Social Essays
Food Storage House
While the climate of Norway is a harsh one, weather in the Upper Midwest of the U.S. took some getting used to.
Early Norwegian settlers spoke of being terrified of the violent thunder storms experienced in the spring and fall. The first Norwegians in the Midwest had settled in Illinois. The region became swampy during the spring rains, however, and was found to be too low-lying for proper farming. The settlers made their way northward to the more hilly terrain in Wisconsin.
Dairy products were important in the Norwegian diet. Today, of course, Wisconsin produces more dairy products than any other state in the U.S., except California. The heat of the Wisconsin summer, however, made the primitive preservation of dairy products in the early 1800s almost impossible. The Norwegian immigrants had to wait until cooler temperatures in the fall before they were able to work the milk into cheese.
Pictured here is what's known as a Norwegian Stabbur - or storage house. It's built on a raised foundation to protect food from rodents and moisture. This type of construction - individual buildings with a specific purpose - was common placement for farms in Norway. This homestead also included a bachelor's house. The wife's brother lived here, presumably to secure some independence from his sister and her husband, though, apparently, he still took meals with the family at the main house.
The main house on a Norwegian farm was larger than these buildings, but still small, often housing a husband and wife and several kids. There would be two rooms - an upper level with sleeping quarters, and a lower level where all manner of cooking, eating, tailoring and carving of household items would take place.
Early Norwegian settlers spoke of being terrified of the violent thunder storms experienced in the spring and fall. The first Norwegians in the Midwest had settled in Illinois. The region became swampy during the spring rains, however, and was found to be too low-lying for proper farming. The settlers made their way northward to the more hilly terrain in Wisconsin.
Dairy products were important in the Norwegian diet. Today, of course, Wisconsin produces more dairy products than any other state in the U.S., except California. The heat of the Wisconsin summer, however, made the primitive preservation of dairy products in the early 1800s almost impossible. The Norwegian immigrants had to wait until cooler temperatures in the fall before they were able to work the milk into cheese.
Pictured here is what's known as a Norwegian Stabbur - or storage house. It's built on a raised foundation to protect food from rodents and moisture. This type of construction - individual buildings with a specific purpose - was common placement for farms in Norway. This homestead also included a bachelor's house. The wife's brother lived here, presumably to secure some independence from his sister and her husband, though, apparently, he still took meals with the family at the main house.
The main house on a Norwegian farm was larger than these buildings, but still small, often housing a husband and wife and several kids. There would be two rooms - an upper level with sleeping quarters, and a lower level where all manner of cooking, eating, tailoring and carving of household items would take place.