Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America

308 Pages·2011·9.597 MB·English

by  Eric Dregni

Vikings in the Attic
i
Other Books by Eric Dregni
PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS
In Cod We Trust: Living the Norwegian Dream
Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy’s Culinary Capital
Midwest Marvels: Roadside Attractions across Iowa, Minnesota,
the Dakotas, and Wisconsin
Minnesota Marvels: Roadside Attractions in the Land of Lakes
Vikings in the Attic
In Search of Nordic America
Eric Dregni
University of Minnesota Press
Minneapolis • London
iii
Unless credited otherwise, photographs were taken by the author.
Copyright 2011 by Eric Dregni
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published by the University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290
Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520
http://www.upress.umn.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dregni, Eric, 1968-
Vikings in the attic : in search of Nordic America / Eric Dregni.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8166-6743-7 (hc : acid-free paper) — ISBN 978-0-8166-6744-4 (pb : acid-free
paper)
1. Scandinavian Americans—History. 2. Scandinavian Americans—Social life and
customs. 3. Scandinavian Americans—Anecdotes. 4. Scandinavian Americans—Humor.
5. United States—Civilization—Scandinavian influences. I. Title.
E184.S18D74 2011
973'.04395—dc22
2010050107
Design and production by Mighty Media, Inc.
Text design by Chris Long
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer.
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my Dad,
who taught me to appreciate
all things Scandinavian
but not to take them too seriously
(my Mom wouldn’t hear of it!)
v
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Only the dead are pure—and then,
only in memory, never in fact.
—BILL HOLM
They’re all queer ducks except for
you and me . . . but I kind of wonder
about you. —GRANDMA EVIE
These lonely signs on the western plains stand just east of Milan, Minnesota. A stabbur was
donated as a thank-you gift from a Norwegian who was helped by residents of Milan during
World War II.
Contents
Preface(cid:3)xi
Acknowledgments(cid:3)xv
Introduction:
The Immigrants Arrive . . .(cid:3)1
“Food”(cid:3)15
We Are the Vikings(cid:3)43
Notable Nordics(cid:3)75
Politics, Scandinavian Style(cid:3)99
Points of Pride(cid:3)141
Uniquely Scandinavian(cid:3)171
Scandinavian Sanctuaries(cid:3)207
Festivals(cid:3)239
Notes(cid:3)261
Index(cid:3)277
ix