Mankato Historic Context Study
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City of Mankato Historic Context Study Prepared for the Mankato Heritage Preservation Commission Mankato, Minnesota Prepared by Thomas R. Zahn & Associates LLC Winter 2009-10 I Historic photographs included in this report are from the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Blue Earth Historical Society. This project has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, through the Minnesota Historical Society under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act as amended. However, the contents and opinion do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendations by the Department of the Interior. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the U.S. Department of Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write: Office of Equal Opportunity U.S. Department of the Interior Washington D.C. 20240 II City of Mankato Historic Context Study Prepared for The Mankato Heritage Preservation Commission Judy Arzdorf Tony Filipovitch Steve Meyer Bryan Paulsen Jessica Potter David Schrader H. Roger Smith The Mankato City Council John Brady, Mayor Michael Laven Tamra Rovney Vance Stuehrenberg Charlie Hurd Mark Frost Jack Considine The City of Mankato Patrick Hentges, City Manager Paul Vogel, Director of Community Development Prepared by Thomas R. Zahn & Associates LLC Thomas Zahn, Principal Bethany Gladhill, Project Associate Winter 2009-10 III City of Mankato Historic Context Study Table of Contents Mankato Historic Context Study Maps Mankato Area Map ..................................................................................................iii Mankato’s Historic Downtown & Neighborhoods Map ................................... iv City of Mankato Historic Context Study Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Importance of Historic Contexts ..............................................................................1 Objective and Methodology .....................................................................................2 Current National Register Sites ...............................................................................4 Related State Contexts ...............................................................................................5 Brief History of Mankato ............................................................................................................6 Context 1 —Pre-Settlement, Native American, Early Archeological, Early Settlement Location and Viewsheds ...........................................................................................7 Native American Settlement and Sites ...................................................................7 Early Anglo-European Settlement ...........................................................................9 The City of Mankato is Established .........................................................................9 Related State Contexts .............................................................................................10 Property Types .........................................................................................................10 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................11 Context 2—Transportation – River, Road and Rail River ...........................................................................................................................12 Road ...........................................................................................................................13 Rail .............................................................................................................................14 Property Types .........................................................................................................15 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................17 Context 3—Commerce, Industry and Civic Services Auspicious Beginnings............................................................................................18 Early Expansion .......................................................................................................18 Mankato’s Downtown .............................................................................................19 Commerce .................................................................................................................20 Services ......................................................................................................................20 Newspaper ................................................................................................................21 Agriculture ................................................................................................................22 Industry .....................................................................................................................23 Civil Services ............................................................................................................23 Civic Leaders ............................................................................................................25 Property Types .........................................................................................................25 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................28 Context 4—Social, Cultural and Recreational Life Social Mankato .........................................................................................................29 A City of Churches ...................................................................................................29 Social Organizations and Clubs .............................................................................31 i Gathering Spaces and Festivals .............................................................................32 Parks and Public Land ............................................................................................32 Tourism ......................................................................................................................34 Property Types .........................................................................................................34 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................35 Context 5—Mankato’s Urban Development Becoming a City .......................................................................................................36 Urban Renewal .........................................................................................................37 Preservation of the Recent Past—A Controversial Topic ...................................38 Property Types .........................................................................................................39 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................40 Context 6—Education Mankato’s University ..............................................................................................41 Additional Higher Education in Mankato ...........................................................42 Elementary and Secondary Schools ......................................................................43 Property Types .........................................................................................................44 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................45 Context 7—Relationship to the Rivers Floods ........................................................................................................................46 Bridges .......................................................................................................................47 Property Types .........................................................................................................48 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................48 Context 8—Residential Tale of Two Houses ..................................................................................................49 Mankato’s Neighborhoods .....................................................................................50 Residential Architectural Styles .............................................................................51 National Register Properties ..................................................................................60 Property Types .........................................................................................................60 Recommendations and Future Actions ................................................................61 Context 9—Literary Mankato Laura Ingalls Wilder ................................................................................................63 Sinclair Lewis............................................................................................................63