A look back in time
It might have been the serenity of the beautiful prairie land amidst the “Big Woods,” or the fringe of timber that once served as a lakeshore that attracted John and Maria Lester to the area.
Whatever the reasons, the Lesters arrived in the area Aug. 17, 1856, pitched their tent, and became the first residents of what is now Lester Prairie.
Maria Lester was the first Caucasian woman to set foot in the region and it was in her honor that the village was named.
A short six years later, the aftermath of the Sioux Uprising of 1862 left their village in ruins. Like most area residents, the Lesters were in Hutchinson at the time so their children could attend school during the winter months. The uprising left them with only the clothes on their backs.
The village was not much to behold until December 1886, when the Great Northern brought its Hutchinson line through the village. Land was purchased and the town was platted Dec. 30, 1886.
C. A. Ingerson, the first depot agent, began selling lots in a handcar house posed as a depot. From that point on, the town boomed.
Growth was so rapid that a census was taken to incorporate the village. At that time, 180 persons called Lester Prairie its home. Incorporation became official Sept. 8, 1888 and the first election was Oct. 1, of that year. E. A. Schubert was elected the town’s first mayor.
Population growth usually coincides with business growth and this was the case for Lester Prairie. 1887 saw August Logering open a general store. Paul Weise and John Kuhlmann took over the store in 1902. An inventive and progressive team, they erected a new building in 1914, which stands today and now houses Angvall Hardware and Mercantile.
George Chambers served a dual role. He owned and operated a lumber yard located at the corner of Juniper Street and Central Avenue. In 1888, he became the town’s first postmaster, setting up a post office in the lumber yard.
Carl Klinkenberg came east from South Dakota to open a hardware store in 1890. William Jenike opened a wagon shop, Herman Schwartz a thirst parlor, Gustav Milbrath and Henry Hageman a grain elevator, and Otto Fillbrandt became the town blacksmith in 1891.
Just a year later, a 32 x 70 foot building was erected and Lester Prairie had its village hall. Almost 90 years later, the city hall was torn down and the present city hall was built in its place.
A fire department was first organized in 1890, but was a rather dormant operation until the water tower went up and water mains were installed in 1896.
Residents could read about the water tower installation in the town newspaper. The Lester Prairie Journal hit the newsstands in 1895 with S. G. Peterson as publisher and William Kirkpatrick as editor.
A year later, the paper set up a printing plant at its site and O. H. Smith became managing editor. W. E. Talboys, owner of the Glencoe Register, took the reins of the Journal when he, Smith and Peterson exchanged newspaper ownership. The Iron Range appealed to Talboys more and he moved the Journal there in 1901.
Smith preferred Lester Prairie to Glencoe and established the Lester Prairie News that same year. When Talboys headed north, he sold his subscription list to Smith.
News could also spread via the telephone as the McLeod County Telephone Company erected poles in 1899.
In 1900, the townspeople had concrete sidewalks under their feet.
With the town expansion, businesses and residents alike needed a place to bank. The State Bank of Lester Prairie opened its doors in 1893 with a paid up capital of $10,000. Neither New Germany, Mayer, nor Winsted had a bank, so Lester Prairie had its share of the banking business.
The bank moved to Winsted in 1932 and Farmers State Bank, (now First Community Bank) which opened for business in 1913, became Lester Prairie’s sole bank.
This growing community was also in need of a school. The first school was located across from the village hall, but in 1901, a brick school house was built on the north end of town that housed eight grades and four years of high school. In 1917, 22 students attended high school and 100 were in elementary grades.
Though not the same building, the present school is located in the same spot.
Agriculture, of course, was the mainstay of the area and the elevators in the town skyline reflected that. In addition to Milbrath and Hageman’s elevator, L. T. Sowle Elevator Co. erected a grain elevator and Eric Anderson established a creamery in 1892.
It wasn’t until 1912 that the Farmers Cooperative Elevator Co. of Lester Prairie was formed with about 180 members. Due to demand, a feed mill was built in 1925. The need for grinding and mixing feed continued to rise and the co-op built another feed mill in 1941.
Even in the early ‘80s, total feed sales surpassed $3 million a year. However, changing times saw the demise of the elevator and it was torn down in 1997.
Lester Prairie has seen much change since the Lesters first arrived here in 1856. Though it is not the peaceful stretch of prairie that their eyes first beheld, it has become a thriving community that still sits amidst the farmlands.
This, of course, is only a brief retelling of Lester Prairie’s history. You can browse through the town’s centennial book, “Lester Prairie Community 1886 - 1986” at Angvall Hardware and Mercantile. Or purchase your own copy , and check out the history of your community.
