“One of the most important of the smaller towns in Lyon County in a business sense, and by far the most important historically, is Lynd, located on the Great Northern Railroad and the Redwood River, six and one- half miles south-west of Marshall. Nestled among the river bluffs, it has the most beautiful location of any village in the county. It boasts quite a number of business enterprises and is a thriving little hamlet.”

The above quote was written by Arthur P. Rose for the 1912 History of Lyon County book. In chronicling Lynd’s history, it is necessary to deal with three distinct villages, all bearing the same name. Upper Lynd, Lower Lynd, and Modern Lynd. The oldest was Upper Lynd and was on the southeast quarter of section 33, Lynd Township, one mile southwest of present Lynd. Lower Lynd became plain Lynd after the abandonment of the upper village. Lower Lynd was located on the north side of the Redwood River on the south half of the northwest quarter of section 27, Lynd Township, one-half mile north of present Lynd. Modern Lynd was founded in 1888, after the building of the Great Northern Railroad.

Upper Lynd came into existence in 1868. That year the post office, named Lynd in honor of the fur trader James W. Lynd, was established with D.M. Taylor as the postmaster. When Lyon County was established in 1870, the county seat was declared to be on the southeast quarter section 33, which was Upper Lynd. Upper Lynd would soon lose the county seat and business to Lower Lynd. Lower Lynd was established in 1871 by A.R. Cummins and A.D. Morgan. Levi S. Kiel and A. D. Morgan erected a large hotel building there, and in 1872, Lower Lynd became the county seat.

Soon after securing the county seat in 1872, the Winona & St. Peter Railroad was built through the county and left Lynd to one side. In the fall of 1873, the voters of the county declared their preferences for Marshall for the county seat, and in January of 1874, Lynd lost the county seat to Marshall.

With the building of the Great Northern-Wilmar & Sioux Falls railroad in 1888 came the founding of Modern Lynd. When the grade for the railroad was made in the fall of 1887, a grade for a siding was made on the southwest quarter of Lower Lynd. The first building erected on the site was an elevator to put up by the Northwestern Elevator Company.

Lyon County is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Programs and events are being planned to commemorate the anniversary. Check out www.lyoncountymn150.com and the Facebook page for the 150th for history and event info. The Lyon County Historical Society is a non-profit, 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.