Deep Fjords: The Norway Garden
- Stewart Shelline
- Apr 30
- 12 min read
Updated: Jun 10
For more than 77 years, the Norway Garden at the International Peace Gardens has been a home away from home for those longing to connect with the places and people of Norway. Home to the Bauta Stone, an authentic stabbur, a fjord, bridges, and various plaques commemorating the contributions to Utah of notable Norwegians, the Norway Garden has also been the site of the annual Syttende Mai celebration.
The Norway Garden honors the enduring relationship among Norway, the United States, and those who have made their way to this "rose in the desert." Attracted by faith, in pursuit of economic improvement, or desiring to be united with family, those who live in Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas have come to love this tiny plot of land that holds so much meaning for so many. This article is an attempt to document why this place has earned that enduring affection.
The International Peace Gardens
The International Peace Gardens was conceived in 1939 by Ruey Hazlett Wiesley, citizenship chair of the Salt Lake Council of Women, after she visited a peace garden in Cleveland, Ohio. Wiesley's proposal was greeted with enthusiasm by the Salt Lake City Council of Women, who gained the cooperation and approval of the Salt Lake City Commission and the Parks Department. World War II delayed the opening of the garden until 1952, but since then, the International Peace Gardens has welcomed tens of thousands of travelers from every corner of the globe, including exchange partners from Salt Lake's several sister cities, foreign diplomats, and religious leaders.
The garden remains under the direction of the Salt Lake Council of Women Past Presidents Council but is maintained by the Salt Lake City Parks Division. Each participating Utah-based nation group is allotted a plot in which to create a garden with native plantings, garden architecture, or statues of world peace leaders typical of the homeland and its culture. Plans are approved by the director of Salt Lake City parks. The Peace Gardens currently represents 28 nations.
Over the years, the garden has seen many changes. In the 1950s and 1960s, for example, hostesses connected to specific gardens dressed in ethnic costume to guide visitors through the garden. This fostered cultural understanding among local community members and visitors, who had often included the International Peace Gardens on their United States itineraries after hearing about them abroad. In some cases, the gardens were deemed culturally important enough to receive international gifts of state, including Cedars of Lebanon, a sundial and flag from the King of Sweden, and a Gupta Buddha from India.
The Norway Garden's early years
The earliest mention of the Norway Garden in the Sons of Norway archives is 1954, when a franchise was granted to the Norwegian Vice Consul, Nils P. Mettome, for a Norwegian section of the gardens. About $900 was raised for this project by a committee consisting of Mettome, Arnt Engh, and others. From 1954 to 1956, the committee submitted plans and a model of the proposed Norwegian garden.
In 1956, a meeting was held in which Fred S. Hess was elected chairman of the committee, consisting at the time of Victor Johansen, Arne Hauan, Martinius Strand, and John Langeland. Other members included Waldemar Bergstedt, Tobias Seljaas, Kristian Seljaas, John Akland [Okland?], Trygve Larsen, and Konrad Hagen.
Hess outlined and planned the landscaping. Members of the Norwegian LDS Organization helped plant flowers donated by Henry Engh. Trees were bought and planted. A flag pole was donated by Mettome and a flag by the Norwegian Ambassador, Paul Koth. Cement works and materials were donated by John Akland for a pond representing a fjord. A bird bath was also purchased. Three benches were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Marthinius Strand, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Johansen, and Mr. and Mrs. Fred S. Hess. Three additional benches were purchased out of the committee's funds. Also, a log cabin, believed to be in the likeness of a stabbur, was purchased.
On June 25th, 1961, a flag-raising ceremony was held in the gardens attended by Nils P. Mettome, Norwegian Vice Consul; Ruey and Otto Wiesley; the superintendent of Salt Lake City Parks; several members of the Salt Lake Council of Women; and many members of various Norwegian groups in Salt Lake City.
