Reading, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Reading is an unincorporated community in Nobles County
, Minnesota, United States.
. According to A.P Rose's History of Nobles County, Reading is nearer to the geographic center of the county than any other community. Reading has a post office with ZIP code
56165.
Main Highways Include:
arrived in 1899. Thomas H. Brown, Burlington's right-of-way man, purchased 27 acres of land from Read for the purpose of establishing a townsite. He also purchased 20 more acres from Worthington
banker and real estate dealer George Dayton
. Dayton later went on to found the Dayton's
Department Store chain. In the fall of 1899, A. J. Keller arrived on the first train and took up his duties as station agent. Early in 1900, H. H. Douglas and the Rothchild Grain Company both built grain elevators in Reading after flipping a coin to determine location. Coal and lumber yards were quickly established by James S Ramage. By the time the town was surveyed and platted in the summer of 1900, a general store, a hardware store, a blacksmith shop, and a restaurant had been added to Reading's list of businesses. The Summit Lake Presbyterian Church was moved into town from the country, and a small school house was also moved into town to educate the youth of Reading. The Reading State Bank was established in 1902. The Farmer's Mutual Telephone Company was established in 1905 with lines connecting to Rushmore
, Wilmont
, and Fulda
.
, and operated until the 1970s. In the 1980s, the line was abandoned and the tracks were torn up. Minnesota State Highway 266
was constructed in 1949, connecting Worthington
, Reading, and Wilmont
. The State of Minnesota maintained the highway for 50 years, but responsibility for upkeep was transferred to Nobles County
in 2003. It has been renamed Nobles County Road 25.
, represented by Mankato
educator Tim Walz
, a Democrat
. At the state level, Reading is located in Senate
District 22, represented by Republican
Doug Magnus
, and in House
District 22A, represented by Republican Joe Schomacker
.
Nobles County, Minnesota
Nobles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 21,378. Its county seat is Worthington.-Geography:...
, Minnesota, United States.
Geography
Reading is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) northwest of WorthingtonWorthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
. According to A.P Rose's History of Nobles County, Reading is nearer to the geographic center of the county than any other community. Reading has a post office with ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
56165.
Main Highways Include:
Minnesota State Highway 266Minnesota State Highway 266Minnesota State Highway 266 was a highway in southwest Minnesota that had connected the communities of Wilmont and Reading to the city of Worthington...
Discontinued in 2003 – renamed Nobles County Road 25- Nobles County Road 25
History
Founding of Reading
Much of the land that the community of Reading now occupies was claimed by H.H. Read in 1876. He farmed the land for 23 years until the Burlington RailroadChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
arrived in 1899. Thomas H. Brown, Burlington's right-of-way man, purchased 27 acres of land from Read for the purpose of establishing a townsite. He also purchased 20 more acres from Worthington
Worthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
banker and real estate dealer George Dayton
George Dayton
George Draper Dayton was an American businessman and philanthropist.-Life and career:Dayton came to the U.S. state of Minnesota from New York in 1883. His family was one of average means, and he had hoped to become a minister, but was lured by the urge to be in the business world...
. Dayton later went on to found the Dayton's
Dayton's
Minneapolis-based Dayton's was among the leading department stores in the United States for nearly a century after its founding in 1902 by George Draper Dayton. In 1969, the Detroit-based J.L. Hudson Company merged with the Dayton Corporation to form the Dayton-Hudson Corporation, adding 21...
Department Store chain. In the fall of 1899, A. J. Keller arrived on the first train and took up his duties as station agent. Early in 1900, H. H. Douglas and the Rothchild Grain Company both built grain elevators in Reading after flipping a coin to determine location. Coal and lumber yards were quickly established by James S Ramage. By the time the town was surveyed and platted in the summer of 1900, a general store, a hardware store, a blacksmith shop, and a restaurant had been added to Reading's list of businesses. The Summit Lake Presbyterian Church was moved into town from the country, and a small school house was also moved into town to educate the youth of Reading. The Reading State Bank was established in 1902. The Farmer's Mutual Telephone Company was established in 1905 with lines connecting to Rushmore
Rushmore, Minnesota
Rushmore is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 342 at the 2010 census.Rushmore is the home of Exelon Wind's Wolf Wind Project.-Geography:...
, Wilmont
Wilmont, Minnesota
Wilmont is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 339 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
, and Fulda
Fulda, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,283 people, 528 households, and 328 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,328.3 people per square mile . There were 568 housing units at an average density of 588.1 per square mile...
.
Later history
The Burlington Railroad was later taken over by the Rock Island RailroadChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
, and operated until the 1970s. In the 1980s, the line was abandoned and the tracks were torn up. Minnesota State Highway 266
Minnesota State Highway 266
Minnesota State Highway 266 was a highway in southwest Minnesota that had connected the communities of Wilmont and Reading to the city of Worthington...
was constructed in 1949, connecting Worthington
Worthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
, Reading, and Wilmont
Wilmont, Minnesota
Wilmont is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 339 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
. The State of Minnesota maintained the highway for 50 years, but responsibility for upkeep was transferred to Nobles County
Nobles County, Minnesota
Nobles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 21,378. Its county seat is Worthington.-Geography:...
in 2003. It has been renamed Nobles County Road 25.
Politics
Reading is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional districtMinnesota's 1st congressional district
Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. The First District is primarily a rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, although this is changing rapidly due to strong population growth in...
, represented by Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
educator Tim Walz
Tim Walz
Timothy James Walz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party .The district comprises the state's southern end, running along the entire border with Iowa...
, a Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
. At the state level, Reading is located in Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
District 22, represented by Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
Doug Magnus
Doug Magnus
Douglas Rudy "Doug" Magnus is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 22, which includes all of Cottonwood, Jackson, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties in the southwestern part of the state...
, and in House
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
District 22A, represented by Republican Joe Schomacker
Joe Schomacker
Joseph "Joe" Roy Schomacker is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represents District 22A, which includes all or portions of Murray, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties in the southwestern part of the state...
.