Start  HomeComing 08 Excursions In the Emigrant´s Footsteps
In the Emigrant´s Footsteps
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Follow in the footsteps of the emigrants and visit the old homesteads and cottages |
 Are you curious to learn more about the land of your ancestors? The country, the culture in general and your cultural heritage in particular? Why not join us on a voyage of discovery following in their footsteps. We invite you to spend a day touring the province and experiencing the genuine culture and nature of Dalsland.
Follow in the footsteps of the emigrants and visit the old homesteads and cottages where they used to live before they left to find a better future in the promised land of America. We will also visit the landmark over a very expansive period in Swedish agriculture, Sikhall storage house, where grain was stored before it was exported. The day ends on a more serene note with a visit to one of the oldest churches in the area , Sundals Ryr and the songs from a women´s choir. Read more……
Our first stop is the old cottage Futtenstugan, where we can experience how people used to live before they went to America. People who want to step inside have to bend their heads. The old cottage is kept in order by a local history association.
We proceed to Sikhalls magasin, a storage house for grain, built in 1874. During the 19th century the agriculture in Dalsland expanded largely and much oats was exported to England. The farmers delivered their grain to the storage house, where it was loaded on ships for Gothenburg and then further away. The expansion ended around 1880, when the soil was being depleted from constant cultivation. People became poor and many people, more than 50% of the population, emigrated.
Next stop is a visit yet another old house, Rönnässtugan, which is a Dalslandsstuga, the kind of farmhouse that earlier was common on the larger farms in Dalsland. We will get a guided tour around the farm, visit the farm museum and have coffee and homemade bread, “lefsa”, in the farmhouse.
Next stop is the old church of Sundals Ryr, where people have gathered for more than 700 years. The first church was built in this place in 1200. In the cemetery are buried those who died between 1200 and 1900. After that the dead were buried in the cemetery of the new church in Sundals Ryr. We will sit down for a moment and listen to the story about the church and to the women choir Gröna Bönor (Green Beans).
The day will be wound up with a nice dinner, served in the parish house close to the new church from 1906. The parish house was built in 1923 with logs provided by the farmers. The parish could not afford to buy logs but the parish priest was a successful begger.
Practical information
All excursions are scheduled for August 14, 2008 and start at
Kulturbruket på Dal, Mellerud at 9am. The cost is SEK 800 or USD 120
per person including meals. The excursions can be booked together with
the Emigration Conference, see booking information , or separately by e-mail to
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