About Us

The Legionville School Safety Patrol Training Center in Brainerd MN, is a program of The American Legion Department of Minnesota. The patrol school’s primary function is to teach boys and girls, ages 10 to 13, the procedures of school-safety patrol work at intersections and in bus patrol work.

The idea of a school patrol program originated with Sister Carmela of the Cathedral School in Saint Paul in 1921 when the first patrolmen were stationed at the intersection of Kellogg Boulevard and Summit Avenue. St. Paul police adopted the program in 1922, and in 1935 the Minnesota highway patrol adopted it. Earl Brown, the first chief of the Minnesota highway patrol, felt that a uniform program for school safety patrols was needed and came to The American Legion for assistance. In 1936, The American Legion started a statewide training program held at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds in Brainerd, MN, with two years at Camp Ripley.

In 1948, the Minnesota American Legion Department set up a committee to raise funds to construct a permanent training center for the school patrol and, with the funds raised, the original 560-acre site on North Long Lake was built. The site was donated by the Parker Family.

The school’s safety patrol training is conducted by the Minnesota highway patrol public information officers. There are also teachers for first aide, swimming and water safety, and canoeing. Between 500 to 600 campers attend Legionville each summer and more than 92,000 campers have graduated from the program. Many are third generation campers as parents and grandparents still talk about their experiences at camp.