Railroad altered Litchfield’s trajectory as a city BY JULIANA THILL
L
itchfield has seen its share of changes during the past 150 years, from its founding fathers staking claims along new railroad tracks to a flourishing city that is home to more than 6,000 residents and prospering businesses. The city, which early on was named Ripley and later was known as Ness, was eventually surveyed, platted and recorded as Litchfield in July 1869. The city’s name and prosperity is tied in part to one monumental event that was influenced by three brothers from England. These men – Electus Darwin Litchfield, Egbert E. Litchfield and Edwin Clark Litchfield – helped finance the construction of the railroad across Minnesota, through Meeker County and, of course, the town that now bears their name, Litchfield. This new form of transportation changed the dynamics of Meeker County, which was still in its infancy at the time.
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A photo from the archives of the Meeker County Historical Society reveals Litchfield’s main street circa 1930, including the grandiose Lenhardt Hotel pictured on the corner at left.
ESTABLISHING MEEKER COUNTY T h e s e v e n t h Te r r i t o r i a l Legislature of Minnesota ordered the organization of Meeker County on Feb. 23, 1856. In March 1856, John Huy and Thomas Skinner had Forest City surveyed and platted. The area, while inhabited by the Dakota, was still new to white settlers, and it would be two more years before Minnesota would even become a state. The county was named in honor of Judge Bradley Meeker of St. Anthony, who was one of the first associate justices of the Territory of Minnesota. He served on the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court, was a charter member of the Minnesota Historical Society, and was one of the first members of the board of regents of the University of Minnesota. Gov. Willis Gorman appointed Huy, Skinner, D.M. Hanson and Dr. Frederick Ripley as commissioners of Meeker County to complete
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Litchfield Central Park circa 1874. its organization, with Forest City named as the county seat. The first county commissioner meeting was set for May 5, 1856, at Skinner’s home in Forest City. However, Ripley died before the first meeting. He froze to death in a blizzard in March 1856 near a lake that now bears his name on the south end of Litchfield, Lake Ripley. For 13 years, Forest City was one of several thriving villages in Meeker County. It was an exciting time in the county, as pioneers embraced the area as home, established businesses and made plans for their new homeland. From 1856 to 1869, the trading centers of the county in order of importance were Forest City, Kingston, Greenleaf, Manannah, a n d Collinwo o d . T h ey we re home to flour and feed mills that
not only served local settlers but a considerable area outside the county, as well, according to “Condensed History Meeker County, “ by Frank B. Lamson.
RIPLEY, NESS, THEN LITCHFIELD Meanwhile, south of Forest City, a group of men — Ole Halverson Ness , Henr y Halverson , Ole Halverson Thoen, Amos Nelson Fosen, Nels Hanson, and Colberg and Gunder Olson — settled in Ripley Township in 1856. Two or three years later, the township’s name was changed from Ripley to Ness, in honor of Ole H. Ness. Ness Township was beginning to prosper, with John Blackwell teaching the first school in 1858. Also that year, the first religious service was held at the Ole H.
PHOTO BY LYNN DIETZ
One of the first drive-in customers teller Marleen Bolman had at the New Northwestern National Bank was Dr. Harold Wilmot, who wheeled up in his 1925 vintage Model T Ford coupe. The photo ran in the Nov. 28, 1968 edition of the Litchfield Independent Review.Throwback photo: Litchfield Independent Review Nov. 28, 1968 edition Ness home by the Rev. William Frederickson , and Heindrick Halverson built the first house, a log cabin. In 1861, the first school district was organized, and a school house was built. In addition, Ness Church was organized. By 1862, construction of the first school house began in the summer on the farm of Ole H. Ness. However, it was not completed until after the U.S.-Dakota Conflict ended. The small town of Ness was growing.
