By Hayden St. Mary
Down in the very southwest corner of Houston County, Minn., is a small (population of 1,240 as of 2022) Norwegian-based town called Spring Grove. Named after a spring of cool, fresh water situated in a grove of stunning hardwood trees found nearby, Spring Grove is the very first Norwegian settlement in all of Minnesota, dating back to 1852. This small town is best known for its grand celebration of Syttende Mai, which includes a range of traditional activities and events, including music, a kids parade, kids activities, and the serving of many Norwegian foods. Spring Grove is only one town in the large area of Norwegian settlements extending from western Houston County to the western part of Fillmore County. This area is one of the most densely settled Norwegian-American colonies in the United States. But Spring Grove is possibly the most Norwegian area, retaining many customs longer than others.
Some of the traditional foods that can be seen during Syttende Mai are rolle polse, lefse krumkakes, a Norwegian waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream; and rømmegrøt, a porridge made of flour, butter, sugar, and cream.
Giant children’s parades are the centerpiece of Syttende Mai celebrations. Anywhere that Syttende Mai is celebrated, you’re generally going to find that they put on a big parade with kids and teens marching through the streets accompanied by school bands, with an enthusiastic crowd waving Norwegian flags and cheering on the participants. In Norway, these children’s parades symbolize hope for the future and reflect the role younger generations have in preserving Norwegian values.
In Spring Grove, some of the activities that happen along with this celebration are the Running With My Gnomes 5k run, tractor pull, derby car race, farmers market, and more. Friends and family get together and spend the weekend walking around town enjoying the sun, smells, and scenery. One other celebration that Spring Grove holds is UffDa Fest. A celebration held to celebrate the changing seasons each fall. For that, there is the farmers market, garage sales, and more Norwegian goodies.
So that’s all about how they celebrate their Norwegian heritage, but now let’s look back into the history that shaped this place into the town it is now. It all started with the first settler, James Smith, who built his home on some land which consisted of 320 acres. He came alone from Pennsylvania and arrived in the spring of 1852. Later on, he married Elizabeth Landrum, and they started up a Sunday school at their house, and a post-office, and also gave the area the name of Spring Grove.
Some time after James arrived, a settler named John Vale came along, but very soon he sold out his rights to three Norwegians named Haakon Narveson, Fingal Asleson Flaten, and Knud Knudson Kiland, from Sigdal, Norway. Several Norwegian families came in June and July and took land in many of the different sections in the area of Spring Grove. Not many went to Spring Grove Township directly from Norway, but were part of the westward movement of the American population. Many more Norwegians arrived in the following years, so many that some went to Wilmington and Black Hammer townships instead. A few native Americans took up land in these three townships as well. Within a decade, almost all non-Norwegian settlers were moving out as they were glad to sell their land for profit, leaving the area even more Norwegian populated than it was before. A census taken in 1860 showed that 545 people were populating the town. Of that number, there were 86 Norwegian families (480 people) and 12 non-Norwegian families (66 people). Since then, the town has come a long way in fitting in with the English people of America, but they continue to keep their heritage alive after all these years, as that is a part of who they all are, regardless if they’re of Norwegian origin or not.
Hayden St. Mary is a student at Spring Grove High School. She is one of 13 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 25th year.
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