Wadena County, Minnesota
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 6 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1973. Most listings are in or near Wadena, Menahga, Staples.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Minnesota is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Wadena titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP3 of 6 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
6 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Blueberry Lake Village Site | Menahga | 1973 |
| Commercial Hotel | Wadena | 1988 |
| Northern Pacific Passenger Depot | Wadena | 1989 |
| Old Wadena Historic District | Staples | 1973 |
| Reaume's Trading Post | Wadena | 1974 |
| Wadena Fire and City Hall | Wadena | 1989 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBWadena was formed in 1858 (1858-06-11) from Cass, Todd.
WADENA created from CASS and TODD.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusWadena County population from 1870 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1870 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2,080 | 7,921 | 10,699 | 12,772 | 12,806 | 12,199 | 14,192 | 13,713 | 14,065 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS23 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 23 of 23 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Alajoki Cemetery |
| Evergreen Cemetery |
| Evergreen Cemetery |
| Finnish Cemetery |
| Greenhill Cemetery |
| Greenlawn Cemetery |
| Huntersville Cemetery |
| Jim Cook Cemetery |
| Leaf River Cemetery |
| Lyons Cemetery |
| Mantyla Cemetery |
| Montrose Cemetery |
| Mother of Sorrows Cemetery |
| North Germany Cemetery |
| Red Eye Cemetery |
| Saint Ann' Cemetery |
| Saint Frederick's Cemetery |
| Saint Huberts Cemetery |
| Sebeka Cemetery |
| Shell City Cemetery |
| Wadena Cemetery |
| West Lyons Cemetery |
| Wing River Union Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Wadena County, Minnesota
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