A Norwegian Dakotan is a
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...
(a person with Norwegian ancestry) in the
U. S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s of
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
. One in three of all
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
ns is of
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
heritage, which is the highest among all
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
s.
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
is number three, behind
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. The immigrants settled primarily between 1870 and 1920.
As of 2009, 312,697
Dakota
Dakota may refer to:
* Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux
** Dakota language, their language
Dakota may also refer to:
Places United States
* Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Dakota, Illinois, a town
* Dakota, Minnesota, a ...
ns claim
Norwegian ancestry, 21.4% of the region's population (30.8% of
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
's population and 14.0% of
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
's population), or 6.7% of the total
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...
population.
History
Settlements
The first
Norwegians
Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...
arrived in the Dakotas as early as 1859, shortly after the treaty with the
Yankton Sioux
The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...
was signed July 10, 1859. It took another ten years before the greater influx of Norwegians took place.
North Dakota
Mike Jacobs of the Grand Forks Herald observed that two
Governors of North Dakota
The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The current officeholder is Republican Doug Burgum. The Governor of North Dakota has the power to sign or veto laws and to call the Legislative Assembly int ...
(
Ragnvald Nestos
Ragnvald Anderson Nestos (April 12, 1877July 15, 1942) was a Norwegian Americans, Norwegian-American politician who served as the List of governors of North Dakota, 13th Governor of North Dakota from 1921 to 1925.
Early life
Ragnvold Anderson N ...
and
John Moses John Moses may refer to:
* John Moses (Norwegian politician) (1781–1849), member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly
* John Moses (Illinois politician) (1825–1898), Illinois judge and politician
* John Moses (American politician) (1885–1945) ...
) "were born in Norway, almost as good politically as being a native North Dakotan".
Norwegian immigrants began arriving in North Dakota in the 1870s. They settled mainly in the eastern and northern parts of the state, but today they live most everywhere in the state. Because of the lack of farmland in Norway, the Norwegian immigrants sought the wonderful fertile farmland of North Dakota. Some of the immigrants had spent a few years in other states before they finally arrived in North Dakota. In 1880 the census recorded 8,814 Norwegians in North Dakota, and by 1900 there were 73,744.
The towns of
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
and
Larson are approximately 100% Norwegian, founded by Columbus Larsson in 1906 and 1907. Columbus had 672 inhabitants in 1960, while it has just 133 in 2010. Although these towns have a strong Norwegian heritage, none of the inhabitants speak Norwegian. Like the trend for the rest of North Dakotans, Norwegians are moving out of the
rural area
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
s.
There are several examples of Norwegian
ghost towns
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by Alle ...
in North Dakota, especially in the northwestern part of the state.
Settlers from Telemark
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
settlers found their way to most of the major settlements in North Dakota in the late 1870s and early 1880s. In 1880, a band of people from
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
, settled in the area of what is now
Bue (named for the settlers' Norwegian home in
Bø, Telemark
Bø is a village and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark, but was historically regarded as part of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bø i Telemar ...
) in
Nelson County. Their main cash crop was
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
, and they soon found that raising
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
was also quite lucrative. The main markets were in
Valley City and
Grand Forks
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...
.
Sondre Norheim
Sondre Norheim, born Sondre Auverson, (10 June 1825 – 9 March 1897) was a Norwegian skier and pioneer of modern skiing. Sondre Norheim is known as the father of Telemark skiing.
Background
Sondre Auverson was born at Øverbø, a little ...
, Father of Modern Skiing, emigrated to North Dakota. On May 30, 1884 Sondre and Rannei left Norway together with three of their children– Anne (21), Åmund (14) and Talleiv (12). Their son Olav and daughter Hæge had left home previously, and their eldest daughter Ingerid, decided to stay back home. Norheim followed in the footsteps of many of his neighbors in
Morgedal
Morgedal is a village in the municipality of Kviteseid, Telemark, Norway. The village gas been described as the "cradle of skiing".
Morgedal, Norway is a village whose most famous residents were Sondre Norheim, known to be the father of modern sk ...
and immigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. After having first settled in Minnesota, they moved to
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
, near Villard in
McHenry County. He continued to ski when he could, though the climate and flat topography of the Dakota prairie offered few opportunities for downhill skiing. It was said he always had a pair of skis placed outside his door. Norheim grew more religious with age and helped build a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
church in Villard. He died in 1897 and was buried in Denbigh,
McHenry County, North Dakota
McHenry County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,345. Its county seat is Towner.
McHenry County is part of the Minot, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Dakota Territory l ...
.
South Dakota
According to the
1860 Census there were 129 Norwegians in South Dakota. That changed fast; in 1880 one-tenth of the population was Norwegian, and in 1889 one-third of the population were Norwegians. The towns of
Roslyn and
Pierpont Pierpont may refer to:
Surname
* Francis Harrison Pierpont (1814–1899), Governor of Virginia
* Harry Pierpont (1902–1934), Prohibition-era gangster
* James Pierpont (minister) (1659–1714), founder of Yale University
* James Lord Pierpont (1 ...
were originally almost 100 percent Norwegian, but these are very small cities. South Dakota has had a number of Governors of Norwegian ancestry but the state's third governor, Niels Boe was born in Bergen, Norway in 1847 and came to Dakota with his parents as a young man. South Dakota's 19th governor, Sigurd Anderson was born at Frolands Verk near Arendal, Norway in 1904. He came to America several years later settling with his parents in Lincoln County, SD which has a large Norwegian population. Canton, SD was the original home of the Norwegian Lutheran, Augustana College which is today Augustana University located in Sioux Falls.
