Experience The Beauty Of Swedish History In This Small MN Town

Did you happen to catch the last season of Fargo? It featured Jon Hamm, as a North Dakota Sheriff, as well as revolving around the quaint and very real town of Scandia, MN. The real Scandia is nothing like the town in the TV show. While the people there are still friendly, it's also historic and very quaint.

Where's Scandia?

The City of Scandia is located along the St. Croix River in Eastern Washington County. It was established as New Scandia Township in the 1850s as Swedish immigrants settled the area and farmed.

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Scandia was the spot for Swedish immigrants coming to America. According to a historical marker in town, "by 1920 nearly a quarter of Minnesota’s foreign-born residents were from Sweden, making it the home of more Swedes than any other state."

What are those sculptures throughout town?

The residents of Scandia are so passionate about their Swedish history they have erected tiny Dala horse statues throughout town. (Yes, we know that Mora also has them) My personal favorite is the horse outside the fire hall, you can see why below.

The Dala horse is painted to be a Dalmatian!

Scandia's Water Barn

You might start to hear more about Scandia in the upcoming weeks and months as the Historical Society in town received some grant funding to rebuild a historic feature. A water barn is expected to be rebuilt, behind the general store, where it stood for more than 100 years before being dismantled recently for safety.

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The State of Minnesota highlighted the project recently in a quarterly newsletter titled Waterline. Here's what they had to say about the water barn.

“The restored barn will showcase 19th-century craftsmanship, including hand-hewn logs in a post-and-beam structure, and an operational tankhouse. An elevated wooden water tank will occupy the tower, and a windmill will sit atop the barn’s cupola.”

The Water Tower Barn Arts & Heritage Center will include an indoor stage and outdoor amphitheater, a water play area, trails, and a wetland overlook. The center’s water focus will educate visitors with interpretative displays on the importance of its wetlands, lakes, streams, aquifers, and the St. Croix River.

If you ever get the chance to visit, take a couple of minutes and explore the downtown, or take a drive to the history museum, it's worth the trip to see all the history, and in the fall when the leaves change. It can't be beat!