By: Adrianna Raile

After having gone through many renovations, Island Park holds a great story about the history of Fargo and the history of disputes between foreign countries. The most important story about Island Park is the story of Henrik Wergeland and the statues built for him.

Henrik Wergeland was born in 1808 in Kristiansand, Norway. He was a writer who was most celebrated for his poetry but also known as a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist.

For almost his whole life, he was seen as a heroic pioneer. His words led Sweden to independence in 1905, and has a nickname being “the Abraham Lincoln of Norway.”

The sculpture of Wergeland’s stature was Gustav Vigeland, one of Europe’s most well-known sculptors. Evidence suggests that he was working on Wergeland’s statue dating back to 1897.

As this statue was unveiled in the summer of 1908, more than 3,500 people were there to experience it. Here now in 2026, the statue still stands. To honor Norway’s most beloved poet, an identical bronze statue was unveiled in Oslo, Norway the same day.

As true landmark for North Dakota’s culture, the park is still being renovated and improved and will continue to be for 20 years and beyond.