Influence
The immigrants from
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
(and the rest of
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
) in the Dakotas have played an extremely important role in the development of the region. Few places in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
have been so influenced by one ethnic group, and because Norwegians is a relatively small ethnic group, it makes it even more clear.
Cuisine
Those who emigrated brought their food traditions, too. The Dakotas are, together with
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, famous for their typical Scandinavian cuisine.
Lefse
Lefse () is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. It is made with flour, can include riced potatoes, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle. Special tools are used to prepare lefse, including a po ...
,
Krumkake
(, meaning 'curved cake'; plural ) is a Norwegian waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream.
A special decorative two-sided iron griddle similar to a waffle iron is traditionally used to bake the thin round cakes, similar to ...
,
Lutefisk
''Lutefisk'' (Norwegian, in Northern and parts of Central Norway, in Southern Norway; sv, lutfisk ; fi, lipeäkala ; literally "lye fish") is dried whitefish (normally cod, but ling and burbot are also used). It is made from aged stockfi ...
, and
Raspeball
Potetball (also known as ball, klubb, kumle, komle, kompe, raspeball) is a traditional Norwegian potato dumpling. A similar German dish is called '' Kartoffelklöße''.
The main ingredient is peeled potatoes, which are grated or ground up and ...
/Komle/Klubb (called Potato Dumplings in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
) is just some of the food traditions there, not only eaten by
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...
, but other people in the state.
Churches throughout the state commonly host annual fellowship dinners open to the community. Perhaps one of the largest authentic Norwegian dinners is the annual Lutefisk Dinner hosted by the First
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
Church,
Williston, North Dakota
Williston is a city in and the county seat of Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The 2020 census gave its population as 29,160, making Williston the sixth-largest city in North Dakota. The city's population nearly doubled between 20 ...
, every February.
The largest
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n Festival in North America is the annual
Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest (Norwegian language: "''Norwegian Autumn Festival''") is an annual festival held each fall in Minot, North Dakota, US. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival.
History
The event is held on the North Dakota State Fair gr ...
held every October, in
Minot, North Dakota
Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 20 ...
. This five-day cultural event features Scandinavian dishes, but does accommodate those who are not fond of lutefisk by providing German entrees.
Language
All of the Norwegians who came to the Dakotas spoke
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
, and the number of speakers grew with the immigration. Most of them learned
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, or at least their children did. There were several Norwegian-language newspapers in the United States. But when the largest waves of immigration ended, in the 1920s, the number of Norwegian speakers decreased. That was because the second and third generation immigrants didn't learn Norwegian as a primary language, and it wasn't necessary because everyone spoke English.
However, some Norwegian words and phrases survived, but are no longer pronounced with a Norwegian accent, such as
Uff da
''Uff da!'' (sometimes also spelled ''oof-da'', ''oofda'', ''oofala'', ''oof-dah'', ''oofdah'', ''huffda'', ''uff-da'', ''uffda'', ''uff-dah'', ''ufda'', ', or ''uf daa'') is a Scandinavian exclamation or interjection used to express dismay, ty ...
. As of 2005, 1,743 speak Norwegian as their primary language in North Dakota, which is only 0.2% of the population, and 1,097 are older than 65 years old. In South Dakota, 256 people speak Norwegian, and all of them are older than 65 years. These numbers are just for those who speak Norwegian as their primary language. The number who understand basic Norwegian is higher.
This is a list of Dakotan communities with the highest percentage of Norwegian speakers:
#
Northwood, North Dakota
Northwood is a city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks." The population was 982 at the 2020 census.
History
Northwood was founded in ...
4.41% (39 persons)
#
Mayville, North Dakota
Mayville is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. which makes Mayville the largest community in Traill County. Mayville was founde ...
3.56% (65 persons)
#
Crosby, North Dakota
Crosby is a city and the county seat of Divide County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,065 at the 2020 census.
History
Crosby was founded in 1904 at the end of a Great Northern Railway branch line that began in Berthold. ...
2.81% (30 persons)
#
Velva, North Dakota
Velva is a city in McHenry County, North Dakota, United States. Part of the Minot Micropolitan Statistical Area, it was founded in 1897 and the population was 1,086 at the 2020 census. Southeast of Minot, Velva is at the southernmost point of th ...
2.51% (24 persons)
#
Cooperstown, North Dakota
Cooperstown is a city in Griggs County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Griggs County. The population was 983 at the 2020 census. Cooperstown was founded in 1882.
History
The city is named for R. C. Cooper, a bonanza farme ...
2.21% (23 persons)
#
Tioga, North Dakota
Tioga ( ) is a city in Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,202 at the 2020 census.
Tioga was founded in 1902 and named by settlers from Tioga, New York. The population of the city increased dramatically in the 195 ...
1.42% (15 persons)
#
Bottineau, North Dakota
Bottineau is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Bottineau County and is located just over south of the Canada–United States border. The city's population was 2,194 at the 2020 census.
The city ...
1.35% (30 persons)
#
Lakota, North Dakota
Lakota is a city in Nelson County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Nelson County Lakota is located 63 miles west of Grand Forks and 27 miles east of Devils Lake. The population was 683 at the 2020 census, making Lakota t ...
