Tag: history
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The search for the source (part 2)
For most of its course, the Mississippi River runs from north to south. But things are different at the headwaters. Here the Mississippi is a meandering stream that arcs vaguely north and east before turning south. Through marshes, woodlands and glacial lakes, this little river forms a giant question mark across north central Minnesota. Part…
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The search for the source (part 1)
The Mississippi River system covers most of the American interior. Its many tributaries fan out like the branches of an enormous tree across the Midwest and Great Plains, stretching from the Appalachian Mountains in the East to the Rockies in the West. The river system remains critical to American shipping and commerce, and its historical…
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Notes from the heartland (Part 5: Home)
I am home now after my road trip, a road trip long enough to permit some reflection. If you’ve read my previous posts, you won’t be surprised that I’ve been reflecting on our place in history. We Americans are living in a challenging time right now in terms of historical storytelling. Challenging but not unprecedented.…
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Glimmers from a golden age
Norway is one of those countries – like Macedonia or Mongolia – that has a modest footprint today but once settled and ruled distant lands. This is not to say that Norway’s best days are behind it. But it does have a storied, almost mythic past. Unlike the Greeks and Romans, the Old Kingdom of…
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Norway’s scattered children (part 1)
Two hundred years ago this year, a small ship set sail from Stavanger, Norway bound for New York City with 52 passengers and crew. This was Norway’s “Mayflower moment”.* Who could have guessed that over the coming century the number of migrants from Norway to the United States would reach nearly a million? The Norwegian…
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Missed connections
Hello from Iceland! This stop was not on my itinerary, but I missed my connecting flight in Reykjavik so I’ve spent the night here. This got me thinking about the less-than-obvious connections between the two countries I’ve just visited — Norway and Germany. Physically, Norway and Germany are separated only by a couple of modest-sized…
Deep Roots 