Welcome to the Web Site of the
Lake City, Minnesota Historical Society
Steamboat St Paul at the Washington St. Landing in Lake City c. 1890
Two hundred years before the Sioux ceded their land to the American government, the explorers, fur traders, and missionaries who came to this region found what the Native American had long treasured for it beauty and sustenance. The exploration of the Lake City area by Europeans is belived to date to 1654, when the French explorers Radisson and Grosseilliers came to the area, where they lived for a time with the Native Americans and engaged in the fur trade. In 1823 the Virginian was the first steamboat to venture up the Mississippi, and Jacob Broody was the first white settler in 1853. In 1854, ex-President Millard Fillmore led the Grand Excursion which brought a flotilla of boats up the Mississippi to this area. Lake City grew rapidly since early settlers could see the potential in the area's lush soil and the natural beauty of Lake Pepin.
By the late 1880's, there was a very active historic society in the Lake City, Mn. area called Old Settlers Association. Many of the original members of the community belonged to this association which in the 1930s evolved into the Lake Pepin Valley Historical Society. Many of the artifacts from these organizations were transfered to the Lake City Historical Society when it was formed in 1966. The mission of the Lake City Historical Society is to collect, preserve and disseminate the history of Lake City, Minnesota.
Membership
New members to the Lake City Historical Society are welcome. Please send your name & address along with membership dues ($10 individual/$25 family) to PO Box 246, Lake City, MN 55041
Lake City Historical Society
Officers and Board Members, 2011-12
Eloise Blattner, president
Virginia Holst, vice-president
Georgene Arndt, treasurer
Don Schwartz, secretary
Katie Schmidt, board member
Marianne Kaufmann, board member
Lucy Sontag, board member
Officers and Board Members, 2011-12
Eloise Blattner, president
Virginia Holst, vice-president
Georgene Arndt, treasurer
Don Schwartz, secretary
Katie Schmidt, board member
Marianne Kaufmann, board member
Lucy Sontag, board member