1.33% (10 persons)
#
Stanley, North Dakota
Stanley is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Mountrail County. The population was 2,321 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st largest city in North Dakota. Stanley was founded in 1902. The town's ...
1.16% (14 persons)
#
Williston, North Dakota
Williston is a city in and the county seat of Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The 2020 census gave its population as 29,160, making Williston the sixth-largest city in North Dakota. The city's population nearly doubled between 20 ...
1.13% (134 persons)
This is a list of Dakotan counties with the highest percentage of Norwegian speakers:
#
Divide County, North Dakota
Divide County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,195. Its county seat is Crosby.
History
On November 8, 1910, election, the voters of Williams County voters determined that the county sh ...
2.25% (49 persons)
#
Traill County, North Dakota
Traill County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census listed the population at 7,997. Its county seat is Hillsboro, and its largest city is Mayville.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on ...
2.08% (165 persons)
#
Griggs County, North Dakota
Griggs County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,306. Its county seat is Cooperstown.
History
The county was created by the Dakota Territory legislature on February 18, 1881, with territo ...
2.02% (53 persons)
#
Nelson County, North Dakota
Nelson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,015. Its county seat is Lakota.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created Nelson County on March 2, 1883, with areas annexed from ...
1.98% (70 persons)
#
Steele County, North Dakota
Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,798, making it the fifth-least populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat since 1919 is Finley.
History
The Dakota Territory legis ...
1.61% (34 persons)
#
Bottineau County, North Dakota
Bottineau County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,379. Its county seat is Bottineau.
The Territorial legislature identified Bottineau as one of the original counties of the territory. ...
1.24% (85 persons)
#
Ransom County, North Dakota
Ransom County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,703. Its county seat is Lisbon, North Dakota, Lisbon.
History
The Dakota Territory legis ...
1.18% (65 persons)
#
Walsh County, North Dakota
Walsh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,563. Its county seat is Grafton.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on May 2, 1881, with areas partitioned from ...
1.14% (133 persons)
#
Mountrail County, North Dakota
Mountrail County is a county in the northwestern part of North Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,809. Its county seat is Stanley. The county was originally created in 1873, then removed in 1892, annexed by Ward ...
0.98% (60 persons)
#
McHenry County, North Dakota
McHenry County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,345. Its county seat is Towner.
McHenry County is part of the Minot, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Dakota Territory l ...
0.95% (54 persons)
Demographics
The number of Norwegian Americans is slightly increasing, as the population as a whole, and the percentage of Norwegian Americans in these areas is stable.
North Dakota
Norwegians in North Dakota are younger than the average population. 13.8% of the population is younger than 18 years old, while the state as a whole is 10.3%.
Of
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
's population in the year 2000 at 642,200, 193,158 said that they have
Norwegian ancestry, or 30.0%. Of them 95,438 (49.4%) were male, and 97,720 (50.6%) were female. The
median age
A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...
was 35, in contrast to 36 for the whole
North Dakotan population, 36.7 for the whole
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
population,
and 39.4 for Norway's population.
["From 2008"]
Among Norwegians in North Dakota, 12,850 were younger than the age of 5 (or 6.6% of all those with Norwegian ancestry); of the whole
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
n population, 39,094 were younger than the age of 5 (or 6.0% of all North Dakotans). Among Norwegian North Dakotans, 13,890 were between 5 and 17 years of age (or 7.1% of all those with Norwegian ancestry), compared to 27,208 between 5 and 17 for the whole North Dakotan population (or 4.2% of all North Dakotans). Among the group, 141,371 were between 18 and 64 (or 73.1% of all Norwegian North Dakotans), compared to 481,301 between 18 and 64 for the whole North Dakotan population (or 74.9% of all North Dakotans). Among the group, 25,047 were older than 65 (or 12.9% of all those with Norwegian ancestry), compared to 94,597 older than 65 for the whole North Dakotan population (or 14.7% of all North Dakotans). Many people of Norwegian descent, particularly the older ones, still continue some traditions that mark them as related to Norway.
The household population number 188,363, when the group quarters population number 4,795. The average household size is 2, when the average family size is 3. Occupied housing units number 77,176; of them, owner-occupied housing units number 52,425 and renter-occupied housing units number 24,751.
119,393 are 25 years, or over. Of them, 105,733 are high school graduate or higher, and 30,129 bachelor's degree or higher. 16,391 is civilian veterans (civilian population 18 years and over). 25,329 has disability status (population 5 years and over). 618 are foreign born. 42,265 is male, now married, except separated (population 15 years and over) and 43,213 is female, now married, except separated (population 15 years and over). Approximately 5,422 said they speak a language other than English at home (population 5 years and over).
104,400 are in labor force (population 16 years and over). Mean travel time to work in minutes (workers 16 years and over) is 16. Median household income in 1999 (dollars) were 36,006, while median family income in 1999 (dollars) were 46,170, per capita income in 1999 (dollars) were 18,249. Families below poverty level number 3,233, while individuals below poverty level number 17,570. Single-family owner-occupied homes number 37,688. Of them, median value (dollars) number 75,500, median of selected monthly owner costs is not applicable, with a mortgage (dollars) number 836, while not mortgaged (dollars) number 272.
