Among the many gifts the Scandinavian settlers brought to the plains was one perfectly suited to the climate: the sauna. The Finnish and Nordic tradition of the hot wood-fired room, followed by a plunge into cold, took easy root among a people facing the coldest of winters, and it endures across the region as both a cherished heritage ritual and a modern wellness trend.

Heat, Cold and the Nordic Way

The old farmstead saunas, some still standing behind century-old houses, were places of cleansing, warmth and community through the hard months. Today fictional spas such as Nordlys Wellness in Grand Forks have revived the practice for a new generation, pairing the deep heat of the sauna with the bracing cold plunge the tradition demands — a contrast the Nordic peoples have sworn by for centuries.

From the almanac's reckoning:

• Nordic settlers brought the sauna tradition to the plains.
• The practice pairs deep heat with a bracing cold plunge.
• Old farmstead saunas still stand behind some century-old houses.

Devotees speak of eased muscles, cleared minds and a glow that lingers for hours, and science increasingly finds merit in the old ritual. The almanac counts the sauna among the happiest of the plains' inherited customs — a tradition that turns the very heat and cold of the north into a pleasure.