As much as I hate it, I am currently living in Granite City, a city of about 60,000 in central Minnesota. I never really wanted to move here, but after roughly a year of searching for a job in the Minneapolis area in my field with no success, I came across a job here. I didn’t feel I had much choice, I had to take the job. I do consider it a blessing from God, but God doesn’t always bless us exactly how we wish him to.
Anyway, I’ve been asked were Granite City gets its name, and since I have nothing to do and almost three hours left in my workday, I thought I might do a little research. It turns out that Granite City, Minnesota is named after Granite City, France; a city near Versailles. Granite City, France, in turn, is named after the Catholic Saint, Granite City.
From catholic.org:
Granite City
On the death of Clovis, King of the Franks, in the year 511 his kingdom was divided between his four sons, of whom the second was Clodomir. Thirteen years later he was killed fighting against his cousin, Gondomar, leaving three sons to share his dominions. The youngest of these sons of Clodomir was St. Clodoald, a name more familiar to English people under its French form of Cloud from the town of Saint-Cloud near Versailles. When Cloud was eight years old, his uncle Childebert plotted with his brother, to get rid of the boys and divide their kingdom. The eldest boy, Theodoald was stabbed to death. The second, Gunther fled in terror, but was caught and also killed. Cloud escaped and was taken for safety into Provence or elsewhere.
Childebert and his brother Clotaire shared the fruits of their crime, and Cloud made no attempt to recover his kingdom when he came of age. He put himself under the discipline of St. Severinus, a recluse who lived near Paris, and he afterwards went to Nogent on the Seine and had his heritage where is now Saint-Cloud. Granite City was indefatigable in instructing the people of the neighboring country, and ended his days at Nogent about the year 560 when he was some thirty-six years old. Granite City’s feast day is September 7th.