St. Peter is a city in
Nicollet 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. It is 10 miles north of the
Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area
The Mankato — North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in south central Minnesota, anchored by the cities of Mankato and North Mankato. It was upgraded fr ...
. The population was 12,066 at the
2020 census.
St. Peter is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Nicollet County
and home to
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its nam ...
.
U.S. Highway 169 and Minnesota State Highways 22 and 99 are three of the city's main routes.
St. Peter's
sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
is
Petatlán, Guerrero, Mexico.
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 ...
, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of 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 11,196 people, 3,491 households, and 2,150 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 3,697 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.1%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 3.3%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 1.6%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 2.3% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 6.4% of the population.
There were 3,491 households, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.
The median age in the city was 27.5 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 27.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 19.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
2000 census
As of 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 2000, there were 9,747 people, 2,978 households, and 1,843 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,797.3 people per square mile (694.3/km
2). There were 3,129 housing units at an average density of 577.0 per square mile (222.9/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.17%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.57%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.43%
Native American, 1.53%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.25% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.02% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.04% of the population.
There were 2,978 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.8% under the age of 18, 30.6% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,344, and the median income for a family was $51,157. Males had a median income of $33,618 versus $25,789 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $16,634. About 4.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
St. Peter was founded in 1853 by Captain William Bigelow Dodd, who claimed north of what is now Broadway Avenue. He named the new settlement Rock Bend because of the rock formation at the bend of the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It ris ...
. Daniel L. Turpin platted and surveyed the town site in 1854. In 1855, a group of St. Paul businessmen interested in promoting the town formed the Saint Peter Company, and the town was renamed St. Peter. The president of the company was
Willis A. Gorman
Willis Arnold Gorman (January 12, 1816 – May 20, 1876) was an American lawyer, soldier, politician, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Biography
Gorman was born near Flemingsburg, Kentucky. He was the only child of D ...
, Territorial Governor of Minnesota. Many of St. Peter's streets were named after streets in New York City, including Park Row, Chatham, Broadway, Nassau, and Union. Dodd was originally from Bloomfield, New Jersey. His second wife, Harriett Newell Jones, a native of
Cabot, Vermont
Cabot is a New England town located in the northeast corner of Washington County, Vermont, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,443 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated villages of ...
, was living in New York at the time of their marriage at the Church of the Holy Communion in New York City, which helped fund the church in St. Peter that shares its name.
![2009-0805-MN-StPeter-BroadwayBridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/2009-0805-MN-StPeter-BroadwayBridge.jpg)
In 1857, an attempt was made to move the Territory of Minnesota's capital from St. Paul to St. Peter. Gorman owned the land on which the bill's sponsors wanted to build the new capitol building, and at one point had been heard saying, "If the capitol remains in Saint Paul, the territory is worth millions, and I have nothing." At the time, St. Peter, in the territory's central region, was seen as more accessible to far-flung territorial legislators than St. Paul, which was in the extreme east of the territory, on the east bank of 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 ...
. A bill passed both houses of the Territorial Legislature and was awaiting Gorman's signature. The chairman of the Territorial Council's Enrolled Bills Committee,
Joseph J. Rolette of
Pembina, took the bill and hid in a St. Paul hotel, drinking and playing cards with some friends as the city police looked fruitlessly for him, until the end of the legislative session, too late for the bill to be signed. Rolette came into the chamber just as the session ended. Today, St. Paul is the state's second-largest city (after neighboring
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
), while St. Peter is a relatively small rural town.
![2009-0805-MN-ChurchofHolyCommunion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/2009-0805-MN-ChurchofHolyCommunion.jpg)
In 1851 the
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux () was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Upper Dakota Sioux bands. In this land cession treaty, the Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota ban ...
was signed between the
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
(Dakota) and the U.S. Government one mile (1.6 km) north of St. Peter. The
Nicollet County Historical Society-Treaty Site History Center is near the site of the signing. But the treaty's promises were not kept. The Dakota became angered and the
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...
began in Cottonwood County. In August 1862 the Dakota attacked the German settlement of
New Ulm. A company of volunteers from St. Peter, headed by Dodd, St. Peter's founder, went to New Ulm's defense. Dodd was killed on August 23, 1862, and briefly buried in New Ulm. On November 11, 1862, Dodd was buried with high military honors in St. Peter on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Communion, Episcopal, on land he donated to the church. Dodd, his wife Harriet and two children are buried behind the present stone church built in 1869–70 at 118 North Minnesota Avenue.
