Discover The Vibrant History Of Little Falls, Minnesota

Little Falls is the county seat of Morrison County, it's located along Highways 10, 27 and 371.  It is 33 miles north of St. Cloud in Central Minnesota.  The population of Little Falls is 9,140 in the most recent census.

The Early Years

To help tell the story of Little Falls I was joined by longtime residents Greg Zylka and Susy Prosapio.  Zylka is the Mayor of the city while Prosapio is a business owner.  Little Falls was settled in 1848, the first dam and sawmill was built in 1849, the city was platted in 1855 and was incorporated in 1889.

Heritage and Religion

Zylka says the heritage of early Little Falls settlers is very diverse with settlers from numerous European countries with Polish and German being the most common. He says the majority of the early settlers were Roman Catholic.  Prosapio says they had 3 Catholic churches in town representing French, Polish and German.  She says the languages were set in those languages for quite awhile.  Little Falls is the home to the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls.  They established a hospital and orphanage.

Early Industry

Early industry in Little Falls included lumber.  The Pine Tree Lumber Company was established in Little Falls in 1890 along the Mississippi River by Frederick Weyerhaeuser. The company's operations were managed by Frederick Weyerhaeuser's son, Charles A. Weyerhaeuser, and his friend and business partner, Richard "Drew" Musser.  Prosapio says north of the dam those with depth finders can find built lumps where workers stood to sort the logs.  Both Zylka and Prosapio say Little Falls had ice houses along the river just north of the dam.

Transportation

The railroad came through Little Falls in 1881.  Zylka says is was a big deal to have the railroad come through the community and played a big role in the community's growth.  Major highways in the state continue to be apart of Little Falls.  Zylka recalls heavy traffic on Highways 10 and 371 in Little Falls prior to both becoming 4-lane divided highways.  Highway 10 became a 4-lane divided highway in the early 1950s thru Little Falls.

Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh grew up in Little Falls in the early 1900s.  He and his family lived on the west side of the Mississippi River.  The home is now a tourist site with a Museum on the adjacent property.  Zylka says numerous buildings and locations are named after Lindbergh including a park, elementary school and museum.  Little Falls will be celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic in 1927.  Zylka says Lindbergh means a lot to the community of Little Falls.  He says Little Falls had a big impact on Lindbergh's life and vice versa.

Attractions

Pine Grove Zoo is a unique attraction for a small town in Central Minnesota.  Prosapio and Zylka say people travel from all over the world to see the animals at the Pine Grove Zoo.  Falls Theatre has been restored in downtown Little Falls. Prosapio is the owner of Falls Theatre and she says it has 3 screens.

Manufacturing

Little Falls has many key manufacturing businesses in the community.  Zylka highlights: Barrett Petfood, North Freeze Dry, Wabash, Abrasive Blast Supply, Falls Fabricating, Airborne, DJ Products, Mielke Oil, Anderson Processing and Little Fall Machine.

Views

Little Falls offers incredible views from many locations along the river including from Maple Island Park just south of downtown.

Arts and Crafts Fair

The Arts and Craft Fair is held the weekend after Labor Day and brings people from all over.  Prosapio says it feels like a block party.  She says this event has been going in in Little Falls 51 years.  Other events include the tours of the Linden Hill Estates, held right after Thanksgiving every year.

If you'd like to listen to my 2-part conversation with Greg and Suzy, click below.