Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

constitute a considerable ethnic group in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where a little over 15,000 people are of Swedish ancestry.

History

Like other European ethnic groups, people left Sweden in search of better economic opportunities during the mid-1800s. In the year 1900, Chicago was the city with the second highest number of Swedes after Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. By then, Swedes in Chicago, most of whom settled in the Andersonville neighborhood, especially in the years following the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

, had founded the Evangelical Covenant Church and established such enduring institutions as Swedish Covenant Hospital and North Park University. The fire destroyed much of the Swedish-American community, including four Swedish churches, and as many Swedish newspapers. Other Swedish neighborhoods included Lake View, which at its peak had about 20,000 Swedes. In addition to Chicago, Swedish immigrants settled in Rockford and other parts of Illinois. Like other

Swedish-American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...

communities, the Chicago Swedes had their own newspaper, ''

Hemlandet ''Hemlandet'', alternately ''Gamla och nya hemlandet'', was a Swedish-American newspaper begun in 1855 in Galesburg, Illinois. It was the first Swedish-language newspaper in America. Founded by Lutheran minister Tuve Hasselquist, the newspaper m ...

'' (Swedish for "The Homeland"). This paper was founded by Johan Alfred Enander, who argued that the Vikings were instrumental in enabling the "freedom" that spread not only throughout the British Isles, but America as well. Many Chicago Swedes entered the construction business as part working their way up the economic ladder, though most started as carpenters and laborers. The Gust K. Newberg Construction company has emerged as one of Chicago's most prominent architectural firms. It is estimated that Swedes have been involved in building almost half the buildings in Chicago. Today, Chicago is twinned with

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, a testament to the longstanding connection between Sweden and the Greater Chicago Area.

Organizations in Chicago preserving Swedish heritage

The following places in Chicago have been founded by Swedes or to preserve Swedish heritage: *

Swedish American Museum Swedish American Museum is a museum of Swedish American topics and the Swedish emigration to the United States, located in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. The Swedish American Museum in Chicago was founded by Kurt Mathisson in 1976. ...

Andersonville, Chicago, IL * Swedish Covenant Hospital, Chicago, IL * Swedish Club of Chicago

References

* Anderson, Philip J. and Dag Blanck, eds. ''Swedish-American Life in Chicago: Cultural and Urban Aspects of an Immigrant People, 1850–1930'' (1992) * Beijbom, Ulf. ''Swedes in Chicago. A demographic and social study of the 1846-1880 immigration'' (1971
online
* Gustafson, Anita Olson. "'We hope to be able to do some good': Swedish-American women's organizations in Chicago." ''Swedish-American Historical Quarterly'' (2008) 59#4 pp 178–201; covers 1840 to 1950. * Gustafson, Anita Olson. ''Swedish Chicago: The Shaping of an Immigrant Community, 1880–1920'' (Northern Illinois University Press, 2018). * Gustafson, Anita Olson. "North Park: Building a Swedish Community in Chicago." ''Journal of American Ethnic History'' (2003): 31-49
online
* Jackson, Erika K. ''Scandinavians in Chicago: The Origins of White Privilege in Modern America'' (University of Illinois Press, 2018). * Naeseth, Henriette CK. "Drama in Swedish in Chicago." ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society'' (1948): 159-170
online
* Norén, Carol M. "On to Perfection: Nels O. Westergreen and the Swedish Methodist Church'' (2021
online
* Olson, Anita Ruth. "Swedish Chicago: The extension and transformation of an urban immigrant community, 1880-1920" (PhD dissertation, Northwestern University; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1990. 9031971). * Olson, Ernst Wilhelm. ''History of the Swedes of Illinois'' (3 vol 190
online
also se
new reprint of old book
* Tsuchida, Eiko. "Science, technology, and Swedish-American identity: An immigrant acculturation in Chicago, 1890-1935" (PhD dissertation, University of Chicago; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2014. 3615684). {{Swedish Americans by location Ethnic groups in Chicago

History

Organizations in Chicago preserving Swedish heritage

References

Further reading