För Alltid Svenska
'Forever Swedish'
the Amery Area Swedish Klubb
The Ahlström Project
Dr. Carolyn Wedin's "Historiska Skildringar" tells of the history of this northwest area of Wisconsin of which the town of Trade lake was a central part. Above the Trade Lake store .
Updating Progress on this book:
Above a picture of maple sugaring in early Wisconsin.
Contributing member Dr. Carolyn Wedin has kept us advised about her progress with her project to translate and publish a history of this area of Wisconsin by Swedish immigrant Louis J. Ahlström. Most recently she has submitted it to the University of Minnesota Press for their consideration.
Below I have printed the first few paragraphs from her introduction .
Louis J. Ahlström's slim, subtle, maroon-covered, Swedish, gold-lettered Historiska Skildringar, or Historical Sketches, was a revered text on the small farmstead where I grew up. Partly, it was that Ahlström was a relative-- a nephew of my paternal great grandmother, or "far's farmor," father's father's mother (This would make him my first cousin twice removed, I believe). Partly it was that my own ancestors, Ahlström's "Aunt Wedin" and family, including my grandfather Peter, rebel Baptists all, emigrated in company from the little village of Stora Mellösa, Närke Province, Sweden, to settle as neighbors in the uncultivated Wisconsin woods.
So the trip Ahlström remembers, and so convincingly describes, is also the way part of my family came to this country in 1868: first to Swedens port city of Göteborg; then by ship to Hull, England; train to Liverpool; then a ship of 1,000 emigrant passengers to Halifax, and down the St. Lawrence to Quebec; from there by train to Chicago and then Fulton, Illinois; steamship up the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers to Stillwater, Minnesota and then by horse and wagon to Marine and Scandia; and finally by foot to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin and northward through the sandy pine barrens, into southern Burnett County, where they homesteaded and where I write today, in Trade Lake Township.
But the primary reason Ahlström's book was held in high esteem in my home was for the story of struggle and survival he tells with such detail and delight. In those pioneer days, the beginnings of the wide roads I knew as a child were first cut as walking trails through the forest; the Chippewa still held their pow-wows and passed the peace pipe and made their maple syrup on the shores of Wood Lake, just to our north; in the growing mill and creamery town of Trade Lake, the Indians exchanged furs for goods with "Trader Carlson," who spoke their language; the first handfuls of corn were planted in rich soil around the stumps and the precious cattle were saved from being devoured by mosquitos by smoke from burning wood piles. Tailors and coopers and shoemakers and carpenters, all of necessity turned farmers, found time in those developing communities, between feeding their families, to make merry and to make marriages full of music, to create schools and political structures, and to found many many churches, expansive in the freedom of religion in their new home in a new land.
Please keep checking this space we will update and add new information all the time.
Den Besta Medesin ~ a film of 11 minutes
This is just how they would have done in it early Wisconsin. (Well, maybe if they'd had bottled water and soup mix). Still this made in Sweden film captures the spirit of being out in the woods alone and surviving and relates to many of the tales in the Ahlström book of traveling through the woods and spending sometimes scary nights alone worrying about wolves and bears and even Indians.
About This Site
The purpose of this site is to provide a place for klubb members and friends to catch up on news and events in our area and also to learn more about our Swedish heritage, culture, customs, language, music and art. We welcome others with similar interests to join our site and our klubb.
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Larry's Page
Larry has a new CD: It can be ordered at the website www.rockabillyhall.com/LLPhilipson.html
"NO WELCOME HOME":
A TRIBUTE TO VIET NAM VETERANS!
CD TRACK LISTING
1. No Welcome Home
2. Rose of Yesterday
3. Old Enough to Worry
4. Charlene
5. Too Blue to Cry
6. Standing in the Shadows
7. Bitter Feelings
8. A Corner in My Heart
9. Absent Minded You
10. The Old Milwaukee Road
11. Give Love a Try
12. I'm Wondering Now
13. The Old Country Store
Recent Videos
The Ahlström Project
This page keeps us up to date on the work by Carolyn Wedin to perserve the interesting history of the Trade Lake area of Wisconsin as told by a Swedish pioneer Louis J Ahlström in his book Historiska Skildringar, or Historical Sketches. .
"I Go to America..."
"Swedish American Women and the Life of Mina Anderson"
If your great grand mother was Swedish she may have been among the 250,000 single women who came to America from Sweden between 1881 and 1920. Read more in a book by Joy K Lintelman, a history professor from Concordia College. The book was published in February of 2009 and was reviewed this past weekend in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I go To America" is everything a popular history book should be--interesting, informative and lots of fun." Mary Ann Grossman
Folkdrakt
Anita's Pretty Rocks
Member Anita in Denver has been sending out these special little rocks that she made to Swedish klubbs around the country --thank you Anita
"The Birth of Hedesunda"
The following is sent to us from our member Judy Wester from very musical relatives in Sweden. The musical story is called“Lurberget”. It’s about the hills of Hedesunda that rose from the sea when the continental glacier, that covered great parts of northern Scandinavia, was melting. You can call it “the birth of Hedesunda” i. e. when the first people arrived, thousands of years ago, how they lived and worked. As I said, we composed the music and wrote the lyrics and manuscript. A lot of clips at www.lurberget.se (up to now in Swedish). At www.youtube.com you can also look at some trailers (search for “Lurberget”;)).
