Скачать или смотреть Celebrating 200 Years of Norwegian Emigration to America

On July 4, 1825, the sloop Restauration set sail from Stavanger, Norway, carrying 52 Norwegian immigrants — later known as the “sloopers” — on a journey to pursue religious freedom in America. After months at sea and the birth of a newborn, they arrived in New York City on October 9, 1825, marking the beginning of organized Norwegian emigration to the United States.

Two hundred years later, a replica of the Restauration departed from the same port in Stavanger, again on July 4. The vessel completed its transatlantic journey with a celebratory arrival in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, October 9, 2025 — 200 years to the day.

“The millions of stories that make up two centuries of Norwegian emigration to the United States tell of hope and disappointment, success and also challenges, but above all, they bear witness of generations of Norwegians who were inspired to seek a new life of freedom and possibility,” said Crown Prince Haakon of Norway during the celebration in New York following the docking of the Restauration.

The Norwegian government organized the commemorative journey, but members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined the celebration to remember family ties to Norway and, for some, ancestors who were part of the original 53 sloopers.

“I grew up knowing that our ancestry all went back to Norway. I didn’t know I was related to the original sloopers,” said Ivan Nelson, who joined in welcoming the Restauration into New York Harbor.

“It was more than just a ship sailing in. This is part of my history, part of my ancestry. There’s a spiritual connection there,” said Nelson.