Researchers Seek Mendota Heights Grave of MN Capitol Construction Worker

Seven men died building the Minnesota State Capitol, completed in 1905.

John Corrigan, about 20 years old at the time, was the seventh, and researchers from the University of Minnesota believe his grave is somewhere in Mendota Heights.

The team is putting a call out to the community in hopes of finding it.

Victoria Woodcock, a historical researcher with the Labor Education Service at the Carlson School of Management, is part of a group documenting the lives of the men and women who built the State Capitol.

Woodcock has been charged with researching the fates of those who died. She has found the grave sites of all but Corrigan.

"If we could get John Corrigan's story out to the public, it's possible someone may know where he is buried," said Woodcock in an email.

John Corrigan's Story

Corrigan was born in 1884 to Patrick and Celia Corrigan in Missouri. He was orphaned, and adopted by Michael and Margaret Downing (Dawning) of Eagan Township.

He was 16 years old at the time of the 1900 census.

Woodcock said he also spent time living with a family by the last name McMahon in St. Paul.

He died in June of 1903 at the Capitol's construction site when the wheelbarrow he was pushing slipped off a 25-foot scaffold, taking him with.

Funeral records from O’Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home indicate he was going to be buried in what is now Mendota Heights.

However, Woodcock has not found his grave in any cemetery records in the entire state.

There are a few unmarked graves at where Michael Downing and his family were buried, said Woodcock, but it’s also possible Corrigan was buried on private property.

Time is ticking for the team of researchers, who are building a website and preparing to film a documentary about their research with a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society.

They would like to find Corrigan’s final resting place before the cameras begin to roll.

If anyone has information on where Corrigan may be buried, you are encouraged to contact the researchers via email at statecapitolmn@gmail.com.

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