Sacred Heart woman has themed rooms representing countries, cultures across the globe Guests staying at the home of Laurel Dikken outside of Sacred Heart may soon feel like they are in Spain, Norway, Italy or any other number of countries. That’s because Dikken, 85, has turned each room inside her home into a different country or theme. Laurel Dikken in one of the bedrooms decorated in a “Western” theme. Photo by Scott Thoma “I love traveling and I love collecting things,” sh

As time fades away, history has a tendency to fade along with it. Laural Dikken wears her bunad at the Nordlandslag Stevne banquet in Granite Falls. A bunad is customarily worn in Norway for certain celebrations, such as weddings and family reunions. Contributed photo But for the many members of Bygdelagenes Fellesraad, a national council comprised of descendants of emigrants from Norway to North America, they are attempting to preserve and strengthen historical bonds with th

Berger Jergenson’s dream was to own a big white house on a hill. In the 1880s, this young Norwegian caught the “fever” to move to America, land of opportunity, telling everyone that he would leave the homeland, buy a farm and build a big white house on a hill. Ingri and Berger Jergenson settled in Minnesota near Swift Falls in 1887. This picture is believed to have been taken in 1916 or 1917, perhaps on the occasion of their 40th wedding anniversary. Contributed photo In 1887

Connecting the dots on a family’s immigration story This is a story of connections that span an ocean. In Norway there’s Simon Bjørklund and in America there’s his third cousin, Sara Torvik, an Underwood native now living in Maryland. Last year, Simon came to Minnesota to see where members of his family immigrated in the late 1870s. Sara called on her cousins and their wives – Chet and Marlys Habberstad and Richard and Elle Habberstad all from Underwood – to assist. They migh