Near Willmar in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Whitefield Town Site
Photographed by K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
1. Whitefield Town Site Marker
In the fall of 1856, a party of land speculators, organized by Edwin Whitefield, projected a town site on the west shore of Lake Wakanda. As a real estate agent and artist, Whitefield did much to impress the merits of the Minnesota frontier upon prospective settlers in the East. Whitefield, born in England, made his way across the United States painting towns and selling the prints of the frontier. Whitefield, David Charlton and C. L. Anderson selected the location of the Whitefield town site in Sections I and II of the present Whitefield Township. The plat of this town site was never recorded. The only marker left by the town site promoters was the word "Whitefield" cut into the bark of a tree on the site of the town site. Whitefield gave names to several of the lakes in what is now Kandiyohi County. Lake Lillian is named for his wife. His pencil sketches and water colors of the areas he visited are nationally known.
the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and
Cultural Heritage Fund and the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.
Erected by the Kandiyohi County Historical Society, with funds from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.
Location. 45° 4.006′ N, 95° 2.397′ W. Marker is near Willmar, Minnesota, in Kandiyohi County. It is on 60th Avenue Southeast 0.1 miles east of U.S. 71, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Willmar MN 56201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Minnesota and specifically in Southwest Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kandiyohi County Indian History (approx. 3.7 miles away); "Kandiyohi" (approx. 3.7 miles away); Wakanda (approx. 3.9 miles away); Sperry House (approx. 4.1 miles away); The History of Kaffe Fest (approx. 4.2 miles away); Judge Qvale Cabin (approx. 4.2 miles away); District #18 Schoolhouse (approx. 4.2 miles away); Engine 2523 (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Willmar.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Great Northern Railway Engine No. 2523 (was approx. 4.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. The marker has the Historic Site seal of the Kandiyohi County Historical Society · 1895.
Also see . . .
Photographed by K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
2. Whitefield Town Site Marker
1. Edwin Whitefield. Minnesota Historical Society. (Submitted on December 2, 2014.)
2. Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Museum homepage (Submitted on December 2, 2014.)
Photographed by K. Linzmeier, August 27, 2014
3. Whitefield Town Site Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 996 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 2, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
