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 Mankato was originally named "Mahkato" (meaning greenish-blue earth) by its early inhabitants, the Dakota. Mankato is located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers. In 1852, Parsons K. Johnson and Henry Jackson staked claims along these banks and founded the town of Mankato. The city was established on land purchased in a treaty between the U.S. government and the Dakota; breaking of this treaty by the government lead to the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862. North Mankato, which sits just across the river, was established in 1898. The first bridge between North Mankato and Mankato was the Veterans Memorial Bridge constructed in 1880, representing an interdependence and partnership between the cities that still continues. Today, many memorials and buildings exist to commemorate the diverse and important history that has shaped the Greater Mankato area.
City Center History Walking Tour
The History Walking Tour includes 25 historical sites in Mankato. The tour offers photos and brief descriptions of each site and a detailed map to help you find your way.
City Center History Walking Tour Map
The US-Dakota Conflict of 1862 Self-Guided Tour
It has been 150 years since the US - Dakota War. At least 450 white settlers and soldiers lost their lives along with many unrecorded Dakota causalities and forced removals. In 2012 we try to understand the events leading up to the conflict along with the grim outcome - the simultaneous hanging of 38 Dakota on December 26, 1862. It was the largest mass execution in US History. The US – Dakota War also was the largest attack on settlers in the history of the US. This Self-Guided tour brings you to 33 sites of the US-Dakota War. Each site offers a brief description of it's significance.
Dakota Conflict Map
Veterans Memorial Tour
Hikers and bikers can honor the service of all veterans
any day of the year by visiting the Greater Mankato area’s
14 memorial sites on the Trail for Heroes. This
twelve mile scenic route winds through the two historic
city centers and beautiful natural landscapes as it leads
visitors to monuments that commemorate the sacrifices of
veterans from the 1800s to the present day. The route uses
public roads and trails that are easily accessible on foot and
bike, and parking is available at most locations if you prefer
to reach the sites by vehicle. Amenities along the way
include parks with varieties of recreational opportunities,
and businesses with shopping, dining and other services
Veterans Memorial Tour Map
For more information about the area's history visit:
Betsy-Tacy Society | P.O. Box 94, Mankato, MN 56001 | 507.345.9777 | betsy-tacysociety.org
Preserves Maud Hart Lovelace's legacy and her work, encourages and supports literacy and conserving historic landmarks.
Betsy-Tacy in Greater Mankato
Blue Earth County Historical Society | 415 Cherry Street, Mankato, MN 56001 | 507.345.5566 | www.bechshistory.com
Collects, preserves and promotes the history of Blue Earth County for present and future generations.
Nicollet County Historical Society | 1851 N Minnesota Avenue, St. Peter, MN 56082 | 507.934.2160 | nchsmn.org
Interprets the rich history of our county, the Minnesota River Valley and our state.
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1351 North Sixth Street
This is one of the oldest cemeteries in Mankato. Pioneer Memorial Park, known to Mankato residents as “Pioneer Cemetery,” was the site of two nineteenth-century burial grounds. Memorial Day services have been held at this site since the end of WWI.
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816 North Second Street
This building is believed to be the oldest building in Mankato. The original structure was built of Mankato Kasota stone by George Maxfield, owner of Mankato’s first quarry It served as the office for the nearby quarry. In the early days of Mankato’s history and especially in the north end of town, it was quite common for buildings to serve dual purposed, such as a dwelling and business.
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424 Riverfront Drive
Built in 1878 by R. D. Hubbard, it was the largest flour mill in southern Minnesota. It is now operated by Cargill. It was originally a water powered roller mill and then it was converted to steam power. The domination smokestack is a landmark in Mankato. It is said that machinery inside is essentially the same as when it was installed almost 130 years ago. It represents the strong agricultural industry in Mankato.
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100 East Main Street
The statue “Winter Warrior” was inspired by the “Year of Reconciliation”1987 was proclaimed the “Year of Reconciliation.” by Governor Rudy Perpich. It was a statewide attempt to foster healing and education between non-Dakota and Dakota people. The statue was unveiled on December 26, 1987 near the site of the 1862 hanging of 38 Dakota Indians. The statue was carved by Tom Miller and weighs two tons and stands six feet tall. |
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105 North Fifth Street
The church was built in 1873 as the parish church for the German immigrant community in Mankato. A grade school and a high school followed. It has the distinction of being one of the only pieces of land in Mankato owned by the original group. This immense massive Gothic structure stands as one of Mankato’s most visible landmarks.
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Riverfront Drive, Plum to Vine Streets, Mankato
Along Riverfront Drive, from Plum to Vine, are 1890's to 1900's commercial buildings that showcase some of the oldest arcitecture in town. |
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100 North Riverfront Drive
On September 19, 1997, reconciliation Park was dedicated. The park is the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history where 38 Dakota Indians were hanged by the government. This was the result of trials during the U.S. Dakota Conflict of 1862. Tom Miller sculpted the buffalo from a 67-ton block of local Kasota limestone; it is surrounded by native flowers and prairie grasses. The buffalo symbolizes the spiritual survival of the Dakota People and honors the Dakota heritage of this area. The park is a site to reflect, meditate and remember.” A reconciliation for all people.” Dakota Elder Amos Owen, 1997. |
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200 North Broad Street
The original seat of education in Mankato is located on Broad Street between Mulberry and Plum at the present site of the Union Office building. On this site there have been no less than three school buildings. The earliest school in Mankato was in a one-story log building, erected in 1855. It contained one room that would likely fit into one end of a current high school gymnasium. In 1867, with enrollment increased, the log structure yielded to the first high school in southern Minnesota. By 1919, the old Union School building yielded to the wrecking ball to make way for a new grade school. Meanwhile in 1891, a new Mankato High School building came into existence on South Fifth Street. Union Grade School creased operations in recent years and the building is preserved as an office building.
