Ortonville, MN

Ortonville is built on the east hillside above the southern end of Big Stone Lake, where the Minnesota River leaves the lake and the South Dakota border is close by. C. K. Orton laid out the town in 1872, the railroad arrived in 1879, and the city incorporated in 1881. The Big Stone County Courthouse, built in 1902, still marks the county-seat center. Minnesota State Highway 7 crosses town, while U.S. Highways 12 and 75 bypass it.

The lake and route network set the shape of current routines: Lakeside Park, a bike path, Central Park, the municipal golf course, and the Pool and Park spread activity between the hillside and water. Public schools keep kindergarten through 12th grade in one building, and the city's service map also includes a clinic and hospital, public library, and economic-development office. Big Stone Lake State Park and Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge extend the city's lake-and-prairie setting beyond its streets. County government, the school building, lakefront parks, and the highway grid meet in a city laid out above the water.