Trolley Tour of Rochester, MN July 5th

Rochester lies on the south fork of the Zumbro River and is Minnesota's third-largest city. The centerpiece of Rochester's economy is the Mayo Clinic, which annually draws more than two million visitors.

The area initially developed as a stagecoach stop between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Dubuque, Iowa. When the Winona and St Peter Railroad initiated service in October 1864, it brought new residents and business opportunities further spurring growth and expansion. In 1863, Dr. William W. Mayo arrived as the examining surgeon for Union draftees in the Civil War. The community was named after Rochester, New York by emigrants from that area

Scenes around Rochester...

Home of Sisters of St Francis-Assisi

In 1877, Sister Mary Alfred Moes, along with her birth sister, Sister Barbara Moes, and 23 other Franciscan Sisters from Joliet, Illinois, came to Rochester, Minnesota, to establish a new community of Franciscan Sisters ready to serve as teachers.

In 1883, Rochester was hit by a devastating tornado. The Franciscan Sisters provided care for the victims. Seeing the necessity for health care in the Rochester area, Mother Alfred persisted until Dr. William Worrall Mayo agreed to serve as director of a hospital to be built by the Sisters.

Established in 1889, Saint Marys Hospital was on the cutting edge of health care. Today, Saint Marys is part of the Mayo Clinic, serving people from all over the world.

Calvary Episcopal Church in the heart of Rochester. Calvary Episcopal may be the only church in the world that is surrounded by a major medical center...Mayo Clinic

On August 21, 1883, the Great Tornado demolished much of Rochester, leaving 37 dead and approximately 200 injured. As there was no medical facility in the immediate area at the time, Dr. Mayo and his two sons worked together to care for the wounded. Donations of $60,000  were collected and the Sisters of St. Francis, assisted by Mayo, opened a new facility named St. Marys Hospital in 1889.[1

The Mayo practice grew and is today among the largest and most well-respected medical facilities in the world. Many notable people from around the world, including former Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, have visited Rochester as patients of the Mayo Clinic.

Pill Hill Mayo home...