A Dying Norway – in a Living America?

This exhibit of documentary photographs by Lars Idar Waage is a portrait of Stavanger, Illinois, by someone from 6,000 miles away in Stavanger, Norway. The tiny town of Stavanger, Illinois, in LaSalle County, is the location of the first permanent settlement of Norwegian immigrants in the United States, including some of those who sailed on the “Restauration.” This ship brought the first organized group of emigrants from Stavanger, Norway, in 1825. Through these images, Waage shares how Norwegian identity and traditions are expressed in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

This exhibit is made possible by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from William and Kathi Wild.