Europeans

The first large wave of European immigrants also arrived in Minnesota in the 1850s. Some came directly to the area, while others stopped in settlements in other states along the way. They were attracted by the abundance of good farmland and jobs available in Minnesota. In many cases they were also escaping poverty, famine, restrictive laws, religious persecution, and overpopulation.

Many of these European immigrants chose Minnesota because they knew someone who was already here. They often joined communities of people from their home countries, cementing these new relationships through churches, schools, weddings, and community groups.

Germans

One of the largest groups of immigrants to Minnesota came from the German-speaking areas of Europe. From 1860 until 1905, German-speaking people were the largest group of foreign-born people in the state.

German immigrants are difficult to define, since Germany as we know it has only existed since the 20th century. People we consider having German heritage came from present-day Germany, as well as Luxembourg, the Alsace region of France, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, and even parts of Bohemia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Russia.


Scandinavians

The first Swedish immigrants settled in Minnesota in 1850. Their Norwegian neighbors soon joined them and settlement by both groups continued in waves for the remainder of the century. Scandinavian immigrants were attracted to Minnesota because it offered them the opportunity to own their own land, something not available in their home countries.

Immigrants from Denmark also made Minnesota their new home. Their numbers were not as high as the Swedes and Norwegians, but together these Scandinavians outnumbered all other ethnic immigrant groups throughout the state's history and made Minnesota one of the most Scandinavian states in the country.

Margaret Meier was born in Holborn, Denmark, in 1898. In this interview, she explained why her parents decided to emigrate to America when she was a young girl. The full interview (linked below) also includes details about her journey across the Atlantic and her impressions of Ellis Island. She and her family first landed in Iowa before settling in Askov.

Interview with Margaret Meier


Great Britain

People from Great Britain also made a new home in Minnesota. They were English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, or a combination of those groups. Some of them settled first in earlier-established states like New York, Ohio, or Wisconsin. They later moved to Minnesota as land and jobs there became less available.


Other Europeans

Other prominent European immigrant groups to Minnesota included those coming from Finland, Poland, Russia, Italy, areas then known as Bohemia, and many other places throughout Europe. Their stories highlight common immigration storylines: acquiring land, fleeing persecution, and becoming Americanized.

Nick Borovac's account of emigrating from Croatia in 1912 is riveting. He expressed his appreciation to those who helped him escape, and described how he found work right away to repay the debt he owed to those who helped him come to America.

It was in July, 1912, just before the start of World War I in the "Old Country" that a small group of us young men met to discuss our plans to leave for a new life in the "New World". Several of them had relatives or friends already in America, and the talk was how good life was and plenty of work was available. We didn't have that in our "Old Country". We then started to plan how we were going to go to America. The hardest part of our plan was how we were going to obtain a visa and our travel arrangements. Our government officials knew that war was inevitable, and for that reason they were not allowing the young men to leave the country.

Nick Borovac

From "My Arrival in the New Country" by Nick Borovac

Mary Mackie's and Mary Berrini's parents emigrated from Italy to Ely, Minnesota in the early 20th century seeking better lives and jobs. Beatrice Masnari also came from Italy to join her husband there in 1931.


Jewish Immigrants and Refugees

Jewish immigrants to Minnesota were often fleeing religious persecution in Europe. German Jews first arrived in Minneapolis in the 1860s, followed by a large influx of Eastern European Jews from Russia and Romania in the 1880s. These Jews formed distinct Jewish communities and neighborhoods mostly in the cities.

On Minneapolis's South Side, the Jewish households were made up of immigrants from Romania. On the North Side, the Jewish neighborhoods had more families from Russia, Poland, and Lithuania.

Born in Russia, Vera Nissenson Lyons fled the pogroms against Jews there and relocated with her family to Minnesota. In this interview, she recalls how relatives and entire families worked to get everyone to the United States.

We were brought here by an uncle of mine, a Rabbi Friedman whose sons, Isadore, Dr. Isadore and Dr. Harry, are my first cousins. Now, in those days, it was not at all unusual to bring over relatives because there was this feeling of kinship to relatives that you hadn’t even remembered, particularly. My father in law brought over practically an entire Hungarian village. Because he brought his sisters, and his sister with her children, and cousins . . . that was the kind of thing one did . . . that’s how we got to the United States.

Vera Nissenson Lyons

Interview with Vera Nissenson Lyons, 1976


Explore more stories about Asian and Latino immigrants and refugees to Minnesota using the pages below.