment that brought national attention to Minnesota’s Norwegian immigrant community. To rapt attendees this was a cultural celebration, but behind the scenes the event challenged Norwegian-American leaders, intellectuals, and the broader Norwegian-American community to reexamine their heritage and role as Americans. One year prior to the celebration, the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924 harshly defined insiders and outsiders. While northern Europeans fared relatively well under the new quota system, many Norwegian-Americans seized this moment as an opportunity to elevate their status and dispute negative stereotypes within the minds of their fellow Americans.
The celebration was initiated by the general council of the bygdelag — local history clubs for Norwegian immigrants and their descendants organized by region of origin. The materials generated by the Norse-American Centennial, an association incorporated in 1925 in St. Paul, are rich and varied. The collection describes in detail the management of the celebration and gives data on observances outside of Minnesota, including Chicago, Canada, Boston, and Brooklyn. Letters and essays reveal the loyalty of Norwegian Americans to their cultural heritage, the rivalry among groups of Norwegians in America, and their internal struggles of understanding ethnic identity.
Scope and Content:
Correspondence, minutes, financial records, reports, programs, clippings, pictures, pamphlets, and scrapbooks of an association incorporated in 1925 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to supervise the observance of the arrival of the first group of Norwegian immigrants in America. The collection describes in detail the management of the celebration and gives data on observances in Chicago, Canada, Boston, and Brooklyn. Letters and essays reveal the loyalty of Norwegian Americans to their cultural heritage and the rivalry among area groups of Norwegians in America. The celebration was initiated by the bygdelags. The chief officials were Gisle Bothne, S. H. Holstad, J. A. Holvik, Elisa P. Farseth, and Mrs. Wm. O. Storlie. Correspondents include Juul Dieserud, Knut Gjerset, Hanna Astrup Larsen, and O. M. Norlie. The centennial received nationwide press coverage.Arrangement:
Section I: Correspondence
Section II: Minutes, records, and reports
Section III: Exhibition materials and memorabilia
Section IV: Clippings
Section V: Photographs, Posters, and FilmFunding:
Funding to digitize the Norse-American Centennial papers provided to the Norwegian-American Historical Association through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, a component of the Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy constitutional amendment, ratified by Minnesota voters in 2008.