History

• The City of Redwood Falls was founded in the year 1864 by Colonel Samuel McPhale and O-C Martin.
• Redwood Falls is the county seat of Redwood County.
• Redwood Falls is located on the south side of the Minnesota River. The Redwood River runs through town, as well as Ramsey Creek.
• Redwood falls began as a fort shortly after the Sioux Uprising in 1862. It was originally called “Redwood Stockade.”
• The 1862 Sioux Uprising began just outside Redwood Falls in Birch Coulee.
• North Redwood, which was incorporated into the City of Redwood Falls, used to be called “Riverside.” It was a big steamboat landing in the late 1800′s, and it was from there that the Sears Catalog business was started in 1888 by Richard W. Sears. The 1st thing sold through Sears were watches, via the railroad.
• The Carnegie Library in redwood falls was built in 1904.
• The elimination of capital punishment began in Redwood Falls with the hanging of William Rose. The rope broke during Rose’s hanging, and he had to be strung up again.
• The largest municipal park in the State of Minnesota is in Redwood Falls. Ramsey Park was designated as a state park in 1911, and the city purchased it for 1 dollar in 1956. It encompasses 217 acres, and includes a zoo. There are many 1930′s W-P-A buildings still standing and in use in the park. The falls in the park are beautiful at any time of the year.
• Some famous people from Redwood Falls include: Richard W. Sears, the founder of Sears; Aubrey Durlam, the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for 27 years; and Charles Duncan Gilfillan, who owned an entire block in Saint Paul and sold that city it’s water system, which is still in use to this day.

Businesses

• The school district in Redwood Falls is called Redwood Valley. Their mascot is in the Cardinal.
• Redwood Falls has a thriving manufacturing sector. Some of their businesses involved in this industry include: John Day Manufacturing, Warrior Manufacturing, RVI Inc. which makes computer components, and Schult Homes, which makes manufactured homes.
• The Redwood Area Hospital in Redwood falls is a major employer in the area.
• The agricultural nature of the Redwood Falls area is reflected in Central Bi-Products, an animal feed rendering plant.
• Jackpot Junction Hotel and Casino employs numerous people from Redwood Falls. It is located only 4 miles east of Redwood Falls.

Festivals & Events

• The Redwood County Fair is held in Redwood Falls every year on the second weekend of June. inventors from across the nation, kids and adults alike, flock to Redwood Falls to display their newest gizmos, gadgets, widgets, and whatchamacallits. The Minnesota Inventors Congress has been around for over 50 years now.
• Redwood Falls holds an arts and crafts festival every year called the Old Fashioned Fall Festival. It is held the 4th Saturday in September.
• Redwood falls celebrates “Christmas By Candlelight” on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
• There are city-wide garage sales twice a year in Redwood Falls.
• Redwood Falls holds a Business Expo in February, and a Home Show every spring.

