114 topographic sheets cover 37 settlements here, and 40 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
40 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark · the county-history sources tell 1 story and name 2 people · people the book names include Murder Of Thomas Callaghan (Vermillion Township, 1881) · Narrative Of William Felton (Hastings City, 1881) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Murder Of Thomas Callaghan. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
On the evening of Saturday, August 26th, 1876, occurred a most atrocious crime, one that startled the people of Vermillion. This was the murder of Thomas Callaghan, a well known citizen and prosperous farmer. The crime was committed on the line between Vermillion and Rosemount, on what is known as the Hastings and Crystal lake road.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 62 of them, burning about 1,724 acres. None started naturally and 7 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Recreation and ceremony | 34 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 8 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. Two of them were set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 acres | Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge | EAGAN |
| 14 April 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 acres | Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge | BLACK DOG |
| 30 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 acres | Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge | EAGAN ASSIST |
| 2 April 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 120 acres | Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge | BLKDOG2 |
| 19 October 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 27 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 15 April 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 20 acres | Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge | BD4 |
| 15 April 2016 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 662 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 38 injuries and about $340,339,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 310 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 244 |
| Tornado | 41 |
| Flash Flood | 21 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 |
| Lightning | 16 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 |
| Flood | 3 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1973 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 killed, 11 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Flash Flood | Eagan | 1 killed, $20,000,000 | Widespread flooding in Eagan and neighboring portions of Rosemount, Apple Valley, and Burnsville. Between 6 and 12 inches of rain fell during this 3 hour event. One man died of drowning after being swept into a culvert. Over 200 homes in Eagan incurred water damage. Numerous homes in Rosemount and Burnsville reported basement flooding. Minor to moderate damage to forty homes in Burnsville. Numerous roads in Eagan, Burnsville and Rosemount flooded; numerous vehicles stalled. Portions of Pilot Knob Rd. destroyed along with retaining wall. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | South St Paul | 11 hurt | Mobile home flipped over. Structural damage at apartment complex. 30 homes damaged. Amphibean airplane flipped over. Estimated windspeed. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burnsville | 7 hurt, $140,000,000 | Brick wall blown in at retail center. 2000 trees blown down. Indoor mall sustained $1 million in damage. 3 homes destroyed. Numerous trees down. Damage estimate for entire county. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 1969 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 3 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Lightning | Lakeville | 3 hurt, $10,000 | A lightning bolt struck a park shelter where 40 people were attending a birthday party. Three individuals were injured, but with non-life-threatening injuries. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eagan | 1 hurt, $24,000,000 | 10 homes with major structural damage. 1500 trees blown over. Estimated windspeed. |
| August 2010 | Tornado (EF1) | Farmington | 1 hurt, $750,000 | A Storm Survey determined that an EF-1 tornado tracked to the northeast from three miles northwest of Farmington, to 3.3 miles north of Farmington, Minnesota. ||The damage consisted of the following; ||A few homes had large sections of roof structure removed. Numerous homes had significant roof damage, with loss of vinyl or metal siding. In addtion, numerous garage doors had collapsed or were pushed inward. One home had their entire garage shifted off its foundation by over 5 inches. Another home had their entire garage collapse, only leaving the main home intact. Due to several structures that had their foundations shifted and walls completely blown down, this tornado was rated a high end EF-1, which is approximately 105 mph. Most of the tornado damage was high end EF-0, or low end EF-1, or approximately 70 to 90 mph. Hundreds of trees were either uprooted or blown down. Several trees had diameters in excess of 30 inches. |
| May 1968 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Burnsville | $100,000,000 | Widespread damage to houses and vehicles by wind driven hail. Damage estimate for entire county. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Hastings | $12,000,000 | Hail was reported to be the size of hockey pucks. Many houses and vehicles were damaged in and around Hastings. Damage amount reported by the Hastings Star-Gazette. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Apple Vly | $10,200,000 | 2000 trees blown over. 1500 homes damaged. Estimated windspeed. |
