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“The Norwegian Immigrant: Part of Milwaukee’s Melting Pot” with Erica Dial
November 5, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
FREEA Virtual Presentation: Register Here:
Milwaukee has a rich history thanks to many European immigrants. Although known more for its German, Irish and Polish roots, Norwegian immigrants played an important role in the growth of this great Wisconsin city. Milwaukee was also a stopover for many Norwegian settlers that made their way to American soil and continued on to other locations in the Midwest.
During this presentation, learn about Milwaukee’s fascinating history and a daring rescue that involved Norwegian sailors!
Erica Dial a Hayward, Wisconsin native finds genealogy to be an exciting and rewarding hobby! As a former Stoughton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Erica became interested in her own Norwegian heritage while living in Stoughton. Organizations like the Sons of Norway, the Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Livsreise inspired her to dig deeper and uncover all that she could about her Norwegian roots. In addition to genealogy, she enjoys traveling, reading and enjoying a good glass of wine. She currently lives with her family in the Seattle area but will be making the move back to the Midwest in 2023.
By 1855 the Walker’s Point, south of the the confluence of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers contained 3,843 people, with 3,017 of those immigrants. The majority were German immigrants, but also significant numbers of Scandinavians and Irish. These were supplemented by Polish immigrants in the 1870s and 80s. (Photo of the old Union Depot in Walker’s Point from the files of the U.W. Milwaukee library)