In 1867 a New York architect sent the plans for a new church in Belle Plaine to Bishop Whipple. The church was built in 1868 on land contributed by Territorial Judge Andrew G. Chatfield, founder of Belle Plaine. The congregation organized in 1858 . . . — — Map (db m65868) HM
This site donated by Clement A. Nachbar, Mankato, Minn. Honoring the memory of his parents Mathias Nachbar & Wilhelmina Mertens Nachbar, who with their pioneer parents settled in Jordan vicinity, Minnesota Territory, in 1855. Dedicated to the early . . . — — Map (db m68767) HM
When the first explorers came to what became Minnesota, they found a land with three very different personalities. To the north were the great forests of white pine and other conifers that later attracted armies of lumberjacks and made Minnesota a . . . — — Map (db m15380) HM
This sculpture of white oak was created on this site from July to August 1995 by Milo Vlček, a professional sculptor from Brno, Czech Republic. This sculpture is a gift of appreciation to the City of New Prague for the hospitality shown to . . . — — Map (db m275067) HM
As the first link of a multi-use recreational trail, Greenway Park lies on the eastern border of what was once known as "Frogtown", long a part of the Nicholas Daleiden farm, the property is directly north of what was once the Dr. E.E. Novak "Red . . . — — Map (db m210100) HM
Northside Park was originally part of the Vrtis Addition. Albert Vrtis, among the first group of Bohemian settlers who arrived in 1856, operated New Prague's first store from his log home on the present day corner of Main Street and Columbus Avenue. . . . — — Map (db m210099) HM
In 1856, Anton Philipp of Bavaria, New Prague's first settler, built a dugout log home along the banks of the tributary to Raven Stream. The first Bohemian settlers also built their first homes along the creek later in the same year. The site became . . . — — Map (db m210757) HM
The first burial in this cemetery was in 1884. Remains and monuments with death dates older than 1884 were moved here from the old church yard cemetery before the current (third) church was built in 1906. The St. Wenceslaus Cemetery Chapel was . . . — — Map (db m240649) HM
During World War II, some 5,000-6,000 Japanese American soldiers, members of the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Service, were given intensive and accelerated classes in the Japanese language at Camp Savage.
Their subsequent work . . . — — Map (db m41673) HM
During the Prohibition era, Shakopee had a reputation as the "Little Chicago." "Shakopee was a wide-open town!" said Hilary Drees. Shakopee was full of illegal gambling, drinking, music, and dancing when the 18th Amendment made it illegal to make, . . . — — Map (db m213097) HM
The Schroeder Brick & Lime Manufacturing Company was one of the earliest industries along the Minnesota River, dating from 1876. The bricks that built the town of Shakopee were made from red clay dug from the river bottoms.
You can see the . . . — — Map (db m273624) HM
"The power of the Dakotas had always dwelt in the land, from the great forest to the open prairies. Long before the white man ever dreamed of our existence, the Dakota roamed this land." Waŋdbi Wakiya The Dakota lived in Tνŋta . . . — — Map (db m213096) HM
These foundations mark the site of a two-story frame building erected by the Reverend Samuel W. Pond in 1847. It served as a Presbyterian mission to the Shakopee Sioux, and as Pond's home until his death in 1891. An eight-foot stockade enclosed . . . — — Map (db m19789) HM
In the late 1600s, the Mdewankanton Dakota moved from Mde Wakaŋ (Mille Lacs Lake) to along the Mnisota Wakpa, later called the Minnesota River. One planting village was located on the north side of the river in the area later called Shakopee. . . . — — Map (db m213090) HM
The first steamboat Argo churned the muddy waters of the Riviθre Saint-Pierre (St. Peter's River) in 1842, eventually arriving at Sakpe II's village of Tνŋta Otuŋwe. On July 22, 1850, the steamboat Yankee started at the . . . — — Map (db m213095) HM
Samuel Pond was born in Washington, Connecticut, in 1808. During his early years, he worked as a clothing merchant, a farmer, and teacher in Washington. At the age of twenty-five, he began travelling and landed in Galena, Illinois, in 1833. He . . . — — Map (db m240384) HM
This monument is dedicated to those from Shakopee who died while in military service of our country.
