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Join the Celebration of Emigration from Gausdal

22 - 24 August 2025

Gausdal, Oppland, Norway

THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORGANIZED EMIGRATION FROM NORWAY TO NORTH-AMERICA.

 

Follow-up note from Ken Haug:

In our first information we gave you the dates for our big event, 22nd, 23rd and 24th August 2025. We got a very good response, and are happy to say that it looks like many of you will come and join us in August 2025. We are really very happy about that !!!

With such a great response, we will have to use at least one more day for guiding you around to your «roots». Thursday 21st or Monday 25th are actual dates—or both if necessary. We will use as many days as we need !

In order to organize the guided tours, we will need to know who will come, and how many you will be. So please let us know not later than April 1st, 2025, if you are coming.

We also need to know how many we will be at the social gathering on Saturday before we can decide where to meet.

We also have a few other questions:

How would you like to stay while in Gausdal? There are cabins for rent, a small hotel, Strand Fjellstue (about 30 miles up the valley), and there are several hotels in Lillehammer, 10–15 miles from Gausdal (depends from where). Any of you who would like to stay with local families? Are you planning to rent a car when coming to Norway, or what do you think?

We are working on a detailed program for Sunday 24th, and will send you this with our next newsletter. Thank you for your great response, and we do look forward to welcome you to Gausdal in August 2025.

Original notice from Arne Halvorsen

Gausdal is a community in south-east Norway, just a short drive from Lillehammer, known for the winter Olympics in 1994. Gausdal is about 2 ½ hours drive north of Oslo. There are two valleys Vestre Gausdal and Østre Gausdal, which meet at Segalstad Bru, which is the administration center for Gausdal.

Around 7000 people left Gausdal for a hopefully better future in North-America. Norway will mark this occasion, and Gausdal wants to be a part of it. Gausdal Historical Society is planning a three day event, and we do hope that many people of Gausdal ancestry will join us.

A more detailed plan will follow later, and we will keep you updated.

22nd August 2025: Welcome visitors. Each person/family will get a guided tour to the places where their ancestors came from, and maybe you will meet relatives also !

23rd August: Continue showing our visitors around, and visit the churches where your ancestors were baptised and married. In the evening a social gathering at Ulsrud Farm museum (which belongs to the society) for visitors and relatives.

24th August: The main event will take place at the Ulsrud Farm museum. There will be speeches about some of the emigrants from Gausdal, like Ole Amundsen Buslett (author), Simon Benson (businessman), Randi Holtseteren  (well known from her letters she sent back to family in Gausdal), the emigrants from Svatsum who settled in Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada, and probably more interesting topics. Music of course. An exhibit of old letters, pictures, books etc., and – a family will leave for North America (a play).

Want to come? You are all VERY WELCOME.

More news will follow.

Regards,

Gausdal Historical Society

Arne Halvorsen