Minnesota
Agricultural Minnesota has been too far west of the main pre-WW1 American industrial cities where most Lithuanians settled. Thus the local Lithuanian community established 1922 was too small to continue working after 1970 (re-established 1991). There are no Lithuanian churches, halls, or other such buildings.
However, there is a village Wilno called so after the Polish name of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. This is one of quite few settlements named after Lithuanian cities. The village's main street also has a Lithuanian-themed name Kowno (after Kaunas, Lithuania's 2nd largest city). Interestingly, although Lithuania at the time had a big Polish community, the founders of the village were not Poles from Lithuania but rather Poles for Poland. Lithuanian placenames were used as a kind of advertisement as they were attractive to Polish immigrants. At the time, there was still a feeling that Poland and Lithuania are somewhat fraternal lands due to their common history during the previous Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth era. Wilno was thus even mentioned in Polish press as "America's Lithuania", despite having little to do with Lithuania besides having similar placenames and a rather similar landscape.
Wilno village
The village of merely a few houses is outflanked by the gothic revival St. John Cantius church (3069 Kowno Street, built 1902), nicknamed "cornfield cathedral" (it has stained glass of Lithuania's patron saints St. Casimir and St. George but this is due to similar Polish-Lithuanian histories). Wilno is known to be an epitomic Polish agricultural community (something that Lithuanians did not establish, preferring industrial labor).
Wilno church sign
Wilno St. John Cantius church
Kowno Street in Wilno
January 13th, 2023 - 00:36
Hello Lithuanian friends,
Wilno, Minnesota, was settled by Polish immigrants mostly from Poznan, Kashubia, and some from Galicia. None of them came from historic Lithuania. It was planned farming colony created by a Polish society in Chicago and the name was chosen because Wilno/Vilnius was a famous historical city that would appeal to Polish settlers. In the Polish newspapers of the 1890s it was often called “the American Lithuania,” but it had no other connection to Lithuania than the name.
January 14th, 2023 - 18:03
Thank you! Could you please clarify the sources for this information? Are you living there yourself and this is based on the family memories? Or have you researched the history of the town in written sources, and if so, what would these sources be?
February 21st, 2023 - 22:12
After talking to you and receiving proof on e-mail, I have now edited the article.