Mound Township near Hardwick in Rock County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Preserving the Prairie

The Brandenburg Prairie Foundation

March 4, 2026

1. Preserving the Prairie Marker

Inscription.
Only 1% of the original Northern Tallgrass Prairie remains intact in the Midwest.

Jim and Judy Brandenburg, with the help of dedicated supporters in Luverne, Minnesota, established the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation in 1999. The Foundation's mission is to promote,preserve, and expand the native prairie in southwest Minnesota. Jim's heart resides in the prairie—it is his childhood home and where his career, as a professional photographer, began. By starting the foundation, Jim has turned his passion for the prairie into a lifetime commitment.

The Brandenburg Prairie Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have partnered to purchase over 1,000 acres of prairie land in Rock County, Minnesota, now called Touch the Sky Prairie unit of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. Together, we have developed and implemented a management plan for restoring the prairie. With time and continued group effort, the Northern Tallgrass Prairie will return.

Jim Brandenburg©

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Charity & Public Work • Environment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1999.

Location. 43° 44.829′ N,

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96° 16.047′ W. Marker is near Hardwick, Minnesota, in Rock County. It is in Mound Township. It is on 181st Street ¼ mile east of 100th Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Located at the north trailhead of the To the Sky Trail at the Touch the Sky Prairie Unit, which is part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Luverne MN 56156, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the Great Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Home of the Blue Goose (here, next to this marker); Restoring the Prairie (approx. 1.4 miles away); Prairie Passage / Tallgrass Prairie / Prairie Passage Route (approx. 4.6 miles away);

Preserving the Prairie and other Markers image. Click for full size.

March 4, 2026

2. Preserving the Prairie and other Markers

a different marker also named Prairie Passage / Tallgrass Prairie / Prairie Passage Route (approx. 4.6 miles away); Blue Mounds State Park Interpretive Center (approx. 5.3 miles away); Rock County Veterans Memorial (approx. 7 miles away); Shella Building (approx. 9.6 miles away); Jasper Military Service Memorial (approx. 10.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hardwick.

Also see . . . Brandenburg Prairie Foundation. BPF Website. (Submitted on April 7, 2026.)

Touch the Sky Prairie Stone Marker image. Click for full size.

March 4, 2026

3. Touch the Sky Prairie Stone Marker

Established in 2001 by the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Founding Board of BPF
Jim and Judy Brandenburg · Randy Creeger · Dave Smith · Ben VanderKooi, Jr. · Daniel Biever

USFWS
Ron Cole · Nita Fuller · Don Hultman · Steve Kufrin · Windom WMD Staff

Major Contributors
WM Foundation · Blandin Foundation · Southwest Initiative Foundation · E.J. Malone Family

Former Landowners
Robert and Barbara Loosbrock · Milo and Loretta Kontz · Arnold and Mardella Hansen Family · Verlyn and Betty Mann

Preserving the Prairie and surrounding Markers image. Click for full size.

March 4, 2026

4. Preserving the Prairie and surrounding Markers

Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2026. This page has been viewed 21 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 7, 2026.