Terrace is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Chippewa Falls Township,
Pope County,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, United States.
The community was settled in the 1870s around the
Terrace Mill. In 1982, a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
of early buildings and structures was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
as the Terrace Historic District for having local significance under the themes of exploration/settlement and industry. It was nominated as a well-preserved example of the small communities that grew up around Minnesota's rural mills in the latter 19th century.
History
Terrace was established by George Wheeler, John Wheeler, and William Moses; settlers who had moved from eastern Canada to
Owatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,420 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County F ...
, to the Minnesota frontier to establish a mill. Located on the East Branch of the
Chippewa River, the town was originally called Chippewa Falls, but soon changed names due to ongoing confusion with
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the ...
.
The original mill relocated to
Brooten ''circa'' 1895, but in 1903 a new miller constructed the existing Terrace Mill and resumed the town's founding industry.
Historic district
The Terrace Historic District consists of 13
contributing properties
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...
. Five contributing properties closely associated with the mill itself were originally listed on the National Register as the
Terrace Mill Historic District in 1979, but a more comprehensive historic district was declared in 1982 in recognition of the rare integrity of the broader community. Early rural mill towns tended to be abandoned due to the cessation of small milling operations and competition from towns prospering along railroad lines. They are particularly rare in western Minnesota, where settlement was minimal until rail lines were laid. The properties of the Terrace Historic District represent the full suite of industrial, commercial, educational, social, religious, and residential structures comprising a small community.
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Pope County, Minnesota
References
External links
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Unincorporated communities in Minnesota
Unincorporated communities in Pope County, Minnesota
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
National Register of Historic Places in Pope County, Minnesota