New Ulm, Minnesota
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| New Ulm, Minnesota | |
| Location of New Ulm, Minnesota | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Brown |
| Area | |
| - Total | 9.0 sq mi (23.3 km²) |
| - Land | 8.8 sq mi (22.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²) |
| Elevation | 899 ft (274 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 13,594 |
| - Density | 1,548.3/sq mi (597.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56073 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-46042GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0648523GR3 |
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,594 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Brown County6. It is the location of a statue of Hermann the German. The city was founded in 1854 by German Immigrants: Christian Ludwig Meyer, Alois Palmer, Athanasius Henle, and Franz Massopoust. The city was named in honor of the south Germany city Ulm. Today Ulm is New Ulm's sister city. In part due to the city's German heritage, it is a center for brewing in the Upper Midwest, home to the August Schell Brewing Company. In the Dakota War of 1862, the city was attacked and burned by Taoyateduta (Little Crow) and his Dakota Sioux warriors.[1] The modern day city is home to Martin Luther College. Flandrau State Park is adjacent to the city.
U.S. Highway 14, Minnesota Highway 15, and Minnesota Highway 68 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23.3 km²), of which, 8.8 square miles (22.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (2.34%) is water. The Minnesota River and the Cottonwood River run past the city on their way to the Mississippi River.
[edit] The Brown County Historical Society
The Brown County Historical Society, located at 2 North Broadway houses 3 floors of exhibits and one of the largest archives in the state. It contains over 5,500 family files, microfilm of census, naturalization, church, cemetery and birth and death records as well as business and history files. [1]
[edit] Hermann Monument
[edit] German Bohemian Monument
A monument to German-Bohemian immigration to America is located in New Ulm, Minnesota. It was erected in 1891 by the German-Bohemian Heritage Society to honor the German-Bohemian immigrants who arrived in this area of the US, most by way of a boat landing on the Minnesota River some 150 yards to the east. The immigrants came mostly from small villages, with the largest number from the village centers of Hostau, Muttersdorf, and Ronsperg. Most of the immigrants were Catholic farmers who spoke a Bohemian dialect of German.
Inscribed in granite slabs around the base of the monument are the surnames of over 350 immigrant families. Many of these names are still prominent in the region. As more and more arrived, and as they could all no longer farm, they settled in the city of New Ulm and some of the small communities to the west and north.
The bronze statue that rests on top of the granite base was designed and sculpted by the Leopold Hafner, a German-Bohemian sculptor who now lives near Passau, Germany.
The monument is located at 200 North German Street and is open year-round.
[edit] Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
In 1962 it was first suggested by the governor that Minnesota develop a museum or Hall of Fame to honor the rich music heritage Minnesota has to offer. Many cities offered their cities for such a museum of Hall of Fame location.[citation needed]
In 1990 New Ulm offered its old library building for the hall of fame site. Owing to the area's ethnic music heritage, the New Ulm was chosen. The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, Inc. was established with categories reflecting the wide variety of Minnesota's musical heritage.
The museum has displays of music memorabilia for musicians and groups from around the state, including Prince, Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, and local artists Whoopee John Wilfahrt and The Six Fat Dutchmen. The Hall of Fame and museum is located at First North Street and Broadway. In summer the museum is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day each Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Each year in October the museum holds a gala to induct new members into the Hall of Fame, known locally as Minnesota's Grammies.
[edit] Polka Capital of the Nation
Music was always a part of life in New Ulm, especially with the arrival of the musically-inclined German-Bohemians in the 1870s. However, New Ulm took a major leap to national prominence in the 1920s.[citation needed]
Whoopee John Wilfahrt’s successful career opened the door to what became known as “Old-Time” music. After him, other local bands such as those led by Harold Loeffelmacher, Babe Wagner, Elmer Scheid and Fezz Fritsche kept New Ulm well-known around the state and region. They even produced nationally popular recordings.[citation needed]
With the opening of George’s Ballroom and the New Ulm Ballroom and the start of KNUJ radio station in the 1940s, New Ulm billed itself as the ”Polka Capital of the Nation”.[2] For years New Ulm's famous Polka Days were known world-wide by polka lovers.[citation needed] The festival was held each year in July. Polka Bands played on Minnesota Street and people danced and drank beer until well past midnight.
[edit] Prisoner of War Camp
During World War II, German POWs were housed in a camp to the immediate southeast of New Ulm, in what is now Flandrau State Park. In 1944 a New Ulm family was fined $300 for removing a prisoner from the camp, housing him and taking him to church. [2]
[edit] Film Location
New Ulm was the setting and filming location of the 1995 independent film, "The Toilers and the Wayfarers," directed by Keith Froelich. The city was also the a filming location of the 2004 documentary, "American Beer."
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 13,594 people, 5,494 households, and 3,554 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,548.3 people per square mile (597.8/km²). There were 5,736 housing units at an average density of 653.3/sq mi (252.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.10% White, 0.11% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.
There were 5,494 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,044, and the median income for a family was $51,309. Males had a median income of $34,196 versus $24,970 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,308. About 4.6% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
In 2002 the U.S. Census Bureau released a report showing New Ulm has more citizens of German descent per capita than any other city in the U.S.
[edit] Notable residents
- Author and artist Wanda Gag was born in New Ulm on March 11, 1893.[3] Her childhood home is open to tour.
- Hitchcock actress Tippi Hedren was born in New Ulm on January 19, 1930.[4] She was the star of Hitchcock's classic The Birds.
- Polka band leader Harold Loeffelmacher organized his band The Six Fat Dutchmen in New Ulm during the 1930s.[5] His band played polka music all over the United States.
- In 1848 August Schell moved to New Ulm from Germany. Here he started the August Schell Brewing Company. The brewery is still in business today. He died in New Ulm in 1891.
- Former Oakland A's catcher Terry Steinbach was born in New Ulm on March 2, 1962.[6] He played on the All Star Team three times and in 1988 was voted the MVP.
- Whoopee John Wilfahrt was born in 1893 on a farm near New Ulm, Minnesota.[7] He became the leader of one of the most successful polka bands in the nation.
- John Lind, although he was born in Sweden John Lind immigrated to the United States and called New Ulm his hometown. He was a successful lawyer and was elected the 14th governor of Minnesota.[8] He was the state's governor from 1899–1901 and then a United States Congressman.
[edit] See also
- German American
- Dakota War of 1862 (Sioux Uprising)
- New Ulm High School
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Burnham, Frederick Russell (1926). Scouting on Two Continents. New York: Doubleday, Page and Co, p.2 (autobiographical account). ASIN B000F1UKOA.
- ^ Dean B. Simmons, Swords into Plowshares, Cathedral Hill Books, 2000
[edit] External links
- City of New Ulm official website
- Wanda Gag Home
- Hermann Heights
- KNUJ Polka Radio Station
- New Ulm, Minnesota, Tourist Info
- Travel New Ulm
- Schell's Beer
- John Lind Home
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