page_title: Blooming Prairie, Minnesota
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Blooming Prairie, Minnesota / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Black and white photo of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota from a postcard published by Olson and Fjelstad postmarked 1906
context_page_description: Blooming Prairie is a city in Dodge and Steele counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 1,996 at the 2010 census. Most of the city is located within Steele County; only a small part of the city extends into Dodge County.
context_section_description: Blooming Prairie was platted in 1868, taking the name of the surrounding Blooming Prairie Township, which was organized one year earlier. A post office has been in operation at Blooming Prairie since 1868. The city was incorporated by 1874.  Blooming Prairie's historic downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  Before the Prohibition Act came into effect, Blooming Prairie's presence near the intersection of Mower, Freeborn, Dodge, and Steele county made it a lucrative hub for the sale of alcohol according to the Mower County Historical Society. Circa 1917, Steele County was the only one of the four to be considered "wet", meaning it was legal to both own and consume alcohol, like in "dry" counties, but also legal to sell. During the Prohibition Act, several tunnels were dug under the businesses on Main Street for the purpose of making and peddling moonshine, according to many of the residents of Blooming Prairie.
caption: Blooming Prairie circa 1905
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