Paul Fjelde’s connection to Valley City began early. After his father Jacob, a Norwegian immigrant sculptor, died young, Paul’s mother brought the family to North Dakota, where they homesteaded near Wing and she worked in Wilton to support her children. It was later, at what is now Valley City State University, Paul’s artistic talent was first recognized and nurtured by teachers who saw something exceptional and helped guide him toward further study in Chicago and beyond.

That path eventually led Fjelde to one of his most meaningful works: a bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln. In 1912, North Dakota governor, Louis B. Hanna set out to reciprocate a gift from Norway, a statue of Duke Rollo, a Viking chieftain, presented to the state’s Norwegian-American community as a symbol of shared heritage. A competition was held to select a sculptor for a Lincoln bust to be gifted in return. Fjelde entered, and by a remarkable twist of fate, the son of a sculptor whose work stood at Gettysburg won the commission. Lincoln, so closely tied to unity and freedom, would cross the Atlantic.

The bronze bust was unveiled in Frogner Park, Oslo, on July 4, 1914. Years later, Fjelde gifted the original plaster cast to Valley City State in gratitude for the role the school played in shaping his life. Today, that plaster Lincoln resides on a pedestal in the Allen Library, peaceful against a backdrop of windows and sky.

During World War II, the bronze Lincoln in Oslo took on new meaning. After Norway was invaded, public demonstrations were forbidden under Nazi occupation, yet each July 4, Norwegians gathered silently around the bust. Without speeches or banners, Lincoln became a powerful symbol of resistance and freedom. At the same time, Valley City and the surrounding Barnes County, home to a strong Norwegian-American community, sent aid and relief to Norway, sustaining a bond rooted in shared heritage.

Paul Fjelde went on to teach and sculpt across the world, shaping public spaces and generations of artists, yet his connection to Valley City endured. In 1975, at age 81, he was honored with Valley City State College’s first Distinguished Alumnus Award. His legacy remains here, where a young artist found his start, and where Lincoln’s steady gaze continues to connect North Dakota, Norway, and the enduring power of art.