Mark Kasten State Farm

Intricate needlework featuring the port of Copenhagen in Denmark. At one time, the city was called Hafnia.

Turner County’s Viborg was named after a Danish city where all of the country’s monarchs were elected from 10271665. It was one of Denmark’s cultural centers during the Reformation and remains one of the most important cities in the country. Since 1820, more than 450,000 Danes have emigrated to the United States, the majority between 1880 and 1915. Economic problems were by far the greatest reason why most Danes left for foreign shores. In the mid-1800s, the population of Denmark increased rapidly and, at the same time, a large portion of the country’s land base was lost to Germans in a war. Most Danish immigrants in the 19th century were young, single farmers’ sons between the ages of 15 and 29; they left their homeland to escape from slipping into the landless class and with the hope that they could acquire a farm, marry, and start a family in a land of economic opportunity. In 1911, Holger Rosenberg published a booklet entitled “100 Pieces of Advice for Danish Immigrants.” It included a wealth of practical advice for the traveler. Following is a sample from the booklet which may seem humorous and/or still applicable today:

• Don’t play cards for money or make wagers about the speed of the ship. • Be suspicious of the host of “friends” who lay in wait at the place you land to trick you out of your money. • Under no circumstances accept friendly invitations from unknown individuals to drink a glass of beer in a bar or saloon.

• No place in the U.S. is as difficult to find work in as in

New York, no place is it so easy to flounder. Don’t stop here! • Don’t ever forget that someone is sitting back home longing for a letter, even the shortest one, from you. • It is stupid elsewhere in the world, but it is even more stupid in America to tell just anyone you meet and who calls you a friend just how much money you have. • Even if you find an American street to be a hellaciously noisy place, don’t lose your head. Take it easy, and learn to protect your nerves. • Keep the Sabbath just as strictly as the

Americans do. You will soon learn that this is necessary in order not to be worn out by the stressful social machinery.

The Library of Congress has noted that Danish Americans, more so than other Scandinavian Americans, "spread nationwide and comparatively quickly disappeared into the melting pot.” Historians have pointed to the higher rate of English use among Danes, their willingness to marry non-Danes, and their

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eagerness to become naturalized citizens as factors that contributed to their rapid assimilation. Bob Christensen, a Viborg resident and vice president of the Daneville Heritage Museum, said, “There were so many of those old Danes – well, like my folks, my grandpa and grandma and them – whenever we’d get together on a Sunday, they’d speak Dane all day. Up to 30-40 years ago, you could walk down the street and there'd still be people sitting around talking back and forth in Dane. But when we were kids, nobody would teach you Dane.” Viborg native Cheri O’Dell, who oversees the Daneville Heritage Museum’s regular operations on a part-time basis, said, “I can recall some of the older folks, who were first generation Americans, their parents wouldn't let them speak Danish because ‘You’re American Using materials donated by area churches, the museum has built a replica chapel, representing the deep faith of the Danish immigrants who were typically Lutheran. so you need to speak English.’ It's kind of sad there is hardly anybody that can speak Danish anymore.” Even though they assimilated quickly, the Danish people have still left their mark on American society. Notably, because numerous Danish bakers brought pastry with them, the term Danish is now permanently embedded in the American language. Other popular Danish cuisine includes kringle (almond paste pastry), Wienerbrød, æbleskiver (puffed pan cakes), frikadeller (Danish veal and pork meatballs), flæskesteg (pork roast), and risengrød (rice pudding). Furthermore, sons and daughters of Denmark have made an impact on America in unusual ways. Denmark native Louis Lassen (1865-1935) created the hamburger in New Haven, Conn., in 1900. Danish-American George Nissen was an American gymnast and inventor who developed the modern trampoline. Victor Borge, known as the Great Dane and Clown Prince of Denmark, gained fame for his offbeat comedy and music routines. Soren Sorensen Adams was known as "king of the professional pranksters," and invented novelty products such as the Joy Buzzer, Cachoo Sneezing Power, Itching Powder, the Stink Bomb and the Dribble Glass. Bob said some of that frivolity can be found in Viborg. “Everybody used to have nicknames here in town. When I was younger, listening to stories by my dad and grandpa and uncles, I never heard a real name on some of those folks until I probably was in my 40s. People would be talking and using a name I never heard of, and then they’d say the nickname, ‘Oh, you know who that is, ‘Old Pistol Pete’ or ‘Click Hans.’