35 topographic sheets cover 17 settlements here, and 12 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 1 story and name 1 person · people the book names include I.Yon County (Lucas Township, 1884) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Town Of Custer. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
The Cottonwood river flows aci'oss the north end ot the town irom west to east, and had some years ago considerable timber along its banks. This fact, which is an attraction m all new prairie countries, brought white traders to this section before the Indian massacre of 1862. A German some time before this opened an Indian trading station on the Cottonwood river it is said on section 1.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | J. S. Anderson House | building | 1982 | 82002984 |
 | Anderson, O. G., & Co. Store | building | 1982 | 82002985 |
 | Bridge No. 5083-Marshall | structure | 1998 | 98000682 |
 | Bridge No. 5151-Marshall | structure | 1998 | 98000683 |
 | Camden State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Historic District | district | 1991 | 89001669 |
 | First National Bank | building | 1982 | 82002987 |
 | William F. Gieske House | building | 1982 | 82002982 |
 | Kiel & Morgan Hotel/Lyon County Courthouse | building | 1982 | 82002981 |
 | Masonic Temple Delta Lodge No. 119 | building | 1982 | 82002983 |
 | Martin Norseth House | building | 1982 | 82002980 |
 | St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church & Parsonage | building | 1982 | 82002986 |
| Tracy Municipal Building and Armory | building | 2023 | 100009130 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 6 of them, burning about 426 acres. None started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. Two of them were set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 April 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 October 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 81 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 12 May 2013 | Debris and open burning | 65 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 May 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 46 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 December 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 30 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 May 2013 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 496 reports for this county, causing 10 deaths, 171 injuries and about $8,493,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 254 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 |
| Flood | 34 |
| Tornado | 29 |
| Flash Flood | 27 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 |
| Lightning | 3 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1968 | Tornado (F5) | not stated | 9 killed, 150 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 1955 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 1 killed, 13 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Tornado (F1) | Cottonwood | 4 hurt | A short-lived tornado destroyed a home and injured four people. |
| May 1974 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 2 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minneota | 2 hurt | High winds downed numerous trees and damaged several buildings in Minneota. The roof was torn off the Auto Center. One direct injury resulted to a driver when his semi-truck was blown into the ditch and rolled 3 miles east of Minneota. A second direct injury occurred when a person was blown down by the wind. |
| April 2019 | Flood | Russell | $560,000 | Runoff following the major winter storm in mid-April produced considerable flooding of agricultural land. The Redwood River at Russell (gage site RUSM5) crested at 1.80 feet above flood stage on April 18. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Florence | $510,000 | U.S. Highway 14 between 300th Avenue and County Road 54 was covered by water. Other flooding resulted in damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads and culverts. The property damage costs include estimates for public property losses. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | $300,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down. Several roads were blocked by fallen trees. Roofs and siding of several homes were damaged directly by the wind, and also by falling trees and wind blown tree debris. The winds also blew down power poles and lines, causing a power outage. The winds were accompanied by large hail. |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | $300,000 | no account filed |
| April 1985 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1985 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Flood | Taunton | $200,000 | Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of fields and other lowlands, including numerous roads, and several homes and businesses. This flooding lasted through most of the daytime hours. Some roads were damaged or washed out. |
| April 2011 | Flood | Taunton | $200,000 | Flooding of lakes, streams, and lowlands, including some farmland, continued in the county through April. The Redwood river crested at a foot above flood stage at Russel on April 10th. While flooding of small streams abated, lake and lowland flooding continued with very slow improvement. Several roads remained flooded. High water and groundwater levels resulting from record precipitation in the previous year was the main reason that the flooding either grew worse or improved so slowly. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Amiret | $200,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged several homes and at least one barn, including parts of roofs torn off and shingles blown away. The winds also caused widespread tree damage, including trees up to 2 1/2 feet in diameter snapped off. Additional damage was done to roofs and siding of homes and other structures by falling trees and tree debris. Several grain bins were destroyed. The winds blew down power poles and lines, causing a power outage. |
| July 2018 | Flash Flood | Lynd | $155,000 | Excessive rainfall rates overloaded culverts on County Road 5 north of Lynd and County Road 7 south of State Highway 23 near Marshall, each washing out large sections of roadway. Other county roads (60, 63 and 65) lost culverts as well, with road damage across the county totaling around 155 thousand dollars. Rainfall at Marshall was 4.81 inches, 4.02 inches just south of Marshall, 5.77 inches at Tracy and 6.50 inches at Ghent. |
| June 1997 | Hail | Minneota | $100,000 | Large hail devastated about 40 thousand acres of crops in western Lyon County. The area just south of Minneota was the most affected. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minneota | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and minor building damage damage and blew down signs. |
| July 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Marshall | $30,000 | Most of the damage to the area was a result of 80 to 100 mph winds. However, there were indications of a very brief tornado that enhanced the damage. |
| July 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Marshall | $25,000 | Most of the damage was a result of strong thunderstorm winds of 80 to 100 mph, but the damage survey results showed an indication of a brief tornado that resulted in an enhanced area of damage. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burchard | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a grain bin, ripped a door off the side of a house, blew over a truck, and caused widespread tree damage, including several trees blown down. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Garvin | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including trees greater than 2 1/2 feet in diameter blown down in Garvin Park. The winds also destroyed a barn. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taunton | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage with several trees blown down. The winds blew open part of the roof of a mobile home in Cottonwood, and falling power lines caused a small fire in Cottonwood. The winds also caused other minor property damage. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tracy | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and roof damage. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Russell | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew a pickup off the road. The winds also blew accompanying small hail enough to dent vehicles. |
