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History · Loretto

Loretto dates to 1886

Most of Loretto was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1950.

1886founded
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Loretto began, and where its name came from

When was Loretto founded?

1886

Loretto dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 179 in 19502020 census: 646140 years

How did Loretto get its name?

Loretto’s name comes from two sources: the Jesuit mission, Notre-Dame de la Jeune Lorette, on the east bank of the Saint Charles River, about eight miles northwest of Quebec City in Canada, known as Lorette, which served as a refuge for Huron Indian refugees, and the village of Loretto, Kentucky, where the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross were founded in 1812.

More on the name

The name's original inspiration stems from Loreto, a small town in Italy celebrated for its pilgrimage shrine.

Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1887. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Loretto’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Loretto are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19094 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1993. Watch Loretto change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Loretto’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Loretto’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Loretto on the map, 1909 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Loretto. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Loretto on the 1909 USGS mapLoretto on the 1958 USGS mapLoretto on the 1981 USGS mapLoretto on the 1993 USGS map1909Rockford sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Loretto.

The story

How Loretto came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Loretto.

Read it all →

Loretto was founded in 1886, and settled by German and Dutch immigrants. Its name comes from two sources: the Jesuit mission, Notre-Dame de la Jeune Lorette, on the east bank of the Saint Charles River, about eight miles northwest of Quebec City in Canada, known as Lorette, which served as a refuge for Huron Indian refugees, and the village of Loretto, Kentucky, where the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross were founded in 1812. The name's original inspiration stems from Loreto, a small town in Italy celebrated for its pilgrimage shrine.

The city was incorporated in 1940. The first mayor was Albert Van Beusekom.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Loretto in 1895

Passages that mention Loretto, cut from the printed page as they were published.

ing was erected. The presetit one was built in 1867, and is located, one mile southeast of the present village of Loretto. In 1886, the Minneapolis and Pacific Railroad Company built its line (now the “Soo”) through the town of Med¬ ina, on which two railroad stations
Vol. 21895 · page 1321Read the page →
Read the text

ing was erected. The presetit one was built in 1867, and is located, one mile southeast of the present village of Loretto. In 1886, the Minneapolis and Pacific Railroad Company built its line (now the “Soo”) through the town of Med¬ ina, on which two railroad stations

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Loretto, 1886 to 1909

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingLoretto is established
  3. 1887Post officeThe Loretto post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Loretto, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Loretto, Minnesota-102024Loretto, Minnesota-10Loretto, Minnesota-092024Loretto, Minnesota-09Loretto, Minnesota-082024Loretto, Minnesota-08Loretto, Minnesota-072024Loretto, Minnesota-07Loretto, Minnesota-062024Loretto, Minnesota-06Loretto, Minnesota-052024Loretto, Minnesota-05Loretto, Minnesota-042024Loretto, Minnesota-04Loretto, Minnesota-032024Loretto, Minnesota-03Loretto, Minnesota-022024Loretto, Minnesota-02Loretto, Minnesota-012024Loretto, Minnesota-01
People over time

Loretto, census by census

01002003004005006007001960198020002020Peak: 650

Between 179 and 650 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Loretto’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Loretto’s history

What year was Loretto founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Loretto’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1950 counted 179 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.