Swedish Dala Horse

(Inside the museum, a simply carved, wooden horse sits on a table. It is about six inches tall and is painted a rich red. Its mane, halter and saddle are painted in white, green and red using floral patterns and decorative swirls.)

[Abby Brown] This is called a Dala horse, which is a carved wooden toy in Swedish culture.

(Outside the museum stands a 14-foot tall red Dala horse.)

But this one is not a toy, this Dala horse is gigantic. It was put here as a cultural symbol for this small Iowa community.

(Map marking Henry County in southeastern Iowa.)

This impressive Dala horse stands guard outside the Swedish American Heritage Museum in Swedesburg, Iowa.

Original Dala horses, which for centuries were hand-carved for Swedish children to play with, were not painted. But this one's bright colors help visitors know where to stop for an interesting lesson on Iowa's Swedish history. Inside the museum, there's a collection of items to help illustrate what life was like for the early Swedish immigrants who came to Iowa in the 1860s. Things like the huckster wagon and farming tools.

(A wooden wagon with a side drawer over the back wheel of the wagon, a center section that opens between the wheels, and a drawer at the front of the wagon over the front wheel. The wagon is covered with a canvas top with the sides of the canvas rolled up and attached to the roof of the wagon with straps.)

There are a couple other buildings on the property too. One that looks like a country store that would have been here around the time the town was settled and a small cottage showing how people lived back then. With a name like Swedesburg, this town is a beacon for Swedish culture and works hard to keep it alive.

Every county in Iowa has an interesting immigration story to tell. Thanks for coming along on this stop in Henry County.

Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation.