New Denmark is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 rural community in Victoria County

Victoria County, New Brunswick

Victoria County is located in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Farming, especially of potatoes, is the major industry in the county.-Communities:...

, New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

.

The community derives its name from several Danish

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...

 settlers who inhabited the area in 1872, eventually forming the largest and what would become the oldest Danish community in Canada; the Danish influence has diminished somewhat in recent decades due to out-migration.

The community is situated in rolling hills east of the Saint John River valley several kilometres south of Drummond

Drummond, New Brunswick

Drummond is a Canadian village in Victoria County, New Brunswick. Its population as of the Canada 2006 Census is 839, with roughly 95% of its residents being FrancophoneIt is located in rolling farmland approximately 5 kilometres southeast of Grand Falls...

. Its main industry is potato

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

 farming and related industries. Once the site of several schools, New Denmark is currently left with one English-language school serving elementary-age students; students in New Denmark can choose to continue school in nearby Grand Falls

Grand Falls, New Brunswick

Grand Falls is a Canadian town located in Victoria County, New Brunswick.Situated on the Saint John River, the town derives its name from a waterfall created by a series of rock ledges over which the river drops 23 metres.-Geography:Grand Falls is located in the valley of the St...

 or Plaster Rock.

The community hosts Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Pentecostal churches. Its five major ancestries are: English (50.1%), French (36.4%), Danish (17.0%), Scottish (12.4%), Irish (11.9%). The population has steadily remained at approximately 1,000 residents in recent history, with Denmark Parish

Denmark Parish, New Brunswick

Denmark is a Canadian parish in Victoria County, New Brunswick.Its population in the 2006 Census was 1,688.-Communities:- New Denmark- South Tilley- North Tilley- Lerwick- Lake Edward- Salmonhurst Corner- Foley Brook-Population:...

 reporting a population of 1,668 in 2006

Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

.

In 1912, the National Transcontinental Railway

National Transcontinental Railway

The National Transcontinental Railway was a historic Canadian railway between Winnipeg and Moncton. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway.-The Grand Trunk partnership:...

 constructed a large steel trestle across the Salmon River valley. Today, this bridge remains an important structure on the Montreal-Halifax mainline of the Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

.

Trivia

• On June 19th of every year, the community gathers on the historical grounds of the community to celebrate Founders Day. Through song, dance, prayer, and pure reminiscing, it is a very important day in New Denmark. Many danish treats such as Aebleskiver and Polse are also served on this day of celebration.

• Of the original families to come immigrate in 1872, the descendants of one of them (Anders and Marie Carlsen) are especially numerous, but there are also many other families from subsequent immigrations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today the community is more mixed, but the Danish language can still be heard, and many families with French or English surnames, still proudly proclaim their Danish roots.

• During the summer of 2006, the site of the building in which the original settlers spent their first winter (the "Immigrant House") was declared a Provincial Historical Site by the government of New Brunswick. A plaque was placed at this site, near the New Denmark Museum which stands there today.

• During the summer of 2007, the community celebrated its 135th anniversary by holding a queen's pageant, a re-enactment of the founding of the community, by holding a parade and by holding many other planned activities.

• New Denmark and its early inhabitants have been the subject of much research. One of the more recent studies was performed by Erik Lang (originally from Perth-Andover), who donated 2 copies of his M.A. (Carleton University
  Carleton University
  Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
  
  ) thesis New Denmark, New Brunswick: New approaches in the study of Danish migration to Canada, 1872-1901, to the New Denmark Museum in 2005. Copies of the thesis can also be found in the public libraries of Perth-Andover, Grand Falls, and Fredericton, at the Archives of the Harriet Irving Library on the University of New Brunswick
  University of New Brunswick
  The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
  
   Fredericton campus, at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
  Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
  Provincial Archives of New Brunswick is the archives agency for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It is located on the campus of the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada....
  
  , at the Maxwell MacOdrum Library on the Carleton University Campus, and at the Library and Archives Canada
  Library and Archives Canada
  Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
  
  in Ottawa.