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TBT - Saulpaugh Hotel
The Saulpaugh Hotel, once located on the corner of Front and Main Streets, opened in 1889 to a grand affair. The festivities include a banquet and ball with many influential and famous people in...
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The Red Jacket Trail
by Grace WebbMost Mankatoans know of the Red Jacket Trail—and most of them have probably biked or walked it at some point. But few residents probably realize what a rich history this trail has.The Red...
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TBT - Blizzard of 1936
1936 was an unusual year for weather. January and February are on record as one of the coldest winters in Minnesota history. February alone had 15 days where the daytime high did not break zero. When...
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TBT - Mankato Fire Department
The Mankato Fire Department dates back to 1860 with the Mankato Hook and Ladder Company. The company began with about two dozen men and a hand drawn cart to carry their ladders and water buckets. In...
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TBT - Brett's Department Store
Brett’s department store was one of downtown Mankato’s largest and most popular destinations during its long lifetime from 1868 until 1991. George E. Brett came to Minnesota from Maine in 1863. Five...
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A Brief History of Jamestown Township
Jamestown Township was originally given its name after the English colony in Virginia. When first settled, the Township of Jamestown was cleared for farmland, hence its appearance today. But before...
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A Micro Batch of Mankato’s Brewing History
Beer is an everyman’s drink. It came from a region of humble pursuits, like so many of our ancestors. Beer’s homeland had many of its residents emigrate to the U.S. during the later half of the 19th...
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TBT - St. Theresa's Catholic Church, Mapleton
St. Theresa’s church in Mapleton has Irish roots in this Scottish community. The church began in 1857 as an organization of people from Ireland that has settled near Mapleton. Early services were held...
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TBT - Winnebago Agency House
While several American Indian tribes called Minnesota home, two tribes called Blue Earth County home, the Dakota and the Winnebago, also known as the Ho-Chunk. The Winnebago came to Blue Earth County...
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TBT - St. Patrick's Day Blizzard of 1965
March 1965 was a very snowy month in Mankato! The first of two blizzards arrived on March 3 and dropped over 12 inches of snow on Mankato. The second blizzard, often referred to as the St. Patrick’s...
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TBT - Mankato Citizen's Telephone Company
The Northwestern Telephone Company came to Mankato in 1880 with the first telephone lines in city hall, Hubbard Mill and the Mankato House hotel. Northwestern remained the only telephone company for...
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The Naming of Blue Earth County
The Dakota and Winnebago tribes had a great influence on the naming of not only Blue Earth County, but also many of the townships, towns and villages throughout the County.Blue Earth County got its...
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Union School, Mankato’s First School Building
The lot located at the corner of Broad and Mulberry Streets in Mankato has been called home by more than just the office buildings that occupy it today. In 1855, the very first Blue Earth County...
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TBT - Mankato's Old Depot
The first railroad to come to Mankato was the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha line. One of the deciding factors that brought the railroad to town was the city’s promise to build a depot. When...
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A Brief History of Mankato Township
When driving through the populous township of Mankato, take note of the numerous historical sites and markers. When passing through “Old Town” you soon recognize by the lightly weathered, but...
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The Ghost of Yaeger School House?
By Hilda ParksTeams of horses disappearing from their stalls, and reappearing the next day. Smoke coming from a school house at strange hours. Sheets vanishing from clothes lines. Books missing from...
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TBT - Mankato's Red Cross and World War I
The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. With this declaration, many men from Blue Earth County enlisted for the Great War. For those who remained at home, there were bond drives and...
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The Alphabet Railroad
By Hilda ParksTo speak of riding the Alphabet Road to Cream sounds like the beginning of a children’s book. To say it was because of the Alphabet Road that Cream died sounds like a murder mystery. To...
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TBT - Bierbauer Brewery
Bierbauer Brewing Company was the first brewery built west of St. Paul, MN. William Bierbauer and his brother, Jacob, had fled Germany’s 1848 revolutions and later became part of Mankato’s founding...
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TBT - Jeff and Mutt
While it may seem impossible for a little dog and a big cat to be best friends, that is exactly what happened in the early 1930s at the Sibley Park Zoo. Mutt the lion and Jeff the dog were inseparable...
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