Svenskarnas Dag (literally translated as Swedish People’s Day and also known as Swedish Heritage Day) is an annual celebration that takes place at Minnehaha Park on the 4th Sunday of June.
Svenskarnas Dag includes many activities such as: a morning church service; the raising of the Midsommar Pole; various singing and dancing performances by local and visiting Scandinavian groups; visiting amongst families and friends; eating of traditional Swedish foods; and the crowning of the Midsommar Queen.
On June 28, 1964, President Johnson and First Lady Claudia “Ladybird” Johnson paid a visit to Svenskarnas Dag. Usually, crowds of 40,000 to 50,000 attended the event but that year more than 100,000 persons were drawn to Minnehaha Park with the hopes of catching a glimpse of the couple.
Civic leaders were very proud of Minnehaha Falls as a nationally-recognized natural wonder of the city and they were concerned that the untimely reduction of the roaring waters to a trickle (due to lack of rain) would make for a poor experience when the President and the First Lady visited the setting. So, they spent $600 ($5,015 in 2020 dollars) to add water to the creek and bring the waterfall to full force.
With the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy less than one year earlier, great precautions were taken to ensure President Johnson’s safety. It was not confirmed until the very last minute that before arriving at Svenskarnas Dag he and the First Lady would be attending morning services at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church.
The Minneapolis Police Department did its part to keep President Johnson safe. The StarTribune reported that officers were everywhere at the Sheraton-Ritz where he and Ladybird were staying. Officers were fanned out for two blocks around the hotel in every direction and 26 officers were counted on 4th Street alone between Marquette and 3rd Avenues.
In the interests of safety, President Johnson travelled to Minnehaha Park in a closed car and then once in the park he transferred to an open car so that Svenskarnas Dag attendees could better see him.
In the photograph above, President Johnson is pictured sitting at the very back of the car on a ledge surrounded by Secret Service agents.
In the left foreground of the photograph, you see two Minneapolis Police Officers dressed in tan shirts and brown trousers. This tan and brown combination was the summer uniform of the Minneapolis Police Department for a time in the 1960s.
Photograph courtesy of Hennepin County Library
Report from Minneapolis StarTribune of June 28, 1964