New Ulm, Minnesota

[Jennifat]

Today I decided I'd enjoy the unseasonably hot weather and take a road trip down to New Ulm, tucked into the Minnesota River Valley in the south central region of the state.

The town was founded and settled by German immigrants, and today it is one of the most heavily German-American communities in the country. I was interested to discover that the town was destroyed twice in its early history — first in the Sioux Uprising of 1862, and then again in 1881 by a devastating tornado. Despite that, the town came back and became a major brewing center in the Upper Midwest.

New Ulm was packed today with Oktoberfest madness, which seemed completely bizarre in the 85º heat. I also paid the $1.75 admission to climb the Hermann Monument — a German folk hero, and a symbol of the town's German heritage.

New Ulm, Minnesota
Population: 13,594
Seat of Brown County
October 9, 2010

[hudkina]

Great shots. The fall colors from that tower are beautiful. The old guys in lederhosen, not so much...

[Jennifat]

Thanks, Hudkina!

Yeah, the old dudes rocking the lederhosen were so comically cute I had to sneak some shots.

[spencer114]

Wow! That's a really pretty town. I hate that I haven't been to the upper Midwest. It's the only part of the country that I haven't seen and I'd probably like it better than most places that I've visited.

[MplsTodd]

Great thread-Jennifer! I visited New Ulm a few years ago and was impressed with the relative vibrancy of their downtown area--they still have a department store in the dwtn plus lots of great old buildings.

Did you happen to tour the Schoell's Brewery? I've heard this is the oldest continuously operating family owned brewery in the US. They provide a nice tour and have a very scenic setting, with lots of peacocks strolling the grounds. Plus they also brew 1919 Root Beer, which is especially tasty on tap.

[Chadoh25]

Sehr schön! Danke für die Bilder!

[Jennifat]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Great thread-Jennifer! I visited New Ulm a few years ago and was impressed with the relative vibrancy of their downtown area--they still have a department store in the dwtn plus lots of great old buildings.

Yeah, I was really surprised by how lively the downtown was! The local shopping mall (fittingly called Marktplatz Mall) is actually located right in the center of downtown which I found to be really cool. I stepped inside to take a peek, and the entire place was completely dark and vacant aside from the Herberger's.

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Did you happen to tour the Schoell's Brewery? I've heard this is the oldest continuously operating family owned brewery in the US. They provide a nice tour and have a very scenic setting, with lots of peacocks strolling the grounds. Plus they also brew 1919 Root Beer, which is especially tasty on tap.

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to visit the Schell's Brewery, although the guy at the ticket counter at the Hermann Heights Monument insisted that I not miss it. I'll have to put that on my list of things to do on my road trip out west that I'm planning.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures. It seems like a nice place; a quintessential Midwestern town with some good German visuals.

[Jennifat]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures. It seems like a nice place; a quintessential Midwestern town with some good German visuals.

Yes, it's definitely a quintessential Midwestern town, far enough away from the sphere of Twin Cities influence to have its own kind of unique identity. It was a fun mini-road trip!

Southern Minnesota has a decidedly different feel from the Twin Cities region and the rest of the state. It feels not quite Iowa, but not quite fully Minnesota, either.

[Resident]

Awesome set, I love small town photo threads. Btw, nice dense little downtown.

[torsten]

If you're interested in New Ulm, MN or the German-American experience, you may want to check out The Toilers and the Wayfarers, a little-known indie movie from 1996 that was set in the town. The majority of the movie is in English but there's a good bit of German dialogue.

[Milan Luka]

Originally Posted by Jennifat

Beautiful shot!

Believe it or not Im fascinated by MN. I really would love to go. Being of Swedish background Im sure Ive got long lost cousins there that want to put me up and show me round.

[diablo234]

I'm surprised at the amount of trees in the area.

Great Pics btw.

[Jennifat]

Originally Posted by Milan Luka

Beautiful shot!

Believe it or not Im fascinated by MN. I really would love to go. Being of Swedish background Im sure Ive got long lost cousins there that want to put me up and show me round.

Thanks again for your nice compliments. You very well may have long-lost relatives around here. It's entirely possible!

Originally Posted by diablo234

I'm surprised at the amount of trees in the area.

Great Pics btw.

Thanks! Why are you surprised by the trees? Minnesota is a very green place.

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by Jennifat

Thanks! Why are you surprised by the trees? Minnesota is a very green place.

I know that Minnesota is very forested (I have been to Minnesota once btw). I just thought that that part of the state was where the transitioning point to where the great plains "began".

[Jennifat]

Oh yes, you're right, it's in a prairie region of the state, although the Minnesota River Valley in which New Ulm is situated is very thick with trees. Once you drive up out of the valley, you're back in the prairie.

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by Jennifat

Oh yes, you're right, it's in a prairie region of the state, although the Minnesota River Valley in which New Ulm is situated is very thick with trees. Once you drive up out of the valley, you're back in the prairie.

Okay, I see.

Anyways it seems like a very nice town.