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Kanabec County, Minnesota

30 topographic sheets cover 11 settlements here, and 6 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

6 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Minnesota within the United States
Kanabec County within Minnesota

What the record shows

  • 113 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 6 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings and 1 structure.
  • 1 of the 6 listings was added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 11 populated places in this county; 11 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

6

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Ann River Logging Company Farmbuilding198080002085
Coin Schoolbuilding2025100012053
Kanabec County Courthousebuilding197777000748
Ogilvie Watertowerstructure198080002087
C. E. Williams Housebuilding198080002083
Zetterberg Companybuilding198080002084

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

954 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 954 of them, burning about 5,190 acres. 13 started naturally and 273 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning401
Arson/incendiarism273
Equipment and vehicle use110
Missing data/not specified/undetermined77
Smoking39
Recreation and ceremony24
Natural13
Railroad operations and maintenance5
Fireworks5
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Power generation/transmission/distribution3

The five largest, by the area the report gives. Four of them were set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
3 April 2004Arson/incendiarism335 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
14 October 1996Debris and open burning220 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 March 2003Arson/incendiarism170 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
16 April 2016Arson/incendiarism165 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
17 March 1998Debris and open burning150 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 April 1997Debris and open burning140 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
23 April 1993Arson/incendiarism110 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
6 May 2013Debris and open burning85 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1955 to 2023

