Norma Delores Egstrom is said to have sung before she could talk. At age eight she proclaimed she would one day be a singer. She had a hard childhood. Her family moved often to various Midland Continental Railroad Depot locations where her father worked, endured an abusive stepmother, and worked hard-labor jobs so she and her family could get by. Amongst all this hardship, Norma still found ways to sing, even if it meant hitch-hiking to a nearby city to sing for KOVC Radio. Shortly after graduating high school in Wimbledon, N.D. Norma moved to Fargo, N.D. where she found herself working the nightshift at a bakery while also performing for the noon-time radio show at WDAY (the biggest radio station in the state). This first job at WDAY introduced her to all the big names in show businesses and introduced her to Ken Kennedy, the man who dubbed her Peggy Lee. Peggy Lee rapidly made a name for herself with her low sultry voice and multiple hits, including “Why Don’t You Do Right,” “It’s a Good Day,” and “Manana”. She perfected a style of singing that was not so much loud but intriguing, a style called “a quiet intensity”. She sang on stage, television, and radio all over the United States with many famous names including Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, the Benny Goodman Band, Nat “King” Cole and many more iconic singers in America. Even though Peggy had a hard life in North Dakota, she learned many valuable lessons on its prairies, and she always considered it home.
Peggy Lee
Publication created in honor and celebration of Peggy Lee’s 100th Birthday.
CONTACT: 701-251-9145 1-800-222-4766 discoverjamestownnd.com info@discoverjamestownnd.com
Self Guided Tour
In Jamestown, North Dakota
A Peggy Lee Guide to Jamestown Today, the home is no longer standing, but it was on this site where Selma brought baby Peggy home from the hospital. While here you can see it is the perfect place for a Depot Agent to live, as it is parallel to the Railroad.
Peggy was confirmed at what was then called German Lutheran Church in 1934. She is pictured here in the front row, second to the right of the pastor.
Peggy’s Home Site 1928-1929 619 5th ST SE
You can still find this quaint little home in Jamestown. Peggy was about eight years old when she lived here and already had a passion for music. Peggy’s Home Site 1937-1938 407 9th AVE SE
This was the home Peggy’s father and stepmother moved to after her graduation from Wimbledon High School. During this time she was working and living in the Gladstone Hotel, but would often check in on her father. Roosevelt Elementary School 615 6th AVE SE
Peggy attended first grade at this school. She fondly remembered her teacher, who knew about the poor treatment she endured at home with her step-mother, as a caring person who helped in ways that only a teacher could.
7th AVE SE
St. Johns Lutheran Church 424 1st AVE S
1st AVE S
Peggy’s Home Site 1920-1921 109 7th AVE SE
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To Wimbledon
5th ST SE
10th ST SE
Gladstone Hotel 111 2nd ST NE
Peggy moved into the Gladstone Hotel to sing at the KRMC Radio Station, which was housed in the hotel. She slept on a cot in a corner of the basement and also worked as a relief girl for the Gladstone coffee shop. She met many friends here who helped get her career started; friends that knew she was a rare talent. Trinity Hospital, currently James House 715 3rd AVE SE
Norma Delores Egstrom was born on May 26, 1920 to Selma and Marvin Egstrom at this hospital. She was the 4th child with two older sisters and one older brother.
Midland Continental Railroad Tracks 401 Railway ST, Wimbledon, ND
The Midland Continental Railroad is an exquisite museum telling the story of a railroad that was never completed and about the amazing singer we all know and love as Peggy Lee. When she lived here, she was Norma Egstrom. The upstairs living quarters are dedicated to Peggy’s life story and career. She lived in the depot from 1935-1937, when she was in high school. Even more can be learned and enjoyed at the Midland Continental Depot Transportation Museum in Wimbledon, N.D. where they offer tours of the depot Peggy once lived in. 701-320-1020 or 701-435-2875