| August 2006 | Hail | Apple Vly | $10,000,000 | Hail covered the ground. Observed at intersection of County Road 42 and Cedar. Vehicles, homes and businesses damaged. Damage total includes all storm reports from August 24 in Dakota County. |
| May 2001 | Tornado (F2) | Northfield | $7,000,000 | The Northfield tornado (which originated in Rice County) crossed Highway 19 into extreme southeastern Dakota County, then went into Goodhue County. Five homes sustained major damage, including one with its roof completely removed. 12 other homes received minor damage. Several motorists barely made it into nearby homes before the tornado struck. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeville | $4,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Flash Flood | Miesville | $1,000,000 | Dakota County's Miesville Ravine Park Reserve was closed due to flood waters. The 1,500-acre park in Douglas Township had around 3 miles of trails, 1,800 square feet of boardwalk and two parking lots washout or destroyed. The county estimated $1 million in park damages. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeville | $1,000,000 | Over 100 homes and cars were damaged due to falling debris from winds up to 70 mph around Lakeville. In addition, the Lakeville airport had several planes flipped over. |
| July 2006 | Lightning | Farmington | $1,000,000 | A lightning strike caused a fire at the Donnely Farms in rural Farmington on Flagstaff Avenue. Approximately 500 hay bales were burned in the fire, causing an estimated 1 million dollars in damage. Information provided by Northfield News newspaper. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Hastings | $1,000,000 | A car dealership suffered significant hail damage losses. Widespread roof and siding damage was also reported. |
| August 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Eagan | $750,000 | A NWS Storm Survey concluded that an EF0 tornado touched down near Germane Avenue and 128th Street, or around Hidden Ponds, and Cedar Valley Apartments and moved northeast across 127th Street West. This tornado continued to move northeast before lifting between 126th and 125th Street along Genesee Avenue. This tornado uprooted or blew down numerous large trees along its path. Structural damage (mainly roof damage) occurred to apartment complexes, mobile homes, and single family homes between 128th and 125th Street. Maximum wind speeds were 85 mph with a width of 100 yards. |
| August 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Eagan | $750,000 | A NWS Storm Survey concluded that a brief EF0 tornado formed in a wooded area between Timbershore Lane and Tananger Circle, south of Duckwood Drive in Eagan, Minnesota. Most of the damage occurred in this area, with large hardwood trees uprooted or blown down. Several of the large trees landed on roofs, sheds and fences in this residential neighborhood. The damage path became more disorganized as the tornado lifted near Lexington, and Yankee Doodle Road where a few large pine trees were uprooted. Damage indicators showed that up to 85 mph winds occurred, with a path width of 150 yards. |
| August 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Lakeville | $500,000 | A NWS Storm Survey concluded that an EF0 tornado touched down near the intersection of Jacquara Avenue and 161st Street West, and moved north-northeast across Crystal Lake, and then lifted near Crystal Beach. Several homes had damage (mainly roof damage) which occurred as multiple large trees were either uprooted or blown down along the tornado's path. The maximum width was 100 yards with a peak wind of 75 mph. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Farmington | $500,000 | Over 400 trees up to 3 feet in diameter and many power lines were downed across the city by winds estimated up to 70 MPH. Many trees blocked roads and a handful of trees fell onto buildings and cars. The damage was so widespread that a state of emergency was put in place shortly after the storm ended until streets could be cleared. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Burnsville | $500,000 | Wind driven hail damaged houses and vehicles. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eagan | $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Lightning | Rosemount | $350,000 | A lightning strike caused a house fire in Rosemount, Minnesota. The house fire was a total loss, but no one was injured. |
| June 2012 | Lightning | Eagan | $300,000 | A lightning strike hit a gas meter on one home on 131th Street Southwest. The lightning traveled along the gas line, skipping one house and igniting another house nearby.||One of the homes suffered significant damage as a result of the fire. There were no injuries in the fire, and one other house suffered minor damage. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Eagan | $250,000 | A swath of large hail, up to golf ball size, fell from Eagan, northeast through Inver Grove Heights. There were several reports of hail damage to vehicles, roofs and siding. |
| July 2015 | Lightning | Rosemount | $250,000 | A fire was caused by lightning in Rosemount the morning of July 24th. The fire burnt the exterior of a fourplex south side. The fire eventually worked its way inside the building, but firefighters were able to get the flames under control quickly. |
| November 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mendota Hgts | $250,000 | A storm survey indicated a large downburst damage swath with numerous downed trees in the northeastern section of Mendota Heights, and the northern portion of West St. Paul. A large part of the damage pattern across northeastern Mendota Heights and West St. Paul was directed toward the east, northeast and north. It was a very standard pattern of downburst winds. Many of the trees landed on homes, cars and garages. Some of the garages were pushed off their foundations. Some of the most significant downburst damage was in a 5-10 block area surrounding Dodd Road, Delaware and Smith Avenue. |
