The United States of Nordic America

The National Nordic Museum is located in the Ballard community of Seattle, Washington—a traditionally Nordic neighborhood. But there are Nordic gems throughout the US— areas where Nordic immigrants made their mark on the local landscape in historic, artistic, and sometimes downright fun ways. Here are a few Nordic American places we think you’ll enjoy learning about.*

MICHIGAN

Alabama

1 Thorsby Swedish Fest

Thorsby, Alabama

Settled in 1865 by three Swedes and a Norwegian, Thorsby is proud to be a “Scandinavian Colony in the South.” Architecture throughout the city displays Thorsby’s Nordic roots, and the town celebrates every October with huge festival (including a Viking-themed 5K race) to celebrate the founding families’ heritage.

Alaska

2 Bering Strait, Island, and Sea

Northern Paci c Ocean

Danish navigator Vitus Jonassen Bering (b. 1681, Horsens, Denmark–d. 1741, Bering Island) was a navigator in the Russian service. He was the rst European to explore Alaska and the Bering Strait region. He has a strait, island, and sea named after him.

Delaware

3 Finnish Embassy Sauna

Washington, D.C.

“If liquor, tar and sauna don’t help . . . it’s fatal.” —Finnish proverb

Each Finnish Embassy in the world has its own sauna! Good luck getting an invitation to the private Diplomatic Sauna Society, though—we hear it’s the hottest ticket in town!

4 Trenary Toast

Trenary, Michigan

Trenary Toast has been serving up twicebaked Finnish co ee bread known as Trenary Toast since 1928. With a recipe that’s still going strong after ninety years, it’s easy to see why this treat is the toast of the town.

MINNESOTA

5 Karl Oskar and Kristina Statue

Lindstrom, Minnesota

In the 1950s, Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg immortalized the experiences of Minnesota’s early Swedish settlers with his series of novels, collectively known as The Emigrants. Protagonists Karl Oskar and Kristina are immortalized in a stone statue in Lindstrom. The town also hosts an annual Karl Oskar Days festival.

6 Hjemkomst Center

Morehead, Minnesota

The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, operating out of the unique, tentlike Hjemkomst Center, also oversees the The Hopperstad Stave Church replica and The Hjemkomst Viking Ship.

*What’s your favorite Nordic gem in America?

Let us know at marketing@nordicmuseum.org for possible inclusion in our next issue’s map!

MONTANA

7 Helsinki Bar and Steam Bath

Butte, Montana

In the 1920s, “Finn Town” was a lively section lled with miners of all nationalities. Completed in 1911, the town’s Finnish sauna connected Finnish miners with their roots for a quarter a steam. The building still stands today.

NEBRASKA

8 St. Peder’s Dansk

Evangelical Lutheran Church

Nysted, Nebraska

Built in 1919, St. Peder’s is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the few structures in America to feature the square entrance tower and stepped gables of fteenth and sixteenth century Danish church architecture. Nysted’s population peaked in 1890 at sixty- ve residents.

9 Wausa Community Swedish Smörgåsbord

Wausa, Nebraska

Every fourth Saturday in October, the town of Wausa (a combination of “Vasa” and “USA”) puts the more in smörgåsbord! This festival serves up many traditional Swedish bites and hosts one of the country’s largest smorgasbord.

10 Svensen & Svensen Island

Astoria, Oregon

Svensen and Svensen Island are unincorporated communities outside of Astoria named for Peter Svensen, a Swedish pioneer who settled there in the 1850s.

Pennsylvania

11 Old Swedish Burial Ground

Chester, Pennsylvania

A heritage cemetery, Old Swedish Burial Ground is the nal resting place to one of America’s Founding Fathers. Born to Finnish and Swedish parents, John Morton (1724–77) was in uential in getting Pennsylvania to vote in favor of the Declaration of Independence. He also contributed to writing the Articles of Confederation.

12 Danish Heritage Museum of Danevang

Danevang, Texas

Built to resemble a Danish barn, The Danish Heritage Museum of Danevang is a unique, 6,100 square-foot structure that tells more than 100 years of Danish emigration history. Danevang is considered the “Danish capital of Texas.”

WASHINGTON

13 Trinity Community

Lutheran Church

Point Roberts, Washington

The congregation, founded by Icelandic pioneers, nished construction on their church in 1920.

WISCONSIN

14 Little Finland

Hurley, Wisconsin

Known as Little Finland, The National Finnish American Festival (NFAF) Cultural Center preserves and shares the Finnish history and culture of the area’s early miners. The center includes several historic houses and a sauna.

Atlantic Ocean

15 US Virgin Islands

Caribbean Sea

Originally colonized in the seventeenth century by Denmark, the Danish West Indies were sold to the United States by Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold. Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix are now known as the US Virgin Islands.