Swedish Music Page Dråm
With their fresh and unique take on Nordic music, the Swedish musicians Erik Ask-Upmark and Anna Rynefors - known as "Dråm" - have taken the roots music community by storm. With much charm and a big sense of humour, they perform traditional Nordic music in a captivating way that speaks to audiences everywhere. They are both "riksspelmän" (a distinction awarded to the best players of traditional music in Sweden) and have toured extensively in Europe as well as in America. The quietness of Sweden’s wide open spaces shows through in the fragile melodies of this talented duo. A wonderful flow of ear-caressing musical sounds, performed with great skill on instruments such as the harp, Nyckelharpa (Swedish keyed fiddle) and Swedish bagpipes. Dråm approaches Swedish music with respect and love, imparting a contemporary and passionate character to tradition, while maintaining the very soul of it!
The Nyckelharpa
The nyckelharpa is a traditional Swedish instrument that has been played, in one form or another as it evolved, for more than 600 years. At least four different versions of the nyckelharpa are still played today,an uncommon situation for most folk instruments. Also visit wwww.nyckelharpa.org
Carl Larsson
Featuring paintings and stories!
Döderhultarn
The wood carvings of Axel Petersson.
Axel Petersson Döderhultarn was born December 12, 1868 in the parish of Döderhult, Sweden,As a boy his primary interests was in whittling, and carving small figures. This activity was considered worthless by his friends and family in Sweden. His family decided the best thing for him to do as a young adult was to emigrate to the United States. Peterson did not emigrate to America, as his family had planned, and after a brief time away he moved back to help his now widowed mother in Oskarshamn, Sweden.Döderhultarn became know as one of Sweden's great artists. His work as well as photos of his work were circulated world wide. and he served as an inspiration to other woodcarvers, including Carl Johan Trygg, and H. S. "Andy" Anderson. His popularity was so great that "Döderhultarn figure" became the generic term for any small figure in the minimalist style.
Kaffe,Coffee, Fika
Fika usually refers to the Swedish coffee break. Fika, a social institution in Sweden, is both verb and noun in Swedish and has a broad definition. Essentially, it refers to a break from one's activities in order to drink coffee or other drinks with friends, family or acquaintances. This tradition of a coffee break with a snack is central to Swedish culture, and Swedes are one of the world's top coffee consumers.
Taste of Sweden
Smörgåstårta--A wonderful summer dish with layers of bread and creamy fillings along with ham and shrimp and smoked salmon spread, cucumbers and tomatoes and olives and dill and parsely and whatever else you can imagine. Find recipe on taste of Sweden page and treat yourself to something special this summer.
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind (October 6, 1820 – November 2, 1887), better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily popular concert tour of America beginning in 1850. The Swedish songstress and her appearance in the US along with her relationship with Chopin keeps this page very busy. Pictures of Castle garden and Chopin. Also a video of Elizabeth Parcells as Jenny singing "und ob die Wolke sie Verhulle" the aria that made her famous as a young girl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3RMFGk7ndE
Greta Garbo Silent Films
Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in Stockholm, Sweden, the youngest of three children of Karl Alfred Gustafsson (1871–1920) and Anna Lovisa Johansson (1872–1944). The family lived in a small apartment at Blekingegatan No. 32 in Stockholm. When Gustafsson was 14 years old, her father, to whom she was extremely close, died. She was forced to leave school and go to work. From 1922 to 1924, Gustafsson studied at the prestigious Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. While there, she met director Mauritz Stiller. He trained her in cinema acting technique, gave her the stage name 'Greta Garbo', and cast her in a major role in the silent film Gösta Berlings Saga (The Story of Gösta Berling) in 1924, a dramatization of the famous novel by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf.Added on the film page are a selection from the film, the Ice scene http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LjBkDvHNY4 :/ .
Recent Forum Posts
Swedish Folkdräkt
Swedish folk costumes are a wonderful way to connect with your Swedish heritage.
Kulning
Kulning, or herding calls, the song form is primarily used by women, as they were the ones tending the herds and flocks in the high mountain pastures.The song has a high-pitched vocal technique, i.e. a loud call using head tones, so that it can be heard or be used to communicate over long distances. It has a fascinating and haunting tone, often conveying a feeling of sadness, in large part because the lokks often include typical half-tones and quarter-tones (also known as "blue tones") found in the music of the region.
Nordic Walking
Nordic walking is defined as walking with specially designed poles. It evolved from an off-season ski-training activity known as ski walking, hill bounding or ski striding to become a way of exercising with poles year-round.
Nordic walking combines simplicity and accessibility of walking with simultaneous core and upper body conditioning similar to Nordic skiing. The result is a full-body walking workout that can burn significantly more calories without a change in perceived exertion or having to walk faster, due to the incorporation of many large core and other upper-body muscles which comprise more than 90% of the body's total muscle mass and do work against resistance with each stride.
www.nordicwalkingonline.com
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