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New Book Celebrates Danish Culture in Wisconsin
June 5th, Constitution Day in Denmark, commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the constitution of 1849, which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. It also marks the official release of the newly revised and expanded edition of Danes in Wisconsin, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Though the number of Danes immigrating to Wisconsin was modest overall, never reaching more than about one percent of the state's population, in 1870 the state boasted the largest number of Danes in the country. Though they settled far and wide across the state, the highest concentrations of Danes were in Waukesha, Racine, Winnebago, and Brown Counties.
Land was at a premium in Denmark. The early Danish immigrants found Wisconsin to be a welcoming place with an abundance of land. Danish immigrant Laurits Jacob Fribert declared Wisconsin a haven for impoverished Scandinavians in search of land in his Haandbog for Emigranter til Amerikas Vest (Manual for Emigrants to the American West). Fribert left a promising career as a lawyer in his homeland to become a farmer in Waukesha County.
Another Dane, Rasmus Sorensen, also had a great impact on Danish immigration to Wisconsin. He accompanied large groups of Danes to the state in 1852 and 1861. When he arrived with his first party of immigrants he remained for nine years, farming in Dodge County near Ashippun.
The city of Racine became a stronghold for Danish immigrants. The J.I. Case Company headquartered there employed many Danes to build tractors and farm implements. Racine boasted such talented immigrants as John Bang, a well-known builder, and Theodore Lund, an artist. Due to the large number of Danes in Racine, the Dania Society was formed in 1871 to promote music, debate, and the study of Danish.
Learn more about the early Danes and their lives in Wisconsin in Frederick Hale's newly revised and expanded addition to the People of Wisconsin series, Danes in Wisconsin. Also check out the Person to Person exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, which features folk objects from some of Wisconsin's Danish settlers. The exhibit runs through June 24th, 2006.
:: Posted June 2, 2005
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