Main Street History: Woodbury's Original Name

WOODBURY, MN — In the mid-1800s, immigrants from Germany and elsewhere began moving to the wooded prairie area that would one day be known as Woodbury.

According to the Washington County Historical Society, the very first settlers claimed land near Colby Lake. Records show John and Alexander McHattie, and William Middleton, were among the first settlers.

Charles Spangenberg completed his "rock solid" farmstead in 1871. But by then, the town had a different name than when it was founded.

When Minnesota became a state in 1858, the township of "Red Rock" was formed. According to city historians, the town was named after a sacred stone painted by Dakota Chief Little Crow.

The only problem? A year later, the state legislature discovered there was already a Red Rock, Minnesota.

So the town was renamed in 1859 to "Woodbury" to honor Levi Woodbury, a New Hampshire politician.

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