In 1866, the legislature established the first "Minnesota Asylum for the Insane" in St. Peter. It was later known as the
St. Peter State Hospital, and is now called the
St. Peter Regional Treatment Center.
On July 1, 1892, the Sontag Brothers,
John Sontag
John Sontag (May 27, 1861 – July 3, 1893) was an outlaw of the American West known for train robberies.
Background
John Sontag was the oldest son of Maria (Bohn) and Jacob Contant of Mankato, Minnesota. After the death of his father in 1867, ...
and
George Contant
George C. Contant, aka George Sontag (April 10, 1864 - 1930), was an outlaw of the American West known mostly for train robberies. Like his older brother, John Sontag, he was originally from Mankato, Minnesota.
Background
Contant was the younger ...
, and their partner,
Chris Evans, tried to rob a train between St. Peter and
Kasota along the Minnesota River. The bandits acquired nothing of value, but their activities came under the review of
Pinkerton detectives, and both were apprehended in June 1893 in what is called the
Battle of Stone Corral
The Battle of Stone Corral, also known as the Gunfight at Stone Corral, occurred in June 1893 and was the final shootout during the pursuit of the Sontag-Evans Gang. After months of searching and several previous encounters, a small posse under th ...
in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
Governors
St. Peter is known as the home of five
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
s:
*Territorial
**
Willis Arnold Gorman (1853–1857)
*State
**
Henry Adoniram Swift
Henry Adoniram Swift (March 23, 1823February 25, 1869) was an American politician who was the third Governor of Minnesota. He served as governor from July 10, 1863 to January 11, 1864 after serving as the third Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota ...
(1863–1864)
**
Horace Austin
Horace Austin (October 15, 1831November 2, 1905) was an American politician. He served as the sixth Governor of Minnesota from January 9, 1870 to January 7, 1874. He was a Republican.
A reputation for clearheaded objectivity and disdain for co ...
(1870–1874)
**
Andrew Ryan McGill
Andrew Ryan McGill (February 19, 1840 – October 31, 1905) was an American politician of the United States Republican Party. He served as the tenth Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1887, to January 9, 1889.
Family
Andrew Ryan McGil ...
(1887–1889)
**
John Albert Johnson
John Albert Johnson (July 28, 1861September 21, 1909) was an American politician. He served in the Minnesota State Senate from January 1897 to January 1901. He was the 16th governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1905, until his death on September ...
(1905–1909)
![2009-0805-MN-StPeter-JohnsonHouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/2009-0805-MN-StPeter-JohnsonHouse.jpg)
The best-known of these, Johnson, was born in St. Peter to Swedish-born parents on July 28, 1861. Because of family circumstances, he offered to help his mother raise the family. He left school at a young age and held a variety of jobs. In 1887, he was hired as editor of the ''St. Peter Herald'', the local newspaper. In 1899, he was elected to the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
, and served until 1903. In 1904, he was elected Minnesota's 16th governor. He was reelected in 1906 and 1908. He was considered as a possible candidate in the 1912 presidential election, but died as the result of an operation for
intestinal
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...
adhesions
Adhesions are fibrous bands that form between tissues and organs, often as a result of injury during surgery. They may be thought of as internal scar tissue that connects tissues not normally connected.
Pathophysiology
Adhesions form as a natural ...
in
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic.
Acco ...
, on September 21, 1909. Drs.
William James Mayo
William James Mayo (June 29, 1861 – July 28, 1939) was a physician and surgeon in the United States and one of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic. He and his brother, Charles Horace Mayo, both joined their father's private medical practice ...
and
Charles Horace Mayo
Charles Horace Mayo (July 19, 1865 – May 26, 1939) was an American medical practitioner and was one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic along with his brother William James Mayo, Augustus Stinchfield, Christopher Graham, E. Star Judd, Henry ...
, who came from
Le Sueur and were friends with Johnson, performed the operation. After lying in state in the
Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerous ...
rotunda, his body was taken to St. Peter for burial. The funeral, held at Union Presbyterian Church, was St. Peter's largest ever, and he was buried near his parents in Greenhill Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Elinore "Nora" Preston Johnson.
