Exit78 Photo of the Day #44
One beautiful September day in 2013, we took a drive on the mostly unpaved Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway, where we came across the ruins of a 19th century home.
Ruins of Joseph R. Brown house, Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway, Minnesota, September 7, 2013 (Pentax K-r)
The Joseph R. Brown State Wayside Rest (Wikipedia) is a National Scenic Byway Wayside Rest area. It is located on Renville County Highway 15, south of Sacred Heart, Minnesota, United States.
The Wayside Rest displays the granite ruins of Joseph R. Brown’s home from 1862. Brown, his mixed-blood wife and twelve children lived in this home, which was a center of hospitality along the Minnesota River Valley. The three-story home was then considered a mansion compared to typical pioneer homes. It was destroyed during the Dakota War of 1862 on August 19, 1862. His family was spared because of his wife’s Native American heritage.
Brown was a politician, inventor, publisher, and Indian Agent.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
