The past is our present to you!

Nestled among the rolling foothills of southwestern Wisconsin, there lies a place the Norwegians call “Niessedahle”-the Valley of the Elves. Here, in 1865, Osten and Birgit Haugen arrived from Telemark, Norway, clearing the land in what was then thick prairie to painstakingly create a homestead for their immigrant family.

Nearly 150 years later, that homestead stands as Little Norway, included now on the National Register of Historic Places. In this serene setting, the past comes alive. From the dugout cave in the hillside where the Haugen family lived until the hard labors of building the stue (dwelling house) were completed to the stately Norway Building that towers over the pastoral scene below, the echoes of history whisper through the tall trees that surround this beautiful place.

Family owned for four generations, Little Norway is a lovingly preserved, authentic time capsule. From the stories of the pioneers who worked this land to the simple but striking Norse architecture of its buildings, it offers a unique look at the people and places that helped shape our history.

Welcome to Little Norway-the Valley of the Elves!