Lac Qui Parle County Courthouse, Madison, MN
Posted by: 
NevaP
N 45° 00.884 W 096° 11.592
14T E 721162 N 4988420
After an exciting battle for the right to be county seat this beautiful red brick courthouse was constructed in 1899.
Waymark Code: WM3WJ6
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 05/26/2008
Views: 37
The histories of counties present numerous tales of controversies and the sometimes desperate actions taken to establish the official county seat. Lac Qui Parle county's story is one of the best.
The county, with a French name that translates "Lake That Speaks", was organized in 1871 with a frame building in the village of Lac Qui Parle serving as courthouse, post office and hotel. In 1884 two other towns, Madison and Dawson, both located on a new railroad line, began to compete for the right to be county seat. Madison took unprecedented measures to settle the issue. In 1886 150 men and 40 wagon teams picked up the courthouse building and moved it 15 miles to Madison, placing it on the site now occupied by the current courthouse. Madison officially became county seat in 1889.
The splendid Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse. 134 feet wide with a tall central tower, was constructed at a cost of $30,689. The red brick is trimmed with white sandstone and the interior retains the original woodwork and flooring.
Street address:
600 Sixth street
Madison, MN USA
56256
County / Borough / Parish: Lac Qui Parle
Year listed: 1985
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering , Politics/Government
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Government/Courthouse
Current function: Government/Courthouse
Privately owned?: no
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2008 To: 12/31/2008
Hours of operation: From: 8:30 AM To: 4:30 AM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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