Sandstone is a town in

Pine County Pine County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,876. Its county seat is Pine City. The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872. Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in Pine ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States, along the Kettle River. The population was 2,849 at the 2010 census.

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

and Minnesota State Highways 18 and 23 are three of the main routes in the community.

Banning State Park Banning State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, stretched along of the Kettle River near Sandstone in Pine County. The centerpiece of the park is of churning rapids, some up to Class IV. The daring kayakers and canoeists who shoot ...

is nearby.

History

The Village of Fortuna was platted by Caleb C. Ward and incorporated on May 19, 1857. It was originally platted at the junction of the

Point Douglas to Superior Military Road Point Douglas to Superior Military Road, also known as Point Douglas to St. Louis River Military Road was a road that ran between Point Douglas, located at the outlet of the Lower St. Croix Lake near Hastings, Minnesota, first to the falls of the ...

and Kettle River. Fortuna served as the county seat for

Buchanan County, Minnesota Buchanan County is a former county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established May 23, 1857, as a county in the Minnesota Territory, named after President James Buchanan. It comprised the 24 northern townships, now forming the northern hal ...

. By 1887, it had 200 residents. Just north of Fortuna, the Village of Sandstone was platted in June 1887 and incorporated on September 28, 1887. On April 14, 1920, the villages of Fortuna and Sandstone merged and reincorporated as the City of Sandstone. The city's name in the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian lan ...

is ''Asiniikaaning'' ("At the quarrying place") due to the sandstone quarry at the edge of the city.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Features

Sandstone is on the Kettle River, known for its glacial kettles, and rapids well loved by kayakers and canoeists. The town was built up around a large sandstone quarry. Railroad magnate

James J. Hill James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...

built many of the sandstone structures in the town. The city has Robinson Park, an historic and natural area that serves as a picnic area, hosts ice climbing in the winter, preserves the Sandstone Quarry history and is an access point for the Kettle River. Th
Sandstone Ice Festival
celebrates the coming of winter and is held in the beginning of December each year. The event welcomes winter with ice climbing, winter camping and snow shoeing. In the spring local paddlers host th
Kettle River Paddle Festival
an event for canoeists and kayakers. A downriver race and a whitewater rodeo attract paddlers from all over the midwestern United States. Sandstone is surrounded by

, has a connection to the Munger Bicycle Trail and is home to the

Audubon Center of the North Woods 'Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center (ELC)'', formerly Audubon Center of the North Woods (ACNW), on Grindstone Lake near Sandstone, Minnesota, is a non-profit residential environmental learning center, wildlife rehabilitation facility, an ...

, a residential environmental education and conference facility that offers programs for schools, adults, colleges, and retreats. In recent years, Sandstone has gained national recognition as the home of the Midwest Country Music Theatre. Performances at this traditional country and western music venue are seen regularly on the

RFD-TV RFD-TV is an American pay television channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United Sta ...

satellite network. A

Federal Correctional Institution The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correctio ...

rated for low-security federal inmates is two miles outside Sandstone.

Sandstone station The Sandstone station of Sandstone, Minnesota was built in 1895 and served the Great Northern Railway and successor Burlington Northern until 1971. Passenger service ceased upon the formation of Amtrak, but resumed between Minneapolis and Superio ...

served Great Northern Railway and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

passenger trains until 1985.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,849 people, 602 households, and 362 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 652 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 15.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 5.7% Native American, 0.6%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 3.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 11.0% of the population. There were 602 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 34.9 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 46.1% were from 25 to 44; 20.2% were from 45 to 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 71.0% male and 29.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 580 households, and 359 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 634 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.84%

, 0.39%

, 3.55% Native American, 0.32%

, 0.06%

, 0.39% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.42% of the population. There were 580 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,265, and the median income for a family was $43,684. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,181 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,053. About 11.6% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Doug Carlson Douglas W. Carlson (November 1, 1939 – April 22, 2013) was an American veterinarian, beef farmer, and politician. Born in Sandstone, Minnesota, Carlson served in the United States Air Force. He received his bachelor's degree and veterinary ...

(1939–2013), veterinarian and politician *

William S. Ervin William S. Ervin (September 4, 1886 – April 2, 1951) was an American attorney and politician from Minnesota. A member of the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party, he is most notable for his service as Attorney General of Minnesota from 1936 to 1939 ...

, Attorney General of Minnesota *

Yonassan Gershom Yonassan Gershom is a Rabbi and writer who was ordained in the Jewish Renewal movement during the 1980s, and is now a follower of Breslov Hasidism. He was associated with the early days of the B'nai Or movement, a forerunner of Jewish Renewal, ...

(b. 1947), rabbi and author, early proponent of the

Jewish Renewal Jewish Renewal () is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with Kabbalistic, Hasidic, and musical practices. Specifically, it seeks to reintroduce the "ancient Judaic traditions of mysticism and meditation, ...

movement

Education

The area is served by

East Central Schools East Central Schools (Independent School District #2580) is a school district headquartered in unincorporated Pine County, Minnesota, with a Finlayson postal address. It has two schools: East Central Elementary School and East Central High Scho ...

. The Pine Grove Learning Center of the tribal Nay Ah Shing School is nearby and has a Sandstone address. - The facilities with Onamia addresses are ''not'' within the Onamia city limits despite the "Onamia, MN" mailing address
see zoning map
The Pine County school is ''not'' within the Sandstone city limits
see Sandstone map
.

Notes

External links

Visit Sandstone MN – www.visitsandstonemn.comSandstone Ice Festival – www.sandstoneicefest.comKettle River Paddle Festival – www.kettleriverpaddlefest.comMidwest Country Theater – www.midwestcountry.com
{{authority control Cities in Pine County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Former county seats in Minnesota 1857 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1857