Eric Dregni: See Norskedalen's outdoor museum

Dregni, author of VIKINGS IN THE ATTIC among other books, writes for the Star Tribune about an authentic Scandinavian experience in Wisconsin.

Dregni_Vikings coverWinding past the bluffs and down into the valleys of southwestern Wisconsin reminds me that the Midwest is not so flat after all. Still, it seems a far cry from the steep Norwegian fjells towering above the fjords, but that didn't stop immigrants from western Norway from farming here. Norskedalen is a living museum for modern visitors to learn about how these settlers survived in this "driftless area" that escaped the glaciers that leveled the rest of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The rolling hills with deep valleys proved perfect for Norwegian settlers who were used to farming on steep pitches and even told tales of tying rope around their children's waists so they didn't fall off the edge of the mountains back home.

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Published in: Star Tribune
By: Eric Dregni