The Karl Oskar House (Nya Duvemåla) was built in the 1860’s by the Carl Linn family about a mile from its present location at the Ki Chi Saga Park. The Gerald and Urban Holt families donated the Nya Duvemåla house to the Historical Society in 1995. Since then, it has served as an educational and historical interpretive site playing host to more than a thousand visitors each year from across the world, as well as local school field trips.
The Nya Duvemåla has been staffed and maintained by a small group of dedicated volunteers who regularly lead tour groups, host open houses and work to enhance the visitor’s experience. Funding for the site relies primarily on visitor donations.
Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg visited the Chisago Lakes area in 1948 and subsequently wrote his acclaimed series:
- The Emigrants (Utvandrarna)
- Unto a Good Land (Invandrarna)
- The Settlers (Nybyggarna)
- Last Letter Home (Sista brevet till Sverige)
Moberg’s fictional characters Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson were based on his research of real life Swedish settlers in the Chisago Lakes area. Since the publication of Moberg’s novels and the release of the resulting motion pictures, the Chisago Lakes Community has experienced ongoing visits from tourists. The Karl Oskar House is a highlight of bus tours with tourists often looking for specific items at the house that were noted in the books or the movies. The name of the house, Nya Duvemåla, is a reference to Kristina’s fictional Swedish home.
The Friends of the Karl Oskar House mission is to “Preserve, share and celebrate Swedish Immigration and Culture.
