City of LORETTO
File photo
The kiddie train at Loretto Fun Fest pays homage to the city’s history.
Loretto, originally a Soo Line railway village, was founded in
1886, and settled by German and Dutch immigrants. Loretto
was named for a Roman Catholic mission for refugees of the
Huron Indians near Quebec, Canada, called Lorette, and for
the village of Loretto, KY, where a society of Catholic “Sisters
of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross” was founded in 1812. The
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original source of the name is Loreto, a small town in Italy,
which has a noted shrine of pilgrimage.
Some of the early businesses included Koch’s Meat
Market, Van Beusekom’s General Store, The Dutch Mill Dairy,
Weidner’s Saloon, Loretto Feed and Seed Company, Pettit’s
Bar, Murphy’s Blacksmith, Fullerton Lumber, and the State
Bank of Loretto. The old State Bank of Loretto building, built in
1910, now houses a landscaping business. Sts. Peter and Paul
Church, built in 1903, is still in use and its former convent now
serves as an area Eucharistic Perpetual Adoration Chapel.
The city was incorporated in 1940. The first mayor was Albert
Van Beusekom. The Loretto Volunteer Fire Department started
in 1948, and still proudly serves the city and surrounding area.
Town team baseball, started in the 1940s, and the Loretto
Lions Club, established in 1969, both continue to be active
parts of the Loretto community.
The City of Loretto has a population of about 650 residents
who enjoy quiet, small town living while being only a short
drive from the conveniences of the metro area. For such a
small town, Loretto has excellent restaurants, including the
Choo Choo, Pig on the Porch (formerly Axel’s Tavern), and
Detour 19. On many spring and summer nights, you’ll find a
good crowd at the Arnold Klaers Baseball Field cheering on
their favorite youth or amateur baseball team.
Loretto City Hall is located at 279 North Medina Street, Suite
260.
Mailing address: PO Box 207, Loretto, MN 55357
Phone: 763-479-4305
Website: www.ci.loretto.mn.us
Civic Events: Loretto Fun Fest, held each year on the
second Saturday of September, and the Holiday Train, held
in December, date announced in October by Canadian
Pacific Railway
Office open 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and
Friday and 3:00-6:00 p.m. Wednesday.
City council meetings are conducted the second Tuesday
of each month at 7 p.m. at Loretto City Hall.
The city council consists of Mayor Kent Koch and council
members Brenda Daniels, Melissa Markham, Eric Riley, and
Brian Sevigny.
Official Guide to DELANO 2019