Danish Immigrant Archives

The Grand View Danish Immigrant Archives houses a wide variety of information sources related to the Danish immigrant influence on the United States, including personal histories, photographs, writings, and a large collection of Danish-American newspapers and magazines. The majority of the collection is focused around three main areas:

• The founding of Grand View and its early history
• The Danish American immigrant experience
• N.F.S. Grundtvig

The mission of the Grand View Danish Immigrant Archives is to preserve, protect, and provide access to materials relating to the Danish heritage in the United States, primarily Iowa. Our purpose is to promote a greater appreciation of America’s cultural heritage, and to document and preserve the history of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (DELCA), the founding and early years of Grand View, and the Danish heritage in relation to the immigrant experience.

The Archives is an invaluable resource for researchers, scholars, and those is interested in the history of Grand View and its Danish heritage. The scholar will find the Archives to be a source of primary resources relating to the Danish heritage. The collection is not genealogically oriented and, therefore, requests for genealogical information cannot often be met. However the immigrant file is growing as family histories, lineage charts, and other items of value are donated to the Archives.

If you have items you would consider donating, are interested in volunteering, or if you have questions regarding the Archives or Danish immigration please contact the Archivist, Sheri Muller by email at smuller @ grandview.edu or by phone at 515-263-6199.