American Scandinavian Foundation, Moorhead-Fargo Chapter Records
Collection
Identifier: Mss 3077
Scope and Content
This collection is comprised entirely of photocopies collected by Steve Stark, and donated to the NDSU President’s office as part of his research into the events surrounding the casting of the Vigeland Roosevelt statue.
The first part of the collection reflects the founding and early years of the Moorhead-Fargo Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Association, including the by-laws, meeting minutes, events and membership. The correspondence files are organized in date order. The file named Correspondence, Moorhead-Fargo Chapter file, is mostly correspondence written by Kenneth Smemo and Magnus Geston. The folder Correspondence, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, contains letters written from both the New York headquarters, as well as the midwestern offices in Rock Island, Illinois and Minneapolis Minnesota. Much of this correspondence is written by Peter Strong, and John E. Norton. Other correspondence files are from the Nordmanns-Forbundet, North Dakota Governor William Guy, and the Vigeland Museet in Oslo. The Assorted Correspondence folder has letters from Richard N. Ringler, B. Augdahl, Joseph L. Knutson, Clayton Lodoen, Sen. Milton Young, Rep. Mark Andrews, Sen. Quentin Burdick, John Hove, Archer Jones, and Rodney Nelson, mostly in regard to attendance at the statue dedication. The Vigeland Committee folder contains the grant proposal to the North Dakota Council on the Arts, as well as committee notes, and the invoices for the casting of the Roosevelt statue. The Roosevelt Monument Association file contains a copy of a form letter from Herman Fjelde, requesting donations. The final folder contains assorted copies of the American-Scandinavian Association newsletter “Scan”.
The first part of the collection reflects the founding and early years of the Moorhead-Fargo Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Association, including the by-laws, meeting minutes, events and membership. The correspondence files are organized in date order. The file named Correspondence, Moorhead-Fargo Chapter file, is mostly correspondence written by Kenneth Smemo and Magnus Geston. The folder Correspondence, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, contains letters written from both the New York headquarters, as well as the midwestern offices in Rock Island, Illinois and Minneapolis Minnesota. Much of this correspondence is written by Peter Strong, and John E. Norton. Other correspondence files are from the Nordmanns-Forbundet, North Dakota Governor William Guy, and the Vigeland Museet in Oslo. The Assorted Correspondence folder has letters from Richard N. Ringler, B. Augdahl, Joseph L. Knutson, Clayton Lodoen, Sen. Milton Young, Rep. Mark Andrews, Sen. Quentin Burdick, John Hove, Archer Jones, and Rodney Nelson, mostly in regard to attendance at the statue dedication. The Vigeland Committee folder contains the grant proposal to the North Dakota Council on the Arts, as well as committee notes, and the invoices for the casting of the Roosevelt statue. The Roosevelt Monument Association file contains a copy of a form letter from Herman Fjelde, requesting donations. The final folder contains assorted copies of the American-Scandinavian Association newsletter “Scan”.
Dates
- 1967-1973
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives.
Copyrights
Copyrights to this collection are not held by the NDSU Archives.
History
The Moorhead-Fargo Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, was organized on October 25, 1967. The chapter started with 33 people in the Fargo-Moorhead area interested in forming a local chapter that would promote the aims of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, to advance the cultural relations between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. To strengthen the bonds between residents of Scandinavian descent in America. To act as an institution of higher learning in maintaining an interchange between the United States and Scandinavia, and to advance Scandinavian culture in America, and American culture in the Scandinavian countries.
The Foundation was responsible for bringing the Theodore Roosevelt statue, by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, to Fargo. The statue was originally the idea of a Fargo physician Dr. Herman Fjelde, who created the Roosevelt Monument Association to raise money for a sculpture of the former President to be created by the artist, and put up in North Dakota. The King of Norway persuaded Roosevelt to sit for Vigeland in 1910, when he was in the country for the Nobel Prize. But the Roosevelt Monument Association was unable to raise the money to complete the project.
In the early 1970s, Peter Strong the president of the national American-Scandinavian Association, approached the Moorhead-Fargo Chapter about having a metal cast made of Vigeland’s model housed at his museum in Oslo. After many diplomatic negotiations, the Norwegian, and Olso city governments granted permission to have the cast made and shipped to North Dakota. In early 1972, the Moorhead-Fargo Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, appears to have disbanded. The North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies at NDSU, and the North Dakota Arts Council, carried on with the project and procured a grant to help pay for it. The completed statue was sent to NDSU, and was dedicated on Leif Erickson Day, October 9, 1972.
The Foundation was responsible for bringing the Theodore Roosevelt statue, by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, to Fargo. The statue was originally the idea of a Fargo physician Dr. Herman Fjelde, who created the Roosevelt Monument Association to raise money for a sculpture of the former President to be created by the artist, and put up in North Dakota. The King of Norway persuaded Roosevelt to sit for Vigeland in 1910, when he was in the country for the Nobel Prize. But the Roosevelt Monument Association was unable to raise the money to complete the project.
In the early 1970s, Peter Strong the president of the national American-Scandinavian Association, approached the Moorhead-Fargo Chapter about having a metal cast made of Vigeland’s model housed at his museum in Oslo. After many diplomatic negotiations, the Norwegian, and Olso city governments granted permission to have the cast made and shipped to North Dakota. In early 1972, the Moorhead-Fargo Chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, appears to have disbanded. The North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies at NDSU, and the North Dakota Arts Council, carried on with the project and procured a grant to help pay for it. The completed statue was sent to NDSU, and was dedicated on Leif Erickson Day, October 9, 1972.
Extent
.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Local chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, responsible for the recasting of the equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, and bringing it to Fargo in the early 1970s.
Provenance
Donated by NDSU President’s Office, 2018 (2018-101ua)
Property rights
The NDSU Archives owns the property rights to this collection.
- Title
- Finding Aid to the American Scandinavian Foundation, Moorhead-Fargo Chapter Records
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository
Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu