Where They Went

The Emigrants (1971)

Directed by Jan Troell

Driven off their stony farm in Småland by hunger and debt, a Swedish family sails from Karlshamn to New York in the 1840s and travels on by train and riverboat to the Minnesota frontier.

  • Travel shown
  • On foot, bike, skis or swimming
  • Not shown on screen
  • Fictional place
  1. 1Nilsson farm
    Korpamoen, Ljuder parish, Småland, Sweden
    ≈ 00:01:00
    Inferred

    Karl Oskar and Kristina struggle on the rocky farm until hunger and the death of their daughter make them decide to emigrate.

  2. 2Harbour
    Karlshamn, Sweden
    ≈ 01:22:00
    Inferred

    The emigrant party gathers and boards the brig Charlotta for New York.

  3. 3Aboard the brig Charlotta
    North Atlantic Ocean
    ≈ 01:30:00
    Stated on screen
  4. 4Arrival in New York
    New York City, New York
    ≈ 02:20:00
    Stated on screen

    The emigrants land in New York and set off west.

  5. 5Riverboat journey
    Upper Mississippi River
    ≈ 02:35:00
    Inferred
  6. 6Stillwater, Minnesota
    ≈ 02:55:00
    Stated on screen

    In Stillwater the Baptist pastor Jackson helps them on to Anders's farm.

  7. 7Claim on the shore of Ki Chi Saga
    Chisago Lake (Ki Chi Saga), Minnesota
    ≈ 03:00:00
    Stated on screen

The journey in numbers

Distance travelled
8,487 km
Places
7
Countries
2
Stops
7
  • Boat: 6,923 km
  • Train: 1,457 km
  • Not shown: 70 km
  • On foot: 36 km

Distances are measured in a straight line between stops, so real road distances are longer.

Spotted a mistake?

Every journey is checked against the film, but we can still get things wrong.