Daughters of Norway

THE BEGINNINGS

The story begins on October 19, 1905. The lodge was started to provide an organization for women, who could not join formally join the then male-only Sons of Norway. The men at Leif Erikson Lodge #1, Sons of Norway of the Pacific, wanted to offer a women's auxiliary unit, but the Seattle Norwegian women didn't want this. They wished to be an independent organization. This was during the era of the women's suffragette movement when American women still didn't have the right to vote.

The women convinced Leif Erikson Lodge to charter the Daughters of Norway of the Pacific Coast, which is what the original Seattle lodge was called. The women took this name to distinguish themselves from another group in the Midwest called the Daughters of Norway headquartered in Minneapolis with lodges throughout the midwest.

It wasn't until another Sons of Norway of the Pacific Coast Lodge decided to charter it's own independent woman's group, that the name Valkyrien was used for the Seattle lodge. This happened in 1907 when Embla lodge in Tacoma was established.

FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS

Ethnic fraternal lodges were started for many reasons. The people wanted to share cultural traditions from their homelands and they wanted to provide each other with moral support in times of illness and death. It is hard to understand now, but in the Victorian era, immigrants could not obtain insurance policies, so a benevolence society provided a formal support system. This ended up being a cross between a ladies aide society from church and memorial association.

These ethnic fraternal groups provided mutual support in three ways: fellowship (culture, language, food); sickness (money and assistance); and burial (in the case of Valkyrien, a $50 coverage policy was set up toward burial expenses of members).

The Sons of Norway groups in the east (based in Minneapolis, Minnesota) and on the west coast (SNPC) joined together into one main organization on July 10, 1910. Later in the 1950's the midwestern Daughters of Norway organization joined with Sons of Norway, whereas the Daughters of Norway of the Pacific Coast remained separate and evolved into the current organizations name of: Daughters of Norway.

DAUGHTERS OF NORWAY OF THE PACIFIC COAST FORMS AS ORGANIZATION

On February 20, 1908, three women’s lodges from Washington State, Valkyrien Lodge #1 from Seattle, Embla Lodge #2 from Tacoma, and Freya Lodge #3 from Spokane, banded together to form a corporate umbrella for the Daughters of Norway of the Pacific Coast. Other lodges were formed and after 1908 charters were given by the Daughters of Norway of the Pacific Coast, not by individual Sons of Norway lodges.

LODGE ACTIVITIES IN THE EARLY YEARS

In the early years, the organizations conventions were held yearly. Often, they were held in the same city and at the same time as the Sons of Norway conventions. When WWI came, the conventions became biennial.

The Seattle Sons (Leif Erikson Lodge, SNPC,) and Daughters (Valkyrien Lodge, DNPC) groups together undertook the project of financing and building Norway Hall near Boren Street and Denny Avenue in 1915. At the time it was built, the hall had the largest wooden dance floor on the west coast. This building was listed as a historic place by Cornish College of Arts. Other lodges also built halls during this era, but only a few remain because of the expense and maintenance.

By the 1920s many lodges, including Valkyrien, had drill teams that performed for big events. Valkyrien still owns this set of sashes and spears. The dress and hair styles were reflective of the 1920's. Dresses were simpler and hair styles were bobbed. An example of the spear these women worked with is shown in the center figure front of the picture.

1925 IMMIGRATION CENTENNIAL

There was a huge celebration in Seattle of the centennial of modern Norwegian immigration to the United States in 1925. A Valkyrien-dressed Viking woman with shield leads the lodge members who were dressed in white with sashes. The banner carried is not the historical banner that Valkrien lodge carries today. The banner change occurred around the time of World War II.

CONTINUTING CHANGES

As lodge membership grew, the programs and festivities became more elaborate. Fancy programs were published, usually funded by advertising donations from local merchants.

Valkyrien Lodge played a big role in the success of the Daughters of Norway Newsletter, Døtre av Norge. Members of this lodge provided all but two of the editors over the years. The paper was started before World War II by lodge member, Inga Humlbek Frodesen. She was the aunt of our member and past Grand Lodge President Karin Scovill. The Frodesen Guild at Norse Home in Seattle is also named for her, as one of the founders of that institution. The paper was mostly in Norwegian until the 1950s. The current editor, Roberta Morrow, is also a members of Valkyrien Lodge.

