Yale Hardware Store

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

From the record

“The principal enterprises of Cannon Falls are as follows: Hardware - H. Van Campen is the oldest dealer in implements and vehicles in the city, having been agent for the McCormick harvesting machinery for a third of a century. 0.”
History of Goodhue County, Minnesota (1909). Machine-read text.

One of 60 National Register listings published here for Goodhue County · listed in 1980 · category: Building.

Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 139 N. 4th St., Cannon Falls, 55009
When was it listed? February 1980
Category. building
Also known as. Rural Goodhue County MRA
City. Cannon Falls city
National Register reference number. 80002045 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

22,029 words

The chapter on Cannon Falls City in History of Goodhue County, Including a Sketch of the Territory and State of Minnesota; Together with an Account of the Early French Discoveries, Indian Massacres, the Part Borne by Minnesota's Patriots in the War of the Great Rebellion, and a Full and Complete History of the County from the Time of Its Occupancy by Swiss Missionaries in 1838. Pioneer Incidents, Biographical Sketches of Early and Prominent Settlers and Representative Men, and of Its Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc, published 1878 names Cannon Falls. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

Derived its name from the Big Cannon River. The first settler was Edway Sto.ughton. Charles Parks soon followed, settling in the village of Cannon Falls, July, 1854. The first birth was Ellen Hartry, born Oct., 1855. The first death was David MeKune, August, 1855. Robert Fotherby and Miss Sarah Strange, were the first couple married who were residents of the township. Charles Parks officiating.

Passage source: History of Goodhue County, Including a Sketch of the Territory and State of Minnesota; Together with an Account of the Early French Discoveries, Indian Massacres, the Part Borne by Minnesota's Patriots in the War of the Great Rebellion, and a Full and Complete History of the County from the Time of Its Occupancy by Swiss Missionaries in 1838. Pioneer Incidents, Biographical Sketches of Early and Prominent Settlers and Representative Men, and of Its Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc, published 1878.

October 16, 1856, the Cannon Falls city addition was platted, which included all the Hunt and Barton claims. The Cannon Falls central addition was made December 13, 1856, including a part of the Richard Freeborn claim.

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 Cannon Falls City - 22,029 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

5 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Yale Hardware Store in 1994, burning about 2 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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
Debris and open burning	2
Misuse of fire by a minor	1
Arson/incendiarism	1
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	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
28 April 1994	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
18 April 1994	Misuse of fire by a minor	1.0 acres	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
1 April 1994	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
1 April 1994	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
30 October 1994	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named

Every fire recorded in Goodhue County

Mines and quarries near this property

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Yale Hardware Store: 2 producers, 1 unknown, 1 occurrence. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Silica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Gergen Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Goodhue County Sand Deposit No 3	Silica	Occurrence
Cannon Falls Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Sasnde Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer

