On Oct. 9, 1825, 53 Norwegians arrived in New York via a ship called the Restauration, marking the beginning of Norway emigration to the United States.
On Tuesday, almost exactly 200 years later, His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, arrived at Norway House in Minneapolis as part of a bicentennial commemoration of that turning point for our two countries.
It was a moment of goodwill that bridged countries, languages and cultures.
The prince smiled as he stepped out of a Volvo and was cheered by a Minnesota-nice crowd of people wearing Norwegian sweaters and bunads (traditional folk costumes) and waving Norwegian flags in the crisp October morning air.
“We are honored to have you!” said Mayor Minneapolis Jacob Frey to the royal.
The prince also accepted a bouquet of flowers from 4-year-old Nora White of Minneapolis, leaning down to chat with her and her cousin, 4-year-old Lachlan Meeker of Edina.
“He was really sweet with them,” said Molly White, Nora’s mom. “He got down to their eye level and asked them their names.”
Lachlan’s sister, Maisie Meeker, 7, stood next to her cousins, impressed at the royal encounter but also remembering that it was she who handed a bouquet to the crown prince’s mother, Her Majesty Queen Sonja, when she visited Norway House back in 2022.
A royal itinerary
The royal has a packed itinerary during this visit. The official schedule began on Monday in Iowa, including a visit to Luther College, and on Tuesday the agenda started with a visit to the Norway House, a nonprofit that not only celebrates Norwegian heritage, but also aims to build connections between contemporary Norway and the United States. One such connection is His Majesty, King Harald V of Norway, who is Norway House’s Royal Patron.
Crown Prince Haakon, 52, is King Harald’s son and the heir to the Norwegian throne.
The prince’s Minnesota portion of the tour also included a stop in St. Paul, where he met with Gov. Tim Walz at the State Capitol. The dignitaries in attendance included Barth Eide, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Cecilie Myrseth, the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry.
The prince was also received by Major General Shawn Manke, the senior leader of the Minnesota National Guard, to honor the partnership between the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Minnesota National Guard. One example of that partnership, the prince’s press materials state, includes joint air exercises between Norwegian F-35s and American F-16s.
In the afternoon, the royal was scheduled to visit Mindekirken, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church located next to Norway House, where there is to be a signing and christening of the church ship model of the Restauration.
By evening, the crown prince was to meet with Mats Zuccarello of the Minnesota Wild, one of Norway’s most prominent and successful hockey players, to hear about his work promoting youth participation in sports.
After visiting St. Olaf on Wednesday, the Crown Prince will head east, where he will be on hand Thursday to welcome a replica of the Restauration as it sails into New York on the emigration anniversary.
Saga Center
On Monday, the day before the royal visit, there was a flurry of activity at the Norway House.
“We are putting out the red carpet, the balloons and the flowers and getting everything ready,” said Christina Carleton, the executive director of Norway House. “We are so honored.”
On Tuesday morning, after speaking to those gathered at the USA-Norway Business Summit at Norway House, the Crown Prince headed downstairs to cut the ribbon for the Saga Center, a new and permanent exhibit that is located within in the Haugo Bibliotek.
He was a fitting representative to hold the ceremonial scissors.
“One in five Minnesotans claim Norwegian ancestry,” Carleton says, “so there’s a very large contingent of Norwegians who still think very fondly of their ancestors who came from Norway and settled here in Minnesota.”
(Such Norwegians include Carleton, who grew up in Oslo and stayed in Minnesota after attending college here.)
The Saga Center, which is adjacent to a special collections room for genealogy research, celebrates Minnesotans’ Nordic roots, as well as Norway in general.
“It’s very highly interactive and should be fun,” Carleton says.
The fun includes animated walks through Norway.
“The whole idea is to spark curiosity,” says Carleton.
The Crown Prince’s curiosity seemed sparked on Tuesday as he was shown how to go on a virtual walk through a Norwegian landscape displayed on a large, interactive screen.
“He was actually really good at it, he knew exactly what to do,” said Race Fisher, Saga Center spokesperson. “I wonder if he plays video games with his children.”
(The prince and his wife, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit, have three children.)
“It was fun to see him use it,” Fisher said of the interactive element that returned the royal to Norway for a moment. “I hope it reminded him of home.”
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