Norse-American Centennial

The Norse-American Centennial celebration was held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 6–9, 1925.

The centennial commemorated the 100th anniversary of organized Norwegian migration. In 1825, a sloop called the Restaurationen arrived in New York from Stavanger, Norway. According to the Norse-American Centennial souvenir booklet, “This was the first large group of people from Norway who came to make their homes in the new land of the free across the Atlantic. This event marks the beginning of the steady stream of immigration from Norway, a country which has sent to our land a larger proportion of her population than any other country with the exception of Ireland.”

The Bygdelags played an important part in the planning of the Norse-American Centennial. On Saturday, June 6, the Bygdelags held their annual meetings (stevner) at the State Fair Grounds.