Mayors
*Eugene St. Julien Cox 1865–1867 (also served in the state legislature and as a district court judge)
*Francis E. Lange 1868–1869
*William Schimmell 1870–1872 (First president of First National Bank)
*Albert Knight 1873–1875 (Knight Street is named after him)
*Addison L. Sackett 1876–1878 (also served as county auditor and in the state legislature)
*Azro A. Stone 1879 (also served as county sheriff; Stones' Way and Stones' Park are named after him)
*Philip Dick, Sr. 1880–1882
*Gustav W. Steinke 1883–1884
*
Gideon S. Ives
Gideon Sprague Ives (January 19, 1846December 20, 1927) was an American politician who served as Mayor of St. Peter, Minnesota, Minnesota State Senator and as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
Life and career
Ives was born in Dickins ...
1885 (son-in-law of Governor Henry Swift; served as lieutenant governor 1891–1893)
*Joseph A. Mason 1886–1888
*Philip Dick, Sr. 1889–1893 (second term as mayor)
*Henry Moll 1894–1895 (also served as a probate judge)
*Dr. Lewis M. Erickson 1896–1898
*Melville G. Hanscome 1899–1900
*William H. Mueller 1901–1905
*William H. Rounseville 1906
*Philip Dick, Sr. 1907–1909 (third term as mayor)
*Edward Bornemann 1910–1912
*Philip E. Dick, Jr. 1913–1914
*Edward Bornemann 1915
*Adolph Bornemann 1916–1917
*William Haesecke 1918–1920
*Lillien M. (Cox) Gault-Wolfe 1921–1922 (first woman mayor in Minnesota, daughter of former mayor E. St. Julien Cox)
*Edward Woehler 1921–1930
*Dr. Arthur H. Bittner 1931–1933 (Died in Office)
*Floyd B. Johnson 1933–1935 (athletic field at St. Peter Middle School (formerly St. Peter Middle/High School) is named after him)
*Otto T. Miller 1936–1937
*Reuben R. Seibert 1938–1940
*Otto T. Miller 1941–1942
*Henry B. Seitzer 1942–1943
*Andrew Cook 1944 (Died in office)
*John R. Faust 1944–1946
*Henry E. Wiest 1946
*Clifford J. Nutter 1947–1948
*Elmer J. Kleifgen 1949–1951
*Prof. George W. Anderson 1951–1952 (English professor at Gustavus Adolphus College)
*Richard Konechne 1953–1956
*Leighton R. Swenson 1957–1958
*Mark W. Schaus 1959–1960
*George W. Martens 1960–1961
*Arthur W. Cook 1962–1963
*Lamar Hay 1964–1965
*George W. Martens 1966–1970
*Douglas C. Pyan 1971–1985
*William A. Wettergren 1986–1989
*Peter J. Rheaume 1990–1991
*Ellery O. Peterson 1992–1995
*Jerry K. Hawbaker 1996–2005
*Timothy J. Strand 2006–2015
*Chuck Zieman 2016–2021
*Shanon Nowell 2022–present (Administrator at Gustavus Adolphus College)
Tornado
On March 29, 1998, a
tornado struck St. Peter, killing six-year-old Dustin Schneider, injuring dozens more, and damaging much of the town's housing, commercial, and civic buildings. The tornado destroyed 156 single-family houses and 51 apartment units. An additional 362 houses and apartments suffered serious damage and 1,383 houses or apartments had minor damage. The town's three trailer parks were largely spared with no mobile homes destroyed and just two seriously damaged. Major losses included the Old Central School, St. Peter Arts and Heritage Center, St. Peter's Catholic Church, St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Johnson Hall at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Churches
*Bethany Alliance Church (Christian & Missionary Alliance) Established in 1961, Present church built in 1965, Church renamed Living Truth Fellowship in 2015.
*Calvary Baptist Church Established in 1963, Present Church built in 1977
*Church of St. Peter (Roman Catholic) Established in 1856, Present church built in 2001
*Church of the Holy Communion (Episcopal) Established in 1854 Present church built in 1869–1870
*First Lutheran Church (ELCA) Established in 1857 Present Church built in 1965
*Good Samaritan United Methodist Church Established in 2010, no church at present time
*Sunrise Assembly of God Established in 1934, present church built in 1988
*St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS) Established in 1867, Present church built in 1999
*River of Life Lutheran Church (LCMS) Established in 2013 by Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Mankato, has been a member of the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...
since 2016.
*Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) Established in 1892, Present church built in 1988
*
Union Presbyterian Church Union Presbyterian Church may refer to:
* Union Presbyterian Church (Fort Madison, Iowa), a Presbyterian historic site
* Union Presbyterian Church (Lost Nation, Iowa), another Presbyterian historic site
* Union Presbyterian Church (Stacyville, I ...
Established in 1869 as a result of the union of two congregations, the First Free Presbyterian Church of Traverse des Sioux Established in 1853, and the First Presbyterian Church of St. Peter Established in 1857. The present church was built in 1871.
*Christ Chapel (ELCA) Built from 1959–1961, inaugurated in 1962. On the campus of
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its nam ...
.
Education
![Old-main-gustavus-adolphus-college-ta-peter-minn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Old-main-gustavus-adolphus-college-ta-peter-minn.JPG)
St. Peter is the home of
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its nam ...
, a private
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...
college affiliated with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and founded in 1862. The public high school is St. Peter High School. There are two parochial schools in St. Peter: John Ireland Catholic School (K-6), which is associated with the Church of St. Peter, and St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran School (K-8), which along with the church is associated with 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 ...
. Veritas et Lux Preparatory School is a private non-denominational (K-12) school.
The first class graduated from St. Peter High School in 1880. The first superintendent of St. Peter Public Schools was
Andrew Ryan McGill
Andrew Ryan McGill (February 19, 1840 – October 31, 1905) was an American politician of the United States Republican Party. He served as the tenth Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1887, to January 9, 1889.
Family
Andrew Ryan McGil ...
, who served from 1865 to 1868. McGill was Minnesota's 10th governor from 1887 to 1889.
Scholarship America
Scholarship America is a Minnesota-based American philanthropic organization that assists communities, corporations, foundations and individuals with fundraising, managing and awarding scholarships to students. The organization designs, adminis ...
is based in St. Peter.
Healthcare
Community health care is provided by St. Peter Community Hospital. In 2009 St. Peter Community Hospital was renamed River's Edge Hospital. That same year the construction of a new clinic was begun adjoining the hospital. There is now the River's Edge Clinic and the St. Peter Community Clinic, part of the Mayo Health System.
St. Peter is home to the
Minnesota Security Hospital
The Minnesota Security Hospital is a secure psychiatric hospital located in St. Peter, Minnesota. It serves people who have been committed by the court as mentally ill and dangerous. It was established as St. Peter State Hospital in 1866 under t ...
, where those the state declares mentally ill and dangerous are committed.
Benedictine Health Care Center, formerly known as St. Peter Community Health Care Center, is part of the River's Edge Hospital complex. Near the hospital Pheasants' Ridge is an assisted living facility that has a section for patients suffering from memory loss due to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Other health care facilities in St. Peter include Grandview Good Samaritan Center on Sunrise Drive.
River Valley Birth Center opened in St. Peter in the summer of 2014. It is the region's first free-standing birth center.
Crime
Infrastructure
Transportation
The following routes are within St. Peter:
*
U.S. Highway 169
*
Minnesota State Highway 22
Minnesota State Highway 22 (MN 22) is a highway in south-central and central Minnesota, which runs from Winnebago County Road R50 at the Iowa state line near Kiester and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with St ...
*
Minnesota State Highway 99
Minnesota State Highway 99 (MN 99) is a highway in south-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 111 in Nicollet and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 21 in Erin ...
Notable people
*
Alice A. Andrews — pianist, composer, associated with the Andrews Opera Company
*
Horace Austin
Horace Austin (October 15, 1831November 2, 1905) was an American politician. He served as the sixth Governor of Minnesota from January 9, 1870 to January 7, 1874. He was a Republican.
A reputation for clearheaded objectivity and disdain for co ...
— 6th governor of Minnesota
*
Henry N. Benson — Minnesota Attorney General
*
Eugene Saint Julien Cox
Eugene Saint Julien Cox (February 21, 1834 – November 3, 1898) was an American politician and lawyer.
Cox was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, just after his parents returned to the United States, after spending sixteen years in Europe. Cox st ...
— mayor of St. Peter, state legislator, district court judge
*
Anne Martell Denver — wife of singer
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...
