The History of Scadinaviska Hemmet
The Scandinavian Home Society was formed in 1923 to support Scandinavian Immigrants.
Membership was open to anyone interested in Scandinavian culture.
In the early 1900s our ancestors immigrated to the Port Arthur area now known as Thunder Bay. Times were difficult in their homelands in those years.
Constant wars throughout the Baltic States and lack of full-time work made their future look bleak. However, the New World was not the “land-of-milk-and-honey” they thought it would be. Language was a major issue. Lifestyle, food, transportation and the ability to find work became a major task.
In 1926 the Scandinavian home was built by a group of Scandinavians concerned about the plight of new immigrants in a strange land. Oscar Johnson of Port Arthur, the first local Swedish Vice-consul, had been overwhelmed with social problems even since his appointment in 1921. At this time steady jobs were scarce; tuberculosis was a major concern especially to those under 30 and industrial accidents were commonplace.
Mr. Johnson called for help from the Swedish community, and they responded by founding the Scandinavian Home Society in 1923 with Oscar Johnson as the president.
The Society’s broad goal was to provide a meeting place not just for the Swedes, but for all those who spoke a Scandinavian Language… A place where they could made friends, enjoy a cup of coffee, get a line on a job, find a boarding house and speak and read their first language and have an address for those working out of town. In short, a place that provided the kind of support associated with the word “home”.
At first the Society operated in rented premises but in 1926, volunteers built the “Scandinavian Hemmet” on Algoma Street in Port Arthur.
The “old” Scandinavian Home Restaurant became their Valhalla, a “Home Away from Home.” The “Scandinavian Hemmet” met the goals of the meeting place. The Hemmet provide a place to socialize, converse in their own language, read newspapers from home in their own language, get information on jobs, find room and board and meet with people from their homeland. Here they intermingled, shared problems, married and assisted each other in times of sickness and death.
In “date”, the old Scandinavian building was closed due to its age and the demand for the boarding rooms on the upper floor. The home was replaced with a newly built facility next door. The new facility featured an up-to-date kitchen, restaurant and a meeting room for gatherings and cultural related activities.
The Scandinavian Home Restaurant until the time of its closure was known for its friendly atmosphere and delicious home-style cooking. It specialized in Scandinavian pancakes served with maple syrup or whipping cream, huge “BIG VIKING” breakfast, Swedish split-pea soup, a hearty Finnish soup called Mojakka, homemade pies and cakes and much, much more.
In 2019 the Scandinavian restaurant closed and the Board set out to create a new strategic plan to keep Scandinavian culture alive in the region through social, cultural and educational activities. This commitment by the Board is reflected in the Mission, Vision and Values created and approved by its members in 2020.
Today, the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, of our ancestors are scattered throughout the city, district, country and the world however our Scandinavian culture continues to live on in North-Western Ontario through the Scandinavian Home Society.
The Scandinavian Home Society, through its Board and Members have accomplished much in its 100 years history as a society.
