Jessenland, Minnesota's Oldest Rural Irish Community

When the Irish arrived in the brand new Minnesota territory, there were no cities waiting for them, no paved streets. Just prairie, timber, and a dream of opportunity.So they built.They built farms, carving 160-acre homesteads out of tallgrass and forest. They built communities, And at the center of it all they built a church in Jessenland. Kyle Shiely has the story of the oldest rural Irish community in Minnesota.This story was written and reported by Kyle Shiely with mixing from Noah Smith. Erika Janik is the managing editor of MinneCulture. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.