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LCHS has a book in its collection that is a great resource for finding out the origin and historical significance of place names in Minnesota. The book, "Minnesota Geographic Names" by Warren Upham was first published by the Minnesota Historical Society in 1920. A reprint edition was published in 1969, and the copy the museum has is a second printing of the reprint edition in 1979. The table of contents in the book lists the counties in Minnesota in alphabetical order. In 1922, Lake of the Woods County was the last county in Minnesota established. When the book was first published in 1920, Lake of the Woods County was a part of Beltrami County.
For Lyon County's chapter, Warren Upham first writes about the history of the county and the origin of the name. Lyon County was named in honor of General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed in the battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri on Aug. 10, 1861. Upham also includes the sources he used for information on the origins of names in the county. The sources he used were: "History of the Minnesota Valley" (1882), "History and Description of Lyon County" by C.F. Chase (1884), and "An Illustrated History of Lyon County" by Arthur P. Rose (1912). Upham also interviewed Arthur P. Rose and Richard R. Bumford, who was register of deeds in Lyon County.
I will list a few of the origins of geographic names in Lyon County. Clifton township was settled in 1872 and organized Oct. 7, 1876, bears a name proposed by Christopher Dillman. Clifton is also borne by villages and townships in 21 other states. Green Valley, a railway village in Fairview township, platted in May 1888, refers to the vast green prairie there traversed by the Redwood River. Nordland township, settled in 1870, organized May 9, 1873, has the name of a northern district of Norway, crossed by the Arctic Circle. Nearly all its settlers came from that country. Russell, a Great Northern village in Lyons, founded in May 1888, and incorporated Aug. 30, 1898, was named for Russell Spicer, son of John Spicer, a promoter of building this branch of the Great Northern Railway.
The photograph featured this week from the Lyon County Museum's collection is a real photo postcard showing a group of men in front of the Farmer's State Bank in Green Valley in 1915.
The Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. LCHS operates the Lyon County Museum at 301 West Lyon Street in Marshall. The Lyon County Museum is open year-round to visitors. To contact us, visit our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org, call: 507-537-6580, email: director@lyoncomuseum.org, or on our Facebook page.