This is a completeList of National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota. TheUnited StatesNational Historic Landmark program is operated under the auspices of theNational Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar resources according to a list of criteria of national significance.[1] Thestate ofMinnesota is home to 25 of these landmarks, illustrating the state'sNative American,industrial,logging,mining,military, and political heritage, as well as its contributions to the broader themes of developing thefrontier for the European pioneers.
The article also lists other historical landmarks of national importance that are administered by the National Park Service.
The table below lists all 25 of these sites, along with added detail and description.
| [2] | Landmark name | Image | Date designated[3] | Location | County | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christ Church Lutheran |  | January 16, 2009 (#01000654) | Minneapolis 44°56′38″N93°13′24″W / 44.94376°N 93.223208°W /44.94376; -93.223208 (Christ Church Lutheran) | Hennepin | Modern-style church designed by father and son architectsEliel Saarinen andEero Saarinen |
| 2 | F. Scott Fitzgerald House |  | November 11, 1971 (#71000440) | Saint Paul 44°56′29″N93°07′29″W / 44.9413805°N 93.1247305°W /44.9413805; -93.1247305 (F. Scott Fitzgerald House) | Ramsey | This was the home ofFrancis Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940); as spokesman for the Jazz Age, he wrote several stories and his first published novel,This Side of Paradise in thisVictorianrowhouse onSummit Avenue inSaint Paul. The novelsThe Beautiful and Damned andThe Great Gatsby quickly followed.[4] |
| 3 | Fort Snelling |  | February 19, 1960 (#66000401) | Minneapolis 44°53′34″N93°10′50″W / 44.892778°N 93.180556°W /44.892778; -93.180556 (Fort Snelling) | Hennepin | Originally known as Fort St. Anthony, this is a formermilitaryfortification located at theconfluence of theMinnesota andMississippi Rivers inHennepin County, Minnesota. It is part of theMississippi National River and Recreation Area. |
| 4 | Grand Mound |  | June 23, 2011 (#11000565) | International Falls 48°31′00″N93°42′31″W / 48.516667°N 93.708611°W /48.516667; -93.708611 (Grand Mound) | Koochiching | |
| 5 | James J. Hill House |  | November 5, 1961 (#66000405) | Saint Paul 44°56′42″N93°06′32″W / 44.945111°N 93.108806°W /44.945111; -93.108806 (James J. Hill House) | Ramsey | This house was built by railroad magnateJames J. Hill. Completed in 1891, it is near the eastern end of Summit Avenue near theCathedral of Saint Paul. With 36,000 square feet (3,344 square meters) of living area, the house is the largest residence inMinnesota. |
| 6 | Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine |  | November 13, 1966 (#66000904) | Hibbing 47°27′N92°57′W / 47.45°N 92.95°W /47.45; -92.95 (Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine) | St. Louis | This mine is the largestopen pit iron mine in the world. Located in theMesabi Range, it supplied as much as one-fourth of all theiron ore mined in theUnited States during its peak production years ofWorld War I andWorld War II. This area of the Mesabi Range was explored in 1893–1894, shortly after theMountain Iron mine was established in 1892. The early development was as an underground mine, but open cast mining soon proved to be a better choice because of the soft, shallow ore deposits. Many open pits in the area soon merged into one large mine, and the consolidation of mines led to the formation ofU.S. Steel in 1901. The growth of the mine even resulted in the town ofHibbing being relocated to accommodate expansion. |
| 7 | Kathio Site |  | July 19, 1964 (#66000403) | Vineland 46°09′49″N93°45′27″W / 46.163611°N 93.7575°W /46.163611; -93.7575 (Kathio Site) | Mille Lacs | This area includes habitation sites and mound groups, believed to date between 3000 BC and 1750 AD, that documentSioux Indian culture andOjibwe-Sioux relationships. Now a state park, it contains 19 identified archaeological sites, making it one of the most significant archaeological collections in Minnesota. The earliest site dates to theArchaic period and shows evidence of copper tool manufacture. |
