Gordonsville, Minnesota
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Shell Rock Township. It lies in ZIP code area 56036. It stands on Goose Creek. The Survey maps it on the Glenville quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 10 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1954 USGS Albert Lea quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Glenville quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Albert Lea quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
1,742 words on this townshipHistory of Freeborn County, Minnesota, published 1911 has no passage naming this settlement, which was common for smaller places. Its township is covered in full.
The chapter on Shell Rock Township covers the township.
Read the chapter on Shell Rock Township - 1,742 words.
Fires near this place
3 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Gordonsville between 2011 and 2014, burning about 5 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 4969 NIGHTINGALE NORTHWOOD, IA, IA |
| 6 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 1020 MARKS HILL RD. NORTHWOOD, IA, IA |
| 18 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 12 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Gordonsville: 10 producers, 2 past producers. 10 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Aase Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Jenson Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Knutson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Nelson Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Olson Pit Wash Plant & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Perkins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sanderson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Vanderhorse Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
11 since 2012Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gordonsville in 11 storm reports between 2012 and 2024: 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2022 | Flash Flood | Gordonsville | $300,000 | Heavy rain caused flooding across much of western, southern, and central Freeborn County, with significant damage to numerous roads, bridges, and ditches in multiple townships, affecting areas in and near Shell Rock Watershed. Flooding caused major damage to two homes in Alden and two in Albert Lea, with walls collapsed. One more home in Albert Lea sustained minor damage. Local media also showed two vehicles fully submerged at the intersection of Franks Avenue and East 8th Street in Albert Lea. There were also cars submerged in a parking lot on Main Street and South Washington Avenue. |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gordonsville | - | Dozens of mature trees were down along 810th Avenue north of Gordonsville. |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gordonsville | - | Multiple trees were down in Gordonsville. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Gordonsville | - | A brief tornado occurred south of Glenville. It spun up around 782nd Ave and tracked northeast producing some tree damage until it reached 795th Ave. There, it damaged farm buildings and tossed hay bales across the road. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gordonsville | - | About one dozen trees were damaged. A storage shed lost a portion of its tin roof. Damage was too scant and scattered to consider this tornadic. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gordonsville | - | A wind gust of 50 knot was measured by the Minnesota Department of Transportation wind sensor along Interstate 35, near the Iowa, Minnesota border. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gordonsville | - | A large tree was blown down south of Albert Lea. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Gordonsville | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Gordonsville | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gordonsville | - | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Hail | Gordonsville | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenville | 4.4 miles | 10 | |
| Myrtle | 6.0 miles | 9 | |
| Murtaugh | 7.2 miles | 10 | |
| Stoney Creek Estates | 8.9 miles | 10 | |
| Hayward | 9.5 miles | 9 | |
| Twin Lakes | 9.5 miles | 10 | |
| London | 10.2 miles | 9 | |
| Petran | 10.2 miles | 9 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 644276. 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.





