History Stories

In 1856, two years before Minnesota became a state, the Ottawa (United) Methodist Episcopal Church congregation was organized and built the Little Stone Church in 1859

The Blue Earth County Historical Society has been the curator of the Mankato area's history for almost 120 years. Learn the history of the history keeper!

Mankato residents share memories from nearly 60 years ago, when author Maud Hart Lovelace returned to her hometown of Mankato.

After moving away from her hometown 51 years prior, beloved author Maud Hart Lovelace returned to Mankato for a special "Betsy Tacy Days" event in 1961.

Mankato's Calvary Cemetery has a history that extends back 130 years and the space to continue serving Mankato for at least another 150 more.

Local historian Julie Schrader digs into how some of Mankato's streets received their names.

The Kato Ballroom has seen a lot of music since its founding in 1942. Flexibility and adaptation have been the keys to being one of the few surviving ballrooms in Minnesota

John Eaton Tourtellotte served admirably in the Civil War and was on of Mankato's first benefactors

From 1946 to 1976 Madsen's Foods was a fixture in Mankato. From 1975 to 2001 the store continued as Randall Foods until the room collapsed and it was razed to make way for Cub West.

Dr. Helen Hielscher was a trailblazer. She was one of Minnesota’s first female surgeons, the first female doctor in Mankato and the founder of the American Legion Auxiliary