Frontenac, Minnesota

Frontenac, Minnesota
Census-designated place (CDP) and Unincorporated community
Winona Cottage, a c. 1854 house from Frontenac's days as a 19th-century resort town[1]
Frontenac, Minnesota Location of the community of Frontenac within Florence Township, Goodhue County
Coordinates: 44°31′26″N 92°19′52″W / 44.52389°N 92.33111°W / 44.52389; -92.33111
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Goodhue County
Township	Florence Township
Area[2]
• Total	1.846 sq mi (4.78 km2)
• Land	1.844 sq mi (4.78 km2)
• Water	0.002 sq mi (0.005 km2)
Elevation	722 ft (218 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	282
• Density	150/sq mi (59/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	55026
Area code(s)	651
FIPS code	27-22904
GNIS feature ID	643972[3]

Old Frontenac Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Sign denoting Frontenac's historic district
Area	120 acres (49 ha)
MPS	Rural Goodhue County MRA (AD)
NRHP Reference #	73000978[4]
Added to NRHP	June 4, 1973

Frontenac is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Florence Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, its population was 282.^[5]

History

James Wells established a trading post in the location that would become Frontenac before 1850. He dealt mostly with Native Americans until the railroad was built in the early 1870s. In 1854, the Garrard brothers came upon the area during a hunting trip and bought large tracts of land. By 1857, the community was permanently established with the name of Westervelt in 1855 to honor the then postmaster, Evert V. Westervelt.^[6]

The name was changed to Frontenac in 1860 by the Garrard brothers after Frenchman, Louis de Buade de Frontenac, who was born in 1622. He was the French colonial governor of Canada in 1672–82 and 1689–98. He died in Quebec, Canada on November 28, 1698. There is not a record of him actually traveling to the Mississippi River.^[6]

Frontenac housed a station of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and the picturesque scenery soon began attracting wealthy residents. It became a community of summer homes with lakeside views.^[6] The railway line outside the community ran from north to south, connected the remote area with larger cities, but it was far enough away from the bluffs not to detract from the vacation destination. There are actually two communities that comprise Frontenac. The railway line attracted some residents, while the bluffs attracted others. The houses along the railway line, and later the highway, became known as Frontenac Station while the bluff residences are called Old Frontenac. Both are in Florence Township and are listed as one location in the U.S. Census.^[6]

Attractions

Mississippi River from nearby Frontenac State Park

Mount Frontenac Ski and Golf

The Mount Frontenac Ski Resort was located on the north-western edge of Frontenac Station. It had 17 named runs, 6 lifts, and 80 acres (320,000 m²) of skiable area. Its longest run was 4,000 feet (1,200 m) in length.^[7] The ski runs have been closed and are now part of an 18 hole golf course.^[8]

Frontenac State Park

The land between Frontenac Station and Old Frontenac, as well as much of the land to the north and some to the south, was set aside as a State Park in 1957. Frontenac State Park includes the floodplain along the Mississippi River, bluffs which are a flyway for many migratory bird species, prairies and hardwood forests. It is within the Mississippi Flyway and is also part of the Driftless Area of the north central United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Frontenac has an area of 1.846 miles (2.971 km); 1.844 miles (2.968 km) of this is land, and 0.002 miles (0.0032 km) is water.^[2]

Demographics

At the census^[5] of 2000, there were 282 people in 114 households in Frontenac.

Transportation

Frontenac is located along U.S. Highway 61, which also carries U.S. Highway 63 at that point.

Rail lines run parallel to the highway, but there is no longer a station in Frontenac.

The Frontenac Airport is located 1 mi (1.6 km) south of Frontenac Station, and is administered by a private agency.^[9]

Notable people

• John F. Hager, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman, was born in Frontenac.^[10]

See also

• Frontenac State Park
• Minnesota Historical Society
• National Register of Historic Places (Goodhue County)

References

Municipalities and communities of Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States
County seat: Red Wing
Cities	Bellechester‡ Cannon Falls Dennison‡ Goodhue Kenyon Lake City‡ Pine Island‡ Red Wing Wanamingo Zumbrota
Townships	Belle Creek Belvidere Cannon Falls Cherry Grove Featherstone Florence Goodhue Hay Creek Holden Kenyon Leon Minneola Pine Island Roscoe Stanton Vasa Wacouta Wanamingo Warsaw Welch Zumbrota
CDP	Frontenac
Unincorporated communities	Belle Creek Belvidere Mills Bombay Claybank Forest Mills Hader Hay Creek Roscoe Ryan Skyberg Sogn Stanton Vasa Wacouta Wangs Wastedo Welch White Rock
Indian reservation	Prairie Island Indian Community‡
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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