Välkommen till den sanna svenska huvudstaden Nebraska. That’s Swedish for Welcome to Nebraska’s True Swedish Capital. The question is: Where is it? Two towns claim the title.

How’s it possible to have two Swedish capitals of Nebraska? It began in 1966, when then-Governor Frank Morrison, a Swede himself, proudly proclaimed Stromsburg as the “Swede Capital of Nebraska.”

Stromsburg embraced the distinction with pride. As people drive along U.S. Highway 81, passing by the town square, a sign displaying the Swedish flag of a yellow Nordic cross on a blue background proudly welcomes them to the “Swede Capital of Nebraska.”

Meanwhile, about 100 miles to the northeast, Vikings of Oakland took notice. Their town of about 1,200 was founded in 1863 as a community for Swedish immigrants. Stromsburg, on the other hand, was established in 1872 by people moving from Illinois.

Thus, Jeff Troupe, then a young businessman from Oakland, served on a statewide business committee and believed his hometown was the true Swedish capital of Nebraska. So, he set out to rectify the situation. In 1987, then-Governor Kay Orr signed a proclamation recognizing Oakland as the “Swedish Capital of Nebraska.”

So, which town is the one and true Swedish/Swede Capital of Nebraska?

If it’s based on festivals and parades, Stromsburg may be the winner, whose annual celebration attracts up to 3,000 people. But, if it’s based on the number of Swedish names in the town, Oakland likely scores the victory.

“You can open the phone book and still find plenty of Andersons, Swensons, Olsons, Nelsons, and Johnsons in it,” Troupe said.

Since Swedish cuisine plays a large role during holiday celebrations, could that be the determining factor? Residents of both communities recall enjoying a traditional Swedish smorgasbord of cold and hot meats, cheeses, pickled herring, sardines, pate, meatballs, potatoes, and even lingonberry sauce and jam. Some tables had all the fixings.

How does one determine the true Swedish capital? Here’s a closer look at each town’s claim.

Oakland’s claim as a Swedish community dates to 1863, when John Oak helped Swedish immigrants settle their homestead claims. One of the men he’s believed to have helped – Victor Colson – settled just north of town, along U.S. Highway 77. A small rock cabin and water well showcase the property. The immigrants ironically named their Swedish Community after Oak, a Norwegian.

Oak’s own cabin was located closer to Tekamah, about 14 miles east of Oakland on Highway 32. Millicent Troupe, Jeff’s mother, acquired some of the original logs, which are displayed at a gazebo in the town’s park. Jeff helped the Oakland Lions Club build that gazebo in 1986. Earlier, Oakland educators and others built a picnic shelter on the east side of the park.

At Nelson’s Food Pride, Julie Nelson Johnson carries on the tradition of stocking Swedish goods as the store’s third-generation owner. Her grandparents, Gust and Julia Nelson, founded a store more than 100 years ago. Johnson’s parents took it over in 1961. Julie bought it in 1989 and changed the name to Nelson’s Food Pride in 1998.

Beginning her Swedish food prep at about 6 a.m., 26 loaves of fragrant Swedish rye and six loaves of aromatic slightly camphoraceous cardamom bread are baking by 9:30 a.m. After letting them cool, Johnson slices them and has them ready for customers shortly afterwards.

While Johnson enjoys a slice of a good ostkaka (Swedish cheesecake), she’s not a fan of making it.

“It’s a time-intense dessert and takes a special knack to make,” she said. “It takes about six hours of prep before you put it in the oven. You have to separate the whey from your curds. With pasteurized milk, it doesn’t curd like the old days. I’ve had people tell me they want to make their own. I tell them, ‘good luck with that.’ ”

Oakland’s Swedish heritage extends past the grocery aisles. The Swedish Heritage Center provides a look into the town’s history through exhibits and displays, such as traditional wedding gowns, Oakland High School memorabilia, and heirlooms donated by locals.

Opened in 1989, the museum is in the former First Covenant Church, which closed in 1985. It stood empty until community leaders, including Jeff Troupe, thought the building would be perfect to tell Oakland’s story and host community events. Church leaders agreed to sell it for $1.

The heritage center’s foundation hired Elsie Sebberson as the center’s curator. Wearing a traditional folk outfit, the retired country school teacher greeted visitors to the Swedish Heritage Center that she managed until 2001.

The heritage center closed in the early 2000s and remained closed until 2015, when an Oakland native felt a calling to return home and reopen it. Tom Wallerstedt, a retired florist, was immediately drawn to the idea of reorganizing the center and acting as its curator. Wallerstedt continually designs exhibits’ layouts. The heritage center has displays showcasing early Oakland homes, including a kitchen, dining room, and living room. Replicas of flags recognizing each Swedish province adorn a wall.

Frederick Valdemar (Val) Peterson, who served six years as Nebraska’s governor (1947-53), called Oakland home. He spent four years leading the federal Civil Defense Administration during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration (1953-57) before serving as ambassador to Denmark (1957-61). He later served as the ambassador to Finland from 1969 to 1973 during President Richard M. Nixon’s first term in office.

Oakland’s proclamation as the Swedish Capital of Nebraska came during a 1987 visit by Nils Larsson, the Swedish ambassador to the United States, and Governor Orr. Oakland has enjoyed a sister city relationship with Hammenhog, a small village in the southeast province of Skane, since 1962.

