Timeline

  • September 5, 1879 – The new town of Lakefield is dedicated.
  • November 11, 1879 – Railroad service begins at the Lakefield Station.
  • 1879 – John Kilen, brother to the founder, and his wife Bertha, open the first hotel.
  • 1879 – First grain dealer in town is Bonner and Hyde.
  • 1879 – The first general merchandise store is Chesterson Bros.
  • 1879 – First lumber yard opens in Lakefield.
  • 1879 or 1880 – Larud, Morland and Co. open their doors as the first hardware store.
  • April, 1880 – M.A. Foss becomes the first postmaster, post office probably located in his general store.
  • 1880 – Barney Foelinger opens the first recreation parlor (saloon) in Lakefield.
  • 1881 – First school house is built.
  • 1882 – G.A. Stanton opens a greenhouse.
  • 1883 – The first livery and harness shop is opened by A. Hohenstein.
  • November 30, 1883 – Carl S. Eastwood founds the first newspaper known as the “Minnesota Citizen.”    
  • February 12, 1884 – Lakefield’s first fire destroys the train depot.
  • 1884 – H.J. Hollister opens the first pharmacy and Dr. W.W. Heffelfinger opens a physician’s office inside the store.
  • 1886 – F.B. White opens the first barber shop.
  • In 1886, the name of the paper is changed to the “Lakefield Standard.”
  • October 1887 – John Anderson is elected to be the first constable of Lakefield with R. Pietz as assistant.
  • 1887 – First coal dealer opens in Lakefield.
  • 1887 – Tilda Hamerstad opens the first millinery (hat shop).
  • April 3, 1888 – S.D. Sumner is appointed marshal.
  • 1888 – A.A. Fosness and W.D. Hill open the first feed and flour mill called Globe Milling Co.
  • 1889 – Dr. A.N. Cheney opens Lakefield’s first dentist office.
  • 1889 – The Model Clothing and Shoe House is the first clothing store.
  • 1890 – A town well is dug on the west side of Main Street toward the north end of the street.
  • 1897 – The Lakefield High School Building is built.
  • May 20, 1899 – Citizens State Bank of Lakefield opens. Its name is changed to First National Bank in 1902.
  • 1899-1900 – Electricity comes to Lakefield as well as the first telephones.
  • December 1, 1900 – A fire destroys Dubetz Mercantile Co., two Schumacher stores, Jacob Kalf’s saloon and the Hoass tailor shop. It is finally put out by bucket brigades but damages are estimated at $19,950.
  • October 1902 – Lakefield’s volunteer fire department is organized.
  • July 25, 1904 – A fire consumes Otto Brothers General Store along with $18,000 worth of stock.
  • October 1907 – First bowling alley and shooting gallery opens for business.
  • 1908 – Lakefield Tile and Drainage Co. is formed.
  • 1910 – The Scenic Theatre is opened by George Werner.
  • 1913 – Sucker and Kuhnau Bros. becomes the first garage and car dealership in town. Cost of a Ford is $345.
  • 1914 – Lafot’s Restaurant becomes the first cafe in Lakefield.
  • 1915 – Water tower is erected.
  • 1916 – Truman Smith opens Home Bakery, the first bakery in town.
  • 1916 – L.S. Hildreth opens the first jewelry store in Lakefield.
  • 1918 – Eva L. Young opens the first beauty shop.
  • 1920 – The first tar pavement is laid on Main Street.
  • 1922 – The first service station is opened by George Welker and Ed Kilen.
  • 1924 – The Lyric Theatre is opened by P.W. Ashley.
  • July 29, 1926 – The first golf course is cultivated four miles south of Lakefield.
  • 1928 – C.B. Rognes opens the first furniture store.
  • 1929 – An airport is completed just west of Lakefield on the Krueger farm.
  • 1931 – The first concrete pavement is laid on Main Street.
  • 1949 – 172 acres of land along the Des Moines River is purchased from Agil Kilen to create Kilen Woods State Park.
  • 1950 – Lakefield Clinic and Lakefield Municipal Hospital open their doors.
  • 1958 – Pleasantview Elementary School opens for use.
  • 1959 – After an attempt to organize a county library is voted down, Mrs. H.L. Bond and a handful of other residents organize the Lakefield Public Library in the city hall. Initially, it is staffed by volunteers and all books are donated. This continues until 1977 when a county library is finally established.
  • 1962-1963 – The Lakefield American Legion raises funds and builds a community swimming pool.
  • 1966 – Lester Tordsen is appointed chief of police with a salary of $400 per month. Arnold Kilen is his assistant and Delmar Olsen is patrolman.
  • 1967 – Community Point, which had been a recreation area and the main public access to Heron Lake throughout Lakefield’s history, is added to the Jackson County Park System.
  • 1968 – Colonial Manor opens its doors.
  • 1971 – 24 acres of land on the western shore of South Heron Lake is purchased from the Charles Laybourn family to create Sandy Point Park.
  • 1977 – Northridge Golf and Country Club is built on the north edge of Lakefield.
  • July 2007 – The swimming pool is closed for construction. The pool reopens the following spring as the Lakefield Family Aquatic Center.