Norwegian newspaperman Paul Hjelm-Hansen leaves Alexandria to travel to the Red River by oxcart. Hjelm-Hansen had been hired by the State Board of Immigration to publicize the advantages of settling in western Minnesota. His letters, published in a number of Norwegian newspapers, encourage many emigrants to settle here. In 1924 the Norwegian-Danish Press Association of America presented the Minnesota Historical Society with a plaque in his memory.
Thanks to Juliana James’ 4th Grade Class at Frost Lake Magnet School part of St Paul Public Schools for the research on January’s Day in History.
Thanks also to Minnesota’s Learn and Serve America Service Learning Program for their help.
Minnesota Sesquicentennial 