Ch 3. Historical Settlement of North America

http://www.missionsantaines.org/home.html

          Before Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danes, the Santa Ynez Valley was inhabited by the Chumash. They were skilled fishermen and hunters. However, by the beginning of the 19th century, Spanish missionaries arrived and the Chumash adopted the Spanish way of life. Soon after, Mission Santa Inés created in 1804. It was located in the center of today's Solvang. The Mission, although built to serve as a seminary, was repaired and then renovated after its deterioration (Mission Santa Ines).

http://www.elverhoj.org/history.html

          During 1850 to 1930, a lot of residents in Denmark left their country to escape poverty. Soon after, Danish settlers decided to create a new Danish Colony with a dedicated Lutheran church and school on the west under the leadership of Benedict Nordentoft, pastor Jens M. Gregersen, and lecturer Peder P. Hornsyld. These Danish-Americans found Solvang at the suitable land that they found in the Santa Ynez Valley (Elverhoj Museum).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lib_b/5587826420/

          Solvang now became a town from a land with just fields. It had a store, a post office, a bank, and more. Later on, a folk high school was constructed to teach Danish-speaking students various subjects. The Bethania Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in 1928, and it resembled that of a 14th century church in rural parts of Denmark.

http://milesmomma.com/wp-content/images/2013/01/solvang3.jpg

          At first, buildings in Solvang were not built in Danish-styled architecture like we can see today. The only one that actually resembled a Denmark architecture was the church. However, after Wolrd War II, interests in the concept of a "Danish Village" increased as to create a new tourist attraction to bring economic activity. These efforts turned out to be quite successful, as more than one million tourists visit Solvang each year.