Lake City Historical Society
  • Home
  • Lake City History
    • History Overview
    • The Wave
    • Business History
    • Half Breed Tract
    • Lake Pepin Clamming
    • Waterskiing
    • Lake City Cemeteries
    • Historic Walking Tour
    • Historical Artifacts
    • Historic Phone Books
    • Videos
  • Photo Gallery
  • Support the LCHS
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Gift Shop
  • Resources
    • Oral History Project
    • Newsletter
    • Research Tips
    • Open Hours and Meetings
    • FAQs
  • Contact Us

fishing on lake pepin

lake city Historical Artifacts


The Lake City Historical Society curates a collection of artifacts of historical significance to the Lake City area. Some items are reflective of our heritage as Dakota homeland or our inclusion in the ‘Sioux Half-Breed Reserve at Lake Pepin’ that existed from 1830 to 1857. Others date from the early settlement years and were assembled by the Old Settlers Association or the Lake Pepin Historical Society and then passed to the society. 

We care for more than 1,000 such objects and many more photographs and documents. Some are on display in exhibit cases in the historic hall (ballroom) on the second floor at City Hall, or in mini-museums around town. The latter includes one with a clamming theme on the first floor of the Pearl Button Company shop in downtown Lake City. Another, on the theme of Lake Pepin, is on the waterfront in the Lake City Marina administration building.

If you are a researcher, whether for your family, or for formal studies, contact us to see if we have anything relevant in our collection. We can do a quick word-search in our digital records of cataloged items at no charge. For more extensive research, our volunteers will search for articles, photographs or objects related to your topic, and ask for a voluntary contribution to help us continue our preservation work. Cataloging and digitization of our records is an ongoing project, so know that some donated items have yet to be added to our digital records.
 
We continue to accept donated items for our Collection based on established criteria. If you have something you would like us to consider, please contact us.

Anna b. Underwood's tea set

Anna B. Underwood’s tea set in the collection of the Lake City Historical Society. Anna was a florist, horticulturalist, and lover of nature. Each dish in the collection was created for her with a different flower—either a wildflower or one grown in the garden—and her name written on the back.
Picture

Apple picking crew at jewell nursery

Anna B. Underwood with the apple picking crew at Jewell Nursery. Anna took over management of the fruit orchard at Jewell Nursery in about 1883. The nursery, perhaps the largest in the nation, was a family business, owned by her and husband J. M. Underwood. Modern day Underwood Park is named for the couple.
Picture

The Pepinette

This is the first page of The Pepinette, a newsletter published by Company 713 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on May 24th, 1940. The CCC Camp was located on the site of Camp Lakeview, the former National Guard camp in Lake City. It was donated by James Sanders of Kettle River, Minnesota.
Picture

713 JACKET PATCH

Civilian Conservation Corps Co. 713 jacket patch donated by James Sanders.
Picture

doing some research?

Download the Lake City Historical Society "Research Tips" guide. 
Download the Research Tips Guide

quick links

Home
History Overview
Gallery
Gift Shop
Membership
Contact
​
Terms of Use

contact

PO Box 246
Lake City, MN 55041
[email protected]

resources

Research Tips
Newsletter
​Meeting Schedule
​FAQs

© Lake City Historical Society 2025.  All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Lake City History
    • History Overview
    • The Wave
    • Business History
    • Half Breed Tract
    • Lake Pepin Clamming
    • Waterskiing
    • Lake City Cemeteries
    • Historic Walking Tour
    • Historical Artifacts
    • Historic Phone Books
    • Videos
  • Photo Gallery
  • Support the LCHS
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Gift Shop
  • Resources
    • Oral History Project
    • Newsletter
    • Research Tips
    • Open Hours and Meetings
    • FAQs
  • Contact Us