Nellie Gerdrum Lodge was founded on April 10, 1999, in Bellingham, Washington, by a group of enthusiastic women dedicated to preserving their Scandinavian heritage.The lodge meets every second Saturday of each month at 10 AM at Our Saviours Lutheran Church, 1720 Harris Ave., Bellingham, Washington.

Today the lodge continues to fill a need for Scandinavian cultural activity in Whatcom County. The lodge hosts an annual fall Scandinavian Fair in November held at Fox Hall, 1661 West Bakerview Road, Bellingham. This year the date is November 15th, 2008, 10am - 4pm. This is the largest Scandinavian Fair of its kind in the northwest corner of the state. Lively music and folk dancing entertain fair-goers throughout the day. Visitors are invited to join in or tap their toes while browsing Scandinavian arts and crafts or enjoying Nordic delicacies from the cafe and bakery.

Lodge members and guests enjoy the friendship of other fun-loving women with a common bond. Programs have included Rosemaling, Genealogy, Music & Dancing, Scandinavian Traditions, Lace-making and Bunads (national costumes.) Special events have included field trips to the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, the Scandinavian Cultural Center in British Columbia and visits to sister lodges. The lodge supports local charities benefiting women and children in need and the Daughters of Norway college scholarship fund.

The lodge is named in honor of Whatcom County pioneer, Mrs. "Nellie" Gerdrum, born Petronelle Rejersdatter, in Elverum Parish, Sør-Østerdal district, Hedmark Fylke, Norway, in 1856. Nellie was 28 years old when she married Embret Embretsen Gerdrum on 29 April 1884.

Mr. and Mrs. Gerdrum immigrated to America in 1885. In 1889 they came to Chicago, Illinois, where their daughter Hilda Ethel was born in December 1889. Urged by his brother (who had spent some time in the Northwest) to move to this "beautiful country," Embret moved his family first to Tacoma, Washington, then north by boat to the town of New Whatcom. In 1891 they settled their homestead of 130 acres located on Silver Lake in the Mt. Baker foothills of Whatcom County Washington.

Their first home was a small cabin, which stood behind the present house. Embret began building their permanent, two-story home in 1892. It was constructed of logs hewn from one large cedar tree. This home is now a museum managed by the Black Mountain Forestry Center. Tours of the home are available every weekend between Memorial Day through Labor Day, from 12 noon until 4 pm. Some lodge members are docents at the museum.

Mrs. Gerdrum, trained in Oslo as a midwife, assisted pregnant women living in the Silver Lake area. Mr. Gerdrum was a carpenter, logger and farmer. He established the first resort on Silver Lake in Whatcom County in 1902. They operated the resort until selling it shortly after Hilda Ethel's marriage in 1913. They lived in nearby Bellingham, Washington where, in 1934, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.