Swedes In Minnesota

A concise history of Swedes in Minnesota and the enormous influence that they have had on our state's politics, history, and culture.

A collection of essays by scholars from both the United States and Sweden investigate various facets of Swedish life and culture in the Twin Cities.

An intimate and detailed portrait of young Swedish women who chose to immigrate to America in the nineteenth century--why they left, what they found, and how they survived.

The story of Nordic immigrant influence in Minnesota politics and culture, and the lasting legacy of a "Scandinavian state in the New World."

Many of the individuals in this study were closely related. They came from an agricultural community in Sweden dominated by a large estate. The pioneers came in search of 'free' land, and they found it in Goodhue County. Former neighbors settled close to one another. Many of the descendants are still tied to the land. The author has endeavored to trace the immigrants from cradle to grave to find out how they fared in their new homeland. But she did not stop there. Whenever possible, she continued her search among the descendants. There are extracts from official records in Sweden and in America for about 320 immigrants. Including their families, the study encompasses more than one thousand individuals. Explore the intricate kinship within the group, name-changes, moves, occupations, farm locations, family members, and much more. The author, a native of Sweden, has studied and written about Swedish immigration history for the last 30 years. This book is a continuation of Minnesota Swedes: The Emigration From Trolle Ljungby 1855-1912 , which she had published in 1996.

What do our myths say about us? Why do we choose to believe stories that have been disproven? David M. Krueger takes an in-depth look at a legend that held tremendous power in one corner of Minnesota, helping to define both a community’s and a state’s identity for decades. In 1898, a Swedish immigrant farmer claimed to have discovered a large rock with writing carved into its surface in a field near Kensington, Minnesota. The writing told a North American origin story, predating Christopher Columbus’s exploration, in which Viking missionaries reached what is now Minnesota in 1362 only to be massacred by Indians. The tale’s credibility was quickly challenged and ultimately undermined by experts, but the myth took hold. Faith in the authenticity of the Kensington Rune Stone was a crucial part of the local Nordic identity. Accepted and proclaimed as truth, the story of the Rune Stone recast Native Americans as villains. The community used the account as the basis for civic celebrations for years, and advocates for the stone continue to promote its validity despite the overwhelming evidence that it was a hoax. Krueger puts this stubborn conviction in context and shows how confidence in the legitimacy of the stone has deep implications for a wide variety of Minnesotans who embraced it, including Scandinavian immigrants, Catholics, small-town boosters, and those who desired to commemorate the white settlers who died in the Dakota War of 1862. Krueger demonstrates how the resilient belief in the Rune Stone is a form of civil religion, with aspects that defy logic but illustrate how communities characterize themselves. He reveals something unique about America’s preoccupation with divine right and its troubled way of coming to terms with the history of the continent’s first residents. By considering who is included, who is left out, and how heroes and villains are created in the stories we tell about the past, Myths of the Rune Stone offers an enlightening perspective on not just Minnesota but the United States as well.