One of the most important events of these early years was the installation of the Bauta Stone. A bauta is a memorial stone erected to mark the death of an important person or place of worship. Found throughout Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, Norway alone has registered more than 1,500 bautastein, mostly dating from the late Iron Age, Viking Age and early Middle Ages.
Designed by Randi Bjorge, the stone contains images and themes representing Norway. Bjorge, who was born in Bergen and immigrated to the United States as a young woman, wrote about her creation (spelling and punctuation retained):
"For generations geologists have read the 'language' of rocks to unlock the secrets of time. I have tried to design into the Bauta Stone a language to enable us to 'read' about our homeland--today and for generations to come. I have endeavored to create moods and images which would cause us to reflect on those things we hold so dear.
Beginning at the top of the stone we visualize the midnight sun blending into snow crystals and reindeer on the mountains. Below is a border of the delightful Norwegian Rose (Rose Maling). A mother and child representing home life is portrayed with surrounding pine and birch trees. A farmer is depicted sowing in the good Mother Earth--grain, the staff of life. Again a border below, this time depicting the graceful birds of the sea. Beneath we find a seaman at the wheel representative of shipping. Also accentuated is the all important North Star leading the way throughout time for millions in their journeys and explorations near and far, today and in the yester-years of times long past.
Moving down we come to another border, this one of fishes. Below a fisherman is working his net full of fish with a nearby ocean wave. We reflect in a sense of respect and honor for our homeland with the inscribed beginning of the Norwegian National Anthem 'Ja vi elsker dette landet.' This flows into the English translation 'Yes we love this land', emphasizing our honor and patriotism for our adopted land. On the opposite side running the full length of the stone is a dragon, its head beginning at the bottom. Reading upward within its body is the inscription 'Erected by Norwegians in Utah in memory of the homeland and in prayer of peace.
The Bauta Stone is intended to convey a message of peace and hope. As Norwegians and Americans with a Norwegian heritage, we can feel the spirit of world peace when we visit the Peace Garden. Our hearts will feel a proud reverence in remembering our homeland, our heritage, with respect, honor, and love."
Six new birch trees were purchased in May, 1977 by Glenn Casey from Paul Engh Nursery using money held in the Peace Garden fund. This fund had been started by members of Sons of Norway and funded various projects at the Norway Garden over the years. These trees were planted by the Bjorge and Casey families. Later in the year, the Blåveisklubben--a sort of ladies auxiliary to Sons of Norway--raised funds for an aspen tree to be planted in the Norway garden.
On April 7, 1983, a concrete walkway was poured around the Bauta Stone and flagpole. The Blåveisklubben ladies donated $200 to this project, which was completed by the Wiberg Construction Company. According to The Explorer (the newsletter of the Leif Erikson Lodge), the walkway "...looked just beautiful with the flag-pole standing free in the grass, surrounded by the pathway..." Later that day, however, tragedy struck. According to The Explorer: "The morning of the 9th of April--the day of the German invasion in Norway in 1940--the walkway was discovered damaged by swastika crosses and nasty inscriptions, done while the cement was still wet. It is not known who did the vandalism. Repair work was immediately done and the police [were] notified, but it was a heartbreak to see, and hard to be [reminded] about what happened to Norway [on] the 9th of April 1940."
On Syttende Mai of 2008, a plaque was presented by Lars Johansen, Honorary Norwegian Consul for Utah, and the Norwegian Committee members, to commemorate the establishment of the Norwegian Section of the International Peace Gardens. This plaque recognized the contributions of the early contributors, including: Nils P. Mettome, Honorary Norwegian Consul for Utah in 1940, when the original grant for the Norwegian Section was issued; Waldemar Bergstedt, Randi Bjorge, Arnt Engh, Henry Engh, Willard A. Hansen, Arne Hauan, Fred S. Hess, Magdalon Ingebrigtsen, Victor Johansen, John Langeland, Trygve Larsen, Okland Construction Co., Tobias Seljaas, Kristian Seljaas, and Martinius Strand.
The Norwegian Committee members included Catharina Affleck, Willard A. Hansen, Marianne Johansen, Rune Haugsoen, John Langeland, and William Raventos.
