DAY 7 – June 18, 2013 – Decorah, Iowa and Spring Grove, Minnesota

Was up early and on the road with Marcia and her neighbor and friend, Barb, to Decorah, Iowa and the Vesterheim Museum. We hit a major rain storm on the way and, more than once, had to pull off the road due to the lack of visibility. The Vesterheim is a Norwegian/American museum with four floors filled with history, art, crafts, needlework, and more. We were there over two hours marveling at the work and dedication of our ancestors, including a couple of family members who had works on display.

 

Sculpture Nisse. Concrete. Ca. 1950 by Halvor Landsverk

Kubbestol by Tarkjil Landsverk 1925 

Kubbestol with Viking ship and Viking by Halvor Landsverk 1970

Woman with crown by James Jacobson Ca. 1990

We had lunch at the local co-op and then we were off to Spring Grove, Minnesota and The Giants of the Earth Center. This Center is focused on keeping the Norwegian language and customs alive as well as serving as the history and research center in the area. It was great working with the people here and I really appreciate their time and the help they were able to provide in obtaining information on my family from this area. We were here a few hours pouring over books and talking about the various people who once lived here.

It was a long drive back to Rochester but the sun was shining and the roads dry.

Tomorrow we are off to Minneapolis/St. Paul…more genealogy research and cousins to meet.