Fairmont/Martin County, MN Visitor & Relocation Guide

HISTORICAL SITES
The refinished interior of the
Fairmont Opera House
>> Fairmont History Timeline
1826 – Fort established as an army post and trade
center.
1857 – First permanent settlers, E. Banks Hall and
William H. Budd, arrive. Fairmont platted by the Des
Moines and Watonwan Land Company.
1858 – First post office in Martin County dedicated
in Fairmont.
1862 – Fort Fairmont established shortly after Sioux
Indian Uprising.
1873-77 – “Grasshopper Plague” hits area farms.
1878 – Southern Minnesota Railroad completed in
Fairmont.
1896 – First switchboard and telephones installed.
1909 – Fairmont Railway Motors established to
make small farm engines.
>> The ‘Lost Towns’ of Martin County
Gone but not forgotten, the nine ‘Lost Towns’ are
recognized via historical markers throughout the
county. Thanks to the dedication of the Martin
County Historical Society, these former communities
will be remembered by future generations, and
visitors can trace these ghost towns with the
organization’s tour map.
They include Manyaska, established in 1899 and
once a prosperous shipping point for livestock and
grain, the town of De Soto, named for a Spanish
explorer, and Tenhassen, a former bustling
settlement where only its cemetery remains.
Visit Martin County Historicaly Society online
fairmont.org/mchs for more details and to
download the map.
Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce
Fairmont Chamber
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