This new one makes for my tenth Lincoln County! Haven't caught up the the Jeffersons yet, but seem to be whizzing by the Washingtons! Not only was this my tenth Lincoln County, but the courthouse was an especially nice chunk of classical architecture, a worthy addition to the Lincoln pantheon. Stating the obvious, I think … Continue reading 946. Ivanhoe, Lincoln County (MN10) →

The Midwest strikes again! I felt Ada would be a good harbinger of courthouses to come, and Madison did not undermine that notion. Part of me found it odd that the courthouse would be labeled, almost generically in my opinion, "court house." But I guess we know we're in Lac qui Parle County so there's … Continue reading 945. Madison, Lac qui Parle County (MN09) →

After the courthouse disappointment at the end of the day before, I was not looking forward to the offerings of Minnesota. However, despite getting started half an hour late (really a couple of hours late, but that's a different issue) and managing to fail getting a cache on the way into town, this gorgeous piece … Continue reading 944. Ada, Norman County (MN08) →

To the best of my knowledge, I have ascertained that this building, actually a government center, is the courthouse for my purposes. I have no doubts that as a government center, it's perfectly cromulent. As a courthouse though, no. Oh no. No, no, no, no. It is the opposite of good. I'm sure they did … Continue reading 943. Crookston, Polk County (MN07) →

When I first pulled up to the courthouse, I thought I was finally getting a more serious contender out of a Minnesota courthouse. But then I pulled up and started taking a good look at it. It had a square Midwestern tower, and an unquestionably Romanesque style, but after that it began to fall apart. … Continue reading 942. Warren, Marshall County (MN06) →

I felt a little bit bad thinking that from a courthouse perspective, very little in Minnesota had thus far compared to the bounties of North Dakota. Because of that thought, however, I didn't expect much out of the Kittson County Courthouse so I wasn't especially disappointed with it. It was almost a case study for … Continue reading 941. Hallock, Kittson County (MN05) →

Or perhaps this would be more aptly titled “West Lynne, Manitoba.”Apparently, when I crossed into Manitoba, I encountered the surliest Canadian border guard I had even met in my many (read “four”) trips to Canada.  Every other time, I’ve met genial, talkative folks.  This guy, on the other hand, was sick of everybody’s crap, mine … Continue reading The Great White North 3 (Electric Boogalee) →

Once again, heightened expectations were working to the detriment of this courthouse.  That said, it’s even better than the one in Grafton and Grafton was good.  Luckily, the cache made up for any imagined discrepancy in courthouse classification. Someone was kind enough to place one at the courthouse itself and that someone was the Lord … Continue reading 940. Cavalier, Pembina County (ND06) →

On any other day, I would talk about how lovely the Walsh County Courthouse is.  It’s a solid piece of art deco that deserves praise.  However, after a string monstrously gorgeous courthouses, it feels lacking even though it lacks nothing.  On this day, the standards were raised impossibly high. As for the cache, I once … Continue reading 939. Grafton, Walsh County (ND05) →

Make that four for four in North Dakota!  Look at this beautiful piece of classical architecture!  And she doesn’t have a tower; she has a crown!  I’ve just got to find out how they fund their courthouses around here!  It has occurred to me that being this close to the Red River (du Nord) and … Continue reading 938. Grand Forks, Grand Forks County (ND04) →