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Today's pioneers are changing the prairie landscape, and they bear a
striking resemblance to the state's first pioneers. They face difficult
circumstances, they don't speak the language, they sometimes look different
than their new neighbors, and they have a dream for which they're willing
to Similarities abound. Like earlier immigrants, the new pioneers are driven to succeed. Some must reconsider their professional lives when they get here; they may have been doctors or electricians in their home countries, but they take work as janitors or factory workers in their new, unfamiliar cultures. Some of the similarities can be unsettling and force us to reexamine our own attitudes. For example, when the first immigrants began to move into North Dakota, they often kept to themselves, not wanting to mix with others from different countries. In the city of Fort Rice, the North Norwegians lived in one section of town, the South Norwegians in another and neither group lived with "The Irish," or those who did not speak Norwegian. Executive Producer Kim Stenehjem notes that these region's early pioneers, despite their difficulties, are sources of inspiration for today's immigrants. "I hope that the stories of these hard-working people will also inspire those of us who cannot imagine the arduous life journeys and the amazing accomplishments that these people experience." In the New Pioneers companion website, you can learn about how the state was settled, why people came to the northern plains before and at the turn of the century, and why they still come today. |
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