Other stories in "Heritage travel"

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• Finding Embarrass
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• Tulip Time in Pella
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• Cozying up to the Cornish
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• Swedish smorgasbord
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• Destination: Stockholm
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• Where the Germans are
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• Swiss at heart
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• Polish for a day
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• Nordic nirvana
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• Bazaar on the prairie
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• Heritage travel: Germany
  In the Upper Midwest, many of our most beloved traditions came over with the Germans.
• Heritage travel: Norway
  Led by Norwegians, an exodus from Scandinavia changed the face of the Upper Midwest.
• Heritage travel: Switzerland
  In Wisconsin's cheese country, townspeople hang on to tradition.
• Globe-trotting in Chicago
  Colorful neighborhoods are a window into other worlds.
• A jumpin' joint
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A pocket of Norway

In northeast Iowa, Decorah still is Norwegian after all these years.

Of all the immigrant groups, Norwegians perhaps are most sentimental.

They settled in hills and valleys reminiscent of their homeland, bringing trunks full of handcrafted ale bowls and mangle boards. Generations later, they’re still painting bowls and stitching costumes in the old style and celebrating holidays with foods poor Norwegians ate in the 19th century.

The heart of this nostalgia is Decorah, a town of 8,500 tucked into the wooded ridges and limestone bluffs of northeast Iowa. It's the home of Luther College, established by Norwegians in 1861, and Vesterheim, founded in 1877 and now the nation's most comprehensive museum dedicated to a single ethnic group.

Until 1972, it had a Norwegian-language newspaper — the Decorah Posten, which absorbed the Minneapolis Tidende and Chicago Skandinaven to become the nation’s biggest.

Its Nordic Fest in July is one of the region's biggest and best festivals, drawing 60,000 people for a weekend of Old World immersion where rosemalers paint, acanthus carvers whittle, fiddlers accompany folk dancers, Viking re-enactors fashion mail shirts and street stands sell krumkake, sandbakkels and rosettes, with nary a corn dog in sight.

Tourists from Norway often are surprised by Decorah, commenting that the locals are more Norwegian than they are.

"The young people in Norway are more interested in pizza-hamburgers-French fries; it's the Norwegian-Americans who are interested in keeping the traditions alive,'' says Diane Weston, a clerk at Vesterheim. “It starts to hit in their early '30s; they start realizing it's the thing to do.''

Weston herself is only half Norwegian; her father was English, Scottish and Irish.

"And those are interesting cultures,'' she says. "But this is what I consider endearing, the Norwegian culture.''

Lutefisk and ballet

It's true that few things are cuter than a towheaded toddler in a wreath of wildflowers, or a young woman clicking heels in an embroidered bunad, the regional folk costume. The haunting melodies of a hardanger fiddle, the drawn-out vowels of a Norwegian brogue, the folk-art flourishes on everything — these too are endearing.

And lutefisk? Yes, even that, or at least the locals’ willingness to eat it; people in Norway haven't wanted to eat lye-soaked cod since refrigerators were invented.

Despite its allegiance to the 19th century, Decorah always has been a pretty hip little town. Luther College is a magnet for musicians, whose concerts and operas often are free or cut-rate. National ballet and theater troupes also come to town, and the highly charged cultural atmosphere has attracted artists, who have settled in the scenic hills nearby.

The tidy brick storefronts of downtown always have been pleasant but lacked a great place to stay until 2000, when local angel Helen Basler opened the luxuriously restored Hotel Winneshiek; the same year, the town’s historic homes earned it the title “Prettiest Painted Place in the Great Plains’’ from the Paint Quality Institute, as judged by Better Homes and Gardens, Architecture and Victorian Homes magazines.

Then the town needed only a fine restaurant; it got two, La Rana Bistro and Rubaiyat Restaurant. The big-city amenities on top of small-town warmth make locals almost giddy.

“This is just an ideal place, and we get to live here,’’ says Kari Burns, director of the Winneshiek County tourism council. “We don’t take it for granted.’’

