Anne Lien

In 1834, some of the first Norwegian emigrants sailed for America and eventually staked claim to land in Illinois.  By the following year, letters about the wonders of their new homeland had ignited "America fever" across Norway.  Anne Lien, her husband Jon, and their six-month-old baby Sofie were the first to leave Selbu, their home village, to strike out for America.   Anne’s story—of immigrants seeking a better life in the New World—is one that has been repeated throughout our country’s history. 

Anne’s chances of seeing Norway again were small.  The perils of sea and land travel were many.  The Liens knew no one where they were headed.  Their journey began with 400 miles through Norwegian forests and over

mountains by horse and sled to reach the port from which their boat would sail.  After waiting several weeks for the next sailing, they embarked and reached Canada in the middle of the summer.  From there, they continued the grueling journey up the St Lawrence River through Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. Their small boat was towed over land by oxen between the Great Lakes.

Anne and her family finally reached Illinois only to find the land there already occupied.  So they pressed on to Decorah, Iowa, arriving there nearly five months after they had left their homeland.  The Liens quickly built a cottage and survived their first Midwestern winter.  Before long, Jon’s brother Thomas arrived in America also, settling in Minnesota and sharing his 200-acre land claim with Jon.

They were part of one of the largest immigrations in American history; from 1825 to 1925, about one-third of Norway’s population arrived in America to stay.  By 1890 there were nearly one million immigrants from Scandinavia living in North America, mainly in the Upper Midwest.   Our apple bran muffins honor determined immigrant pioneers such as Anne Lien. 

For about 2 dozen melt-in-your-mouth muffins, combine our kit contents (hearty dry mix of wheat bran and whole wheat flour, apple blend and honey) with water, oil and eggs.  Have them warm from the oven, with or without one of our fruit spreads.  High in fiber and minerals.