Elk Horn

Elk Horn in Iowa ranks 2nd on the list of places in the Midwest that look like they could be in Europe. It was platted in 1901, and incorporated as a town in 1910. The city took its name from Elk Horn Creek. Newspaper articles from the Atlantic, Iowa newspaper were published in 1919 on the death of Mrs. Winters and in 1939 on the history of Clay Township In 1864 a colony of Wisconsin people with 3 or 4 covered wagons came to Iowa to establish a town and settled on a knoll two miles southwest of what is now Elk Horn. With the establishment of the post office, Mrs. Caroline Whitney Winters, wife of Theron W. Winters suggested the name of Elk Horn as so many elk shed their horns in the timber there. Mrs. Winters was the first postmistress as the post office was kept in the Winters cabin for a number of years. Her husband traversed the stage route along the ridge country between Grove City and Harlan, carrying the mail prior to the advent of the railroad. The site of the cabin was later occupied by Chris and Stena Jensen, and the Lawrence Nelson and Mrs. Peter M Petersen farms.

Head about an hour west of Des Moines to reach the small villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton, Iowa, home to the country’s largest rural Danish settlement and bountiful Scandinavian pride. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by the charming Danish Windmill Museum & Welcome Center, where you can tour the itty-bitty Morning Star Chapel and ponder a medieval life at a 900 AD Viking blacksmith’s workshop replica. From there, pick up butter-layered pastries at The Kringle Man bakery before checking out the Museum of Danish America, or sip local wine in a European-style barn at the nearby Danish Countryside Vines & Wines. For a peak Danish experience, visit for celebrations like the settlement’s annual Tivoli Fest featuring food, live music, and cultural demonstrations galore.

Location: Shelby County, Iowa, United States

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