St. Cloud in 1869
Map of St. Cloud, 1869
Close up of the 1869 map of St. Cloud showing the Stearns House
The city of St. Cloud was established in 1856 and settlers began to quickly make homes in the new state of Minnesota. By the beginning of 1869, work was progressing to open the Third State Normal School, the third of three schools to be established by the state of Minnesota to educate teachers to teach in the state's public schools.
In the summer of 1869, Minnesota's state normal school board selected and purchased the Stearns House, a former hotel that stood on the banks of the Mississippi River. Stearns House served as the first home for the Third Normal School and stood just west of the parking lot between today's Building 51 and Riverview.
The map shows what St. Cloud looked like in 1869. Stearns House is highlighted by a red box.