The Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon is a 26.2 mile foot race from Holdingford, Minnesota , to St. Joseph, Minnesota , on a paved trail called the Lake Wobegon Trail . The course is USATF -certified, making it a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon . The race is sponsored and organized by the St. Cloud River Runners, a running group active since 1983 with about 150 members.
83-661: The flat, straight course is run on a blacktop trail converted from freight rail lines. After starting at the high school in Holdingford , the route quickly links to the Lake Wobegon Trail and goes southwest to the small town of Albany . On the outskirts of the town, the trail turns directly east and passes over the South Branch of Two Rivers , past two smaller lakes and a state-designated science and nature area. The path continues through farm land and then over
166-632: A "Committee of Vigilance" that broke into Swisshelm's newspaper office and removed her press, throwing it into the Mississippi River . Lowry started a rival paper, The Union . The U.S. Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott ruled that slaves could not file freedom suits and found the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, so the territory's prohibition against slavery became unenforceable. Nearly all Southerners left
249-458: A booze runner who has had many conflicts with the law. At the time of his death, a Federal charge of illegal possession of liquor was hanging over his head, the trial being scheduled for later in the year. It is alleged that he peddled liquor at dance halls over a wide area and other rumors credit him with having hijacked many liquor runners in this section of the State." Following the 1941 entry of
332-503: A city park and Lake George. In 2019, it moved to a new 69-acre, $ 104 million facility on the southwest edge of the city. The historic 1917 building has been acquired for use by city government. Apollo opened in 1970 and serves the expanding north side of the city. Other high schools and secondary schools that serve St. Cloud include St. Robert Bellarmine's Academy, St. Cloud Christian School, Immaculate Conception Academy, St. John's Preparatory School , St. Cloud Alternative Learning Center, and
415-717: A family with roots in the parish removed the bell from St. Mary's church in Holdingford and gave it as a donation to Holy Myrrh Bearers Orthodox Church in St. Cloud. The only priest who lies buried in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church cemetery in Holdingford is Fr. H. William Wilkens. According to his 1914 obituaries in local newspapers, Fr. Wilkens was a member of the Belgian nobility from Namur , and former seminary professor in Galveston, Texas . After concerns about his health forced
498-663: A finalist at the LivCom awards four times since 2007. The St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes an area events calendar, dining and lodging information. The city-owned St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center hosts a variety of events including regional conferences, consumer/trade shows, small group meetings and social events. The city is home to: The city maintains 95 parks, totaling more than 1,400 acres (5.7 km ) and ranging in size from 80 acres (0.32 km ) "neighborhood and mini parks" to 243 acres (0.98 km ). The largest developed park, Whitney Memorial Park,
581-537: A household in the city was $ 34,000, and the median income for a family was $ 42,788. Males had a median income of $ 31,053 versus $ 21,141 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,410. About 6.2% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. Holdingford Public Schools are part of the Holdingford Public School District. Schools in
664-603: A loaded shotgun. As he and Buchan fled back to their escape vehicle, Tuffy Olson received two fatal shotgun blasts in the back. Following an investigation by the Stearns and Todd County Sheriff's Departments, Tuffy's two surviving enforcers and the Dzierweczynski brothers were both arrested pending criminal charges. According to the Long Prairie Leader , "Tuffy Olson has for years had a reputation of being
747-411: A new K-8 school in St. Joseph, and two major public high schools, St. Cloud Technical High School and St. Cloud Apollo High School . St. Cloud also has a major private high school, Cathedral High School . Both public high schools offer a broad selection of Advanced Placement courses and rank high in the state in the number of AP tests taken and of test takers. St. Cloud Tech opened in 1917 across from
830-581: A stable presence. The Hispanic or Latino population nearly tripled in size. As of the census of 2010, there were 65,842 people, 25,439 households, and 13,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.4 inhabitants per square mile (634.9/km ). There were 27,338 housing units at an average density of 682.8 per square mile (263.6/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 84.6% White , 7.8% African American , 0.7% Native American , 3.7% Asian , 0.8% from other races , and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of