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401 S. Second Street, Mankato
The Post Office was built in 1895 and remodeled in 1933 to the structure seen today. It is constructed of Mankato Kasota stone. The second floor was used for Federal offices and courts. |
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204 South Fifth Street
The Blue Earth County Courthouse on South Fifth Street, built of Mankato stone and limestone in the French-Italian Renaissance style, was completed on October 1, 1889, 35 years after the land was surveyed and almost $50,000 over its original $75,000 budget. The new courthouse was considered the finest in the state. |
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301 South 5th Street
Old Main sat at the center of the original Mankato Normal School (now Minnesota State University, Mankato). This building was built in 1922 after a fire destroyed the original building. Several of the buildings that surround Old Main were once part of the original campus. The Government Center served as Lincoln Library and the Nichols building, Cherry Ridge and Colonial Square apartments were Searing, Buck and Cooper dormitories. As the University grew they expanded on top of the hill in 1958 operating a “highland campus” and “valley campus” (also Known as lower campus) until 1980.
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315 South Broad Street
The J.W. Schmitt home was Sinclair Lewis’ family residence during the summer of 1919. The author wrote much of his novel Main Street in the house and was fond of taking a horse and buggy out into the bluffs to enjoy views of the Minnesota River valley. Lewis once stated about Mankato, “I am here in this Minnesota town… and I like it; like the friendliness, the neighborliness and the glorious sweeps of the country round about.” Main Street was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
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606 South Broad Street
Rensselaer D. Hubbard built this house in 1871. A major remodeling of the house was done in 1888. The house is French Second Empire style. It is constructed of brick and wood on a basement of cut stone. The main house is three stories with a Mansard roof of colored slate shingles. During the remodel, the servants’ quarters, fireplaces, a bay window and office were added and all the woodwork was replaced. The house was described as one of the finest homes in Mankato. It had one of the first telephones, indoor plumbing, electricity and the most modern conveniences of the time.
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200 Lincoln Street
Lincoln Park was a gift to Mankato from John H. Ray in the 1890’s. In 1893, a bronze statue of a Civil War union soldier atop a fountain was added to the park. The fountain and statue were replaced by a stone tablet honoring civil War Veterans in 1935. In 1900, a Spanish American War cannon was dedicated as a memorial. In 1909 the cannon was loaded and fired by a group of kids; the blast broke house windows on all sides of the park. A 300 year old elm tree, affectionately known as the Lincoln Elm, stood proudly at the park until 1984. With a quality blend of 19th-and early 20th century architecture, the Lincoln Park neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. As it remains today, it is one of the most intact late 19th and 20th century will-maintained residential neighborhoods in outstate Minnesota.
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333 Center Street | www.betsy-tacysociety.org
Betsy’s House is the childhood home of Maud Hart Lovelace (1892-1980), beloved author of the famed children’s series of Betsy-Tacy books. The author is the real-life character of “Betsy” and the books are historical fiction based on her childhood memories of growing up in Mankato, the fictionalized “Deep Valley.” With over a million and a half books sold, they have drawn national as well as international attention to Mankato, Minnesota.
Tacy’s House is the childhood home of Maud’s best friend, Bick Kenney (Tacy) and is located just across the street from Betsy’s house. A stone bench at the top of Center Street bears the inscription, “To honor Maud Hart Lovelace, who here began the childhood daydreams that one day would be our window to the past.”
The Betsy-Tacy Society has spent the past decade preserving the legacy of both the author and her books. Tacy’s House serves as its headquarters, gift shop and interpretive center. Betsy’s house is in the process of restoration to its original condition and will serve as a museum.
Tacy’s House is open on Saturdays from 1 pm to 3 pm; reservations are required during the week. For more information on Society events or to schedule a visit, call 507-345-9777 or visit www.betsy-tacysociety.org.
See what KAAL-TV has to say about Betsy-Tacy in Mankato.
A New Edition of Betsy-Tacy Greets Fans, Old and New - New York Times - November 8, 2011
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442 Belgrade Avenue, North Mankato
The first section of the North Mankato School was built in 1900, the old North Mankato school building then known as Eckes Building, found new life again in the 1980's when it became the Belltower Apartments.
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5447 Gadwall Road, Mankato
The remains of a grist mill built between 1862 and1864 by Louis Seppman can be found in Minneopa State Park. The mill was operated until 1890 and was constructed almost entirely of local building materials.
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Hwy. 66, Mankato
The railroad and highway crossing at the Le Sueur River has been both a railway and highway bridge since at least the 1870's. The railroad bridge still standing dates to the 1870s. but the highway bridge was rebuilt in the 1960s. Since the 1970s, the railroad trestle has been used as part of the Red Jacket Trail. The Red Jacket flour mill was located downstream from this point in the late 19th century.
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1851 N. Minnesota Avenue, St. Peter
The Center sits near "the crossing" used by the Dakota and French fur traders. For centuries, this fordable spot was a natural gathering point for many different cultures. In 1851, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was sighed here between the United States and the Dakota people. The Center interprets the site's diverse path while intertwining all of Nicollet County's rich history.
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