Mankato

Sister cities

• Ungheni

History

Mankato Township was not settled by European Americans until Parsons King Johnson in February 1852, as part of the 19th-century migration of people from the east across the Midwest. New residents organized the city of Mankato on May 11, 1858, the day Minnesota became a state. The city was organized by Johnson, Henry Jackson, Daniel A. Robertson, Justus C. Ramsey, and others. A popular story says that the city was supposed to have been named Mahkato, but a typographical error by a clerk established the name as Mankato. According to Warren Upham, quoting historian Thomas Hughes of Mankato, "The honor of christening the new city was accorded to Col. Robertson. He had taken the name from Nicollet's book, in which the French explorer compared the 'Mahkato' or Blue Earth River, with all its tributaries, to the water nymphs and their uncle in the German legend of Undine...No more appropriate name could be given the new city, than that of the noble river at whose mouth it is located." While it is uncertain that the city was intended to be called Mahkato, the Dakota called the river Makato Osa Watapa ("the river where blue earth is gathered"). The Anglo settlers adapted that as "Blue Earth River". On December 26, 1862, United States Volunteers of the State of Minnesota carried out the largest mass execution in U.S. history at Mankato after the Dakota War of 1862. Companies of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Minnesota Infantry Regiments, and Minnesota Cavalry oversaw the hanging of 38 men: 35 Santee Sioux and 3 biracial French/native American, for their involvement in the war crimes committed during the uprising. A USV military tribunal reviewed nearly 500 cases, of which 303 received a death sentence, but President Abraham Lincoln requested the court files. He reviewed them, placing…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Winters are cold, with snow cover (continuous most winter seasons) beginning typically between mid-November and mid-December, ending in March most years. However, Mankato often receives less snow than areas to its north and east. For example, Minneapolis, northeast of Mankato, averages over of snow per winter season, compared to Mankato's seasonal average of . The coldest month, January, has an average monthly temperature around . Dangerously low windchill temperatures are a significant hazard during the winter months, as Arctic air outbreaks rush into the area from Canada, borne on high winds; this can bring about ground blizzard conditions, especially in nearby rural areas. Summers are warm, with occasional but usually brief hot, humid periods, often interspersed with pushes of cooler air from Canada, often preceded by showers and thunderstorms. The hottest month, July, has an average monthly temperature of around . Precipitation falls year round, but falls mostly as snow from December to February, sometimes March, and as showers and thunderstorms during the warmer season, from May to September. Mankato's average wettest months are from June to August, with frequent thunderstorm activity. Mankato lies on the northern fringe of the central United States' main tornado belt, with lower risk than in Iowa and Missouri to the south. The highest-risk months for severe thunderstorms and (rarely) tornadoes, are May through July. However, a very unusual early tornado outbreak affected areas within of Mankato on March 29, 1998, when an F3 tornado hit St. Peter, to the north. On August 17, 1946, tornadoes struck southwestern areas of Mankato and the town of Wells to…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,622
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,382
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,341
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,163
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,028
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,005
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  976
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  895

Largest nearby schools

• MANKATO EAST SENIOR HIGH
  High · MANKATO · 1,293 students · 19:1 ratio
• MANKATO WEST SENIOR HIGH
  High · MANKATO · 1,223 students · 18.8:1 ratio
• Prairie Winds Middle School
  Middle · MANKATO · 954 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Rosa Parks Elementary
  Elementary · MANKATO · 434 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · MANKATO · 414 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• ST. CLAIR ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · SAINT CLAIR · 401 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• ST. CLAIR SECONDARY
  High · SAINT CLAIR · 386 students · 22.7:1 ratio
• WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · MANKATO · 376 students · 13.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2017-04-25
  Near Mankato, Minnesota