913-548: A streak of participating in the race every year (as of 2018). On April 2, 2020, more than a month before the May 9 race date, the race officials canceled the 12th running of the marathon due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In a press release, the marathon organizers said they would "join numerous other events in an attempt to protect runners, volunteers and emergency medical personnel by putting [participants'] health and safety first." As
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#1732801158881996-516: A transfer to the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud , Fr. Wilkens served at a series of local parishes. He also became very well known locally in the decades before his death as a highly intelligent German-language essayist on religious and philosophical topics and a regular contributor to Der Nordstern . Similarly to other Stearns County German- and Polish-American communities, the Holdingford area opposed American entry into
1079-545: Is a city in Stearns County , Minnesota , United States. The population was 708 at the 2010 census . It claims to be "The Gateway to Lake Wobegon ", the fictional central Minnesota town created by author Garrison Keillor . Holdingford is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area . Writing in 1997, Jewish-American historian of America's religious architecture Marilyn J. Chiat described early settlement in
1162-438: Is considerably lower than other populations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2020 the annual mean wage for 99,600 employees across all occupations in St. Cloud was $ 50,800. The median hourly wage was $ 24.42. According to St. Cloud's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: In 2019 the city of Saint Cloud, Minnesota was awarded three first places awards from
1245-617: Is in North Dakota and Superior, Wisconsin, contributes significant population to the Duluth area. St. Cloud is 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–St. Paul along Interstate 94 , U.S. Highway 52 (conjoined with I-94), U.S. Highway 10 , Minnesota State Highway 15 , and Minnesota State Highway 23 . The St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is made up of Stearns and Benton Counties. The city
1328-535: Is the former location of the city airport. It features a recreation center for senior citizens, a dog park, and numerous softball, baseball, and soccer fields. Since 2005, St. Cloud's mayor has been Dave Kleis . He was reelected to a fifth term in 2020. St. Cloud has been moved by Congressional redistricting to a wide variety of Minnesota regions, including northern, south central, northwest and southwest. In Congressional district maps in effect since 2003, it has been grouped with rural areas and suburbs north and west of
1411-595: Is water. The city developed on both sides of the Mississippi River . Part of the Sauk River runs along its northern edge. Just south of downtown is the 7-acre, 35-feet-deep Lake George. In 2021, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) credited decade-long city investments in stormwater filtration with reducing Lake George's phosphorus levels well below the state standard. It called Lake George one of three "success stories" in
1494-475: Is −43 °F (−42 °C). Over the past two decades, the racial and ethnic landscape of St. Cloud has experienced significant changes. In the year 2000, the population was predominantly White. However, by 2020, this percentage had dropped to 67%. The Black or African American demographic saw a substantial increase from 2% in 2000 to nearly 20% in 2020, marking the most significant growth among all groups. Other racial groups such as Asian Americans have maintained
1577-482: The First World War , but produced many local recruits and draftees once America declared war on Imperial Germany in May 1917. In November 1917, the largely German-American parish of St. Mary's heard a "very impressive sermon" on American patriotism by Fr. Scheuer followed by the presentation of the parish's service flag, which bore 15-stars in honor of each of the young men from the parish who were serving in
1660-621: The Grand Army of the Republic , and raised money for the building of a statue in memory of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln that still stands near the St. Germain Street bridge. Beginning in 1864, Stephen Miller served a two-year term as Minnesota governor, the only citizen of St. Cloud ever to hold the office. Miller was a " Pennsylvania German businessman", lawyer, writer, active abolitionist, and personal friend of Alexander Ramsey . He
1743-549: The Rome based International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), one of several most livable cities awards. The city won the first-place whole city award for its size and first place for cities of all sizes for enhancement of landscapes and public spaces, arts, culture, and heritage management and Community participation and empowerment. LivCom praised the city for its focus on improving parkland and trails, as well as its enhancements and maintenance of 96 parks. St. Cloud has been
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#17328011588811826-770: The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed with the Dakota people in 1851. John L. Wilson, a Yankee homesteader from Columbia, Maine , with French Huguenot ancestry and an interest in Napoleon , named the settlement St. Cloud after Saint-Cloud , the Paris suburb where Napoleon had his favorite palace. St. Cloud was a waystation on the Middle and Woods branches of the Red River Trails used by Métis traders between
