♪♪ Kohlsdorf: South of Audubon, in Shelby County, sits the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton.

We're pulling over for a little history on Iowa's Danish pioneers.

The Danish Villages, in general, we pride ourselves in being sort of a tranquil area, a place to relax, a place to just kind of kick back for a bit and get away from the noise of the cities and the crowds.

It's very quiet out here, but there's still a lot to do.

Brandt: This is the Museum of Danish America.

We are the national museum that is dedicated to telling the story of Danish immigration to the United States, Danish-American experience of all of the generations up to today, and also the ongoing story of how Denmark and the United States work together and influence one another.

Our museum has something for everybody.

We have some wonderful history and culture displays, changing exhibitions.

We feature art, both historical art and contemporary art.

We have a 35-acre campus, much of which is a restored prairie.

So, for bird watching and wandering and just enjoying the native ecosystem of this area of Iowa.

We have a Lego play area.

A lot of people don't know that Legos were started and continue to be headquartered in Denmark.

And so, we have an area where anyone, no age requirements, can play with Legos.

Sayers: So, in 1975, Harvey Sornson proposed this idea to get a windmill from Denmark.

He brought it up to the Better Elk Horn Club, which at the time was kind of a civic club.

They voted on it and, you know, it wasn't unanimous, but it passed.

They said, "Let's look into getting a windmill here."

They went and found one in Norre Snede, Denmark.

The windmill was originally built there in 1848, and the family agreed to sell it to us here in Elk Horn.

Arrived in New York in 1976, put on flatbeds, and driven over here, where it finally got to Elk Horn in February 1976.

And finally in November 1976, the sails were put on.

♪♪ As an organization, our mission has always been to preserve Danish heritage, enlighten people about windmills, renewable energy.

But it's also, again, getting back to community about bringing people to Elk Horn and western Iowa and just being not only a tourist attraction but kind of a symbol of everything that our communities have stood for, for so long.

It goes without saying that it's a scenic drive, but it's just those rolling hills and there's something familiar about them to a lot of people, but they don't quite realize it.

And so, when you think about, you know, the Danish Villages and why Danish immigrants, settled in western Iowa, the big thing I tell people is if you ever go to Denmark, you'll immediately understand why.

It looks like Iowa.

If you want to feel Denmark without flying out of town, stop by, you know, see what the windmill looks like and see just kind of how it almost just meshes right in as if it's always been here.

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