West Main St. in Pipestone
Courtesy of Lorraine Draper |
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The National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places,
the Pipestone Heritage Preservation Commission, Pipestone County Museum,
Jasper Area Historical Society, Pipestone National Monument, the Minnesota
State Historic Preservation Office, the National Conference of State
Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO), and the National Alliance
of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) extend their invitation to you
to explore Pipestone, Minnesota, featuring historic places
in Pipestone County. This area, located in the south west corner of
Minnesota, reflects a rich history of American Indian quarrying, prosperity
brought by the railroad and mining enterprises, and a distinctive
natural landscape. This latest National Register of Historic Places
Travel itinerary highlights 30 historic places that illustrate the
history of this extraordinary region, including architecturally stunning
buildings constructed with beautiful local red stone, exemplary civic
buildings, and land still sacred to American Indians. The importance
of the city of Pipestone was recently recognized by the Preservation
Alliance of Minnesota in May 2001 when it was designated as one of
the ten most endangered historic properties in the state.
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American Indian pipemaker
at the Pipestone National Monument
NPS Department of Tourism |
The city and county of Pipestone are named after the soft red stone
called catlinite or pipestone, which was essential to the area's development.
American Indians quarried in the beds of red-colored claystone and
shale in the general vicinity of what is today the Pipestone
National Monument, since 1200 A.D. The claystone, soft and easily
carved, was used to make the ceremonial pipes which were an integral
part of American Indian religious and civic ceremonies. The French
were the first Europeans to explore Minnesota and record descriptions
of the red stone found in pipes and other items the American Indians
traded. The region passed from French to American control in 1803
with the sale of the Louisiana Territory, and Lewis and Clark noted
the pipestone quarry in their journals detailing their exploration
of the American west. Fur trader Philander Prescott wrote another
account of the area in 1831. Five years later, artist and writer George
Catlin traveled through the region. He sketched the landscape surrounding
the quarries, recorded local Sioux legends, and collected stone samples.
Catlin's sketches and accounts interested many others in the site.
The famous American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was inspired
to write of the region in his well known poem, "The Song of Hiawatha"
(completed in 1855). The city of Pipestone, Minnesota, county seat
of Pipestone County, was first established in 1873 by Charles Bennet
and David Sweet.
Historic view of Pipestone's Main
St., c.1904
Courtesy of Pipestone County Historical Society |
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This travel itinerary features all historic sites in Pipestone County
listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Pipestone
National Monument, created by an act of Congress in 1937, preserves
the mile-long quarry line for continued use by members of all American
Indian tribes and nations in its natural prairie setting. Numerous
buildings constructed with local Sioux quartzite contribute to the
rich architectural heritage of the Pipestone Commercial
Historic District. Pipestone City Hall,
one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings in the district,
is today the Pipestone County Museum. Sandstone relief sculptures,
often called gargoyles, enliven the Moore Block,
constructed in 1896. The Syndicate Block occupies
a very prominent corner within the Pipestone Commercial Historic District
and is the largest and oldest building constructed of Sioux quartzite
within the district. Once housing the post office and a meat market
(1910-1964), the Syndicate Block is an outstanding example of Pipestone's
beautifully crafted buildings. The Calumet Hotel,
a three-story Sioux quartzite building constructed in 1888, provided
space for both the hotel and the First National Bank. Its light pink
quartzite exterior, mined in the quarries near Jasper, Minnesota,
contrasts with the darker red stone that dominates the architecture
of Pipestone. The Ihlen Mercantile Company,
constructed in 1885 by John Olson, was the first business establishment
in Ihlen. In the community of Jasper, just 12 miles southwest of Pipestone,
the streetscape is characterized by the prominent use of Jasper Sioux
quartzite. The John Rowe House, a simple bungalow
like those found across the country, is unusual because it is sheathed
in locally quarried stone. The nearby Jasper Stone
Company and Quarry, still in operation, provides stone that is
greatly sought after still because of its hardness, elegance and permanent
color.
Pipestone, Minnesota, offers numerous ways to discover
the historic places that played important roles in Pipestone's past.
Each property features a brief description of the place's significance,
color, and where available, historic photographs, and public accessibility
information. At the bottom of each page the visitor will find a
navigation bar containing links to three essays that explain more
about Pipestone County History, Downtown
Revitalization, and Pipestone: The Rock.
These essays provide historic background, or "contexts," for many
of the places included in the itinerary. The itinerary can be viewed
online, or printed out if you plan to visit Pipestone, Minnesota,
in person.
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Historic image of block in the
smaller town of Jasper, early 1900s
Courtesy of Pipestone County Museum |
Created through a partnership between the National Park Service's
National Register of Historic Places, the Pipestone Heritage Preservation
Commission, Pipestone County Museum, Jasper Area Historical Society,
Pipestone National Monument, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation
Office, NCSHPO, and NAPC, Pipestone, Minnesota is an example
of a new and exciting cooperative project. As part of the Department
of the Interior's strategy to revitalize communities by promoting
public awareness of history and encouraging tourists to visit historic
places throughout the nation, the National Register of Historic Places
is cooperating with communities, regions and Heritage Areas throughout
the United States to create online travel itineraries. Using places
listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the itineraries
help potential visitors plan their next trip by highlighting the amazing
diversity of the country's historic places and supplying accessibility
information for each featured site. In the Learn
More section, the itineraries link to regional and local web sites
that provide visitors with further information regarding cultural
events, special activities, lodging and dining possibilities as well
as histories of the region, should they want to explore further.
Pipestone, Minnesota is the ninth of more than 30 organizations
working directly with the National Register of Historic Places to
create travel itineraries. Additional itineraries will debut online
in the future. The National Register of Historic Places, the Pipestone
Heritage Preservation Commission, Pipestone County Museum, Jasper
Area Historical Society and Pipestone National Monument hope you
enjoy this virtual travel itinerary of Pipestone's historic places.
If you have comments or questions please just click on the provided
e-mail address, "comments or questions" located at the bottom of
each page.
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