Frontenac is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Florence Township, Goodhue County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States, on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. As of the 2010 census, its population was 282.

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.

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehoo ...

, Minnesota Place Names database, June 2009. The name was changed to ''Frontenac'' in 1860 by the Garrard brothers after Frenchman,

Louis de Buade de Frontenac Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau (; 22 May 162228 November 1698) was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France in North America from 1672 to 1682, and again from 1689 to his death in 1698. He established a nu ...

, who was born in 1622. He was the French colonial governor of Canada in 1672–82 and 1689–98. He died in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on November 28, 1698. There is not a record of him actually traveling to the Mississippi River. Frontenac housed a station of the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

and the picturesque scenery soon began attracting wealthy residents. It became a community of summer homes with lakeside views. 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.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Frontenac has an area of ; of this is land, and is water.

Demographics

The 2010 Census only includes the Frontenac Station part. At the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 282 people in 114 households in Frontenac.

Religion

St John Lutheran Church is a Christian church of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee ...

in Frontenac. Christ Episcopal Church is also located in Old Frontenac, and features an outdoor amphitheater.

Attractions

Mississippi River w Lake Pepin in background at 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 of skiable area. Its longest run was in length. The ski runs have been closed and are now part of an 18-hole golf course.

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 Frontenac State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River southeast of Red Wing. The park is notable both for its history and for its birdwatching opportunities. The centerpiece of the park is a , steep lim ...

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 The Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Mississippi, Missouri, and Lower Ohio Rivers in the United States across the western Great Lakes to the Mackenzie River and Hudson Bay in Canada. The main endpoints of t ...

and is also part of the

Driftless Area The Driftless Area, a topographical and cultural region in the American Midwest, comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. Never covered by ice during the last ...

of the north central United States.

Transportation

Frontenac is located along

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

, 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 south of Frontenac Station, and is administered by a private agency.

Notable person

* John F. Hager, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman, was born in Frontenac.'john F. Hager, 82, Former Assemblyman, Dies in Whitehall,' Eau Claire Leader, November 4, 1955, pg. 3

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Goodhue County, Minnesota Census-designated places in Minnesota Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Goodhue County, Minnesota