Construction is underway on a new museum next to Camp Ripley near Little Falls to honor Minnesota’s military veterans.

When Randal Dietrich looks out over a frozen field next to Highway 371, he envisions a place where people will come to hear the stories of the roles Minnesotans have played in conflicts from the Civil War to the present day.

They’ll hear the stories of men and women who sacrificed and still carry scars, of those who gave their lives and lie beneath white grave markers in the nearby State Veterans Cemetery, connected to the museum via a walkway.

Little Falls, Minn. – On Sunday the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum held a ceremonial groundbreaking on its new site at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minn. Located on more than 30 acres just off Highway 371, and adjacent to the Little Falls State Veterans Cemetery, the future site of the Museum will ensure easy access by the public.

Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh, Spec. Ashley Barber, 1st Sgt. Jessica Stiffarm, Capt. Takeisha Hunt, and Capt. Katie Morsch are depicted in a large painting, just completed, by Charles Kapsner and developed in partnership with the MN National Guard & Air National Guard. It will be displayed in the State Capitol in May 2023, and will become part of the museum’s permanent collection, and remain on-view in the museum.

The Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum released detailed plans for a new facility, with a grand opening tentatively set for the spring of 2025. More than 100 leaders of the veteran community, museum members and National Guardsmen gathered for a “Mission Brief” event, held at the 34th Infantry Division Headquarters in Arden Hills, Minn.