| March 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Minneota | $15,000 | A tornado destroyed outbuildings, damaged a grain bin, and broke windows in a house in northern Lyon County, then crossed the county line into Yellow Medicine County. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Russell | $10,000 | After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (5.70 inches at Marshall), the Redwood River at Russell (gage site RUSM5) reached the sixth highest stage on record of 1.81 feet above flood stage on September 12. Significant agricultural land was flooded, with numerous county roads under water. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Lynd | $10,000 | After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (5.70 inches at Marshall), the Redwood River at Marshall (gage site MSHM5) reached the ninth highest stage on record of 1.14 feet above flood stage on September 12. Significant agricultural land was flooded, with numerous county roads under water. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines, and blew over a truck. |
| July 2011 | Hail | Marshall | $10,000 | Large hail, driven by damaging winds, broke windows, dented vehicles, and caused an unknown amount of crop damage. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taunton | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew sown power lines, causing a power outage. The winds also caused tree damage, including large limbs blown down. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tracy | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a store front. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Russell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged siding on mobile homes. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ghent | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew over a van on Highway 68. The winds also caused tree damage. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Russell | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds rolled a vehicle on a county road. |
| August 2000 | Lightning | Tracy | $5,000 | Lightning struck an electrical pole at a car dealership, starting a small fire in the electrical meter. The lightning also caused slight damage to an adjoining grocery store. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Tracy | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Lynd | $2,000 | Large hail damaged a camper. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | $1,500 | An 11 inch diameter tree limb fell on a car, causing damage to the vehicle. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minneota | $1,000 | A large tree was toppled on a farmstead. Property damage costs are rough estimates. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| September 2005 | Lightning | Tracy | $1,000 | Lightning struck a transformer at the back of a food store, causing a local power outage which lasted for 10 hours. Volunteers moved perishable refrigerated and frozen food into ice trucks and a freezer trailer, avoiding spoilage of over $100,000 worth of food. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tracy | - | Six to eight inch diameter tree limbs downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Green Vly | - | Several healthy tree limbs from 3 to 6 inches in diameter were broken by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marshall | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts caused major tree damage across the city of Marshall, with several downed trees blocking roadways. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts snapped off a cottonwood tree of 6 to 8 inches diameter at the base. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Mml)Ryan Fld Marsha | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by AWOS station KMML Marshall Municipal Airport. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Florence | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor near Florence. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ghent | - | A 63 mph wind gust was recorded on a personal weather station just northeast of Minneota. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Mml)Ryan Fld Marsha | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 70 mph were measured by AWOS station KMML at Marshall Regional Airport. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Marshall | - | Heavy rainfall from 4 to 8 inches in just a couple of hours led to flooding of numerous roads around Marshall. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Marshall | - | Video showed flowing water roughly one foot deep across U.S. Highway 59 near the intersection of MN Highway 23. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Marshall | - | The Marshall Fire Department performed a water rescue for a person trapped in a flooded car. |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Balaton | - | Heavy rainfall caused water to overrun 170th Street between 190th and 200th Avenue. The roadway was closed as water remained ponded over the road for several hours. |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Marshall | - | Heavy rainfall caused inundation and persistent flooding of County Road 6 between U.S. Highway 59 and County Road 35, resulting in closing of the road for several hours. |
| August 2025 | Flood | Marshall | - | Several county roads were under water and closed for several hours after the initial flooding, including 170th Street northwest of Balaton and County Road 6 south of Marshall. |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Tracy | - | Widespread flooding occurred in Tracy between Rowland Street and Front Street and from S 1st Street to S 4th Street, which required pumping of water. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 2 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 2 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Pit No 2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Marshall Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 11 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amiret Township | Amiret | 5,123 words | 4 | |
| Clifton Township | Dudley | 458 words | 0 | |
| Fairview Township | Green Valley | 3,911 words | 3 | |
| Lucas Township | Cottonwood | 4,033 words | 4 | |
| Lynd City | Lynd | 7,810 words | 6 | |
| Marshall City | Garvin Park, Marshall, Village Park | 11,741 words | 5 | |
| Minneota City | Minneota | 6,003 words | 7 | |
| Rock Lake Township | Balaton | 771 words | 1 | |
| Shelburne Township | Burchard, Florence | 1,535 words | 4 | |
| Taunton City | Taunton | 1,172 words | 2 | |
| Tracy City | Tracy | 7,513 words | 5 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 15 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1: A Houiginal Days - 1 700-1 866 | 11,646 words |
| Chapter 2: Early Settlement - 1867-1869 | 3,771 words |
| Chapter 4 | 5,615 words |
| Chapter 5: The Grasshopper Scourge - 1873-1876 | 6,518 words |
| Chapter 6: Reconstruction Period - 1877-1881 | 7,978 words |
| Chapter 7: The Age of Imi< >spek Ity - 1882-1912 | 8,274 words |
| Chapter 8: Political - 1 869-1 912 | 3,195 words |
| Chapter 10: Marshall's Institutions | 8,201 words |
| Chapter 13: Cottonwood - 1 888-191 2 | 4,170 words |
| Chapter 14: Balaton and Russell - 1879-1912 | 5,042 words |
| Chapter 15: Ghent and Taunton 1878-1912 | 3,558 words |
| Chapter 17: Descriptive | 3,893 words |
| Chapter 18: Xthe Press | 3,802 words |
| Chapter 19: Reminiscent | 4,959 words |
| Biographical sketches | 256,041 words in 17 parts |
Everyone An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1912.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
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