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Minnesota · Mississippi River Bluffs · #771
Goodhue County, Minnesota
On the Mississippi River bluffs southeast of the Twin Cities, Goodhue County's Red Wing has given the world two things that have lasted: Red Wing boots - the work boots that became an American icon of manufacturing quality - and Red Wing stoneware pottery, whose salt-glazed crocks and jugs are among the most collected American folk ceramics.
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Office: Goodhue County Emergency Management (Sheriff’s Office) – Law Enforcement Center, 430 W. 6th St, Red Wing, MN 55066, (651) 385-3155 (non-emergency)
Services: Maintains an All-Hazard Mitigation Plan; the Emergency Communications Center dispatches around the clock, 365 days a year.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US Highway 61 and Minnesota Highway 58 serve Red Wing, the county seat, on the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota
Transit: Red Wing has nine other incorporated cities within Goodhue County.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Goodhue County Land Use Management, Building Division – Government Center, 509 W. 5th St, 1st Floor, Red Wing, MN 55066, (651) 385-3114, [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Services: For unincorporated townships, applications go to the county along with Township Zoning Approval; several cities process their own permits, with the county handling only plan review and inspections. Electrical permits are handled directly through the State.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Goodhue County Veterans Services – Government Center, 509 W. 5th St, Red Wing, MN 55066
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Red Wing Public Library (SELCO) – 225 East Avenue, Red Wing, MN 55066, (651) 385-3673 | Hours: Mon-Wed 9 AM–7 PM, Thu-Fri 9 AM–6 PM, Sat 9 AM–3 PM (closed Sun)
Services: Genuinely holds a collection of over 100,000 items and offers a Book House Calls delivery program, run in partnership with Faith in Action, for residents with limited mobility.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Goodhue County’s Red Wing is genuinely home to the World’s Largest Boot, a Guinness World Record holder created in 2005 by the Red Wing Shoe Company to mark its centennial. Standing over 20 feet tall and crafted from the hides of roughly 80 cows using the same design and materials as the company’s classic style #877 boot, the giant size 638½ D boot required more than 80 pounds of brass for its eyelets. The boot is displayed for free inside the Red Wing Shoe Company Museum, located within the flagship retail store in downtown Red Wing, alongside original advertising artwork created for the company by Norman Rockwell. Founded in 1905 by Charles H. Beckman, Red Wing Shoe Company remains family-owned and headquartered in the same town 120 years later. Red Wing is also genuinely home to a second globally recognized brand, Red Wing Pottery, whose stoneware heritage traces to 1861 and is showcased at the Pottery Museum of Red Wing, home to a 250-pound, 70-gallon “world’s largest crock.” The city’s dramatic 300-foot limestone landmark, Barn Bluff (Dakota name He Mni Can), offers hiking trails through former quarries overlooking the Mississippi River
Notes: Goodhue County’s Red Wing is genuinely the birthplace of two internationally recognized American brands, Red Wing Shoes and Red Wing Pottery, and is home to the Guinness World Record-holding World’s Largest Boot.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Goodhue County GIS/GeoHub – accessible via goodhuecountymn.gov
Parcel Search: Goodhue County Recorder – Government Center, 509 W. 5th St, Red Wing, MN 55066
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Goodhue County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: River Bluff Humane Society (formerly Humane Society of Goodhue County) – 1213 Brick Ave, Red Wing, MN 55066, (651) 388-5286 | Hours: Tue-Sun 11 AM–4 PM (by appointment only)
Services: Genuinely helping homeless animals since 1983; provides official contracted animal control services for the City of Red Wing, Goodhue County, and River Falls, Wisconsin, along with additional area townships, and offers a pet food pantry limited to 5 visits per year for eligible low-income clients.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – pca.state.mn.us
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Goodhue County’s Red Wing is genuinely the birthplace of two internationally recognized American brands, Red Wing Shoes and Red Wing Pottery, and holds the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Boot. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Goodhue County
Red Wing’s contributions to American material culture are genuinely durable. Red Wing Shoe Company, founded in 1905, produces the work boots that have carried the Red Wing name into every serious boot conversation for over a century – the quality of their leather, construction, and sole technology made them the standard for farm, construction, and outdoor workers across the Midwest and beyond. The company still manufactures in Red Wing, making it one of the few remaining American boot manufacturers producing domestically at scale.
