Since 1973, all incorporated towns were declared officially to be ‘cities’ by an act of the Minnesota Legislature. Ever wonder about those ‘little cities’? This series of 100 waymarks will take you to all corners of the great state of Minnesota to visit the 100 smallest of the incorporated cities in the state. All have a great story to tell.
This is the 51st of 100 of the cities described in the book LITTLE MINNESOTA. The city of Leonidas is named for Leonidas Merritt & was established by the Oliver Mining Company in 1910 during the heyday of the expansion of the Mesabi Iron Range. Merritt, with two of his brothers, is credited with discovery and development of the Mesabi Iron Range. Incorporated in 1917, the city is currently the home to 52 persons.
The Leonidas Overlook, created by mining overburden piles, offers a 15-mile view of breathtaking scenery of the nearby iron range, including the active U-Tac mine in Eveleth.
This series of waymarks is tuned to getting people to visit these wonderful small communities before they disappear completely. To validate your ‘find’, please post a photo of you with your GPS at the coordinates and please relate a little tidbit about what you learned about the town and its people that is not in this narrative or the book. You can learn more about ‘LITTLE MINNESOTA’ by logging on to (
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