[emblems of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ladies Auxiliary V.F.W., American Legion Auxiliary]
W. . . . — — Map (db m49792) HM
The first stagecoach arrived at Shakopee on October 6, 1853. In 1936 E. Judson Pond, at age 90, remembered the four-horse led stagecoach arriving. It stopped at the stagecoach barn which was next to the St. Paul Hotel on Fuller and Third Street. . . . — — Map (db m213098) HM
The squeaking of the wheels could be heard in Shakopee before the carts crossed Murphy's Ferry over a mile away. They could be smelled almost as far away, too!" Julius Coller II When Minnesota was a territory with rivers and trails across . . . — — Map (db m213159) HM
For many years, steamboats along the Minnesota River were the most efficient way for people and goods to reach the young city. However, in the mid-1860s, a new method of transportation arrived the railroad. The first steam train rolled from . . . — — Map (db m213160) HM
American Indian and Dakota people lived in the river valley for centuries. Tνŋta Otuŋwe was a summer planting village on Mnisota Wakpa, which later was called the Riviθre Saint-Pierre and is now called the Minnesota River. The 600 Dakota . . . — — Map (db m213157) HM
When glaciers melted, the meltwater created Lake Agassiz, which was bigger than the Great Lakes. The lake drained over the years, creating the massive River Warren. The river carved out the Minnesota River Valley and started from the bluffs by . . . — — Map (db m213089) HM
Hazen P. Mooers and Mahpiya-hota Wiŋ II (Fall 1846 Spring 1849) A former trader from the American Fur Company, Hazen P. Mooers was sent to instruct the Dakota in "modern" agricultural techniques in the fall of 1846. Hazen and his wife . . . — — Map (db m213158) HM
Imagine a long-ago village along the river, shaded by majestic oak trees. People have lived here for thousands of years.
In the early 1800's, this landscape was home to a band of Dakota Indians called the Wahpeton, or People of the Leaves. . . . — — Map (db m225967) HM
The clink of a coin or the scratch of a signature on a loan promised big things for the future in a small town. A bank played an important role in the economic development of a community. The town residents used it as a tool to save for the . . . — — Map (db m276539) HM
In this one-room rural schoolhouse, a single teacher taught first through eighth grade. Lessons focused on the practical skills of basic reading, writing and math. Teachers prepared students for farm life, trades or apprenticeships. Many . . . — — Map (db m263974) HM
Boarding houses provided room and board to travelerssimilar to hotels. Often run out of a home with additional rooms to spare, renting the rooms to boarders provided extra income for the family. The extra rooms provided visitors a bed as well . . . — — Map (db m272981) HM
With snips of her scissors and skillful sewing, the dressmaker made fashionable clothes for women in the community. At a time when job opportunities for women were limited, dressmaking was a common career that paid well. When business was good, . . . — — Map (db m276283) HM
An intricately carved chair or well-crafted cabinets elevated a home's interior. Everyone wanted beautiful furniture, and the cabinetmaker provided it.
