BlockBefore

Martin County, Minnesota

19 topographic sheets cover 16 settlements here, and 8 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

8 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service

Minnesota within the United States
Martin County within Minnesota

What the record shows

  • 105 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 8 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 7 buildings and 1 district.
  • 2 of the 8 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 16 populated places in this county; 16 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

8

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
Orville P. and Sarah Chubb Housebuilding199595000616
Fairmont Opera Housebuilding198080004530
First Church of Christ Scientistbuilding198888000594
Martin County Courthousebuilding197777000755
Sherburn Commercial Historic Districtdistrict198787001303
Sherburn Community Buildingbuilding2021100007072
United States Post Office, Fairmontbuilding200808000403
George Wohlheter Housebuilding197575000994

Wildfire, 2000 to 2017

5 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 5 of them, burning about 148 acres. None started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined3
Arson/incendiarism2

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
18 April 2007Arson/incendiarism50 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 November 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined48 acresWindom Wetland Management DistrictSHEEK 11G & 11 XÂ
23 October 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined45 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 2013Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
16 October 2000Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWindom Wetland Management DistrictWEST DITCH - PL ASSIST

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

Storms, 1951 to 2026

60 of 332 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 332 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $4,605,280 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail140
Thunderstorm Wind139
Tornado22
Flash Flood15
Heavy Rain9
Flood3
Funnel Cloud3
Lightning1