South Dakota
Of
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
's population in the year 2000 at 754,844, 115,292 said that they have
Norwegian ancestry, or 15.2%. Of them 56,361 (48.9%) were male, and 58,931 (51.1%) were female. The
median age
A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...
was 36, exactly the same as for the whole
South Dakotan population, slightly lower with 36.7 for the whole
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
population,
and lower with 39.4 for Norway's population.
Among Norwegians in South Dakota, 7,414 were younger than the age of 5 (or 6.4% of all those with Norwegian ancestry); of the whole
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
n population, 51,024 were younger than the age of 5 (or 6.7% of all South Dakotans). Among Norwegian South Dakotans, 8,027 were between 5 and 17 years of age (or 6.9% of all those with Norwegian ancestry), compared to 43,586 between 5 and 17 for the whole South Dakotan population (or 5.7% of all South Dakotans). Among the group, 83,830 were between 18 and 64 (or 72.7% of all Norwegian South Dakotans), compared to 481,301 between 18 and 64 for the whole South Dakotan population (or 73.1% of all South Dakotans). Among the group, 16,021 were older than 65 (or 13.8% of all those with Norwegian ancestry), compared to 108,116 older than 65 for the whole South Dakotan population (or 14.3% of all South Dakotans).
The household population number 112,480, when the group quarters population number 2,812. The average household size is 2, when the average family size is 3. Occupied housing units number 45,206; of them, owner-occupied housing units number 32,728 and renter-occupied housing units number 12,478.
71,963 are 25 years, or over. Of them, 64,874 are high school graduate or higher, and 18,155 bachelor's degree or higher. 10,926 is civilian veterans (civilian population 18 years and over). 14,749 has disability status (population 5 years and over). 258 are foreign born. 25,815 is male, now married, except separated (population 15 years and over) and 26,488 is female, now married, except separated (population 15 years and over). Approximately 2,562 said they speak a language other than English at home (population 5 years and over).
63,710 are in labor force (population 16 years and over). Mean travel time to work in minutes (workers 17 years and over) is 16. Median household income in 1999 (dollars) were 38,934, while median family income in 1999 (dollars) were 47,700, per capita income in 1999 (dollars) were 19,025. Families below poverty level number 1,584, while individuals below poverty level number 8,394. Single-family owner-occupied homes number 23,074. Of them, median value (dollars) number 83,000, median of selected monthly owner costs is not applicable, with a mortgage (dollars) number 838, while not mortgaged (dollars) number 285.
Norwegian communities in the Dakotas
The 25
Dakota
Dakota may refer to:
* Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux
** Dakota language, their language
Dakota may also refer to:
Places United States
* Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Dakota, Illinois, a town
* Dakota, Minnesota, a ...
n communities with the highest percentage of residents claiming Norwegian ancestry are (Those in bold are the largest in the state):
#
Northwood, North Dakota
Northwood is a city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks." The population was 982 at the 2020 census.
History
Northwood was founded in ...
55.5%
#
Crosby, North Dakota
Crosby is a city and the county seat of Divide County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,065 at the 2020 census.
History
Crosby was founded in 1904 at the end of a Great Northern Railway branch line that began in Berthold. ...
52.3%
#
Mayville, North Dakota
Mayville is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. which makes Mayville the largest community in Traill County. Mayville was founde ...
48.5%
#
Cooperstown, North Dakota
Cooperstown is a city in Griggs County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Griggs County. The population was 983 at the 2020 census. Cooperstown was founded in 1882.
History
The city is named for R. C. Cooper, a bonanza farme ...
46.6%
#
Tioga, North Dakota
Tioga ( ) is a city in Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,202 at the 2020 census.
Tioga was founded in 1902 and named by settlers from Tioga, New York. The population of the city increased dramatically in the 195 ...
45.7%
#
Stanley, North Dakota
Stanley is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Mountrail County. The population was 2,321 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st largest city in North Dakota. Stanley was founded in 1902. The town's ...
42.4%
#
Lakota, North Dakota
Lakota is a city in Nelson County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Nelson County Lakota is located 63 miles west of Grand Forks and 27 miles east of Devils Lake. The population was 683 at the 2020 census, making Lakota t ...
39.2%
#
Velva, North Dakota
Velva is a city in McHenry County, North Dakota, United States. Part of the Minot Micropolitan Statistical Area, it was founded in 1897 and the population was 1,086 at the 2020 census. Southeast of Minot, Velva is at the southernmost point of th ...
38.1%
#
Williston, North Dakota
Williston is a city in and the county seat of Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The 2020 census gave its population as 29,160, making Williston the sixth-largest city in North Dakota. The city's population nearly doubled between 20 ...
37.6%
#
Hillsboro, North Dakota
Hillsboro is a small city in Traill County, North Dakota. It is the county seat of Traill County. The population was 1,649 at the 2020 census. Hillsboro was founded in 1881.
Hillsboro sits in the fertile Red River Valley. Local agriculture has ...
37.3%
#
Park River, North Dakota
Park River is a city in Walsh County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,424 at the 2020 census. Park River was founded in 1884.
In 1903, a Park River blacksmith named Samuel Holland built a motor car called the Holland Special. H ...
37.1%
#
Watford City, North Dakota
Watford City (Hidatsa: abaʔaruʔush), founded in 1914, is a city in and the county seat of McKenzie County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 6,207 at the 2020 census, making it the thirteenth largest city in North Dakota. Becaus ...
