Near Atwater in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Red River Trail
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
1. Red River Trail Marker
The Red River Trail was the nineteenth-century answer to communication over the frontier between the early settlements on the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and Lord Selkirk's settlements (Winnipeg) in Canada. Trails, such as this, were not marked. They weren't even trails. Actually, they were a direction – running across what is now Minnesota from the present site of
Minneapolis and St. Paul to Pembina. The Red River Trail followed three main lines, one of which ran through what is now Kandiyohi County in a northwesterly direction. Since the trail was not defined, it became a broad track (sometimes miles wide) over which the teamsters guided their oxcarts. It was only when the trail passed near a lake that all the cart tracks converged into a comparatively narrow band. The portion of the highway along the southwest shore of Diamond Lake has been built over one of these bands.
the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and
Cultural Heritage Fund and the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
2. Red River Trail Marker
this page online
Erected by the State of Minnesota and the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Minnesota Historical Society series list.
Location. 45° 10.662′ N, 94° 51.749′ W. Marker is near Atwater, Minnesota, in Kandiyohi County. Marker is on State Highway 4, 0.1 miles north of 135th Street Northeast, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6111 County Road 4 Northeast, Atwater MN 56209, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Diamond Lake Camp (approx. 0.9 miles away); Diamond Lake Community Park (approx. 0.9 miles away); Gates Homestead (approx. 1.3 miles away); Wheeler Lake Camp (approx. 3.4 miles away); Green Lake Mounds (approx. 5½ miles away); Backlund / Lorentson Monument (approx. 5½ miles away); Spicer (approx. 5½ miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 5½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atwater.
More about this marker. The marker has the Historic Site seal of the Kandiyohi County Historical Society · 1895.
Also see . . . Red River Trails. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on September 9, 2014.)
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
3. Red River Trail Marker
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
4. Former Red River Trail and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 514 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 9, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
