Frontenac, Minnesota
| Frontenac, Minnesota | |
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| Census-designated place (CDP) and Unincorporated community | |
![Winona Cottage, a c. 1854 house from Frontenac's days as a 19th-century resort town[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frontenac_2.jpg)
Winona Cottage, a c. 1854 house from Frontenac's days as a 19th-century resort town
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 Frontenac, Minnesota
within Florence Township, Goodhue County |
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| Coordinates: 44°31′26″N 92°19′52″W / 44.52389°N 92.33111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Goodhue County |
| Township | Florence Township |
| Area | |
| • 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 |
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Old Frontenac Historic District
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Sign denoting Frontenac's historic district
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| Area | 120 acres (49 ha) |
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| MPS | Rural Goodhue County MRA (AD) |
| NRHP Reference # | 73000978 |
| 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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Wikipedia