37.0%
#
New Rockford, North Dakota
New Rockford is a city in Eddy County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Eddy County. The population was 1,361 at the 2020 census. New Rockford was founded in 1883.
History
New Rockford was founded in 1883, when the Great ...
34.4%
#
Williston, North Dakota
Williston is a city in and the county seat of Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The 2020 census gave its population as 29,160, making Williston the sixth-largest city in North Dakota. The city's population nearly doubled between 20 ...
34.2%
#
Thompson, North Dakota
Thompson is a city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks". It is located on the border of Allendale and Walle townships, with Walle on t ...
33.6%
#
Reeder, North Dakota
Reeder is a city in Adams County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census.
Reeder was founded in 1907 along the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and named after E. O. Reeder, the railroad's assis ...
33.3%
#
Rugby, North Dakota
Rugby is a city in, and the county seat of, Pierce County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,509 at the 2020 census, making it the 19th largest city in North Dakota. Rugby was founded in 1886.
Rugby is often billed as the geog ...
33.1%
#
Bottineau, North Dakota
Bottineau is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Bottineau County and is located just over south of the Canada–United States border. The city's population was 2,194 at the 2020 census.
The city ...
32.1%
#
Garrison, North Dakota
Garrison is a city in McLean County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,462 at the 2020 census.
History
Garrison was laid out in 1905 when the Soo Line Railroad was extended to that point. The town took its name from Garrison C ...
31.8%
#
Horace, North Dakota
Horace is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,085.
The city is a suburb of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. It is the sixteenth-largest city in North Dakota. Horace was founded ...
31.7%
#
Grafton, North Dakota
Grafton is a city in the State of North Dakota and is the county seat of Walsh County. As of the 2020 Census, the city of Grafton had a population of 4,170, making it the fifteenth largest city in North Dakota. Grafton was founded in 1881.
Hi ...
31.4%
#
Stanley, North Dakota
Stanley is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Mountrail County. The population was 2,321 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st largest city in North Dakota. Stanley was founded in 1902. The town's ...
31.2%
#
Enderlin, North Dakota 30.8%
#
Volga, South Dakota
Volga ( ) is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States with a population of 2,113 at the 2020 census.
History
Volga was founded by the Western Town Lot Company on December 27, 1879, by Col. Arthur Jacoby, who had platted the area ...
30.3%
#
Lisbon, North Dakota
Lisbon is a city in and the county seat of Ransom County, North Dakota, United States.
The population was 2,204 at the 2020 census.
History
Lisbon was founded in 1880 by Joseph L. Colton, who named the new city after Lisbon, New York, his wif ...
30.2%
Norwegian counties in the Dakotas
The 25 Dakotan counties with the highest percentage of residents claiming
Norwegian ancestry are (Those in bold are the largest in the state):
#
Divide County, North Dakota
Divide County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,195. Its county seat is Crosby.
History
On November 8, 1910, election, the voters of Williams County voters determined that the county sh ...
64.7%
#
Steele County, North Dakota
Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,798, making it the fifth-least populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat since 1919 is Finley.
History
The Dakota Territory legis ...
62.0%
#
Traill County, North Dakota
Traill County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census listed the population at 7,997. Its county seat is Hillsboro, and its largest city is Mayville.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on ...
59.0%
#
Griggs County, North Dakota
Griggs County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,306. Its county seat is Cooperstown.
History
The county was created by the Dakota Territory legislature on February 18, 1881, with territo ...
58.9%
#
Nelson County, North Dakota
Nelson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,015. Its county seat is Lakota.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created Nelson County on March 2, 1883, with areas annexed from ...
54.8%
#
Burke County, North Dakota
Burke County is a county on the north edge of the U.S. state of North Dakota, adjacent to the south line of Canada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,201. The county seat is Bowbells. The county is named after John Burke, the tenth ...
53.1%
#
Williams County, North Dakota
Williams County is located on the western border of the U.S. state of North Dakota, next to Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,950. Its county seat is Williston.
The Williston Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all o ...
48.2%
#
Eddy County, North Dakota
Eddy County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,347. Its county seat is New Rockford.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 31, 1885, with territory partiti ...
47.4%
#
Bottineau County, North Dakota
Bottineau County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,379. Its county seat is Bottineau.
The Territorial legislature identified Bottineau as one of the original counties of the territory. ...
46.0%
#
Renville County, North Dakota
Renville County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,282. Its county seat is Mohall.
Renville County is part of the Minot, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located south of the Can ...
42.4%
#
Barnes County, North Dakota
Barnes County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,853. Its county seat is Valley City.
In 1872, the Dakota Territory legislature authorized Burbank County (named for governor John A. Bu ...
40.8%
#
Walsh County, North Dakota
Walsh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,563. Its county seat is Grafton.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on May 2, 1881, with areas partitioned from ...
40.6%
#
Ransom County, North Dakota
Ransom County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,703. Its county seat is Lisbon, North Dakota, Lisbon.
History
The Dakota Territory legis ...
39.3%
#
Pierce County, North Dakota
Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,990. Its county seat is Rugby.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 11, 1887, with areas partitioned from ...
39.0%
#
Ramsey County, North Dakota
Ramsey County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 11,605. Its county seat is Devils Lake.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with a ...
37.1%
#
Cass County, North Dakota
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 184,525. Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota, accounting for nearly 24% of the state's population. The county ...
