Elk Horn, Iowa
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Elk Horn is a city in
Shelby County, Iowa Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,746. The county seat is Harlan. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. History Shelby County was establis ...
, United States. The population was 601 at the time of the 2020 census. Elk Horn is known as an enclave of
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
ethnicity and is home to the
Museum of Danish America The Museum of Danish America (formerly the Danish Immigrant Museum) is a national museum located in Elk Horn, Iowa. Its mission is to "celebrate Danish roots and American dreams." History In 1979, two professors from Dana College proposed to t ...
.


History

Elk Horn was
plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...
ted in 1901, and incorporated as a town in 1910. The city took its name from
Elk Horn Creek Elk Horn Creek is a stream in Cass, Shelby and Audubon counties, Iowa, in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in N ...
. Newspaper articles from the Atlantic, Iowa newspaper published in 1919 on the death of Mrs. Winters and 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 post mistress 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.


Geography

Elk Horn is located at (41.592694, -95.059615). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 662 people, 255 households, and 163 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 274 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.9%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.8% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 255 households, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 50 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 33.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 649 people, 248 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 261 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.08%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.15% Native American, 0.62%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 0.15% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.31% of the population. There were 248 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73. Age spread: 20.2% under the age of 18, 2.6% from 18 to 24, 17.3% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 42.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,333, and the median income for a family was $38,281. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $21,146 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $15,412. About 1.2% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Students from the area attend
Exira–Elk Horn–Kimballton Community School District The Exira–Elk Horn–Kimballton (Exira–EHK) Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Elk Horn, Iowa. It consists of two buildings, one in Elk Horn and one in Exira. The district is mostly within Audubon ...
, which has a campus located in Elk Horn. The former
Elk Horn–Kimballton Community School District Elk Horn–Kimballton Community School District (EH-K) was a school district headquartered in Elk Horn, Iowa. Its schools were EH-K Elementary School and EH-K High School. It occupied sections of Audubon The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ...
consolidated effective July 1, 2014. The school mascots used to be the "Danes" and "Lady Danes," which represents Elk Horn's Danish ancestry and tradition. As of 2010, all sports were combined with the Exira "Vikings" and "Vikettes" from
Exira, Iowa Exira is a city in Audubon County, Iowa, United States, along the East Nishnabotna River and U.S. Route 71. The population was 787 at the time of the 2020 census. History The oldest town in Audubon County, Exira was founded in 1857. The town wa ...
to create the Exira-EH-K Spartans; mascot colors now are maroon and black for both schools, the original colors for EH-K were orange and black. And starting in the new school year of 2011, the schools will combine completely, high school and elementary being in Elk Horn, and middle school and junior high being in Exira. Elk Horn was also the site of the Elk Horn Højskole. This school, founded in 1878 by Danish immigrant
Kristian Ostergaard Kristian Ostergaard (February 5, 1855 - October 9, 1931) was a Danish-American Lutheranism, Lutheran pastor, educator, author and hymnwriter. Background Kristian Ostergaard was born at Østergård in the Hjerm parish of Viborg County, now Strue ...
, was the first Danish folk school in America. It served as a magnet for Danish immigrants, drawing them to Elk Horn in great numbers. In 1894, Pastor
Kristian Anker Kristian Anker (October 29, 1848 – November 16, 1928) was a Lutheran minister who served as the first president of the combined Trinity Seminary and Dana College. Kristian Anker served as a Lutheran pastor in Elk Horn, Iowa, and Lincoln, Nebrask ...
, then owner and principal of the Elk Horn Højskole, sold it to the newly formed Danish Lutheran Church in North America for use as a
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
and college. In 1896, the seminary was relocated and consolidated with Trinity Seminary at Dana College in
Blair, Nebraska Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 census. History Blair was platted in 1869 when the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. It was n ...
.Elk Horn Højskole Folk School. Dana College
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References

Newspaper obituary from the Atlantic News Telegraph March 20, 1919 and 1939.


External links


Official website of Elk Horn and KimballtonMuseum of Danish AmericaThe Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, IA, USA
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Elk Horn {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Shelby County, Iowa Danish-American culture in Iowa 1901 establishments in Iowa