Editing North Dakota (section)

===Norwegian and Icelandic influences===

[[File:Hultstrand61.jpg|thumb|Norwegian settlers in front of their sod house in North Dakota in 1898]]

Around 1870 many European immigrants from Norway settled in North Dakota's northeastern corner, especially near the Red River. [[Icelandic American|Icelanders]] also arrived from Canada.<ref>William Charles Sherman, Playford V. Thorson, Warren A. Henke, ''Plains Folk: North Dakota's Ethnic History'' (North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1986) pp 189, 242, 256</ref> [[Pembina, North Dakota|Pembina]] was a town of many [[Norwegian American|Norwegians]] when it was founded; they worked on family farms. They started Lutheran churches and schools, greatly outnumbering other denominations in the area. This group has unique foods such as ''[[lefse]]'' and ''[[lutefisk]]''. The continent's largest Scandinavian event, ''[[Norsk Høstfest]]'', is celebrated each September in [[Minot, North Dakota|Minot's]] [[North Dakota State Fair Center]], a local attraction featuring art, architecture, and cultural artifacts from all five Nordic countries. The Icelandic State Park in [[Pembina County, North Dakota|Pembina County]] and an annual Icelandic festival reflect immigrants from that country, who are also descended from Scandinavians.

Old World folk customs have persisted for decades in North Dakota, with the revival of techniques in weaving, silver crafting, and wood carving. Traditional turf-roof houses are displayed in parks; this style originated in Iceland. A [[stave church]] is a landmark in Minot. [[Norwegian-Americans]] constitute nearly one-third or 32.3% of Minot's total population and 30.8% of North Dakota's total population.