How German is New Ulm?

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Just as Minnesota is perceived to be Scandinavian, New Ulm is thought to be a city populated almost entirely by Germans. In both cases, the perception doesn't reflect reality, according to scholar Lisa A.S. Black who presented a paper on the subject at the 28th annual Society for German-American Studies Symposium Saturday.

Reality is people with German ancestry are the state's largest ethnic group, and the German cultural influence in New Ulm has been waning since before World War II, Black reported.

Black, who grew up in New Ulm and is of German ancestry, found exploring the question of "how German are we (in New Ulm)" a natural for her undergraduate thesis. Working at the Brown County Historical Society Museum also raised her awareness of the subject, as well, she said.

There are definite indications of New Ulm's German cultural decline, according to Black who now lives in Gibbon.

"Today, you'll find only older generations speak (German) with any fluency although German is taught in its schools, she said. "Few speak German, and many no longer refer to themselves as German-Americans."

It's now the city's monuments that "allows people to give New Ulm the title of being most German in the state," she continued, and the Hermann Monument is the centerpiece of that German appearance.

While the city has a number of festivals, including Heritagefest which has been rated among the top 100 festivals in the country, Black said, "most residents put emphasis on the party aspect -- the music and the beer."

Businesses with German names are seen as "attempts to hold onto the German culture for economic reasons," she continued. "It's been compared to a Disneyland theme park, and some wonder if New Ulm is anything more than a tourist trap."

Black said while "New Ulm no longer can claim pure German ethnicity, even those who have no German ancestry buy into the German culture. Therefore, only time will tell whether New Ulm can claim to be a Germany in Minnesota."

Black then traced the sometimes not so gradual decline of German influence in the city.

"The first settlers came as a result of the 1848 revolution. The first arrived (at the townsite) on Oct. 11, 1854, and many more followed. Already in 1859 the town boasted more than 1,000 population, and (it had) Turner Hall (which) is still a cultural influence," she explained.

"The founders never denied their mother tongue or culture. In essence, English was a second language up to World War I. Then, the New Ulm culture was not welcome because they were German. As a result, German Street's name was changed. Even sauerkraut was changed to liberty cabbage."

But significant changes occurred following World War I, Black said, although some were more rapid than others.

"Just as New Ulm reaction to World War II changed so did attitude toward New Ulm. German no longer was the mother tongue in New Ulm as second and third generations arose. The difference was Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor," she explained.

"Still, many families continued to speak German in the home until the 1950s."