On July 5 1825 the sloop Restaurasjonen left from Stavanger with 52 people aboard. This is considered to be the first organized emigration party to leave from Norway. The passengers came from the southwestern part of Norway, many from Tysvær. Our Speaker Dale Goodman, is a direct descendent of both great-grandparents and 3 great-great-great aunts who were passengers on the Restuarasjonen.. He will talk about the events leading up to the voyage, why it took until October 9 for them to reach America, what happened in the new colony they established in upstate New York and ultimately how they ended up in what is now Norway, Illinois..

Dale has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry and Conservation and a Master’s degree in Wildland Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.  He was able to study Forestry in Norway for one year at the Norwegian College of Agriculture. After thirteen years in commercial construction, the family moved to Dubuque, where he was enrolled at Wartbug Theological Seminary. After graduation in 1993, he served in Lutheran Outdoor Ministries until his retirement in 2012. He has a keen interest in Norwegian heritage and  all “things Norwegian.” Dale also currently serves on the Board of Director of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center in Decorah, Iowa.