History

Local Lore: The Underwood family of Lake City

Feb 18, 2026

Joseph Merritt Underwood (1844-1922) was the youngest of five living children to Daniel Underwood (unknown-1881) and Chloe Durfee Underwood (unknown-1895) of Wayne County, N. Y. Their devout Quaker family moved to a small farm in Illinois when J. M. Underwood was 10 years old, and once the Civil...

Local Lore: An overview of Lake City’s parks

Jan 28, 2026

Have you ever found yourself at a park in Lake City wondering “Who was McCahill?” or “What does Hok-Si-La mean?” Turns out the story of park names in Lake City is not only a rabbit hole, but an entire network of them! Therefore, there will be subsequent articles going further in depth on some of...

Local Lore: The Sea Wing disaster - Part II

Jan 21, 2026

The Sea Wing disaster took place on Lake Pepin on July 13, 1890, when a powerful squall caused the steamer to capsize. Of the roughly 215 people on board, 98 lost their lives. To this day it’s recognized as the worst maritime disaster to ever take place in the state of Minnesota. Most of the...

History of buttons with Yvonne Nielsen is Sept. 18

Sep 10, 2025

The Lake City Public Library (LCPL) invites the public to the History of Buttons with Yvonne Nielsen. This event takes place on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m. What does Bakelite plastic have in common with dinosaur fossils? How many color of uniforms were worn during the Civil War (and it’s not...

‘The Spheres of Women’ Civil War program coming to Wabasha, Reads Landing

Aug 6, 2025

Working in collaboration, the Wabasha Public Library and the Wabasha County Historical Society Museum will be hosting “The Spheres of Women,” a historical reenactment program highlighting the contributions and experiences of women during the American Civil War. Presented by living historians...

Ceremony honors last Civil War vet buried in county

Jul 30, 2025

Private John W. Kingsley, the last Civil War veteran buried in Wabasha County. John W. Kingsley was born in Chenago County, New York on Nov. 24, 1842 and died Dec. 28, 1936 in Minneapolis. Kinglsey had a drug store in Mazeppa and his son Floyd took over. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War...

Peters recognized for history preservation effort

May 14, 2025

During Historic Preservation Month, the City of Lake City, through the Heritage Preservation Commission, recognizes notable efforts to preserve its history. This year, Andru Peters is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit for the recently published “History of Camp Lakeview National Guard...

New home aims to restore historic character

May 14, 2025

When Randy and Sue Eggenberger purchased the home at the corner of S. Oak Street and Center Street and facing Patton Park, neighborhood history was part of the appeal. The home was just across the street from the boundary of the South Oak Street historic district that stretches from Center Street...

Schwartz shares history with Kiwanis Club

Apr 16, 2025

Lake City native Don Schwartz was the guest speaker at a recent Lake City Kiwanis Club meeting. After a time away Don and his wife returned to Lake City and began to invest their efforts in preserving the history of Lake City through working with both the Wabasha County and Lake City historical...

Someone please save the jail

Oct 30, 2024

I am very sad today. The reason is every time I see the old jail house, I realize we are about to lose it. This makes me very sad and I wish I could save it myself, but I don’t have the means to do it. We are losing too many of our charming and historic parts of Lake City! This means a lot to me....