The migration of the men of Norway to America reads like an epic from their early sagas.
This article, published in the Wisconsin State Journal during the early twentieth century, gives a glimpse into the presence of the mass of Norwegian immigrants that migrated to the state of Wisconsin during the nineteenth century. The writing allows historians to get an idea of the lives of early Norwegian immigrants, as well as view and interpret how they were described in newspapers of the time.
The publication contains a large amount of information on where certain populations of Wisconsin’s Norwegian immigrants settled, as well as descriptions of their lives. Like many living in the midwest at the time, these immigrants’ lives primarily consisted of agricultural work and religious practices. The article tells of their mining and lumbering for cultivation, and adds that their contribution in the manufacturing industry had been on the rise at the time it was written. Furthermore, the writing tells about these immigrants’ religious involvements in stating that many became Episcopal clergymen, and that La Fayette County contains one of the oldest Norwegian Lutheran churches in the state.
The early twentieth century was a time far less accepting than the modern day, and a time in which immigrants were not exactly welcomed with open arms. This publication allows us to see that this was not the case for Norwegians migrating to Wisconsin at the time. The Wisconsin State Journal’s choosing to write and publish an article on the history of Norwegian immigrants coming to their state can alone be seen as proof of a positive view of said immigrants, and while the article does not implicitly state support of Norwegian immigrants, its tone should be interpreted as neutral if not supportive of these migrants due to how it tells about the large amount of Norwegians in the state and their contributions to the state’s progression. The article seems to be aimed towards those living in Wisconsin at the time, whether it be Norwegians interested in their history or others curious about the large amount of Norwegians surrounding them.
Troy Romstad