Barnesville, MN

Since the founding of our communities, organizations, businesses and citizens have stepped forward to build and serve their community. Click on any of the logos below to learn about those who made this website possible! If you would like to learn about becoming a sponsor CLICK HERE!

Barnesville lies on the southeastern edge of the Red River Valley. It is just inside the boundary of what used to be Lake Agassiz, making the soil in this area a rich, black loam with clay subsoil. Just what businessmen, farmers and the railroad were looking for.

If there is one symbol of Barnesville’s beginnings and growth, it would be the boxcar. In 1877, James J. Hill, the railroad tycoon who built the Great Northern Railroad, completed the first track to the city and our days of being a railroad town began.

At the same time, George I. Barnes, the city’s namesake, moved his store, originally a boxcar near Downer, to a site just north of the present city limits. Two years later, yet another rail line reached Barnesville and George moved his store into the present city.

Barnesville has come through many eras with its great resources and adaptability. Over the past decade Barnesville has positioned itself as a bedroom community for the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. Many local businesses continue to provide a wide variety of goods and services to the residents. Agriculture remains as a major part of the local economy. Today, Barnesville continues with many great traditions, but also looks to the future for all the possibilities to come.