VICKSBERG

NAME: Vicksberg COUNTY: Revnille ROADS: 2WD GRID: 5 CLIMATE: Snow in the winter, hot summers BEST TIME TO VISIT: Fall

COMMENTS: 3 Miles north of Dehli. REMAINS: Cemetery

Vicksburg, takes it name from a town in Mississippi that was besieged in the Civil War and surrendered on July 4, 1863. It was one of earliest villages in Renville county and was first settled in the late 1860's. A post office operated from 1871-1901. Without the railroad the town was doomed to die, and by 1905 the last resident was gone. Most of the businesses and residents moved to Renville where the railroad line ran or to other communites near by. The First Christian Chruch was built at the brow of the hill north of the town site on land donated by Simeon Burch. On the east side of the road there is a place where you can walk through the fence and follow the path to the cemetery. The church was nearby and was converted into a dwelling after services discontinued. A school was built a few rods from the church. The cemetery is fenced in and surrounded by trees which have growen in the area since Vicksburg was abandon. At the town site, now a County Park, one can still see the cement slabs where buildings once stood. In its hayday, Vicksburg had a general store, a wagon shop, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop and a ferry to cross the Minnesota River where the bridge now stands. Long before Vicksburg, in 1783, Charles Patterson had a trading post there. The place was then known as Patterson Rapids which is a formation of three granite rocks that cross the river, which kept even shallow draft boats from passing during times of low water. Also known as Whisky Falls, they are a short distance east of the town site and can be seen during times of low water. The frontiersman , Joseph Brown operated a freight line from this place in the mid 1800's. This is an interesting area with lots of very interesting history. For more information see the histories of Renville and Redwood Counties. Located 3 miles north of Delhi, MN Duane V. Peterson

Vicksberg, Patterson Rapids Courtesy Duane V. Peterson

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