Denmark is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,408 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is located within the town of New Denmark.

Denmark began to be settled by Danish immigrants in 1848, and has been referred to, along with Hartland, Wisconsin, as the "nuclei of what developed into one of the most important regions of Danish immigration in the United States."

History

Early settlement

In 1846, a Prussian immigrant, John Bartlme, purchased 40 acres of land in the area of what is now Denmark.

In 1848, the second settler, and the first Danish immigrant, a man named Niels Gotfredsen, bought 160 acres in the area. This was also the year that the residents of Denmark wanted to build a church, but they did not have any money. A man from De Pere came to the town, and offered to pay two dollars for every vote the people of Denmark would cast in favor of De Pere. From Green Bay, Beyer traveled seven hours by ox team to get to Denmark. The depot was built in the downtown area. The railroad was originally planned to travel through Cooperstown, Wisconsin, rather than Denmark, but railroad officials decided against this plan. The official vote tally was 109 in favor, and 26 against.

On March 3, 1949, Denmark State Bank was robbed of $38,000 at gunpoint. This was the first bank robbery in Brown County, Wisconsin.

On September 7, 1988, a Chicago & Northwestern train derailed as it was passing the Lake to Lake cheese plant. 20 of the 144 train cars derailed, including several that were carrying sulfuric acid and fuel oil. The train also had cars that were carrying chlorine, however, the engineer did not know which cars contained the chemical, and the wind was blowing towards a residential district. This information led the village and county officials to evacuate a large portion of the village. It was soon found that none of the chemicals had leaked, and residents were allowed to return to their homes.

Climate

Denmark has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), with some moderation due to the village's proximity to Lake Michigan.

Infrastructure

Highways

  • 25px Interstate 43 northbound leads to Green Bay and southbound leads to Manitowoc and Milwaukee.
  • 25px WIS 96 begins on the western edge of Denmark, Wisconsin and travels west to Fremont.
  • 25px begins on the western edge of Denmark, Wisconsin and travels east, ending just south of Stangelville.
  • 25px passes through the village, traveling north to New Franken and south to Marilbel and Kellnersville.

Railroad

thumb|HLCX 1048 leased to Fox Valley and Lake Superior for local service

Fox Valley & Lake Superior maintains freight service between Green Bay and Denmark.

Utilities

Wisconsin Public Service provides electricity for the village.

The village provides sewer and water service to residents. The village owns and operates the Denmark Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was built in 1980.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,123 people, 923 households, and 562 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.3% White, 0.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 923 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the village was 37 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census The board enacts local ordinances and approves the budget. The village also elects a Municipal Court Judge, who serves a four-year term.

Denmark is represented by Mike Gallagher (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Frank Lasee (R) represents Denmark in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Andre Jacque (R) represents Denmark in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Economy

thumb|A 5,210 lb cheese, produced in 1950 by Steve's Cheese

thumb|Former Denmark Brewing Company building in Denmark, Wisconsin. It currently houses the offices of the Denmark News.

thumb|Former Land O' Lakes plant in Denmark, Wisconsin.

Industry

Brewing

In 1934, Raymond and Peter Stark founded the Denmark Brewing Company. The brewery produced about 15,000 barrels per year, which was marketed under the 20th Century Pale and Old Town Lager brands. The brewery also brewed beer under contract for Rahr's Brewing Company of Green Bay. At its height, the Denmark Brewing Company ranking among the top one-third of all breweries in the state by production. In 1926, Pet, Inc. acquired the plant. In 1946, Blue Moon Foods acquired the plant, and converted its production to cheese, marketed under the brand name of 'Gold-N-Rich'.

Major employers

Major employers located in Denmark include: Denmark Bancshares, Dufeck Wood Products, Northern Concrete Construction, Salm Partners, LLC, and United Cooperative.

Arts and culture

In 2011, Molly Johnson purchased the Academy of Fine Art in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, and moved it to a restored feed mill in Denmark. The Academy of Fine Art includes eight faculty members that teach art classes year round. Johnson also runs her art studio out of the Academy. The Academy of Fine Art is the only Art Renewal Center certified atelier in the state of Wisconsin.

Every summer, the Denmark Lions Club holds a festival called the Denmark Lions Weekend. The festival spans three days, and has recently included a demolition derby, tractor and horse pulls, bands, a 5k run, and a parade.

Media

Newspaper

Denmark is served by The Denmark News, which is published weekly on Fridays.

Radio

  • WGBW 1590 AM
  • WPCK 99.5 & 104.9 FM

Points of interest

  • Devil's River State Trail

Notable people

  • Erica Deichmann Gregg, Canadian potter
  • Theodore Marcus Hansen, United Evangelical Lutheran Church leader
  • Danen Kane, Christian musician
  • Harvey Larsen, Wisconsin State Representative
  • Niels P. Larsen, Wisconsin State Representative
  • Red Ostergard, baseball pinch hitter with the Chicago White Sox
  • Johan Olsen, pastor of the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation 1867-1872
  • Jean Sutton, science fiction author
  • Paul J. Tikalsky, engineer, dean at Oklahoma State University

Images

<gallery class="center">

File:DenmarkWisconsinHighSchool.jpg|Denmark High School

File:DenmarkWisconsinPostOffice.jpg|Denmark Post office

File:DenmarkWisconsinVelkommen.jpg|Velkommen sign showing relationship with the country of Denmark

File:Denmarksign.jpg|Denmark, WI Welcome Sign

File:DenmarkWisconsinWatertower.jpg|Water tower

File:Downtown Denmark looking east.jpg|Downtown Denmark

File:Downtown denmark.jpg|Downtown Denmark

File:Devilsrivertrailheadsign.jpg|Devil's River Trail head Sign

File:Devilsrivertrail.jpg|Devil's River Trail

File:Oursaviorslutheranchurchdenmark.JPG|Our Savior's Lutheran Church

File:Zion United Methodist Church.jpg|Zion United Methodist Church

</gallery>

References

  • Village of Denmark, Wisconsin