Founded by Swedes as a destination for other Swedish immigrants, Oakland once had the area’s largest Swedish population and a plethora of Swedish-speaking churches, Troupe said.

“Oakland really started having Swedes coming here in 1863, and they kept coming,” Troupe said. “The reason they came, and the strength of the community, was the Swedish churches.”

Another reason that Oakland is the state’s Swedish capital is the sun, he said, referencing the location of Oakland in far eastern Nebraska.

“They always said the sun rises in Oakland, the noon sun is at Wakefield, and the sun sets at Wausa,” Troupe said. “No where is Stromsburg mentioned.”

Founded in 1870 and platted as a town in 1872, Stromsburg is named after Lewis Headstrom, a real estate agent who led a group of Swedish settlers to the area. With its downtown area built around a square, it became easy to develop the business district. Two local brick yards provided the resources for constructing some of the downtown buildings. The Viking Center, a community meeting space, still has some of that brick.

Charles Morrill of Morrill Hall fame at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln called Stromsburg home. He established a homestead south of town. The house he built is still located on the property. Aronia berries, AKA chokeberries, are grown on the farm today. The remnants of a concrete cow stand near the store. The cow was part of a larger set maintained by the Morrill family.

With a nearly full business district, residents appreciate the progressive leadership of city leaders.

“They’ve kept things going. They’ve kept the buildings up. Turnover of businesses is low,” said Charles Noyd, who runs a heating and air conditioning business. People want to come back, he said, as evidenced by at least a third of his high school graduating class moving back in the last three decades. “I have never felt the draw of moving anywhere else.”

With buildings painted and adorned with designs reminiscent of Sweden, Stromsburg Mayor Ken Everingham credits tax credits for community development. The city was among the first in Nebraska to take advantage of the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program to redevelop downtown buildings. It has led to new business, while also improving existing buildings.

Stromsburg Swedes don’t need to go far to satisfy their appetites for traditional foods, such as potato bologna, lutefisk, Swedish meatballs, and pickled herring. Larsson’s Dala Butik, inside the Economy Hometown Market, features a collection of Swedish gifts, such as coffee mugs and candy. Opened since the 1920s, Economy Hometown Market has expanded twice over the years. As customers roam the store, they find Swedish phrases on the walls.

Stromsburg is home to several unique businesses, such as The Fiber Mill. Kelsey Patton runs the state’s only custom fiber mill, taking sheep’s wool, alpaca fleece, and even bison fur and processing it into fiber used for knitting. Patton serves customers across the country.

As visitors stroll around town, they often find decorated wooden dala horses as a way to promote the town and its heritage. Whether it’s a business or community event, visitors to the Swede Capital of Nebraska can sense the ethnic pride.

For almost 70 years, Swedes and Swedish wannabes converge on this Polk County town, growing its population by up to 3,000 for the annual Swedish Midsommar Festival in June. With food, music, dancing, games, and a parade, the three-day event attracts people from across Nebraska and the Midwest.

Festivalgoers can sometimes go a little overboard in displaying their community pride, Charles said. A group of people from Wausa brought a viking ship float to the festival once during the 1980s.

“They stopped at the Legion club for drinks afterward,” he said. “When they came out, the float was gone.”

After filing a report, local police found it the next day, parked on a side street. Turns out some Stromsburg Swedes pulled a prank and stole it. The Wausa Vikings took their ship and went home.

Hijinks aside, the Swedish Festival represents community to a lot of people, said Sharon Noyd, one of the festival organizers. “Alumni who don’t live here still come back at festival time, because they want to show their kids where they come from,” she said.

One alumnus took decades before returning home to “retire.” Following more than 40 years as an architect and community developer, Bob Berggren returned to Stromsburg in 2010. Instead of retiring and enjoying life from his front porch, he bought a bed and breakfast inn, a former hospital. He can point to the spot where he was born – where the doctor just happened to be George Flippin, the first African American football player at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Berggren also owns the Anderson building downtown, home to an antique and home decor store, as well as a wine tasting room. Berggren knows that’s a lot to take care of in retirement. “My roots are here,” Berggren said. “I’ve always loved Stromsburg. I love my hometown.”

While Swedish pride runs deep in Stromsburg, a historic site in Sweden struck at Charles’ heart. He was on a two-week trip when his tour guide walked him to a clearing in the woods. Charles didn’t know where they were going.

Then Charles saw stones. The guide told him it was the foundation of his ancestors’ cabin. The experience brought tears to Charles’ eyes.

“I stood where my ancestors lived,” he said. “That was an emotional day for me.”

While both Oakland and Stromsburg have worked diligently to lay claim to their status as the state’s true Swedish/Swede capital, other communities may want to challenge the titles. By zip code, Wausa has the highest population percentage with about 31 percent of Swedes in Nebraska, and ranks sixth nationally, according to zipatlas.com. Stromsburg ranks second in the state with about 30 percent and ninth nationally. Oakland is ninth in the state at almost 24 percent and 39th nationally.

Past governors have proclaimed the two cities as the Swedish and Swede capitals, respectively. Perhaps Wausa should have the governor’s office on speed dial?