If these Norwegians weren’t so humble, they’d be insufferable. Not that everyone in Decorah actually is Norwegian.

“It’s a proven fact there a few of us Germans here,’’ jokes Charlotte Strinmoen, who came to the area from Berlin as a youth and works at Vanberia, the Scandinavian imports shop. “It really is a proven fact there are more Germans in the county. But this here is Norwegian territory — lutefisk and lefse, rah-rah-rah.’’

I met Strinmoen when she was walking with her Norwegian husband, Lloyd, along the paved 2½-mile Oneota Trail, which follows the Upper Iowa River as it carves an “S’’ through town. Overhead, from a stone gazebo in Phelps Park, another trail follows the wooded bluff top, lined with fanciful pillars of boulders and limestone slabs stacked like dominos.

On top of everything else, Decorah has an idyllic setting that draws canoeists, hikers and bicyclists. There’s a spectacular view from the bluff, of course, and others from the hill above Dunning’s Springs Park, famous for its lacy waterfall, and the trails of Palisades Park. On the quiet riverside road between the two, Decorah’s Ice Cave has been attracting sightseers for a century; in its hillside chambers, ice appears during spring thaw and lasts until late summer.

Decorah’s marquee attraction, however, is Vesterheim, the Norwegian “home in the west’’ that attracts visitors from all over the world. It’s a village in itself, with 15 historic buildings, a four-level museum and a crafts and education center. It has its own church, its own stone mill and blacksmith shop and its own celebrations: In May, it marks Syttende Mai, which celebrates the day in 1814 when Norway ended its long subservience to Denmark and adopted a democratic constitution.

A dire prophecy

In the museum, visitors learn that the number of emigrants who left Norway between 1825 and 1930 was nearly equal to Norway’s 1825 population; only Ireland gave up a greater percentage of its population to America. There are voices reading the words of emigrant John Nelson Luraas, an eldest son due to inherit the family farm but who still foresaw a bleak future, and Pastor P.A. Jensen, who warned that “. . . Soon will you forget the speech and custom of your fathers . . . And you will live in exile always.’’

There are the typical contents of an emigrant’s trunk, including a delicate china cup and a wooden mangle board, used to smooth clothing. There are exhibits on Norwegians who served in the Civil War, naming their companies “Odin’s Rifles’’ and “Norway Wolf Hunters,’’ and on the heroes of Telemark, members of the Norwegian Resistance whose persistent sabotage prevented Nazi occupiers from producing the heavy water needed to make an atomic bomb.

Vesterheim anchors one end of Decorah’s Water Street, with a lineup of shops whose apparent health seems miraculous considering a Wal-mart has sat outside town for many years. There’s a food co-op, a hatchery, a jeweler’s, furniture and hardware stores, three women’s clothing shops and a mom-and-pop J.C. Penney, the only franchise other than Blimpie Subs and Happy Joe’s Pizza Parlor, where a stained-glass “Velkommen’’ sign hangs over the counter. And there are bars, unusually tidy and well-lighted, and a tattoo parlor, its windows full of plants and a flier advertising a Decorah Chorale concert.

Spend more than a day walking along Water Street, and you become part of the town fabric.

I first saw Karen LaBat and Sherri Gahring at La Rana, where I was savoring a meal of mixed greens with crayfish tails and avocado, fresh crab cake with truffle-essence mashed potatoes and lemon-curd tart with fresh raspberries and a chopped-hazelnut topping.

I saw the pair again over breakfast at the Hotel Winneshiek, where we discussed the two degrees of separation that seem the norm in Decorah.

“We were at Tupy’s, and the woman there said, ‘Oh, you ladies have been here awhile,’ ’’ said LaBat, associate professor of clothing design at the University of Minnesota. “She’d seen us walking along the street — typical small town. We said, ‘Oh, we’re staying at the hotel,’ and we had a little restaurant list from the chamber and were trying to figure out where to go, and she told us to go to La Rana. That was the assistant, Robin — you leave knowing everyone’s name.’’

