|
Take Hwy. 61 NW to Reads Landing, MN |
Wabasha, Minnesota |
Take Hwy. 61 SE to Midland Junction, MN |
|
Wabasha,
one of Minnesota's oldest community and the county seat of Wabasha County, was established in the
1830's and was christened "Wabashaw" in 1843. It is named after a linage of Dakota chiefs named
Wah-pah-sha who were
powerful leaders in the southeastern Minnesota region. Wabasha lays claim
to being Minnesota's oldest community. Its commercial district is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places, and many of its buildings
have been newly renovated.
American Indians settled this area for a hundreds of years prior to European explorers and settlers came to this area. In 1680 Father Louis Hennepin was the first white man to see this area. Some reports also say that as early as 1683 Nicholas Perrot built a fur post here, where the St. Elizabeth Hospital now stands. The first confirmed residence, was sometime between 1826 and 1830 when Augustine Rocque, a nephew of Chief Wapasha, built a fur post here. It was believed to be the only non Indian settlement between Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities. Early settlement was a result of the river fur trade. In 1838 this settlement near the Mississippi River was named Cratte's Landing after an English blacksmith who worked out a small shed along the river. In 1843, Cratte's Landing was changed to Wabasha. The town was platted in 1854 and incorporated as a city in 1858, the same year Minnesota became a state. In the 1880's the community was center of lumbering, milling and boat building. The city was accessible by rail, water and land and offered a full range of goods for trade. When steamboat traffic increased, more trading posts were established and farmers brought wheat to town from the prairie. Wabasha soon became a major wheat market on the Mississippi. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Iowa | Missouri | Arkansas | Louisiana | |
| Wisconsin |
Illinois |
Tennessee |
Mississippi |
|
| About Us | Email Us | Advertise Here | Our Other Services | RiverRoads Rambler |