People In The Town Of Solvang example essay topic

Uncovering History in our own Backyard Dr. Solberg has his own stamp on discovering American history. He has had a long interest in the ordinary person and was quoted as saying "People that carry history are a needed part of our past". He did his doctorates on diaries from the 18th century. And has sent much of his time studying letters sent to Norway during the 1930's and 1940's. Dr. Solberg started the lecture by asking Olle and Marie Mell in to stand up in the audience they are both in the American Scandinavian foundation and have set up scholarships for Scandinavian studies. Solberg was quoted as saying "They where pillars of the American foundation".

Solberg told of a book that he felt had a connection with what he was doing in Solvang. The name of the book was Prairie Earth by "William least Heat Moon". Heat moon did a cultivation of land in the Midwest wand with that went through the history of the land from the Indians to the present. Almost like a de-mapping of the land. Slides came on the screen from the American Post magazine.

This magazine was what covered American life during the time of Solberg's childhood, almost every American home had one. In an issue dated January 1947 an article told of Solvang being an "Original Danish community". This article had a profound effect on tourism. Land prices went sky high and Solvang became a tourist town. There are three areas that Solberg will cover in the lecture, the first being the background of Solvang, the second will cover the time from 1911 through 1916, and the third being his own experience from the 60's.

After graduating from UCSB Solberg went to Europe and after his return he felt he felt a strong interest in cultivating history. It was at this time he decided to do Solvang. He decided to do an oral history. "If you fail to get oral history you lose parts of history".

Solberg did not tape anyone with out there permission was able to collect photos to give a human dimension to his oral report. Large rancho's gave the backdrop for the Santa Ynez valley. With 40,000 acres the valley became a huge area for cattle. In 1804 the first mission was established. 1888 the first railroad became operational before this time Los Olivous was the business center but by 1888 it had died down and by 1911 Solvang was the center of the Santa Ynez valley. After the civil was many Danes immigrated to America.

It was Tyler Min, a Dane, who set up the first Danish settlement. The brain Childs of the Solvang colonization where three men, Nordentoft, Gregersen, and Hernsyld A ranch, called "Rancho San Carlos de Janata", was for sale in Santa Ynez at 40$ an acre. The three men with other investors bought the land and named it Solvang; Sol means sun and vang means meadow. It was split up into 27 parcels of land and what ever land was not sold right away Gra gerson took over while Horsy ld sold parcels through newspapers back east. He advertised for a folk school that would mold children into good citizens.

There was some argument between Gregersen and Nordentoft whether or not the church or school should come first. Gregersen said that the church should come first but Nordentoft was so dedicated to opening the school that he collected money from people to finance the school. Nordentoft also got free labor from Danish settlers. Nordentoft called the school Ater dad College; it was a school of life. It had no degrees and the main course of study came from the bible. Other studies included laun age, History, and had a strong gymnastics field.

The semesters where 5 months it was taught that there was a deep connection between a sound body and mind. 1912 was the first school year. There where 23 students from California, the rest mostly coming to learn the Danish laun age. There was no dancing or card playing allowed and the school had no age requirements. In 1928 the church building was erected and the church population was the same as the town.

The town was starting to become a fast moving and fast building town. Most farmers came to the area found it had virgin soil and that through this soil and Danish innovations that there grain crops were a foot larger than other crops outside that area. In 1911 the Dans opened a store and in 1933 another store opened. In 1913 the garage was selling gas to cars and in 1914 the first bank opened. It was taking business that would be going to Los Olivous. Before World War Two the architecture was set as Spanish style it was not until after the war that the architecture began to change.

If one where to look at the houses and business in the town today one would still see Spanish arches. The conflict that was going on during on during the building of Solvang was the Nordentoft, Gregersen debate. It started with the building of the school and church and did not end even after the death of Gregersen. Gregersen's wife did not even let Nordentoft preach at his funereal. Many people in the town of Solvang during that time saw Gregersen as a better leader and more democratic and practical. Giving his history of selling 7000 acres in Iowa.

Nordentoft was scene as a person more concern with the ideas of the town than the ideas of business. He believed that people of the town should hold on to there native tongues. Nordentoft was a dreamer and Gregersen was a realist. Realism defeated the ideas of the dreamer and Solvang became the American town it is today.