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Historical Markers and War Memorials in Washington County, Minnesota

 
Clickable Map of Washington County, Minnesota and Immediately Adjacent Jurisdictions image/svg+xml 2019-10-06 U.S. Census Bureau, Abe.suleiman; Lokal_Profil; HMdb.org; J.J.Prats/dc:title> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Usa_counties_large.svg Washington County, MN (71) Anoka County, MN (26) Blue Earth County, MN (34) Brown County, MN (87) Chisago County, MN (29) Cottonwood County, MN (9) Dakota County, MN (60) Jackson County, MN (6) Martin County, MN (18) Ramsey County, MN (169) Watonwan County, MN (8) Pierce County, WI (7) Polk County, WI (18) St. Croix County, WI (39)  WashingtonCounty(71) Washington County (71)  AnokaCounty(26) Anoka County (26)  BlueEarthCounty(34) Blue Earth County (34)  BrownCounty(87) Brown County (87)  ChisagoCounty(29) Chisago County (29)  CottonwoodCounty(9) Cottonwood County (9)  DakotaCounty(60) Dakota County (60)  JacksonCounty(6) Jackson County (6)  MartinCounty(18) Martin County (18)  RamseyCounty(169) Ramsey County (169)  WatonwanCounty(8) Watonwan County (8)  PierceCountyWisconsin(7) Pierce County (7)  PolkCounty(18) Polk County (18)  St.CroixCounty(39) St. Croix County (39)
Stillwater is the county seat for Washington County
Adjacent to Washington County, Minnesota
      Anoka County (26)  
      Blue Earth County (34)  
      Brown County (87)  
      Chisago County (29)  
      Cottonwood County (9)  
      Dakota County (60)  
      Jackson County (6)  
      Martin County (18)  
      Ramsey County (169)  
      Watonwan County (8)  
      Pierce County, Wisconsin (7)  
      Polk County, Wisconsin (18)  
      St. Croix County, Wisconsin (39)  
 
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1 Minnesota, Washington County, Afton — Bolles Flour Mill
About 1843, six years before Minnesota became a territory, Lemuel Bolles erected on this creek the first commercial flour mill in the Minnesota country. Bolles salvaged wood from the shore of Lake St. Croix and carried it on his back to the mill . . . Map (db m21729) HM
2 Minnesota, Washington County, Arcola — River of Pine
How do you move millions of logs harvested from the forests of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin? Rely on a river. From 1839 to 1914, the St. Croix was a crucial link between logging areas and markets. Arcola witnessed this great movement of . . . Map (db m117734) HM
3 Minnesota, Washington County, Arcola — The Village of Arcola
In the 1850s and 1860s, your view from here would have been of a small but busy village. Sawmill operations began at Arcola in 1847, signaling not only the start of a prosperous business but also the growth of a community. Beyond the Mower . . . Map (db m131109) HM
4 Minnesota, Washington County, Bayport — Bicentennial Monument
1776 • 1976 In memory of the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution and the freedoms for which it was fought. May they always be. Sponsored by Hesley Jensen Post 491 American Legion and friends Beneath this . . . Map (db m44162) HM
5 Minnesota, Washington County, Bayport — World War Memorial
Dedicated by The American Legion and Auxiliary to Hesley Jensen Neil Moen & Hans Nelson Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in the World War 1914–1918Map (db m72024) WM
6 Minnesota, Washington County, Forest Lake — Ribbons of Steel
Railroads were charted in Minnesota as early as 1853, but it was not until 1862 that Minnesota's first railroad began to operate on ten miles of track connecting St. Paul with St. Anthony (now part of Minneapolis). In 1870, the Northern Pacific . . . Map (db m5289) HM
7 Minnesota, Washington County, Grant — Building Railroads — Brown's Creek State Trail —
Constructing a railroad in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a feat of skill, determination and hard labor. Each step took careful planning and routes often passed through remote areas with few roads and many dangers. Step 1: Finding . . . Map (db m233665) HM
8 Minnesota, Washington County, Grant — From Rails to Trails — Brown's Creek State Trail —
