Dakota Datebook By Jayme Job
Crown Prince of Sweden
June 28, 2024 — North Dakota has had its share of royal guests, but few people know that a member of the Swedish royal family was once arrested by officials in Schurmeier, North Dakota—or at least a selfdeclared member of the royal family.
A man claiming himself to be the Crown Prince of Sweden was reported to be roaming the countryside around
Grand Forks by the Fargo Forum on this day in 1911. The man was picked up by authorities and placed in the Grand Forks county jail until a decision could be made on his state of mind.
The man, calling himself John Josefsson, had spent the previous nine months traveling throughout the United States. He had worked at a lumber camp in Deep River, Washington, for a large part of that time, and the remainder had been spent on the move.
Authorities had been notified of Josefsson’s presence by a local farmer. Josefsson had shown up at the farmer’s door looking for work. The farmer told the man that he had no work for him, but advised him to try the farm up the road. Josefsson then decided to try his luck at the neighboring farm, and started down the road.
Shortly thereafter, Josefsson returned to the farmer’s house, again asking for work. The stranger told the farmer that the neighbor had told him to try this farm. The farmer, puzzled by the Josefsson’s odd behavior, sent the man away, but when the stranger returned three more times, the farmer became worried and notified the local sheriff.
Sheriff Benson found the stranger wandering the countryside and took him into Grand Forks. State’s Attorney Burtness questioned the stranger on his whereabouts. Josefsson told
Burtness that he was the Crown Prince of Sweden and that his father was the King of Sweden. He also told him that he was on his way to Chicago, but was unsure of how he ended up in the area.
He claimed that he had three wealthy uncles in Washington, and appeared to be around twenty-five years old. The man appeared to be completely sane on all accounts, except for his insistence that he was in fact the crown prince.
The state insanity board was called in to examine the man, and word of his detainment was sent to his uncles in Washington. Unfortunately, the Swedish royal family could not be reached for comment.
Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from Humanities North Dakota. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org