Lindsborg (Little Sweden), USA
The City of Lindsborg, Kansas, was founded in the spring of 1869 by Swedish immigrants who hailed from the Varmland province of Sweden looking for religious freedom from their national Lutheran church. These group of Swedes were led by Lutheran pastor Olof Olsson. Lindsborg’s name in the city’s maiden language of Swedish can be translated to “Linden Castle” in English, and the town continues to hold true to its Swedish roots by hosting many city-wide events such as the biennial Svensk Hyllningsfest, and the Mid-Summer Festival. The city’s citizens also practice many cultural and spiritual practices such as the tradition of Saint Lucia and Lucia Fest in the Evangelical Lutheran faith. When the United States decided to enter World War I in the April of 1917, Lindsborg was a city of a little over two thousand inhabitants. The small town during that time was described in the Bethany College Catalog of 1916-1917 as a small town of “productiveness, beauty, and great prosperity” with “a community rich in culture, learning, religion, business and farming.” [1]
[1]”Welcome to an Engaged Community.” Välkommen to Lindsborg, KS – Official Website – City History. Accessed December 06, 2016.
