Part II:

The village of Lynd was laid out by Mr. Muzzy on the south side of the Redwood River on section 33. In 1871 he sold out to W. T. Ellis who put up several buildings.

Case describes Ellis as quite a character. “Governed mostly by impulse, he was always ready to preach a sermon, run horses for the whiskey, conduct a Sunday school or beat his best friend in a trade. Since leaving here he became the moving factor in a church row to such an extent as to get his portrait in the Police News. While here he was an energetic, fervid effervescent citizen who did considerable to build up the church and secular interests of Lynd, and develop its latent possibilities. He opened a store at Lynd and bought goods for it sufficient to stock several such settlements. His goods had to brought by team from New Ulm, and were caught in a heavy rainstorm on the way. It is said the dried apples swelled so that all the other goods in that load were shoved overboard, and his load of codfish, bought at ton rates, probably on time, had to be spread over the hills to Lynd to dry till the air of that settlement, it is claimed, reached the Flandreau Indians and seventy bucks went on the war path thinking they smelled the camp of another tribe.”

Southwestern Minnesota had received a setback from which it took many years to recover, due to the Indian Uprising of 1862. The greater part of southwestern Minnesota was again in the midst of the hostile Indian country. Steps had to be taken to defend the exposed settlements.

The Civil War was in progress and most of the able-bodied men were in the South, fighting for the Union. It therefore required some time to muster troops and place them in advantageous positions to cope with the situation. Eventually the Indians were driven back, soldiers were placed all through the western country, and companies detailed for the service patrolled the prairies. The expeditions against the hostile Sioux resulted in Lyon County being occasionally visited by military parties.

The Sioux were in time subdued, but for a number of years settlers on the extreme frontier lived in a state of constant anxiety, not knowing at what time the scenes of 1862 might be repeated. When peace was established on the border, settlement again commenced destined this time to be permanent — and the frontier line moved westward rapidly.

A few half-breeds made pretense of holding claims along the Redwood in Lyon County after the massacre. Alexander and Joseph LaFramboise, Jr., sons of the first white man to settle in the county, had claims in Lynd Township, which they sold to A. W. Muzzy and E. B. Langdon in 1867. Thomas Robinson, a French half-breed, had a claim on section 27, Lynd, which he sold to Ralph Holland in the spring of 1868. John Mooers, a half-breed son of Hazen Mooers, sold a claim on section 34, Lynd, to Arthur Ransom at the same time.

During the month of June 1867, A. W. Muzzy, who had selected his claim the previous year, came to take possession and he was accompanied by E. B. Langdon. Both dated their permanent residence in Lyon County from that time. Their families came in September.

W. Muzzy was untiring in his efforts to induce immigration to the vicinity. He wrote articles descriptive of the country to newspapers in the East and West and enlisted the attention and co-operation of many leading men of Minnesota. His settlement in the county was due to his desire to found a Methodist colony. He and his son-in-law, the Rev. D. F. Wright, planned to establish a large church and school for the education of the Indians. The scheme proved to be a visionary one, but it resulted in giving to Lyon County many desirable citizens.

The first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1868 at A. W. Muzzy’s home.

(To be continued next week)