| 8 | Oliver H. Kelley Homestead |  | July 19, 1964 (#66000406) | Elk River 45°18′49″N93°34′53″W / 45.313601°N 93.5814°W /45.313601; -93.5814 (Oliver H. Kelley Homestead) | Sherburne | This farmstead was once owned byOliver Hudson Kelley, one of the founders of theOrder of Patrons of Husbandry. Oliver Kelley moved to Minnesota in 1849, the year thatMinnesota Territory was formed. Although he knew little about farming, he taught himself using agricultural journals and correspondence with other "scientific-oriented" farmers. He became an expert on farming in Minnesota, and he learned how adverse events such as bad weather, debt, insect pests, and crop failures could devastate a farmer's fortunes.[5] |
| 9 | Frank B. Kellogg House |  | December 8, 1976 (#74001035) | Saint Paul 44°56′14″N93°07′36″W / 44.937247°N 93.12661°W /44.937247; -93.12661 (Frank B. Kellogg House) | Ramsey | From 1889 until his death, this was the residence ofFrank B. Kellogg (1856–1937), lawyer,U.S. Senator, and diplomat. AsSecretary of State (1925–29), he negotiated theKellogg-Briand Pact (1928), for which he received theNobel Peace Prize, and shifted foreign policy away from interventionism.[6] |
| 10 | Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home |  | May 23, 1968 (#68000027) | Sauk Centre 45°44′14″N94°57′25″W / 45.737128°N 94.956976°W /45.737128; -94.956976 (Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home) | Stearns | From 1885 to 1902, this was the home ofSinclair Lewis (1885–1951) the first American author to be awarded theNobel Prize for literature (1930). His novelMain Street (1920) was partly based on his impressions ofSauk Centre, Minnesota.[7] |
| 11 | Charles A. Lindbergh Sr. House |  | December 8, 1976 (#70000303) | Little Falls 45°57′27″N94°23′23″W / 45.957439°N 94.389789°W /45.957439; -94.389789 (Charles A. Lindbergh Sr. House) | Morrison | This was once the farm of CongressmanCharles August Lindbergh and his sonCharles Lindbergh, the famous aviator, and is now a state park. Their restored 1906 house and two other farm buildings are within the park boundaries. Three buildings and three structures built by theWorks Progress Administration in the 1930s were named to theNational Register of Historic Places. These buildings include a picnic shelter and a water tower, built in the Rustic Style from local stone and logs, and have remained relatively unchanged since construction. |
| 12 | Mayo Clinic Buildings |  | August 11, 1969 (#69000075) | Rochester 44°01′18″N92°27′56″W / 44.021667°N 92.465556°W /44.021667; -92.465556 (Mayo Clinic Buildings) | Olmsted | This building is an architecturally significant part of theMayo Clinic. It was originally called the 1929 building, but was renamed the Plummer Building after its chief architect and Mayo Clinic co-founder,Henry Stanley Plummer. It was the tallest building inRochester,Minnesota from its construction in 1929 until 2001 when the nearbyGonda Building was completed. |
| 13 | Mountain Iron Mine |  | November 24, 1968 (#68000052) | Mountain Iron 47°32′N92°37′W / 47.54°N 92.62°W /47.54; -92.62 (Mountain Iron Mine) | St. Louis | Discovered in 1890, this mine's first shipment of iron ore occurred in 1892. Its production led to the realization that theMesabi Range possessed the world's largest deposits of iron ore, making Minnesota the nation's premier supplier of the resource.[8] |
| 14 | National Farmers Bank |  | January 7, 1976 (#71000441) | Owatonna 44°05′06″N93°13′33″W / 44.0851°N 93.22575°W /44.0851; -93.22575 (National Farmers Bank) | Steele | This bank building was designed byLouis Sullivan with decorative elements byGeorge Elmslie. It was built in 1908, and was the first of Sullivan's "jewel boxes". The building is clad in red brick with greenterra cotta bands, and features two largearches. Internal elements include astained glass window designed byLouis J. Millet, amural byOskar Gross, and a cast ironelectrolier by William Winslow. |
| 15 | Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator |  | December 2, 1981 (#78001547) | St. Louis Park 44°56′33″N93°20′43″W / 44.9425°N 93.345278°W /44.9425; -93.345278 (Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator) | Hennepin | Thisgrain elevator, built in 1899-1900, was the first circular concrete grain elevator in the United States, and possibly in the world. It is notable for proving the viability of concrete in grain elevator construction. Previous grain elevators, being built of wood, were expensive to build and vulnerable to fire. It was located along theMinneapolis and St. Louis Railway. |