A cabinetmaker not only built cabinets, but also crafted tables, chairs, doorseven . . . — — Map (db m276568) HM
The sound of church bells ringing through town invited people to gather together. As new settlements were established, a church was often one of the first public buildings built. They were as diverse as the settlers who built them, and even the . . . — — Map (db m264670) HM
Before you farm, you need to clear the land. Can you imagine clearing this land by hand? These pigs are helping us! Pigs clear foliage in pasture areas by digging to find plants and insects to eat. Farmers get clear space to grow and rotate . . . — — Map (db m263788) HM
As a site for both heated debates and rowdy dances, the town hall played an important role in the everyday life of the community. It was a base for local government, providing public assembly space to vote and discuss important issues of the . . . — — Map (db m273673) HM
Trading posts like this one hosted the trade of both goods and ideas. Indigenous peoples exchanged furs and food items for goods like metal pots, wool blankets, and firearms. The furs were shipped to American and European cities for the hat . . . — — Map (db m262885) HM
Between 1857 and 1889, the invention of fast and powerful machines shifted farmers away from subsistence farming. Instead, they began growing "cash crops" like wheat to sell for a profit. Many farmers also raised cows, pigs and chickens to make . . . — — Map (db m263836) HM
Curly, fluffy wool is one of the most important things people get from sheep. During the Civil War (1861-1865), demand for wool uniforms for Union soldiers increased, so farmers raised more sheep to fill the demand. In the 1870's farmers raised . . . — — Map (db m264016) HM
In the 1800s, doing laundry took much more time and effort than it does today. Heaving tubs of water, scrubbing garments and hanging it all out to dry was hard work. Many people dreaded washing clothes and paid the laundress to do the job. . . . — — Map (db m241615) HM
The few cows brought to Minnesota by early settlers were raised for both meat and milk. In the 1870's, as farmers diversified their crops, they began raising specific breeds of cattle to meet production needs. Farmers chose breeds of cattle for . . . — — Map (db m264080) HM
Murphy's Inn
The foundation before you is all that remains of the stone house and inn built by Richard G. Murphy around 1858. At that time, this property was situated at the crossroads of major river and stagecoach transportation routes. . . . — — Map (db m264193) HM
In the late 1800s, passengers and freight traveled to and from towns on a growing network of rails. Trains quickly connected farms to cities, factories to stores, and people to places. A town that had a depot benefited form this vital link to . . . — — Map (db m276899) HM
[Caption:] Oak savanna photo courtesy of Great River Greening.
The area before you is undergoing a transformation to a replica of oak savanna that existed approximately 200 years ago. Oak savanna is a habitat that was . . . — — Map (db m262828) HM
The town general store was a one-stop shop for life's necessities. People could buy everything from groceries and animal feed to socks and chamber pots. Items not available in stock could easily be ordered by mail and delivered directly to the . . . — — Map (db m276779) HM
Driven by the promise of a better future, immigrants left behind their homes and made their way to America. The immigrant agent was a salesman for Minnesota's rich resources. He recruited entire communities from Europe to move to this prosperous . . . — — Map (db m264542) HM
Transforming Minnesota's forests and prairies into profitable, Euro-American style farms took many years of hard labor. Trees had to be cut down, stumps removed, and the soil plowed before crops could be planted. It often took a family of . . . — — Map (db m263723) HM
As maple sap flows form the tree, it looks and tastes like lightly sweetened water. The concentration of sugar is very low - from 1% to 4% by volume - depending on the variety of tree, amount of sun light, and the water available in the soil. To . . . — — Map (db m262447) HM
Minnesota winters make raising chickens a challenge. Our short winter days do not have the full 12 hours of sunlight chickens need each day to lay an egg. Despite that challenge, almost every farm in Minnesota had chickens by 1880! Eggs provided . . . — — Map (db m262967) HM
Minnesota winters make raising chickens a challenge. Our short winter days do not have the full 12 hours of sunlight chickens need each day to lay an egg. Despite that challenge, almost every farm in Minnesota had chickens by 1880! Eggs provided . . . — — Map (db m276293) HM
The architectural style of a home can tell you a lot about the people who built it. This home, built in the 1860s in the "Carpenter Gothic" or "Rural Gothic" style, uses jig-sawn ornamental woodwork to highlight the home's ornate porch and . . . — — Map (db m276441) HM
This home was built to impress with lavish dιcor and the latest in 1880's amenities like steam heat and electricity. This large home includes three porches, a parlor, kitchen, dining room, and at least 5 bedrooms.
Bankers, and other . . . — — Map (db m264577) HM
For countless generations, people have come to this place, just as you have today.
Throughout the park, you will find physical evidence of the deep human connection to this land on the banks of the dynamic and diverse Minnesota . . . — — Map (db m262565) HM
For countless generations, people have come to this place, just as you have today.
Throughout the park, you will find physical evidence of the deep human connection to this land on the banks of the dynamic and diverse Minnesota . . . — — Map (db m276958) HM
These strange looking homes are hive boxes for honeybees! People have harvested honey and beeswax for thousands of years. Like many other farm animals, honeybees were imported to Minnesota. The bees in manmade beehives are used to produce honey . . . — — Map (db m264251) HM
Railroad workers sweated away, swinging tools, replacing railroad ties and digging ditches. Though they didn't make much money, they played an important role in their communities. Their work connected the people and goods of distant towns, . . . — — Map (db m275969) HM
