Wadena, MN

We are traveling around Minnesota to note some interesting places.  Our first stop was Wadena, about 55 miles east of Fergus Falls.

Wadena is on the BNSF railroad line from Minneapolis that ends up in Seattle and other points in the northwestern part of the United States.  Trains pass through here at a high rate of speed and once passenger traffic was handled at this depot.  It is now a museum and is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for tours.

There are other forms of transportation as well as this patient horse waited for its Amish owner to finish business in town.  We saw several buggies while we were there.

As we walked around the downtown area, we came across this church from behind.  Sue estimated that it was an Episcopal Church and so it turned out to be.  The cornerstone on St. Helen's building indicated that it was built in 1898.

A typical mid western town built in the period from 1890 to 1915, Wadena has interesting old buildings on the main street.

Wadena has murals denoting Minnesota history.  These murals are placed on building walls facing alleys paralleling the main street.  Here we have a mighty hunter.

This mural honors the First Minnesota Volunteer Regiment that held high ground at Gettysburg during a Confederate charge.

Our sister-in-law Jean is half-Italian and half-Norwegian.  So this is to honor her ancestors who are said to have come to North America well ahead of the time that Columbus is credited for in 1492.  However, since Columbus was actually an Italian, she has honor on both sides.

The discovery of the Kensington Runestone has led believers to speculate that these travelers came through Hudson Bay thru present day Winnepeg, Canada and down the Red River of the north to an area around Alexandria, MN.

A translation of the words found on the Kensington Runestone.

More coming up!