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Elgin, Minnesota

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Elgin City. It lies in ZIP code area 55932. It stands on Dry Creek. The Survey maps it on the Millville quadrangle. 1,115 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,060 feet above sea level.

Elgin within Wabasha County

Population over time

2 figures

Elgin grew from 1,089 to 1,115 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20101,089
20201,115+26 (+2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 15 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

10,138 words on this township

History of Wabasha County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc. : Gathered from Matter Furnished by Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township, and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Also a History of Winona County, published 1884 names this settlement in its chapter on Elgin City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The town of Elgin, which occupies a central position in that portion ot southeastern Minnesota known as Greenwood Prairie is, with the exception of the town of Plainview, the only one in the southern tier of towns in Wabasha county ; being bounded by the town of Oakwood and a part of Zumbro on the north, Plainview on the east, and Olmstead county on the west and south. Elgin is described on the government survey as T. 108 N., R. 12 W., and is a town of thirty-six sections, which come very near containing 640 full acres each, and thereby making the town exactly six miles square ; but the survey of H. Amerland, Jr., made in 1875, which is doubtless correct, shows that both the northern and western tiers of quarter-sections fall short by 278. 1-i acres of containing the requisite number for making a full township ; being an average deficiency of about 5.92 acres to each of these quarter-sections. This deficiency, when taken as a whole, is but a slight one, and has been little noticed by the average resident, who generally describes Elgin as a " full government township, six miles square," and for all ordinary purposes we agree with him in saying that this description is near enough correct.

Passage source: History of Wabasha County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc. : Gathered from Matter Furnished by Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township, and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Also a History of Winona County, published 1884.

Its productive soil and pleasant location, with a surface sufficiently undulating to secure excellent natural drainage, renders Elgin's agricultural advantages second to none in the county. The north branch of the Whitewater river enters the town from Olmsted county at section 33, and flows in about a northeasterly direction through section 33, and across the northwest corner of section 34 into section 27, south of the village of Elgin, when it takes an easterly course throngli sections 27, 26 and 25, into the town of Plainview. This stream, together with Dry creek, which empties into tlie north branch of the Whitewater on section 27, drains the southern part of the town, while the streams in the northern part are tributai-y to the Zumbro.

Passage source: History of Wabasha County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc. : Gathered from Matter Furnished by Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township, and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Also a History of Winona County, published 1884.

Dm-ing the first part of April, 1855, George Bryant, Henry H. Atherton, Curtis Bryant and Gfeorge Farrar, four hardy sons of the Green Mountain state, set out from St. Charles, where they had been stopping a few days, to find a suitable place to locate farmsites and establish homes for themselves on some of the land so generously olfered by " Uncle Sam.'' When these energetic pioneei's reached tlie ])ortion of Greenwood Prairie where the town of Elgin now stands, they were struck with the great natural advantages the country alibrded, and determined to seek no further, but to take all the necessary precautions toward securing their rights of preemption then and there ; and after camping out for the night they commenced bright and early with the dawn of the next day to get out logs for a house, in the construction of which George Farrar acted as "boss carpenter." This took place about April 8, 1855, and was the first settlement made in the town. The log house referred to, being the first erected in the town, was shingled with elm bark, and put up on the claim of Henry H. Atherton, and not only served as a dwelling-place for the pioneers who built it, but also was the shelter of other early settlers and their families, who came later. The place wliere it stood is between the present residence of John Q. Eichardson and the Whitewater, but no vestige of the old house now remains.

Passage source: History of Wabasha County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc. : Gathered from Matter Furnished by Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township, and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Also a History of Winona County, published 1884.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Elgin City - it names this place 33 more 33 times.

Fires near this place

8 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Elgin between 1994 and 2011, burning about 4 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Smoking4
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Debris and open burning1
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 May 2000Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
5 April 2000Smokingunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 April 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
14 April 2000Smokingunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
1 April 1994Smokingunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
8 November 1999Smokingunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
16 November 2011Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
21 October 2011Debris and open burningunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Wabasha County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Elgin: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Thiel QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Wabasha County

Storms near this place

37 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Elgin in 37 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 17 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 3 flash flood, 3 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2007Flash FloodElgin$1,200,000Flash flooding quickly hit area creeks, even into the Millville, Plainview, and Zumbro Falls area. Several roads were closed as flood waters peaked overnight including damage to some businesses and homes. A few mudslides hit County Roads 2 and 11, among other areas, including a huge boulder that washed on to a road at the start of the flooding. At least 44 families were impacted in Elgin with lower numbers in other communities.
August 2007Flash FloodElgin$400,000County Highways 2 and 25 were closed near the Wabasha/Olmsted county line.
April 2026Tornado (EF1)Elgin$90,000This tornado moved into Wabasha County from Olmsted County and damaged outbuildings and one residence along its path before dissipating near the intersection of County Road 2 and 550th Street.
April 2026Tornado (EF2)Elgin$90,000This tornado continued into Wabasha County from Olmsted County where it damaged one residence, some farm outbuildings, power poles, and trees before dissipating near 230th avenue.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindElgin$60,000no account filed
December 2021Thunderstorm WindElgin$40,000A barn was destroyed northeast of Elgin.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindElgin$40,000no account filed
July 2024Thunderstorm WindElgin$15,000The public reported a tree down on a house and a vehicle southwest of Elgin.
August 2000HailElgin$15,000no account filed
June 1999Thunderstorm WindElgin$15,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindElgin$15,000no account filed
July 2024Thunderstorm WindElgin$11,000A baseball dugout was completely destroyed in Elgin.
May 2017Tornado (EF0)Elgin$10,000An EF-0 tornado briefly touched down in Elgin. It produced a short path of tree and roof shingle damage.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindElgin$8,000no account filed
March 2005Thunderstorm WindElgin$5,000no account filed
July 2018Thunderstorm WindElgin$3,000Trees and power lines were blown down near Elgin.
July 1999HailElgin$3,000no account filed
May 2002HailElgin$2,500no account filed
May 2020Thunderstorm WindElgin$2,000A large tree was uprooted in Elgin.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindElgin$1,500Several large tree branches were blown down in Elgin.
June 2005HailElgin$1,000no account filed
March 2025HailElgin-The public reported half dollar sized hail near Elgin, Minnesota.
July 2024Flash FloodElgin-Trained spotters reported flooding of ditches near residences in Elgin.
July 2024HailElgin-Numerous sources reported penny to quarter sized hail in Elgin.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindElgin-The public reported trees down in Elgin.
August 2019HailElgin-Quarter sized hail was reported near Elgin.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindElgin-Amateur radio operators measured a wind gust of 66 miles per hour three miles southwest of Plainview.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindElgin-Amateur radio operators measured a wind gust of 60 miles per hour in Elgin.
March 2005HailElgin-no account filed
May 2004HailElgin-no account filed
June 2003HailElgin-no account filed
April 2002HailElgin-no account filed
April 2002Thunderstorm WindElgin-no account filed
June 1999Thunderstorm WindElgin-no account filed
May 1998HailElgin-no account filed
June 1998HailElgin-no account filed
June 1997HailElgin-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wabasha County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Plainview4.9 miles13
Bremen6.2 miles15
Millville8.2 miles15
Jarrett8.7 miles15
Hammond9.1 miles15
South Troy10.9 miles16
Theilman11.4 miles15
West Albany11.9 miles13

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on ElginAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2230786The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 643242. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.