local lore

Local Lore: More Hollywood Theatre stories

Jun 10, 2026

Turns out the Hollywood Theatre has a few more stories to tell, which highlight some of the final highs and lows of the establishment before it became an office building and apartments. A Tragic Mystery In February of 1966, tragedy struck. A small front-page article in The Lake City Graphic...

Film composer McKenzie’s first taste of Hollywood was at family movie theater

Jun 3, 2026

While debating which of the many topics on my list to cover next for local lore this past week, I was sent an extraordinary email in response to my article on Lake City’s movie theatres. It’s a perfect example of why I love writing this column, and I knew it had to be shared. Without further ado,...

Local Lore: When Lake City had its own ‘Hollywood’

May 27, 2026

If you were a Lake City resident looking to see a movie during the years of 1905 to 1974, you probably would have gone to the downtown theatre. There have been three different movie theatres in Lake City’s history, and in the year 1914 only, you would have been able to enter all three. The very...

A bomber crashes on Lake Pepin

May 20, 2026

In honor of Memorial Day, this local lore topic will be deviating from Lake City businesses and instead focus on an incident that occurred here Dec. 15, 1944. Longtime Graphic photographer Bob Parrott referred to this date as “The Day World War II Came to Lake Pepin,” in an article he wrote in Big...

Letter: Notable doctor missing from doctor history article

May 13, 2026

While I was reading the article about the history of Lake City doctors in the May 7 Graphic, I couldn’t help but think of the “Where’s Waldo” book series. There was a major person missing in the story I couldn’t find. Here’s a hint: He is still the medical director of the ambulance service and...

Local Lore: City’s jail history is one of tragedy, renewal

May 13, 2026

This week’s article is short and sweet. Evidence of Lake City’s first jail is apparent throughout several pre-1880 newspaper issues noting when criminals were committed there for miscellaneous crimes. It can also be found on old fire insurance maps starting in 1891, next to the “Town Hall” and...

Local Lore: Medical doctors of Lake City

May 6, 2026

According to a souvenir booklet that was a supplement to The Lake City Graphic in 1939 for the dedication of the Lake City Municipal Hospital, there were roughly 30-35 physicians who practiced in Lake City before WWII, and according to Dr. Douglas Pflaum, around another 30 have practiced here...

Local Lore: Lake City’s medical facilities

Apr 29, 2026

Multiple readers have suggested I write about Lake City medical history. I’ve held off doing it until now because there is a lot of information available. With that said, this topic will once again be split into sections over the course of a few weeks, starting with our town’s clinics and...

Local Lore: The Jewelry Store

Apr 22, 2026

For over 140 years, if you asked someone in Lake City for directions to a jewelry store, they would most likely point you to the same place: 109 E. Center St. Known today as Johnson Jewelers, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this week (see related story), this establishment has only gone...

Local Lore: For its time, the Hotel Lyon was ‘first class’

Apr 15, 2026

Considered another of Lake City’s lost resources, the historic Hotel Lyon can trace its foundations back to one of the very first hotels constructed here. Initially known as the American House, this small hotel was built sometime between 1854 and 1856 before being acquired later by one of Lake...