1909-494: The U.S. military against their ancestral homeland during World War I . On 26 January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson wrote a letter to Bishop Joseph Francis Busch thanking him for his support of the war effort. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 41.08 square miles (106.40 km ); 40.04 square miles (103.70 km ) is land and 1.04 square miles (2.69 km )
1992-688: The United States military . America's Independence Day 1918 was understandingly the largest ever seen in Holdingford, beginning with a Requiem Mass at St. Hedwig's Church for the fallen soldiers of all the Allied Armies, followed by a dinner served at noon by the women of the parish. Five Holdingford-area Doughboys lost their lives while serving in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), Private Nicholas Heinz, who died on 13 September 1918 from wounds received in
2075-671: The 2 September capture of a German machine gun nest near Vilcey-sur-Trey , for which he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross ; Ernest Roehrs, who died of the influenza on Sept. 29, 1918 at Camp Funston , Kansas; Gregor Hartung, who was killed in action on France in October 1918; John Elkanic who was killed in action on 22 October 1918 and buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial ; and Private Francis Feia who
2158-752: The 2021 race approached, Minnesotans reached nearly 50 percent vaccination rate for adults. The race directors decided to run the race with a staggered start and a 250-participant cap, per the Minnesota Department of Health recommendations. It would be the first road marathon back in the state since the Mankato Marathon on Oct. 12, 2019. The week of the Lake Wobegon race, Governor Tim Walz issued new guidelines that stated wearing masks wasn't necessary while with groups of less than 500 people outdoors. The guidelines also dropped limits on
2241-706: The Canada–U.S. border at Pembina , North Dakota, and St. Paul . The cart trains often consisted of hundreds of oxcarts . The Métis, bringing furs to trade for supplies to take back to their rural settlements, camped west of the city and crossed the Mississippi in St. Cloud or just to the north in Sauk Rapids. The City of St. Cloud was incorporated in 1856. It developed from three distinct settlements, known as Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower Town, that European-American settlers established starting in 1853. Remnants of
2324-809: The Head of the Japanese Orthodox Church , also served at St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church in Holdingford as a Reader and schoolteacher. The parish altar lamp was a personal gift from Tsar Nicholas II . During the 1920s and '30s, the Russian Orthodox priests from Holdingford sometimes made missionary visits to the Rusyn Americans living in a similar farming settlement in Browerville, Minnesota . They made some converts, but otherwise had little success. The Divine Liturgy
2407-610: The Pan Motor Company in St. Cloud. He claimed his Pan-Cars would make St. Cloud the new Detroit , but the company failed at a time when resources were directed toward the World War I effort. He was later convicted and imprisoned for attempting to defraud investors. According to documents at the Stearns History Museum, more than 2,000 residents from the heavily German-American St. Cloud area served in
2490-759: The Pitzl Brewery in New Munich and Holdingford. The other suspects were Stanley Dobis of St. Anna , as well as Albin Bohmer and Joseph Sigmeth of Avon, Minnesota . All were held in Minneapolis pending trial on Federal charges of violating the Volstead Act . According to local historian Fr. Vincent A Yzermans, during the Prohibition era , "a popular little ditty was being sung and hummed along
2573-608: The St. Cloud area when the Civil War broke out, taking their slaves with them. The total number of slaves in the community was estimated in single digits at the 1860 census. Lowry died in the city in 1865. Many young men from St. Cloud and the surrounding area served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After it ended, many local Civil War veterans remained heavily involved in St. Cloud's chapter of
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2656-477: The Twin Cities. The district had only minor changes in a 2022 map drawn by a five-judge panel based on the 2020 census. As of the 2020 census, the city of St. Cloud is the second largest in Minnesota's 6th congressional district , represented by Republican Tom Emmer . The St. Cloud, Minnesota metropolitan area that includes adjacent communities has about a quarter of the 6th district population, though some of
2739-726: The United States into the Second World War , young men from every ethnic background living in Holding Township became voluntary recruits to the United States military . In April 1944, Holdingford native Private Walter Krystosek was killed in action at the Anzio landing . On New Years Day 1945, Clarence Scepaniak, was a paratrooper serving in the European Theater with the 17th Airborne Division when he
