Elk Horn, Iowa was once a Danish settlement in the early days of the area. This is why, to pay homage to their heritage, the people of Elk Horn decided to get something that will best represent their history. They imported the Danish Windmill from Denmark in 1976, in celebration of the city?s Bicentennial.

The Danish Windmill is one of the many smock windmills in Europe. Most of the structures of its sort are already deteriorating, as technology was able to present more efficient means for the tasks that these things were meant to do, so Elk Horn was able to purchase it. It was originally from Norre Snede, Denmark, and was built in 1848.

The people of Elk Horn reassembled and restored the Danish Windmill themselves. It is the only working windmill from Denmark in the US today.