 | The Central Iowa Norwegian Project | |
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About the Central Iowa Norwegian Project
| The Central Iowa Norwegian Project | |
About the Central Iowa Norwegian Project
Central Iowa is the home of the third largest concentration of Norwegian-Americans in Iowa.
The goal of the Central Iowa Norwegian Project is to publish a history of the central Iowa Norwegians from 1855 to 1905 with the following objectives:
Anyone having information about the settlers, stories about the times, and/or resource materials is encouraged to contact Arlen Twedt (Atwedt@aol.com}.
Arlen Twedt is a descendant of two of the original Howard Township pioneer families.
How the Project Began
The idea for the Central Iowa Norwegian Project began in 1989 as a wish that someone would write a general history about the central Iowa Norwegians. Such a history could help family historians better understand the historical context in which their ancestors lived, especially when little or no direct information about their own ancestors had been preserved. It was after preparing a historical talk in 1993 that I realized maybe I could be that "someone." And so a commitment to writing a history began.
The book outline emerged slowly, but early on it was clear the story must be told through the lives and experiences of the people who lived in the settlements. To accomplish this, it is necessary to become acquainted with the people who lived in the settlements, especially the people whose stories have been preserved in letters, diaries, memoirs, biographies, and other documents. This is the reason for the above project objectives.
There is an extensive written record of the central Iowa Norwegian settlements including some excellent family histories. Why, then, is another history necessary? Most of these resources present information from the point of view of a particular church, community, neighborhood, or family. This limited focus does not help the family historian and others with more general interests understand the importance of the settlements as a whole and their significance to the immigration history of the state and country.
Another important need being addressed by this project is locating and cataloging the history that already exists. It is scattered in many documents in many libraries and in the personal possessions of many families. After ten years of concentrated research, I believe I have located eighty percent of the major documents, many of which are listed in the selected bibliography, but much remains to be discovered, especially in the local newspapers and from family historians.
I am also concerned about the oral history that is lost when our central Iowa Norwegian ancestors die or when important historical documents are thrown away when estates are settled. You can help by preserving the stories of your ancestors, placing copies of them in your local library, and making me aware of these resources. After the history is completed, I will place a complete inventory of the historical resources in selected libraries.
Those interested in the progress of the history can monitor it on the book outline page of this Web site. Chapter summaries will be posted as they are completed. Progress will be slow, however, as I want to enjoy the journey and because it will be a few years before I can devote full-time to it. If you know of other resources that could be added to the selected bibliography, please contact me at atwedt@aol.com.
Arlen Twedt, June 2000
Thank you to everyone who has visited this section of Mark’s Web site during the past five years, either in the hopes of finding family information or to learn more about the history of the central Iowa Norwegians. This update gives me an opportunity to again thank Mark for inviting me to place information on his Web site.
In 1995, I published a brochure announcing my plan to have a history of the central Iowa Norwegians completed by 2005, the 150th anniversary of the coming of the Norwegians to central Iowa. Frankly, I was very naive then about the time it takes to do historical research. Fortunately, now that I am retired, I have more time to spend at the library.
When I knew I could not complete a book-length history by 2005, I decided to begin work on another book, a collection of histories others have written about the central Iowa Norwegians. “Certainly,” I thought, “I can have it ready to publish in 2005.” It, too, has been more time-consuming than I thought it would be, primarily because of notes I have added to some of the histories, biographies I have written about some of the authors, and three selections I have written.
Working on the second book has made me realize that my 25-page study of the settlement phase up through 1880 is all I want to write about this time period and that a similar study about the town building phase from 1880 to 1905 will also be sufficient. Researching and writing shorter pieces gives me time to explore other topics like the influence of Haugeanism in central Iowa. I also like the idea of publishing other authors’ histories, some of which have only recently been translated into English.
When I shared these thoughts with a friend, he suggested I use Norwegian-American Studies and Records published by the Norwegian-American Historical Association as a model for publishing my research. I like this idea. With histories others have written and the studies I have completed and intend to complete, there is enough material for at least two books. Presently, I am calling them, Histories and Studies of the Central Iowa Norwegians, Volumes 1 & 2. See About the Books for a tentative list of contents for each volume.
Another decision I have made is to publish the books through a Print on Demand (POD) publisher. POD books are generally not stocked in bookstores, but are printed one at a time as they are ordered at a national bookstore or online. This allows me to do what I like most, research and writing, and I can choose how much time I devote to marketing the books.
With this update, I have also revised the statistics in The Early Settlers section to reflect my latest accounting of Norwegians who lived in central Iowa up through 1860. Learning more about these people continues to be a priority in my research.
Thank you again for your interest in the Central Iowa Norwegian Project. I’ve enjoyed hearing from many people these past five years, and I look forward to hearing from others in the future.
Arlen Twedt, January 2006