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Norse-American Centennial Papers (P0562)
- Title
- Norse-American Centennial Papers (P0562)
- Identifier
- P0562
- Description
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.
Dublin Core
Collection Items
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House of Representatives Joint Resolution no. 12160
Joint Resolution introduced by Mr. Kvale, which was then referred to the Committee on Coinage, Weighs, and Measures on a comemmorative medal. -
House of Representatives Joint Resolution no. 270
Joint Resolution introduced by Mr. Kvale, which was then referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads on the special issue of a postage stamp to commemorate the arrival of the Restaurationen. -
Norse-American Centennial stamps, 1925
Red and blue stamps on a poem from H.B. Kildahl called "I Anledning Hudredaarsfesten." -
Postcard providing information about the norsemen, 1925
Postcard providing facts about the norsemen. The front features the commemorative medal. -
House of Representatives report no. 1437
Report on the coinage of a medal with appropriate emblems commemorative of the Norse-American Centennial. -
Norse-American Centennial stamp, 1925
Red stamp created to celebration the 100 years of organized Norwegian migration. -
Norse-American Centennial draft logo, 1925
Draft logo for the Norse-American Centennial with the image of the sloop “Restoration." -
Roster of veterans of three wars who served as honorary body guard to the President of the United States, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1925 June 8
Roster of veterans who served in three wars and participated as body guards to President Calvin Coolidge. -
Blueprint drawing for bondestuen and embadsmans stuen, 1925
Blueprint drawing of a building built for the Norse-American Centennial. -
Blueprint drawing for elevations in bondestuen, 1925
Blueprint drawing of a building built for the Norse-American Centennial.