Sherburne History Center Blog

An absolutely fascinating collection at the Sherburne History Center includes the many maps of the communities and the county.  This image is a portion of an Elk River map, probably dating around 1895.  The map contains the original street names of Jackson and Highway 10, originally Princeton and State Street.  Looking closely at the map, the two original hotels, located on the corner of Princeton and State Street, and near the corner of Main Street and Quincy, show themselves. Exploring the growth and development of Elk River is an interesting process.  Using the maps from the collection enhances the research.

1849 map of Territory of Minnesota Maps provide wonderful information and great appreciation for the early history of Minnesota.  An early map of the Minnesota Territory, dated 1849, holds significant information about the settlement of Minnesota and the creation of Sherburne County.  One of the original counties of the Minnesota Territory, Benton County, along with the two other counties, Washington and Ramsey, covered large areas of land.  In 1856 the Minnesota Territorial legislature created Sherburne County out of a small, southernmost section of Benton County. Sherburne County, we all know, was named after Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Moses Sherburne.  Senator Thomas Hart Benton, of Missouri, served as the namesake for Benton County.  The other original counties also held political significance in their names.  Washington County, obviously named in honor of President George Washington.  Ramsey County honored the first Territo...