Old Main Homecoming Bonfire

Old Main Homecoming Bonfire

Old Main Homecoming Bonfire Emily N. Sacket “The Carls are coming! The Carls are coming!” or “The Oles are Coming! The Oles are Coming!” These familiar war cries epitomized the rivalry between Carleton and St. Olaf colleges in the post-World War II era....
Norwegian Royal Visit, 1939

Norwegian Royal Visit, 1939

Norwegian Royal Visit, 1939 Jeff M. Sauve The first-ever Norwegian royal visit to St. Olaf College occurred on May 7 and 8, 1939, Crown Prince Olav and Princess Märtha and their entourage were billeted overnight in the newly constructed Agnes Mellby Hall. The entire...
Mud Tug

Mud Tug

Mud Tug Jeff M. Sauve “Take one big hole, fill with water, add a mixture of Oles and Carls, throw in a rope, splash around, make one big mess—it’s the Mud-Tug!” Aptly named, the annual freshmen tradition for St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges started in...
Monument in the Woods

Monument in the Woods

Monument in the Woods Jeff M. Sauve Under a canopy of basswoods and sugar maples in Norway Valley, fifty yards east of the water tower, sits a monument dedicated to Reverend Ole O. Fugleskjel, a member of the St. Olaf College class of 1894. The nine-foot pillar of St....
Ladies’ Hall Elm

Ladies’ Hall Elm

Ladies’ Hall Elm Jeff M. Sauve For several decades, the hollow elm near Ladies’ Hall provided a wonderful photographic setting for the St. Olaf community. In the college’s early years, the tree’s cavity was burned to prevent further decay and...
Alumni Pledge

Alumni Pledge

Alumni Pledge Jeff M. Sauve For several decades, newly minted St. Olaf graduates stood in a ring, clasping hands while stating the Alumni Pledge in Norwegian, “Enig og tro indtil Manitou falder (United and loyal till Manitou falls).” The phrase was derived...