Dodge Center, Minnesota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dodge Center
|
|
|---|---|
Downtown Dodge Center
|
|
| Nicknames:
Dodge, DC
|
|
| Motto(s):
"A Solid Foundation"
|
|
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Dodge |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.41 sq mi (6.25 km2) |
| • Land | 2.41 sq mi (6.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,276 ft (389 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 2,844 |
| • Density | 1,179.10/sq mi (455.32/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
55927
|
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-15994 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394540 |
| Website | www.ci.dodgecenter.mn.us |
Dodge Center is a city in Dodge County, Minnesota, United States. It's about 15 miles west of Rochester. In 2020, about 2,844 people lived there. Dodge Center is part of the larger Rochester area.
Contents
History of Dodge Center
The first settlers came to the Dodge Center area in the 1850s. The town grew because of the railroad. It was named Dodge Center because it was in the middle of Dodge County, Minnesota. The county itself was named after Henry Dodge, who was a governor of Wisconsin.
The first train arrived in Dodge Center on July 13, 1866. Soon after, D.L. Tyler opened the town's first general store in 1867. He also became the first postmaster.
Dodge Center was officially planned out in 1867. It became an official town in February 1872. In its early days, Dodge Center was a farming town. Farmers grew a lot of grain there. Wagons full of grain would line up on Main Street. They waited their turn at the grain elevators.
By 1870, Dodge Center had about 400 to 500 people. Businesses like grain elevators, a gun shop, and a hotel called The Kinney House were open. The train station for the Chicago and North Western Railroad was also finished.
The first schoolhouse was a small, one-room building. It quickly became too small for all the students. So, in 1870, the people built a new, two-story wooden school. It cost about $15,000. The first high school graduation happened in 1885. When that school also became too small, a new brick building was built in 1898.
The 1870 school building was later cut in half. One part became an opera house, a place for shows and performances. The other part became apartments. The opera house was very grand for its time. It had a big stage and a balcony. Sadly, the opera house burned down in 1948. The apartments were torn down in the 1980s.
The 1898 school building was used until 1972. A gym, auditorium, and two classrooms were added in 1936. This was part of President Franklin Roosevelt's WPA program. More additions were made in 1950 and 1958. Today, parts of the old school buildings are still standing. They are now apartments and small businesses. A new high school was built in 1972 and is still used today.
Dodge Center's first newspaper, the Dodge Center Press, started in 1874. Another paper, the Dodge Center Star, began in 1890. The two papers joined together in 1936. They became the Dodge Center Star-Record.
Besides The Kinney House, another hotel called the Windsor Hotel was well-known. A third hotel, the Hartley House, burned down one night.
Dodge Center's first permanent doctor was Steven W. Ranson. He started practicing medicine there in 1870. He also opened a drug store in 1872.
A large, three-story roller mill was built in 1887. This mill made very good flour. It even won first prize at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The mill later burned down.
Another railroad, the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad, came to Dodge Center in 1885. Its name changed to Chicago Great Western in 1892. This track went from Minneapolis to Oelwein, Iowa. The last part of the track was a long bridge over the Zumbro River.
Religion was important in early Dodge Center. The Seventh Day Baptists built a church in 1865. They moved it into the village in 1873. Today, the Dodge Center Seventh-day Adventist Church continues this tradition. The Sunday Baptists built a church in 1874. A tornado destroyed it in 1880. The Methodist Church was built in 1878. The Congregational Church community moved to Dodge Center in 1875.
Geography
Dodge Center covers about 2.08 square miles (5.39 square kilometers) of land.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 726 | — | |
| 1890 | 633 | −12.8% | |
| 1900 | 942 | 48.8% | |
| 1910 | 957 | 1.6% | |
| 1920 | 921 | −3.8% | |
| 1930 | 854 | −7.3% | |
| 1940 | 1,029 | 20.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,151 | 11.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,441 | 25.2% | |
| 1970 | 1,603 | 11.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,816 | 13.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,954 | 7.6% | |
| 2000 | 2,226 | 13.9% | |
| 2010 | 2,670 | 19.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,844 | 6.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
How Many People Live Here?
In 2010, there were 2,670 people living in Dodge Center. There were 998 households, which are groups of people living together. About 40% of households had children under 18. About half of the households were married couples. The average age in the city was about 31.8 years old. Almost 30% of residents were under 18.
Economy
The biggest employer in Dodge Center is McNeilus. This company makes large trucks. They build concrete mixer trucks and garbage trucks. McNeilus is part of a larger company called Oshkosh Corporation.
Education in Dodge Center
Dodge Center High School had its first graduation in 1885. A new brick school building opened in 1898. It was used until 1972. Parts of this old building still exist today. A gym, auditorium, and classrooms were added in 1936. These were built as part of a government program. More additions, like a library, were made in 1950 and 1958. Now, the old school buildings are private apartments and businesses.
Dodge Center High School's nickname was the "Dodgers." Their school colors were maroon and gold. In the 1930s, they changed to green and white. The first school yearbook was published in 1948. It was called The Dodger Digest.
In 1990, Dodge Center's school district joined with Claremont and West Concord. They formed the Triton Public Schools. Dodge Center is now home to Triton Primary, Triton Middle School, and Triton Senior High School. The first graduation for Triton High School was in 1991.
Triton's school mascot is the Cobra. Their school colors are maroon and gray. The yearbook is called Triton Tradition. Triton High School has grown over the years. New parts were added in 1998, 2009, and 2012.
Dodge Center also has the Maranatha Adventist Christian school. This school teaches students from grades 1 to 8. It is near the Dodge Center Seventh-day Adventist Church.
School Sports
In 1952, the Dodge Center football team had an amazing season. They were one of only six Minnesota high school teams to not let the other team score any points all season!
The Triton Cobras football team has won state championships. They won in 1994, 2000, and 2006. In 2006, the Cobras won every single game. They even set a state record for the most points scored in a championship game! Two players from the 1994 team also set individual records.
The Triton athletic fields are named after Wally Hitt. He was a football coach at Dodge Center High School.
Dodge Country Club
Dodge Center has the Dodge Country Club. It was started in the late 1960s. It is an 18-hole public golf course. Many people from the area come here to play golf and socialize. Homes have also been built around the golf course since the 1970s.
Natalie Webb Aquatic Center
The Natalie Webb Aquatic Center opened in 2008. It is named after Natalie (Thornton) Webb. She was a student at Triton High School and loved swimming. She was also a lifeguard and manager at the local YMCA pool. Natalie passed away in 2004 after a brave fight against cancer. The community raised money to build this center in her honor. It is a place for everyone to enjoy swimming.
Transportation
Two main roads go through Dodge Center. They are U.S. Highway 14 and Minnesota State Highway 56. The Dodge Center Airport (TOB) is also in the city.
The city is on the main line of the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad. This railroad is part of Canadian Pacific. Dodge Center also used to have another railroad line. This was the Chicago Great Western line. It went from St. Paul to Chicago, Illinois. But this old railroad line is no longer used. There were at least three train stations built in Dodge Center over the years. Two of them are still standing today, but they are used for other things.
Notable people
- Milton L. Humason, astronomer
- Perry Greeley Holden, agronomist
- Shirley Ardell Mason, artist
See also
In Spanish: Dodge Center (Minnesota) para niños