Deep fjords: What the Norway Garden has come to represent
For decades, the Norway Garden has been the focal point of Norwegian culture and celebration in Salt Lake City and the Intermountain West. In addition to its cultural artifacts, it has been the site of the annual Syttende Mai celebration, where Norwegians, Norwegian-Americans and their friends and families have dressed in representative clothing to march in the children's parade, eat pølse med lompe, hear the tale for dagen, listen to Norwegian music and watch Norwegian dancing, or purchase goods imported from Norway or created by local craftsmen. For a few hours at least, the place transforms into a Norwegian village--complete with fjord and fjell and foss.
Its importance to our community was captured in this sweet remembrance by Randi Bjorge, who designed the Bauta Stone in the center of the Norwegian Garden. Writing in The Explorer in June, 1997, Bjorge described her attachment to this place:
"Now that summer is here, I do hope that you will take time to visit the Peace Gardens. I would like to share with you my 'Norway' experience I had there recently, and the next time you visit there, think about it.
I was preparing the Norwegian plot for the coming Syttende Mai celebration. My husband, Kjell, was working on the waterfall. A little breeze was coming out of the canyon and I could hear the tinkle of the waterfall. Suddenly it became very cloudy, but the sun above the clouds shone through with unbelievable light. It seemed as if the whole area became a stage and I was in the middle of it. I was standing in the Norwegian fjord that we built many years ago, painting it a bright blue. Then came lightning and thunder but no rain. It was one of our desert storms. The storm got me to thinking about Norway. I felt so small standing there in that magnificent yellow overlight, and so amused to think I was in another part of the world painting a fjord in Utah!
We can never build our own deep fjords, but we can remember and talk about them and the majesty of Norway to our friends and children. The Peace Gardens belong to all of us and are a heritage to our children."
Stabbur and bridge
In the summer of 2016, a full-size, authentic stabbur was added to the site. This ambitious project was initiated by Steve Affleck, a director of the International Peace Garden Norway Section, the business entity with responsibility for the Norway Garden and Syttende Mai celebration. Affleck suggested to Kari Nielson, another director, if such a project could be undertaken.
According to Nielson: "It took me a while to say yes because I knew I would have to do it if I agreed to it. I got my husband on board first. He was an awesome help and good builder. I started spreading the word. Kari Landro had a model of a stabbur that her dad had carved from a cigar box. She got that drawn up into building plans." Nielson found out through a Norwegian neighbor about Steve Birkeland, who had built a full-scale stabbur in his backyard. Soon, others got involved, including Nielson's husband Brian; John Storheim Sr.; John Knudson Jr.; and many others.
Among the notable features of the stabbur are the rosemaling, painted by Kristen Birkeland; the dragon motif crowning the roof, carved by John Storheim; the intricate woodwork flanking the door and window, carved by John Knudson Jr.; the Odin's ravens on the inside of the stabbur, also carved by John Knudson Jr.; and the interior woodwork, designed and built by Steve Birkeland. At the same time the stabbur was being built, Landro and her family commissioned artist Jim Valentine to sculpt a large troll that is brought out of the stabbur on Syttende Mai, as well as a plaque explaining the history of trolls.
This effort to add significantly to the authenticy of the Norway Garden was aided by the generosity of many in the community, including:
Jack Anderson Drafting Services
L.E.I. Engineers
Syttende Mai Committee
Rolf Aase Construction Company
Grant Birkeland
Steven and Kristen Birkeland
Tor Birkeland
Burton Lumber
Karin Christensen
John Dahl
Den Norske Misjons Reunion
Jan and Deon Hansen
Kirk Hansen
Willard Hansen
Per and Gunvor Haugen
Jack Johnsen
Gordon Johnsen
Gordon and Margaret Kimball and Family
John Knudson Jr.
