The History Of New Ulm

New Ulm, the City of "Charm and Tradition", is nestled just 90 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, in the heart of the scenic Minnesota River Valley. The idea for the City of New Ulm, a settlement of German immigrants, was conceived by Frederick Beinhorn in Germany. Beinhorn came to America in 1852. By 1853, he was in Chicago where he and a group of other German immigrants formed the "Chicago Land Society". In 1854, the site of the present New Ulm was selected by the advance group. The name, New Ulm, was selected because many of the original settlers were from the Province of Wurttemberg, Germany, of which Ulm is the principal city.

In 1856 Wilhelm Pfaender arrived in New Ulm with members of the Turner Colonization Society of Cincinnati. The two groups merged and in 1857, the town of New Ulm was incorporated by an act of the Legislature.

The City of New Ulm was important in Minnesota's history. The first steamboats passed by New Ulm in 1853, going upriver with troops to lay out the site for Fort Ridgely. For the next 20 years, boats brought settlers, freight, Indian supplies and gold to the area. The Indians mingled freely with New Ulm settlers in those days. Much trading was done between the Indians and the settlers of New Ulm.

New Ulm was nearly overrun in the U.S./Dakota Conflict of 1862. New Ulm survived two separate sieges in August of 1862. Several buildings which still stand along Minnesota Street served as a refuge for residents and nearby settlers.

In 1870, New Ulm survived another disaster, an infestation of grasshoppers. The grasshoppers brought the people to the point of starvation. In 1881, a cyclone also caused great devastation to the City of New Ulm.

With the election of New Ulm's John Lind as the 14th governor of Minnesota in 1899 came significant cultural, social and political influence. The town grew in education, sports, entertainment and music.

The German heritage of New Ulm is evident in the architecture, and especially in the neatness and care visible in the trim yards and well-kept houses and store fronts. New Ulm, when laid out by the German Land Societies plans, was given a precise layout of streets and parks which provide a variety of recreational opportunities.

New Ulm is a progressive town, with agriculture, industries, retail stores, progressive parochial and public schools, including a private college, and a population of nearly 14,000 people.