American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation records, 1973-2011

History/Biography:
The American Birkebeiner was started in 1973 by Tony Wise, a founding member of the Worldloppet federation of cross-country ski marathons. The race is held in February in Hayward, WI. Wise drew on his Norwegian heritage in starting a race named after a famous event in Norway. The American Birkebeiner, also called Birke, is named after the Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet. This race commemorates an important historical event when, in 1206, a group of Birkebeiner party soldiers, who fought for Sverre Sigurdsson and his descendants in the Norwegian civil war, smuggled the illegitimate son of Norway's King Håkon Sverresson from Lillehammer to safety in Trondheim.

Scope and Content:
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation records include various photographs, 35mm slides, films, board meeting minutes, Worldloppet records, clippings, and more.

Processing Information:
Accession nah-acc-00047 processed and described by Alyssa Moore, 2020. 
Accession nah-acc-00237 processed and described by Otelia Lighthill, 2024.