John Berquist was a folklorist, musician and storyteller who worked primarily in Minnesota
and Chicago. Born in 1947, Berquist studied cultural geography at Macalester College and, as
a graduate student, at University of Minnesota. He worked as the Folk Arts Coordinator for
the Minnesota State Arts Board and served as a consultant to the Smithsonian Institution's
Folklife Program, music consultant for the Cousteau Society, hosted the folk music radio
program Jackpine Jamboree, and produced several public radio documentaries. He was a scholar
of Iron Range history, as well as Finnish American, Slovenian Button Accordion, lumberjack
and union musical traditions. As a musician, Berquist wrote folk songs about miners,
lumberjacks and the early Scandinavian and Slavic settlers in the Iron Range. In the 1970s,
he composed "I like it in Duluth," which has been covered by several other bands. He
performed in many groups including the Moose Wallow Ramblers, Nodding Wild Onions, South
Side Swedes, Chicago Swedish Men's Choir, St. Paul Swedish Men's Choir, and the Heritage
Company. He was active in the storytelling communities in Chicago and Minnesota,
specializing in the telling of Ole and Lena jokes. Berquist helped organize numerous ethnic
heritage festivals, including Laskiainen Festival, International Button Box Festival, and
Ethnic Days at Ironworld USA (now Minnesota Discovery Center). As a labor organizer, he was
active in the Chicago Local of the Industrial Workers of the World. He died May 12, 2016 in
Eveleth, Minnesota.
