Day 192: Hmong Community, Walnut Grove, Minnesota
📌APIA Every Day (192) - In the early 2000s, Walnut Grove, Minnesota, experienced a dramatic demographic shift when Hmong immigrants began residing in the area. This was part of a broader movement of Hmong refugees and immigrants to Minnesota that began in the late 1970s and 1980s following the Vietnam War. Many Hmong fled Laos and Thailand due to their involvement with U.S. forces during the war, seeking stability and economic opportunities. Minnesota, particularly towns like Walnut Grove, offered welcoming conditions with available farmland, job prospects in local factories, and a slower-paced small-town environment.
Surprisingly, the decision for many Hmong families to settle in Walnut Grove was influenced by the town's depiction in the television show Little House on the Prairie. Harry Yang, a former soldier and refugee, chose Walnut Grove after his daughter suggested the town as a peaceful place to raise their family, inspired by the show's portrayal of a friendly community. By the mid-2000s, the influx of Hmong families had significantly shifted the town’s demographics, with Hmong residents comprising over a quarter of the population.
Over time, the Hmong community in Walnut Grove faced challenges as migration rates slowed and many younger Hmong moved to larger cities for educational and career opportunities. Despite the population being smaller, the community has continued to thrive as they preserve their cultural heritage while simultaneously adapting to American society. The unique experience of the Hmong community in settling in Walnut Grove highlights the importance of migration networks and cultural preservation established for a refugee group in America. It poses a question about the ways we think of place-based historic preservation practices for refugee groups settling across the U.S.
LEARN MORE:
Minnesota Public Radio: Hmong migrate to little houses on the prairie
MPR News: Hmong immigrants helped save this prairie town, but now their children are leaving
Minnesota Remember Vietnam - The Story Wall: Hmong Culture in Walnut Grove
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