The first thing a Norwegian immigrant had to do after staking his land claim was to build himself a shelter. Often the first home was a dugout in the side of the hill with close access to a stream and a woods. This sometimes became a family’s home over the first winter. Once weather permitted and crops were planted, they turned their attention building a log cabin using the techniques they had used at home in Norway. A special ax cutting technique known as the Scandinavian Saddle Notch was used in constructing these buildings. The corner notch system features precisely angled surfaces which achieve an excellent long term tolerance and creates an extremely effective water and air infiltration barrier and is still used in log home construction today.

Our speaker Alan Pape has a long and illustrious history in restoring, preserving wooden structures both in Wisconsin and Michigan. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, specializing in Historic Preservation. He help to build Old World Wisconsin and was also the site manager for The Wade House Historic Site in Greenbush, WI. He received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award in 1994 and was on the original Board of the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation. For three years Alan was the executive director of Wisconsin’s Ethnic Settlement Trail, a 12- county State of Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Project. He is currently helping to restore and activate an 1855 German Saxon hotel in Filmore, Wisconsin in Washington County.