Press Release

Today, almost 20 years after Senator Paul Wellstone passed away in a tragic plane crash, the family of Senator Wellstone is announcing the launch of a virtual tour of the Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site in Eveleth, Minnesota. Minnesotans who wish to visit Senator Wellstone’s memorial from their homes can visit wellstonememorial.org.

Utilizing state-of-the-art technology from Matterport, an industry pioneer in digital spatial data capturing, Senator Wellstone’s memorial was filmed in 3D to allow people from across the globe to walk the trail and learn more about Senator Wellstone’s remarkable legacy.

In advance of the 20th anniversary of the plane crash, Dave and Mark Wellstone also worked with a coalition of individuals and groups to upgrade Wellstone’s memorial and secure the site’s beauty and access long into the future. Those partners include St. Louis County, the Iron Range Building and Construction Trades, the Iron Range Tourism Bureau, and the Minnesota DFL Party. 

On October 25, 2002, twelve days before Election Day,­ a plane carrying United States Senator Paul Wellstone crashed en route to the Eveleth airport. In addition to Wellstone, the crash took the lives of his wife Sheila Wellstone, their daughter Marcia Wellstone Markuson, and three campaign staff members, Tom Lapic, Mary McEvoy, and Will McLaughlin. 

Dave Wellstone released the following statement: 

“The Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site in Eveleth is a beautiful moving tribute to my dad, mom, sister, Will, Tom and Mary, and I encourage Minnesotans who are in the area to visit, learn more, and pay their respects. I am extremely proud to be launching a virtual tour that will allow people across Minnesota to explore the Wellstone Memorial on their computers and smartphones. I would like to thank all of our partners for making this possible, especially the generous financial support from the Minnesota DFL Party.”

Mark Wellstone released the following statement: 

“While the Wellstone Memorial is near the site of the plane crash, it is about so much more than that tragic day in 2002. The memorial tells the story of my dad’s life, his career in public service, and his incredible devotion to improving the lives of Minnesotans everywhere. Paul was a remarkable person and we can still learn so much from the passion and dedication to service that he brought to everything he did.”

Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota DFL Party, released the following statement:

“To this day, Senator Wellstone is a tremendous source of inspiration and wisdom, both for me personally and for countless others across the state. He taught a generation of Minnesotans to expect more of our elected officials and to never lose sight of the fact that politics is about people, not power. It was the honor of a lifetime to know Senator Wellstone and to work on his behalf. I am thrilled that Minnesotans everywhere will be able to take a virtual tour of the Wellstone Memorial and learn more about Senator Wellstone, his family, his life, and his incredible legacy.”