Publisher’s Note: The following article, published in the May 15, 1891 edition of The News Messenger, details the contested and controversial election in which county voters decided to build a courthouse in Marshall, instead of Tracy. A portion of this article will be featured in the new book: “The Sesquicentennial: Cultivating 150 Years of History in Marshall and Lyon County.” Books can be ordered for $44.95 by calling The Independent or filling out the form included in an advertisement in today’s paper.

(May 15) — The courthouse contest last Saturday was the hottest and best fought battle of ballots ever witnessed in Lyon county — In a large measure it was a sectional fight, with Marshall and adjoining towns on one side, and Tracy and adjoining towns the other, the former contending for public progress and improvement, the latter fighting for all they were worth against — Marshall.

The canvassing board met Tuesday afternoon and found the returns from the various towns in the county as follows:

FOR AGAINST

Village of Marshall 350 0

Village of Minneota 33 32

Village of Tracy 0 305

Amiret 56 4

Clifton 50 0

Coon Creek 21 12

Custer 0 69

Eidsvold 3 45

Fairview 54 1

Grandview 49 14

Island Lake 10 30

Lake Marshall 60 0

Lucas 50 23

Lyons 28 14

Lynd 55 8

Munroe 0 66

Nordland 5 49

Rock Lake 20 62

Shelburne 17 9

Sodus 20 31

Stanley 41 0

Vallers 47 5

Westerheim 22 31

___ ___

991 810

The above figures indicate a majority 181 in favor of a courthouse, but the figures are wrong, and the actual majority 77. Amiret was almost solidly against a courthouse, the vote being a 56 to 4, but by some mistake the returns of the Judges election came to the county auditor transposed, making the vote in favor rather than against, and the canvassing board had to so report it.

Out of 20 townships, 11 voted for the courthouse, and of 23 voting precincts there were 13 in favor of the courthouse. Thus there was majority of townships, a majority of all precincts, a majority of villages, and a majority of the total vote of the people in favor of building this season, while of the aggregate village vote of Marshall, Tracy and Minneota, there was a majority of 46 favor of the court house. It was a clean victory in every way.

The precincts voting solidly for or against, without an opposition vote, were Marshall, Lake Marshall, Clifton and Stanley, total for court house, 501, and against it were Tracy, Custer and Munroe, total 440. Fairview gave but one vote against the courthouse and 54 for it.

As a matter of course Munroe, Custer and Amiret stood solidly for Tracy, while Clifton, Stanley, Fairview, Lake Marshall, Lynd and Vallers stood solidly for Marshall. Tracy made the greatest outside fight in Minneota and Balaton, and claimed these places as solid for her, but Marshall took away Minneota and got 20 votes in Balaton.

MARSHALL CELEBRATES. The Courthouse Victory.

At six o’clock Saturday evening it was known the voters of Lyon county had declared for the immediate building of a courthouse, and soon after there was a spontaneous demonstration of joy that could not be confined. The Marshall cornet band was on the street, a dense crowd of humanity congregated, cheers and shouts rent the air. The time came for the arrival of the evening passenger train from Tracy a procession was formed and marched to the Northwestern depot, and probably a thousand people were there, including large numbers who had come in from the surrounding towns. As the train came in band played, the crowd cheered and shouted, and the engineer catching the enthusiasm the whistle valve was pulled open and the whistle vied with the crowd making a noise. After the train pulled out the procession reformed and marched through the streets, and then made the rounds of business houses, halting long enough in each for the band to play.

It was a wild evening for Marshall, and the demonstration was shown of all dignity, but the participants excused themselves the score of an exuberance of joy over victory that had been earnestly fought for, and in which everyone was deeply interested.