2019 Map of Sleepy Eye NW

About this map

The Minnesota River winds through a heavily-dissected valley where the borders of Nicollet, Brown, and Renville counties meet. This agricultural landscape is defined by its drainage history, visible in the straightening of natural waterways like Judicial Ditch Number Thirtyone and Judicial Ditch Number Thirteen which feed into the primary river system. Near the creek bluffs, several small burial grounds provide a link to the area's early settlement period, including the Fort Ridgely State Cem and the Loffelmacher Private Cem. The terrain shifts from the level prairie surrounding Mud Lake to the complex oxbows and wetlands along the river bottom, where tributaries like Fort Ridgely Cr and Little Rock Cr converge. Other local landmarks such as Saint John's Lutheran Cem and Golden Gate Cem mark the rural crossroads that have sustained this farming community for generations.