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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Springfield in Brown County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail

 
 
Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, July 30, 2013
1. Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker
Inscription. In the 1850s there was a land boom in southern Minnesota. Jonathan Brown, 37 years old, filed on land along the Cottonwood River in what is now Burnstown Township. (S 1/2 of SW 1/4, Sec. 15; N 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Sec. 22)

Jonathan picked a good site for farming. The land on the south side of the river was flat ground above the flood plain. His land was protected on both sides from prairie fires and the large trees in the river bottom made excellent building timber and firewood.

Jonathan Brown built a cabin which became a way stop for travelers on the New Ulm to Sioux Falls mail route, also called the Shetek Trail. The route ran just south of his cabin. People traveling to Shetek, Pipestone, the Great Oasis, or Sioux Falls could stop and rest.

Jonathan, his father Joseph, and his sister Oratia were killed in August 1862 while trying to escape to New Ulm. Their graves are in the Springfield City Cemetery west of this location.

This sign was erected in 2012 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the US - Dakota War of 1862. It was supported by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy Program, in cooperation with the Springfield Historical Society, Sleepy Eye Historical Society, Brown County Historical Society, and the Township of Burnstown.
 
Erected
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2012 by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy Program, in cooperation with the Springfield Historical Society, Sleepy Eye Historical Society, Brown County Historical Society, and the Township of Burnstown.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & VehiclesSettlements & SettlersWars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
 
Location. 44° 13.914′ N, 94° 55.579′ W. Marker is near Springfield, Minnesota, in Brown County. Marker is at the intersection of County Road 24 and 370th Avenue, on the left when traveling east on County Road 24. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Springfield MN 56087, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Veterans Memorial (approx. 1˝ miles away); Springfield, Minnesota (approx. 2.2 miles away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 2˝ miles away); The Attack on the Brown Family (approx. 5.1 miles away); Cobden (approx. 5.4 miles away); Leavenworth (approx. 6.1 miles away); Jackson Crossing (approx. 6.4 miles away); Dakota Reservation and the Leavenworth Road (approx. 9.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Springfield.
 
More about this marker. From here, the Joseph Brown family fled eastward along the Shetek Trail seeking safety
Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, July 30, 2013
2. Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker
north side of marker with duplicate text
in New Ulm upon hearing news of Dakota Indian unrest. Five miles from their home, they were overtaken and killed by Dakota Indians.
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
 
Close-up of Map image. Click for full size.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, July 30, 2013
3. Close-up of Map
The Post Road from New Ulm to Sioux Falls
The "Shetek Trail"
Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, July 30, 2013
4. Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker
Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, July 30, 2013
5. Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker
Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, July 30, 2013
6. Jonathan Brown and the Shetek Trail Marker
Former Shetek Trail
looking eastward towards New Ulm
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2013, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,039 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 17, 2013, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

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Mar. 28, 2024