The Sons (and the families) of Norway

Lutefisk and whitefish, boiled potatoes and lefse are germane to the conversation, and pride in their heritage is unmistakable.

But they’re also boldly triumphant about the changes that have been made to a modest Rainy Lake site off Northernaire Road. The spot boasts a restored little lodge for a little club that’s called the Sons of Norway.

Until now, it’s been one of the best-kept secrets in Borderland, they say.

But their goal is to change all that, with the hope that the celebration of Borderland’s Scandinavian heritage will be restored.

The Sons of Norway: Americans first

By way of Canada and through Ellis Island in the mid-1800s, numbers of Norwegian people began immigrating to the United States in search of greater opportunities for their families. In spite of the risks, they ventured to the land of promise.

Because of its climate, Norwegians were drawn to Minnesota and the other glacial regions of the United States. The snow, the fish, the giant evergreens — even the barren gray winters that bloomed into fragrant springs — reminded them of the motherland.

But once their feet were planted on this fresh soil, they viewed themselves first, and foremost, as Americans. The promise of a better life instilled in them a fierce new loyalty.

By the last quarter of the 19th Century, Minneapolis had a sturdy population of Norwegian immigrants who continued to hold in their hearts a deep love for their motherland. Struggling to speak English, they clung together with a desire to preserve the Norwegian language, foods, art, literature and music.

And these settlers were nothing if not pragmatic. Bitter hardships in the homeland made them tough and taught them survival skills. This initiated a Norwegian immigrant society where membership demanded males to be morally upright, in good health and employable. But primarily, they gathered for the protection of their loved ones.

And so began the Sons of Norway.

The Sons of Norway was founded for insurance reasons. It began as a mutual assistance society where male members paid a small amount each week and in return received free medical care for their families. This served both as a security against financial crisis as well as to publicize the members’ new nationalism.

An evolution

There were no big dreams to expand this new society beyond the Twin Cities area. But by the end of the 19th Century, 12 lodges existed in Minnesota. And by the early 1900s, they were popping up all over the country.

In the years 1905-1914, the order became a true nationwide fraternal organization with lodges across the continent. Today it is a worldwide organization with more than 400 chapters and 68,000 members. The seven-story headquarters in Minneapolis stands in the society’s original location.

Sons of Norway insurance, investments and scholarship programs, and the monthly “Viking” magazine continue to be major benefits of the organization.

In the world, there are eight districts of the Sons of Norway — the eighth covering Norway itself. The local lodge is a member of District No. 1, comprised of 11 states and soon to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

As with many of the nation’s aging clubs whose members are passing away with no interested younger generation to replace them, the local Sons of Norway was once dwindling and in jeopardy of losing its charter. “Which means you lose everything,” said Bergh, the club’s president. But essentially through the efforts of five local men, he said, the club’s vitality has been restored. And they’re not finished yet.

Craig Moe, Rodney Bergstrom and Don Robertson as well as Windsnes and Bergh have recently revived the lodge’s membership to 92 people, naming the local Sons of Norway the No. 1 recruiting lodge in the world in 2008. And women are key in the club.

Today, a member of the Sons of Norway need not be male. Or even Norwegian. Or even Scandinavian.

The local club

The local Sons of Norway was started in 1918 and is referred to as Vinland Lodge No. 1-193, more modernly, “Nyland Huset (House)” after an honorary member. Its first meetings were comprised of all non-English speaking immigrants who arrived in the area as loggers, fishermen, farmers and carpenters. The meetings were conducted in the Norwegian language, according to a historical record. By 1919, there were 42 members. Since then, Nyland Huset has seen an ebb and flow of its membership.

Local American patriot Johanne Moe, mother of Craig Moe, is the only current member born in Norway. Moe survived the childhood trauma of the five-year German occupation of Norway which began on April 1940 when she was 10 years old. In a 2007 Daily Journal story, Moe told of the first planes bombing overhead in her village, and the Nazi soldiers invading her home.

Today, all men and women of the community who are interested in celebrating Scandinavian culture are encouraged to become involved in the local Sons of Norway. Anyone age 16 or older may join, and children of members are considered Heritage members.

Monthly meetings are held with festive food celebrations following. Meetings are held at the lake lodge through the warmer months until October when celebrations move to the Zion Lutheran Church in the Falls. Special November and December events are planned at the church.

When founded in the early 1900s, the three local Lutheran churches were as much a representation of ethnicity as they were religion. Now diverse, the original congregation of Zion Lutheran was largely Norwegian. First Lutheran’s members were mostly Swedish and St. Paul Lutheran’s were German.

Blending but remembering

A ski jumper from Wisconsin, Bergh has traced his Norwegian ancestry as far back as the year 1274. He jokingly says Norwegians who have dropped the “h” from the Bergh name (which translated means a mountain area) “are the lazy ones.” His wife, Barb (Everson) Bergh, is also Norwegian.

All four of Windsnes’ (originally Vindsnes) grandparents were from Norway and he said his name roughly translates to “wind blowing over rolling hills.”

Displaying photos from the September meeting, Bergh and Windsnes animatedly explain their outdoor fish-boiling technique of throwing kerosene on a custom-kettle of whitefish. This causes a profusion of boiled-over water which forces impurities from the fish to flow out over the top of the pot.

Bergh is especially delighted to talk about his special methods of taking the stink out of lutefisk (lye fish).

“It’s all in the rinsing,” he says, adding that a replenished soak over a minimum of six days is a must. “Here, you can stick your nose right in it,” he gestures, uncovering an icy bowl of swelled fillets. The jelly-like lutefisk is still slightly odoriferous, but certainly handsome as fish go.

Then, from of the door of his basement fridge, he chipperly pulls out a bottle of “Linie Aquavit,” the Norwegian national fire water.

Pronounced “AH-keh-veet,” the Scandinavian drink is a potato-based liquor with a potent alcohol content around 40 percent. Linie (pronounced "LINN-yuh") is the Norwegian word for “line,” referring, in this case, to the equator. Linie Aquavit is shipped from Norway, across the equator, down to Australia, and back again in oak sherry casks for a richer flavor.

Part of Borderland’s ethnic identity, these details and many more are the remnants of an old-world heritage that the sons, and the daughters, and the friends of Norway hope to preserve, hope to celebrate — hope to share.

COMMUNITY INVITED TO BE MEMBERS

All community members interested in Nordic traditions are encouraged to join the Sons of Norway. Business meetings and ethnic events are held at 2 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month, except August.

Lefse making and a Scandinavian potluck event will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday at Zion Lutheran Church. In addition, a Dec. 5th Lutefisk Dinner potluck and program is scheduled at 2 p.m. at Zion.

Call Dick Bergh at 283-3009, or

Lyle Windsnes at 283-8268, for more information.