The Prairieland Genealogical Society was organized in a meeting at Southwest State University on Nov. 7, 1976. Prairieland was located on campus in the History Center until moving in 2014. In 2014, the Prairieland Genealogical Society moved to the Lyon County Museum building and share research space with the historical society on the main floor of the museum. The Society is operated by volunteers and members of the Society. The research center contains family history files, obituaries, plat books, cemetery indexes, and other resources pertaining to not only Lyon County but surrounding counties.

The Society’s mission statement is: “The Prairieland Genealogical Society was formed exclusively for the purpose of the collection, preservation, and dissemination of genealogical material, to prevent the thoughtless destruction of private and public documents, to provide a service to those engaged in family research, to organize events in the field of genealogy and family history, and to foster support and promote genealogical interest and understanding about the southwestern area of the state of Minnesota.”

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, all monetary donations to the Prairieland Genealogical Society are full tax deductible. An annual membership fee of $20 for individual or $30 for family is due in September and runs through August of the following year. Regular meetings for the Society are held at 5 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month of April and September. These meetings are held in the conference room on the 2nd floor of the Lyon County Museum. A holiday party/meeting is at noon on the second Saturday in December at a local restaurant. The public is invited to attend all Prairieland meetings.

The next meeting for the Prairieland Genealogical Society is Thursday, April 12 at 5 p.m. at the Lyon County Museum. The guest speakers are SMSU History Club students. The speaker topic is: “Turning Local Historical Research Projects into Publications.” This meeting is open to the public and is a free event.

The Lyon County Historical Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. For more information on membership, research, volunteering, or the museum’s collection, please contact us at 537-6580 or director@lyoncomuseum.org. Like our page and follow us on Facebook.