Henrik Ibsen in Wahpeton ND

In 1912 the Wahpeton Conservatory of Music was established, the reason was said to "guard against a certain narrowness sometimes observed among musicians".

But about the same time another rather curious event of cultural impact took place on the North Dakota State College campus. It was on May 17, 1912, when a bust of the famous Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen was placed on a huge granite pedestal on the college oval. Even recognizing that sometimes stories of long-past events become embellished, the climax of a legend occurred with considerable fanfare as the bronze bust was placed and dedicated on the college campus.The dedicatory exercise to honor Ibsen began in the afternoon with a parade composed of mounted police, color bearers, the city band, students from the State School of Science, from the United States Indian School of Wahpeton, and from the city schools, Company 1, as well as various dignitaries and individuals.

Joseph G. Forbes, representing the Wahpeton Commercial Club, made the presentation speech, after which Miss Edith Ness unveiled the statue. A formal banquet held at Burch Hall was followed by a program in the auditorium of the main building.

As the story goes, the bust was presented to the city of Wahpeton and Richland County by the Norwegian government in the fall of 1911 as an appropriate icon honoring the many Norwegian people who settled in this part of North Dakota and continued to be proudly influential in this area. It was meant to honor both the Norwegians and the famous author.

This world-renowned lyric poet and dramatist wrote a number of dramas, many of which were problem plays dealing with modern life. Although he was violently criticized in his own Norway and abroad for portraying existing conditions that he found unfair, he had developed a reputation as a master playwright. Much of his work was done while living abroad in Europe.

When the sculpture was to be located on the Richland County Courthouse lawn, however, a clash of ancestral pride came to the fore. Two Norwegians, two Germans, and one Irishman voted 3 - 2 to reject the offer, saying that there were too many Norwegians inside the Courthouse already without having one on the Courthouse lawn, too. The Wahpeton Chamber of Commerce, fearing loss of retail trade, immediately approached the college president who agreed to accept the bust at the college.

The monument over the years has been moved several times and not always to everyone's liking. Take, for example, the time it found its place in the college coal bin. Several irate cultured people expressed their displeasure, and a committee of three decided its next stop. Today it proudly resides in the center of the oval, where Ibsen protectively surveys Old Main and beyond. It is set off by benches where occasionally passersby sit and, hopefully, appreciate the touch of culture and interesting history there exibited. - In any event, the Ibsen bust is quite exclusive. So are the tales.

(The text for the picture: "This picture from 1916 shows that the Henrik Ibsen bust has not always been treated in a dignified way. It was often the humorous center point of photographs").