Almelund, Minnesota

Almelund is a small unincorporated community, in Amador Township, Chisago County, Minnesota, United States. It is located at coor dms|45|29|29.00|N|92|47|7.01|W|city, about 55 miles north-northeast of Minneapolis at the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 95 and Chisago County Road 12 (Park Trail).

History

The first European visitors to the area were French traders who bought furs from the resident Ojibwa Indians in the 17th century. Swedish immigrants arrived in the 1850s to buy farm land along the St. Croix River and beside the lakes of Amador Township.

Almelund was founded in 1887 by John Almquist. The first building was a Lutheran Church. Almquist built a general store and ran it for thirty years until it burned down in 1911. A school was built in 1910. The two-room brick building now houses the [http://www.amadortownship.com/heritage.htm Amador Heritage Center] .

Still in a prominent place at the center of town is Immanuel Lutheran Church. Originally known as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Emmanuel Church, the current building was built in 1926.

Community

Almelund is surrounded on all sides by farm land. Many of the farmers, who raise corn, soybeans, dairy and beef cattle, and feed for those cattle, are descendants of the original Swedish immigrants. The area is also known for its water sports and other outdoor recreation. Almelund is three miles south of Wild River State Park.

Almelund is also well known throughout east central Minnesota for hosting the annual [http://www.almelundthreshingco.org/ Threshing Show] , known by people in the area as the "Threshing Party." It is a fifty-year-old celebration of vintage tractors, old farm equipment and traditional threshing methods.

In September the [http://www.amadortownship.com/festival.htm Amador Apple Festival] , another heritage festival, is held at the [http://www.amadortownship.com/heritage.htm Amador Heritage Center Museum] .

External links

* [http://www.amadortownship.com/index.html Amador Township]
* [http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/MapServer?f_name=Almelund&f_state=MN&f_latlong=452929N0924707W&server=TIGER Location of Almelund, Minnesota. USGS GNIS Map Server]
* [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=45.49139&lon=-92.78528 TopoQuest map of Almelund]
* [http://www.amadortownship.com/history.htm Almelund Minnesota. Amador Township History]