Germans in Minnesota

The People of Minnesota Series Author Kathleen Neils Conzen, Foreword by Bill Holm Minnesota Historical Society Press (July 1, 2003)   A concise history of Germans in Minnesota including immigration patterns, the Catholic and Lutheran churches, cultural organizations, businesses, and politics, especially in the World War I years. Description Minnesota is often associated with its Scandinavian heritage, but in fact Germans are the largest single immigrant group in Minnesota history and were the largest ancestry group in the 2000 census. Author Kathleen Neils Conzen tells the story of German Americans and their profound influence on Minnesota history and culture. Conzen recounts their triumphs and struggles over the last 150 years in a clear and concise narrative. Landing in poverty, Germans transformed acres of wilderness into productive farms and brought to America their love of art, music, and sociability. Immigrants came to America intent on creating, in the words of one agent, "an e