Had I stuck to the plan as originally conceived or as laid out in its final incarnation, this would have been my first county in Minnesota.  As I pulled up to the Wilkin County Courthouse, I was still glad that my weakness led me to Ortonville.  The courthouse was a lovely piece of Art Deco, … Continue reading 934. Breckenridge, Wilkin County (MN03) →

Oh, North Dakota!Good show, Wahpeton!  The Richland County Courthouse is a gloriously classical beast!  Wahpeton is one of two cities that have grown together, one on the North Dakota side, the other on the Minnesota side.  Or maybe it’s actually the same city that just broke apart because of the border?  I have no idea.  … Continue reading 933. Wahpeton, Richland County (ND01) →

I was right around the corner (from a county traveling perspective) so why not pop over and save myself some trouble and travel the next day?  It was a great idea, but only half right.  That said, from the state of the Traverse County Courthouse, I can only assume that this is a poorer county.  … Continue reading 932. Wheaton, Traverse County (MN02) →

I arrived at the Roberts County Courthouse just as the first rays of the morning were peeking over the horizon.  That meant that the exterior lighting was still on, making it harder to get a good photograph of the building.  But I could see that there was construction being done on the dome above.  It’s … Continue reading 931. Sisseton, Roberts County (SD12) →

Oh, Minnesota!  This was my first time in Minnesota, not counting a layover at the Minneapolis airport many years BC (Before Caching) that I don’t count because I never left the concourse.  With such temptation, how could I be expected to stick with the plan as written?  My first courthouse in Minnesota did nicely.  It … Continue reading 930. Ortonville, Big Stone County (MN01) →

As I pulled into Milbank, I could see fireworks popping off in one direction and massive thunderheads with lightning sparking inside them like gods bickering in the other.  I was worried about storms starting during the night (weather reports had stated there would be rain along my route), so I was quite sure Grant County … Continue reading 929. Milbank, Grant County (SD11) →

As I pulled up the the Deuel County Courthouse, I thought to myself that if I had a nickel for every time I'd been to Deuel County, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice. Once I parked though, my thoughts shifted to admiring the classical columns on … Continue reading 928. Clear Lake, Deuel County (SD10) →

Future Arborists of America, attend! We were doing so well with courthouses up to this point. This one even looked kind of promising. I liked the little bit of towering dome we can see, but someone went and planted trees all over the place and now I can't see a thing! This is another, dare … Continue reading 927. Brookings, Brookings County (SD09) →

From art deco to Neoclassical!  I liked this trend.  Part of me felt that I should say something about the landscaping, but I was beginning to feel the tiredness pressing into my bones.  I had done well over a thousand miles of driving by that point and still had a couple of hours until sunset.  … Continue reading 926. Flandreau, Moody County (SD08) →

After some of the courthouses I’d seen that day, another nice piece of art deco was enjoyable.  I wondered, based on the decorations and embellishments if pioneer deco was a thing (it’s not) but if it wasn’t then maybe Madison’s courthouse had pioneered it.  It also got lucky because the retaining wall around the base … Continue reading 925. Madison, Lake County (SD07) →