The Portland daily press., 1899-06-14
THE OLD HOME.
Thi. Is the season OF che scandinavian
discussions from inc Northwest.

The annual midsummer excursion 70
Scandinavian event which yearly takes
hundreds Of descendants Of the vikings
back TO their native hills and fjords-was
started with appropriate ceremony al
Chicago the other day, and 800 swedes.
Danes and Norweeians were ticketed for
the homes Of their younger days with
much merriment, cheering and general
good humor. says the Chicago News.
At o'clock the 800 were fairly
launched, setting out from the Polk
street station, and matters In the local
Scan 1inavisn colonies settled back into
their usual calm.
The steamship agency was the iivsliest
place on the north side. Great wagons,
stuffed with trunks, were started from
the alley every minute and ir.haired
people In platoons were supervising the
checking and loading Of those trunks
with much attentive scrutiny. In the
Office they sat and stood In scores, laugh
ing, shaking hands and In fancy already
smiling the salt sea breeze and seeing she
sun rise over the northern pines.
Five minutes In that crowd was enough
TO summarize the whole story Of the
Scandinavian in America. BY the esti-
mate hurriedly gathered by b. Lund-
berg, q presiding genius of the whole
all air. there were 200 Swedes, 25 Danes,
rs NorwegiAns and Frenchman In the
gathering, besides some 20 yet unclassi-
Ified-intermarried Americans or blend
ings Of the thres nations. The solitary
Frenchman was Joseph LaChance, famed
in the northwest rs healer of disease,
now on his way to Jerusalem to visit the
places noted In the bible. LaChar ce had
cast in bis lot for the ocean journey with
the Scandina,i ans beoause, rs he said,
"they were b. good, and he was appar-
entity enjoying life as keenly as anybody
/ In the crowd.
Inquiry among the people soon devel.
ope6 these facts: They were all going
not one in the 800 expected to remain in
Scandinavia later than October They
all had money, the financial average be-
ing between $500 an 81 900 and many hav-
Ing much more than the latter SUM-
They expected to bring back with them
most OF their relations and the steamship
agent declared that reasonable estimate
of the number who would come to Amer
ion on the return voyage would DO about
1900
To sam 1t up there was old Peter Nok-
ken, richest farmer of Fargo, N. d.
Nokken, gray and hearty, stood by his
mighty trunk, packed with presents for
the folks in the old Norwegian home.
Thirty seven years" said Peter Nok-
ken, shave lived In this good country,
coming when the Dakota prairies were a
Wilderness of Indians. Thirty seven
years have tillsd the soil, and nowY
/ Now have hundreds OF acres and much
money and farmhouse-ah, there are
few such farmnouses In the land acr oss
the sea! And now, being old and having
much money (they say that Peter Is
worth $500. 000) go home for awhile.
When return I will bring with me my
people, oven to the little fellows whom
here even as have I. -
"These people, said Agent Paulson,
who brought fifty down from Minneapo-
lis, ARE anxious to show the folks at
Nome how they have prospered, and how
they enjoy life in this country. Notice
thNt load OF trunks--all the latest style OF
American trunks. All OF them have
return tickets and there will be very few
who don't bring some people back with
them. They go on the Lake Shore and
Wabash to New York and sail on the st.
Paal-yes. the auxiliary cruiser Of the
them to reach their destinations, and
there are lot of midsummer celebrations
at home, which they viii be in ample
time to see.
The excursionists were of every age.
There were old men and women,
wrinkied and tottering. going home to
see their grandchildren. or, perchance,
expecting to lay their bones In the soil
that gave them birth. There were mid
dle-aged men and women In great mum.
pers, substantial and prosperous looking,
thorough citizens If their adopted coun-
try, going home to tell their ons-time
neighbors that America suited them
most emphatically. There were many
youths and maidens, children when they
landed in America, looking to the voyage
as pleasurabls diversion, and expecting
to meet aunts and uncles dear, Indeed, in
childhood's days, and, a merry company,
there were little fellows, born in the
great northwest, going to see country
Of which all they know was what they
had read at school or what their elders
had told them.
The piles of baggage were also most ex
pressive. Cameras were everywhere.
The younger generation had evidently
determined to get few snapshots at the
rugged scenery of the old home, SO differ
ent from the fat prairies and thick built
cities where their lives have been lately
cast. Nowhere In the heaps of trunks
could be seen the hide bound and much be.
strapped trunks which the imm igrants
had owned when they came over the sea.
Rugs and gay blankets showed numer.
ously.
/ 1T was rough, oh. SO rough, when WI
came across ten years ago." said Swe,
dish matron, patting q big rug. "a nd
we were 50 uncomfortable. We intend to
have some comfort this time and so !
made Olaf buy these things. OF course
there's difference between coming on
an emigrant ship with few kroners in
q handkerchief for capital and going back
on the st. Paul with handbook in each
pocket"
And Olaf, who was very large man
with q brown beard. which did not quite
hide large diamond in his neoEtie,
busted himself with an enormous satchel.
We will pick up some more people at
oities along the road, said Agent Lund.
berg. II would not be surprised II there
were 800 off them by the time the ship
starts from New York"
RIvFRToN PARK.
Where all the peonle came fran wbo