Town of the Month Archive

May 4, 2018

St Peter MN - Where History and Progress Meet

St. Peter was founded in 1853 by Captain William Bigelow Dodd, who claimed 150 acres north of what is now Broadway Avenue. He named the new settlement Rock Bend because of the rock formation at the bend of the Minnesota River. In 1855, the town was renamed St. Peter for the St. Pierre River, an early name for the Minnesota River. Many of the streets in St. Peter were named after streets in New York City—Park Row, Chatham, Broadway, Nassau, Union—because Captain Dodd was originally from the East. He had been married at the Church of the Holy Communion in New York City, which helped fund the establishment of the same-named church in St. Peter.

In 1857, an unsuccessful attempt was made to move the capitol from St. Paul to St. Peter. Home to one of Minnesota’s fine liberal arts colleges—Gustavus Adolphus—St. Peter also has many historic buildings and Victorian-styled homes lining its main grand downtown boulevard (Highway 169). St. Peter also has many places of historical interest, especially the museum at the site where The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed in 1851

CLICK HERE to learn more about this incredible community

April 1, 2018

Fort Scott Kansas

Established and garrisoned by the U.S. Army from 1842-1853, soldiers at Fort Scott assisted with the protection of the "Permanent Indian Frontier." After the army abandoned the fort in 1853, the buildings were purchased by local settlers at a government auction in 1855. The former military post became the center of one of the largest towns in Kansas Territory.

After the Civil War, Fort Scott was a premier city of the frontier, one of the largest cities in eastern Kansas. On three different occasions, between 1870 and 1900, Fort Scott was in competition with Kansas City to become the largest railroad center west of the Mississippi.

During the first half of the 20th century, Fort Scott became the agricultural, small industrial and insurance center which it continues to be today.

Beginning in the early 1960s, the community made a long-term commitment to preserving its extraordinary and elegant past. Today citizens take great pride in the many blocks of preserved architecture. This is reflected in the Victorian homes and commercial buildings, including the jewel of its downtown area, Fort Scott National Historic Site, the restored 1842 Frontier Fort.

That historic past supports a bustling tourism industry marketing to tourists worldwide. Visitors come from every state in the union and over 42 foreign countries.

March 1, 2018

The Best of Yesterday and Today

Located in the cornerstone of the state, Rock County, Luverne is a thriving community offering the sights and sounds of Minnesota’s prairie-land life. In 1867, while the first mail route was being mapped by Philo Hawes from Blue Earth, Minnesota, to Yankton, South Dakota, a stable large enough to hold six horses was built on the site where Luverne’s present-day Public Works Department building rests. Hawes named the site, Luverne, after his daughter. On October 2, 1876, the first passenger train arrived in the village of Luverne and, shortly afterwards, brought visitors to see what later became known as Blue Mounds State Park, named after a 100-foot-tall linear cliff of Precambrian Sioux Quartzite bedrock which, although pink in color, is said to have appeared bluish in the distance to early settlers. Today, Luverne offers visitors a chance to reconnect to the times of the early settlers and the history of the great bison—the animal that once roamed freely upon Minnesota’s prairies—at Prairie Heights Bison Ranch. Whether you enjoy the cultural experience of live theatre at the historic Palace Theatre or meandering through specialty stores, Luverne has sites of interest for everyone!

February 1, 2018

The Corn Capital of the World

Located 90 miles west of the Twin Cities, the community of Olivia is the county seat and a service center for Renville County and the surrounding area. It is in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the United States, and is known as the “Corn Capital of the World,” having the highest concentration of seed research and processing companies of any place on the globe. Its reputation has brought visitors from 53 foreign nations and all 50 states to Renville County within the last four years to study agriculture. To learn more about Olivia CLICK HERE

January 1, 2018

Rugby is a city in, and the county seat of, Pierce County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,876 at the 2010 census. making it the seventeenth largest city in North Dakota. Rugby was founded in 1886. Rugby is often billed as the geographic center of North America.

December 1, 2017

Council Grove is a city and county seat in Morris County, Kansas, United States. This city is fifty-five miles southwest of Topeka. It was named after an agreement between European Americans and the Osage Nation about allowing settlers' wagon trains to pass through the area and proceed to the West.

November 1, 2017

Hot Springs is a city in and the county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,711. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts the duties of Auditor, Treasurer and Register of Deeds to the Fall River County authority in Hot Springs.

October 1, 2017

Geneseo is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,586 at the 2010 census, up from 6,480 in 2000. Geneseo is 20 miles east of the Quad Cities, at the intersection of Interstate 80, U.S. Route 6 and Illinois Route 82. Geneseo is well known for its Victorian-style architecture, quaint downtown, and its successful high school football and music programs.

September 1, 2017

Winterset is a city in Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,190 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County. Winterset is part of the Des Moines − West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winterset is the birthplace of actor John Wayne.

August 1, 2017

"Quaint, quiet and a breath of fresh air in the country” is the most common phrase attributed to the Amish country, near Jamesport, 25 miles northwest of Chillicothe. This is often cited by various publications as one of Missouri's best day trips. This area is home to the largest Old Order Amish Settlement west of the Mississippi River; one of the strictest Amish colonies in the world. There is a difference between the Amish and the Mennonite; the two religions are not synonymous.

July 1, 2017

Thorp is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,621 at the 2010 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Thorp and partially within the Town of Withee.