People

• The City of Redwood falls has a population of approximately 5,500 people. The Mayor is Gary Revier.
• A Redwood Falls man hit a major milestone in giving the Gift of Life in 2011. Ken Morris reached the 16-gallon mark in blood donations, the equivalent of visiting the Bloodmobile 128 times.
• A new map featuring new historical walking tours in the City of Redwood Falls was unveiled in 2011. The map was made possible through a $6,800 grant from the MN Historical Society.
• The 2011 inductees into the redwood Area School Hall of Fame included: Dennis Moore and Lynn Bonebright as Community and Paul Ramseth and Harlund Routhe as Alumni.
• A new water treatment facility in Redwood Falls began operation in 2011. The new facility processes up to 1.5 million gallons per day.
• Redwood Falls got a new assistant police chief in 2011. Waseca native Jason Cotner began his duties with the Redwood Police Department in April.
• A historic retaining wall in Redwood Falls underwent renovations in 2011. The wall along the “Y” intersection of Highways 71 and 67 was originally built in 1935.
• The overlook area at the Ramsey Park falls area in Redwood Falls was re-opened in 211 after undergoing a major renovation project. Wood and plastic fences were replaced by a black chain link fence that matches the new fencing at the Ramsey Park Zoo. The Redwood Area Chamber of Commerce got a new executive director in 2011. Alyssa Adam began her duties on May 2nd. She replaced Jean Hallberg, who moved to Perham.
• A Redwood Valley High School student came in second place in a statewide “Distracted Teens” traffic safety television commercial contest in 2011. Jared Arentson won $600 for his spot titled “Mom Isn’t Always Watching.”
• The 54th annual Minnesota Inventors Congress took place in Redwood Falls in June of 2011. A total of 8 gold medals were awarded. Receiving the Maynard Speece Memorial People’s choice award were a pair of inventors from Illinois for their Get Trike – a green, zero emission, transportable exercise machine. The F. Robert Starr Grand Prize went to an agriculture invention: the Row Basket by Lloyd Van Buskirk and Brian Meldahl of Brownsdale, Minnesota. It attaches to the planter row unit, busts up clumps and firms up the seed bed. They received a cash award, a two minute video for marketing purposes and a consultation with experts to help them take their product into the marketplace.
• The Redwood School District received nearly $10,000 from the school booster club in 2011 to be used towards transportation, uniforms, senior awards, sound equipment, band drum carriers, and more.
• A major series of thunderstorms caused widespread damage in Redwood Falls on July 1st, 2011. Several tornadoes were confirmed, and much of the area was declared a federal disaster area. There were no serious injuries.
• Members of the Patriot Guard placed wreaths in every community in Redwood County in December, including in Redwood Falls. Wreaths Across Redwood County is part of a nationwide effort to remember fallen soldiers, honor those who have served, and teach children the value of freedom. Congress has declared the second Saturday in December as Wreaths Across America day, and last year over 160,000 wreaths honored our veterans. In Redwood County the wreaths were donated by the Redwood Falls chapter of the VFW.
• The renovation of the zoo at Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls is continuing in the near future with the city being awarded a Parks and Trails Legacy Grant from the Minnesota DNR recently. The City of Redwood Falls will be receiving more than $232,000 for the third phase of the zoo renovation. This project will begin in the summer of 2012 and will include renovations to the park’s road, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, fencing, and river walk. In the summer of 2011 the Friends of the Park received a $100,000 donation to complete the rehab of the buffalo and elk pens at the zoo as well, and these 2 projects will be likely be completed together.
• The Redwood Falls City Council in early 2012 approved an ordinance that reorganizes the city’s park and recreation departments. They will now be reorganized into one unified department to allow staff assignments to be managed in a more efficient manner. The proposed changes also reduce the number of department managers that report directly to the City Administrator from 3 down to 1. Current Redwood Area Community Center Manager Jackie Edwards will be reclassified to Parks and Recreation Director.
• In 2010 the redwood Area Chamber of Commerce handed out awards as part of the 13th Annual Chef’s Dinner. Joel Mathiowitz of United FCS in redwood Falls was the winner of the Hideen Gem Award. Connie Martin of Connie’s Hallmark in redwood Falls was presented the Rising Star Award, and the Shining Star Award went to the members of the Redwood County Fair Board for the volunteer work they do on a yearly basis.
• In 2010 a group of Redwood Valley Middle School students got to visit with members of the Minnesota Wild after coming in first place in the “Wild About Reading” contest sponsored by the team. Matt Lundeen’s Reading Class had to come up with a cheer in support of reading and the Wild, and they submitted it to the team. The top twelve entries were posted on the Minnesota Wild website, and the public was invited to vote for their favorite cheer. Mr. Lundeen’s class was the top vote-getter with 9,600 votes. They got to travel to the Excel Energy Center for a tour of the facility and to watch the Wild practice, and they also got to perform their cheer for the team.
• The kitchen of the Redwood Area Hospital got it’s first upgrade in nearly 60 years in 2010. The Redwood Falls City Council approved spending almost $74,000 to replace cabinets, equipment, and flooring in the hospital’s kitchen. That area of the hospital was built in 1952.
• The Redwood Area Hospital was awarded a Gold Standard designation as one of the top critical access hospitals in the nation in 2010. This was the third year in a row the Redwood hospital achieved the recognition, which is given by the audit firm Larson Allen to the top 35 critical access hospitals in the nation.
• Students at Reede Gray Elementary School in Redwood Falls did their part to help the people of Haiti in 2010. Jenny Bloedow’s 3rd garders and Libby Joyce’s 4th graders spent the week bringing in all the spare change they could find to school to help the devastated island nation. The kids donated their change to the organization Partners In Health, which provides modern medical care to the poor nations of the world.
• The 2010 inductees into the Redwood Area Schools Hall of Fame were Gary Revier, Gary Dahms, Carol Garnhardt, Rosemary Bloedow, and Douglas Lennick. Each of the inductees were honored during the Evening of the Stars Banquet in 2010 at the Redwood Area Community Center.
• The Ramsey Falls scenic overlook in Redwood falls got it’s first makeover in over 30 years in 2010. The Redwood Falls City Council approved plans for a new concrete overlook and parking area for Ramsey Falls. The work cost around $198,000, with a DNR grant covering 75% of the project and Redwood Falls covering the rest. The last renovation of the Falls area was in the 1970′s. The overlook area of the Falls is closed, and will re-open in mid-May when the project is completed.
• In 2010 the decision was made for the restoration of a historic retaining wall in Redwood Falls. The wall at the junction of Highways 19, 67, and 71 has been damaged by numerous vehicle crashes over the years. The retaining wall was built in 1935 and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The restoration project will consist of matching the original design and materials to restore the historic look of the wall. A guardrail will be installed to protect it from further damage as well. Funding is coming from a mix of state and federal dollars and the construction is expected to begin in 2011.

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• Redwood Falls Fire Chief)

  21 Feb 12

• New Animal Shelter

  21 Feb 12

• Redwood Falls Mayor

  21 Feb 12