Dundas, Minnesota
Dundas (/ˈdʌndəs/ DUN-dəss)[4] is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,367 at the 2010 census.[5] Dundas is bordered by the city of Northfield. United States Army Major General Ulysses G. McAlexander was born in Dundas in 1864.
Dundas was platted in 1857[6] by the Archibalds: brothers John Sidney and Edward T., along with their cousin George Archibald, who built mills on both sides of the Cannon River.[7][8] The brothers named the city after their home Dundas County, Ontario, Canada.[7][9]
The ruins of The Archibald Mill a flour mill can still be seen today on the west bank of the Cannon River. The milling industry contributed greatly to Dundas' 19th-century success, and at one point the mills in Dundas were considered among the best in the world.[10]
The city's original central business district was located on Second Street, and by 1866 it included two general stores, a library, hotel, shoe store, restaurant, meeting hall and saloon. The neighborhood began to shift once the Minnesota Central Railway built its station on the west side of the river, resulting in the development of Railway Street and the platting of the Railway Addition in 1865. All that remains of the original commercial district is the Ault Store (built in 1866), which started as a general store and housed the town's first library on the second floor; the same building also served as the home of the Dundas News for its operation from 1876-79 when it was bought and absorbed by the Northfield News.[11]
The Archibald Mill, Adult Store and Edward T. Archibald House are among the five local structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the town is chiefly a bedroom community for nearby Northfield and the more distant Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The juxtaposition of Dundas and Northfield and their disparate zoning policies and attitudes toward development have led to some unusual growth patterns. Dundas is home to a number of businesses, such as an off-sale liquor store and two bars that would be unable to get licenses to operate in Northfield. Contrary to popular opinion and local lore, Dundas Technical University (Dundas Tech) only exists on T-shirts and jokes from Northfield and Faribault natives.