Red Wing Stoneware, produced from the local clay deposits along the Mississippi from the 1870s through the mid-twentieth century, has become one of the most collected categories of American utilitarian pottery – the crocks, jugs, churns, and mixing bowls stamped with the Red Wing mark are recognized immediately by collectors. The historic pottery buildings along the waterfront are preserved as a museum and working pottery.
The Mississippi River bluffs above Red Wing provide some of the most dramatic scenery along the Upper Mississippi – Barn Bluff, rising directly from the river, is a geological landmark that early travelers documented with consistent wonder.
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Minnesota assesses property at 100% of market value annually. Property owners may file objections by April 30. Minnesota offers a senior deferral program for qualifying homeowners 65 or older with income at or below $96,000. Minnesota has an estate tax above $3 million; no Minnesota inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
DISTRICT COURT
Phone: (651) 267-4800
Address: 509 W. 5th St., Red Wing, MN 55066
Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Website: mncourts.gov | 1st Judicial District
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Goodhue County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Goodhue County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Goodhue County District Court Goodhue County Justice Center, 454 West 6th Street, Red Wing, MN 55066 (651) 267-4800 Goodhue County is in southeastern Minnesota on the Mississippi River, seated in Red Wing.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Minnesota follows the Uniform Probate Code, which keeps most estates on a streamlined informal track. Minnesota’s small-estate shortcuts are unusual among states in that they can include real property, not just personal property.
Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201) – for personal property only. The entire probate estate – including the contents of any safe deposit box, less liens and encumbrances – must be under $75,000. Joint tenancy property and assets that pass by beneficiary designation (life insurance, transfer-on-death accounts) don’t count toward the threshold. A 30-day waiting period applies after death, and no court filing is required – the affidavit is presented directly to the institution holding the property.
Summary Assignment – can include real property, and is court-based. Covers estates up to $75,000, including real property. A certified copy of the court’s Decree of Distribution is filed in the county real estate records to transfer title.
Summary Administration (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1203) – the higher-threshold real-property option, covering estates up to $150,000, exclusive of the exempt homestead. The homestead itself is excluded from the value calculation entirely for both Summary Assignment and Summary Administration – Minnesota’s homestead exemption protects the family home from most creditor claims and it descends to the surviving spouse free of most claims against the estate. If closing and distribution follow the terms of a will, a formal probate hearing for the will is still required before a summary decree can issue.
STEP 2: FORMAL/INFORMAL PROBATE (for estates above the thresholds)
File with the District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled; informal probate is available for most estates, with the personal representative appointed by the Registrar and minimal ongoing court interaction. Goodhue County is currently open to the public by appointment only for probate matters.
The personal representative publishes a creditor notice and directly notifies known creditors, opening a 4-month creditor claim period.
Once the creditor period closes and debts are paid, assets can typically be distributed and the estate closed without returning to court, unless there’s a dispute or a beneficiary requests a formal accounting.
Formal probate – requiring a hearing before a judge – is used in more complicated situations, such as will contests or disputes over the personal representative.
THE 3-YEAR DEADLINE – MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN MOST STATES Informal probate is no longer available after 3 years from the date of death, though formal probate may still be possible in limited circumstances.
What it costs
Small estate procedures can move relatively quickly once the 30-day wait passes. Standard informal probate is largely governed by the 4-month creditor period, so most straightforward estates take at least that long to close.
Minnesota has its own state estate tax, but the exemption threshold is relatively high – $3 million – so most Minnesota families aren’t affected. Rates on the amount above the exemption range from 13% to 16%, applied on a graduated scale; the exemption is not portable between spouses. Minnesota has no state inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
509 W. 5th St., Red Wing, MN 55066
(651) 385-3155
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
509 W. 5th St., Red Wing, MN 55066
(651) 385-3040
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Goodhue County Public Health – Red Wing, MN 55066
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Red Wing
Population: 47,000
Area: 758 sq mi
Established: 1853
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Goodhue County facilities via Amazon.
