History

• The City of Madelia was founded on September 10, 1857 by a group of investors.
• Madelia is in Wantonwan County on Highways 15 and 60. It is near the Wantonwan River and Fedji Lake.
• Madelia was established by 5 men who bought the rights to a section along the Wantonwan River. Philander Hartshorn, David Haire, Leander Sheppard, Stephan Benjamin, and James Hudson originally named the new town “Wacapa.” Within a year the name was changed to Madelia in honor of Hartshorn’s deceased teenage daughter.
• Joseph Flanders is often referred to as “The Father of Madelia” because of his great influence on the community. He was responsible for the major construction and development of the twon, including the original courthouse.
• A legislative act in 1860 designated the County of Wantonwan, and named Madelia as the county seat. In 1878 the county seat was moved to St.James.
• An infamous band of bank robbers, the Younger Brothers, were captured just west of Madelia at the sites of Fort Cox, Fort Slocum, and Fort Hill, as well as at the Ashippum Post Office, which was the 1st post office in Wantonwan County. The comlpetely restored and furnished post office is on display in the city park.
• Madelia’s population grew rapidly in the city’s first few decades. Much of this growth is attributed to the construction of Fort Cox during the 1862 Sioux Uprising, as well as the coming of the railroad. Madelia lay on the main line which ran from Minneapolis to Omaha, encouraging many settlers and businessmen to establish themselves there.
• Madelia is home to the Warren Truss Bridge, believed to be the oldest of this type of bridge in the state.
• A relatively famous artist, Marion Anderson, is from Madelia.

Businesses

• Madelia Pubic School is one of the larger employers in town. When they are paired with Truman Schools in some sports, they are known as the Jayhawks. For Madelia basketball and volleyball, the mascot is the Blackhawks.
• The primary focus of industry in Madelia is agriculture and agri-business. Two examples of this are the LaSalle Farmer’s Grain Company in Madelia, and Tony Downs Foods, which packages canned and frozen food.
• Some other important businesses in Madelia include: printing companies House of Print and Preferred Print, Gopher Concrete, and Forstner Fire Apparatus, which makes custom-built fire engines utilized by fire departments across the country.
• Health care is also an important industry in Madelia. Examples include: Madelia Community Hospital, which has received numerous state and national honors for their health care and employment practices, Luther Memorial Home, an assisted living facility, and the “Between The Bridges” Health Care Center.
• The largest employer in the City of Madelia completed major upgrades in 2005. Tony Downs Foods added a new reception area and offices and expanded their production lines. The facility is capable of capping 600 cans per minute.
• The Madelia Community Hospital was found to be in the top 8-percent nationwide of facilities that help reduce hospitalization. The study was conducted with over 75-hundred Medicare agencies in the United States.

Festivals & Events

• Madelia’s big summer celebration is “Park Days.” The annual festival is always held the weekend after the 4th of July in madelia’s Wanton Park. Park Days features numerous forms of stage entertainment including music and comedy acts as well as special interest shows. There’s plenty of food and drink too, of course, and lots of other fun activities.
• Madelia celebrates the capture of a notorious band of bank robbers every year. The Younger Brothers Capture event features a re-enactment of the capture, as well as a family barn dance, an all-city auction, and plenty of food and other activities. The Younger Brothers Capture takes place in September.
• Madelia lights up the night and celebrates the holiday season with the Razzle Dazzle Light-Up Parade. This parade of lights through downtown Madelia is wildly popular and takes place the Friday before Thanksgiving.
• Madelians open up their homes to the public once a year during the Tour of Homes. The tour takes place in November.

People

• Mayor of Madelia is Michael Grote and the population of Madelia is approximately 2400.
• In 2010 Madelia High School Senior Kevin Gustafson, the son of Ray and Sherri Gustafson of Madelia, was selected as the Outstanding Young Adult for the entire state by the Minnesota Women of Today. Kevin is a member of the FFA, the National Honor Society, the Business Professionals of America, and Mock Trial. He also plays several sports, sings in the school choir, is active in his church and 4-H, and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts in 2010 as well. Kevin has also been on a trip to South Africa where he helped teach youth how to farm crops and raise small animals.
• A new world record was set in 2010 during Madelia’s Park Days celebrations. Ryan Guyer of Madelia broke the record for wearing the most-shirts at one time, making it all the way to 233 t-shirts, in just an hour and a half. That breaks the record of 227 t-shirts at one time set by a Swedish man in 2007. Guyer had to go up to a size 6XL t-shirt in order to squeeze into the 233 shirts for the Guinness Book of World Records.
• In 2010 the Madelia School District made the decision to offer some online classes to students in grades 9 through 12. The initiative was formulated with the national company Lincoln Interactive at a cost to the district of $225 per course. The long-term goal of the online learning initiative is to be able to offer classes to K-12 students across the state, potentially bringing Madelia upwards of $4,000 per student.
• The Madelia Community Hospital was designated a Level 4 trauma hospital in 2010. The designation process included a review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities to care for trauma patients. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance improvement process.
• In 2010, Scott Melzer of Madelia won $100,000 playing a Minnesota Lottery scratch-game. Scott won playing the $5 Bucks and Ducks scratch-off that he purchased at the Hy-Vee Gas Station on South Broadway in New Ulm.
• The Department of Defense confirmed the death of 20 year old Specialist Emilio Campo Junior from Madelia in 2011. Campo was one five soldiers who were killed in Baghdad when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire. The soldiers were assigned to a unit out of Fort Riley, Kansas.
• The Madelia Chamber of Commerce presented the community’s annual “Oscar Sorbel Hometown Hero” award posthumously to Army Specialist Emilio Campo Junior in 2011. His volunteer work prior to enlisting included mission trips with his church, working for the local food shelf, and as a speaker at area schools.
• Madelia Community Hospital ended their relationship with Mayo Clinic Health Systems in 2011. The relationship between the two had lasted for more than a decade. Madelia Community Hospital also earned Accreditation in 2011 in Mammography. The American College of Radiology gold seal of accreditation represents the highest image quality and patient safety.
• A new program at Madelia High School in 2011 has had a drastic effect on students with failing grades. The program is called “Blackhawk Time.” Students meet with their Blackhawk Time teachers every Tuesday for 40 minutes, and once a month teachers perform grade checks on students. Both the teachers and students strive for academic goals and character enrichment.
• The 15th annual Younger Brothers Capture Celebration was held in September 2011. There was a petting zoo and horse rides throughout the day, and at High Noon the Farmers State Bank in downtown Madelia was robbed. A gunfight and capture of the robbers took place seven miles west of Madelia at the Historical Capture Monument.
• A $182,000 renovation was underway in 2011 in the City of Madelia’s Watona Park. Work was done on the park’s electrical systems which were damaged by the severe flooding in the area in 2010, and was paid for with FEMA funds.
• The Manager of Anytime Fitness in Madelia, Teri Kratz, was featured on the TODAY Show in a bikini to share her weight loss success story in April 2011.
• The roof of the clubhouse at the Madelia Golf Course collapsed in February 2011. The structure had been severely damaged by the flooding experienced in the fall of 2010, and could not sustain the weight of the snow piled on top of it. The Madelia City Council authorized repairs to the flood-damaged interior of the clubhouse that included replacing cupboards, drywall, carpet, and furniture. The roof and enclosed porch were repaired as well.

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