Valkyrien member, Carol Pease, one of the last editors of the newsletter, also began the website for the Daughters of Norway in the late 1990's.

NORWAY CENTER

In 1951 Valkyrien Lodge, Leif Eriksen Lodge, and the Norwegian Men’s Chorus joined forces to build the Norway Center, a large building with meeting rooms, offices, and a restaurant. The four women in the picture at the right are Inga Humlebek Frodesen (Grand Lodge President from 1932-36 and founder of the paper), Thrine Johnson Pedersen (Grand Lodge Secretary 1938-1944), Julie Stillman Duffy (Grand Lodge Secretary several times), and Kaspara Humlebek Gorud (Grand Lodge President 1944-1948). Thrine was the mother of Grand Lodge President Louise Thomas (1982-1984) and Kaspara was the mother of Grand Lodge President Karin Gorud Scovill (2000-2002).

Norway Center was located near the Seattle Center opened to the public in 1951. Later it was sold to the Mountaineers in the 1990s.

1950 CONVENTIONS

Valkyrien hosted Daughters of Norway conventions many times over the years. In 1954 Valkyrien's convention committee was larger than the entire convention of 1916. In the picture, you will see the changes in clothing during the 1950s. The three women in the white blouses were the Valkyrien flag team for the installation of officers.

By this time the newspaper was published principally in English. After the Daughters of Norway centered in Minneapolis merged with the Sons of Norway in 1950, the Daughters of Norway of the Pacific Coast formally became just the Daughters of Norway. We re-filed our articles of incorporation with the State of Washington on August 29, 1956. In the 1950s, The Daughters of Norway convention voted to stop offering the meager death benefit ($50) to new members as they joined.

ADDITIONAL VALKYRIEN INTEREST GROUPS FORMED

The Norwegian Ladies Chorus was formed by Professor August Werner and his wife Matty Werner with financial support and voices from Valkyrien Lodge. The first concert was September 4, 1936.

Many lodges had bowling teams in the 1950s and even into the 1960s there were bowling competitions as part of convention festivities. The picture on the right includes two future Grand Lodge Presidents of the organization, Louise Thomas and Karin Scovill, both of Valkyrien. Many of these girls joined when they were 13 and remained with the organization the remainder of their lives.

NORSE HOME, SEATTLE

Valkyrien Lodge helped build Norse Home in Seattle and they continue to support the organization. The Groundbreaking for Norse Home was held on December 10, 1955. The first residents moved in in June of 1957. Lodge member Inger Saltonstall oversaw the building of a garden court in 2003. Today, the lodge continues to hold a few meetings or events there every year. They often have members in residence.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS

Valkyrien Lodge #1 celebrated its centennial as the lead-off group in the 17^th of May parade in Ballard (Seattle) in 2005. Later that year in October they had a formal luncheon. They finished off the year's celebration by hosting the Grand Lodge Convention in July 2006. Included in the pictuSre above are two important Valkyrien past Grand Lodge officers, (far left) Kathleen Nesseth, past Editor of the Døtre av Norge and GL Trustee (1990s); and (in front of the banner) past GL Secretary Donna Murrish (2004-8).

Valkyrien Lodge helped salute the Grand Lodge for it's centennial on February 20, 2008. Members of the lodge, as with other lodges, are seen wearing their bunader at major formal events. Valkyrien members have been strongly represented in Grand Lodge positions over one hundred years.

LODGE MEMBERSHIP CHANGES

Valkyrien Lodge membership has always been amongst the largest in the organization. It is the second largest lodge in Washington (Embla being the first). Between the two World Wars, Valkyrien Lodge as with other lodges in Daughters of Norway, had strong growth. The modern Valkyrien Lodge #1 has varied slightly from 100 to 125 members. They are eager to expand their membership and offer a wide variety of programs and activities aimed at meeting this goal.