60 of 180 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 180 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 5 injuries and about $777,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail79
Thunderstorm Wind71
Tornado11
Heavy Rain10
Flash Flood6
Lightning2
Funnel Cloud1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1968Tornado (F1)not stated1 killed, 2 hurt, $25,000no account filed
June 2008LightningMora1 hurtA 47 year old male was struck by lightning in his back yard. The victim was unconscious for several hours and admitted to Hennepin County Medical Center. Luckily, he suffered no serious injuries.
September 2004LightningMora1 hurtLightning struck a pickup truck on Highway 65. The driver, a 22-year-old man, was stunned by the bolt. He was found shaking and somewhat incoherent but quickly recovered.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindBrunswick1 hurtMobile home blown over. One person injured.
July 2018Flash FloodOgilvie$250,000Several roads were closed around Mora due to high running water and stranded cars. A few inches of flowing water covered Highway 3, near the intersection of Highway 65, north of Mora. Plus, the county sheriff officials reported that nearly all gravel roads in Kanabec County suffered damage from flood waters. The Fish Lake Resort that is on south side of the lake was flood damage due to the rising lake level. Trailers in the resort had flood damage as water levels impacted the park.
September 1955Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOgilvie$50,000There was a large swath of trees and power lines blown down from north of Ogilvie, on the Mille Lacs, and Kanabec County line, southeast to north of Grasston. There was also damage that occurred around Mora.
July 2017HailWoodland$50,000There was a swath of large hail, up to golf ball size, that damaged siding, broke windows and damage campers in northern Kanabec County.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindOgilvie$25,000An area of straight-line winds blew across portions of Kanabec County between Ogilvie and Grass Lake Township where numerous trees were uprooted and power lines were downed.
July 2002Flash FloodCountywide$25,000Five to ten inches fell across central Kanabec County, prompting the closure of County Road 17 east of Mora. Several township roads were closed, and a number of basements flooded.
July 1985Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1981Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 2017HailWarman$15,000Another area of large hail, up to golf ball size, occurred north of Mora, between Knife Lake area east to Pomroy Lake area, lasting for 15 minutes. Some damage was reported to area homes and campers.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindBrunswick$15,000A storm survey indicated that a downburst caused dozens of trees to be blown down in southeastern Kanabec County. A few sheds were destroyed, and the roof of a barn collapsed.
July 2017Flash FloodWarman$10,000Torrential rainfall that lasted over two hours, caused flooding, especially between the Knife Lake area, east to the Pomroy Lake area. There was some damage to roads due to the flooding.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBrunswick$5,000A roof was partially removed from a home, south of Mora.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindMora$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines and windows were blown out of a mobile home in Mora.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBrunswick$2,000Several power lines were blown down near the intersection of County Road 14 and Ivory Street.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindOgilvie$500Several pieces of a metal shed were blown down.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindMora-A ham radio operator relayed a report of a 12 to 14 inch oak tree branch down in a yard.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindMora-A photo showed a large tree snapped in a yard.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindMora-Ham radio operators relayed a report of a 6 inch diameter tree branch down in Mora.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindMora Arpt-The AWOS station KJMR at Mora airport measured a 76 mph wind gust.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindBrunswick-A storm chaser reported very strong winds with minor damage to trees near Brunswick.
August 2020HailOgilvie-There was a measured hailstone of 1 inch in diameter south of Ogilvie. Local radar showed a wider area of higher returns west and east of Ogilvie where larger hail likely fell. There was measured hailstone of 1.5 inches in southern Pine County as the storm moved east of Kanabec County.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindOgilvie-A few large trees were uprooted between Ogilvie and Mora along Highway 23.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindMora-A few large trees were uprooted on the south side of Mora.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindWarman-A measured wind report of 53 knots from a private weather station.
September 2019Tornado (EF0)Coin-Two storm chasers documented a tornado that mostly crossed open fields. A NWS storm survey revealed damage to some bean fields as well as about two dozen trees uprooted or broken. No structural damage was noted.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBrunswick-Several trees were blown down near the intersection of Mahogany Street, and Riverdale Road, southeast of Mora.
July 2018Heavy RainMora-A measured rainfall report of 6.00 inches fell north of Mora in 24 hours.
July 2018Heavy RainMora Arpt-A measured rainfall report of 7.04 inches fell in Mora in 12 hours.
July 2018Heavy RainGrasston-A measured rainfall report of 6.48 inches fell near Grasston in 24 hours.
July 2018Heavy RainMora-A measured rainfall report of 6.80 inches fell south of Mora in 24 hours.
July 2016Flash FloodWarman-Several waves of thunderstorms on Monday, July 11th, from the early morning, through the evening, caused rainfall amounts in excess of 3 to locally 5-7 inches. This caused several roads to close in Kanabec County, including Mahogany Avenue at 300th Avenue and 310th Avenue. Several pictures from social media indicated how widespread the flooding was, and included some people canoeing down county roads to get to stores. This area is also near the headwaters of the Snake River which crested above flood stage east of Kanabec County.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindMora-There were several trees and large tree branches that blew down in Mora. One was 10 inches in diameter and was uprooted on South Union Street.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindOgilvie-Several large trees were blown down northwest of Mora. A trained spotter had one of his neighbors 18 diameter white ash fall on his property.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindMora Arpt-A wind sensor at the Mora Airport measured a severe wind gust. Several trees were reported down in Mora.
September 2014Thunderstorm WindMora-Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Mora.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindMora-Several large tree limbs, 5 to 6 inches in diameter, were blown down south of Knife Lake on Jade Street.
June 2013Heavy RainMora-Storm total rainfall amount of 3.50 inches was measured near Mora.
June 2013Heavy RainKroschel-Storm total rainfall amount of 3.92 inches was measured near Kroschel.
May 2012Heavy RainOgilvie-A local observer measured 3.60 inches in the last 24 hours.
May 2012Heavy RainOgilvie-A local observer measured 4.10 inches in the last 24 hours.
May 2012HailWarman-The observer reported lots of penny, up to quarter size hail for approximately five minutes.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindMora-A few large trees were uprooted on Grove Street in Mora.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindMora Arpt-A tree was blown down across State Route 23. In addition, Spring Brook Golf Course had numerous large tree limbs blown down across the course.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindMora Arpt-Several 14 to 16 inch diameter trees were blown down near Mora, Minnesota.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindMora-A large tree was blown down northwest of Mora, Minnesota.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindMora-Several trees were blown down around Mora, Minnesota. In addition, the local AWOS at Mora measured a wind gust of 56 mph at 255 PM CST, with a report of 57 mph wind gust northeast of Mora on a local RAWS Station.
August 2009Heavy RainCoin-Several spotters and observer measured from four to six inches of rainfall in the last 12 hours.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindOgilvie-Five pine trees downed up to 1.5 feet in diameter. Some of the trees toppled onto power lines.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindGrasston-At least 6 trees downed four miles North of Braham.
November 2008HailMora-Dime to nickel size hail covered the ground.
July 2008HailOgilvie-Spotter also estimated winds to be greater then 50 mph.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindMora-Several trees and power line reported down in the city.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindMora-Trees down on power lines.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindMora-Tree down one half mile east of the intersection of County Road 19 and Highway 65.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindOgilvie-Many trees down; some were 18 inches in diameter. Minor structural damage to several homes in Mora.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindOgilvie-Roof ripped off barn at 1806 Delta Street. An outbuilding on this property was also damaged. The cover of a hot tub was shredded. The strong winds also lifted a calf out of its pen and flung it into a pasture. Scattered trees were also downed.

Mines and quarries

5 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 5 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction5

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Braham PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Ostman PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Pinz PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Smith Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Stromberg Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

11

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.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.