2822-571: The age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00. The racial makeup of the city was 91.7% White , 2.4% African American , 0.7% Native American , 3.1% Asian , 0.7% other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of
2905-425: The age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in
2988-941: The area lies outside the district. The city makes up the majority of population of Minnesota State Senate District 14, which straddles the Mississippi River and includes parts of three counties, represented by Aric Putnam . Minnesota House District 14A includes generally western parts of the city as well as Waite Park , St. Augusta and adjacent rural areas, represented by Bernie Perryman . District 14B includes east central and northeast St. Cloud, neighboring Sauk Rapids and parts of rural Benton and Sherburne Counties, represented by Dan Wolgamott . In 2016, St. Cloud converted from 5% to 80% renewable energy by using solar gardens, street light improvements, bio-gas, and other energy efficiency initiatives. St. Cloud's wastewater plant converts sugar-laden liquids from local food and beer manufacturers into fuel and fertilizer. Since 2020,
3071-413: The book Mabou Pioneers , one elderly Holdingford settler recalled, "As I look back, I can remember they were a jolly group of people, and when all their children were born, they made quite a gathering when they were all together at parties in their different homes, with singing of Scottish songs , violin music , and of course, dancing Scottish reels ." The Highland Scottish dancing at local ceilidhs
3154-406: The charter school STRIDE Academy, which is K-8. The nearby cities of Sauk Rapids and Sartell also have their own school districts and high schools, bringing the number of public high schools in the metropolitan area to four. St. Cloud is home to several higher education institutions, including Minnesota's third-largest university, St. Cloud State University . St. Cloud State's fall 2020 enrollment
3237-449: The city has produced more energy than it consumes. Past mayors of St. Cloud include: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris won St. Cloud's votes in the 2020 presidential election by a margin of 9%, higher than the state margin of 7.12%. In 2016 , Donald Trump won St. Cloud by 1.75% over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Primary home languages of St. Cloud Public School students Almost all of St. Cloud, including
3320-562: The city was 37.3 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 736 people, 286 households, and 197 families living in the city. The population density was 1,182.1 inhabitants per square mile (456.4/km ). There were 297 housing units at an average density of 477.0 per square mile (184.2/km ). The racial makeup of
3403-464: The city was 99.18% White , 0.54% Asian , and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population. There were 286 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who
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3486-486: The city, and Foley , Rice , Kimball , Clearwater , Clear Lake , and Cold Spring nearby. The St. Cloud metropolitan area had a population of 199,671 at the 2020 census. It has been listed as the fifth-largest metro with a presence in Minnesota, behind Minneapolis–St. Paul , Duluth–Superior , Fargo-Moorhead , and Rochester . But the entire St. Cloud area is within Minnesota, while most of Fargo-Moorhead's population
3569-513: The city. St. Cloud lies in the warm summer humid continental climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Dfb ), with warm summers and cold winters with moderate to heavy snowfall. The monthly normal daily mean temperature ranges from 11.6 °F (−11.3 °C) in January to 70.3 °F (21.3 °C) in July. The record high temperature is 107 °F (42 °C). The record low temperature
3652-422: The city. The population density was 832.9 inhabitants per square mile (321.6/km ). There were 330 housing units at an average density of 388.2 per square mile (149.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% White , 0.1% Asian , 0.4% Pacific Islander , and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population. There were 306 households, of which 29.7% had children under
3735-597: The deep ravines that separated the three are still visible today. Middle Town was settled primarily by German Catholic immigrants and migrants from eastern states, who were recruited to the region by Father Francis Xavier Pierz , a Catholic priest who also ministered as a missionary to Native Americans. Lower Town was founded by settlers from the Northern Tier of New England and the mid-Atlantic states , including former residents of upstate New York. Its Protestant settlers opposed slavery. Upper Town, or Arcadia,
3818-465: The district include Holdingford Elementary School and Holdingford High School. Holdingford Elementary serves Preschool to 6th grade, and Holdingford High School serves Grades 7–12. The Holdingford Huskers are expanding in the sports area. They have baseball/softball, volleyball, football, basketball, tennis, swimming, track, wrestling, and cheerleading. Stearns County Road 9 (4th Street), Stearns County Road 17 (River Street), and Main Street are three of
