Photographer Documents Minnesota Veterans Memorials
Cottage Grove photojournalist Daniel Laurito Del Conte has begun photographing every Minnesota county for a state volume of America's Silent Valor.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Military
Cottage Grove photojournalist Daniel Laurito Del Conte photographed the first three Minnesota counties for America's Silent Valor, a series of black-and-white books covering every county in each state. Del Conte plans to finish all 87 Minnesota counties by June 2027.
Why it matters
The project records how Minnesota communities remember those who served, documenting monuments and veterans' organizations county by county. Each county receives a four-page chapter, creating a permanent visual record of local military memory across the state.
The project covers 87 Minnesota counties, with three photographed on Oct. 31 and each receiving a four-page chapter. The source does not specify how many total memorials will be documented.
The players
Daniel Laurito Del Conte
A Cottage Grove photojournalist leading the Minnesota volume of America's Silent Valor, a state-by-state photographic record of county veterans memorials.
Richard Wallace Dingle
A St. Paul Marine who served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and was killed at Belleau Wood in World War I, for whom the St. Paul Park American Legion post is named.
The details
On Sunday mornings, Del Conte photographs local sites as they stand today and tells who the names belonged to. The first Minnesota photos include the Soldiers' Monument at the Washington County Historic Courthouse in Stillwater, unveiled in 1917 by Civil War veteran Samuel Bloomer, and the Richard Dingle American Legion Post 98 in St. Paul Park.
Timeline
1916: The Soldiers' Monument plaque in Stillwater is inscribed as erected by county citizens.
1917: Samuel Bloomer unveils the Soldiers' Monument.
April 20, 1917: Pvt. Richard Wallace Dingle of St. Paul joins the Marine Corps.
June 6, 1918: Dingle is killed at Belleau Wood, France, at age 20.
June 2027: Del Conte plans to finish photographing all 87 Minnesota counties.
Military Memory
The Minnesota volume extends America's Silent Valor, a series of state-by-state black-and-white books, to document Minnesota's 87 counties. Local memorials like the 1916 Washington County Soldiers' Monument are being recorded as part of that national effort.
Residents across Minnesota can find the local Soldiers' Monuments and American Legion posts documented in their own county's four-page chapter. The project preserves community memorials that might otherwise be overlooked in local life.
The takeaway
Local monuments and veterans' posts hold community history that is easy to pass by. Visiting or photographing a nearby memorial is a simple way to keep that record alive.
What happens next
Del Conte plans to finish photographing all 87 Minnesota counties by June 2027.
Further reading
Explore more military coverage to see how communities across Minnesota honor their service members.
More information
Follow America's Silent Valor project progress updates for new county releases.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Hometownsource.
