The Lyon County Historical Society 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. If you would like more information on other places not mentioned, please contact me at the museum. Custer Township was settled in 1868 and organized on Oct. 14, 1876. It was named in honor of George Armstrong Custer. Dudley, a railway station in Clifton, platted Dec. 20, 1901, was named for Dudley village and township in Massachusetts. Ghent, the railway village of Grandview, platted in June, 1878, and incorporated May 15, 1899, at first bore the name of the township, but was renamed in September, 1881 for the ancient city of Ghent in Belgium, in compliment to Belgian colonists coming in 1880-81, who were led by Bishop Ireland to settle in this part of the county. Shelburne Township, settled in 1871, organized Sept. 6, 1879, has a name that is borne also by townships and villages in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, and by a county and its county seat in Nova Scotia. Westerheim Township, first settled in June, 1971, and organized May 9, 1876, received this Norwegian name, meaning western home, by vote of its people, mostly immigrants from Norway.

The photograph featured this week from the museum’s collection shows the railroad depot in Ghent. The Lyon County Historical Society is a non-profit, member-supported organization. For more information, please contact us at 537-6580 or director@lyoncomuseum.org.