St. Peter, Minnesota
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St. Peter is a city located in Nicollet County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,747. It is the county seat of Nicollet County6.
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 km² (5.6 mi²). 14.0 km² (5.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.52% water.
History
Saint Peter was founded in 1853 by Captain William Bigelow Dodd, who claimed 150 acres 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 town site was platted and surveyed in 1854 by Daniel L. Turpin. In 1855 a group of St. Paul businessmen became interested in promoting the town formed the Saint Peter Company, the town was renamed St. Peter. The president of the Company was Willis A. Gorman, Territorial Governor of Minnesota. In 1857 an attempt was made to move the capital from St. Paul to St. Peter. A bill was passed in both houses of the Territorial Legislature and was awaiting Governor Gorman's signature. A member of the Territorial Council (Senate) Joseph J. Rolette of Pembina (now in North Dakota) took the bill and hid in a St. Paul Hotel 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. One might say that the bill was an attempt to "rob Paul to pay Peter".
In 1866 the Legislature established the first "Minnesota Asylum for the Insane." in St. Peter. Later known as the St. Peter State Hospital and now as St. Peter Regional Treatment Center.
In 1851 the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed between the Dakota Indians and the U. S. Government just one mile north of St. Peter. The Nicollet County Historical Society—Treaty site History Center is located near the site of the treaty signing. The promises of the treaty were not kept. The Dakota Indians became angered and by 1862 the Dakota Conflict began in Cottonwood County. In August 1862 the Indians attacked the German settlement of New Ulm, a company of volunteers from St. Peter headed by Captain William B. Dodd, St. Peter's founder went to the defense of New Ulm. Captain Dodd was killed on August 23, 1862, he was briefly buried in New Ulm. On November 11, 1862, Captain 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. Captain Dodd, his wife Harriet and two children are buried behind the present stone church built in 1869-70 at 118 North Minnesota Avenue.
St. Peter is known as the home of five Governors:
- Territorial
- Willis Arnold Gorman, served 1853-1857
- State
- Henry Adonriam Swift, served 1863-1864
- Horace Austin, served 1870-1874
- Andrew Ryan McGill, served 1887-1889
- John Albert Johnson, served 1905-1909
The most famous governor, John Albert Johnson, was born in St. Peter in July 28, 1861 to Swedish-born parents. Because of sad family circumstances, John 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 Democratic paper. In 1899 he was elected to the State Senate, he served until 1903. In 1904 he was elected as Minnesota's 16th Governor, he was reelected in 1906 and 1908. He was being considered as a possible candidate for President of the United States in 1912, but he died as the result of an operation for intestinal adhesions in Rochester, Minnesota on September 21, 1909. Dr. William W. Mayo and Dr. Charles Mayo, who came from Le Sueur, nine miles north of St. Peter, and friends of the Governor performed the operation. After lying in State in state capitol rotunda, Governor Johnson's body was taken to St. Peter for burial. The funeral held at the Union Presbyterian Church was the largest ever in St. Peter, he was buried near his parents in Greenhill Cemetery in St. Peter. He was survived by his wife Elinore 'Nora' Preston Johnson.
Other famous residents from St. Peter include:
- Olive Fremstad, Opera Singer, Metropolitin Opera
- Steve Neils, Football Player, St. Louis Cardinals
- Maximilian Dick, Violinist, New York Philharmonic
- James M. McPherson, Civil War historian and author
- George Engesser, Circus entertainer, vaudeville
- Gideon Sprague Ives, Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, 1891-1893
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 9,747 people, 2,978 households, and 1,843 families residing in the city. The population density is 694.3/km² (1,797.3/mi²). There are 3,129 housing units at an average density of 222.9/km² (577.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.17% White, 1.57% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 3.04% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,978 households out of which 32.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% are non-families. 28.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 25 years. For every 100 females there are 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,344, and the median income for a family is $51,157. Males have a median income of $33,618 versus $25,789 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,634. 11.8% of the population and 4.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
Saint Peter is the home of Gustavus Adolphus College, a Lutheran-affiliated private liberal arts college founded in 1862.
See also
- St. Peter Sandstone
- Linnaeus Arboretum, on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College
External links
- St. Peter official website (http://www.ci.st-peter.mn.us/)
- St. Peter, Minnesota tourism website (http://tourism.st-peter.mn.us/)
- Gustavus Adolphus College official website (http://www.gustavus.edu/)