Stillwater Welcomes the Iron Horse Imagine the excitement of a chilly December day in 1870. You watch as workers hammer in the last few spikes to complete Stillwater's first railroad. Area residents had much reason to celebrate—railroads . . . Map (db m233663) HM
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9 Minnesota, Washington County, Grant — Historic Span of an Iron Bridge
Preserving the Past for the Future Listed on the National Register of Historic Places this is one of five known remaining iron bridges in Minnesota. In the 1890s steel replaced iron as the primary bridge building material making iron bridges . . . Map (db m233655) HM
10 Minnesota, Washington County, Lakeland — The St. Croix River Valley / Welcome to Minnesota
The St. Croix River Valley Forming a long stretch of the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the St. Croix is one of America's most scenic Wild Rivers. Its valley is sometimes referred to as the "New England of the West." Along with . . . Map (db m233414) HM
11 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Boom, Then Bust
"From here, the first log in the race, Went forth to seek a dwelling place." Harriet Bishop, Minnesota, Then and Now, 1869 The St. Croix River ranked second only to the Mississippi as a carrier of logs and . . . Map (db m54391) HM
12 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Early Settler's Cabin
Swedish immigrant Sven Anderson built this early settler's cabin in 1852; some of the cabin logs still show the marks from the axe, which squared them. Sven and his wife Stava raised three children in this cabin, and it was their home until 1869. . . . Map (db m44601) HM
13 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Historic Marine on St. Croix
The St. Croix River Valley, with its towering white pines forests and navigable waters, was originally home to the Ojibwe and Dakota Peoples. In 1837, the tribes ceded their lands to the U.S. government, and by 1839, logs harvested in northern . . . Map (db m147264) HM
14 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Marine
In 1857 these millstones were installed at Marine in one of the early flour and grist mills of Minnesota Territory. Water from a stream south of this site was conveyed by a race or flume to furnish power for the overshot mill wheel. Later, rollers . . . Map (db m28509) HM
15 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Marine
The first commercial sawmill in Minnesota was erected 300 feet east of here in 1838. The lumbering industry, which monopolized the minds and talents of men in the St. Croix Valley for three-quarters of a century, was born with the erection of this . . . Map (db m28535) HM
16 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Marine Mill Site
One of Minnesota's first major industries was born here on August 24, 1839, when the slow, cumbersome up-and-down saw of the Marine Lumber Company cut the first commercial lumber in the state from trees felled in the rich white pine forests of the . . . Map (db m45392) HM
17 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Minnesota's First Commercial Sawmill
Sawmilling began here on August 24, 1839, when the Marine Lumber Company cut its first pine log. In the autumn of 1838 two lumbermen from Marine, Illinois, David Hone and Lewis Judd, arrived in the St. Croix River valley, attracted by it's . . . Map (db m51703) HM
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18 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Powerhouse and Kiln
Sawmills cut logs into rough boards. The boards were then planed and smoothed to emerge as finished lumber. To your left are the remains of the planing-mill powerhouse. The square stone at the bottom of the ruin once supported a 50-horsepower . . . Map (db m54832) HM
19 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
“I hope we do everything we can to make certain that we handle this river with wisdom, with justice, with courage.” Vice President Walter Mondale, co-sponsor of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act You are . . . Map (db m147366) HM
20 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — Technological Revolution
"... a lonely and forgotten reminder of the hopes of men and of the lusty lumber industry which did much to build an expanding America." James Taylor Dunn, The St. Croix: Midwest Border River, 1979 The stone ruins . . . Map (db m54137) HM