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
September 2018Tornado (EF1)Granada$1,500,000A NWS Storm survey confirmed an EF1 tornado developed just west of the City of Granada, and tracked eastward for 5.3 miles as it moved into Faribault County. The average width was 220 yards and damaged several homes in Granada, before moving across farmland to the east. Numerous large trees were uprooted or blown down. The damage in Granada was consistent with EF1 damage as large sections of roof structures were removed, and one house was shifted from its foundation. Highest winds were estimated at 105 mph.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindFairmont$1,000,000Grain bin blown over. Estimated windspeed. Vehicle damage due to hail.
September 2010FloodTrimont$915,000Numerous roads were closed due to excessive rainfall that fell on September 22nd and 23th.
May 1996Thunderstorm WindWilbert$600,000no account filed
June 1951Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
June 2015Thunderstorm WindFairmont$50,000A tree was blown down and landed on a house in Fairmont.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindSherburn$50,000A tree was uprooted and fell onto a car and building causing significant damage in Sherburn.
April 2014LightningFairmont Arpt$45,000A lightning bolt struck a sign and blew a hole in the ground, at the Fairmont Municipal Airport. Multiple bulbs were blown out, and the underground transformers and wiring were damaged.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindEast Chain$25,000Numerous large trees were blown down, plus a home's roof was blown off near East Chain.
June 1983Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1977Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 1971Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1953Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 2012Thunderstorm WindWilbert$15,000Several trees were blown down, along with a machine shop roof damaged.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindTrimont$15,000Several trees and power lines were blown down near Trimont, Minnesota.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindFairmont$10,000There were pictures of damage in the city of Fairmont. This included a large tree that fell down on a truck, and a few trees uprooted.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindFairmont$10,000Several trees were blown down in the City of Fairmont due to severe thunderstorm wind gusts.
July 2010Flash FloodGranada$5,000A local weather observer reported 4.10 inches of rainfall in less than two hours. A local creek rose a few feet in less than an hour and caused some basement flooding in the town of Granada.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindTrimont$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds blew numerous large branches and some street signs down in the city of Trimont.
June 1960Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1958Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1957Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 2010Thunderstorm WindGranada$2,000The City of Granada had a flag pole bent in half due to severe thunderstorm wind gusts.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindAlpha$500Strong thunderstorm winds were reported of up to 67 mph in extreme Western Martin County.
May 1978Tornado (F0)not stated$250no account filed
July 1981Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
March 2025Thunderstorm WindFairmont Arpt-The AWOS at Fairmont AP, KFRM, measured a wind gust of 58 mph.
August 2025Flash FloodSherburn-The Emergency Manager reported flooding in Dunnell with several homes having water up to 4 inches deep in basements. There was damage a waste water facility as well. Several gravel roads were damaged including in Jay Township and Lake Fremont Township.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindWelcome-Measured by a MNDOT Road Weather Information System.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindFairmont-A few large trees were down in Fairmont.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindWelcome-Measured by a MNDOT Road Weather Information System.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFairmont Arpt-This wind gust was measured at KFRM airport on the 356 pm CDT observation. The sustained wind was measured at 36 mph. This was likely rear flank downdraft in the wake of the tornado. The previous observation had been at 349 pm.
May 2024Tornado (EF0)Fairmont-A tornado touched down on Hall Lake and moved northeast. Numerous photos with locations enabled this to be a virtual survey. The photos are not able to be shared on this site. The beginning of the path was estimated based on photos of the tornado over Hall Lake. Two pontoons were flipped along the shore of Hall Lake. Several dozen trees were broken and a fence was blown down. Near the end of its path, a small metal shed had part of one side blown outward. The estimated maximum wind speed was 75 mph.
May 2024HailWelcome-Hail razed a bean field, which had to be replanted.
June 2024Heavy RainTruman-A total of 4 to 5 inches of rain fell from multiple rounds of thunderstorms. CoCoRaHS observers measured 5.20 inches near Truman.
August 2023HailFairmont-Hail the size of quarters fell at the fairgrounds along with gusty winds that nearly blew away tents during an event.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindCeylon-A few trees were blown down north of Ceylon.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindNorthrop-A few trees were blown down near Northrop.
April 2021HailTruman-Spotter sent photos of the hail. Most hail was smaller and covered much of the ground. There was little wind.
April 2021HailNorthrop-Spotters sent pictures of large hailstones. The hailstones were described as at least half dollar size. The hailstones could have been larger based on the picture.
June 2020HailOrmsby-Large hail fell just south of the Martin, Watonwan County line.
July 2020HailFairmont-There was a picture of quarter size hail on social media.
August 2019Tornado (EF0)Fairmont Arpt-A storm chaser was 5 miles southeast of Fairmont, and reported a brief touchdown 1 mile northwest of his location in an open field. No damage was reported, but it appeared visually to have been weak.
July 2018Tornado (EF0)Ceylon-The local police officer video taped a tornado between Susan Lake, and Fish Lake, west of Ceylon. The tornado was estimated to be 10 yards wide and slowly moved west-northwest. Most of the damage was to a row of trees between the lakes.
September 2018Thunderstorm WindCeylon-A NWS storm survey concluded that severe straight line winds blew down or uprooted numerous trees and power lines from near Ceylon, northeast to Fairmont.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindWelcome-A tree blew down and landed on a trailer in Welcome. No injuries were reported.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindNorthrop-A tree blew down and landed on power lines near Northrop.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindTruman-Several large tree branches and a tree blew down near Truman.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindTrimont-Several trees were uprooted in Trimont.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindFairmont-A wind sensor on a local radio tower measured a 59 knot wind gust.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindFairmont-Several trees were blown down in Fairmont.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindFairmont-An 18-wheeler truck was over turned on I-90 near Fairmont.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindTruman-Several trees were blown down in Truman.
May 2016HailFairmont Arpt-Most of the hail was quarter size, but a few were as large as golf ball.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindFairmont-Several large tree branches were blown down in Fairmont.
June 2014Heavy RainFairmont-A measured 12 hour rainfall total of 2.95 inches near Fairmont.
June 2014Flash FloodFairmont-Significant street flooding in the city of Fairmont with several areas impassable for a period of time.
June 2014Flash FloodWelcome-Water over the road near Welcome as heavy rainfall caused area ditches to fill up and spill out over the highway.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindTrimont-A measured 58 knot wind gust from a mobile anemometer. Large trees were also reported down near Trimont.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindTrimont-Several large tree branches were blown down.

Mines and quarries

11 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 11 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, Construction11

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Cealander PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Celander Pit No 1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Celander Pit No 2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hilpiper PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hodgman PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hunt Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Kruger PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Maday PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Parsons PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Tow Bros PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Tow PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

16

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.