Decorah Posten
Encyclopedia
Decorah-Posten was a notable Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...

 newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 published in Decorah, Iowa
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...

. It was founded in 1874 by Brynild Anundsen
Brynild Anundsen (Publisher)
Brynild Anundsen was a Norwegian-American newspaper editor and publisher. He was the founder of Decorah Posten, a Norwegian language newspaper.-Background:...

, a native of Skien, Norway, and widely read by Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

n immigrants in several states.

History

Its origin may be traced to the appearance at La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...

, in 1866, of the first Norwegian-American literary magazine, Ved Arnen ("By the Fireside"), which would later become a feulleton supplement thereto. Amundsen relocated his printing operation to Decorah, Iowa the following year. On September 18, 1874, Anundsen launched Decorah-Posten. It was a well-edited newspaper, its size and familiar format developed gradually. The publisher avoided areas of political and religious controversy, which had destroyed so many earlier papers. Considerable credit has been given to Anundsen for his sound judgment and business sense. He kept abreast of the times in printing and distribution, and expanded the physical plant to meet growing needs.

A popular feature of the Decorah-Posten was news contributed by Norwegian immigrants and their descendants from many localities in the upper Midwest
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...

. The newspaper frequently featured, usually in the Ved Arnen section, Norwegian language stories and books in serial form, most notably the work of Hans Andersen Foss
Hans Andersen Foss
Hans Andersen Foss was an American author, newspaper editor and temperance leader. Born the son of a small tenant farmer in 1851 in Modum, Buskerud county, Norway, Foss immigrated to the United States in 1887.-Biography:...

. The popularity of The Cotter's Son serial in 1899, has been credited with saving the Decorah-Posten from bankruptcy. The comic strip Han Ola og han Per was introduced in the Decorah-Posten during 1918. The comic strip was drawn by Peter Julius Rosendahl from 1918 until 1935. Han Ola og han Per was an exclusive feature of the Decorah-Posten. The comic strip was reprinted almost continually until the newspaper ceased publication.

Author and journalist Johannes B. Wist
Johannes B. Wist
Johannes B. Wist was an Norwegian American newspaper editor, journalist and author.-Biography:Born Johannes Racinus Benjaminsen, he was the son of Benjamin Johannessen Wist and Magdalene Arnoldusdatter Wist. He was born on the Sund farm in Inderøy parish in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. He...

 was the editor of Decorah-Posten from 1901 until his death in 1923. During much of this period, he also served as editor of Symra
Symra
Symra was a Norwegian language periodical published between in 1905 and 1914.Symra; En Aarbog for Norske Paa Begge Sider Af Havet was established to publish the literary works of Norwegian American authors, writers and poets. Johannes B...

, a Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...

 literary magazine which was also published in Decorah, Iowa. Kristian Prestgard
Kristian Prestgard
Kristian Prestgard was an author and the editor of Decorah-Posten from 1923 until 1946.-Background:Kristian Prestgard was born in Heidal in Kristians Amt, Norway. His parents were Gudbrand Kristensen Harelstad and Marit Prestgard . When his father died early, Kristian moved with his mother back...

 served as editor-in-chief of Decorah-Posten from 1923 until his death in 1946. Simon Johnson
Simon Johnson (novelist)
Simon Johnson was a Norwegian-born American newspaper editor and author. He frequently wrote about Norwegian immigrant frontier and pioneer life. He is most associated with his novel, From Fjord to Prairie or in the New Kingdom.-Biography:Simen Johannessen was born in Øyer in Oppland County,...

 served as co-editor from 1929 until his retirement in 1945.

To the Posten were incorporated the Minneapolis Tidende in 1935, and the Skandinaben in 1941, and in ~1948 the Posten claimed to have a larger circulation than all other US Norwegian newspapers combined.

The Decorah-Posten ceased publication in 1972 when it was purchased by Western Viking.

Norwegian American Weekly (formerly the Western Viking), a weekly bilingual publication, is the current version.
www.facebook.com/naweekly
It is the continuation of several former Norwegian language newspapers, including Decorah-Posten, Ved Arnen, Minnneapolis-Tidende, Minnesota Posten, Washington Posten, Norrøna and Skandiaben.

Other source

  • Lovoll, Odd S.
    Odd S. Lovoll
    -Background:Odd Sverre Lovoll was born in Sande, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He immigrated to the United States in 1946 and is a naturalized United States citizen. Lovoll received his education both in Norway and in the United States, passing university exams at the University of Bergen in 1961 and...

    Decorah-Posten: The Story of an Immigrant Newspaper( Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 27: Page 77) http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume27/vol27_5.htm
  • Bailey, Edwin C. Past and Present of Winneshiek County, Iowa. Volume II (S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Chicago. 1913)

External links

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