Dalum, Alberta

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Dalum is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada. It is situated 15 kilometres south of Drumheller, Alberta, and was established by a Danish group called the Dansk Folksanfund.

[edit] History

The Dansk Folksanfund had been organized under the leadership of F.L. Grundtvif. It was a group of men and women from various Danish communities that wanted to strengthen the cultural heritage of Danish-American immigrants in North America. In 1916, representatives of the Dansk Folksanfund contacted the Canadian Pacific Railroad company, and, soon, negotiations were under way for a tract of land for a colony in Alberta. J. Grigerson and Jens Frass, both of Chicago, Illinois, were sent on a trip to Alberta, and, in 1917, reserved land for a settlement of Danish people. The area was settled in about 1918, and named Dalum, after Mr. Frass' hometown in Denmark. The town of Dalum in Denmark was well-known for its agricultural school, so the settlers at Dalum, Alberta, were well prepared to take up homesteading.