Originally settled by the Day Family in 1849, Decorah has become popular as a center for Norwegian-American culture originating from a high number of Norwegian settlements beginning in the 1850s. Since 1862 it has been the home of Luther College, a liberal arts institution affiliated with the ELCA. Each July Decorah is also the host of Nordic Fest, a celebration of Norwegian culture with ethnic dancing, food, and music. Decorah is also the home of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, the largest museum in the country devoted to one single immigrant group. Until 1972, one of the largest Norwegian language newspapers in the nation was published in Decorah, the Decorah Posten. The city was named for Chief Waukon Decorah, a Winnebago, who cooperated with American settlers during the Black Hawk War and whose people were subsequently forced out of Wisconsin into Northeast Iowa. Decorah offers a wonderful small-town atmosphere and an excellent school system, as well as a vast number of activities for all interests, including shopping, fine restaurants, museums, swimming, boating, canoeing, tubing, biking, fishing, hiking, caving, musical and theater performances, and too many parks to mention. Some interesting websites featuring Decorah include:
www.decoraharea.com
www.vesterheim.org
www.decorahnews.com
www.luther.edu
www.nordicfest.com
www.decorahnewspapers.com
www.decorah.k12.ia.us
The famous Decorah Eagle Cam: http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
Come visit us sometime!
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