Monticello’s Rich History Began With Early Settlers’ Dreams

Monticello is a town of 14,455 people in Wright County located 41 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 27 miles southeast of St. Cloud.  Interstate 94 and Highway 25 both travel through the community.  To help tell the story of Monticello I was joined by Monticello City Administrator Rachel Leonard and Ayden Irwin.  Ayden is a History writer for the Monticello Times.

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The Beginnings

Monticello was platted in 1854, a post office started operation in 1855 and the town was incorporated in 1856.  Irwin says the first settlers were Herbert McCory and Frederick Codwell in 1852.  They built 2 cabins at Mill Creek, now called Otter Creek.  The two advertised the area at the Brown's Hotel in Humboldt (now Big Lake).  Samuel McManus and William and Samuel Creighton saw the advertisement and decided to settle in the area from Ohio.  They founded a Methodist Church in the town after buying 300 acres from William Proctor.  Irwin says McManus and the Creightons had intentions of setting up a town.

Town Name Origin

Irwin says the town was named Monticello because a fur trader referred to the area as Monticello, which means "little mountain" in Italian.  The local Ojibwe tribe began calling the area Monticello.  Irwin says McManus and the Creighton brothers thought the name was unique and decided to go with it as their town's name.  Irwin says there was a house built in Monticello, which was their town hall, that resembled Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  That is the only connection to Jefferson's Monticello plantation.

Where the Settlers Came From

Irwin says the early settlers were largely from New York state, Ohio and Pennsylvania.  He says many of these settlers were of Irish descent.  The most common religion in the area was Protestant.  The original settlement in Monticello is where Walnut and Pine Street are today.  Irwin says the oldest standing building in town is the Free Masons building.

Railroad Came to Down

The railroad first arrived in Monticello in 1882 but later moved north in 1886 to accommodate Rufus Rand who requested the change from James J. Hill (the Empire Builder).  Irwin says the first store was owned by Postmaster James Beekman, it opened in 1855.  The Jefferson House Hotel opened shortly after and burned down in 1867.

A 2nd Settlement

Monticello was established first but a 2nd settlement just to the east existed for awhile.  That settlement was called Moritzious and it was located where Washington Street is today and ended by Ellison Park.  Maritzious Weisburger bought the land despite the interest from Ashley Riggs.  Mr. Riggs bought half the property from Maritzious with the expectation that the town would have the name "Maritzious".  Riggs started building the town but lost numerous court battles to secure themselves as a legitimate town.  His site was considered lower Monticello from that point on.

Growth of Monticello

The population of Monticello was 290 people in 1880, 500 in 1890, 800 in 1900 and in 1920 it was at 1,000.  Broadway Street became the main road in Monticello in the late 1800s.  In 1969 land was sold to the State to redirect the Interstate 94 project through Monticello.  It was originally planned to go through Buffalo.  The project wasn't completed until 1973.

Nuclear Power Plant Came to Monticello

The Monticello Nuclear Power Plant came to Monticello in the early 1970s.  Rachel Leonard says the Power Plant brought tax base and a significant power availability to bring industry into the area.  Leonard says I94 and the power plant led to another boom in population in Monticello going from 1,600 people in 1970 to 2,800 in 1980.  She says they saw another population spike from 1995 to 2008.

River Fest

Leonard says people in Monticello view the community as a small town.  She indicates they have very active civic organizations with numerous people choosing to volunteer.  The annual celebration in Monticello is River Fest and it is entirely volunteer run.  The Lions Club, the Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, Women of Today and the city all participate.  River Fest is a 3-day celebration held in 2025 from July 11-13.  Events include a duck drop, a parade, taste of Monticello, art in the park, bean bag tournament, street dance, fireworks, coronation of new Monticello royalty and the announcement of citizen of the year.

High School

Monticello High School is now the Monticello Magic.  They were once the Redmen but when the State of Minnesota requested that high schools do away with native American nicknames, the Magic was chosen to replace the Redmen.  The school colors have always been black and red.

Big Business in Monticello

Rachel Leonard says many major industrial companies exist in the community producing amazing products.  She says their growth also led to numerous retail outlets choosing Monticello.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Rachel and Ayden, click below.