| 16 | Pillsbury "A" Mill |  | November 13, 1966 (#66000402) | Minneapolis 44°59′02″N93°15′10″W / 44.983939°N 93.252664°W /44.983939; -93.252664 (Pillsbury "A" Mill) | Hennepin | This mill, situated alongSaint Anthony Falls on theMississippi River inMinneapolis, Minnesota, held the title of largestflour mill in the world for 40 years.[9] Completed in 1881, it was owned byPillsbury and operated two of the most powerful direct-drivewaterwheels ever built, each generating 1,200horsepower (895kW). The mill still stands today on the east side of the Mississippi River, but ceased operation in 2003. |
| 17 | Rabideau CCC Camp |  | February 17, 2006 (#76001046) | Chippewa National Forest 47°38′24″N94°32′55″W / 47.639986°N 94.548622°W /47.639986; -94.548622 (Rabideau CCC Camp) | Beltrami | This camp was built by theCivilian Conservation Corps in theChippewa National Forest in northernMinnesota. The camp was established in 1935 as a project ofFranklin D. Roosevelt'sNew Deal program. The camp, one of 2650 nationwide, was home to about 300 men aged 17–21. Like most CCC camps, the Rabideau camp was established to provide work to those unemployed as a result of theGreat Depression. Enrollees at the camp came mostly from Northern Minnesota and worked on projects within the Chippewa National Forest, such as building roads and other facilities, surveying, wildlife protection, and other forestry activities.[10] |
| 18 | O. E. Rolvaag House |  | August 4, 1969 (#69000078) | Northfield 44°27′48″N93°10′20″W / 44.463206°N 93.172219°W /44.463206; -93.172219 (O. E. Rolvaag House) | Rice | From 1912 until his death, this was the residence ofOle Edvart Rølvaag (1876–1931), a Norwegian immigrant and the first American novelist to give a true accounting of the psychological cost of pioneering on the frontier. His famous trilogy—Giants in the Earth (1927),Peder Victorious (1928), andTheir Father's God (1931)—stands in our literature as the most mature and penetrating assessment of the adjustments immigrant pioneers had to make in order to find peace and prosperity inmiddle America.[11] |
| 19 | St. Croix Boom Site |  | November 13, 1966 (#66000407) | Stillwater 45°04′41″N92°47′53″W / 45.078°N 92.798°W /45.078; -92.798 (St. Croix Boom Site) | Washington | This site is located on theSt. Croix River upstream ofStillwater, Minnesota. It was established by Stillwaterlumber barons, includingIsaac Staples, in 1856 after the demise of the original St. Croix Boom Company, which had operated a boom further upstream nearMarine on St. Croix, Minnesota. Staples and others purchased the Boom Company and moved the site downstream. |
| 20 | St. Croix Recreational Demonstration Area |  | September 25, 1997 (#97001261) | Hinckley 46°00′41″N92°56′40″W / 46.011389°N 92.944444°W /46.011389; -92.944444 (St. Croix Recreational Demonstration Area) | Pine | This area was used forlogging between the mid-19th century and about 1915. After the logging era was over, farmers were attracted to the newly cleared land, but the soil was poor and not productive enough to make a living. In 1934, 18,000 acres (73 km2) of farmland was purchased, and the following year, the St. Croix Recreational Demonstration Area was started. Under the direction of theNational Park Service, theWorks Progress Administration and theCivilian Conservation Corps built group camps, roads, and campgrounds. |
| 21 | Soudan Iron Mine |  | November 13, 1966 (#66000905) | Tower 47°51′28″N92°17′59″W / 47.857908°N 92.299611°W /47.857908; -92.299611 (Soudan Iron Mine) | St. Louis | This is Minnesota's oldest, deepest, and richest ironmine, and now hosts the Soudan Underground Laboratory. In the late 19th century, prospectors searching forgold in northern Minnesota discovered extremely rich veins ofhematite at this site, often containing more than 65%iron. An open pit mine began operation in 1882, and moved to underground mining by 1900 for reasons of safety. From 1901 until the end of active mining in 1962, the Soudan Mine was owned by theUnited States Steel Corporation's Oliver Iron Mining division. By 1912 the mine was at a depth of 1,250 feet (381 m). When it closed, level 27 was being developed at 2,341 feet (713.5 m) below the surface. US Steel then donated the Soudan Mine to the State of Minnesota to use for educational purposes. |
