Immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 1800s sometimes had it rough.

That’s the lesson students have been learning this summer at Gammelgarden Museum in Scandia, through the “Comin’ to Amerika” program.

Created by Gammelgarden volunteer Barb Swanson and others, the two-day programs taught about the adventures and the hardships of immigrant life.

“It really shows how (the children) can work together,” Swanson said.

The students assume immigrant names and attire, and are assigned a family in which to work, live and play. They are given a limited amount of Swedish money and tasked with building houses, getting jobs, buying livestock and sowing crops. They become dressmakers, farmers, mercantile owners, even musicians.

Swanson said the program is as much about challenging the children to be creative and to work together as it is about teaching them history.

“I think the kids sometimes don’t know or don’t have time to learn and use their creativity,” Swanson said.

Their creativity definitely shined though, she said.

“One group decided to not spend their money on building an outhouse,” Swanson said. “‘We can just go in the bushes,’ they decided.”

About 30 children, in the first through sixth grades, participated in last week’s version of the camp, which included, for the first time, a Swedish wedding in the Gammelgarden church. The wedding was held in recognition of the first Swedish bride of record in Minnesota, Helena Nilsson Lammers, of Scandia, who married in September 1852.

The participants were challenged to make a proper wedding dress and suit for the groom, and put on a reception, complete with a band and cake.

Kayli Schneider, 11, of Chisago City, has participated in the program six times now, since its inception as a one-day event.

“Every time, they change it up,” Schneider said. “I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”

As for the mock wedding, for which 9-year-old Parker Lay, of Scandia, and Kaitlin McCurdy, 10, of Stillwater, played bride and groom, Schneider thought it was a nice addition.

“I thought it was cute,” Schneider said.

Through the program, the children have the opportunity to acknowledge their own heritages as well. Swanson said two of program’s participants last week traced their family heritage to India and Russia.

“It isn’t all from Sweden,” she said.