Benton County Historical Society

Most of us know where Ronneby is in Benton County, but did you know it actually started out called St. Francis? Or, at least part of it did.

Municipal Park along the Mississippi River on the north end of Sauk Rapids is a very popular park. However, at one point that was a completely different townsite.

You can't call Benton City a ghost town, because hundreds of people still live there, but it is definitely a forgotten city for most of us.

The very first townsite ever settled in Benton County is likely one you've never heard of. The town of Langola was established in 1853, earlier than the town of Watab or Sauk Rapids.

Downtown Sauk Rapids has gone through many changes over the years with a lot of development and redevelopment. What's left today are just seven buildings in downtown that date back more than 100 years.

Later this month Sauk Rapids will mark the 135th anniversary of the deadly tornado that devastated the town. The storm happened at about 4:00 p.m. on April 14th, 1886.

Brennyville is an unincorporated town in northern Benton County that was once the home to a large cheese factory.

One hundred years ago Americans were living in the time of prohibition, but that didn't mean the folks in Benton County weren't enjoying a little nip of alcohol.

During the days of prohibition, Benton County was just as established for running moonshine as Stearns County was, although most families in the county are still reluctant to talk about their past connections with Chicago gangsters. Ostby says one of the moonshine hotspots was Popple Creek and store…

Talk to anybody who lived in Benton County back in the 1950s ask them if they had ever been to Fruthville.