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Mother Anne Dable supervising stream bed construction, c. 1933.
Little Norway Collection.
furnishings. Crates containing tables, chairs, a clock, tapestries and copper
pieces began arriving at the Dahle family store in January, 1929. They cre-
ated a stir in the community, and were placed on display in the store
window for a time.
The entire project began to draw the attention of journalists and the
curious alike. Newspaper and magazine stories began to appear, locally
and nationally. Family members enjoying the tranquil property soon began
accommodating the public. Ongoing construction was often hampered
by the number of spectators wishing to view Little Norway. However,
work continued as planned. Marsh land was drained, acreage acquired,
ponds hand-dredged, thousands of pine trees planted, white picket fences
and birchwood bridges constructed. The entire place took on a look and
beauty comparable only to Old Norway.
1. Like many Norwegian immigrants, Osten Olson Hougan took a new name in America. He chose to Amer-
icanize Osten as Austin and used this as his first name, and according to his obituary no longer used
Hougan.
A NEW OWNER     49