Minnesota Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Minnesota ranks 33rd among states and provinces with markers in this database. The United States of America is a state in the United States of America located in the American Midwest. It is also in the Upper Plains region. Minnesota is some 87 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 5.6 million people. The state is divided into 87 counties and 78 of them have entries in this database. In Minnesota we have discovered historical markers in 270 cities and towns lying in 280 different ZIP Codes.

There are at least 1,214 historical markers in Minnesota, by our count. We have cataloged 1,207 historical markers and 120 war memorials—each individually presented on 1,299 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another seven historical markers in Minnesota that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

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The first Minnesota marker in the database, Birthplace of Greyhound Lines, was added September 30, 2007. It was photographed in Hibbing in Saint Louis County and was erected in 1953. The last one added was submitted on January 9, 2022, and titled The Big Bog's Caribou Band. It is near Waskish in Beltrami County. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Minnesota was erected in 1866. It was this one: Pioneer Monument, and one of our correspondents found it in New Ulm in Brown County on September 16, 2013.

Minnesotans don’t want to forget their Settlements and Settlers history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Minnesota about Settlements and Settlers—309 of them—than about any other historical topic. It is followed by Industry and Commerce with 264 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Settlements and Settlers topic was George R. Stuntz, added October 8, 2007. It had been erected in 1935 in Hibbing in Saint Louis County. The last one submitted was submitted on January 2, 2022, and titled Pine River Railway Depot. It had been erected in Pine River in Cass County. The earliest marker erected with the Settlements and Settlers topic that we have listed was erected in 1878. It is Ness Cemetery State Monument, was found near Litchfield in Meeker County on November 25, 2013.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Minnesota? What we know is that Dakota (Sioux) Memorial – 1862 is the most viewed entry in the database from Minnesota since it was added in 2008. It is located in Mankato in Blue Earth County. This year so far, the most viewed Minnesotan entry is located near Howard Lake in Wright County. It is The Dustin Massacre.

The Minnesota county with the most historical markers listed in this database is Hennepin County, with 171 of them. It is followed by Ramsey County with 113 markers. The Minneapolis area of Hennepin County has the highest number of markers within its limits, 119. In Ramsey County the area with the most markers, 93, is Saint Paul.

Checking the database for the city or town in Minnesota with the most markers we again find Minneapolis at the top of the list with 119 markers in or near it. And Saint Paul also shows up again in next place, with 93 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 56073 at the top of the list with 60 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 56073 is assigned to New Ulm MN including the Essig, Klossner, and Searles delivery areas.) It is followed by ZIP Code 56345 with 45 markers. (56345 is assigned to Little Falls MN including the Elmdale, and Sobieski delivery areas.)

Getting back to Hennepin County, the first marker added to the database from there, Westminster Presbyterian Church, was added November 19, 2007. in Minneapolis. The last one submitted was uploaded on November 14, 2021, and is titled Welcome to Fort Snelling State Park / A Moving Obstacle, in Fort Snelling. The earliest marker erected in Hennepin County that we have listed was erected in 1890. It was Civil War Monument, found in Bloomington on June 30, 2012.

By McGhiever, August 30, 2021

Latest Entry from Minnesota
“The Big Bog's Caribou Band”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Saint Paul. The first: F. Scott Fitzgerald House, was added April 15, 2008. It had been erected in 1971. The last: Saint Paul and Ramsey County WWI Memorial added on October 17, 2021. It had been erected in 1922. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1903: St. Paul Civil War Memorial, added on July 11, 2010.

The Minnesota Historical Society is currently in charge of official historical markers found all over the state and the Minnesota Department of Transportation typically installs and maintains those that are roadside. We have 245 of their markers in the database. Also, a number of counties have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

By Ruth VanSteenwyk, May 24, 2016

A Minnesota Historical Society Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Minnesota have been marked with history. Check out Lincoln County, Koochiching County and Fillmore County. We've only found one historical marker in each. Visiting one or more of these parts of Minnesota might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!