36.9%
#
Mountrail County, North Dakota
Mountrail County is a county in the northwestern part of North Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,809. Its county seat is Stanley. The county was originally created in 1873, then removed in 1892, annexed by Ward ...
36.8%
#
Sargent County, North Dakota
Sargent County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Its county seat is Forman, and its most populous city is Gwinner. The county is named in honor of Homer E. Sargent, a 19th-century general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad C ...
36.5%
#
McHenry County, North Dakota
McHenry County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,345. Its county seat is Towner.
McHenry County is part of the Minot, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Dakota Territory l ...
35.6%
#
Marshall County, South Dakota
Marshall County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,306. Its county seat is Britton. The county was created on May 2, 1885, and was named for Marshall Vincent, who homesteaded near Andove ...
35.1%
#
Grand Forks County, North Dakota
Grand Forks County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 73,170, making it the third-most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat and largest community is Grand Forks.
History
Using t ...
34.9%
#
McKenzie County, North Dakota
McKenzie County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,704. Its county seat is Watford City.
The county lies immediately adjacent to the Williston Micropolitan Statistical Area, although th ...
34.2%
#
Towner County, North Dakota
Towner County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population is 2,162. Its county seat is Cando. It is south of the Canada–US border with Manitoba.
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the ...
34.0%
#
Bowman County, North Dakota
Bowman County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,993. Its county seat is Bowman.
History
The legislature of the Dakota Territory designated Bowman (named for Edward M. Bowman, a member o ...
33.7%
#
Foster County, North Dakota
Foster County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,397.{{{cite web , title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Foster County, North Dakota , url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/foste ...
33.4%
Notable people
*
Fred G. Aandahl
*
LeRoy H. Anderson
*
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...
*
Sigurd Anderson
Sigurd Anderson (January 22, 1904December 21, 1990) was the 19th Governor of South Dakota. Anderson, a Republican from Webster, South Dakota, served in that office from 1951 to 1955.
Early life and education
Anderson was born at Frolands Ver ...
*
Aslag Benson
Aslag Benson (January 16, 1855 – July 19, 1937) was a member of the North Dakota Senate from 1903 to 1906.
Aslag Benson was born in Norway and came to America in 1865. Benson resided in Christine, North Dakota, and was an early settler of that ...
*
Bertil W. Benson
*
Gordon Berg
*
Rick Berg
Rick may refer to:
People
*Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality
*Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
*
Kenneth O. Bjork
*
Nils Boe
Nils Andreas Boe (September 10, 1913 – July 30, 1992) was an American attorney who served as the 23rd Governor of South Dakota from 1965 to 1969. He served as a judge of the United States Customs Court, later the United States Court of Interna ...
*
Harald Bredesen
*
Norman Brunsdale
Clarence Norman Brunsdale (July 9, 1891January 27, 1978) was an American politician who served as the 24th Governor of North Dakota and a United States senator from the state of North Dakota.
Biography
Clarence Norman Brunsdale was born in Sher ...
*
Olger B. Burtness
*
William C. Christianson
William Christian Christianson (December 5, 1892 – May 27, 1985) was an American jurist. He was one of the judges at the Nuremberg Military Tribunals.
Early life and education
Christianson was born in Moody County, South Dakota. He was th ...
*
Alf Clausen
Alf Heiberg Clausen (born March 28, 1941) is an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of ''The Simpsons'', for which he was the sole composer between 1990 and 2017. Clausen has scored or orc ...
*
Christian M. Dahl
*
Dorthea Dahl
*
Math Dahl
Mathias Dahl (January 6, 1884 – August 3, 1976) was a North Dakota politician who was well known for his tenure as the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor from 1939 to 1964. His long tenure in the office ended a period of instabil ...
*
Paul Egertson
Paul Wennes Egertson (February 17, 1935 – January 5, 2011) was an American Lutheran clergyman. He was Bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 1995 to 2001 and served as a senior lecturer at the ...
*
CariDee English
*
LeRoy Erickson
*
Oscar E. Erickson
*
Ralph J. Erickstad
*
E. W. Everson
*
Paul Fjelde
Paul Fjelde (August 12, 1892 – May 3, 1984) was a noted American sculptor and educator.
Background
Paul Fjelde was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the son of Jacob Fjelde, who was a well-known sculptor in Norway when he emigrated to ...
*
Oscar Randolph Fladmark
Oscar Randolph Fladmark, Jr. (June 23, 1922 – July 27, 1955) was an American fighter pilot who flew 164 "no-injury" combat missions in World War II and the Korean War. Fladmark received the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States), Disting ...
*
Myron Floren
Myron Floren (November 5, 1919 – July 23, 2005) was an American musician best known as the accordionist on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' between 1950 and 1980. Floren came to prominence primarily from his regular appearances on the weekly televis ...
*
Hans Andersen Foss
Hans Andersen Foss (November 25, 1851 – July 9, 1929) was a Norwegian-American author, newspaper editor and temperance leader. Foss is most noted for his Norwegian language novel, ''Husmands-gutte'' (1885) which was translated into English as ' ...
*
Joe Foss
Joseph Jacob Foss (April 17, 1915January 1, 2003) was a United States Marine Corps major and a leading Marine fighter ace in World War II. He received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his role in air combat during the Guadalcanal Campaign. In ...
*
Wilbur Foss
*
Michael E. Fossum
Michael Edward Fossum (born December 19, 1957, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) is a former American astronaut, engineer, and thChief Operating Officer of Texas A&M University at Galveston He flew into space on board the NASA Space Shuttle missions ST ...