LaBat had come to Decorah to look at Vesterheim’s large collection of mittens from the Selbu region of Norway and had brought Gahring, an associate professor of textiles. On LaBat’s advice, I stopped by Vanberia to see Selbu love mittens, which are two pairs of mittens conjoined in the middle so those sentimental — and, apparently, romantic — Norwegians can hold hands.

I didn’t see my new friend Charlotte at Vanberia, but I did run into Vern Ratcliff while I was admiring the fantastical rock wall of the Porter House.

I’d seen him and his wife, Viola, while we were touring Vesterheim and again over lunch; he and Viola had come from Webster City, Iowa, to donate Viola’s great-grandfather’s discharge papers from the Norwegian navy and application for U.S. citizenship.

It’s funny, how wrong that sour old Pastor Jensen was. Not only did the emigrants not forget the ways of their parents, but they never lived in exile — in fact, the Norwegians of Decorah have the rest of the world beating a path to them.

Trip Tips: Decorah, Iowa

Getting there: It’s about 2¾ hours south of the Twin Cities on U.S. 52, which is very scenic south of Rochester.

Nordic Fest: This is one of the best festivals in the Midwest. For the program of events (there are so many, it’s smart to plan ahead), send $2 to Nordic Fest Program, P.O. Box 364, Decorah, Iowa 52101. Call organizers for help with lodging, (800) 382-3378, www.nordicfest.com. A good bet is Luther’s dorm rooms; call (563) 387-1538 or send your mailing address to Judson Barclay at barcju01@luther.edu.

Other events: Weekend closest to May 17, Syttende Mai. First weekend of October, Northeast Iowa Studio Arts Tour and Scandinavian Food Fest at Vesterheim (book lodgings early for this weekend).

Accommodations: The Hotel Winneshiek right on Water Street is the place to stay, with 31 very handsome rooms and suites; be sure to ask for AAA, AARP or corporate discounts. (800) 998-4164, www.hotelwinn.com.

The Loft on Water Street is an apartment that's right downtown, 563-380-9189,
www.agoraarts.com/loft.

On or near Iowa 9, on the southern edge of town, there’s a Super 8, (563) 382-8771, Heartland Inn, (563) 382-2269, and Country Inn, (563) 382-9646, all with continental breakfast. There are quite a few camping and cabin options; call for details.

There are three B&Bs. The Dug Road Inn is a block from Vesterheim and has three rooms, $60-$85; the one with private bath is lime-green, (563) 382-9355, www.dugroadinn.com. Bed and Breakfast on Broadway is near downtown and has five rooms, 563-382-1420, www.bandbonbroadway.com. Dee Dee’s is near downtown with two rooms, (563) 382-2778.

Dining: La Rana Bistro is a gem on Washington Street, serving fresh and original fare at cafe prices. It has an amazing beer list and well-priced wines. It’s small, so reserve at (563) 382-3067.

Rubaiyat Restaurant on Water Street serves a seasonal menu of classics with a nouveau twist and has an extensive wine and beer list, 563-382-9463, www.rubaiyatrestaurant.com.

Vesterheim: It’s open daily through October; admission is $5, $3 for youths 7-18; (563) 382-9681, www.vesterheim.org.

Porter House Museum: This 1867 Victorian house at 401 W. Broadway is open weekend afternoons in summer, but go any time to see its remarkable rock wall and lovely gardens.

Nightlife: There’s always something going on around town or at Luther College, often at its new Center for the Arts, www.luther.edu. And Hotel Winneshiek hosts concerts in its Steyer Opera House.

Canoeing: The 31½ miles between Kendallville and Decorah on the Upper Iowa are among the Midwest’s most scenic. Liveries include Hruska’s, (563) 547-4566, and Randy’s, (563) 735-5738. Listings are on www.bluffcountry.com.

Hiking and bicycling: Ask for the Trails of Winneshiek County brochure, which shows an amazing variety of routes.

Information: (800) 463-4692, www.decoraharea.com.

Last updated on June 4, 2008