Guri Endreson Rosseland

In the 12th episode of 200 Norwegians, we follow Guri Endreson Rosseland, a Norwegian settler caught in the Dakota War of 1862. When Dakota visitors came to her Minnesota farm, the encounter turned violent—her husband was killed, her daughters taken, and her son gravely wounded. Hiding with her youngest, Guri emerged to nurse her boy back to life and lead her children through a burning, war-torn frontier.

This episode explores her ordeal alongside the broader conflict—born of broken treaties, hunger, and land loss—that entangled both Dakota and Norwegian settlers. Guri’s story is one of survival and resilience, but also of complicity in a violent struggle that reshaped the American frontier.