City Profile: A little bit of Sweden in the Heartland

A little bit of Sweden in the Heartland

By BETH ANNE BRINK-COX | The Municipal

When thinking of Kansas, Truman Capote’s description or “The Wizard of Oz” might come to mind. But there is a hidden gem called Lindsborg that, if a person hasn’t heard of it, they will want to experience it. Holly Lofton, director for the Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, “I know of very few people who come here and don’t come back.”

Lofton waxes poetically, lyrically and enthusiastically about all the wonderful attributes of this city of 4,000.

“It is a little treasure in a flyover state. It’s a very special place settled by very poor Swedes: They were hard workers with a great idea of what they wanted for future generations, and they were willing to deny themselves almost everything to make that happen as quickly as possible.”

Lindsborg has a low crime rate, and it has grown by 8.3% since the last census, Lofton said. “The surrounding cities of McPherson and Salina have good-paying jobs, so a lot of our residents choose the small-town living we offer and commute there. It’s worth it. We choose to live here because of the quality of life.

“We also have excellent schools, and I can say that with all confidence as a parent. We have Bethany College here, too, with about 800 students.” The city’s Swedish-Lutheran settlers worked with the Rev. Dr. Carl A. Swensson to establish Bethany Academy in October 1881. The college grew rapidly, becoming Bethany Normal Institute in 1886, then Bethany College and Normal Institute in 1887, to its final incarnation, Bethany College in 1889.

Lofton said there are many additional aspects of the city to be proud of. “We opened the J.O. Sundstrom Conference Center in 2013, although our goal wasn’t to make money so much as it was to bring people to town.”

Jacob O. Sundstrom and John G. Bergsten arrived in Lindsborg at different times and partnered in 1879 to build a department store, something not common in small cities at the time. After Sundstrom’s death ABOVE: The Rosberg House offers lodging to visitors of the city of Lindsborg, Kan. Lindsborg residents relish the faithfulness with which the community has preserved the culture of its Swedish founders, Jacob O. Sundstrom and John G. Bergsten. (Photo provided by Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau)

TOP PHOTO: Perfect for slow walking and window shopping, the downtown area of Lindsborg has all the feel of small-town living. (Photo provided by Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau)

in 1926 various businesses filled the space, but the building eventually fell into disrepair and was purchased by the city in 2003. Ten years later, after a full renovation, the Conference Center was ready for use, fitting the needs of the community as well as honoring the historic site.

“We don’t have a chamber of commerce here,” Lofton noted. “We have an ad hoc roundtable group that meets weekly to discuss needs and issues, plan projects, whatever business is pressing.”

She also mentioned a new childcare facility the city just completed. “And we already need to expand it. We have plans to do that.”

Small World Gallery is owned by retired National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson. His work is displayed and sold there. (Photo provided by Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau) An artisan painstakingly paints a dala, featuring the family name of Johnson. (Photo by Jim Richardson, photographer)

Lindsborg Child Development Center was built to care for 10 toddlers, 20 early preschoolers, 40 pre-kindergarteners and 28 elementary school-aged children. Infants are cared for at a nearby church for the time being. Seventy-five additional spots are recommended. The city’s goal is to construct a building that communicates that Lindsborg cares for kids, reflects the dignity of the work being done, and bolsters a community image of being a “Little Sweden,” it tells visitors to the city website.

Directly across the street from the conference center is a new housing complex, Stockholm Estates. As of July, 42 new homes had been built or were under construction, with only 21 lots left; all indications are that, like the Child Development Center, the attractive housing area will need to expand, too.

“You can build a house for approximately $50,000 less than surrounding areas,” Lofton said, “so lots of new homes are going up. The businesses are growing, and we have a need for more workforce, which means a need for more housing!”

There is access to the fine arts in Lindsborg. Bethany College presents “The Messiah” every Holy Week: It is North America’s longest-running performance. The schools have lots of art programming for the students, and the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley is comprised of musicians from across the country who come to the city four times a year for special performances.

In January, the college received a $10,000 grant from the David Nutt Fund for Lindsborg, which greatly assisted it in its mission. According to a news release, the ensemble is unique in terms of its smaller size, fostering a level of intimacy in their performance and venues and creating a different concert experience from the large halls of symphonic orchestras.

The city is also the proud home of Jim Richardson, a National Geographic photographer for 30 years. Richardson has been named Kansan of the Year and received the Governor’s Arts Award. His work is displayed and sold in a Main Street gallery and studio called Small World.

Lindsborg is also well-pleased with the way local generations have handled its finances. Lofton shared a special bit of history.

“There was a gentleman who grew up here, never married and had no children or family, who eventually went to California. For about five years, we received annual, anonymous donations of $5,000 with no idea where they came from: Then we got a bequest from the gentleman, which is when we figured it out—only now there was more than $15 million left to us. In round figures, $3.7 million went to the hospital, another $3.7 million to the college and $7.4 million to the community.”

The city doesn’t spend the principal, she explained, “but it allows us to write plenty of grants, mostly early in the year. That was a good thing when the pandemic hit us. We made funds available to businesses as well as individuals and families. ‘You need money for rent, utilities and so on? You lost your job and can’t pay your mortgage? We’re here.’ Kansas State Bank didn’t ask for intent; if you needed it, you got it. And after every need was granted, we still had money left, in part because there were some who told us ‘No, I’m okay. I don’t need anything right now.’ We saw amazing things in partnership during that time, too.”

Lindsborg has an organization known as The Associated Churches of Lindsborg, or TACOL. “Our people clean out closets or decide they’re done with furniture and furnishings, and they donate to TACOL. It receives so much they have to stop accepting donations at times. This means we’ve got things that can help transients or those who have lost everything and are starting over. And we donate the sales profits. Out of the goodness we have, we give. Our food pantry is basically like a grocery store, and they even make Thanksgiving boxes.”

This all takes place in a community whose heritage is known for seven kinds of cookies being the perfect number to serve your guests when they come for coffee. Any less could be seen as lazy, and any more is seen as bragging.

The city is also happy to have sponsored a YouTube episode of “Tasting History with Max Miller,” specifically “Semlor: The Dessert That Killed a King.” Semlor are traditional Fat Tuesday buns served in Sweden.

Something that is being lost to time are the original Swedish names found in Lindsborg, many of which were Anglicized when the residents’ ancestors came to America. Some modern-day names are more easily recognized as being faithful to their Swedish origin.

Walk through the streets of Lindsborg and experience a living history that is lovingly tended and shared. Lofton is certain that everyone who does will want to come back again.