History of Lodges

In the summer of 1987 the wheels were set in motion to establish a Sons of Norway lodge in the McHenry, IL area. Liv Schweigert and Esther Kusch ofthe Polar Star lodge in Aurora joined with other Norwegian-Americans to form a steering committee. The aid of Jan Berge, field rep, was enlisted to do the organizational work, while the rest worked at contacting prospective members.

After months of work and many meetings, Lodge #606 was instituted by District Vice President Clare Almquist, with the name "Fjordland" chosen that evening. Because of the many lakes in the area, this seemed the most appropriate. By April 23 when the charter was presented by District President Jim Holms, there were 136 charter members.

Liv Schweigert was chosen to lead the new lodge and already has plans under way for language and craft classes. Just weeks after chartering, twelve of the new officers attended the seminar for officers in Arlington Heights. With the enthusiasm and eagerness of the members of Fjordland, good things will be happening.