Sauk Centre in Stearns County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Sinclair Lewis

Photographed By Beverly Pfingsten, June 5, 2011

1. Sinclair Lewis Marker

Inscription. When Harry Sinclair Lewis was born here on a bitter cold February 7, 1885, Sauk Centre was a raw prairie town with an unpaved main street and five or six blocks of false fronts. A gawky, sensitive child who achieved little success in school and was the brunt of every crude piece of horseplay. "Red" Lewis spent most of his youth tagging after his adored older brother and doctor-father, and reading every book he could find. He began to write at age fifteen. Despite the years of lost jobs and false hopes that followed his graduation from Yale University in 1908, he persisted in his determination to be a writer.

With the publication of Main Street and Babbitt, Lewis became a successful novelist and critic of American culture, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930. He returned frequently to Minnesota; never able to deny his underlying attachment to the Northern Middle West, he described it as "...the newest empire of the world... a land of dairy herds and exquisite lakes, of new automobiles and tarpaper shanties and silos like red towers, of clumsy speech and a hope that is boundless." Lewis' talent declined and he died alone in Italy on January 10, 1951. As he had requested, his ashes were brought home to Sauk Centre.

Erected 1988 by Minnesota Historical Society.

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This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Minnesota Historical Society, and the National Historic Landmarks series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1700.

Location. 45° 44.229′ N, 94° 57.446′ W. Marker is in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, in Stearns County. Marker is on Sinclair Lewis Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 850 Sinclair Lewis Avenue, Sauk Centre MN 56378, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home (a few steps from this marker); Boyhood Home of Sinclair Lewis (a few steps from this marker); Main Street (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan (approx. 0.4 miles away); Osakis Armed Forces Memorial (approx. 12½ miles away); Stage Station (approx. 13.1 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Sinclair Lewis Nobel Prize. (Submitted on June 27, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
2. Sinclair Lewis - Wikipedia. (Submitted on June 27, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

Sinclair Lewis Home image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Beverly Pfingsten, June 5, 2011

2. Sinclair Lewis Home

Photographed By Duane Hall, June 2, 2010

3. Sinclair Lewis Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 633 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 27, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 3. submitted on January 14, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.