21 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — The Marine Township Hall
The Marine Township Hall was constructed in 1872 as a meeting hall and jail. The building was erected on property donated by Orange Walker. Its construction was financed by Morgan May who took the town's bonds for the necessary $2,000. Members of . . . Map (db m45939) HM
22 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix — The Pineries are Gone
A Great Pine Forest The St. Croix River valley's sandy loam soil is ideal for growing pine. In the 19th century its forests were filled with white pines. Many of them were two to three hundred years old, four to five feet in . . . Map (db m55015) HM
23 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix, William O'Brien State Park — Lake Alice — Riverside Trail —
Lake Alice is named for Alice O'Brien. In 1945, Alice memorialized her father, lumber baron William O'Brien, by donating 180 acres of his former estate to establish the area as a State Park. This 26-acre lake is as deep as nine feet in some . . . Map (db m230827) HM
24 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix, William O'Brien State Park — Native Cultures and the River — Riverside Trail —
Long before French and British fur traders arrived in the 1600s, Dakota and Ojibwe peoples lived throughout the region, hunting, fishing, ricing, and traveling in birchbark canoes. A profitable fur trade flourished as heavily-laden canoes of furs . . . Map (db m232072) HM
25 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix, William O'Brien State Park — Wedge Hill
1. glacial origins
Map (db m232073) HM
26 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix, William O'Brien State Park — White Pines — Riverside Trail —
Reaching 250 feet into the sky, with a diameter of six feet, it is easy to see why the gigantic white pine was called the monarch of the forest. The large white pines you see here today were just seedlings in 1839, when the Marine Lumber Company . . . Map (db m232283) HM
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27 Minnesota, Washington County, Marine on St. Croix, William O'Brien State Park — William O'Brien State Park
William O'Brien State Park was established in 1945 with a donation to the State of Minnesota of 180 acres by Alice O'Brien. This gift was given in memory of her father William O'Brien, who was a pioneer lumberman. This marker is dedicated to . . . Map (db m232285) HM
28 Minnesota, Washington County, Oak Park Heights — Building a Bridge
A replacement bridge crossing between the Stillwater, Minnesota area and the Town of St. Joseph, Wisconsin had been discussed for many years to address traffic congestions, safety, pedestrian use, and maintenance issues on the aging lift bridge. . . . Map (db m148113) HM
29 Minnesota, Washington County, Oak Park Heights — Lake St. Croix
Waters from merging glaciers several thousand years' ago carved deep valleys for the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers. Deprived of the glacial waters the rivers were so reduced in volume and carrying power that they were unable to maintain clear . . . Map (db m233489) HM
30 Minnesota, Washington County, Oak Park Heights — Lake St. Croix Overlook
Putting America to Work In 1929, the Great Depression swept America and millions were left without work. To help the country through these tough times, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created several federal work programs lasting from 1933 to . . . Map (db m201260) HM
31 Minnesota, Washington County, Oak Park Heights — St. Croix Crossing
The St. Croix Crossing is an extradosed bridge design—described as a hybrid between a girder bridge and a cable- stayed bridge. The extradosed design was chosen because its signature qualities complement the natural attributes of the river valley. . . . Map (db m233504) HM
32 Minnesota, Washington County, Oak Park Heights — Steamboats on the St. Croix
Both Native Americans and early pioneers used the St. Croix River and its tributaries as highways. Canoes were the prevalent mode of travel through the waterways. The Palmyra was the first steamboat to dip its paddles into the St. Croix River, . . . Map (db m148107) HM
