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Sons of Norway Edmonton - A Brief History

In Edmonton, Sons of Norway traces its origins to April 1913 when Nordpolen Lodge, forerunner of the current Solglyt Lodge 4-143 was founded at a meeting at the Strathcona Hotel.

Edmonton became site of one of the first lodges formed in Canada by Sons of Norway, a fraternal, social and mutual-help organization founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1895 by Norwegian immigrants and Americans of Norwegian heritage. The organization provided a means of mutual support, including through an insurance program for members.

Like other lodges formed in Canada and the U.S., the Edmonton lodge also filled an important cultural and social need. It offered a “home away from home” and a means for Norwegian immigrants and others of Norwegian descent, who moved to Alberta before the First World War, to meet “fellow countrymen”.

The Great War disrupted growth and development of the newly formed lodge, which reemerged in 1927 under the name Solglyt. Meaning sunbeam or glimpse of the sun in Norwegian, the new name was considered warmer and more inviting than Nordpolen (North Pole).
 
Under the Solglyt banner, Sons of Norway has served generations of Norwegian-Canadians and waves of Norwegians who came to Canada in search of new opportunities before and after the Second World War.

During the war, Solglyt supported the war effort though fundraising and other means.
Sons of Norway remains a focal point of the Norwegian presence in and around Edmonton through involvement in the annual Heritage Days multi-cultural festival and by means of the lodge’s links to sister and spin-off organizations such as the Sons of Norway Foundation in Canada (registered charity supporting scholarships and other Norwegian heritage programs), Torskeklubben (men’s service club), Trollhaugen Language and Cultural Society (summer camp for adults and children) and the Valhalla Scandinavian Dancers.
Improved conditions in Norway during the last 40 years led to drastic reductions in emigration from Norway. But the descendants and successors of the early Sons of Norway members and others interested in Norway continue to hold high the torch of Norwegian tradition in the Edmonton area.