Monticello, MN History

08/27/2026

Here’s a Monticello time capsule from exactly 50 years ago.

This 1976 booklet, “This is Monticello, Minnesota,” was published by the Monticello Chamber of Commerce to introduce people to a community that was changing quickly.

Looking through it today is fascinating.

In 1976, Monticello’s estimated population was only 2,525 people, with another 2,750 living in Monticello Township.

The booklet highlights a town in the middle of a major period of growth. Interstate 94 had changed travel and commuting. The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant had begun producing power in 1971. The Monticello Mall had opened in 1974. New homes and businesses were appearing, and Oakwood Industrial Park was being developed.

There are some great photographs here too.

You’ll see downtown Broadway, the Monticello Mall, the old City Hall, Monticello Township Hall, the nuclear plant, Monticello Junior High, Pinewood Elementary, the Methodist and St. Henry churches, Monticello-Big Lake Community Hospital, and the Mississippi River.

One of my favorite pages is the 1976 Chamber of Commerce membership list. It is packed with familiar Monticello names and businesses, including Maus Foods, Kjellberg’s Realty, Monticello Ford, Monticello Printing, Wright County State Bank, Ben Franklin, Coast-to-Coast, Johnson’s Department Store, Golden Valley Furniture, Wayne’s Red Owl, OK Hardware and many more.

And check out some of those phone numbers. No area codes needed.

I scanned the entire booklet so you can look through it page by page.

Take your time with this one. There is a lot of Monticello history packed into these pages.

If you lived in Monticello in 1976, what do you remember?

Which business, building, school, church or photograph on these pages brings back the strongest memory?

And if you recognize something in one of the photographs that might otherwise be forgotten, please tell us about it in the comments.

08/26/2026

08/26/2026

As many of you may know, my mother Judy Larson, passed away March 20, 2023, and the amount of photos documents and other ephermera she collected over the years is staggering. I have been going through it for over a year now and I am ready to share some of it with you.
Todd Lars

08/25/2026

We’re getting close to 6,000 followers, and I could use your help.
This page started around 2012 with something very simple. I scanned my 1983 Monticello High School yearbook because I wanted to preserve the photos and make them easier for people to see and enjoy.
Then I scanned more yearbooks.
Then people started sharing old photographs with me.
I began asking families, former residents, classmates, business owners, and anyone with a piece of Monticello history if I could photograph or scan their pictures and share them here.
One photo led to another. Then another.
I had no idea what this page would eventually become.
Everything you see here grew from one basic idea. Preserve these memories and make them available to anyone who is interested in Monticello history.
That is still the goal today.
None of this would exist without the people who have contributed photographs, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, postcards, programs, stories, memories, and information over the years.
I also want to thank everyone who has shared posts, commented, identified people and places, corrected information, added memories of their own, or simply enjoyed following along. Every one of you has helped make this page what it is.
I also want to recognize Scott and Ayden. Their interest, assistance, support, ideas, and willingness to serve as admins have given me people to bounce ideas off of and helped support the page behind the scenes. I appreciate both of them very much.
As we approach 6,000 followers, I would really appreciate your help bringing even more people into this community.
• Share the Monticello MN History page with your friends and family.
• Invite people with Monticello connections to LIKE and FOLLOW the page.
• Share individual posts that bring back memories.
• Keep sending me old photographs and pieces of Monticello history that deserve to be preserved and shared.
There are still thousands of photographs and stories sitting in albums, boxes, drawers, basements, attics, and family collections that have never been shared publicly.
Every new person who discovers this page increases the chance that another photograph will be identified, another story will be remembered, and another piece of Monticello history will be preserved.
To everyone who has trusted me with your photographs and memories over the years, thank you.
To everyone who shares and enjoys the content here, thank you.
I never expected this little project to become what it has.
I’m very glad it did.
Todd Larson
Monticello MN History

08/25/2026

I believe that this is looking North towards downtown Monticello MN on Hiway 25 right in front of where Perkins is today at corner of I94 and Hwy 25.

08/22/2026

Who remembers the planetarium at Oakwood Elementary School?

This photo shows 5th grade teacher Mr. Gene Carlson with two students inside the Oakwood Elementary planetarium. The large mechanical star projector behind them was used to project stars, constellations, planets, and other astronomy lessons onto the inside of the dome.

I believe this photo was taken in the early 1970s, but I would love to pin down the exact year.

Does anyone recognize either of these two students?

If we can identify them, we may be able to figure out exactly when this photo was taken.

And if you remember the Oakwood planetarium, what do you remember about going inside it as a student?

08/19/2026

I found this old Johnson’s Department Stores charge card with my name on it, and it immediately brought back memories.

Johnson’s was one of those places that almost everyone around Monticello seemed to know. Seeing “MONTICELLO-ELK RIVER” printed right on the card really takes you back.

Now I’m curious how many of you remember shopping there.

What do you remember most about Johnson’s?

Do you remember where it was located, what you usually bought there, who worked there, or anything funny that happened while you were shopping?
And here’s the big question. Does anyone else still have one of these cards tucked away somewhere?
I’d really like to hear your Johnson’s memories. Sometimes the comments on these posts end up preserving more local history than the original photo.
Todd

08/19/2026

Who remembers this event that was held to mark the finish of connecting Walnut Street from Downtown Monticello to what was then the Monticello Mall, now the Cub Foods. I have been looking but i have not been able to find any articles of this event or the date it occured. I beleive the connectiong was completed in 1978 - 1979 but i cant remember when Walnut days was held. Anyone remember?