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Sherburne County, Minnesota

55 topographic sheets cover 16 settlements here, and 5 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

5 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Minnesota within the United States
Sherburne County within Minnesota

What the record shows

  • 212 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 5 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 structures, 2 districts and 1 building.
  • 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

5

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
Elk River Water Towerstructure201212000284
Elkhi Stadiumstructure200404000540
Herbert M. Fox Housebuilding198080002175
Oliver H. Kelley Homesteaddistrict196666000406
Minnesota State Reformatory for Men Historic Districtdistrict198686001671

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

1,311 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1,311 of them, burning about 4,708 acres. 12 started naturally and 178 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning552
Missing data/not specified/undetermined178
Arson/incendiarism178
Equipment and vehicle use136
Recreation and ceremony116
Railroad operations and maintenance71
Smoking30
Misuse of fire by a minor24
Natural12
Power generation/transmission/distribution6
Fireworks5
Other causes2
Firearms and explosives use1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 April 1996Debris and open burning1,299 acresSherburne National Wildlife RefugeNIKKO
21 October 1995Debris and open burning320 acresSherburne National Wildlife RefugeCARPENTER
3 May 2000Equipment and vehicle use220 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
24 November 1994Debris and open burning140 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
9 November 2006Arson/incendiarism108 acresMinnesota Department of Natural ResourcesHAMMER FIRE
30 April 1996Arson/incendiarism100 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
8 January 2003Debris and open burning70 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 March 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined68 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

