Minnesota DNR Hosting New Public Land Sale Beginning In December

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources maintains a land portfolio that it actively manages over time, regularly offering to sell land that no longer meets the state’s conservation, recreation, or economic needs.

Minnesota law directs the DNR to sell surplus land by public auction, and recently, a new public land sale was announced, with a total of 190 acres going up for bid. The majority of the lands in this sale are school trust lands, which could provide outdoor recreation opportunities, like hunting or fishing.

In December, the DNR is selling four parcels of school trust land. Revenue from the school trust land sales will go into the Permanent School Fund, which supports 850,000 students in K-12 public education by distributing revenue to every public and charter school in the state.

Get our free mobile app

The DNR notes that school trust lands were granted to the state by the federal government to generate a continual source of income for public education, and it has a fiduciary responsibility to manage these lands for the benefit of K-12 public education.

New Public Minnesota DNR Land Sale Announced

The DNR announced this week that it will offer state lands in Carlton, Clearwater, St. Louis, and Wadena counties during an upcoming public land sale. They add that these properties might appeal to adjacent landowners or offer recreational opportunities for the new owners.

The properties will be open for online bidding on Tuesday, December 2, with bidding continuing through Tuesday, December 16.

School trust lands make up 188 of the 190 acres that are for sale, one of which is a 67-acre trust parcel in Fredenberg Township, located northwest of Duluth in St. Louis County. It offers recreational space near Island Lake Reservoir.

Courtesy of the Minnesota DNR

Below is an overview of the land that is up for auction:

2.57-acre parcel in Carlton County, minimum bid of $5,000
40-acre parcel in Clearwater County, minimum bid of $30,000
A second 40-acre parcel in Clearwater County, minimum bid of $30,000
40-acre parcel in Wadena County, minimum bid of $23,000
67.90-acre parcel in St. Louis County, minimum bid of $210,000

SEE NOW: These Are Now The 10 Best Cities To Live In Minnesota

The DNR land sale webpage has detailed information about the online public land auction, including a full preview of lands for sale and details on how to register for an account to bid on properties.

Minnesota DNR Land Sale Page

The December online public land auction is in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Administration at MNBid.mn.gov, Minnesota’s Surplus Services online auction website.

See How Minnesota's License Plates Have Evolved Since 1909

Nothing beats a nostalgia trip. It's always fun to see how things looked the year you were born and how much they've changed throughout the years.

Minnesota's license plates have certainly gone through many evolutions. The first "license plate" was actually a rectangular black leather automobile license tag with a brass number '1' on the center front. It was issued by the State Boiler Inspector in the State of Minnesota in 1903.

The first Minnesota license plate as we know it was issued in 1909. Let's take a look at that license plate and then all the plates that followed, along with some interesting Wikipedia knowledge as we go.

We've certainly come a long way, but it's also interesting that the now popular blackout plates have been around before.

Gallery Credit: David Drew