Sam Brown Memorial State Wayside, Historical state park in Browns Valley, Minnesota, United States.
Sam Brown Memorial State Wayside is a historical park in Browns Valley, Minnesota, established in 1929. Its centerpiece is a log building constructed in 1864 at Fort Wadsworth in present-day South Dakota and later moved to Browns Valley by town founder Joseph R. Brown. The Browns used it as a residence and place of business.
The log building was erected in 1864 at Fort Wadsworth, in present-day South Dakota, and later moved to Browns Valley by town founder Joseph R. Brown, Sam's father; the Browns used it as a residence and place of business. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as the Fort Wadsworth Agency and Scout Headquarters Building. The wayside was established in 1929 to honor frontiersman Sam Brown (1845–1925), who on April 19, 1866 rode 55 miles to warn settlers of an impending attack.
The building was moved to Browns Valley by town founder Joseph R. Brown, Sam's father, and the Browns used it as both a residence and a place of business. It is the only surviving log building of Fort Wadsworth, where it was erected in 1864.
The park is open year-round with easy walking paths across the grounds accessible to most visitors. Restroom facilities are simple, and the historic cabin can be viewed during warmer months when staff is available.
The building is the only surviving log structure of Fort Wadsworth, a military post in what is now South Dakota. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as the Fort Wadsworth Agency and Scout Headquarters Building, cited as a rare example of post-and-plank construction.
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