Every working recorded in Goodhue County

Storms near this property

45 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cannon Falls, the town this property stands in, in 45 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 18 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 6 heavy rain, 3 tornado. The reports record 2 deaths and 1 injury. 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
June 1998	Flash Flood	Cannon Falls	2 killed, $1,500,000	Slow moving thunderstorms dumped 4 to 6 inches of rain in threes hours over portions of Goodhue county. Zumbrota received 6.46", Sogn 4.38", Wanamingo 5.49". Flash flooding resulted in many road closures. The Shades of Sherwood Campground was evacuated where some campers were washed into the Zumbro River. Several people were rescued when they were carried into the river along with their camper. Over 100 campers were destroyed. Two deaths occurred along the Zumbro River between Wanamingo and Zumbrota. An elderly couple evacuating the campground drove into a washed out section of road, or the road gave way under the weight of their vehicle. It is presumed the couple escaped from their vehicle only to drown in the river. 400 residents of Cannon Falls were evacuated. Flooding also occurred upstream in Sogn where several homes received major flood damage. Damage estimate for entire county.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	1 hurt	Mobile home destroyed injuring one person. Estimated windspeed.
May 2017	Hail	Cannon Falls	$250,000	Several reports of very large hail, up to 2.5 inches in diameter, fell from west of Dennison, to near Cannon Falls. There were reports of hail damage to siding, cars and roofs in this swath of large hail.
May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	$200,000	Several hundred trees downed from rear flank downdraft after the Northfield tornado had dissipated. Sheds and other outbuildings damaged.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	$100,000	There were multiple trees and power lines blown down from southwest of Cannon Falls, through Cannon Falls, and to the east of town. There were 3-4 houses that had roof damage, one of the houses had their entire roof blown off on Pine Street. One privately owned wind sensor between Cannon Falls and Red Wing had a report of 88 mph, but damage was too isolated for that type of wind severity.
September 2018	Tornado (EF0)	Cannon Falls	$15,000	This is the continued tornado track from the Dakota County tornado that moved an additional 0.7 miles east into Goodhue County. A storm survey concluded that EF0 damage occurred to a warehouse building in northern Goodhue County.
June 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	$10,000	Several trees were downed. The roof was ripped off a building in an industrial park north of the city.
April 2026	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	Hail measurement provided via NWS Chat.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	Trees down across Goodhue County, including the town of Cannon Falls. A MNDOT RWIS station located seven miles SSE of Cannon Falls measured a 58-mph wind gust.
June 2021	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	Social media had a picture of 2 inch diameter hail south of Cannon Falls.
June 2020	Heavy Rain	Cannon Falls	-	There was a 12 hour rainfall report near Cannon Falls of 5.28 inches.
June 2020	Heavy Rain	Cannon Falls	-	There was a 12 hour rainfall report south of Cannon Falls of 5.54 inches.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A large tree limb was snapped, and a 15 foot trailer was blown over in Cannon Falls.
August 2019	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	The hail lasted for 15 minutes, but the largest hail stone was ping pong size.
May 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A tree was blown down in Cannon Falls.
September 2018	Tornado (EF1)	Cannon Falls	-	A NWS storm survey, plus drone footage, concluded that an EF1 tornado tracked 1.9 miles which started 3 miles south of Cannon Falls, crossed over Highway 52, and lifted just south of downtown Cannon Falls. This tornado damaged a warehouse building, numerous large trees, homes, and a cemetery. The damage was consistent with EF1 damage with maximum wind speeds of 95 mph and a width of 440 yards. There was other damage to the north of the tornado track which was consistent with downburst winds.
September 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A NWS storm survey concluded that sporadic downburst and inflow wind damage occurred to trees and power lines from just west of downtown Cannon Falls, to approximately 4 miles east of Cannon Falls. There was no definite path of damage but more random uprooted trees and power lines. The damage is consistent with wind gusts of 70 mph.
September 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A NWS storm survey concluded that downburst winds caused damage to several large trees, and flattened a corn field.
March 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A few trees were blown down across the road east of Cannon Falls.
August 2014	Heavy Rain	Cannon Falls	-	A measured rainfall report of 2.91 inches fell southwest of Cannon Falls in the last 24 hours.
June 2012	Heavy Rain	Cannon Falls	-	A measured rainfall report of 8.83 inches occurred in less than 9 hours.
June 2012	Flash Flood	Cannon Falls	-	Emergency crews had to evacuate between 30 and 50 homes in Cannon Falls, due to rising waters near the Cannon River and Little Cannon River. The bridge in the main part of town had also been closed because of flooding.
June 2012	Flash Flood	Cannon Falls	-	Flooding was observed on Highway 52 near Cannon Falls, with some flooding reports on County Road 1, 14 and 18.
June 2012	Heavy Rain	Cannon Falls	-	An observer measured 3.31 inches of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
September 2010	Heavy Rain	Cannon Falls	-	A cooperative observer measured 4.85 inches of rainfall in 4.5 hours.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	Portion of large tree toppled onto garage of home in the 1100 block of North 1st Street. Reported by Cannon Falls Beacon newspaper.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A tree was downed.
June 2005	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	Walnut sized hail fell for 10 minutes in Leon Township, Section 8.
June 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	A MNDOT automated wind sensor recorded a gust of 62 MPH.
July 2002	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	One mile wide swath of hail. Crops damaged.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	Numerous 8 inch diameter branches down. Estimated windspeed.
June 1998	Tornado (F0)	Cannon Falls	-	Remained near Lake Byllesby.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	150 trees blown down. Roof ripped off house. Estimated windspeed.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Cannon Falls	-	Large tree branches blown down. Estimated windspeed.
April 2026	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
June 2021	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
June 2021	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
July 2009	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
May 2008	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
August 2007	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
April 2004	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
October 2004	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed
August 1996	Hail	Cannon Falls	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Goodhue County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Cannon Falls Commercial Historic District	under 500 feet	2000
Church of the Redeemer-Episcopal	under 500 feet	1980
Ellsworth Hotel Livery Stable	under 500 feet	1980
Firemen's Hall	under 500 feet	1980
Capt. Charles Gellett House	0.2 miles	1980
Darwin E. Yale House	0.2 miles	1980

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 80002045 in Record Group 79.
Goodhue County	All 60 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
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.