The latest issue of
Valdres Budstikken (v.43, no.1) contains the first of a two-part article on the life of Thomas O. Stine, written by Luci Baker Johnson. The
Valdres Samband, formed in 1899, is responsible for the publication and is the oldest
bygdelag in the country.
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| Thomas O. Stine |
Luci wrote about Thomas Stine in a previous Nearby Norwegians post:
"'Emblem of Freedom': a Song About Patriotism." Born as Tosten
Østensen, Stine is the author of a major resource for information about Scandinavians living in the Pacific Northwest during the 19th century. In 1900, he published
Scandinavians on the Pacific (Denny-Coryell Company: Seattle, Washington). Stine immigrated from Oppland, Norway; not only was he an author, but a farmer, student and teacher, poet and songwriter, and he even took part in the Yukon Gold Rush, among other pursuits.
"Thomas O. Stine" begins with Luci wanting to take the reader on the life journey of Stine, a "bachelor who has gone unnoticed until recently, at least for the past 80 years." When Scandinavians on the Pacific was first announced in the Seattle Daily Times on March 24, 1900, Stine's writing style was touted as "flexible and graceful, here and there with steeped with rich shades of poetic thought." Intrigued, Luci quickly became driven to research Stine's history, aiming to give credit where credit was long overdue within the Pacific Northwest Norwegian community.
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| Luci Baker Johnson |
Luci Baker Johnson, a Nearby Norwegian, is a freelance writer and historian as well as a regional expert in Norwegian-American genealogical research. She is a frequent contributor to this blog and has a proven passion for research, compiling information, and teaching--continuously serving as an indispensable resource for others. Congratulations, Luci, on your recent publication!
