Pierz, Minnesota: History & Things to Do

Rich Prairie, renamed

The town started life under a different name. When Father Francis Xavier Pierz, a Slovenian missionary working among the Ojibwe, came through central Minnesota in the 1850s, he called the fertile country here "Rich Prairie" and wrote to Europe urging German Catholic families to settle it. They did. The community incorporated as Rich Prairie in 1892, then voted in 1894 to rename itself Pierz in the priest's honor.

St. Joseph's Church

The parish Father Pierz helped seed became the town's defining building. St. Joseph's Catholic Church was built between 1886 and 1888 and dedicated on Christmas Day, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Generations later, Pierz remains a community mostly of German Catholic descent, and the church still sets the skyline. The wider story of the county's parishes is in Churches of Little Falls and Morrison County.

Things to do in Pierz

The area's marquee event is Pierz Freedom Fest, a two-day summer music festival run by the Pierz Area Commercial Club that draws national country and rock acts. It carries the Pierz name, but the festival is now held at the Morrison County Fairgrounds in Little Falls; the official festival site posts each year's lineup, dates, and location. Beyond the festival, the Pierz Golf Course and Campground gives visitors a round and a place to stay on the edge of town, and St. Joseph's is worth a look for anyone who appreciates old churches. For the broader area, see things to do around Little Falls.

Getting there

Pierz sits east of Little Falls at the junction of Highways 25 and 27, an easy trip from the county seat. Pair it with the other towns around Little Falls.