*
Don Gaetz
Donald Jay Gaetz ( ; born January 22, 1948) is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016, representing parts of Northwest Florida. He was Senate president from 2012 to 2014. He is the father of C ...
*
Rudolph Hjalmar Gjelsness
*
Clarence Gonstead
Clarence Selmer Gonstead (July 23, 1898 – October 2, 1978) was an American chiropractor. He created the Gonstead technique. He established a large chiropractic facility in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
Early life
Clarence Gonstead was born in Willow ...
*
James D. Gronna
*
Archie M. Gubbrud
*
John Hamre
John Julian Hamre (born July 3, 1950) is a specialist in international studies, a former Washington government official and President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a position he has held with that think tank since ...
*
Orin D. Haugen
Orin Doughty Haugen (August 18, 1907 – February 22, 1945) was a colonel in the United States Army and commanding officer of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II.
Career
Born in Wyndmere, North Dakota, Haugen graduated fr ...
*
Brynhild Haugland
Brynhild Haugland (July 28, 1905 – August 9, 1998) was an American Republican politician, who was well known for being one of the first female legislators in the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, as well as for being the longest serving state ...
*
Heidi Heitkamp
Mary Kathryn "Heidi" Heitkamp ( ; born October 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from North Dakota from 2013 to 2019. A member of the North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party, ...
*
Ralph Herseth
Ralph Edmund Herseth (July 2, 1909 – January 24, 1969) was the 21st Governor of South Dakota from January 6, 1959 to January 3, 1961. He was a Democrat and was the patriarch of the prominent Herseth family of South Dakota.
Early life and edu ...
*
Clint Hill (Secret Service)
Clinton J. Hill (born January 4, 1932) is a former U.S. Secret Service agent who served under five United States presidents, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Gerald Ford. Hill is best known for his act of bravery while in the presidential motorcade ...
*
Johan Andreas Holvik
*
Ernest and Clarence Iverson
*
Simon Johnson (novelist)
Simon Johnson (26 September 1874 - 16 July 1970) was a Norwegian-born American newspaper editor and author. He frequently wrote about Norwegian-American
Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with a ...
*
Tim Johnson (South Dakota politician)
Timothy Peter Johnson (born December 28, 1946) is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the United States rep ...
*
Carl O. Jorgenson
*
Thomas S. Kleppe
Thomas Savig Kleppe (July 1, 1919 – March 2, 2007) was an American politician who served as the Representative from North Dakota. He was also the Administrator of the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
Early ...
*
Harvey B. Knudson
*
Coya Knutson
Cornelia Genevive Gjesdal "Coya" Knutson (née Gjesdal; August 22, 1912 – October 10, 1996) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. She served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, from 1951 to 1955, befo ...
*
Anton Kraabel
*
Ed Kringstad
Edroy A. "Ed" Kringstad (March 28, 1937 – May 4, 2013) was an American educator and politician.
Kringstad was born in Fairdale, North Dakota. He was the son of Ernest O. Kringstad (1910-1970) and Alice G. (Aamot) Kringstad (1917-2012). H ...
*
Karen Ordahl Kupperman
Karen Ordahl Kupperman (born 23 April 1939) is an American historian who specializes in colonial history in the Atlantic world of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Biography
Karen Ordahl Kupperman was born in Devils Lake, North Dakota on ...
*
Jonny Lang
Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. (born January 29, 1981), known as Jonny Lang, is an American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has made five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and has wo ...
*
Arthur Larson
Lewis Arthur Larson (July 4, 1910 – March 27, 1993) was an American lawyer, law professor, United States Under Secretary of Labor from 1954 to 1956, director of the United States Information Agency from 1956 to 1957, and executive assistant for ...
*
Ernest Lawrence
Ernest Orlando Lawrence (August 8, 1901 – August 27, 1958) was an American nuclear physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron. He is known for his work on uranium-isotope separation f ...
*
John H. Lawrence
John Hundale Lawrence (January 7, 1904 – September 7, 1991) was an American physicist and physician best known for pioneering the field of nuclear medicine.
Background
John Hundale Lawrence was born in Canton, South Dakota. His parents, Carl Gu ...
*
Andrew E. Lee
Andrew Ericson Lee (March 18, 1847 – March 19, 1934) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of South Dakota, third Governor of South Dakota.
Biography
Lee was born near Bergen, Norway, Bergen in Norway and at a young ag ...
*
Peggy Lee
Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...
*
Neil Levang
Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...
*
Henry G. Lykken
*
George S. Mickelson
*
George Theodore Mickelson
George Theodore Mickelson (July 23, 1903 – February 28, 1965) was an American lawyer, 16th Attorney General of South Dakota and 18th Governor of South Dakota, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Distri ...
*
John Moses (American politician)
John Moses (June 12, 1885March 3, 1945) was the 22nd Governor of North Dakota from 1939 to 1945, and served in the United States Senate in 1945 until his death that year. Excluding those appointed to fill brief vacancies, and those not seated at ...
*
Janne Myrdal
*
Gerhard Brandt Naeseth
*
Ragnvald Nestos
Ragnvald Anderson Nestos (April 12, 1877July 15, 1942) was a Norwegian Americans, Norwegian-American politician who served as the List of governors of North Dakota, 13th Governor of North Dakota from 1921 to 1925.
