Luck is a small town located in northwestern Wisconsin. This region was settled by Scandinavian immigrants. Our farm is located in North Luck and is approximately four miles north of Luck. The area around Luck has a large population of individuals with Danish ancestry. It has been stated that the town of Luck has the highest percentage of Danes of any town in America. There is even a settlement near our farm called West Denmark. Not to be out done by the settlement north of the farm called West Sweden.

Our ancestors, Jens and Mætte Marie Petersen and their family, left Møn Denmark in 1880 and settled on this land. Through their vision and hard work, they were able to carve a working farm out of the heavily forested land. Jens was able to homestead this land in 1884. This farm has continually been in the Petersen family since the arrival of Jens and his family.

We feel very fortunate to be able to share our farm and its beautiful landscapes and environment with you. We have named our farm “Hygge Gård.” Because of our family’s Danish heritage, we have used these Danish words to describe our farmstead. Hygge is the cornerstone of the Danish way of life, which some have described as the happiest culture in the world. It can be translated into a sense of comfort, coziness, and well-being. Hygge is an attitude towards life that illuminates the finding of joy in everyday life experiences. Hygge is about an atmosphere that is being created or an event that is being unfolded.

Gård is the Danish word for farm. Therefore, we hope that you can enjoy the Hygge experience of pursuing everyday happiness by visiting our farm.

Jens and Mætte Petersen (my great grandparents) and their family left Møn Denmark and arrived on this land in 1880. They had enough vision and ambition to develop this forested land into a family farm. They homesteaded this land in 1884. My grandfather Jorgen and my father Walter and mother Evelyn farmed this land. I was born in nearby Frederic, Wisconsin and was fortunate to have been reared on this farm.

Times have certainly changed since my early days on this farm with no running water and no electricity. However, those days were wonderful times. I have such fond memories of my youthful days growing up on this farm. Just image waking up in the morning with the brilliant sun shining through your bedroom window (we did not have shades in the farm house) highlighting all the possible adventures that can happen when you can roam over 100 acres of woods, fields, streams and swamps.

Exploring a farm can spark your imagination and give you a new outlook on life. Get away from all the electronic contraptions. Instead enter the realm of the farm and explore all the wonders that mother nature has placed under your feet. Study the deposits laid down by the glacial ice including the many boulders. Walk through the forest and fields to feel the fertile soil beneath your feet. Touch the many plants and organisms that populate the land. Observe all the wildlife tucked away in hidden whereabouts. Breathe in the refreshing morning air with the dissipating dew. Listen for the sounds of the birds and the insects. Meditate while looking at the myriad stars displayed on a clear night.

This land holds many memories of my youth and family times. My attachment to the land influenced my career goals. Because of my ties to this land, I became a Professor of Soil Science at Penn State University.

Hopefully with your stay at our farmstead you will take in some of the magic of the land. Remember that God is not making any more land. This land is chock full of my memories and emotions. I hope you can carry some similar memories away after your visit to our wonderful farmstead.

Lots of Luck,

Gary Petersen