Presentation – The Sandagers: Early and Influential Winneshiek County Norwegian Settlers

Name: Presentation – The Sandagers: Early and Influential Winneshiek County Norwegian Settlers
Start: 2025-09-13T10:00:00-05:00
Location: 502 W Water St, Decorah, IA, United States, Iowa 52101

Schedule

Sat, 13 Sep, 2025 at 10:00 am

UTC-05:00

Location

502 W Water St, Decorah, IA, United States, Iowa 52101 | Decorah, IA

Presentation by Karla Brown – The Sandagers: Early and Influential Winneshiek County Norwegian Settlers
September 13, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.
Location: Hanson Vesterheim Commons
Visit Vesterheim on Free Second Saturday, September 13, for family activities and a special presentation in connection with the 200th anniversary of Norwegian immigration.
At 10 a.m. in Hanson Vesterheim Commons, staff member Karla Brown will share the history of some of the first Norwegian immigrants in Winneshiek County through the story of Thore Sandager Skotland and his younger brother Endre Sandager, who immigrated to the area in the 1850s. These brothers were influential in founding the town of Calmar and Luther College. Through a slide presentation and display of early objects from that time, Brown will bring early pioneer realities to life.
Brown grew up in Calmar and, after 37 years teaching English, she retired to Decorah in 2016. A part-time position at Vesterheim Museum led to her interest in her Norwegian ancestors in the context of local Northeast Iowa history.
This program is supported in part by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from Bill and Kathi Wild and The Depot Outlet.