Morris, Minnesota

==History==
Morris was [[plat]]ted in 1869 and named for Charles A. Morris, a railroad official.<ref name="Upham 537">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog | title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance | publisher=Minnesota Historical Society | last=Upham | first=Warren | year=1920 | page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n554 537]}}</ref> A post office has been in operation at Morris since 1871.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MN&county=Stevens | title=Stevens County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=August 1, 2015}}</ref> It was incorporated as a city in 1902.<ref name="Upham 537" />

The federal government and state in the 19th century had programs to assimilate Native Americans to the majority culture. The [[Sisters of Mercy]] Roman Catholic order, led by Mary Joseph Lynch, established a boarding school for Indians in Morris, operating it from 1887 to 1896 under contract to the federal government. Initially, most students came from the [[Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians]], which had many Catholic converts. The [[Morris Industrial School for Indians]] was to prepare students for jobs in the industrializing culture.<ref name="ahern">{{cite journal|last=Ahern|first=Wilbert H.|title=Indian Education and Bureaucracy: The School at Morris, 1887-1909|journal=Minnesota History|year=1984|pages=82–98|url=http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/49/v49i03p082-098.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019161926/http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/49/v49i03p082-098.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-19 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The federal government then appointed staff to manage the school into the early 20th century, before transferring it to the state. After the state took over the school in the early 20th century for general education, it taught agricultural topics. Agriculture has continued to be a major part of the economy. In 1909 the University of Minnesota established the West Central School of Agriculture (WCSA), and Morris closed.<ref name="ahern"/>

When the state announced a phase-out plan for Morris and similar agricultural schools, a grassroots citizens' movement convinced the state to establish a public college on the Morris campus. In the fall of 1960, the University of Minnesota Morris opened to students seeking a liberal arts education. It has been ranked a "Top 10 Public Liberal Arts College" by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' and one of "America's Top Colleges" by ''[[Forbes]].''<ref name="morris.umn.edu"/>

The city contains five properties listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]: the 1881 [[Lewis H. Stanton House]], the 1899 [[Morris Industrial School for Indians Dormitory]], the 1905 [[Morris Carnegie Library]], and the early-20th-century [[West Central School of Agriculture and Experiment Station Historic District]]. [[Morris High School (Morris, Minnesota)|Morris High School]], begun in 1914, is also listed,<ref>{{cite web |title=Minnesota National Register Properties Database |url=http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/nrhp/ |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |year=2009 |access-date=March 11, 2018}}</ref> even though it was demolished in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/06/28/ground-level-reviving-minnesota-relics-fail|last=Vogel |first=Jennifer |title=Sometimes they can't be saved: Morris to tear down elementary school |publisher=Minnesota Public Radio |date=July 5, 2013 }}</ref>

The [[1975 Morris earthquake]] occurred on July 9, and was the state's largest 20th-century [[earthquake]], rated at 4.6 M<sub>n</sub>.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1975_07_09.php |title=Historic Earthquakes |access-date=September 5, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110065348/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1975_07_09.php |archive-date=November 10, 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.morris.umn.edu/earthquakes/ "West Central Minnesota's Earthquakes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701142930/http://www.morris.umn.edu/earthquakes/ |date=July 1, 2007 }}, University of Minnesota Morris</ref><ref>[http://www.morris.umn.edu/earthquakes/articles/July9_1975_1.html Earthquake Shock Felt In Area] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207100457/http://morris.umn.edu/earthquakes/articles/July9_1975_1.html |date=February 7, 2009 }}, ''Morris Tribune,'' July 10, 1975</ref> On June 4, 1993, another quake slightly shook the community. This one measured 4.1 in magnitude and was the third-largest earthquake in Minnesota in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.morris.umn.edu/earthquakes/MNeqchart.html |title=Table Showing Minnesota Earthquakes |access-date=June 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403004545/http://www.morris.umn.edu/earthquakes/MNeqchart.html |archive-date=April 3, 2011 }}, University of Minnesota Morris</ref>