Hund Platz (dog park) in Memorial Park

From the earliest days of America, the largest group of Europeans spoke German. And they spoke German, rather than came from Germany, because Germany, as a country, didn't exist until 1871. The states that would later become Germany broke off from countries throughout central and western Europe. German, the language, was so common in colonial-era America that it was decided naming an official language was just unworkable. In fact, as late as the start of World War I, almost 10% of American school children were taught in German as their primary language. 

You can still see the German influence on America today. For instance, most of our ideas about education come from German culture. Food items, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, even chicken fried steak come from German culture. The Christmas tree and the Easter egg also come from German culture. And there are towns and even regions noted for their German roots. 

Pennsylvania Dutch (a corruption of the word "Deutsch," or German) come immediately to mind. And perhaps you think of places in the mid-west, like Wisconsin, or western Texas where large pockets of people with German ancestry can still be found. One of the most vibrant places of German-American culture can be found in Frankenmuth, Michigan. 

Frankenmuth was settled by German Lutherans as an exclusively German Lutheran community, specifically, for Germans from Bavaria. Today, the town of just under 5,000 attracts over 3,000,000 people a year. The town looks like it was created by set designers from Disney films, and is often called Michigan's Little Bavaria. The whole town is actually quite cute, especially the dog park, which is named Hund Platz, literally, "Dog Place" in German.

Like everything else in Frankenmuth, the Hund Platz is cute. It is small, just half an acre, and covered in grass. The park has benches, and also has a surprising amount of agility equipment. What is most remarkable about the Hund Platz Dog Park in Memorial Park that it is a true community effort. No public funds were used for the creation and development of the park, and for its maintenance. 

And the Hund Platz Dog Park in Memorial Park shines from the attention. For instance, the fencing is solid and strong, despite the bitter Michigan winters, and the agility equipment is in good repair. The lawn is very neatly trimmed, and the people who frequent the park will often chat with other visitors and share water and poop bags.