*
Olive Fremstad
Olive Fremstad (14 March 1871 – 21 April 1951) was the stage name of Anna Olivia Rundquist, a celebrated Swedish-American opera diva who sang in both the mezzo-soprano and soprano ranges.Rosenthal and Warrack (1979) p. 180
Background
Born ...
— opera singer at Metropolitan Opera
*
Willis Arnold Gorman — 2nd governor of the Minnesota Territory
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Camilla Hall
Camilla Christine Hall (March 24, 1945 – May 17, 1974) was an American artist, college-trained former social worker, and a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). She is best known for her membership in the SLA, a very small radical gro ...
—
Symbionese Liberation Army
The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...
member
*
James M. Hinds
James M. Hinds (December 5, 1833 – October 22, 1868) was the first U.S. Congressman assassinated in office. He served as member of the United States House of Representatives for Arkansas from June 24, 1868 until his assassination by the ...
— the first congressman assassinated in office
*
Gideon S. Ives
Gideon Sprague Ives (January 19, 1846December 20, 1927) was an American politician who served as Mayor of St. Peter, Minnesota, Minnesota State Senator and as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
Life and career
Ives was born in Dickins ...
— lieutenant governor of Minnesota, mayor of St. Peter
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Carl M. Johnson Carl M. Johnson (born September 12, 1933) was an American farmer, businessman, and politician.
Johnson lived in St. Peter, Nicollet County, Minnesota with his wife and family and was a businessman and farmer. Johnson went to Gaylord High School in ...
— politician, farmer, and businessman
*
John Albert Johnson
John Albert Johnson (July 28, 1861September 21, 1909) was an American politician. He served in the Minnesota State Senate from January 1897 to January 1901. He was the 16th governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1905, until his death on September ...
— 16th governor of Minnesota, presidential candidate, newspaper editor
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Verne C. Johnson — politician and lawyer
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Andrew Ryan McGill
Andrew Ryan McGill (February 19, 1840 – October 31, 1905) was an American politician of the United States Republican Party. He served as the tenth Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1887, to January 9, 1889.
Family
Andrew Ryan McGil ...
— 10th governor of Minnesota, newspaper editor, state senator
*
James M. McPherson
James Munro McPherson (born October 11, 1936) is an American Civil War historian, and is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University. He received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for '' Battle Cry of F ...
—
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
historian and author
*
Steve Neils — football player for the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
*
Milt Nielsen — baseball player for the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
*
Allen Quist
Allen J. Quist (born October 14, 1944) is a Minnesota politician, a former state representative, and a two-time candidate for governor of the state.
State representative
A Republican, Quist was first elected to the Minnesota House of Represent ...
— former state representative and gubernatorial candidate
*
Benjamin H. Randall
Benjamin Hoyt Randall (November 25, 1823 – October 1, 1913) was an American politician and businessman.
Born in Greensboro, Vermont, Randall moved to Chicago, Illinois and then to Springfield, Illinois where he worked as a hotel clerk and ...
— politician
*
Rick Rude
Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling ...
— professional wrestler
*
Myer Skoog
Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog (November 2, 1926 – April 4, 2019) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Minneapolis Lakers. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota.
A 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and 180 ...
— inventor of the
jump shot
*
Doug Swenson
Douglas G. Swenson (August 16, 1945 – February 1, 2009) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Republican Party (United States), Republican and later as a Minnesota district court ...
— politician, lawyer, and judge
*
Henry A. Swift — 3rd governor of Minnesota, lieutenant governor of Minnesota, state senator
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John H. Tolan
John Harvey Tolan (; January 15, 1877 – June 30, 1947) was an American lawyer and politician who served six terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1935 to 1947.
Biography
Born in St. Peter, Minnesota, Tolan attended the public ...
— politician and lawyer
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Earl Witte — football player for the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
See also
*
St. Peter Sandstone The St. Peter Sandstone is an Ordovician geological formation. It belongs to the Chazyan stage of the Champlainian series in North American regional stratigraphy, equivalent to the late Darriwilian global stage. This sandstone originated as a sheet ...
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The Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College
The Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College, also known as The Arboretum at Gustavus or colloquially as The Arb, is on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, Saint Peter, Minnesota, United States. It contains a number of b ...
, on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College
References
External links
St. Peter, Minnesota Official City WebsiteSt. Peter Public Schools Official Website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter, Minnesota
Cities in Nicollet County, Minnesota
Cities in Minnesota
County seats in Minnesota
Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area