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Minnesota County
Morrison County, Minnesota
Little Falls - Charles Lindbergh's boyhood home - from the Charles A. Lindbergh State Park and Historic Site (the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh - the aviator who made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris on May 20-21, 1927 - stands on the banks of the Mississippi River in Little Falls, and the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site preserves the family farm where the future Lone Eagle grew up, providing insight into the Minnesota boyhood that shaped the most celebrated aviator of the 20th century) and Camp Ripley (the Minnesota National Guard training installation that is one of the largest National Guard bases in the United States).
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Office: Morrison County Emergency Management – 213 First Avenue SE, Little Falls, MN 56345
Services: Coordinates disaster preparedness and offers a Citizen Emergency Alert opt-in notification service.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US Highway 10 and Minnesota Highway 27 serve Little Falls, the county seat, near the geographic center of Minnesota
Transit: Little Falls/Morrison County Airport (Lindbergh Field), jointly owned by the city and county, opened in 1947.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Morrison County Planning & Zoning – 213 First Ave SE, Little Falls, MN 56345, (320) 632-0170
Services: The City of Little Falls issues its own building and zoning permits within city limits, (320) 532-3629.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Morrison County Veterans Services – Little Falls, MN 56345
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Little Falls Carnegie Library (Great River Regional Library) – 108 NE 3rd Street, Little Falls, MN 56345, (320) 632-9676 | Hours: Mon-Thu 10 AM–9 PM, Fri 10 AM–5 PM, Sat 10 AM–3 PM
Services: Built in 1905 in the American Craftsman style, this is a genuine, still-operating Carnegie library listed on the National Register of Historic Places – one of only 23 of Minnesota’s original 66 Carnegie libraries still functioning as libraries today; its meeting rooms include the “Lindbergh Room.”
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Morrison County’s seat, Little Falls, is genuinely the boyhood home of aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, who in 1927 completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight. The Lindbergh family’s 1906 farmhouse on the banks of the Mississippi River, along with the surrounding 110-acre farm, was donated to the State of Minnesota by the family in 1931 in honor of Charles’s father, U.S. Congressman Charles August Lindbergh. The property is now Charles A. Lindbergh State Park, a 569-acre park adjoining the Charles Lindbergh House and Museum, a National Historic Landmark operated by the Minnesota Historical Society; the aviator gave his final public address from the porch of his boyhood home at the site’s 1973 dedication, less than a year before his death. The 1890-91 Morrison County Courthouse, a Richardsonian Romanesque building, remains in active use and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: Little Falls is genuinely the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh, and his family farm – donated to the state in 1931 – is now Charles A. Lindbergh State Park and a National Historic Landmark museum site.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Morrison County GIS – accessible via morrisoncountymn.gov
Parcel Search: Morrison County Assessor – 213 First Ave SE, Little Falls, MN 56345
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Morrison County Sheriff’s Office/Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Morrison County Animal Humane Society – 200 7th Ave NE, Little Falls, MN 56345, (320) 632-0703 | Hours: Tue-Fri 11 AM–5 PM (closed Mon, Sat, Sun)
Services: Shelter, adoption, and surrender services for stray, abandoned, and owner-surrendered animals throughout Morrison County; adopters may come from any county or state but must visit the shelter in person (no shipping).
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
Little Falls is genuinely the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh, and his family farm – donated to the state in 1931 – is now Charles A. Lindbergh State Park and a National Historic Landmark museum site. 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 Morrison County
Morrison County is Charles Lindbergh’s Minnesota – the boyhood home of the aviator who made the first solo transatlantic flight in 1927 stands on the Mississippi River in Little Falls, and Camp Ripley’s National Guard installation makes Morrison County a community of aviation heritage and military training.
Little Falls (the county seat, population ~8,500) celebrates its Lindbergh heritage while serving as the Mississippi River hub for central Minnesota’s agricultural and forestry communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Morrison County Assessor at 213 SE 1st Avenue, Little Falls, MN 56345, phone 320-632-0170. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Morrison County District Court at 213 SE 1st Avenue, Little Falls, MN 56345, phone 320-632-0143, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Morrison County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1890-91 Morrison County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Morrison 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
Morrison County District Court Morrison County Government Center, 213 1st Avenue SE, Little Falls, MN 56345 (320) 412-7010
Morrison County was founded February 25, 1856, named for William and Allan Morrison, in central Minnesota, seated in Little Falls – the boyhood home of aviator Charles Lindbergh and site of the Camp Ripley Military Reservation. The 1890-91 Morrison County Courthouse, Richardsonian Romanesque in style and built entirely of local material, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
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
209 1st Ave. SE, Little Falls, MN 56345
(320) 632-9233
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
213 1st Ave. SE, Little Falls, MN 56345
(320) 632-0152
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MN DHS — Central Region
(320) 632-8291
CentraCare Health — Long Prairie
centracare.com (Long Prairie — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Morrison County Public Health – Little Falls, MN 56345
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Little Falls
Population: 33,000
Area: 1,125 sq mi
Established: 1856
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Morrison County residents.