| July 1987 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1981 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Burnsville | $150,000 | Several local officials, trained spotters and the general public observed flash flooding across western Dakota County due to 3, to locally 5, inches of rain that fell between 5 AM CST to 9 AM CST. Numerous county roads were inundated with flood waters, especially along the western part of the Vermillion River and Chub Creek. Dodd Blvd, near 194th street, in Lakeville, was closed for a short period due to flood waters. A foot of flowing water was over Highway 19, about a quarter mile east of Interstate 35 during the height of the storm. An official observer near the intersection of Interstates 35W and 35E measured 4.47 inches of rainfall in 3 hours. |
| November 2012 | Tornado (EF0) | Burnsville | $150,000 | An EF-0 tornado developed northeast of the intersection of County Road 5 and McAndrews Road, and tracked northeast to just southwest of the intersection of Burnsville Parkway and County Road 11. A large area of uprooted trees and power lines occurred along a non-continuous broken path of 2.8 miles in a heavily populated region of Burnsville. The worst damage occurred in a two block area between Knoll Lane and Nicollet Avenue, and Nicollet Jr High School. |
| August 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | West St Paul | $100,000 | A NWS Storm Survey concluded that a brief EF0 tornado formed near Thompson Avenue East, and Oakdale Avenue and moved north-northeast across a residential neighborhood between Thompson Avenue and Christensen Avenue in West St. Paul. Several large trees were uprooted or blown down in this area with a maximum width of 50 yards, and a maximum speed of 85 mph. Most of the trees landed in open areas with little roof or property damage. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eagan | $100,000 | Numerous trees were blown down between Lexington and Pilot Knob Road, and along Cliff Road in Eagan. A few of the trees landed on roofs and cars. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $100,000 | There were 8 homes that had trees fall onto their roofs and cause damage, and about 1500 people lost power. All this damage occurred in a small area of town (about a 6-8 block radius) from 15th Street south to the Vermillion River. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeville | $100,000 | A severe squall line produced significant tree and power line damage across Dakota County from near the Scott, Dakota County border, through Lakeville, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, and to Coates. Numerous large trees and tree limbs were blown down with some power outages. A few private weather stations measured wind speeds of 45 to 55 mph. One private weather station had a measured wind gust of 61 knots in Lakeville. |
| November 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mendota | $100,000 | A storm survey revealed that straight line winds of 65 mph were associated with the rear flank downdraft from the tornado that dissipated at the Lost Spur Golf Course. These severe winds blew shingles off a hotel roof and knocked down trees from near Interstate 494 and Pilot Knob Road, northeast to a business community. |
| November 2012 | Tornado (EF0) | Lilydale | $100,000 | A brief EF-0 tornado developed east of Lilydale, just southeast of the intersection of Highway 13 and Wachtler Avenue. It tracked northeast across a subdivision in extreme northern Mendota Heights. Several dozen large trees were blown down onto homes, cars and sheds. |
| June 2011 | Lightning | Eagan | $100,000 | Lightning stuck a home in Eagan, Minnesota during the morning of June 21st and caught fire. |
| July 2011 | Lightning | Rosemount | $100,000 | Lightning struck a home in Rosemount, Minnesota on 151st Street West and caused a fire. |
| August 2006 | Lightning | Lakeville | $100,000 | Lightning struck a house that was under construction. The fire destroyed the house. |
| June 2001 | Lightning | Apple Vly | $80,000 | Lightning struck a gas line on the west side of Apple Valley, igniting a fire in 3 homes. |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Farmington | $75,000 | The roof of a home on Eureka Avenue was struck by lightning. The resulting fire caused $75,000 damage to the structure. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $50,000 | In the Industrial Park, on Spiral Blvd, there was a storage building leveled, and other assorted trees snapped. Most of the tree damage was on the south end of Hastings. |
| July 2014 | Lightning | Coates | $50,000 | A lightning strike caused damage to a home in Rosemount, Minnesota during the morning of Friday, July 25th. The home suffered extensive damage as a result of the lightning strike and fire. No one was hurt during the event. |
| November 2012 | Tornado (EF0) | Mendota | $50,000 | A brief EF-0 tornado spun up near Skyline Drive, east of Highway 13, and tracked north-northeast to the Lost Spur Golf Course just south of Interstate 494. The tornado tracked for two blocks in a heavily wooded residential area before moving across a small golf course as it dissipated. Numerous large trees and power lines were blown down along the path of approximately one-half mile. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $50,000 | An 18 inch diameter tree was uprooted in Hastings. Plus, an assistant living apartment complex building in Hastings had part of its roof blown off. |
