"History and Description of Lyon County, Minnesota", 1884
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Town of Lyons.
Lyons, which is town 110, range 42, lies south of
Lynd, and is six miles from the west and south lines of the county. The cast and south portions of the town are open prairie country with the usual rich soil and meadow lands of the county generally. The northwest corner of
Lyons is cut by the
Redwood river, giving it some timber groves and also some rough land. It is probable, as stated in the article on
Lynd, that the first white men in the county located in
Lyons. The remains of an old log house, supposed to have been Lynd's trading post was found by the settlers in
1867 on section 5 of
Lyons. The station was afterward moved to
Lynd, however, if this theory is correct, probably after a burn out.
The first permanent settler in the town was
C. E. Goodell, who located on section 5 in
1867. He was in the woods as a chopper before this time, a scheme having been hatched to cut logs there and float them to Redwood Falls during high water. It is claimed by some that he was the first man in the county after the Indian trading posts of the period before the Indian massacre. Later in the spring of
1868
E. E. Taylor settled in the town. Soon after
C. Hildreth,
W. S. Adams and
H. L. Pierce settled in the town.
An organization was effected in
1873, the first election being held
April 1st.The first town officers were
Gordon Watson, chairman;
C. L. VanFleet and
J. C. Buell, supervisors;
Henry Mussler, clerk;
Chas. Hildredth, assessor;
C. Wright. treasurer;
J. W. Hoagland and
E. Lamb, justices,
C. E. Goodell and
A. Crosby, constables.
A school was opened the same year, Florence Downie being teacher. There are now three school houses in the town.
Rev.
R. Wait, Presbyterian, conducted the first religious services there in
1870. A society was formed and a church built on section 14 in
1873. The same year the P. O. of
Hildredthsburg was established at the house of
Chas. Hildreth, who was P. M. till the discontinuance of the office in
1878,
Hildreth's house having been burned by prairie fire. The postoffice of
Leo was established in
July 1880 and located at Mr.
Millard's on section 14. Mrs.
Millard was appointed P. M., which position she still holds.
In
1883 there were according to the assessor's returns 2,118 acres of cultivated land, 824 wheat, 676 oats, 363 corn, 167 barley, 21 potatoes, 43 flax. There were also 43 acres of cultivated forest trees.
Rush lake, near the central part of the town, is well known to the hunters of water fowl, but is not a very attractive lake otherwise.
The settlers of
Lyons are mostly Americans, and are among the best and thriftiest of Lyon county's population. There are several model farms, and the future of the town is that of a rich agricultural and dairy district. The Duluth. North Shore and Southwestern R. R. will undoubtedly run through the town next year.