3901-569: The downtown area and the Beaver Islands, which form a maze for a two-mile stretch of the Mississippi. The approximately 30 undeveloped islands are a popular destination for kayak and canoe enthusiasts during safe river levels and flow. and are part of a state-designated 12-mile stretch of wild and scenic river. St. Cloud owns and operates a hydroelectric dam on the Mississippi, the state's largest city-owned hydro facility, that can produce almost nine megawatts of electricity, about 10% of
3984-478: The earliest settlers and founders of St. Mary's Church were Irish-Americans and Canadian Gaelic -speaking immigrants from Sight Point, Cape Mabou , Cape Breton , Nova Scotia . For this reason, Holdingford was originally called, "The Scotch Settlement." The early Scottish-Canadian pioneers of Holdingford included descendants of Clan Stewart , Clan MacArthur , Clan Campbell , Clan Kennedy , and Clan MacPherson . In an interview with Rev. Alex D. MacDonald for
4067-509: The farmers prospered, the small frame churches were replaced by more substantial buildings of brick or stone... Stearns County retains in its German character and is still home to one of the largest rural Catholic populations in Anglo-America." Holdingford was platted in the 1870s by Randolph Holding on a site near a ford. A post office has been in operation at Holdingford since 1872. According to local historian Fr. Vincent Yzermans,
4150-489: The farmhouse of Holdingford bootleggers Joseph and Anthony Dzierweczynski to buy 85 gallons of Minnesota 13 , Tuffy Olson first announced that the Dzierweczynskis would now be paid in cash. Then, however, Tuffy Olson and his enforcer Harley Buchan drew their sidearms and announced that they intended to take to 85 gallons of moonshine for free. Joseph Dzierweczynski, however, managed to flee the room and returned with
4233-490: The highways and byways of Holding Township": In June 1933, Clarence Olson, alias Tuffy, a bootlegger and gangster based in Eagle Bend, Minnesota who, according to The Long Prairie Leader , "has long had a reputation as a liquor runner and hijacker and who has been claimed by many to be the toughest man between Minneapolis and Duluth ", met his destiny in a Holdingford area gunfight. After arriving with two associates at
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#17328011588814316-579: The influence of visiting theology student John Sabol in 1886, founded the Slovak Congregational Church, locally called "the Country Church", which still stands across a country road from the former site of St. Mary's Orthodox Church. In 1902, Bishop Tikhon , the future Patriarch of Moscow , travelled from Minneapolis to bless the first completed Orthodox Church. While still a seminarian, Vasily Basalyga, who later became
4399-561: The main routes in the community. Holdingford is home to the longest covered bridge in Minnesota. The bridge is located along the Lake Wobegon Trail extension that runs from Albany past Holdingford. It is 186 feet (57 m) long and was built in 2008 by the Holdingford Lions club. Each May since 2008, runners in the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon start in Holdingford before running 26.2 miles south on
4482-420: The marathon was set in 2015 by Chad Lutz, who ran it in 2:33:59. The race was first run in 2008, when 80 people from 12 states and Canada registered. The first race was sponsored by the St. Cloud -based law firm Rinke-Noonan. More recently, the race has seen a steady registration in the 400 runner range. The race is capped at 450 runners, according to 2018 race director George Bienusa. A tragedy took place during
4565-525: The mutual distrust, attended different Catholic parishes and only rarely intermarried. The Holdingford area remains, however, a center of traditional German and Polish folk music and of the speaking in local homes of both Silesian Polish and "Stearns County German". During the 1880s and '90s, a small farming colony of Slovaks and Rusyns migrated from the Austro-Hungarian Empire via Pennsylvania , and then settled on homesteads to
4648-689: The northeast of Holdingford. The immigrants were mainly Roman Catholics , or Byzantine Catholics from the Slovak Greek Catholic Church or the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church , but enough converted to the Russian Orthodox Church that, with the assistance of Fr. John Maliarevsky from St. Mary's Cathedral in Minneapolis , they were able to build St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church around 1897. Local converts to Protestantism under
4731-423: The number of people allowed in outdoor gatherings. The race, which was labeled a Road Runners Club state championship, saw faster than average times, with the top three marking the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-all-time fastest runs on the course since its inception in 2008. Key: Course record All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise Holdingford, Minnesota Holdingford
4814-462: The population. St. Cloud has been a significant destination for immigrants throughout its history, beginning with German settlers in the late 19th century. This was followed by waves of Polish, Irish, and other European immigrants in the early 20th century. In the late 20th and early 21st century, the nature of immigration to St. Cloud has undergone a dramatic shift. New residents of the city have predominantly been from Africa , and particularly, from
