Douglas County Historical Society
1219 Nokomis St.
(320) 762-0382
Visit the Douglas County Historical Society (DCHS), located in the historic residence of Senator Knute Nelson, and take a step back in time to learn about early settlers and visitors to the area. The house has been restored, and has many of the original furnishings.
Kensington Runestone Museum
206 Broadway St.
(320) 763-3160
Welcome to the Runestone Museum. We invite you to stop by and tour historic Fort Alexandria, take your picture with the country’s biggest Viking, and see the world famous Kensington Runestone.
For awhile you will live in the past, so walk a little slower, talk a little slower, and enjoy the exhibition on Norse history, the Native American exhibit, the Minnesota wildlife display, the display of early pioneer life, and the hands-on children’s area.
Enter Fort Alexandria and visit several authentic log buildings, an 1880 country school house, and view the forty-foot Viking ship, the Snorri. Experience the changing of the seasons in the display of tools and farm equipment used by an earlier generation.
Lake Carlos State Park
2601 Cty. Rd. 38 NE, Carlos
(320) 852-7200
Early settlers drifted into the area after the signing of the Traverse des Sioux treaty in 1851. This treaty opened much of central Minnesota to white settlement. Alexander and William Kinkaid settled at the junction between Lake Agnes and Lake Winona, the area that was to become the town of Alexandria. During the U.S./Dakota conflict of 1862, most of the settlers moved east to Sauk Centre and St. Cloud, but returned to the area later that year. During the Great Depression, the state purchased the land that became Lake Carlos State Park in 1937.
Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum
205 3rd Ave. W
(320) 759-1114
From handcrafted wood boats to grand hotels and private fishing clubs, the Minnesota lakes have a rich and colorful maritime and resorting tradition reaching back nearly a century and a half. The Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum celebrates the value of these lake traditions and legacies, and is committed to their preservation for future generations.
Spruce Hill Lutheran Church
13148 Spruce Hill Park Rd NE, Miltona
(320) 762-0382
The Spruce Hill Lutheran Church began as a log structure built in 1881. It had seats of wooden planks set on stumps, its pulpit an upright log. The need for a larger church became evident and the present building was completed in 1902. In 1913 a horse barn was added.
Membership dwindled through the years, and in 1967 the church merged with Miltona Faith. In 1994, it was deeded to the Douglas County Historical Society, who is now in charge of its operation.
Kensington Runestone Park
(320) 763-6001
Kensington Runestone Park is located on the original farm site of Olaf Ohman. Visit this historic park to view the actual discovery location of the infamous Kensington Runestone.