2019 Map of Nerstrand

About this map

Nerstrand sits at the intersection of local routes in a landscape defined by its agricultural heritage and early immigrant settlements. This survey of the Rice and Goodhue County borderlands reveals a network of country churches and burial grounds that anchor the local genealogy, including the German Methodist Episcopal Cem and the Norwegian Lutheran Cem. The topography is marked by the winding paths of the Little Cannon River and the N Fork Zumbro River, which carve through the terrain near the settlement of Epsom. To the southeast, the terrain descends into Monkey Valley, a distinctive hollow that contrasts with the surrounding upland plateaus. The placement of the Wheeling Evangelical Cem and Hauge Cem reflects the distinct denominational pockets that characterized rural Minnesota's development through the twentieth century.