New Ulm is the only city in the United States founded by Turners after merging with the Chicago Land Co. — the most significant secular German American organization of the 19th century. In 1856, in the midst of violence by nativists against German immigrants, the national Turnverein authorized a colonization society. The city was a grand experiment to build a unique community on the Minnesota frontier that would carry on German culture and German liberalism, free of the dominant Anglo culture. They joined with a like-minded settlement group from Chicago to found New Ulm. At the heart of the town’s social life stood the Turnhalle. Even today, more than 150 years later, the city reflects a cultural heritage rooted in Turnerism. Our Turnverein remains one of the most active societies in the country. Looking ahead to the American Turner National Festival, to be held in New Ulm in July 2023, Hoisington will discuss the Turner mission of “a sound mind in a sound body.”