Guide to the New Land, New Lives Oral History Collection

The New Land, New Lives Oral History collection contains the recorded interviews of 282 men and women who emigrated from Scandinavia and settled in the Pacific Northwest. The project was started during an experimental course on Scandinavian Women in the Pacific Northwest. Students in the course were encouraged to interview women and learn about their experiences as immigrants to the United States. The project was continued and expanded with support from the president’s office and by grants from the L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, from the Joel E. Ferris Foundation and the Norwegian Emigration Fund of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The project was directed by Dr. Janet E. Rasmussen. Upon completion, the collection was transferred to the Archives and Special Collections Department.

The oral history collection is open for personal and scholarly work. For commercial use, please contact archives@plu.edu.

Click a name from the lists below in order to access the materials for that individual or country.

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden