Todd County | US Courthouses

Todd County is named for John Blair Todd, who was the commander of Fort Ripley from 1849 to 1856, a general in the American Civil War, a delegate to Congress from the Dakota Territory in 1861 and from 1863 to 1865, and Governor of the Dakota Territory from 1869 to 1871.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Wadena County and Cass County

E – Morrison County

S – Stearns County

W – Douglas County and Otter Tail County

Created: February 20, 1855

County Seat:

Long Prairie 1870 – present

County Justice Center – Long Prairie

Location: 221 1st Avenue South / 3rd Street North

Built: 1964 – 1965

Style: Modern

Architect: Stegner-Hendrickson-McNutt and Erickson-Ellison

Contractor: Carlson Company

Description: The building faces north and is a two story brick and concrete structure. The building sits at the base of the old courthouse in the center of Long Prairie. The north front has four large white colored columns rising to the roof level. Along the east side are four more white colored columns. The walls are dark blue colored glass. On the west side the section is brick with few windows. In the interior, along hall with glass windows runs along the east side of the second story. The County District Court courtroom is located along the west side of the second story. There is a small courtroom along the west side. The building is named as the County Justice Center. In 1979 to 1980, the two story service building was completed on the east side. The architect was Stegner-Hendrickson-McNutt and the contractor was Carlson Company. In 1996 to 1997, the modern addition was added to the building on the east side. In the interior, the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 7th Judicial District. The architect was Boarman, Kroos, Pfister, Rudin and Associates and the contractor was E & V Construction Managers.

County Courthouse – Long Prairie

Location: 221 1st Avenue South / 3rd Street North

Built: 1883 – 1884

Style: Italian Renaissance

Architect: Charles J Sparks

Contractor: Samuel Lee

Description: The building faces north and is a two story buff colored brick avant garde structure which sits high on a hill. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Long Prairie. The north front extends from the building on the first story. The windows on the second are arched. The tower on the third story has five small arched windows. The interior of the building is arranged with offices on both sides of a central corridor. A stair is located at the northeast corner. The former courtroom nopw houses the Commissioner’s Chamber and is located in the center of the second stoty. The architect was Charles J Sparks and the contractor was Samuel Lee. In 1938, a tunnel was constructed under the building.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Todd County Courthouse

See: The 7th Judicial District includes Becker County, Benton County, Clay County, Douglas County, Mille Lacs County, Morrison County, Otter Tail County, Stearns County and Wadena County.

History: The county was created in 1855 and Long Prairie was selected as the count seat in 1867 when the county was organized. The first courthouse in 1870 was a donated building in Long Prairie. The second courthouse was a two story frame structure built by G B V Williams at a cost of $2,500. The third courthouse was constructed in 1883 to 1884 at a cost of $20,000 and is still standing. The fourth and present courthouse, the County Justice Center, was constructed in 1964 to 1965 at a cost of $200,245.