Established | 1897 |
---|---|
Location | 610 NE Highway 71 Willmar, MN USA |
Coordinates | 45°7′37″N95°2′11″W / 45.12694°N 95.03639°W |
Type | History |
Executive director | Jill Wohnoutka |
Website | kandiyohicountyhistory.com |
The Kandiyohi County Historical Society (KCHS) is a local history museum in Willmar, Minnesota, United States. Formerly known as the Old Settlers Association, it was founded in 1897 to "discover, preserve and share the story of Kandiyohi County and its people." The archives and Lawson research library are the principal sources used by KCHS staff, volunteers, and visitors to carry out this mission today and into the future. On average, the museum has 9,000 visitors annually. [1]
KCHS consists of six buildings: a main museum and research library; the Sperry House, a restored turn-of-the-century Victorian home; a one-room schoolhouse; an agricultural barn; a restored log cabin which was a site of the 1862 US-Dakota conflict; [1] and Great Northern Passenger Engine #2523. [2]
This locomotive, built in 1923, was commissioned to keep up with increased demand for passenger trains along the Great Northern railroad. It had a top speed of 50 mph and could haul up to 12 heavyweight passenger cars at a time. This series was retired in 1955, and this engine in particular was placed on permanent display at KCHS in 1965. Only one other locomotive of its type remains, in Port of Pasco, Washington. [3]
Regular exhibits include several displays marking the involvement of Kandiyohi County residents in conflicts such as the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and II, and the 1862 US-Dakota conflict. Additionally, the museum features a monthly rotating display of notable items from its collections. Exhibits focus principally on the effects of wider historical events on local residents. [4]
KCHS offers educational programs for all ages, with a focus on increasing youth engagement. They host events, lectures, and workshops related to local history. [5]
KCHS partnered with the Willmar Stingers, a collegiate summer baseball team, to establish the Hall of Fame in 2013. The KCHS spearheads the nomination process, accepting submissions and managing a selection committee to choose inductees who significantly impacted baseball in the West Central Minnesota region, be it as professional or amateur players, coaches, or community figures. The museum houses displays dedicated to the Hall of Fame and its inductees. [6] [7]
Kandiyohi County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population is 43,732. As of November 20, 1871, its county seat is Willmar.
Lake Lillian is a city in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 238 at the 2010 census.
Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 21,015 at the 2020 census.
Litchfield is a city in and the county seat of Meeker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,624 at the 2020 census.
Minnesota State Highway 23 (MN 23) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At 343.723 miles (553.169 km) in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1.
Pine Bluff High School (PBHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. It, a part of the Pine Bluff School District, is the largest of three public high schools in the Pine Bluff city limits and four public high schools in Jefferson County. Established in 1868, the school's interscholastic sports programs are one of the nation's most successful with a football national championship and one of the state's highest number of state championships in football, baseball and track and field.
Willmar Municipal Airport, also known as John L. Rice Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located west of the central business district of Willmar, a city in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The airport opened in 2006 and is located two miles west of a closed airport which operated under the same name.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4800, nicknamed "Old Rivets", is a GG1-class electric locomotive located at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the prototype GG1 and was originally numbered 4899. Built by General Electric in 1934, the locomotive competed against a prototype, the R1, built by rival company Westinghouse. 4800 was kept in service by the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors, Penn Central and Conrail, until 1979. It was sold the next year to a local chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. 4800 was dedicated in 1982 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1983.
Jonette Ellen Engan is an American politician and a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.
Bruce Vogel is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 13B, which included portions of Kandiyohi County in the west central part of the state, including the cities of Willmar, New London, Spicer, Atwater, Pennock, Kandiyohi, Prinsburg, Lake Lillian, Blomkest and Raymond.
Andrew R. Lang is an American politician and Republican member of the Minnesota Senate. He represents District 17, which includes portions of Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Renville, and Swift Counties in west-central Minnesota. Lang is a major in the Minnesota Army National Guard.
Churchill was an unincorporated community in Renville County, Minnesota, United States.
Baker Field at Bill Taunton Stadium is a baseball stadium in Willmar, Minnesota that is home to the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Bill Taunton Stadium is also home to Willmar High School baseball, Ridgewater College baseball, two local VFW teams, and an American Legion team. The stadium annually hosts a kickball game between the Willmar Stingers and teachers at nearby Roosevelt Elementary on the last day of school. In 2010, the stadium hosted the Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament.
The Endreson Cabin is a log cabin built about 1858 which has been preserved as a museum near Willmar, Minnesota, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as the Lars and Guri Endreson House, after the Norwegian-American immigrants who built it. It is one of the oldest buildings on its original site in Kandiyohi County and a rare vestige of its Euro-American settlement prior to the Dakota War of 1862, in which numerous pioneers were killed and most of the rest abandoned the area for several years.
The Great Northern P-2 was a class of 28 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1923 and operated by the Great Northern Railway until the late 1950s.
Great Northern 2507 is a 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotive, a member of the P-2 class. Built for passenger service, the locomotive was assigned to pull the Great Northern's mainline passenger trains such as the Empire Builder and Oriental Limited, until being retired in December 1957 and sold to Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. GN 2507 is one of only two surviving examples of a P-2 class locomotive and, since 2003, has been on display at Wishram station in Wishram, Washington.
Central Community Transit (CCT) is the primary provider of mass transportation in Litchfield and Willmar, Minnesota with two routes serving the region in addition to countywide demand-response services. As of 2019, the system provided 227,429 rides over 51,272 annual vehicle revenue hours with 5 buses and 27 paratransit vehicles.
The Renville County Historical Museum, located in Morton, Minnesota, is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of Renville County. The current main museum building was built in built in 1989 and is operated by the Renville County Historical Society, the museum offers visitors a glimpse into the county's past through a collection of artifacts, photographs, and exhibits.
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