Spring 2006 Issue - Alaska Report
Scoop and Maggie
Posted: October 15, 2008
Maybe it's time to put Norwegians back in charge.
Why did our two most famous U.S. Senators share such an affinity for Alaskan issues and Alaskans? The answer is perfectly clear. Henry Jackson and Warren Magnuson were both raised in Norwegian households at a time when newly minted Norwegian-Americans and Norwegian immigrants were playing key roles in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest.
From the days of the Vikings to the present, Norwegians have exerted an influence on commercial maritime activities that is totally disproportionate to their very small numbers. When Norwegians started arriving in the U.S. in the 1800s, Puget Sound was a powerful draw because it was so similar to the fjords back home – but much, much warmer – and their impact was almost immediate on some of the industries that became linchpins in commerce between Washington and Alaska.
Thea Foss helped pioneer the Puget Sound tugboat industry while becoming the model for the Hollywood movie series, “Tugboat Annie.” Even today, most Alaskan coastal communities still rely on Puget Sound tugs and barges to bring them their necessities and many of the tugs are from the Foss tug company. Used to icy fishing conditions back home, Norwegians also helped pioneer Alaska’s halibut fishery.
Jackson’s parents were named Gresseth before they anglicized it. Nobody knows who Magnuson’s parents were. It’s believed he was the son of an unmarried café waitress. He was raised by a Norwegian-American woman named Emma Magnuson, who single-handedly owned and ran the Nickelplate Saloon in Moorehead, Minnesota.
Jackson was a frequent participant at Norwegian community events throughout his life and he regularly attended the blessing of the fleet in Ballard. Magnuson wasn’t much for community events and his personal tastes were a little more exotic than those usually associated with hardworking Norwegians. But he cherished his adopted mother who regularly cooked him a favorite dish, “klob,” a Norwegian dumpling of flour filled with potatoes and pork or herring.
To which we can only say, as Maggie no doubt did, “SKOLl!”
