Den Danske Pioneer
Encyclopedia
Den Danske Pioneer is the oldest Danish-language
newspaper published in the United States. Den Danske Pioneer is one of two remaining Danish-language newspapers in the United States. The other is Bien
(Danish for "bee"), a weekly newspaper based in California.
and 75 percent of its subscribers were Danish-American farmers. Sophus Frederik Neble served as Editor from 1887 to 1931. Sophus Neble was a journeyman printer who had immigrated to the United States in 1883 from Stubbekøbing
, Denmark
.
Den Danske Pioneer secured a new press at the Chicago Exposition in 1893
. The press that was capable of printing 6,000 pages an hour. In 1903 the staff of Den Danske Pioneer numbered 16 and the newspaper moved into newly built offices in Omaha
.
In 1958 the newspaper relocated to Elmwood Park, Illinois
, where it was published until 1984. Hjalmar Bertelsen served as Editor from 1958 until 1981. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
visited the newspaper's Elmwood Park facilities during her visit to the United States in 1976. In 1997, Queen Margrethe II made then-editor Chris Steffensen a Knight of the Order of Dannebrog to commemorate the newspaper's 125th anniversary.
Today the newspaper is a unit of Bertelsen Publishing Co., based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
. Elsa Steffensen, wife of former editor Chris Steffensen, is publisher, and their daughter Linda Steffensen is editor.
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
newspaper published in the United States. Den Danske Pioneer is one of two remaining Danish-language newspapers in the United States. The other is Bien
Bien (newspaper)
Bien is the only weekly Danish-language newspaper published in the United States. Bien is one of two Danish-language newspapers published in the United States. The other is a biweekly, Den Danske Pioneer, a unit of Bertelsen Publishing Co., based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.Bien, which is Danish...
(Danish for "bee"), a weekly newspaper based in California.
History
Den Danske Pioneer was founded in 1872 by Mark Hansen. Originally, the newspaper was published in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
and 75 percent of its subscribers were Danish-American farmers. Sophus Frederik Neble served as Editor from 1887 to 1931. Sophus Neble was a journeyman printer who had immigrated to the United States in 1883 from Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing is a town with a population of 2,298 in Guldborgsund municipality in Region Sjælland on the northeastern coast of the island of Falster in south Denmark...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Den Danske Pioneer secured a new press at the Chicago Exposition in 1893
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. The press that was capable of printing 6,000 pages an hour. In 1903 the staff of Den Danske Pioneer numbered 16 and the newspaper moved into newly built offices in Omaha
History of Omaha, Nebraska
The history of Omaha, Nebraska began before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree...
.
In 1958 the newspaper relocated to Elmwood Park, Illinois
Elmwood Park, Illinois
Elmwood Park is a village bordering the northwest side of the City of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,405 at the 2000 census. The community has long maintained a large Italian-American population, with a more recent influx of Polish-American and Hispanic...
, where it was published until 1984. Hjalmar Bertelsen served as Editor from 1958 until 1981. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
visited the newspaper's Elmwood Park facilities during her visit to the United States in 1976. In 1997, Queen Margrethe II made then-editor Chris Steffensen a Knight of the Order of Dannebrog to commemorate the newspaper's 125th anniversary.
Today the newspaper is a unit of Bertelsen Publishing Co., based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates is a northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois. The village is located primarily in Cook County with a small section in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 49,495 and estimated to be 52,520 in 2003...
. Elsa Steffensen, wife of former editor Chris Steffensen, is publisher, and their daughter Linda Steffensen is editor.
Other sources
- Marzolf, Marion The Danish-Language Press in America (New York: Arno Press. 1979)