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The Bygdelags

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The bygdelags are local history clubs for Norwegian immigrants and their descendants organized by region of origin. Many Norwegians had traveled together from the same place and so were able to establish new communities with residents from the same place for the most part. This wasn’t the case for every bygdelag, and some formed out of communities with mixed origins, but the majority of Norwegian immigrant communities that stayed together formed their own bygdelag. 

Eidsvoll Centennial 1914

[From April Schultz: "The Pride of the Race Had Been Touched": The 1925 Norse-American Immigration Centennial and Ethnic Identity] pg 273

Commemorated the hundredth anniversary of Norwegian independence from Denmark
1914 celebration was symbolic of ethnic revivalism
openness to difference in the large culture (at least for white ethnics)
No only focused on Norwegian national celebration but also emphasized "ethnic maintenance" among the immigrations and the Norwegian language was predominant
The mood generated by the observance intensified the drive to expand instruction in the Norwegian language, and ethnic fraternal societies increased their recruitment campaigns 
Very few observers were predicting that assimilation would hardly obliterate the Norwegian-American community
WWI helped slow ethnic activism 
The Centennial however was a "last hurrah" for the end of Norwegian-American history

The Start of the Centennial Planning 

The Stavangerlaget proposed the idea of the Norse-American Centennial officially first during a general meeting of the bygdelags in 1915, but meaningful action wasn’t taken until a committee was appointed in 1919 to begin planning the Centennial. This early committee consisted of leading members of various bygdelags, including Rev. L. P. Thorkveen of Gudbrandsdalslaget, Prof. J. Tanner of Romsdalslaget, and Marius Hagen of Solørlaget to name a few. 

During the Centennial, each bygdelag would have its own meeting during the first day, which was called Bygdelag Day.

Sources to explore:
The Bygdelag Movement by Odd Lovoll in Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 25

 

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