33 Minnesota, Washington County, Oak Park Heights — Where's the State Boundary?
Before Wisconsin became a state in 1848, controversy surrounded the location of its northwestern boundary. Interests in the St. Croix Valley wanted to be excluded from the new state. They anticipated having greater influence in a separate state . . . Map (db m233436) HM
34 Minnesota, Washington County, Scandia — In Memory of the First Swedish Settlers in Minnesota
[west face] 1850 1900 In memory of the First Swedish Settlers in Minnesota [south face] 1850 – 1900 Oscar Roos, Carl Fernstrom och August Sansahl från Vestergötland, Sverige, bosatte sig å detta hemman omkring den 18 . . . Map (db m118710) HM
35 Minnesota, Washington County, Scandia — Swedes in Minnesota
The first Swedes arrived in the territory of Minnesota in 1850, settling in Scandia. By 1920 nearly a quarter of Minnesota's foreign-born residents were from Sweden, making it the home of more Swedes than any other state. About half lived in . . . Map (db m207127) HM
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36 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — 114 North Main StreetStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78663) HM
37 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — 1884 Upper St. Croix River Log Jam
[Title is text]Map (db m78621) HM
38 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — 1965 Easter Sunday Floodwater Crest
On Easter Sunday April 18, 1965 floodwaters of the St. Croix River crested here at 694.07 ft. above sea level, highest stage ever recorded at this point, and 19 ft. above normal. A mile-long dike built by hundreds of volunteer workers, including . . . Map (db m78691) HM
39 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — 226 East Myrtle StreetStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78661) HM
40 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Birthplace of Minnesota1848 • 1948
On this site, in the frontier river settlement of Stillwater, sixty-one delegates from the vast unorganized wilderness west of the St. Croix assembled on August 26, 1848 to hold the Minnesota Territorial Convention. In this convention the name . . . Map (db m136724) HM
41 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Freight House
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78641) HM
42 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Civil War Flank HowitzerDedicated July 4, 2008
In honor and remembrance of all Washington County veterans. This monument was made possible by the generous donation of the Margaret Rivers Fund and other contributors.Map (db m78708) WM
43 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Connolly Shoe Company BuildingStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78660) HM
44 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Indian Battleground
In this ravine at daybreak July 3, 1839, a war party of Sioux overtook a body of Chippewa returning from Fort Snelling where a Sioux had been killed by another Chippewa. A bloody battle took place in which the Chippewa losses were about 50 killed . . . Map (db m207756) HM
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45 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — John Karst BlockStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78688) HM
46 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Lumbermen's Exchange Building1890
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78640) HM
47 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Minnesota Territory 1849 – 1858 / Washington County Takes Shape
Minnesota Territory 1849 – 1858 On March 3, 1849, during his last hours in office, President James K. Polk signed a bill adding a new name to the American political landscape – Minnesota Territory. A vast land, it stretched from . . . Map (db m43908) HM
48 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Northern States Power Company Division OfficesStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78657) HM
49 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Samuel Bloomer
Samuel Bloomer, Married Miss Nellie Pressnell, who was born in Shipton- Under-Wychwood, England, Aug. 10, 1845. Children: Chas. H. Bloomer, Born Sept. 27, 1866, Died Apr. 25, 1891. Grace G Bloomer Born Feb. 18, 1872, . . . Map (db m72008) HM WM
50 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — See You on the Trail / From Small Springs — Brown's Creek State Trail —
A Trail for All Seasons Opened in 2014, the Brown's Creek State Trail connects Stillwater with the Gateway State Trail. Nearly six miles long, the path travels along forests, ponds, Brown's Creek and the St. Croix River. Along the way . . . Map (db m233502) HM
51 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Simonet's Furniture and Carpet Company BuildingStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78643) HM
52 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Site of the Stillwater High School
This was the site of the Stillwater High School from 1887 - 1994. The Stillwater Veterans Memorial was built on this historic site and dedicated on Memorial Day 2004. The plaques on the Wall of Honor spire list the names of veterans who . . . Map (db m72045) HM
53 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Smithson Paper Box Company BuildingStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78642) HM
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54 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Dedicated to the Soldiers and Sailors of the United States Enlisting or Residing in Washington County ——— Erected by the Citizens of Washington County 1916 center panel Minnesota Alcorn James 2nd Cav. . . . Map (db m72153) WM
