Wilno 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 ...

located in Royal Township, Lincoln 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.

History

Wilno was laid out in 1883 on land provided by the

Chicago and Northwestern railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

to create a Polish settlement. The community was formed as part of a planned effort between the railroad and leaders of Polish National Alliance (PNA) with the cooperation of the Catholic Church. The organizers named the town after

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

by taking its Polish name Wilno. St. John Cantius Church was established in the town in the same year. Rev. R. Byzewski of Winona born in

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

and Bishop

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomina ...

of St. Paul also worked to establish the church. By 1891, the town was centered on the Polish Catholic parish and school. It also had a post office, carpenter, blacksmithy, general store, saloon, and wagonmaker. The town postmaster also operated a small reading room. A common myth is that when the railroad attempted to buy land for right-of-way, two Wilno farmers refused the amount offered. So the railroad was built through what became the town of

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

instead. In fact the railroads frequently bypassed small "inland" towns like Wilno.Radzilowski, Out On the Wind: Poles and Danes in Lincoln County, Minnesota, 1880-1905 (Marshall, MN: Crossings Press, 1992), 56-61. The town remained a tiny Catholic settlement. The centennial for the church was celebrated in 1983. At that time Wilno consisted of the church, two stores, and 10 households.

References

External links

Images of Wilno and St. John Cantius Catholic ChurchSt. John Cantius Catholic Church records

University of Minnesota Libraries The University of Minnesota Libraries is the library system of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, operating at 13 facilities in and around Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It has over 7 million volumes and 119,000 serial titles that are coll ...

. {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lincoln County, Minnesota Unincorporated communities in Minnesota Polish-American culture in Minnesota Polish-American history

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links