Long Prairie Veteran Memorials

There are two Veteran Memorials located in Long Prairie, MN. The information is:

Long Prairie Veterans Memorial Park

The memorial park is located at the corner of Central Avenue and First Street South in downtown Long Prairie.  Army Reservist Kimberly Lawler skillfully depicted several scenes that tower to a height of five stories.  At the top of which is a one and a half story steel depiction of the first flag raising at Mt. Suribachi.  The mural details the battle of Iwo Jima, the battlefield cemetery at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France and also includes a tribute to women in the military.  In the shadows of the towering mural, stationed straight and proud, are Himalayan Black granite walls with the names of those deceased and living in Todd County and elsewhere from around the nation who have given and dedicated their lives to the assurance of freedom around the world and here at home.  The mural scenes were selected to personify the savagery and tremendous sacrifice that all war brings.  28,000 American lives were lost during the Battle of Iwo Jima alone.  Also at the park are the flags of all branches from the armed services, including one specially designed for women in the military, a replica of a band shell originally constructed in 1927 at Lee Park in Long Prairie that can hold a 30-piece band, a Sherman tank, the statue of liberty and park benches to take in the larger than life significance of all that was given in the name of freedom.

The memorial was dedicated August 10, 2002 during a ceremony where the last surviving member of the group to first raise the flag on Iwo Jima, Charles Lindbergh, raised a 48 star flag for the first time all over again, this time with the names of the surviving soldiers who took part in the battle signed on it.

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Todd County Veterans Monument

This monument is located at 215 1st Ave S, Long Prairie and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. It is located directly in front of the historic courthouse is a monument dedicated to the memory of the soldiers and sailors who died in the service of their country. In 1918 William E. Lee approached the county commissioners and offered to build the monument at his own personal expense. The specifications were drawn up by Clarence H. Johnston, architect; and the sculpture was done by John K. Daniels, St. Paul. The monument now lists those from Todd County who gave their lives for our country in World War 1, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

It is a granite monument with bronze relief plaques on the front and back and two granite eagles at the top of two sides. On the front is a rectangular bronze relief of a soldier standing in front of a female figure representing Victory. Victory holds a laurel branch in her raised proper right hand. Above this relief is a small, circular, bronze relief depicting a kneeling woman with a nude child standing in front of her. The child reaches for her with its proper right hand. The bronze inscription plaque on the back of the monument is adorned with an eagle holding a flagpole and flag. The monument is mounted on a rectangular base and placed next to a flagpole and a cannon.

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