The most interesting aspect of the history of Cologne, Minnesota is the fact that it started as two villages, Benton and Cologne. In the late 1800’s, Benton officially became incorporated, as it had a population of just 100 residents.  In that very same year, Cologne became officially incorporated as a village. This city was named after a city in Germany, because most of its inhabitants were of German descent.

Both communities flourished together for a decade, with the business for its locals being that of farming. The two cities agreed that they could benefit by merging together, and became known as the Village of Cologne. The reason that they took the name of one city over the other was because Cologne was the bigger of the two.

In the downtown’s early days there were two general stores, two saloons, a hardware store, drug store, furniture store, blacksmith shop, wagon shop, a gristmill, and a grain elevator.

The town experienced even more development and success when a railroad was built through the area in 1872. This railroad offered exportation of the cities goods. The railroad started in the town of Glencoe, and went all the way to Minneapolis. That railroad line still exists today, although its use has gone down in use since there are better ways to export goods.

Cologne has hosted a few famous individuals over the years, such as Charles Lindberg when he campaigned for Governor in 1918 and George H. Bush who campaigned for Vice President in 1984.

If you have any questions regarding the city of Cologne, Minnesota, or if you would like to sell or buy a house in the area, please feel free to visit TwinCitiesPropertyFinder.com or call 1-800-909-1953.