| 22 | Split Rock Light Station |  | June 23, 2011 (#69000073) | Beaver Bay 47°12′00″N91°22′01″W / 47.2°N 91.3669°W /47.2; -91.3669 (Split Rock Light Station) | Lake | Split Rock Light Station possesses national significance as an extremely rare example of Great Lakes light stations designed as a single, cohesive and self-sufficient complex. Built between 1909-1910, the station served as a crucial aid to navigation for commercial freighters until 1969, at a time when the Great Lakes emerged as a vital component of the nation's industrial economy. Split Rock is a Minnesota state historic site and is open to the public, andoperates a website for the public. |
| 23 | Thorstein Veblen Farmstead |  | December 2, 1981 (#75001024) | Nerstrand 44°21′N93°03′W / 44.35°N 93.05°W /44.35; -93.05 (Thorstein Veblen Farmstead) | Rice | This site consists of the home and farm buildings whereThorstein B. Veblen (1857–1929) grew up. As an economist, social scientist, and critic of American culture, he was the product of an austere agrarian upbringing; Veblen has often been called one of America's most creative and original thinkers.[12] |
| 24 | Andrew John Volstead House |  | December 8, 1976 (#74001046) | Granite Falls 44°48′34″N95°32′24″W / 44.809415°N 95.540020°W /44.809415; -95.540020 (Andrew John Volstead House) | Yellow Medicine | From 1894 to 1930, this was the home ofAndrew J. Volstead (1860–1947), the man who "personified prohibition." Volstead served in theU.S. House of Representatives (1903–23), where he drafted the National Prohibition Enforcement Act (1919), which became known as theVolstead Act.[13] |
| 25 | Washburn "A" Mill Complex |  | May 4, 1983 (#83004388) | Minneapolis 44°58′44″N93°15′25″W / 44.978889°N 93.256944°W /44.978889; -93.256944 (Washburn "A" Mill Complex) | Hennepin | This mill complex was the second-largestflour mill inMinneapolis, Minnesota. The original mill was built in 1874 byCadwallader C. Washburn, but destroyed in an explosion in 1878, killing 18. The mill was later rebuilt, and for nearly 50 years, the Washburn "A" Mill was the most technologically advanced and the largest mill in the world. It was later shut down but now operates as a historical museum of the local milling industry. It is now called the Mill City Museum. |
National Historic Sites, National Historic Parks, National Memorials, and certain otherareas listed in the National Park system are historic landmarks of national importance that are highly protected already, often before the inauguration of the NHL program in 1960, and are often not also named NHLsper se. Two additional Minnesota sites have national historical importance and have been designated as National Monuments by the National Park System.
| Monument name[14] | Image | Established[14] | Locality[14][15] | County[14] | Description[16] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Portage National Monument |  | January 27, 1960 | Grand Portage 47°57′44″N89°41′05″W / 47.962222°N 89.684722°W /47.962222; -89.684722 (Grand Portage National Monument) | Cook | TheGrand Portage National Monument, located within theboreal forest on the north shore ofLake Superior in northeasternMinnesota, preserves a vital center offur trade activity and AnishinaabegOjibwe heritage. |
| 2 | Pipestone National Monument |  | August 25, 1937 | Pipestone 44°00′48″N96°19′31″W / 44.013333°N 96.325278°W /44.013333; -96.325278 (Pipestone National Monument) | Pipestone | Pipestone National Monument preserves traditionalcatlinitequarries just north ofPipestone, Minnesota. The catlinite, or "pipestone", was and is used to makeceremonial pipes, vitally important to traditionalPlains Indian culture. The quarries are sacred to the DakotaSioux (Lakota)Native Americans, and are historically neutral territory where all tribes could quarry stone for ceremonial pipes.[17] |
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