55 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — St. Croix Lumber Mills / Stillwater Manufacturing CompanyStillwater National Historic District
This property has been listed as a Contributing Member of the District by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m78658) HM
56 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Steam Power, Railroads, and the Hersey & Bean Lumber CompanyCultural Landscape
The earliest mills depended on water to power their saws. But in 1855, the Hersey, Staples Company (later Hersey & Bean) built the first steam powered sawmill on the St. Croix on this location just south of Stillwater. Steam powered a mechanized . . . Map (db m148719) HM
57 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Stillwater Veterans Memorial
Veterans Memorial Dedicated 2004 These plaques form a Wall of Honor that bears the names of the more than 100 service personnel who attended Stillwater area schools and lost their lives in times of war. Veterans, living or dead, . . . Map (db m72031) WM
58 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Stillwater-Houlton Interstate BridgeNational Register of Historic Places
Stillwater-Houlton Interstate Bridge Opened July 1, 1931 has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m155496) HM
59 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — WA-SWC-714 — Tamarack House
Here in 1839, in Crawford County, Wisconsin Territory, Joseph R. Brown, first settler of this valley, laid out the town of Dahcotah. The following year as a member of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, Brown secured passage of a bill setting up . . . Map (db m233073) HM
60 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — The Warden's House
In 1849, the Governor of the new Territory of Minnesota, Alexander Ramsey, urged the Territorial Legislature to provide for a "proper and safe place of confinement" for prisoners of the territory. Because of Ramsey's request, the Legislature . . . Map (db m43747) HM
61 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Veterans Memorial
This flag, which once flew over the United States Capitol in Washington D.C., now flies proudly over Main Street, Stillwater, Minnesota. It is placed as a memorial to all Veterans, who in times of wars and in times of peace, throughout the . . . Map (db m78689) WM
62 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Washington County Courthouse
Minnesota's first courthouse, a three-room frame structure erected at the corner of 4th and Chestnut Street in Stillwater in 1849, had become inadequate by 1866. On November 6 of that year, Washington County voters approved funds for the . . . Map (db m171962) HM
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63 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater — Washington County Public Land Donation
. . . Map (db m78707) HM
64 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Pine Point County Park
Yours are not the first feet to tread this bit of land. Yours are not the first eyes to gaze into this beautiful forest. And yours will not be the last. In 1858, Washington County purchased 207 acres of land for a Poor Farm. Residents . . . Map (db m233581) HM
65 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Bridging Brown's Creek
Look toward the creek and you'll see Minnesota's oldest remaining stone arch bridge, a relic of the Point Douglas-St. Louis River Military Road. Stretching from the mouth of the St. Croix River to Lake Superior, the 185-mile road opened the . . . Map (db m232817) HM
66 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Brown's Creek Revival — Brown's Creek State Trail —
Explore the Trail If you go east, you will catch glimpses of the Brown's Creek stream as you pass through open fields, shady ravines and golf courses. You can also see Minnesota's oldest standing stone bridge. At the eastern end, . . . Map (db m233733) HM
67 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Controlling A River Of Logs
From 1856 to 1914, the St. Croix Boom was the logging industry center on the St. Croix River–the place where logs cut from northern forests entered the marketplace. Each spring, loggers harnessed the river's powerful current to float their . . . Map (db m233850) HM
68 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Geology of MinnesotaStillwater Region
The site of this tablet marks the northern limit of Lake St. Croix, impounded by the natural dam of sand and gravel, made by the Mississippi where it is joined by the St. Croix River, twenty miles below Stillwater. The valley, with its steep . . . Map (db m233569) HM
69 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Life at the Boom
As the St. Croix logging industry center, the Boom Site bustled with activity beginning in June and ending when all of the logs were sorted from the river, usually in August but sometimes as late as October. At the height of operations, around 600 . . . Map (db m233570) HM
70 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — Restoring Oak Woods and Prairies: Why Do It?
The Gateway trail travels through a landscape that was once dominated by oak forest, oak savanna, brush land and prairie openings. Today small remnants of these plant communities can still be enjoyed along the trail providing a unique . . . Map (db m232836) HM
71 Minnesota, Washington County, Stillwater, Stillwater Township — WA-SWT-004 — St. Croix Boom Site
Center of log and lumbering activities in this region for over half a century prior to 1914. Here millions of logs from the upper St. Croix and tributaries were halted, sorted, and rafted, later to be sawed into lumber and timber products. . . . Map (db m233571) HM
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Mar. 28, 2024