All The Street Signs In This MN Town Are In Another Language

When you drive around anywhere in Minnesota or the US, you'd expect most, if not all, the street signs you see to be in English. One Minnesota city hasn't subscribed to that idea since 1976, as when you visit this North Central Minnesota town, you had better learn Danish quickly. Welcome to Askov, Minnesota, a town where all of the street signs are in Danish. Here's the reason why.

The original name was Partridge

Partridge Township, in Pine County, wasn't developed or had many settlers in it until the Great Northern Railroad ran track through the area in 1888, as it was seeking a path to go from Superior, Wisconsin, to Hinckley. It wasn't until 1908 that Partridge became known as what we all know it as now, Askov.

A town with a rich Danish history

In 1906, when the area was known as Partirdge, a group of Danish people selected that area to 'colonize' as a Danish-speaking settlement. The group purchased thousands of acres of land, and soon hundreds of Danes came to the area. Danish history and heritage were so important to the area and to residents in town that the Danish language was taught in the area schools through the 1930s!

1976 Was The Year Streets Got 'New' Names

According to the City of Askov's website, it was America's bicentennial in which Askov took to naming the streets of the town in both Danish and English.

Today, the street signs in Askov are brown and feature both Danish and the English name of the street you are on. Below are a few examples:

Town Celebration 4th Weekend Of August

For those wanting to visit Askov, anytime of year would be a good time, but if you are looking for a true Askov experience, the 4th weekend in August is when the town festival, known as Askov Rutabaga Festival and Fair. Why rutabagas?

It was back when Askov had just changed its name, and people were still coming into the area a 'cash' crop was needed, and it was between potatoes and rutabagas. According to the City of Askov website, rutabagas won out as "Ludvig Mosbaek, Askov's early nurseryman, looked for a cash crop that would be unique to Askov and would also grow well in this soil, and sent to Denmark for rutabaga seeds around 1909."

For a time, the city was known as the Rutabaga Capital of the World, selling its crop to companies all over, including Campbell Soup.