A Daring Journey

In this episode, we take a look at what the women built. We meet again women from earlier episodes—Gjertrud Rumohr Haug, Lina Svåi, Rakel Tonette Atlaksdatter.  Women whose strong and steady hands nurtured everyday life in the Norwegian-American communities – through spinning, baking, sewing, and song. Through vivid stories, letters, and memories, we gain an intimate glimpse into the women’s commu...

In this final episode of Vågespel we ask:  How can the stories of Norwegian emigrant women expand our understanding of migration in our own time?  In the previous episodes we have heard about Norwegian women from the 19th century who dared to cross an ocean, borne by hope and the determination to forge new lives in a new land.  Migrants today, in the 21st century, are also searching and hoping for...

In this episode we see how expectations, love and the freedom to make choices became determining factors in the lives of Norwegian immigrant women.  For some the next step was suggested in a letter—a picture, a promise, a hope.  We hear about Lina Svåi’s simple praerie wedding and Inga Brekke’s marriage to a prosperous Scottish shopkeeper in Sioux Falls. Through the stories of these women we see h...

In this episode we follow young women who take the step from farm to city and who find a new beginning in a new land.  They arrive with hands that know work and backs accustomed to responsibility and are handed a workday filled with scrub pails, crying children, sewing machines—and dreams.  Through the letters and stories of Ingeborg Marie Brekke and Anna Slinde , we hear how the shift to urban li...

In this episode, we meet the women who helped build a new country through physical labor, endurance, and warmth. Through powerful stories and letters from Lina Svåi, Gjertrud Rumohr Haug, Anna Slinde, Margretha Nesheim, and Rakel Tonette Rannestad, we hear how these women carried the weight of daily life in their hands: cooking, cleaning, caring for children, and tending to livestock. They were al...

After crossing the ocean, the true encounter with the new country awaited—a meeting that, for many, was brutal, lonely, and full of trials. In this episode, we follow women who arrived in the United States with hope and dreams, only to be met with coldness, cholera, unpaid labor, and a language they didn’t understand. Through powerful stories from Gjertrud Rumohr Haug, Lina Svåi, Anna Slinde, Guri...

In Episode 4, The Journey Westward Continues.  After arriving in New York, a new and demanding journey unfolds—this time inland. It’s no longer about ships and coastlines, but trains, canals, and the endless prairies. We follow newly arrived women as they try to find their footing in a foreign land—navigating language barriers, deception, illness, and the harsh forces of nature. Through powerful s...

In episode 2 we followed the brave women who took the big step – leaving Norway in search of a new life. In episode 3 they embark on their journey across the sea. Crossing the Atlantic was more than just another leg af the journey – it was a turning point in life. Through letters, diaries, and vivid scenes, we meet Gjertrud Rumohr Haug, Lina Svåi, Anna Slinde, Rakel Tonette Atlaksdatter and Linka...

In episode 1 we explored the historical background of Norwegian emigration—what drove people to leave and what did the world look like to those who made the great leap. In this episode we take a closer look at the act of departure itself. Leaving Norway in the 19th century was not just a physical transition but also an emotional and social rupture. For most, home was a lifelong anchor, and breakin...

Episode 1: Vågespel Welcome to the launch of Vågespel , a podcast that highlights the history of Norwegian women who emigrated from Norway to America between 1825 and 1925. How much do you know about the women who embarked on this journey? How did they experience the voyage, what drove them, and what challenges did they face in their new country?  We begin our journey back in time with historical...