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

Storms, 1966 to 2026

60 of 355 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 355 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 13 injuries and about $33,222,250 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail181
Thunderstorm Wind135
Tornado13
Funnel Cloud12
Heavy Rain9
Flash Flood4
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
July 1967Tornado (F2)not stated1 killed, 12 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindBig Lake1 hurtFive airplanes overturned at local airport. Roof blown off lumberyard, injurying a motorist. Fire hall doors blown off. Hundreds of trees blown down. Roofs ripped off numerous structures including middle school, apartment building and hardware store. Traffic lights down. Restaurant destroyed. Police car blown off the road. Estimated windspeed.
September 2005HailBig Lake$25,000,000Roof damage reported to hundreds of homes, and golf ball size hail punched through some home siding. Numerous vehicles damaged. A newspaper reported that two insurance companies totaled over 1500 claims in this area. Property damage total is for all of Sherburne County on 9-21-05.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindElk River$3,000,000Garage destroyed. Roof ripped off nursery. Estimated windspeed. Many trees blown over. Damage estimate for entire county.
April 2001Flash FloodCountywide$2,000,000no account filed
July 2010Thunderstorm WindBecker$250,000Several large 13-15 inch diameter trees were uprooted near Becker, Minnesota. In addition, a farm irrigation system was destroyed.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindElk River$100,000Numerous trees were blown down, along with damage to a farm's fence. Extensive damage occurred in the town of Elk River Minnesota, including the Sherburne County Fair where tents and sheds were blown over.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindElk River$100,000A used car sales trailer at Elk River Ford-Dodge-Jeep dealership was rolled; the dealership also incurred damage to a sign and some vehicles. Part of a townhome roof was blown off in the Kliever Lake Fields subdivision along County Road 12, just west of Fillmore Street. Some garage doors in the subdivision were pushed in, and one garage was damaged. An area along Yale Street, behind Broadway Bar, saw some damage, as did Park Pointe development. A garage door was blown in at the Furniture and Things warehouse on Ulysses Street. A semi-trailer outside a restaurant was blown over. Trees were blown down and signs were bent. Most information provided by the Annandale Advocate and the Elk River Star newspapers.
July 2011HailBig Lake$50,000Several reports of very large hail occurred from Big Lake, to approximately 5 miles north of Big Lake, Minnesota.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindOrrock$50,000Several spotters reported large trees blown down, along with damage to an antenna in Zimmerman, Minnesota. Several of the trees blown down had diameters of 30 inches from Orrock, to Zimmerman, Minnesota.
September 2016Thunderstorm WindBig Lake$25,000A 20 foot trailer was picked up and blown into a pickup truck and spread across a yard. There was damage to a shed and siding from the debris.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindElk River$25,000Multiple trees and power lines were blown down near Elk River.
July 2002Flash FloodCountywide$25,000Four to seven inches of rain fell, producing water over numerous roads. State highway 169 was closed between Princeton and Zimmerman, and County Road 31 was closed west of Santiago. Several dozen basements were flooded.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindElk River$25,000Roof partially removed from apartment building.
June 1983Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 2001Thunderstorm WindBecker$15,000Scattered trees down, some on cars. Roof was peeled off a pole barn.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindClear Lake$10,000Numerous trees down, boats and docks flipped along Briggs Lake. Some trees came down on homes and vehicles.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindBecker$7,000Roof partially peeled off business.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindClear Lake$5,000Several trees were uprooted in Clear Lake, Minnesota.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindLake Fremont$5,000A few trees were uprooted and landing on power lines near Zimmerman, Minnesota.
July 1973Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
September 2016HailBig Lake$2,000Hail occurred in the Aspen Hills area of Big Lake Township. Damage occurred to a vehicle in this location.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindElk River$500Several large tree branches were blown down in an Elk River parking lot.
April 1986Tornado (F0)not stated$250no account filed
April 2025HailClear Lake-Photo measurement provided via social media.
April 2025HailSantiago-Photo provided on social media of 1.5-inch hail.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindClear Lake-Snapped trees deposited debris on County Rd 16 off Hwy 10.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBecker-Report from Sheriffs dispatch of a tree down along a road in Becker Township.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindElk River-Ten-inch tree broken by thunderstorm winds.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindZimmerman-Three trees were reported down.
July 2023Funnel CloudBecker-A storm chaser reported a brief funnel cloud.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindZimmerman-Dispatch relayed multiple reports of trees down in Zimmerman. Time estimated by radar.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindElk River-Dispatch relayed multiple reports of trees down in Elk River.
July 2023HailBecker-Quarter to half dollar size hail via picture on Twitter.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindElk River-Tree fell on house and tent, three people had minor injuries. Time based on radar and dispatch report.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindElk River-A few trees and power lines were blown down in Elk River.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindZimmerman-A few trees were blown down south of Zimmerman.
May 2022HailBecker-There was a social media picture of 2 inch hail.
May 2022HailBecker-There was a social media picture of 2 inch hail.
May 2022HailZimmerman-There was a social media picture of 1 inch hail.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindBig Lake-A large tree blew down in Big Lake.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindOrrock-Several trees were blown down south of Orrock, and a few roads were blocked.
June 2020HailElk River-A social media picture of mainly dime to nickel size hail was noted.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBecker-Numerous trees were blown down, including one blown down on a house.
August 2018HailBig Lake-A picture of half dollar size hail was posted on social media.
March 2017Tornado (EF1)Orrock-A NWS storm survey concluded that an EF-1 tornado touched down about 5 miles west of Zimmerman and traveled northeast 8.8 miles, dissipating before reaching Highway 169. The storm also produced non-tornadic scattered tree damage due to strong inflow into the storm in a few locations, including on the east side of Highway 169, just south of Princeton. The tornado had a width of 300 yards, and maximum winds of 110 mph.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindPrinceton-Large trees were blown down along Highway 169, in Princeton. This was associated with the secondary downburst from the previous tornado in northeast Sherburne County.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindBecker-A few trees were snapped or split in half.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindBig Lake-There were numerous large branches blown down in Big Lake, some as large as 10 inches in diameter.
March 2017HailBecker-Large hail was reported northeast of Becker. Almost all of the hail was dime or smaller.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindElk River-A large tree was blown down in Elk River.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindElk River-Several large trees were blown down northwest of Elk River.
July 2016Heavy RainBecker-A trained spotter measured 3.25 inches of rain near Becker.
June 2015HailBig Lake-There were several reports of penny to nickel size hail northwest of Big Lake, and through the north and northeast part of town. The largest hail stone was quarter size, northeast of Big Lake.
June 2015HailElk River-There were several reports of hail west and south of Elk River. The largest hail stone was nickel size.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindBig Lake-A large tree blew down onto a power line on Riverview Drive in Monticello.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindPrinceton-A large 2.5 foot wide tree was snapped in half, along with two 30-40 feet tall trees uprooted just southeast of Princeton.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindOrrock-Severe thunderstorms knocked down power lines.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindOrrock-Several large one to two foot diameter trees were blown down.
June 2013Heavy RainPrinceton-Storm total rainfall amount of 2.04 inches was measured near Princeton.

Mines and quarries

18 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 18 workings inside this county. 17 still produce and 1 is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction18

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Barsody PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Barton Pit No 715Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Barton Pit No 717Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Big Lake Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Bussee PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Country Club PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProspect
Elk River PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Elk River Sand & GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Granite City S and G PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Granite City Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hanson Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Johnson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Kreger Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Malstrom Pit No 726Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Nemeth Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Plaisted SandSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Preussers PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Utz 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.