About Landings Laget

Landings Laget (Landingslag) was founded in 1910 by a group of Norwegian settlers (most in Canada and the U.S.) from the bygd (community) called Land in Oppland fylke (county) in south central Norway (Oppland and Hedmark counties were combined to make Innlandet county in 2020.)

The communities of Nordre Land and Søndre Land (North and South Land) lie among the green slopes and valleys of central Norway about 100 miles north of Oslo (maps). The more rugged northern portion is west of Lillehammer, the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The southern part boasts the Randsfjorden, a scenic inland lake. Dokka and Hov are the delightful centers of the two respective kommuner (communities).

Today, Land is a modern, thriving community with a mixture of agriculture and business – a very fine cross-section of Norwegian rural life. Over one hundred fifty years ago, thousands of individuals and families emigrated to America looking for new opportunities. In the 21st centuries, Norwegian and American relatives (distant cousins) are re-establishing their ties.

Landingslag is a bygdelag (an organization comprised of descendants of emigrants from Norway to North America) dedicated to the preservation of Norwegian cultural heritage and historical knowledge of one’s roots and to the promotion of fellowship among those who share these interests. Bygdelag is a combination of two words: bygd implies a settlement where people share a common dialect and customs and lag is an association or a group of people.

Lars Nielsen Røste was the first verified Landing to come to America (1839). About 70 years later Landingslag was founded. Kristian Goplen (1867-1957), born in Nord-Torpa, Land, emigrated to Wisconsin in 1885. An article by Goplen in Skandinaven led to the organizational meeting of this lag on June 16, 1910, at Dania Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The following day a constitution was accepted and officers elected. Except for ten years lost to World War I, World War II, COVID-19, and a handful of other circumstances, Landingslag members have assembled at least once a year for a stevne (a gathering).

Nordre Land’s Municipal Emblem

Nordre Land’s municipal emblem (coat of arms) was approved by royal decree on December 21, 1987. The emblem has two upright hook poles in gold on a blue background. This motif has its background in the economic life of the district from time immemorial. The municipality has rich traditions in lumbering, timber floating and transportation of timber, and until 1969 this is the way it was done on the rivers in the municipality. In connection with timber floating, which in the municipality’s dialect was called brotning, a hook pole was used called a brotningshake. The pike pole was a very popular tool for use in timber floating. Kristian Halden, the municipal blacksmith (1867-1956) constructed and forged such a special pole. This pole was lighter and easier to use than what was used in the early days and had a case or sleeve for the end of the pole to fit into.

Søndre Land’s Municipal Emblem

Søndre Land’s municipal emblem (coat of arms) was approved by royal decree on June 21, 1985, designed by Asbjorn Fladsrud. The emblem has three diagonally placed gold tree trunks on a blue background. The blue color stands for the Randsfjord which divides the municipality lengthwise. The fjord stretches from the north end of the municipality for 42 miles and through two other municipalities in the direction of Oslo. The fjord was of utmost importance to the municipality during the time that steamboat traffic was at its prime. The forest has always provided employment for the sawmills and factories of the municipality and continues to do so. The forest therefore had to be a part of the emblem. The motif was meant to symbolize the owner and workman rather than a definite phase of the process. The gold color of the tree trunks conveys the image of the process of debarking a tree trunk, thus showing the work as begun by the lumberjack.

Landingslag is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 26-0053720) run by volunteer members.

Also reference: Emigrant Memorial and Landings Laget Bylaws