Viking Magazine - January 2020 - 27

organization's fi rst vice president, and is credited with
suggesting the Sons of Norway name.
bylaws were amended once again, this
time to allow non-Norwegians to apply
for membership.
Draxten proved to be a great recruiter for the new
organization, thanks to his ability to connect with
other Norwegian-Americans and convince them to
trust in what he'd helped create. Surely, during its
humble inception in North Minneapolis, the founders
likely dreamed they would enlist a good number of
Minnesota-based members someday.
Membership continued to grow in Minneapolis, and
the founders set their sights on expanding beyond the city
limits. A framework was developed that would allow the
establishment of multiple lodges.
By 1899, two lodges were up and running in
Minneapolis-Nidaros No. 1 and Oslo No. 2. When Dovre
No. 3 was set up in 1900 in Chetek, Wis., the leaders of
the three lodges met and decided it would be wise to elect a
board. Naturally, Draxten was named Supreme President.
At the end of 1900, Minnesota was home to a total of 12
lodges.
News of this fraternal organization migrated throughout
the Upper Midwest along with members of the Norwegian
community. Soon the Minnesota lodges were joined by
those in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South
Dakota, and even some on the West Coast.
Around this time, two groups similar to Sons of Norway
were taking shape in Washington. Though they'd modeled
themselves after their Midwestern counterparts, their
petitions to be affi liated with Sons of Norway were denied
because of disagreement over membership requirements-
specifi cally, whether members should be required to purchase
insurance. But at a June 1909 convention in Wisconsin, they
reached a compromise, and the West Coast and Midwest
groups offi cially merged. The fraternal organization began
welcoming members to lodges across the nation.
Over the past 125 years, Sons of Norway has grown
and evolved to continue to serving its members and the
community. There are now more than 350 lodges in the
United States, Canada and Norway, welcoming a total
of nearly 50,000 members. Canada's fi rst lodge formed
in 1913, and Norway founded its fi rst in 1981. In the
fi rst quarter of the 20th century, Sons of Norway revised its
membership requirements and began allowing women to
join lodges. In 1942, the offi cial language of the organization
was changed to English, and a few years later, membership
Membership
pin circa 1930
Membership
pin 2016
Current
membership pin
One thing that hasn't changed
is the essential purpose of the
organization. Since the beginning,
Sons of Norway has been
dedicated to helping members
secure fi nancial resources to
protect their families from life's
unpredictable twists and turns.
Over the years, this has grown from
relatively simple life insurance offerings
to the varied fi nancial products and
planning aids that help give members a
sense of economic safety to this day.
Another central tenet that has
remained intact since the early days of
Sons of Norway is a deep commitment
to being a place where
members can celebrate
the customs and
traditions of the place
their ancestors called
home. In this realm, as
on the fi nancial side of
the organization, Sons of
Norway has continuously
grown and adapted its approach
to helping members learn, grow and
socialize together.
Lodge membership has always
emphasized fellowship and a
celebration of traditions. Many fi nd this
to be a favorite aspect of membership,
and 22-year-old Linnea Kephart is
no exception. She became a member
of Draxten 1-464 in Minneapolis in
early 2019-and recently was named
treasurer-but says she's been familiar
with Sons of Norway for as long as
she can remember because of an
active lodge in her hometown of
Decorah, Iowa.
Anniversary pin
" I decided to join Draxten lodge
because of all the fun events and
programs they host, " says Kephart,
who now lives in St. Paul. " In my fi rst
six months here, I participated in a
sonsofnorway.com VIKING JANUARY 2020 27
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - January 2020

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