Early life
Ragnvold Anderson N ...
*
Kemper Nomland
Kemper Nomland Jr. (May 8, 1919 - December 25, 2009) was a modernist architect in Los Angeles, California and part of a father-son architectural team with his father Kemper Nomland, Sr.
He was also a painter and printer of poetry and arts publica ...
*
Peter Norbeck
Peter Norbeck (August 27, 1870December 20, 1936) was an American politician from South Dakota. After serving two terms as the ninth Governor of South Dakota, Norbeck was elected to three consecutive terms as a United States Senator. Norbeck was ...
*
Sondre Norheim
Sondre Norheim, born Sondre Auverson, (10 June 1825 – 9 March 1897) was a Norwegian skier and pioneer of modern skiing. Sondre Norheim is known as the father of Telemark skiing.
Background
Sondre Auverson was born at Øverbø, a little ...
*
Hjalmar Carl Nygaard
*
Matthew G. Olsen
Matthew Glen Olsen (born February 21, 1962) is an American attorney who has served as the Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division since 2021. He is the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Born in Farg ...
*
Allen I. Olson
*
Gunder Olson
Gunder Olson (September 8, 1852 – December 11, 1948) was a North Dakota public servant and politician with the Republican Party.
Biography
Gunder Olson was born in the county of Telemark, Norway. He came to America with his parents when he was ...
*
Kenton Onstad
Kenton B. Onstad (born July 17, 1953) is the former North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, Democratic-NPL Minority Leader in the North Dakota House of Representatives and was one of the two members who represents District 4, which is composed of Moun ...
*
Carleton Opgaard
*
Robert W. Peterson (politician)
*
Aagot Raaen
*
Scott Rislov
*
Erling Nicolai Rolfsrud
*
Ole Edvart Rølvaag
Ole Edvart Rølvaag (; Rølvåg in modern Norwegian, Rolvaag in English orthography) (April 22, 1876 – November 5, 1931) was a Norwegian-American novelist and professor who became well known for his writings regarding the Norwegian American imm ...
*
Andrew J. Rommeriam
*
Cyrus M. Running
Cyrus M. Running (August 2, 1913 - December 25, 1976) was an American regionalist painter.
Cyrus Maynard Running was born in Veblen, South Dakota. He was the son of Lutheran minister Alfred Running (1879-1970) and his musician wife, Julia Sophi ...
*
Martin Olav Sabo
Martin Olav Sabo (February 28, 1938 – March 13, 2016) was an American politician who served as United States Representative for , which includes Minneapolis; the district is one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota.
Early life and e ...
*
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
Stephanie Marie Herseth Sandlin (born December 3, 1970) is an American attorney, university administrator, and politician from the Democratic Party. She served in the United States House of Representatives for from 2004 until 2011. Sandlin was ...
*
Peter O. Sathre
*
Gilmore Schjeldahl
Gilmore Tilmen Schjeldahl (June 1, 1912March 10, 2002) was an American businessman and inventor in plastics, adhesives and circuitry. He was awarded 16 US patents and may be best known for inventing the plastic-lined airsickness bag.
Biography
E ...
*
Peter Schjeldahl
Peter Charles Schjeldahl (; March 20, 1942 – October 21, 2022) was an American art critic, poet, and educator. He was noted for being the head art critic at ''The New Yorker'', having earlier written for ''The Village Voice'', ''ARTnews'', and ...
*
Eric Sevareid
Arnold Eric Sevareid (November 26, 1912 – July 9, 1992) was an American author and CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents who were hired by CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and nicknamed " Murrow's&n ...
*
Thomas Sletteland
Thomas Sletteland was born in Bergen, Norway, on the 18th of February, 1872, and enlisted in the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It ...
*
Arlan Stangeland
Arlan Inghart Stangeland (February 8, 1930 – July 2, 2013) was an Politics of the United States, American politician from Minnesota. As a Republican Party (United States), Republican, Stangeland served in the United States House of Representati ...
*
Bob Stenehjem
Robert "Bob" Stenehjem ( ; January 12, 1952 – July 18, 2011) was a North Dakota Republican politician, serving in the North Dakota Senate for District 30. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2001 until his death in 2011. Stenehjem ran for th ...
*
Wayne Stenehjem
Wayne Stenehjem ( ; February 5, 1953 – January 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He was the Attorney General of the state, serving from December 15, 2000 until his death. He sought the Republi ...
*
Obert C. Teigen
*
Enoch Thorsgard
*
John Thune
John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005, and as the Party leaders ...
*
Edward John Thye
Edward John Thye (April 26, 1896August 28, 1969) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was the 26th governor of Minnesota from 1943 to 1947 and a United States Senate, United States Se ...
*
Merle Tuve
Merle Anthony Tuve (June 27, 1901 – May 20, 1982) was an American geophysicist who was the Chairman of the Office of Scientific Research and Development's Section T, which was created in August 1940. He was founding director of the Johns Hopkins ...
*
James M. Wahl
*
Jon Wefald
Jon Michael Wefald (November 24, 1937 – April 16, 2022) was an American educator and served as the twelfth president of Kansas State University.
Biography
Wefald was born in Minneapolis and moved, at age six, with his family to Minot, North ...
*
Frank A. Wenstrom
References
{{European Americans
*
European American culture in South Dakota
European American culture in North Dakota
Dakotan