Barrett, Minnesota

Barrett, Minnesota
—  City  —
Location of Barrett, Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°54′39″N 95°53′18″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Grant
Area
• Total	2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2)
• Land	2.1 sq mi (5.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	1,168 ft (356 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	415
• Density	172.2/sq mi (66.5/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	56311
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-03682
GNIS feature ID	0639644
Website	http://www.barrettmn.com/

Barrett is a city in Grant County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 415 at the 2010 census. Troy Johnson is the mayor.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (1.90%) is water.

The town of Barrett wraps around the southwest side of Barrett Lake, which is formed by the Pomme de Terre River.

Major Highways

• U.S. Route 59
• Minnesota State Highway 27 (About 5 miles south of city limits)
• Minnesota State Highway 55

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 355 people, 142 households, and 81 families residing in the city. The population density was 172.2 people per square mile (66.5/km²). There were 163 housing units at an average density of 79.1 per square mile (30.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.87% White, 0.56% Native American, and 0.56% from two or more races.

There were 142 households out of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 38.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 82.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,954. About 6.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Barrett is part of the West Central Area School District, which also includes the communities of Elbow Lake, Hoffman, Kensington, and Wendell. The West Central Area secondary school (grades 5-12) is located in Barrett, while elementary facilities are located in Elbow Lake and Kensington. Barrett was chosen as the location for the secondary facility as it is centrally located in the school district. The facility opened in the fall of 1995.

History and culture

• "Farm & Home Oil" has recently replaced Carroll's General Store as only store and gas station in town. Barrett has a single restaurant and bar The Barrett Inn and The Barrett Inn II and 1/2.

• Barrett is the home of Prairie Wind Players community theatre. Founded in 1979, PWP has produced over 80 plays, drawing in artists and patrons from miles around. The Prairie Wind Player's 1993 production of Jesus Christ Superstar made national headline's for its innovative casting (nearly all characters were portrayed by women, including Jesus).

• Barrett is also the headquarters for Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre, which tours Minnesota and Wisconsin throughout the year bringing a professional theatrical experience to the youth of each community in just one week.

• A common joke among those familiar with Barrett is that it is actually the center of the universe. Barrett folks like to say that everyone "Comes from, comes to, or knows someone from Barrett."

The "Elbow Lake" Runestone

In August 1949, the nearest local newspaper to Barrett, the Elbow Lake Herald, reported that, some five years earlier, local farmer Victor Setterlund had found on his land, near Barrett Lake, a heart-shaped stone weighing about 75 lbs (34 kg), bearing a runic inscription. Translated, the runic message was "Year ????. Four maidens camped on this hill." Hjalmar Holand, principal promoter of the Kensington Runestone (found not far to the south-east of Barrett in 1898) interpreted the year symbols as 1362, the same as the Kensington stone, but debunker Johan Holvik thought they should be read as 1776. The two experts did agree that the stone seemed to be a hoax. When Holvik revisited the area and asked Setterlund what the year symbols were meant to represent, the farmer confessed that he had indeed carved the stone himself, using a list of runes in a textbook, and intended the date 1876, adding "It sure doesn't take much to put some people on if they want to believe you bad enough."

Places of interest

• The Lakeside Pavilion is one of the few surviving lakeside facilities of its kind in Minnesota. The community of Barrett has worked to restore and renovate the Pavilion. It remains a popular place for dances and community events. The Pavilion available for rental May 1 through September 30.
• Roosevelt Hall was constructed by local carpenters and other workers hired under federal Civil Works Administration. Roosevelt Hall has been the location of Barrett's community center and public school gymnasium, 1934–53; a bowling alley, 1957–71; a youth center, 1973–74; an insulation manufacturing plant (1977–79). It is now owned and used by the Prairie Wind Players and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

External links

• Official Website
• West Central Area Schools
• Barrett Lake Resort & Campground
• The Grant County Herald Local Newspaper