Breckenridge City Hall is located at 227 North 6th Street, Breckenridge, MN 56520.
Phone: 218‑643‑1431.
Breckenridge as described in 1938 [1]
Breckenridge, seat of Wilkin County, is at the confluence of the Otter Tail and the Bois de Sioux Rivers (the Red River is called by the latter name south of this point). The town was established in 1857 and named for Vice President John C. Breckenridge. Its progress was retarded by Civil War enlistment in 1862, when it was all but abandoned. Only three men remained behind in the hotel and on August 23, 1862, they were killed by the Indians. The same day a mail stage was attacked near the town and its driver killed. It was not until the advent of the Great Northern Railway in 1871 that the town began to develop. The railroad made the rich prairie land of the Red River Valley profitable for agriculture, and the region grew into a great wheat-raising area. Later, farming became more diversified, and today, although wheat is still the principal crop, other grains and potatoes are raised, and dairying and stock-raising have become important industries. Breckenridge with its many rail facilities is the trade and shipping center of the region. Wilkin County thrice named itself and twice repudiated its choice. When organized in 1858, the settlers chose the name of the Senator from Georgia, Robert Toombs; but when he deserted the Union for the Confederacy the honor was promptly transferred to Andrew Johnson and Toombs County became Johnson County. Johnson's politics also displeased the residents, however, so they renamed the county for Colonel Alexander Wilkin (1820-1864) of Minnesota.
Nearby Towns: Wahpeton City •