4897-442: The population. There were 25,439 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
4980-551: The portions in Stearns and Sherburne Counties, and much the portion in Benton County, is in the St. Cloud Public School District . Part of the Benton County portion is in the Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools district. The St. Cloud Area School District serves St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Clearwater, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Haven Township, and parts of Sauk Rapids. It has eight elementary schools,
5063-437: The race in 2011, when a 35-year-old man from Byron, Minnesota , collapsed after finishing and suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical personnel attended to him, but he passed away. In May 2016, the 216-foot wooden-planked bridge at Schwinghammer Lake was set aflame by an arsonist, but a quick response by a bicyclist and fire fighters kept the bridge structurally sound, and the marathon did not have to be rerouted. Seven runners have
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#17328011588815146-471: The region, "Father Francis X. Pierz , a missionary to Indians in central Minnesota, published a series of articles in 1851 in German Catholic newspapers advocating Catholic settlement in central Minnesota. Large numbers of immigrants, mainly German , but also Slovenian and Polish , responded. Over 20 parishes where formed in what is now Stearns County, each centered on a church-oriented hamlet. As
5229-563: The small gap of land between Middle Spunk Lake and Lower Spunk Lake on the east side of Avon . The course passes two more lakes before finishing in St. Joseph . The Lake Wobegon Trail is maintained by the Stearns County Parks, local trail groups, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the seven cities through which it passes. The trail is named after a fictional region in Minnesota that appears in author and radio personality Garrison Keillor 's stories. He has called
5312-618: The state, and planned to remove it from a list of impaired waters. Granite bedrock quarried in the area has been estimated to be 1.7 billion years old and was exposed after several miles of rock above it eroded. The city lies on a band of modern Mississippi river sediment surrounded by land scoured several times by Wisconsin Age glaciers beginning about 35,000 years ago, ending with the Lake Superior St. Croix lobe. The later Des Moines lobe created glacial moraines and drift south and east of
5395-595: The surrounding communities of Bowlus , Upsala , Browerville, and St. Cloud . During the late 1980s, however, the parish "metrical books" were transferred to the Cathedral in Minneapolis and the Church was closed. Writing in 1997, Marilyn J. Chiat , described the empty church as, "a small white Gothic Revival building crowned with a tin onion dome , a rare sight on the edge of a cornfield in Minnesota." In 2002,
5478-523: The total electricity generated by 11 Mississippi hydro dams in Minnesota. What is now the St. Cloud area was occupied by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Voyageurs and coureurs des bois from New France first encountered the Ojibwe and Dakota through the highly profitable North American fur trade with local Native American peoples. Minnesota Territory was organized in 1849. The St. Cloud area opened up to homesteading after
5561-416: The trail one of "ordinary beauty," a landscape of farms, woodland patches and small town-Americana. Two St. Cloud River Runners initially launched the event: Sartell teacher Joe Perske and St. Cloud lawyer Sharon Hobbs. They gained the support of local community members and mayors, and in the 2008 inaugural race, 80 runners finished. By 2010, the number of participants had grown to 200. The course record for
5644-425: The trail to St. Joseph . St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud or Saint Cloud ( / ˈ s eɪ n t k l aʊ d / ; French: [sɛ̃ klu] ) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region . The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census , making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stearns County and
5727-503: The war-torn country of Somalia . Unofficial estimates suggest that the number of Somalis in St. Cloud and the surrounding cities like Waite Park, St. Joseph, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids could be as high as 25,000, with approximately half of this population having moved to the city between 2009 and 2013. About 15% of the local school district being Somali and a large segment of Somalis currently enrolled in high schools, colleges, and universities. Home ownership among St. Cloud's Somali community
5810-451: Was 12,607, in a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic . St. Cloud's other post-secondary institutions and campuses include St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC) and Rasmussen College . Neighboring Sartell is home to a campus of the Duluth -based College of St. Scholastica , and the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University are in neighboring St. Joseph and nearby Collegeville, respectively. The main newspaper