Alex Landro
Guttorm and Claudia Landro
Kari Landro
Steven Linde
Alice Lingen
Jeremy and Tera Mahoney
David and Aud Milne
Kevin and Lisbeth Monroe
Brian and Kari Nielson
Elin Synnestvedt Child
Elizabeth Nielson
Nicholas Nielson
Patrick Nielson
Robert and Betty Patterson
Anika and Carson Pendelton
Reed and Sandra Rowland and Family
Denise Bischoff Storheim
Dr. John Engh Storheim Sr.
The Storheim Family
Heidi and Todd Templeton
Title Guarantee – South Jordan Branch
Rune Wallin
Mr. and Mrs. James Whitaker
Numerous Anonymous Donors
Around this time, a bridge was designed by architect Rick Johansen and built and donated by Okland Construction, which has been a significant supporter of Norwegian heritage and traditions in Utah from the earliest days. These additions combined to make the Norwegian Garden one of the most appealing, robust, and well-kept sections of the Peace Gardens.
Decline
Unfortunately, the Peace Gardens has suffered from vandalism, deterioration, and neglect over the years. For example, the Japanese Garden suffered the burning down of its teahouse and the theft of its Kwannon statue, which had survived two Allied bombings in Tokyo. In 2011, the Little Mermaid statue in the Danish Garden was stolen (though later recovered); around 12 bronze plaques have been stolen from various areas; the Peace Cradle by sculptor Dennis Smith was stolen; and nearly all of the water features have stopped functioning or been removed. Additionally, other features have been removed, including the Finnish sauna, Dutch windmill and giant wooden clog, the Swedish sundial, and the German fountain spout.
The Norway Garden has not been spared: In addition to the vandalism mentioned above, the Norway Garden has suffered the theft or removal of the bronze plaques honoring Stein Eriksen and the Engen brothers. The original log cabin/stabbur burned down many years ago. The new stabbur has been broken into multiple times and even had someone living in it for a winter. The water flowing down the waterfall and into the fjord was turned off years ago. Many of the trees and bushes planted over the years are long gone. Repairs to surviving structures are needed.
Despite these misfortunes, the Norway Garden continues to be a place for Norwegian Americans to gather and celebrate the heritage they share. Each year, the Norway Garden grounds are spruced up by members of Sons of Norway, the Syttende Mai Committee, and others interested in preserving this beautiful home away from home. And there is hope for a renaissance of the surrounding gardens that will ensure the Norway Garden is not an outlier among the 28 countries represented there.
Rebirth?
In 2023, a recommendation was presented to the Salt Lake City mayor for $325,000 in improvements to the International Peace Gardens. Among the aspirations identified in this proposal were the following community priorities:
Assessment of adjacent land north across river (historically designated and used as part of the Peace Gardens) for additional National Garden sections.
Perform a structural study and drawings to restore historic greenhouse for national plants with exploration of creating a space for public visitation and floral exhibitions all year.
Assess feasibility and location and draw up plans for visitor center containing a reading room/archive and exhibition space.
Restoration of water features and waterworks. China, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Germany, Holland, Japan.
Security GPS tracking and vibration chips, wireless solar-powered cameras, IR laser bars, pressure pad and piezoelectrical sensors for valuable/vulnerable items.
You can read the full recommendation on the International Peace Gardens here:
A full restoration of all of the lost, neglected, and damaged buildings, features, sculptures, plants, and trees, as well as paying for improved security, would likely run into the millions of dollars. But at least there are proposals being made. Perhaps it is time to add the energy and experience of the Norwegian community in Utah to these initiatives, thus honoring the efforts of those who have worked so hard over the years to build, preserve, and improve the Norway Garden.
In the meantime, we will continue to love and care for this singular plot of land, this "deep fjord" so distant geographically from the land that connects us but so close in our hearts.
References
The Explorer, Sons of Norway Leif Erikson Lodge 6-83 archives, 1966 to 1996
Recommendation, Peace Gardens International Academy/Preservation Society of Salt Lake County
International Peace Gardens, Salt Lake City Public Lands Department
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