| July 2010 | Tornado (EF1) | Waterford | $50,000 | A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team determined that an EF-1 tornado, with maximum winds of 95 mph, occurred along a broken 1.7 mile path length northwest of Northfield, Minnesota. ||The tornado first touched down approximately 3.9 miles northeast of Northfield, near the Junction of 313th Street and County Road 47 where a metal shed was blown off its foundation and flew over a farm home and landed approximately 100 yards away. There was some damage to the farm home, but most of the damage was associated with debris from uprooted trees and the metal shed. ||The tornado lifted approximately one-quarter of a mile east of the farm home and blew over a semi-truck on County Road 47. ||The tornado then touched down approximately three-quarters of a mile east of County Road 47 in a corn field, and tracked approximately one half mile east before lifting near the intersection of County Road 59, and Cannon River Road. The tornado caused damage to a farm home along this track, and blew a storage shed approximately 200 yards into the farmer's corn field. Other damage with the tornado track was associated with damaged corn fields and a small camper that was destroyed. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lilydale | $25,000 | The local emergency manager reported that both South St. Paul, and West St. Paul had multiple trees blown down. Two trees fell on cars in West St. Paul and there were multiple power lines down. |
| August 2009 | Tornado (EF1) | New Trier | $25,000 | A roof was completely torn off a farm house, and several large sheds and outbuildings were destroyed. The tornado tracked through corn fields, from south-southeast to the north-northwest. |
| June 2001 | Lightning | Apple Vly | $25,000 | Lightning struck a gas line in the Northeastern corner of Apple Valley. A fire was then ignited at three homes. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Farmington | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1982 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1979 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1971 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1967 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Northfield | $20,000 | A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team determined an EF-0 Tornado occurred with a broken path length of approximately 3.5 miles. ||The tornado first touched down approximately three-quarters of a mile north of Interstate 35 and Highway 19 where a two ton truck was overturned on interstate 35. ||The tornado then lifted and touched down near the intersection of Jamaica Ave, and 320th Street where it tore down a street sign. The tornado then tracked east-northeast for approximately 2.5 miles across mainly farm fields before lifted near the intersection of Guam Ave, and County Road 90. ||The tornado caused minor damage to crops, along with several trees to be uprooted along its path. In addition, a small farm shed was damaged northeast of Jamaica Ave, and 320th Street. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeville | $15,000 | Several large trees blew down in north Farmington, some that caused damage to homes. There were also pictures on social media of large tree limbs blown down near Lake Marion. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 20 workings inside this county. 12 still produce and 8 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 15 |
| Clay | 2 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 2 |
| Sulfur | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Facility) Pine Bend Refinery | Sulfur | Plant | ||
| Burnsville Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Dakota County Clay Deposit | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Hasting Quarry & Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Twin City Brick Co Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Casperson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Fisher Sand & Aggregate Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gergen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Kraemer Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Lakeville Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Markham Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Mva Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Northwestern Aggregates Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Northwestern Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Pine Bend Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Rosemont Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Shakopee Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Standard Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Standard Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Dakota County devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 6 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hastings City | Hastings | 18,078 words | 33 | |
| Lakeville City | Antlers Park, Argonne, Deer Park, Lakeville | 6,768 words | 3 | |
| Mendota City | Mendota | 6,024 words | 9 | |
| New Trier City | New Trier | 4,696 words | 3 | |
| Rosemount City | Rich Valley, Rosemount | 7,759 words | 4 | |
| Vermillion Township | Empire, Vermillion | 5,716 words | 4 |
Everyone Dakota County stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1868.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Vermillion township · 55024 · On South Branch Vermillion River · Coates quadrangle
13 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Inver Grove Heights city · 55076 · Near Simley Island · Inver Grove Heights quadrangle
28 sheets, 1896 to 1985
Mendota Heights city · 55118 · On Minnesota River · Saint Paul West quadrangle
28 sheets, 1896 to 1985
Nininger township · 55033 · Near Buck Island · Saint Paul Park quadrangle
18 sheets, 1946 to 1990
Burnsville city · 55306 · Near Buck Hill · Orchard Lake quadrangle
12 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Block