5893-414: Was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 28.8 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 23.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female. As of the census of 2000, 27.3% of St. Cloud households had children under
5976-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. The median income for
6059-596: Was because organized crime figures from the Twin Cities , Chicago , and Kansas City , made frequent trips to the Holdingford area to purchase Minnesota 13 ; a very high quality moonshine distilled locally by Polish- and German-American farmers with the collusion of corrupt local politicians and law enforcement. In October 1923, four Stearns County residents, including mobbed up County Commissioner Val Herman, were arrested by Federal Prohibition Enforcement Agents following an extremely violent car chase between
6142-481: Was included in a newly defined Minneapolis–St. Paul–St. Cloud Combined Statistical Area (CSA) in 2000. St. Cloud as a whole has never been part of the 13-county MSA comprising Minneapolis , St. Paul , Bloomington and parts of western Wisconsin , though the Sherburne County portion is part of the 13-county MSA. St. Cloud State University , Minnesota's third-largest public university, is located between
6225-494: Was killed in action aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor , were posthumously identified through DNA testing by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and returned to his family for burial. Kerestes' whole 25-mile funeral route from Melrose to Holdingford was lined with local people who wished to pay their respects as his American flag -draped casket passed by. Kerestes'
6308-508: Was killed in action on the fall of 1918 and whose Polish-American parents only received definitive word of his death on 12 July 1919. A Tridentine Requiem Mass was offered for Pvt. Feia at St Hedwig's Church on 21 July 1919. Holdingford's American Legion Post #211 was later named in Private Feia's honor. During Prohibition , Holdingford earned the title of "moonshine capital of Minnesota". According to historian Elaine Davis, this
6391-502: Was named after the city of Saint-Cloud , France (in Île-de-France, near Paris), which was named after the 6th-century French monk Clodoald . Though mostly in Stearns County, St. Cloud also extends into Benton and Sherburne counties, and straddles the Mississippi River . It is the center of a contiguous urban area , with Waite Park , Sauk Rapids , Sartell , St. Joseph , Rockville , and St. Augusta directly bordering
6474-622: Was often "a source of scandal" to their Steans County German neighbors. Despite the later Germanisation and Polonisation of both parishes in Holdingford, Fr. Vincent Yzermans often heard the famous lines from the Canadian Boat Song quoted in later years by the descendants of the Holdingford Scottish-Americans who had stayed, As the Holdingford area is traditionally ethnically polarized between German- and Polish-Americans, who until assimilation lessened
6557-484: Was on the state's Republican electoral ticket with Lincoln in 1860. Steamboats regularly docked at St. Cloud as part of the fur trade and other commerce, although river levels were not reliable. This ended with the construction of the Coon Rapids Dam in 1912–14. Granite quarries have operated in the area since the 1880s, giving St. Cloud its nickname, "The Granite City." In 1917, Samuel Pandolfo started
6640-516: Was plotted by General Sylvanus Lowry , a slaveholder and trader from Kentucky who brought slaves with him, although Minnesota was organized as a free territory. He served on the territorial council from 1852 to 1853 and was elected president of the newly formed town council in 1856, serving for one year (the office of mayor did not yet exist). Jane Grey Swisshelm , an abolitionist newspaper editor who had migrated from Pittsburgh , repeatedly attacked Lowry in print. At one point Lowry organized
6723-856: Was still offered in the traditional Old Church Slavonic liturgical language and only in 1978 did the Orthodox Church in America , which supplied the Orthodox priests who still visited St. Mary's, switch to Elizabethan English instead. In August 1978, the 14th-century Wonder Working Icon of the Our Lady of Tikhvin was brought for veneration from Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago to St Mary's Russian Orthodox Church in Holdingford, by Archbishop John of Chicago and Minneapolis . As of 1985, however, Orthodox laity continued to attend services from
6806-402: Was taken prisoner by the enemy. After being held as a POW in conditions that traumatized him for the rest of his life at Stalag IV-B , Scepaniak was liberated and returned him to Holdingford. He remained silent about his experiences until finally giving an interview about them in 1985. In July 2017, the remains of United States Navy Fireman First Class Elmer Kerestes, a Holdingford native who
6889-445: Was then buried next to his parents in Holdingford with full military honors . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 0.85 square miles (2.20 km ), all land. Holdingford is located nine miles north of the city of Avon at Interstate 94 in central Minnesota. The city of Albany is also nearby. As of the census of 2010, there were 708 people, 306 households, and 190 families living in
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